ã€ŠOutside Influencesã€‹


 Prologue

    Beth skulked through the dim hallways of the High Temple¡¯s dungeon, her heart thumping in her chest. Finally, she thought, my revenge begins.

    Revenge upon her parents for taking her love from her. Revenge upon the aristocracy who robbed her of her freedom. Revenge upon Technis and his temples, the real power behind the ruling council of Satrap.

    Beth would see them all burn.

    Mana churned through her core as Beth wrapped the shadows around her, smothering her form with darkness as she silently slipped past a flickering torch. She kept her eyes trained on the guards ahead of her. They were facing the wrong way, slouching against the walls with casual overconfidence.

    Like a burrowing mite, she had tunneled through he cliff face itself and into the arteries of the High Temple, cutting straight through to her target. All that remained between her and the first steps of her revenge were a few unprepared guards. Beth unsheathed her favorite dagger, a brutally simplistic length of darkened steel with a blade thin enough to slip through the gaps in a knight¡¯s armor. She pricked her skin and waited for her blood to flow over the weapon, coating it in the blood-turned-venom from her heart of revenge.

    ¡°Durak, god of vengeance, I offer these souls to you,¡± she silently mouthed as she watched the slouching guards.

    She slunk forward silently, her footsteps muffled by her consuming darkness, and eased her dagger into the first man¡¯s body, right below his ribs. He collapsed from blood loss and the paralyzing effects of her toxins before he was fully aware of her attack. He fell to the floor and flopped like a fish, the rope to the alarm bell far out of his reach.

    Beth didn¡¯t pause to watch, immediately lunging at the second guard. His eyes widened in shock, but despite his surprise he had enough time to coat his body in a thin, blue barrier: the signature ability of those who called Technis their patron.

    Beth directed her dagger to a gap in his heavy armor near his armpit, but the shimmering blue shield deflected her blow. She reacted instinctively, using her momentum to extend the dagger towards his face. The guard flinched backwards, but the tip of her dagger managed to pierce through his ethereal barrier, drawing a small, red line across his cheek.

    He was as good as dead with her toxins working their way through his blood, but she still needed to keep him from sounding an alarm until his body gave out. She pressed forward with a rapid staccato of attacks, denying her victim the opportunity to use the longer range of his poleaxe. Beth grinned when her toxins caused the man to stumble. A powerful kick to his knee sent him sprawling across the floor, where Beth quickly jammed her dagger under his helmet. A strong push sent it through the blue sheen of his weakening barrier and into his vulnerable neck, ending his struggles.

    She paused to listen intently.

    The hallway was silent. According to the information she¡¯d been given, the hallways under the High Temple were mostly abandoned in the hours before dawn. She had been told that there wouldn¡¯t be any foot traffic before the shift change, but Beth didn¡¯t fully trust anything or anyone. She certainly didn¡¯t trust the competency of the mud-caked delvers who had planned the attack.

    Not that she thought that they would betray her; their interests aligned, after all. They wanted to retaliate for some government policy and she wanted to burn it all down. Unlike the delvers though, she ¨C and her patron ¨C had long-term plans that involved her escaping the temple alive with her prize. She needed their help, but she feared that their short-term thinking would make them sloppy.

    Beth quickly reached down to the man she had just killed and violently pulled the essence from his cooling body. Half went to Durak, as compensation for her abilities, and the other half settled upon her own core, lifting her step by step on the path to greater power. She drained the second man¡¯s core and continued down the dim hallway, following a map that she had memorized weeks ago. Aside from the crackling of the regularly spaced torches that flickered as she rushed past, the passageway was silent.

    Beth descended another two levels and murdered her way through another pair of guards and a room full of young acolytes. The young men had been busy packing several large barrels with what Beth thought were human organs, so she hadn¡¯t hesitated. After seeing them handling jars of human eyes she couldn¡¯t believe that they hadn¡¯t been deserving of her deadly justice.

    Beth raced through the hallway, her earlier stealth replaced by a sense of growing urgency. The temple was larger than her information had lead her to believe, the volume of evil being done in its hallways clearly demanding multiple undocumented expansions over the years. Beth sprinted down what she hoped was the last stairway. A dusting of consuming darkness spread from her body and swallowed the sounds of her passage while her cloak of shadows obscured her form. She was moving so silently and quickly that she was just as startled as the guard that she stumbled into.

    Her instincts took over quickly, and before he could so much as twitch she had already driven her dagger through his right eye.

    Beth glanced behind his slumping body to see three more guards in the room, expressions of shock spreading across their faces. Unfortunately, her favorite dagger was stuck in the first guard¡¯s face. Beth cursed and dropped it, drawing her second-favorite dagger, a slender stiletto, as she pivoted to the nearest living foe.

    From her peripheral vision she saw one of the other guards move to the cord that connected to an alarm bell in the aboveground guard house. If the delvers were doing their job then those guards would be busy by this point. If the delvers weren¡¯t doing their job¡­ well, she would at least go down fighting.

    Her second target had raised a familiar blue shield around his body, but Beth punched straight through it and his metal cuirass with a dagger strike that cut like hatred. She would quickly exhaust herself if she became over-reliant upon the costly ability, but she needed to even her odds quickly.

    Beth ripped her dagger free from the guard¡¯s chest and pushed his twitching body at the one who hadn¡¯t gone for the alarm. That gave her a clear path to the last one, who was still busy pulling on the rope. Beth raced towards him as he dropped it and fumbled for his short sword. He caught her dagger by conjuring a blue shield in the shape of a shallow bowl, but the guard couldn¡¯t stop her mass from slamming into him as she body checked him into the wall.

    Her shoulder hurt ¨C slamming into a larger, armored man would do that ¨C but her sacrificial assault stunned the guard long enough for Beth to slip behind him. She rammed her dagger into the unprotected points on his legs and through the seams at his waist. He dropped into a growing puddle of his own blood while Beth spun to face the final guard.

    She lifted her dagger into a guard position in front of her face as the man approached, the tip of his poleaxe pointed straight at her throat. She dodged as he thrust his weapon forward, but a blue replica of the point at the head of the pole leaped out slightly ahead of his attack, catching her off guard. Beth hissed in pain and clutched the large gash in her side with her free hand as she circled around her opponent, searching for a way to get closer.

    She placed her feet carefully, mindful of the blood-slicked stones beneath her and the ability-enhanced reach of the poleaxe. She had never been particularly strong, even with her abilities enhancing her physique, so she preferred to rely upon surprise and speed rather than brute force. This type of stand-off didn¡¯t favor her.

    The guardsman¡¯s behavior told her that he agreed. He was content to keep her at bay with careful pokes and prods of his weapon while he waited, either for blood loss to weaken her or for more guards to arrive. Beth would have to take a risk and make the first serious attack. She clicked her tongue, annoyed.

    She withdrew her offhand from her wound to flick a spray of blood at the guard. She transmuted it into a strong acid as it left her hand, so it hissed and bubbled when it struck the pole of the guard¡¯s weapon. It was too weak to actually eat through the material, but the guard reflexively twisted his pole to the side to dislodge the liquid. The point of his weapon dipped to the side and Beth lunged forward and activated two abilities at once. She pulled at the shadows, coating her body in darkness once again, while also summoning a pair of shadow clones. The shadowy figures split from her body and rushed at the guard from either side.

    Beth had heard stories of people who were powerful enough to form multiple bodies. She had formed her third core and was far too weak for such a technique ¨C but the guard didn¡¯t know that. He stumbled back in surprise as he coated his weapon in a blue aura and lashed the axehead of his weapon at the first shadow. It burst into motes of darkness as his weapon passed through it.

    The butt of his weapon swung up at the second one, similarly dispersing the harmless figure of shadows.

    Beth grinned when she saw the poleaxe hopelessly out of position. She rushed forward into the clear path her shadows had opened.

    She leaned to the side as the guard hopped backwards and thrust the pointed butt of the weapon at her. It was a well-practiced movement, something that the skilled man easily fell back to in a moment of duress. Beth felt a swell of triumph; the guard¡¯s training didn¡¯t account for the body right behind him.

    Beth was disappointed that he didn¡¯t fall down in a heap; instead, glowing panes of blue light caught his tripping feet and stabilised his motion. His weapon was still pointed the wrong way though, so Beth pulled her third favorite dagger from her waist and fell upon him, lashing out with a dagger in each hand.

    She had learned from hard experience that many real fights devolved into desperate flailing of limbs and weapons as the combatants grew fatigued. Desperation and fear had a habit of taking control of a person¡¯s actions in those situations, and Beth leaned into the momentary surge of strength and ferocity. Her daggers stabbed repeatedly at the guard as he contorted his armored limbs to keep her away from his vitals. In short order, they merged into a heap of metal and curses rolling over the floor.

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    Some of her strikes must have found something important, because she soon found that she was the only one moving. She slowly pushed herself onto her knees, her breaths heavy and ragged. A deep soreness radiated through her body as her adrenaline faded and her injuries made their presence known. She quickly checked for any fatal wounds of her own, afraid that she could have missed something in the heat of the battle.

    Finding only shallow cuts and the gash on her side, she wiped off her daggers on a bit of clean shirt from her last adversary before gritting her teeth and hauling herself to her feet. She would pull the essence from the corpses in a moment; first she wanted to reclaim her favorite dagger.

    A sudden clapping split the silence. Beth whirled to the source of the unexpected sound.

    She hadn¡¯t fully inspected the room as she rushed into it, and only now did she notice that the hallway terminated in a square space that held two large prison cells. Each cell contained a single person behind thick, wooden bars, and it was one of those prisoners who was clapping.

    The girl behind the bars said something in a strange language and looked at Beth, her wide eyes filled with curiosity. Beth turned to retrieve her dagger; the girl wasn¡¯t going anywhere until Beth found the keys to the cells anyway.

    Beth could hear the girl talking, a continual stream of what sounded like questions coming from her mouth. The other prisoner, a young man, eventually responded.

    ¡°Wrong language, I think,¡± he observed.

    ¡°Oh? Does this one work? Can you understand me now, dagger stabbing lady?¡±

    Beth huffed in pain and frustration as she wiped off her favorite dagger and liberated the key to the cells from a guard¡¯s belt.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Beth,¡± she replied gruffly. She worked some of the kinks from her legs she slowly walked to the cells.

    Beth inspected the girl for the first time, and¡­

    The girl was pitiful. Pitiful and strange. Not at all what Beth was expecting for someone who her god had promised would be the key to undoing Technis.

    She was short, even shorter than Beth, and obviously malnourished. She was naked too, and her skin was covered in bruises and straight cuts that, to Bel¡¯s eye, had been placed across her body with surgical precision. Her head was also covered in snakes instead of hair, with seven limp serpents hanging down from her scalp. Two big, round, shimmering, innocent eyes stared at Beth in wonder.

    To her annoyance, Beth could feel the pitiful sight pulling at her heartstrings. She knew, with certainty, that this was the instrument of revenge to whom she had been guided by Durak¡¯s divine providence. She also knew, with equal certainty, that this was a scared little girl who Technis¡¯ priests had been torturing for heaven¡¯s knew how long.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked the girl as she fumbled with the key.

    ¡°I¡¯m Bel. Well, Beloved, but James told me that¡¯s a dumb name so call me Bel. I think Bel sounds nice,¡± the girl rambled.

    Beth glanced at the young man in the other cell. She didn¡¯t have any information about him. He looked a little unusual, but not as strange as Bel. The torchlight illuminated the gaunt face of someone that Beth guessed was in his late teenage years, with pale skin and fiery red hair that fell down past his shoulders and a bushy beard under his chin. Unlike Bel he was clothed, although his rags looked crusted with blood and bile.

    He answered her unspoken question. ¡°James Hill. I¡¯m not anyone special, just Bel¡¯s whipping boy.¡±

    Beth glanced back at Bel.

    ¡°They hit him when I don¡¯t do what they want,¡± the pitiful girl explained.

    ¡°Right,¡± Beth responded.

    She grimaced. That did sound like something Technis¡¯ priests would do. ¡°I guess that means that I¡¯ll be rescuing the both of you then.¡±

    The redhead pumped his fist enthusiastically, but Bel just stared blankly as Beth opened the cell door.

    ¡°So you want me to follow you? Won¡¯t we get into trouble?¡± she asked, confused.

    Beth stared at the girl, but James quickly spoke. ¡°She¡¯s not stupid, she¡¯s just always been here.¡± He frantically gestured at his cell door. ¡°Just get me out of here and I¡¯ll make sure she follows instructions.¡±

    Beth grunted unenthusiastically, but she hurried to get James¡¯ cell door open as well.

    ¡°Grab some clothes,¡± she ordered as she started draining essence from the corpses. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside, and I¡¯m not going through all this trouble just for you to die of bile in the lungs.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sure,¡± the man replied. James pulled two belts from the dead men, but ignored their bloodstained clothes. Instead, he went into a corner where some cloaks were lying in a heap. ¡°C¡¯mere Bel, let¡¯s see if I can make one of these fit.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the girl answered cheerfully.

    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Beth urged, ¡°you¡¯re not free yet.¡±

    Beth ignored the two of them as she carefully checked over her wounds once again. She cut a few strips of cloth to bandage some of the larger cuts as she waited for her core to refill with mana. She was tired. She hoped that the delvers were raising hell wherever they were, because she wasn¡¯t going to be able to do much on her own.

    ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± James declared.

    Beth looked up to see that he¡¯d dressed himself in a heavy cloak and a pair of large boots. He had also used a short sword to cut his hair to shoulder length. Bel was in another cloak, her midsection bulging comically from all of the fabric cinched up with a belt so that the bottom didn¡¯t hang under her feet.

    Beth pointed at the sword being held incorrectly in James¡¯ hand. ¡°You know how to use that?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Well, I¡¯ve seen movies. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Beth shook her head at his strange words. ¡°Drop it. Whoever Movies was, he didn¡¯t teach you well and you¡¯re obviously holding it wrong. If there¡¯s any serious fighting just keep Bel out of harm¡¯s way.¡±

    Beth gestured up the hallway as James dropped the sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Light jog, we¡¯re in a hurry.¡±

    <hr>

    Their return through the dark passageways went much faster since they abandoned all attempts at stealth and were recklessly charging through the temple. Beth couldn¡¯t have hidden the sounds that came from the two freed prisoners anyway, and if any reinforcements had made it down here they were already doomed.

    Beth practically dragged the two up flight after flight of winding stairs as they made their way to the surface. The two of them were in terrible condition, doubled over from cramps after just a bit of running, but they didn¡¯t have much farther to go.

    Her goal wasn¡¯t the same point where she had entered; there was no way that the large hole blasted into the side of the cliff wouldn¡¯t be immediately obvious in daylight. Instead, Beth guided her two charges to a small tower at the back of the High Temple that overlooked a sheer cliff. Beth¡¯s goal was the ocean at the bottom of the cliff where she had anchored a small boat away from the sharp rocks. Her compatriots had, hopefully, spent the night anchoring a series of ropes that would get them down the rock wall.

    They finally emerged from the stairwell into a small, private chapel, proudly sponsored by some idiot high councilman. Beth frowned when she saw the corpse-littered floor. Either she was late or the delvers had gotten bored waiting and ransacked this part of the temple earlier than planned.

    Bel yelped with surprise as Beth shoved the confused girl at James. ¡°Keep an eye on her and look out for the bodies. They should all be dead, but you never know.¡±

    Beth rushed through the chapel, drawing her daggers before she went through the open door that she thought should lead to an open-air landing outside.

    A rough man looked up at her entrance and grinned. Then his eyes flicked to the figures following after her and his eyebrows went up with interest. ¡°That her?¡± he asked, his chin tilted at Bel. ¡°Who¡¯s the boy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s her,¡± Beth responded. She hadn¡¯t bothered learning the giant man¡¯s name, although she did remember him going on and on about revenge for his family or something similar. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t sympathize, she just didn¡¯t have room in her heart to care about every person¡¯s particular grievance with Technis.

    ¡°You were supposed to wait,¡± she accused him.

    He spat to the side. ¡°Some prick looked over the edge, so we had to rush ¡¯em. Marcus collapsed the front doors. We should have some time.¡±

    Beth grunted in irritation. Marcus ¨C he was one of the ones that she didn¡¯t trust. She guessed that the angry man has probably flown off the handle like a poorly made axe head and attacked at his first opportunity.

    ¡°Are the ropes set up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, your water exit¡¯s secure.¡± The large man shrugged his shoulders as he tapped his large, spiked hammer against the ground. He squinted at the two figures behind her. ¡°Is that girl really worth it?¡± he asked. She could see the faint spark of hope in his eyes.

    Beth glanced back at the snake-headed girl. She was currently marveling at the sky, saying some nonsense to James about the clouds.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Beth answered, ¡°but this is where the forbidden gods have lead us.¡±

    He snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t put much faith in any god.¡±

    ¡°Well, how else do you want to fight Technis? It takes a god to kill a god.¡±

    He snorted again. Truly a man of many words, Beth thought.

    She turned to the two former prisoners. ¡°Come on kids, we¡¯ve got some climbing to do.¡±

    James tugged on Bel¡¯s hand. The jaded assassin almost laughed when she saw him leading Bel in a large circle around the scary warrior.

    Beth¡¯s head snapped back at the sound of smashing stone from behind her.

    ¡°Shit,¡± the warrior cursed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll get to give those gods a piece of my mind soon enough. I¡¯ll hold ¡¯em at the door, you get the girl out of here.¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°May Durak guide your soul.¡±

    The man laughed. ¡°God of vengeance, huh? Think he likes heroic last stands?¡±

    Beth barked a bitter laugh. ¡°It¡¯s worth a quick prayer¡±

    She grabbed James and Bel by their shoulders, hurrying them over to the cliff edge.

    ¡°Whoah, shouldn¡¯t there be a safety railing or something?¡± James balked.

    ¡°Shut it,¡± Beth spat. ¡°Grab onto the rope, we¡¯ve got to go fast. There¡¯ll be a few ledges on the way down to rest and switch lines. I¡¯ll be following behind and cutting them short.¡±

    Beth harried the two down the ropes, cursing at them whenever they slowed. She could feel death breathing down the back of her neck as they went.

    Every time her two charges fell to a small ledge, Beth paused to rub some of her transmuted blood onto the thick rope. She couldn¡¯t make acid strong enough to eat straight through the material, but that was okay ¨C she was still on the rope after all ¨C she just wanted it to fail if a group followed after them.

    Beth was certain that she looked like a maniac by the time she forced the two into the water and hauled them into her boat, but she didn¡¯t care about their wide-eyed glances. She could play nice later ¨C once they weren¡¯t all about to die. Rather than haul up the anchor, Beth cut through the rope and immediately rowed out to sea.

    The moment Beth stopped yelling at her, the young girl started pointing and shouting about everything around them.

    ¡°Look James, there¡¯s so much water!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an ocean, Bel.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so big! Does it turn into the sky over there?¡±

    ¡°No, the sky is above us, and the ocean is below. They¡¯re separate.¡±

    ¡°But look, what¡¯s that?¡±

    James turned where Bel was pointing. ¡°That¡¯s a¡­what the hell is that?¡±

    Beth looked over her shoulder before looking back at the boy¡¯s confused expression. ¡°That¡¯s Technis¡¯ Barrier. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ve never been outside of the dungeon either?¡±

    James shook his head, but his eyes remained locked on the shimmering blue of Technis¡¯ Barrier, unblemished by cloud or wave. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.

    Beth squinted at him, wondering if the priests had done something to his head. ¡°It¡¯s Technis¡¯ Barrier,¡± she repeated. ¡°It¡¯s what keeps everyone who¡¯s in Satrap in line. Without it, all the monsters would get into Satrap and kill us all ¨C or at least that¡¯s the story told by Technis¡¯ priests.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s Satrap? Is that where we are?¡±

    Beth laughed. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re in Satrap. How can you not know that? Were you imprisoned your entire life?¡±

    James shook his head slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve been outside, but¡­ in my world nothing like this exists.¡±

    Bel shrieked and almost pulled James over the edge of the boat in her excitement. ¡°Look! Look, James, a thing ¨C a, a fish! Look at the fishes!¡±

    Beth shook her head. She didn¡¯t know what the gods had planned for the girl, but right now she seemed nothing more than an overeager child.

 Chapter 1 â€“ A Sudden Change in Plans

    It was a warm, spring day. The calm weather made Bel want to perch on a sunny rock as she lazily waited for the sun to work its way across the sky. The air was filled with the sounds of birdsong and the gentle rustling of leaves as they waved in the gentle breeze. Bel breathed in a deep and satisfying breath.

    ¡°C¡¯mon kid, you¡¯re wasting daylight.¡±

    Bel sighed, but she tightened her grip on her training dagger. She rushed forward and jabbed the wooden weapon into a straw dummy, her own rhythmic stomp stomp thunk adding an upbeat percussion to the smooth sounds of the prairie and forest.

    A sharp-worded shout broke the natural melody. ¡°No! Why do you keep sliding to a stop before you stab? You¡¯re wasting your momentum!¡±

    Bel winced as Beth whacked her across her arm for the tenth time. She nearly dropped her wooden weapon, but caught it after a few fumbles. She knew from experience that her instructor would be even more incensed if she dropped it.

    Beth ¨C Bel¡¯s older, adoptive sister ¨C poked her in the forehead. ¡°What are you even thinking about? Where¡¯s your head right now?¡± she chided.

    Bel rubbed at her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking that life¡¯s unfair.¡±

    She looked enviously at her sister. The muscular, dark-skinned woman acted tough, looked tough, and even dressed tough. She had daggers all over her dark leather shirt and tucked into her belt, and Bel knew she had at least a couple more concealed in her boots.

    The assassin¡¯s arms were cluttered with bracelets of different designs and materials. They jangled as Beth huffed and crossed her arms with impatience at Bel¡¯s emotional outburst. According to Beth, she¡¯d added each one after a meaningful personal victory ¨C a euphemism, Bel was sure, for finding someone that she didn¡¯t like and stabbing them.

    Beth was a lean, hunting predator. Bel couldn¡¯t be more different.

    She glanced down at her own scarred, unadorned arms. Her clothes ¨C a sweat-soaked shirt, a ripped pair of dark pants, and a dirty pair of woven grass sandals ¨C were a mess. Her body was frail, her skin sallow and sickly.

    ¡°This is hard, sis. And I¡¯m so much weaker than you,¡± Bel complained. ¡°It¡¯s already been four years. Whatever happened to me in Technis¡¯ dungeon isn¡¯t going to heal with a little exercise.¡±

    Beth scoffed. ¡°This is just technique, Bel. Strength doesn''t matter.¡± Beth tapped the dummy. ¡°This guy doesn¡¯t even dodge. Real people move, you know.¡±

    ¡°Technis¡¯ hairy balls, Beth, of course I know people are harder. You make me drill with you every other day.¡±

    ¡°Every third or fourth day,¡± Beth corrected. ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m pushing you that hard. I know you¡¯re still recovering.¡±

    ¡°Then why take it so seriously Beth,¡± James interrupted. ¡°In fact, what¡¯s the point of all this practice if we all know Bel can¡¯t get anywhere near as strong as you? Why do you go out and level up, or whatever you call it.¡±

    In solidarity with Bel, her adopted brother had joined her stabbing practice. They were both dripping sweat and covered in bits of straw from their victims. Unlike Bel though, James was comfortable enough with his body to remove his shirt before it became soaked in sweat.

    Beth grunted in irritation at her brother¡¯s objections. ¡°We don¡¯t level up, we surpass thresholds in our cores. And you know why we¡¯re doing this.¡±

    James gestured at Bel and himself. ¡°Neither of us have a core. We aren¡¯t warriors. We can¡¯t help in your personal crusade against all of Satrap and Technis.¡±

    Beth¡¯s tanned face flushed with frustration and Bel could already hear echoes of every other argument they¡¯d had over the past four years. She rushed to put up her hands between them, like a desperate fisherman trying to hold back a wave with their body.

    ¡°How about we stay calm?¡± she suggested.

    Beth gathered up her frustration and let it out in a large sigh. ¡°Your pacifism won¡¯t help us here, James.¡± Beth poked Bel in the arm. ¡°She¡¯s a weapon from the gods. She¡¯s supposed to help topple Technis, not sit around and listen to your nonsense all day.¡±

    ¡°Because what? Your god whispered his own nonsense into your head?¡± James challenged.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Beth shouted. ¡°Because in this world it matters what the gods say! And don¡¯t bring up the Old World, we aren¡¯t there!¡±

    ¡°Guys, please,¡± Bel begged.

    ¡°And when did you last hear from your god? Four years ago, before you rescued us from the temple? Sounds like he hasn¡¯t got a clue what Bel is supposed to do either.¡±

    ¡°Last night,¡± Beth declared smugly. ¡°I received Durak¡¯s divine providence last night.¡±

    Bel spun to her sister with surprise. ¡°Really? Did he say anything about me?¡±

    Bel leaned forward with excitement as Beth casually tossed her dark braids over her shoulder, a grin of superiority spreading across her face.

    ¡°Yes. As a matter of fact, he did.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what he said,¡± Bel demanded breathlessly.

    Beth¡¯s expression froze. Bel recognized the look; her sister hadn¡¯t meant to mention hearing from her god at all. She was a hothead though, and couldn¡¯t stand losing an argument.

    James came forward and put a hand on Bel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yeah, Beth. What did Durak have to say about our sister?¡±

    Beth frowned as her eyes flicked between the two of them. Bel could see the guilt warring with exasperation across her face. Her lips pressed tightly as she made a decision. ¡°Nothing you need to know,¡± she finally responded.

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    ¡°Something about her needing to improve her knife skills, I¡¯m sure,¡± James replied sarcastically.

    Beth snorted. ¡°Look, I just want her to be able to protect herself.¡±

    Beth fiddled with some of the bracelets that wound around her wrist and looked away awkwardly. ¡°And we ¨C I do have a plan to fix her core.¡±

    Bel put her hands together with excitement, but then her eyes narrowed. ¡°This isn¡¯t like when you had me eating fermented shark paste and drinking powdered kraken beak, is it? I couldn¡¯t eat for days.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Beth denied, waving the idea away with a flick of her hand, ¡°nothing like that. This is legitimate. A ritual that I lifted from an enforcer. I just need to¡­¡±

    She trailed off and turned her head, listening.

    Bel had heard it to, a sharp tweet from a bird that didn¡¯t exist in the local woods.

    Beth put her fingers to her mouth and whistled back. ¡°You two wait here for a moment,¡± she instructed. The dark-skinned assassin put her hands on her daggers and walked towards the tree line.

    Bel stared in her direction and squinted against the sun. ¡°You see anything?¡± she asked her brother.

    James glanced at the trees. ¡°Some shady guy hiding in the shadows. The usual.¡±

    James looked back at Bel, his green eyes serious. ¡°Don¡¯t let her dodge that conversation, sis. You know that¡¯s what she¡¯ll do.¡±

    James had been Bel¡¯s whipping boy for years when they¡¯d been imprisoned under Technis¡¯ temple, but he¡¯d stuck with her after they¡¯d been freed. She didn¡¯t always agree with his ideas, but he¡¯d had her back for as long as she¡¯d known him.

    Bel sat down on an extra hay bale. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to get into another fight with her.¡±

    James rolled his eyes and joined her on the bale. He ran his hands through his wild, red hair a couple of times as he struggled to put his feelings into words. Bel could guess what he was going to say, so she spoke first.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t think this is like your world¡¯s fantasy stories. I¡¯m not going to suddenly discover powers the day I start believing in myself.¡±

    Bel gestured to herself. ¡°Look at me. Something is obviously wrong. A healthy swagger isn¡¯t going to fix my skin, or make my headaches go away, or, you know, do something about these dead snakes on my head.¡±

    Bel pulled out the tie that held her dead snake-hair together, letting them spill over her shoulder. She grabbed one of them and shook it at her brother.

    ¡°See? There¡¯s no way this is right, and I don¡¯t know anyone else who¡¯s going to help besides our sister.¡±

    James leaned away from the dead-eyed serpent. ¡°Put that thing away, Bel. Anyway, of course we don¡¯t know anyone who wants to help, Beth never lets us go anywhere or meet anyone.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be excited to hear that I¡¯m sending you two into town,¡± Beth said suddenly.

    Bel and James jerked, startled by Beth¡¯s sudden and silent appearance. Beth said that she liked to keep them on their toes, but Bel suspected that she just got a kick out of their reactions when she startled them. She¡¯d used to do it while they were eating too, but Bel had almost choked to death one time when Beth startled her. That close call had put an end to that little slice of hell, for which Bel was eternally grateful.

    Bel was readying a complaint about her sister¡¯s bad habits when she finally processed her words. ¡°W-we¡¯re doing what?¡± Bel stammered, wide-eyed.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to Baytown!¡± Beth gushed. ¡°I need an ingredient for that awesome ritual to fix you, and I need it quickly.¡±

    James raised his hand. ¡°Wait, are you not coming with us?¡±

    Beth tugged on her hair, clearly irritated. Her smile fell into a frown. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t really want to send you both into town.¡±

    She jerked her thumb towards the woods. ¡°That lizard licker just dumped all of our plans into the open ocean. Apparently there¡¯s some nonsense going on in the western mountains, and ¨C well, it doesn¡¯t really matter, but now I need to rush and do some other thing a week early.¡±

    ¡°But Beth,¡± Bel objected, ¡°we both stick out, and I¡¯m not good at dealing with people. Baytown is way bigger than the little towns we¡¯ve been to before.¡±

    Bel poitned to her head. ¡°I mean, I can tie these back and throw on a hood, but it¡¯s spring. Won¡¯t I look suspicious?¡±

    She looked at her brother and frowned. He was better, but not by much. His hair was too red and his skin was horribly pale when compared to Beth¡¯s rich, chestnut complexion. He also insisted on removing all of his facial hair, and his teeth were unnaturally clean and straight because of all his obsessive grooming.

    And, if someone looked past all of that, James talked funny. Bel hadn¡¯t realized it when they¡¯d been in the dungeon together, but now that she¡¯d had four years to observe other humans it was clear that coming from another world made James just as strange as she was.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Beth assured them. ¡°It¡¯s cool enough still that no one will mind your cloak, and James can just say that he¡¯s from Hammerstrike. It¡¯ll work if he keeps his mouth shut.¡±

    James raised a finger to object, but Beth cut off his words with a glance.

    ¡°The blacksmiths there spend all of their time in their smithies, so their skin is pale as an apple¡¯s flesh and they¡¯re notoriously bad with people. Rumors say that their hair is as red as the fires of their forges, too.¡± she explained.

    Beth waved her hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s not true of course, but we¡¯re halfway across Satrap and the people in Baytown are idiots. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    James rubbed the back of his head and glanced at Bel. She stayed quiet, hoping that she could leave all the objecting to him. ¡°Yeah, I dunno Beth, this doesn¡¯t sound like a great plan. What do you need us to pick up, anyway?¡±

    Beth nodded as if they¡¯d already agreed. ¡°I¨Cno, Bel needs some essence stones. Two or three of them should do. About this large.¡± Beth held her fingers apart indicating the size of a small pebble.

    ¡°Wait,¡± James started, ¡°what the heck is an essence stone?¡±

    Beth huffed impatiently. ¡°They¡¯re the cores of essence corrupted creatures and monsters. I guess you could pull them from a human too if you¡¯re evil enough. They¡¯re difficult to extract without breaking though, so they¡¯re expensive.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, so you can just buy cores? Couldn¡¯t I use one of them to get my own magic?¡±

    ¡°Sorry James,¡± Beth replied, ¡°that¡¯s a terrible idea. There¡¯s a famous story of an old, injured hero taking the core from some beast and sticking it into his body so that he¡¯d have the strength to hold off an invading army on its way to his village. He chained himself to a rock before consuming the core so that he would stand guard on a mountain pass.¡±

    James looked at Beth expectantly. ¡°And? What happened?¡±

    ¡°Well, he turned into a giant who was able to hold a mountain pass against invaders for a week.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad.¡±

    ¡°After the battle his family went to see him, but the moment he saw them he tried to eat them. After praying to the gods for salvation for a year they finally gave up hope. They triggered a rock slide above him, sending him into a dark abyss.¡±

    Beth lowered her fist towards the ground and made a splatting motion. ¡°They do puppet shows of it every cold season. It¡¯s how Technis¡¯ priests teach children that the world before the Barrier was bad and that the rest of the gods don¡¯t care about humans. The story isn¡¯t bad though.¡±

    James frowned. ¡°Well¡­ maybe if we clean the core? Or reprogram it? Or something?¡±

    Beth shrugged helplessly. ¡°Sure, maybe if you knew someone with the abilities to do that kind of thing. I wouldn¡¯t know where to start though.¡± She turned an angry gaze on him. ¡°And don¡¯t even think of saying that we should ask one of Technis¡¯ priests.¡±

    ¡°How about asking Durak about it?¡±

    ¡°How about doing the important stuff instead of daydreaming?¡±

    She handed James a small leather purse. ¡°You¡¯ll find essence orbs in the central market if you ask around. This should cover the cost, but there may not be much extra so don¡¯t give any to Bel for tattoos or candies or whatever.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Bel objected. Beth flicked her on the head again.

    ¡°I have to go prepare some other stuff, so you¡¯ll be on your own. Just make sure that you¡¯re out of the city by noon.¡±

    Bel looked up at the sun¡¯s position. They¡¯d gotten up early to train, but they would still have to rush.

    ¡°What happens at noon?¡± James asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Just stuff.¡± Beth laughed. Then her eyes turned serious. ¡°Just make sure you¡¯re out by then.¡±

    Beth suffered no more objections, ushering them out of the prairie and towards Baytown in under a minute.

 Chapter 2 â€“ A Bad Idea

    Bel didn¡¯t feel at all prepared to go into a crowded city full of strangers. She had nightmares where someone saw her snakes and called up a mob to drown her in the nearest water. Her guts were so twisted up that she could barely swallow the hard lump of travel bread that Beth had given her, and now her hunger was making her dizzy and unfocused.

    It didn¡¯t help that all she¡¯d had to eat was a hard lump of travel bread that Beth had shoved into her hands. Now her hunger made her so dizzy and unfocused that she had to concentrate on her feet to keep herself from tripping over every loose rock and errant root.

    ¡°Hey James,¡± she began, desperate for a distraction.

    She spoke in English, as was usual when they were alone or wanted to talk privately. To James, it was just the language that he found most comfortable, but to Bel it was the language of free thought, radical ideas, and stories of a far-off land.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Do you think, if that ritual works and my body is healed, that I¡¯ll be able to see things better?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± James grinned, ¡°the gorgons in the myths from my world never wore glasses.¡±

    She frowned at him before looking back to her feet. ¡°Nobody in this world wears glasses.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. If you¡¯re healed then I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had it with your circular reasoning,¡± Bel huffed. ¡°I can¡¯t even tell if you¡¯re serious.¡±

    James laughed in response and Bel decided to ignore him. Her mood had improved though, so she decided to focus on the joys of spring. The last four years of freedom had been a pure rush of new sights and sounds, smells and sensations; Bel would never take them for granted. She smiled at a small flock of happily chirping birds and grinned at the sensation of her sandals squishing into the moist ground.

    ¡°Ah, this is great, isn¡¯t it?¡± she beamed.

    ¡°If you like your feet wet and your skin covered in insect bites, then sure, it¡¯s great,¡± James griped.

    Bel jumped in a puddle and laughed at her brother¡¯s desperate attempt to get away.

    ¡°Gods, you¡¯re still a kid,¡± he complained, but without any real heat.

    Bel flashed him a victorious grin. ¡°You¡¯re just cranky because Beth didn¡¯t let you sleep in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always cranky. I still can¡¯t believe your days are so short. Seventeen and a half hours ¨C what the hell is up with that?¡±

    ¡°Are you about to go on a rant?¡± she asked with a quirked eyebrow.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to go on a rant! Short days, no toilet paper, no internet, food that¡¯s bland at best and intestine twisting at worst, everyone smells like ass¡­¡±

    He waved his arms at the world. ¡°This magical fantasy world sucks.¡±

    Bel pointed at a small, indigo bird perched on a nearby tree. ¡°Aren¡¯t the birds nice?¡±

    He looked at her with anger burning in his eyes, but he couldn¡¯t keep the flames stoked in the face of her innocent joy. ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted. ¡°The birds are cute.¡±

    Bel grinned and bent down to poke some blooming flowers, marvelling at the small insects crawling over them.

    James stood still for a moment before waving away a fly that was buzzing his face. ¡°Hey, we can¡¯t dawdle too much. For all we know, Beth plans to blow up the town at noon.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Bel sighed. She spent a few more seconds watching a bright green bee visit a cluster of delicate flowers. ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± she said, hurrying after her brother.

    As the morning passed and they drew closer to Baytown, the environment changed from a muddy field to a small coastal pine forest. The woods separated the flood-prone lowlands from the dryer area where the town was built, and was also a good barrier to keep prying eyes away from their camp. The steady coastal breeze disappeared and the air became stifling and humid as they entered the woods. Bel was soon sweating heavily as she struggled uphill, so she pushed her hood back so that she could breath.

    James looked around in a panic. ¡°You need to keep your hood up,¡± his hissed. He pulled the fabric of her cloak back over her head before she could object.

    ¡°But it¡¯s so hot and stuffy, and I can barely see,¡± she complained. ¡°I keep tripping on these stupid roots.¡±

    ¡°Here,¡± James said, offering his hand, ¡°just lean on me, and we¡¯ll slow down a bit. I don¡¯t know why Beth wants us to rush, but she¡¯s not being reasonable. As usual.¡±

    Bel sighed, but held on to her brother¡¯s arm, letting him guide her along their route. She soon appreciated the extra support when the trail became rocky and even more root infested.

    James broke the silence with a question. ¡°Do you ever think about running away? From Beth and her expectations? The whole ¡®weapon of the gods¡¯ thing?¡±

    Bel took her time answering. ¡°Well, of course I think about a lot of things. The first time I saw a bird ¨C remember how excited I was? The first time I saw one I thought about having wings and flying away.¡±

    She pointed at a woodpecker hopping along the trunk of a tree. ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t have wings, do I? I wouldn¡¯t get very far on my own. Birds are only bold because they can fly.¡±

    Bel nodded to herself. ¡°But of course I¡¯ve thought about leaving. I just think I¡¯d be screwed without Beth. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s a bad person either ¨C I mean, she rescued us, right?¡±

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    She looked up at her brother. ¡°You could leave though. You could go off and find that fantasy princess that you¡¯re always talking about.¡±

    James looked at her skeptically. ¡°You know that I wouldn¡¯t do that. You¡¯re still a kid; how could I leave you alone with Beth? She¡¯s nice sometimes, but she¡¯s still a psycho.¡±

    Bel grinned. ¡°Beth¡¯s alright, James. I think this world is just different from yours. Without Beth around would you really feel safe wandering around a town in Satrap with someone like me?¡±

    ¡°Uh, you realize that¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re doing now,¡± he pointed out.

    Bel waved her hand at a biting fly and grimaced when she noticed the welt it left behind. ¡°Yeah. This doesn¡¯t feel safe, does it?¡±

    James grunted in assent.

    They proceeded in silence. Closer to the town and started to see signs of human activity: beaten down paths through the underbrush and the occasional discarded bits of rubbish that built up around human settlements.

    James stepped in front of her as he greeted a pair of hunters who were making their way into the forest. He leaned close to Bel after they passed. ¡°Your snakes are coming loose again,¡± he whispered.

    Bel reached up to her head and found that their trek had loosened the tie holding her dead snakes back from her face. She stepped behind a tree as James served as a lookout. ¡°Maybe we should just cut them off,¡± she muttered as she retied them and pulled her hood forward.

    ¡°Geez, stop it with all this self-harm stuff.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re dead,¡± she complained. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bunch of dead snakes on my head, James. It¡¯s not self-harm because they¡¯re already dead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re supposed to be there, Bel. Maybe Beth¡¯s ritual will fix them too. I¡¯ve told you over and over again that gorgons are a thing.¡± James grabbed her hand and they resumed their walk to Baytown.

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± she grumbled. ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you turning to stone right now? That¡¯s how the gorgons work in your stories, right?¡±

    Bel opened her eyes wide and stared at her brother.

    ¡°Hey,¡± James said, his face brightening, ¡°have I told you about cars?¡±

    ¡°Changing the subject, huh? Cars are the carts that move by exploding, right? They still sound dumb.¡±

    Bel looked up to see the outskirts of Baytown. The path they were walking ran through a rocky area unsuitable for farming, so the land was undesirable. The path emerged directly into some  ramshackle buildings with mudbrick walls, making something that James called a slum. Bel pulled her cloak tight around her body, protecting herself from a few young children who were running down the dirt path. They hurried forward until they reached a more heavily travelled road paved with actual stone. Then Bel slowed down again, looking at the variety of clothing and decoration in the city.

    ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t stop and get a tattoo while you do the shopping?¡±

    James grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her forward. ¡°This place isn¡¯t sanitary, Bel. You would probably get sick.

    He pointed at the roadways made from cut stone.

    ¡°I mean, just look at this road. It¡¯s basically paved in lizard shit. You may not believe me, but our exploding carts were better than the walking shit-machines here in Satrap.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes, but then grinned with mischief. Riling James up was always a good time.

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly between the stones though,¡± she challenged. ¡°And a big storm rolls through often enough to clear it out.¡± The streets were paved with calf high stones that left large gaps for cart wheels to roll through. Another gap in the center captured the mess left from the lizards that pulled the carts. Bel thought that the system worked well enough.

    ¡°It is literally a shitty system,¡± James insisted. He pointed down as they hopped over the gap. ¡°See? Shitty.¡±

    He grimaced with disgust as he looked into the muck. ¡°God, that looked like a hand.¡± He shoved his hands through his hair, stressed by the mere sight of something distasteful.

    Bel peered into the cesspool of waste that collected between the stones. ¡°It¡¯s a glove.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    James began walking once again. He was quiet for a few steps, but soon resumed his ranting.

    ¡°Back in my world, we had sewers under the streets rather than on top.¡± He gestured at a pair of large lizards sitting in a dirt courtyard as grunting men unloaded their carts. ¡°And we built machines to move our things for us rather than using these roving sources of poop.¡±

    ¡°Yes, machines like your magical exploding cars,¡± Bel replied.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t magical. They were gas powered.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, what? Magic burning water, right?¡±

    ¡°No. Yes, it burned, no it wasn¡¯t magic.¡± James ruffled his hair with frustration. ¡°I was going to buy a car for college, before I got sucked into a portal,¡± he said wistfully.

    Bel frowned. Talking about the Old World was like walking through a field of Beth¡¯s traps. The smallest thing could bring up sad memories. James had lived in paradise ¨C or something close to it ¨C before being kidnapped and brought to Satrap, where he¡¯d been tossed into the basement of Technis¡¯ temple with her. In his world, he¡¯d been on the cusp of some kind of training for highly skilled people. Here in Satrap a person without a core was basically a cripple.

    It didn¡¯t help that Technis¡¯ church would probably kill him on sight either.

    The worst part of it was that neither of them could figure out why he¡¯d been pulled from the Old World into Olympos, or what Technis¡¯ priests had planned to do with him. They had used threats of violence against James to motivate Bel to follow their instructions, but stealing a person from another world seemed like too much trouble to go through just for that.

    Beth shook her head when she noticed that James¡¯ expression had darkened. He was still thinking sad thoughts, so it was her responsibility to change the topic.

    ¡°Okay, forget about the burning water, let¡¯s talk about the tiny slabs of glass that hide thousands of differently colored candles. How isn¡¯t that magic? Flames that are trapped without air smother and go out.¡± She flashed her brother a smug grin. She had spent some free time thinking over her brother¡¯s stories and had come up with what she thought was a strong enough objection to tie him into knots. Not that she doubted his stories, she just delighted in his frustration whenever he couldn¡¯t explain them.

    ¡°They¡¯re not real flames though,¡± he objected.

    ¡°But you said that I could think of them¨C¡±

    ¡°Think of them, not that they were. They¡¯re actually tiny, uh, wires I think. That glow when you put energy into them.¡± He tousled his red hair with frustration. ¡°Look, I can¡¯t explain how computers work. What about all that other stuff I told you and Beth about? How planets move? And how the moons create the tides? What about continental drift and evolution and how light moves faster than sound?¡±

    ¡°Pretty convenient that all of that stuff is useless,¡± Bel proclaimed. She waggled her finger at her brother. ¡°If you build us one of those planes so that we can fly out of Satrap then I may forgive you for your exaggerations, but until then I¡¯m going to have to insist that your glowing glass doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    Bel smirked down her nose at James. She was a full hand shorter than him, but she did her best to stand tall and put on a haughty air.

    ¡°Maybe we could make a hot air balloon, but we don¡¯t have the proper metals or tools¨C¡± he started.

    He stopped abruptly, in mid-sentence and mid-step. Bel turned to see what had so affected him, but his hand clamped around her arm and he pushed her down a different street so quickly that she nearly slipped into the shit slurry running between the stones.

    ¡°Lempo¡¯s left tit James, what¨C¡±

    ¡°Inquisitor,¡± he said tensely. ¡°I recognized the robes, but he was just getting out of his carriage. I don¡¯t think he saw us.¡±

    Bel shivered as terror crawled down her spine on little needle legs. Inquisitors only left the capital and Central City to purge heretics. ¡°Do you think he knows we¡¯re here?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. Let¡¯s not find out.¡± James pulled her into a throng of people waiting to enter a building. ¡°We¡¯ll hide with these people.¡±

    Bel looked up to see where the crowd was heading and grimaced. She leaned over to her brother and whispered, ¡°you do know we¡¯re heading towards a temple, right? A temple for the same god that sent the inquisitor?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the last place he¡¯ll think to look. After morning prayers the street will be full of people. We¡¯ll disappear with the crowd.¡±

    Bel cringed as the bodies pressed closer to her, trapping her like a fish caught in a net. She didn¡¯t like this plan.

 Chapter 3 â€“ Fortune Favors the Crazy

    Bel stood in Technis¡¯ temple, twitching with discomfort. She wanted to throw off her heavy cloak to cool down, but she also wanted to pull it tighter to hide from the people around her. Her skin itched with sweat and her nose prickled from the rancid smell of unwashed people pressed near her. She wanted to scream with frustration and run to the temple doors, but she mustered her willpower and instead glared silent death at the front of the room where the bloviating priest roamed like a fattened bird.

    The sweaty man patrolled the dais in front of the worshippers, blathering on about Technis. His ridiculous blue robes made him look like a witless bird. Bel stared at him until she felt that her ears would bleed from his nonsense: empty words made to go down easier with a generous greasing of lies about the warmth and generosity of Techis.

    This plan was bad. She didn¡¯t want to be here.

    Bel scowled in her brother¡¯s direction. Some pretty, dark-haired girl had managed to squeeze in between them in initial press of people entering the church, and now they were separated by several bodies. It could have been her imagination, but she thought that her brother didn¡¯t resist as much as he could have when the crowd moved him in the girl¡¯s direction.

    Somehow feeling her angry stare, James glanced in her direction and flashed her a quick thumbs up.

    Bel¡¯s fury was so great that she almost lunged for him, but through a supreme effort of will she held herself back. She focused on slowing her breathing as she waited for her heart to calm. She hated being around anything to do with Technis, but her brother possessed the incredible ability to ignore things he didn¡¯t like.

    She sighed. Maybe I¡¯m being unfair to him, she conceded. Unlike her, James thrived whenever he was around other people. Whereas she wanted to run screaming through the doors, he was probably looking forward to having his first conversation in weeks that wasn¡¯t with her or Beth.

    Bel stared at the priest again, her emotions more in check this time.. The priest was, of course, continuing his droning sermon.

    ¡°Our faithful ancestors rejected the old gods and their false gifts. They embraced Technis¡¯ teachings, cast out the doubtful, the villains who lied and claimed that our ancestors would suffer starvation and disease, torture and death,¡± the priest proclaimed. The man raised his arms like a bird sunning itself.

    ¡°Technis, light of our salvation, renewed their strength and bore them to this promised land. Through their faith and love of our lord, our ancestors earned their freedom and purpose. We, the children of the faithful, are ever protected by his great Barrier.¡±

    Bel silently imagined throttling the priest while he continued squawking. She was happily enjoying a daydream where she slammed him repeatedly into the wall when she realized that he was wrapping up.

    ¡°And so that is why we ask that you remember to dedicate just a small amount of your daily essence to our savior. It is only through his tireless work that the terrors of Olympos are repelled by his great Barrier and the people of Satrap remain free.¡± He paused while a couple of men at the back of the room began passing out several small collection plates.

    He gestured for the room to sit. To Bel, the arrogant press of his hands looked as though he was physically pushing them down. ¡°You may be seated while several announcements from the governor¡¯s office are read.¡±

    Bel moved with the people around her, her soft snarl of anger masked by the creaking of wood and the groans from sore knees as everyone sat on the old wooden pews. Bel pulled her arms tight to avoid bumping into her neighbors as they fanned themselves for minor relief from the heat. The priest was, of course, being fanned by a young boy while he waited for a gangly teenager to finish reading out several announcements.

    Bel took the opportunity to look at her brother again. His green eyes were glued to the attractive girl. Bel nearly snickered when he dramatically flicked his shoulder length red hair in an attempt to catch the woman¡¯s attention.

    Her neighbor bumped Bel with the collection plate, pulling her attention back to her own situation. She grabbed the metal metal disk and tapped her fingers against the marks in the center, as if she was allowing it to take some of her essence. Bel¡¯s broken core had nothing to give though, so she just felt an unpleasant pulling sensation, like someone attempting to suck out the contents of her empty stomach through the vertical scar she had in place of a belly button.

    She would rather have not touched the hateful collection plate at all, but that would be about as smart as throwing back her hood and whipping her snakes around while proclaiming her hatred for everyone¡¯s favorite god. Bel knew that no one in Baytown would trust someone who didn¡¯t give up their hard-earned essence to Technis.

    Once Bel felt that she¡¯d faked it for long enough, she passed the plate on to the next person.

    After what felt like days, the priest finally stood for some closing statements. Bel joined the congregation in standing once again, an echo of the previous creaking and grunting resounding from the temple walls.

    ¡°Just as Technis shelters all humankind within his great Barrier, he shelters each of us within his great heart. You have only to look to the horizon to see his work.¡±

    Bel ached to run from the room as the priest dragged things out. He held up his hands, crossing them to make a ¡®T¡¯ symbol for Technis. ¡°Go in peace and productivity.¡± Finished, he turned away from the dais.

    Bel turned and almost knocked someone aside in her haste to grab her brother and flee.

    From the corner of her eye she saw a young boy hand the priest a slip of paper. A moment later the priest loudly thumped his book for attention. Bel froze in fear as she stared at him, but the priest¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t show anything out of the ordinary.

    ¡°Ah, it seems that we will be having a visitor from the Central Temple so the Scales of Purpose will be closed today. Please come back tomorrow if you wish to have your cores or abilities evaluated.¡±

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    The priest looked at the small piece of paper again. ¡°Additionally, our visitor has asked that any skilled hunters in attendance join us at the front of the temple. We will be going to the west field to help the militia with some exercises. We appreciate the disruption this can cause to your routine and will compensate you for your time.¡±

    Bel cursed under her breath. It seemed like the inquisitor ¨C who else could be the surprise visitor ¨C would be waiting out in front. She and her brother would have to delay going outside or risk running straight into the jaws of death.

    She glanced over at James and couldn¡¯t suppress a grunt of irritation. He wasn¡¯t paying attention at all, instead deep in conversation with some of the other regular people. Bel adjusted her hood and forced herself into the press of bodies, hoping to get close enough to grab him before he made it through the doors.

    She flinched when someone¡¯s hand almost brushed her own, and quickly recoiled with revulsion. She hated the thought of her scarred, uneven flesh rubbing up against a stranger.

    She squeezed her hands up against her chest as she forced herself forward to catch up to James, finally grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and pulling him away from the press of bodies leaving the temple.

    ¡°Stars above James, focus!¡± she hissed. ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening to that announcement? The inquisitor is probably right out front.¡±

    Bel released her grip as James wistfully watched the girl slip away. His face flushed slightly as he finally came to his senses and saw the worry on her face. ¡°Sorry Bel. We just haven¡¯t been in a town in forever, and¡­ sorry.¡±

    Bel¡¯s anger cooled as she saw her brother¡¯s face crumble. She tugged his arm, leading him to a corner of the room.

    ¡°Come over here. We¡¯ll pray until everyone clears out.¡± She led him over to a nook with several shelves lined with figures of the Technis¡¯ approved deities. They weren¡¯t actually going to pray to any of them, obviously, but it wouldn¡¯t look suspicious if the two of them lingered there for a while. It wasn¡¯t Bel¡¯s first time posing like this; there were several times when Beth had left them at a roadside shrine while she took care of unsavory tasks.

    Bel wasn¡¯t really familiar with any gods other than Beth¡¯s patron, Durak. He was the god of grudges and retribution, which matched well with what Bel knew of her sister¡¯s goals. Durak wasn¡¯t in the nook of course; Bel would only find the Technis-approved gods and goddesses inside of his temples.

    Her eyes scanned over the figures crafted from clay or wood ¨C and rarely metal in the case of the wealth god Plenty ¨C until her eyes caught on Lempo. Looking at this particular goddess always gave Bel a strange feeling, as if the goddess was watching her in return.

    She¡¯d asked Beth about the flaxen-haired figure, but all that Beth could tell her was that she was a relative newcomer, a goddess of healing and harvest who had gained entry to the approved deity list when her followers had cured some kind of plague.

    Bel looked at the wooden figure, which was sitting quietly on a back shelf hidden behind several other, more popular deities. Whereas other deities were portrayed consistently, Bel had learned that each figure of Lempo was always different: different poses or ages, some with long hair, some short, some in a robe and, occasionally, some had travel clothes or armor. Bel never had trouble finding the goddess¡¯ likeness though. Her gaze was always drawn to the goddess like a rock to the ground, like a inviolable fact of nature.

    She couldn¡¯t help but feel that the face was familiar. Bel knew it was stupid; it wasn¡¯t like she had seen many faces in Technis¡¯ dungeon, and she certainly hadn¡¯t met a goddess, but she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling. What made it disturbing was that the face was different on each statue, but she always had the same feeling.

    Maybe I¡¯m recalling something from a dream?

    Bel stared into the face of the simple wooden figurine. The figure stared back. Bel blinked, and now it looked as though the figure¡¯s gaze had turned to the side. Reflexively, Bel cast her eyes to where she thought the figure had turned. She saw nothing but a closed door in the back of the temple.

    Bel began turning back to look at Lempo again, but stopped herself. A shiver went down her back, and Bel decided that she¡¯d spent enough time at the altar.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she said, gathering courage from the sound of her voice, ¡°what do you think is back there?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± James looked around confused for a moment, like he¡¯d been napping and suddenly awakened.

    Ah, he probably was napping, Bel thought. After living in the temple for so long we both got pretty good at sleeping in uncomfortable positions.

    Bel nudged him with her elbow and gestured towards the door.

    ¡°Uh,¡± he said, rubbing a bit of stubble on his chin. ¡°Do you think that military exercise that they were talking about means that it¡¯s unguarded?¡±

    ¡°So you were listening to the announcement after all,¡± Bel sighed. ¡°And here I thought that your brain had been sucked out of your eyeballs by that pretty girl.¡±

    James ran his hand through his hair, his face flushing. ¡°Look, I do dumb things some times. Speaking of which, do you want to see what¡¯s back there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on. Fortune favors the bold, right?¡±

    Bel scrunched her nose. ¡°Does it? Doesn¡¯t fortune favor the prepared?¡±

    ¡°Both, probably.¡± James rose to his feet and headed towards the door. ¡°But it looks like the temple isn¡¯t prepared and we¡¯re here and bold, so let¡¯s see what we can find.¡±

    Bel hurried after him. She frowned as she considered his words. ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s an exit back here. It¡¯s better than just hanging around in the temple all day, right? If the inquisitor is right outside, who¡¯s to say that he won¡¯t come inside and find us?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s more convincing,¡± she conceded. ¡°But let¡¯s be careful. We don¡¯t actually know what¡¯s in this temple.¡±

    ¡°Probably shriveled heads and pickled organs.¡±

    Bel elbowed her brother hard in the ribs. ¡°Not funny James.¡± She had seen plenty of horrors in the bottom of the High Temple. She didn¡¯t want to be reminded of them.

    James rubbed his ribs and frowned, likely reliving a few of his own memories. ¡°Sorry,¡± he whispered.

    Bel looked around nervously as they approached the door, expecting a priest or guard to jump out from a shadowed corner at any moment. She restrained her brother with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Maybe you should just slip out the front, James. They wouldn¡¯t notice you, probably, since you¡¯re just a human with weird hair. I¡¯ll see if I can find an exit in the back and come back to camp while you finish Beth¡¯s shopping.¡±

    Her brother¡¯s eyebrows knit together for a moment and then tossed his red hair dramatically. ¡°Nah, sneaking isn¡¯t my style.¡±

    James gestured at the door. ¡°Besides, two people means twice the loot, and without Beth here to keep destroying things maybe we can finally learn something about where you came from. They could have some books, you know? Or lizard-hide scrolls and clay tablets, whatever nonsense is popular here.¡±

    He turned to her and grinned. ¡°Maybe we can even find out something about the Old World and how I got here too.¡±

    Bel cringed when his excited voice reverberated through the empty room. ¡°Keep your voice down!¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said in a loud whisper. ¡°But since we¡¯re already here, it would be a waste if we don¡¯t seize the chance. I want to see what we can find without Beth hovering over our shoulders and snatching anything that looks interesting.¡±

    Bel wanted to defend their sister, but James wasn¡¯t wrong. Beth liked keeping secrets.

    James reached for the door and pulled. Bel expected a noise, or for the door to be locked, but it swung open on silent hinges.

    They peered inside to see a small, tidy room with a desk. Behind it was a long hallway that held even more doors.

    Her brother swaggered through the opening like a seagull looking to nab someone¡¯s lunch. ¡°Well, we¡¯d better get searching,¡± he said.

 Chapter 4 â€“ Mistakes Are Made

    Bel quietly closed the door behind them. Then she deadbolted it forcefully enough to create a loud and satisfying clunk. She trailed after her brother and they paused at the first pair of doors. James swept his hand out, inviting her to go first, so Bel chose to head into the room on the left while he went into the one on the right. She felt like the fool walking into the villain¡¯s lair in one of James¡¯ stories, but she couldn¡¯t restrain her pulse from quickening with excitement. There were probably terrible things in Technis¡¯ temple, but maybe there were wonderful things as well. Treasures and secrets and clear explanations for exactly who she was, where she came from, and why Technis had her locked away.

    She didn¡¯t think it likely that they would find something about her past or the priests¡¯ plans, but the small chance ¨C just the tiniest sliver of a hope ¨C still made her fingers twitch with anticipation.

    The first door on the left opened with a soft whine of its hinges and ¨C in defiance of her expectations ¨C revealed an exceedingly boring room. Bel realized that the hallway was not, in fact, hiding chambers filled with treasures or torture chambers or storage rooms with jars of eyeballs and other organs. Disappointment filled her as she strode through a messy room filled with papers and old, musty robes and curtains. She had found a very boring and not at all sinister storage room.

    Bel blew a raspberry and left the first room, hoping that the second would be more interesting. The second door opened to reveal a room that was filled with papers. They were piled in messy stacks on a desk, crammed into ¨C and overflowing from ¨C cubby holes on the walls, and teetering in Bel-height stacks on the ground. Bel retreated to grab a lit candle from the hallway so she could read them. There was a chance that some of the papers held the secrets that she yearned for.

    A few minutes of reading revealed no answers, only frustration. There were stacks and stacks of boring reports on congregation counts, accounting of some repairs to the roof, the purchase of additional fish for a festival, and more endless, mindless, and tedious details. Bel almost screamed when she found an audit of all the drapes stored in the previous storage room.

    There was nothing about underground torture chambers, the Old World, or why Technis¡¯ High Temple would perform strange experiments upon people and animals. Nothing about why they had imprisoned Bel and James in their basement. No mention of their enforcers or the secret inquisitions that were the stuff of her nightmares. The most dangerous thing about the papers was the tripping hazard they presented.

    ¡°Hey, come look at this!¡±

    Bel eagerly abandoned her current search and moved back to the door at her brother¡¯s shout. She gleefully tossed her procured candle into a pile of hateful reports on livestock on the way out. Perhaps all of their records will burn to a crisp and someone will get fired, she thought. Such petty revenge wouldn¡¯t satisfy her, but at least it was something.

    ¡°Bel! Over here! I¡¯ve found something good!¡±

    Bel exited the paper room and crossed the hall to see what had gotten her brother so excited. His room looked similar to the one she had just left, although instead of papers it was filled with dusty paintings, vases, wooden carvings, and other seemingly random items.

    Her grinning brother held a fistful of small, glimmering stones aloft triumphantly. ¡°These should be enough for your¨C¡±

    His eyes widened as he looked past her shoulder. Bel spun to see a man in leather armor entering the room, his hand on his half-unsheathed sword. Bel didn¡¯t hesitate to hurl herself at the guard.

    Bel thought that she¡¯d be run through immediately, but a prodigious stack of old robes came to her rescue by catching the pommel of the man¡¯s weapon as he fully withdrew it from the sheath. Before the guard could interpose his weapon into her path, Bel slammed her shoulder into his unprotected body.

    Unprotected except for his leather armor and a faint blue sheen that covered him. Of course he has a barrier ability, he¡¯s one of Technis¡¯ followers, she thought angrily.

    She didn¡¯t even think he¡¯d be winded by her assault. Her only chance was to keep him too off-balance to fight back. Beth¡¯s harsh training kicked in and Bel wrapped her arms around her opponent¡¯s invulnerable torso, pinning his sword between their bodies. She planted her feet on the dusty ground and shoved him back through the doorway.

    She shifted him like a wrestler forcing a ring out, keeping him off-balance as he struggled to break her grip. As they passed through the doorway on the opposite side of the hallway he released his sword to grab onto the door frame. In a move that Beth had endlessly drilled into her, Bel¡¯s leg snapped out between his and blocked the heel of his trailing leg. She shoved him with all of her strength and his hold on the door frame slipped. Bel felt a moment of elation as she saw the man toppling backwards, but the guard¡¯s hand found the front of her cloak ¨C and Bel suddenly found herself spinning through the air as the guard planted a foot and redirected their momentum.

    Stars spun in her vision as her back struck the hard stone floor. Bel belatedly realized that a guard would obviously be a better fighter than her.

    She tried to focus as the blurry form of the guard dragged a long knife from a sheath at his side. Her body moved instinctively, but a wave of weakness made her slip. She slumped back to the cold stone floor, helpless. She looked up to her impending doom, but before the guard could stab downwards there was a sharp sound of ringing metal.

    The guard¡¯s head snapped to the side and he staggered, barely keeping his feet. James struck the guard with a heavy candelabra a second time, then a third, continuing his brutal assault until the guard¡¯s blue barrier failed him and his helmed dented inward. James didn¡¯t drop his weapon until the guard¡¯s body fell to the ground.

    Bel stared numbly at the rapidly expanding pool of blood coming from the dead man¡¯s head. The deep crimson fluid rushed along the cracks in the stone floor before filling in the spaces in between.

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    James was breathing heavily and the candelabra shook loose from his trembling hand. Bel wanted to offer him help, but she was still struggling to stand. James had never become accustomed to death the same way that she had, and he swore off violence every time he saw the aftermath of Beth¡¯s brutal fights. Bel finally got her feet under her and got to her feet. She patted his shoulder soothingly as she leaned against him for support.

    ¡°Go and check the hallway to make sure there isn¡¯t another one,¡± she mumbled at him. It was an excuse to get him to stop staring at the body more than anything useful. If there was a second guard then they would have already showed up.

    Bel tried to get herself moving, but her body was wrung out. She struggled to regain control of her breathing while she inspected herself for injuries. Her cloak was cut up from where she¡¯d pinned the guard¡¯s sword, and there was blood over her stomach and chest, but she didn¡¯t see anything too deep. She was beginning to drip a small trail of blood, though.

    She glanced at the corpse where the glazed eyes of the dead man stared back at her accusingly. ¡°You or us,¡± she muttered.

    It was something Beth often said when she stabbed someone. Bel had found the words to be true, even if she didn¡¯t understand why Technis had it out for her.

    Of course, this particular fight was one that we started, she thought. Beth would probably be proud.

    James leaned back into the room. His eyes twitched towards the corpse, but he blocked his vision with a hand and focused on her. ¡°The hallway looks clear, Bel. I found a door at the end that leads out into an alley. It¡¯s full of trash and stuff, but it¡¯s empty.¡±

    He glanced up and down, taking in the dark liquid soaking into the front of her cloak. ¡°Are you okay to move? Shit, are you bleeding out?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± she reassured him. ¡°Just give me some help.¡±

    She held up an arm and James ducked down so she would put it around his shoulders. Then he wrapped his arm around her started guiding her forward.

    As they stumbled down the hallway, Bel remembered that James had been trying to get her attention. ¡°What did you find?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Oh.¡± James reached into his pocket and fished out a large essence stone¨Cat least twice as large as what Beth told them to fetch for the ritual. ¡°Three of these. So at least we don¡¯t have to go shopping.¡±

    Beth chuckled.

    James grinned back at her, but then he paused and sniffed the air. ¡°Is something burning?¡±

    Beth winced as a laugh moved the flesh around her cuts. ¡°Yeah. I may have started a small fire.¡±

    James¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Bel! I didn¡¯t know you were an arsonist!¡±

    ¡°It turns out that I hate paperwork.¡±

    <hr>

    Beth stared at them as they finished recounting their harrowing adventure.

    ¡°So you sacked the temple.¡±

    ¡°Whoah, Beth, sacked is a strong word,¡± James objected.

    ¡°You killed the guard, stole their stuff, and left it on fire. I think the term ¡®visit¡¯ wouldn¡¯t quite cover it, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Beth clicked her tongue and dabbed at another one of Bel¡¯s cuts with a stinging liquid that also made Bel¡¯s eyes water.

    Bel idly pulled at one of her dead snakes, looking into its lifeless eyes while James tried to make nice with their sister.

    ¡°You know Beth, it all happened so fast. And it really was the best way to avoid the inquisitor.¡±

    Beth¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°Really? Sacking their temple was the best way? Didn¡¯t I tell you to avoid attention?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­at least we got these nice essence stones. Can¡¯t you use them for Bel¡¯s ritual?¡±

    Beth sighed and glanced at the glimmering rocks.

    ¡°Yeah. But first we need to get out of here. Grab your panic bags, we¡¯ve got to go.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°Beth, I don¡¯t¨C¡±

    ¡°No arguing. James can carry your stuff. And speaking of carrying stuff, give me those stones.¡±

    Beth held out her hand impatiently. ¡°They¡¯re very fragile.¡±

    Bel shoved her bloody shirt back over her wounds. ¡°I can carry my own stuff,¡± she insisted.

    She stood up and swayed in place for a moment before leaning on Beth. ¡°Okay, I can carry a little bit of my stuff.¡±

    Beth lowered her back onto the rock that she¡¯d been using as a seat. ¡°Just wait here for a minute Bel. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve got much to carry. Drink and eat, carrying something in your stomach is just as good as carrying it on your back.¡±

    Beth, who had more strength than Bel and James combined, rushed through their campsite cramming things into an enormous bag. She was right that they didn¡¯t have much: just a few bed rolls, some tarp for cover when it rained, a few spare sets of clothes, a pot for cooking, a small supply of dried food, and, of course, Beth¡¯s extensive collection of knives and daggers.

    Beth checked over the weaponry that she¡¯d strapped to her body before looking at her siblings.

    ¡°You two good?¡± Beth paused just long enough to look at Bel and James before she pushed them out of the little clearing that they¡¯d been calling home for the last week. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then. I hear that central Satrap is nice in the spring. We¡¯ll head over to one of the delvers¡¯ tunnels and take a shortcut through the hills.¡±

    Bel and James groaned. Beth had dragged them through one of the Delvers¡¯ tunnels shortly after they escaped from the High Temple. Things hadn¡¯t gone well.

    The tunnels had been dark and hazardous, and Bel had twisted her ankle at least five times. There were also essence corrupted creatures, crawling bugs and skittering things turned unnaturally large from the energy of the world. Bel hadn¡¯t been able to sleep without enclosing herself in a protective cocoon of blankets for a week afterwards.

    Compared to James though, she had handled them well. At least she didn¡¯t scream as loudly as him when the first one had scuttled out of the darkness.

    ¡°You know, going over the hills doesn¡¯t sound so bad,¡± James suggested. ¡°The air in those tunnels is probably bad for us anyway.¡±

    Beth snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll see if I can hire a delver or two this time. I¡¯ve been saving up, and you saved all that money by stealing the essence stones instead of buying them.¡± Beth patted one of her pockets, eliciting the jangle of money.

    James looked at her, wordlessly asking for help. Bel shrugged back. What could she say to change Beth¡¯s mind?

    James huffed, clearly assigning some of the blame to her. ¡°What about going to the Points? Isn¡¯t North Point just down the coast? We could take a boat and, you know, not walk.¡±

    Beth clicked her tongue. ¡°Yeah, I dunno about that. I¡¯ve been hearing that this is a bad time to go visit.¡± Beth fiddled with one of her bracelets and pursed her lips. ¡°There¡¯s some¡­ unrest. Especially at sea. Lots of unrest there.¡±

    James narrowed his eyes. ¡°Does this have something to do with why we had to be out of Baytown by noon? And what you were up to in the morning? Were you just lecturing us about setting a little fire at a temple when you were out doing something worse? Maybe burning down the docks?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you get these ideas,¡± Beth denied. ¡°And the docks aren¡¯t on fire.¡±

    James¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°So you admit that you were there.¡±

    Bel grinned. ¡°You know, James has a point. Why do you yell at us for getting into a little bit of trouble when you go out and do way worse?¡±

    Beth held up a finger. ¡°First, I get out of the trouble that I get into without getting all cut up.¡± Beth gestured at Bel¡¯s bandaged midsection.

    ¡°And second, I don¡¯t let trouble follow me. Speaking of which¡­¡± Beth spun and looked them in the eyes.

    ¡°Do you know what helps me listen for sounds of pursuit, kids? The pursuit that is most certainly following the trail that you left?¡±

    Bel and James looked at one another guiltily. They had been too worried about getting out of Baytown quickly to worry about what would come next.

    The assassin smiled warmly at them. ¡°Quiet. That¡¯s what¡¯ll help me listen for pursuit. Absolute quiet.¡± She nodded happily and gestured for them to follow along as she resumed their rapid hike. Lips pressed shut, they followed along behind.

 Chapter 5 â€“ Flight and Fight

    Bel dragged herself forward. Her eyes struggled in the dim light and she could barely keep one foot moving in front of the other. She didn¡¯t complain though, not with the threat of being captured and dragged back to the High Temple hanging over her. Sadly, and regardless of her motivation, her body was reaching its limit.

    Bel glanced up, gauging the time that passed. The sun was nearly low enough that its colors were dyed blue by the Barrier, although it would take another hour before it would dip below the top of the mountain range to their west.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to keep this up much longer,¡± she admitted.

    Beth looked back at her. She fiddled with one of her braids as she examined Bel¡¯s pallor and labored breathing.

    ¡°The entrance should be just up this incline. Can you make that, Bel?¡±

    ¡°You mean this mountain,¡± James wheezed. ¡°This is a mountain. This is no hill.¡±

    Beth laughed, but she had stopped walking to give her siblings a break. ¡°No snow on top, at least not in Spring, so it¡¯s a hill. The Spines, now those are mountains. The Saws are just some little hills.¡±

    James sank down onto a stone so that he could shrug off his pack. ¡°If I could just use magic,¡± he complained, ¡°this entire experience would be tolerable.¡±

    Bel and James spent a few minutes huffing and puffing while Beth gazed back upon their path with a pensive expression. She didn¡¯t offer any words of encouragement, but she did give them a break to regain their breath and slake their thirst.

    ¡°I guess I should have pushed you two into more training. You¡¯re probably gonna have a bad time in the tunnels.¡±

    Bel dabbed at the sweat dripping from her face and groaned as she stood up. ¡°More suffering, yay,¡± she monotoned. ¡°You know, I¡¯m beginning to think I¡¯m just not suited for¡­ well, for doing much of anything.¡±

    Beth opened her mouth to respond, but then she paused to peer over Bel¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Ah, there they are. Probably easier to deal with them out here than in a tunnel.¡±

    Bel turned and squinted at the woods. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The pursuit that I¡¯ve been waiting for. Looks like three. A little light, but maybe they¡¯re skilled.¡±

    Beth pointed to the trees a few hundred meters below. Bel could maybe see some movement. Or maybe not; Beth had way better eyesight than her siblings. Bel wondered if it was one of the abilities inscribed upon her core.

    Beth dropped her comically large pack behind a tree and tugged on her different weapons, verifying that they were ready for business. Then she pulled a small, sheathed dagger from the inner fold of her jacket and tossed it to Bel.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you borrow this. Try to not hurt yourself. Do you want a blade James?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do fine with my sling and my shillelagh. The Battle of Agincourt demonstrated the superiority of ranged¨C¡±

    Beth clapped a hand over his mouth. ¡°Sure, sticks and stones. That was the battle with the mud and the armor, right? The lessons probably aren¡¯t applicable here.¡±

    Beth patted him consolingly on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll go ambush them while you two serve as bait. Try to look vulnerable.¡±

    Their sister took a step and then stopped. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be afraid to run for it if they get too close, okay? But I¡¯ll try to take them out quickly.¡±

    Bel and James nodded. Beth turned and, with a dusting of darkness that burst from her hands, she melted into the shadows cast by the tall trees around her. Silent as a shadow, she stepped into the forest and disappeared.

    ¡°Damn, I want magic so bad,¡± James complained.

    Bel half pulled out the dagger and examined her reflection in its flawless surface. Unlike Beth, she looked scared and helpless. It didn¡¯t help that her dead snakes hung limp around her head, making it look like she¡¯d already been defeated. ¡°I¡¯ll settle for surviving,¡± she muttered.

    James bumped her and grinned. ¡°Nah, gotta reach for the stars.¡±

    He glanced in the direction that Beth had gone and then back at her. ¡°Speaking of reaching, maybe you should get behind me? You¡¯ve always been a bit, uh, accident prone. Don¡¯t draw that dagger unless you need to.¡±

    Bel puffed her cheeks. ¡°Gee, thanks brother.¡±

    ¡°Just telling the truth, sis.¡±

    James reached into his pocket and pulled out a rounded stone, which he loaded into the pouch of his sling. He spun it, filling the air with a high-pitched buzz. ¡°I think I see them.¡±

    Bel noticed the colorful birds fleeing the vicinity first, but a few heavy heartbeats later she saw several people moving through the trees. Three figures darted over the rough ground, headed straight for her and James.

    The front one moved almost silently. He nimbly placed his feet in between the exposed tree roots, clearly at home in the woods. Bel recognized him as one of the hunters from Baytown from his long white beard, ragged cloak, and the bow slung over his shoulder. They had bumped into him a few times in the forest, and he¡¯d hassled them once or twice before Beth chased him off with insults to his looks and manhood.

    The old man was far past his prime, but he still looked dangerous to Bel.

    He was also a fervent follower of Technis, which was broadcast by the large symbol in the shape of a ¡°T¡± that he wore around his neck. His religious fervor would explain why he was leading two young acolytes who were struggling to keep up. The hunter must have sped up after spotting James and Bel, clearly eager to inflict his deity¡¯s punishment.

    Bel was surprised when the hunter suddenly slide to a halt, letting the two acolytes overtake him. Then she saw him pull the bow from his should and an arrow from his quiver. She was just about to duck behind a tree for cover when a dark shadow burst from the bushes near him. Bel lost sight of the hunter as he fell below a bush, so she assumed that Beth had taken care of him.

    That left the other two men. As far as Bel could see, they were typical acolytes; their ranks were marked by ornate filigree along the sleeves of their dark black robes. The short swords that they wielded looked sharp and deadly, but their clothing wasn¡¯t really suited for running about the woods, especially not while waving sharp weapons around.

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    That made them slow and cautious, which gave James a perfect shot with his sling when one of acolytes stopped to pull his sleeve free from an entangling bramble. James spun his sling and launched a stone with practiced ease. The rock ripped through the air and took the man in the shoulder. The acolyte cried out in pain, dropping his sword to clench his hand around the spot where he¡¯d been struck.

    James quickly loaded a second stone. He spun it up, but waited for an unobstructed shot. He launched a second missile a few spin later, but the leading acolyte hid his head behind his wide sleeves and the stone bounced harmlessly off of the unnaturally protective fabric.

    The lead acolyte was too close for James to load another missile, so he dropped his sling and transferred his fighting stick to his right hand. When the man was only a few strides away, James pulled his arm back to ready a tremendous swing.

    The acolyte stopped abruptly, his arms windmilling around for balance ¨C or at least that¡¯s what it looked like, until one of his sleeves simply detached and flew at James¡¯ face. Bel thought it humorous until she realized that the sleeve was moving under its own power. The acolyte hadn¡¯t stopped to avoid James¡¯ attack, he¡¯d stopped to unleash some kind of attack of his own.

    The detached sleeve unravelled itself to stretch across the few strides separating the two combatants. Bel¡¯s heart clenched with fear as the animated fabric reached out with the dexterity of a living tentacle.

    Bel squeezed her dagger tightly as she watched James swing the knobbed end of his stick in an attempt to knock the animated sleeve to the ground. The fabric was unexpectedly dextrous; it wrapped around his weapon, refusing to be knocked away. James tugged and pulled, but the cloth slithered from the stick onto his arm and stiffened, locking his wrist and elbow into place.

    Bel leaped forward when she saw the acolyte brandishing his sword, terrified that her brother would be cut down while entangled with the vicious sleeve. She only made it a couple of steps before her trailing leg caught on an errant root. For a moment, Bel was suspended in the air, staring at the acolyte as his eyes flicked over to her.

    She threw her knife.

    Her grip had been for stabbing, not throwing, but she had to do it before she hit the ground. She knew that the acolyte could have just ignored her clumsy attack, but he didn¡¯t know that. Beth had told Bel repeatedly that the world was filled with unexpected abilities, so you could never know with certainty that some clumsy attack wasn¡¯t actually something deadly.

    Bel saw her target shift his stance to deflect her knife. Then she hit the ground, completely unprepared for the impact. Her jaw clacked shut hard enough to make her teeth hurt and the breath was knocked out of her body, but she forced herself up and staggered forward on all fours. She would help her brother even if she had to crawl there on her hands and knees.

    Bel looked up to see how her brother was doing. Her distraction had worked, at least a little bit, and James was capitalizing upon it by awkwardly prodding his stick into the acolyte¡¯s gut.

    Perhaps fearing some strange ability from one of them, the man backed off a step and lowered his sword into a more guarded stance.

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened in surprise when a patch of darkness burst from the acolyte¡¯s chest. At first she thought that he had some strange ability, but the darkness was followed by a spray of what must have been bits of his heart and lungs. Beth had come to their rescue.

    Bel watched the acolyte¡¯s body spasm as it fell, finally revealing Beth standing behind him, her favorite dagger held aloft triumphantly. Blood dripped from the tip of the needle-like weapon, and a satisfied look spread over her blood-spattered face.

    Bel relaxed instantly. As the adrenaline left her blood she spread like a slug over the cool ground.

    Beth flexed her hands. A swarm of tiny motes of darkness expelled from her hands, swirled into the air, and attached to her body. After a moment they fell from her, taking away the bits of gore that she¡¯d collected from their assailants. Bel could feel a bit of the essence that was spilling from the dead acolyte, but her broken core wasn¡¯t able to absorb any of it. She couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly jealous as Beth knelt down and stuck her hand onto the corpse for a moment, sucking up all of the loose essence as she whispered an offering to her god, Durak.

    Bel and her family were still alive. She supposed that she shouldn¡¯t complain.

    Bel was happy to just slump across the cool ground, but the gruesome sight of the corpse was a good reminder that she couldn¡¯t relax. Bel regained her feet as Beth carefully hopped over the corpse on her way to James. Beth put away her stabbing dagger and pulled out a short knife to cut him free of the entangling sleeve that still refused to release his arm.

    ¡°Sorry I was late,¡± Beth apologized. ¡°I wanted to be sure that those three were all of them.¡±

    Beth looked back into the woods, frowning. ¡°Honestly, I was expecting a bit more than this, so I waited for longer than I could have to strike. They just seemed a bit¡­¡±

    Beth tilted her head towards the dead bodies. She had finished off the second acolyte only a few steps from where James had hit him with his sling. ¡°I mean, who would send just a couple of junior acolytes and a washed up old hunter?¡±

    James grunted his thanks as Beth freed his arm from the dangerous cloth. He winced as he stretched his freed limb, but Bel didn¡¯t think he had suffered any injury.

    Beth gestured back into the woods. ¡°So, do you guys want to try to loot the corpses for anything? I already grabbed their coins, but maybe you can get something better than that stick, James?¡±

    He scowled and hefted his weapon. ¡°It¡¯s not a stick. It¡¯s a shillelagh. It¡¯s Irish and it¡¯s cool and it reminds me of my dad. You wouldn¡¯t understand Beth, I know you hate your parents.¡±

    Beth smacked him on the back, forcing him forward a step. ¡°Sure thing, bud. But if I could teach you sword magic would you still be using the stick?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°Here in Satrap we kill our enemies with pointy things, not sticks.¡±

    Beth pointed to the short sword that the acolyte had dropped.

    ¡°A sword isn¡¯t easy to hide though, and there¡¯s plausible deniability with my shillelagh,¡± James explained. ¡°And if I use it to carry my stuff then it¡¯ll just look like a harmless stick with a bag on the end.¡±

    Beth sighed. ¡°That¡¯s because it is a harmless stick. Please take the sword.¡±

    Bel could kind of sympathize with her brother. Without a core ¨C and the abilities that came with it ¨C hiding would always be a better option than fighting. She could still vividly remember him bashing in the guard¡¯s skull in the temple though, so she was sure that he would pull his weight when it really mattered.

    Bel picked up the short sword herself. Even if she couldn¡¯t use it well, she could still hand it off to her brother when the time came.

    While Bel was getting the sheath free from its former owner, James grumbled and stomped over to his sling, picked it up, and crammed it back into his pocket.

    Bel patted him on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her James, she¡¯s just worried about us. And hey, that was good work with the sling!¡±

    Beth nodded, ¡°yeah, good work James. Nice rock throwing.¡±

    Bel offered the sword to him, but he shook his head. She shrugged and put the sheath onto her own belt. In the future, hiding would be a better choice for her as well, but she didn¡¯t think that would be an option if anyone saw her snakes. She assumed that being discovered would lead to¡­ maybe a hanging? She wasn¡¯t sure, and she didn¡¯t intend to find out.

    Beth clapped her hands for attention. ¡°Okay,¡± she said with a cheerful smile, ¡°now that the excitement is out of the way and we¡¯ve all had a rest break, let¡¯s finish climbing. The entrance should be right up this little uphill and down a little side path.¡± Beth made a stabbing motion. ¡°It¡¯s a hole bored straight into the rock. It was an old mining tunnel until they went too deep and the risks started to outweigh the rewards.¡±

    Bel and James sighed, but Beth grabbed her oversized pack and continued up the incline as if they hadn¡¯t just been in a fight for their lives. Bel stared at the ground as she carefully pulled herself up the hill. Why did the ground have to be so uneven? And so uphill? And so covered in roots?

    Bel had to grab onto some stubborn trees growing out of the rocky ground to make progress and keep herself from tripping, and she was gasping for breath and soaked in a fresh wave of sweat before a minute passed.

    She was so focused on the difficult task that she wasn¡¯t looking up, so she walked right into Beth¡¯s pack. Beth was just standing in the middle of the path, blocking the way forward.

    Bel gasped for breath for a moment before opening her mouth. ¡°What¨Coh.¡±

    Bel stared at the tunnel entrance.

    The former tunnel entrance.

    Instead of a gaping maw leading into the abyss, Bel saw a pile of rubble with a few wooden beams sticking out. Rocks had vomited forth from the opening and covered the trail, making the path ahead treacherous. So much for that plan, she thought.

    ¡°This means even more walking, doesn¡¯t it?¡± she groaned.

 Chapter 6 â€“ Bad Timing

    Beth stared at the collapsed opening. Bel could hear her sister muttering to herself, an artistic combination of curses and imprecations at the ¡°incompetent, lizard-licking, crotch-huffers¡± who had messed up her plans.

    James pointed at the rubble. ¡°So¡­ was that the entrance?¡± James asked. ¡°It looks like someone blew it up.¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so observant you must have been blessed by Hyperion himself!¡±

    Beth gestured angrily. ¡°Of course it¡¯s the entrance we were looking for. It won¡¯t stay closed for long ¨C even if nobody comes back to open it, it won¡¯t be long before something large and dangerous busts its way out. And of course the little essence corrupted buggers will find small cracks and seams to squeeze through.¡±

    She rubbed the handle of one of her daggers angrily. ¡°Not that knowing it¡¯s temporary does us any good.¡±

    Bel looked around for signs of violence. ¡°Where are the delvers? And Technis¡¯ overseers? Do you think they collapsed it because something dangerous was coming out?¡±

    Beth peered at the fallen debris. ¡°Well, something must have happened, but I can¡¯t see what. If there was any evidence, it¡¯s probably buried now.¡±

    She gestured with clear discontent at the debris.

    James clicked his fingers. ¡°That priest in Baytown said that they needed volunteers for something, right? Maybe there¡¯s been some kind of disaster.¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe.¡± Her expression brightened. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then that¡¯s good for us, right?¡±

    She grinned. ¡°We¡¯re stuck out in the open now, so it would be convenient if they¡¯re all distracted. Although¡­¡±

    Beth pursed her lips and looked farther uphill. ¡°I think that there are some ventilation shafts further up. If we can find one and get it open we¡¯ll still be able to travel through the tunnels.¡±

    Beth gestured towards a small trail that emerged on the far side of the rubble. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get somewhere less popular before we have to make camp for the night. We¡¯ll look for another entrance tomorrow.¡±

    Bel stared at the strenuous walk ahead of them. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that we could just¡­ walk around the hill instead of going over it? It¡¯s getting dark, and my legs are cramping.¡±

    Beth tapped her fingers against one of her daggers as she examined the young gorgon. ¡°Yeah¡­ But you know, I bet that the ritual would fix you right up. Maybe this¡¯ll be the last night where you¡¯re struggling.¡±

    Bel perked up. ¡°Wait, really?¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Sure. Probably. We just need somewhere to do the ritual.¡± She looked at the collapsed tunnel again. ¡°The tunnels are actually a perfect place. They¡¯re nice and secluded, and closer to the Heart of Olympos. The gods are supposed to like that.¡±

    Beth tossed her braids over her shoulder. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do. Get into the tunnels, do your ritual, and then we can do all the other stuff.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± James interrupted, ¡°what other stuff?¡±

    Beth put her fingers together into a quiet clap. ¡°Focus! Let¡¯s get climbing! We¡¯ll make camp, and then first thing tomorrow we¡¯ll find that ventilation shaft.¡±

    James grumbled, but he still started walking after Beth.

    Beth looked back at the two of them. Bel tried to straighten her back and look tough, but it must have come off as pitiful because her older sister paused to give her a reassuring smile.

    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a great spot up ahead,¡± Beth chirped. ¡°A big rockslide cleared out a scenic overlook. How about that for incentive? We¡¯ll be able to see the sun set over the entire valley.¡±

    Bel smiled back. Ever since her first time seeing the sky, Bel had been a sucker for scenic overlooks.

    ¡°Wait,¡± James objected, ¡°you want us to stand on a rockslide? Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡±

    ¡°It happened years ago. I¡¯d hardly call it a risk. It¡¯s not like the rocks can fall twice, right?¡±

    James tousled his hair with frustration. ¡°God, and you people have a life expectancy of what? 30? At least I won¡¯t need to worry about cancer here.¡±

    Beth sniffed at his insults. ¡°Don¡¯t use your foreign words on me, kid. Hurry up.¡±

    ¡°Hey Beth,¡± Bel panted, ¡°how do you know so much about the area? Have you¨C¡±

    She paused to pull herself over a particularly rocky incline. ¡°Have you lived in the hills before? I thought you grew up in a city?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been through these hills before, sure. I spent a little time with the delvers around here when I was searching for my purpose in life.¡±

    Bel and James shared a look. Beth was always vague about her past, but they¡¯d been chiseling away at her secrets for years. James nodded at her, and Bel continued her careful probing.

    ¡°Do you still have any delver friends?¡±

    ¡°Friends? I wouldn¡¯t call them that. Technis¡¯ overseers discourage fraternizing.¡± The mysterious woman turned back to smirk at them. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t want us getting any ideas and such.¡±

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    ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t on one of the chain gangs? You weren¡¯t in one of the gangs, were you?¡±

    Beth scoffed; a short, bitter sound. ¡°They treated all delvers like criminals, even if you were a free volunteer.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like everywhere else in Satrap,¡± James stated bluntly. ¡°So why¡¯d you join?¡±

    Beth made a humming sound as she considered his question. ¡°Well, at the time ¨C ah, shit.¡±

    Bel and James looked around in alarm. Bel dropped her hand to the short sword that had been thumping into her thigh while James pulled out his sling.

    Beth made a down gesture with her hand. ¡°Nothing¡¯s going to attack us, but you should probably see this.¡±

    She clicked her tongue with frustration. ¡°I knew it was coming, but this is a little bit too soon.¡± She flicked her braids over her shoulder and cursed. ¡°Crows, this is going to make things more complicated.¡±

    James reached the top of the incline a few steps ahead of Bel and came to an abrupt halt, blocking her view. She grumbled at his lack of care and made her way around him. She gave him an angry side-eye as she passed, but her annoyance was immediately swept away by the view.

    Bel found herself standing on a large rock in front of a sheer drop. Her sight was unobstructed; the rocks below them were fresh and bare of trees, giving her a clear view of the valley below. Her eyes followed a wide and wild river that wound its way through verdant fields dotted with late blooming wildflowers and the occasional tree. No mountain blocked the light entering the valley, so, although the shadows stretched long, the scene was still illuminated. At any other time she thought that the sight would have taken her breath away. Now though, the activity on a bridge held all of Bel¡¯s attention.

    The bridge spanned the river at a relatively straight section, forming a wide wooden causeway that was supported with tall posts twice as wide as a person driven into the riverbed at regular intervals. Bel guessed that it was wide enough for two wagons to pass one another with room to spare, but it was currently filled with people ¨C and none of them were crossing. She could see that the people on the western side were attempting to cross, but those on the eastern side, closer to her, were fighting to stop them.

    Her eyes flicked to the brief flashes of light and puffs of smoke from what she thought must have been spells, but it was too far away and too dark for her to make out the details. The river downstream of the bridge churned with fresh blood, and Bel could see a continual stream of bodies going over the edge only to be swept away by the current. Bel¡¯s eyes widened at the sheer pace of death. James had described war to her, but she had never seen death coming so quickly. It made her wonder how there were still any people left with how quickly they were dying.

    With an application of will, Bel was finally able to pull her attention away from the fighting itself. Looking around she noticed some of the flags on the near shore. She pointed at a colorful wisp of cloth that was fluttering in the light breeze. ¡°Is that the Baytown flag? The yellow wheel on white?¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Looks like it. They must be trying to hold the river crossing. The Cobalt is too wide to cross while someone¡¯s shooting arrows at you so it¡¯s easy to guard. It carves a sheer canyon through the hills under us before heading straight to Baytown, so this is the best crossing point.¡±

    James pointed at the fighting. ¡°Are those guns? Why are there guns in this fantasy world?¡±

    Bel squinted. ¡°Guns are those exploding arrow things, right?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re flintlocks, I think,¡± Beth answered. ¡°Something new from Technis¡¯ military academy, but they aren¡¯t standard issue, at least not yet. If they have a bunch of them here then the Baytown militia must have been prepared for this.¡±

    Beth spun her bracelets with agitation as she glared at the carnage.

    James pointed to more movement below them. ¡°Look, they¡¯ve messed up. Some of the other people are already across the bridge.¡±

    Bel looked where James pointed and saw that a third group of people-smudges, smaller than the first two, was streaming out of some dense woods to the north of the river perhaps a few thousand strides away from the fighting. She gaped as they ate up the ground between them and the militia like a hungry tide.

    Bel couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would rush into possible death like that, but the newcomers put their mana enhanced muscles to work and closed the gap in just a few minutes. Bel, James, and Beth were gripped with silence as the dull colors of the third group joined battle with the Baytown militia. The new group, dressed in dark blacks and browns, seemed to be overpowering the Baytown white and yellow like a dark pigment spilled into a bright bucket of paint.

    ¡°Who are the new people?¡± Bel asked. ¡°Are there other towns around here?¡±

    Bel looked up. ¡°Well, the Saw Mountains run west, but there¡¯s Bear¡¯s Crossing northwest of here. I can¡¯t imagine them having an army though.¡±

    Beth pointed to some color on the western side of the bridge. ¡°Those are Points flags over the bridge. Looks like they lured the Baytown militia against the river so this other force could ambush them. I¡¯m guessing the new people are some kind of delver coalition.¡±

    Beth paused to consider things. ¡°You can see Technis¡¯ priests in the middle of the Baytown forces, but they¡¯re missing from the Points. It¡¯s a long overdue rebellion against the church or the priests wouldn¡¯t have gotten involved.¡±

    Bel tugged nervously at her snakes. ¡°I guess that could explain why they were asking for volunteers earlier.¡±

    James scoffed. ¡°A few volunteers wouldn¡¯t help with this though.¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Yup, looks like they didn¡¯t expect this. I didn¡¯t expect it either, and I¡¯ve been keeping track of these things. It explains why the tunnel was closed off though.¡±

    James looked back along their path. ¡°What does that have to do with the fighting? We¡¯re nowhere near it.¡±

    Beth cracked her knuckles and pointed. ¡°Those new fighters are cutting through the militia like it¡¯s nothing, so they¡¯ve gotta be some of the better delvers. They must have killed their overseers, collapsed the tunnel to slow down anything nasty from getting out, and gone to join the fight.¡±

    They watched in silence as the militia attempted to disengage and pull away. The newcomers had initially cut through the militia with ease, but then Bel saw the priests in their dark robes entering the fray.

    Beth grunted. ¡°Clearing out all of those underground beasts is one of the best ways to get strong, so the delvers are pretty tough. They aren¡¯t used to fighting like this though, so I¡¯m betting that the militia makes it back to Baytown with enough fighters to defend it.¡±

    Beth tapped her dagger and nodded appreciatively. ¡°Still, this is a big loss for the hegemony. I suppose that I can forgive them for starting early and without us.¡±

    James scratched his chin. ¡°Let¡¯s ignore for a moment that you want to be involved with all of this, this is a good thing, right? Anything bad for Technis¡¯ priests and the elites in Capital city is good for us, yeah?¡±

    Beth made a so-so gesture with her hand. ¡°Depends on how successful they are. We don¡¯t want to be around a town when the inquisitors start searching for traitors and spies.¡±

    ¡°Since they¡¯re fighting Technis¡¯ priests, can¡¯t we just go to the Points?¡± Bel asked. ¡°You know, since we¡¯re fighting Technis too?¡±

    Beth raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you think that they would just trust anyone suspicious who suddenly shows up claiming to be an enemy of Technis? No, I think it¡¯s best that we act like refugees and try to lay low somewhere that isn¡¯t directly involved. At least Baytown has bigger things to worry about than a little fire at their temple.¡±

    James looked up hopefully. ¡°So I guess that means that we don¡¯t need to go down into the tunnels any more, right?¡±

    Beth laughed. ¡°Nope, still the best way to go. Hopefully all of the exits aren¡¯t blocked off too, but if they are I think I¡¯ll be able to call in a favor or two with some old delving companions. Let¡¯s keep going you two, we should set up camp before it gets too dark.¡±

 Chapter 7 â€“ The Perfect Place for a Ceremony

    Bel woke up groggy, the wisps of a dream clinging to her thoughts like a thick mist on a chill morning. She grasped at the details, but they slipped through her fingers, dispersing in the morning light.

    Like always. She could never remember her dreams, just vague impressions that she was missing something important.

    Bel set up slowly, twisting her body to relieve some of the soreness and frustration. She always woke thinking that she¡¯d dreamed of something important, but no amount of mental straining produced anything tangible. Bel glanced in her brother¡¯s direction, the vague lump of his form just barely visible in the slowly lightening interior of their tent.

    In the past, she had inquired about his dreams, but talk of them would usually make him homesick and morose. Nowadays, Bel avoided the topic.

    Beth thrust her head into the tent like an attacking crocodile, her sharp teeth just barely illuminated by the faint light outside. Bel shrieked and threw her blanket at the invader.

    James grumbled and pulled his heavy blanket tightly around his head.

    Beth laughed at their antics. Bel was certain that her sister had been trying to startle her.

    ¡°Hey kids,¡± the sadist greeted them, ¡°I found the air shaft! We aren¡¯t even that far.¡± She raised her eyebrows with excitement.

    ¡°Is it even morning?¡± Bel asked.

    Beth pulled the tent flap fully open, letting in a cold breeze that made Bel regret throwing her blanket.

    ¡°Plenty of sun on the horizon,¡± Beth sang.

    Bel squinted. ¡°So there¡¯s still time to sleep?¡±

    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m collapsing the tent in a minute, whether you¡¯re inside or out.¡±

    Bel grumbled, but she gathered up her stuff and forced herself into the frigid morning air. She looked back to see that her brother wasn¡¯t going to make it ¨C he had just pulled his blanket from his face when Beth kicked out the stick holding up the front half of the tent. Bel heard his cursing from inside, but a moment later he scrambled out of the back side of the tent. Beth just laughed.

    Bel peered at her sister suspiciously. ¡°Why are you in such a good mood, sis?¡±

    Beth patted her on the head, uncomfortably squishing the dead snakes that served as her hair. ¡°Today we¡¯re doing your ritual. It¡¯s exciting, right?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± Bel agreed. She didn¡¯t actually have high hopes, not after Beth had tried this a few times. ¡°So how far is it?¡±

    Beth pointed a tent stake up the ridge. ¡°Just up this path!¡±

    Bel stared blankly, suppressing a groan at the steep incline.

    James pressed something into her hand, and Bel looked down to see one of his awful brushing sticks.

    ¡°Durak¡¯s dark fist, I don¡¯t want to brush my teeth with your rock paste.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Beth scolded, ¡°curse with some other god.¡±

    James shoved a similar stick into his own mouth and commenced with a type of self-torture that Bel couldn¡¯t understand. Bel¡¯s lips curled in disgust when he eventually spit out the strange slurry that he swore was good for a person¡¯s teeth.

    ¡°Come on Bel, if you don¡¯t brush your teeth then they¡¯ll all fall out.¡±

    Bel pointed at Beth. ¡°Beth¡¯s teeth don¡¯t fall out, and she doesn¡¯t brush.¡±

    ¡°She also has that ability that dissolves blood and grime with the power of darkness,¡± James retorted.

    Bel turned to her sister. ¡°Do you use that in your mouth?¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Of course. You have to get rid of all bodily odors if you want to sneak up on some people.¡±

    James nodded with satisfaction and gestured for Bel to stick the brush in her mouth. Bel eventually complied, brushing her teeth as quickly as her brother would let her. By the time she was finished, Beth was done packing up the camp.

    Beth rubbed her hands with excitement. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get going.¡±

    Bel watched her sister¡¯s back as she quickly shot ahead of them. She leaned close to her brother and whispered, ¡°she seems suspiciously excited about this.¡±

    James nodded. ¡°Yeah. I keep saying that she¡¯s got some weird plans for you.¡±

    For the first minute, Bel appreciated the walking. Using her muscles helped work out some of the soreness and a bit of exertion dispelled the chill in the air. After the second minute though, she¡¯d changed her mind. By the time they finally reached the air shaft, Bel was ready to collapse.

    She massaged her cramping calves as she peered down at a heavy metal grate that covered a small hole in the ground.

    ¡°This is it?¡± she asked, uncertain that she wanted the answer. The grate was made of thick, metal bars that blocked an opening hardly wider than her shoulders. In her opinion, it looked less like an entrance for a person and more like an entrance to a deep trash pit.

    Beth tugged on the grate, but it didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Yup. It¡¯s not so bad on the inside. I think there¡¯s even a ladder.¡±

    The crafty assassin tugged one of the bags from her belt and pulled out a small set of lockpicks. Bel marvelled as Beth¡¯s fingers danced, and a few heartbeats later the lock on the grate shifted with a satisfying sound. Beth heaved off the grate and the dark, empty hole yawned open in front of them.

    ¡°You two will have to go first so I can lock this behind us,¡± she informed them.

    James held up a hand. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re going to do what now?¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry James, we won¡¯t be trapped. My hands fit through the grating, see?¡± Beth shoved a hand through, demonstrating. ¡°How else would I lock it behind us?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Beth pointed at the dark hole. ¡°Go ahead. There should be a second grate down below to make it harder for things to get out. If you encounter any essence beast it¡¯ll just be a bug or something. Just step on it.¡±

    ¡°Yay,¡± James deadpanned. He carefully stuck his leg into the hole. After a bit of searching he found the ladder and descended the stairs. After the darkness swallowed her brother Bel followed after him with just a small amount of hesitation.

    The ladder was metal for a few strides, but then switched to rough gouges torn into the rock. Bel would have had trouble holding on to it, but the hole was so narrow that she could easily brace her back against the opposite side. After just a minute of struggle, her feet touched the metal of a second grate. She stepped to the side into a wider space, clearing an area for Beth to arrive.

    With the faint trickle of light, Bel could just make out her brother standing to her side, although she couldn¡¯t make out any details of the room farther from the opening.

    Bel jumped with surprise when Beth¡¯s bag landed with a loud thump. It was followed by a clang as Beth pulled the grate closed. Beth came last, dropping almost the entire way down.

    ¡°Hold on for a second, there should be emergency supplies in here.¡±

    Bel could hear her sister rummaging around in the space, but she couldn¡¯t see anything herself. Bel tried to stretch more of the kinks out of her muscles and sighed in relief as a few of her joints popped.

    She was startled by a cracking sound, but a moment later she could see. Beth had broken open a wooden box and pulled out a candle. The small flame illuminated a rectangular room just large enough for a pair of people to lie down end to end. There was another grate set into the floor, leading to even more darkness.

    Beth looked around, nodding to herself. ¡°This place looks perfect. Bel, lie down over here and we¡¯ll start your ritual.¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ just like that? Isn¡¯t there some preparation?¡±

    Beth guided her to the ground. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve got to spill some chalk and light some incense, but I need you to lie down first. I¡¯ve also got to put on a mask and eat something to channel the spirit of Durak¡¯s familiar. I¡¯ve mentioned Grudge before, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    Bel held up her hands. ¡°Wait, wait. Is Durak going to heal me?¡±

    Beth started digging through her bag. ¡°If you lie down I can explain. And James, you go stand in the corner so you don¡¯t accidentally kick anything.¡±

    Bel looked at her brother, but he merely shrugged.

    Not seeing a way out of it, Bel lowered herself to the cold, stone floor. A few leaves that had made their way through the grate crunched beneath her as she moved around to find a comfortable spot. Beth¡¯s previous ritual attempts had involved much more preparation, and multiple steps of drinking and eating strange things. Or sometimes a few days of not eating or drinking normal things. Bel thought that this one seemed rather slapdash by comparison.

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    ¡°So,¡± Beth began, ¡°mortals can¡¯t talk to gods. You get headaches and can¡¯t remember what happened.¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯re like bad drugs?¡± James asked.

    Beth tilted her head. ¡°Sure. You can think of it like that, I suppose. Anyway, I¡¯m on my third core and I can just barely remember what Grudge passes on to me. I assume it¡¯ll be worse for you Bel, but the gods will understand your situation even without you speaking.¡±

    Beth pulled out a small wooden mask of some long-snouted animal and slipped it over her head. ¡°The way this works is that I¡¯ll connect with Grudge and he¡¯ll connect with Durak. Then Durak will connect with some goddess that he knows.¡±

    ¡°And that one will heal me?¡± Bel asked, hopefully.

    Beth shrugged. ¡°I¡­ well, I didn¡¯t really understand past that point. But it should be fine, I think.¡±

    James shook his head. ¡°This is some incredible nonsense, even for you. At least give Bel some mushrooms or something so she has a good time.¡±

    Beth snorted as she crushed one of the spirit stones into a bag full of chalk dust. She ignored James and concentrated on shaking the bag vigorously, which resulted in so much dust that they all went into sneezing fits.

    Beth resumed her explanation while she spread the mixture in a rough rectangle around Bel¡¯s prone form. ¡°I¡¯ve got an excellent connection to Grudge and Durak, and an excellent connection to Bel. I¡¯m the perfect bridge.¡±

    Beth pulled off a trio of her bracelets. ¡°Oh, hold on to these too, Bel. They belonged to some really bad people, and Grudge wanted you to bring an offering to the goddess.¡±

    ¡°She likes bracelets?¡± Bel wondered.

    ¡°Nope, she likes punishment. Think of the bracelets as proofs of a bounty.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, this has all been one terrible fetch quest, hasn¡¯t it?¡± James blurted incredulously.

    ¡°Ignore your brother,¡± Beth instructed. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll swallow one of the essence stones and you¡¯ll swallow the other.¡±

    ¡°Uh, wait, didn¡¯t you say that would be a bad idea?¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s not for you. The gods will digest them through us.¡±

    ¡°This sounds worse and worse by the minute,¡± James scowled.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell you the details before, because I didn¡¯t want to have to listen to all your whining. Eat the stone, Bel.¡±

    Bel stared at the small, glowing rock that Beth pressed into her hand. What¡¯s the worst that could happen? she thought. Before she could overthink it, Bel put the stone into her mouth and choked it down. It felt surprisingly smooth and warm as it travelled down her throat, more like honey than a rock.

    Beth pulled out a few sticks of incense and lit them from the candle. She pushed the burning sticks into the line of chalk dust and clapped the excess material from her hands.

    ¡°Okay, that should be it.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Really? What happens¨C¡±

    The world lurched around Bel and she felt very sick. She opened her eyes and¡­ then she closed them again. A voice ¨C or maybe a crowd of voices ¨C greeted her.

    Her thoughts grew muddled, like she was trying to think through a thick mud.

    James had once insisted that they get drunk for his birthday. This felt a lot like that, only far, far worse. It was the difference between a small cut to having her skin flayed. Things ¨C people? ¨C moved around her, but Bel could barely focus. Words were being said, important things that she wanted to know, but her mind was as clear as a puddle of mud.

    Someone forced something into her mouth. Something like a wad of fur. Bel tried to spit it out, but then someone tipped her head up and poured a thick, metallic liquid down her throat. She swallowed reflexively.

    Someone made a noise of delight. ¡°Much better! That looks balanced, right?¡±

    Bel looked down at her body and saw an outline of a person, filled with light, sitting on a chair. Was she always a jellyfish? Was that how she looked? Or was she having trouble seeing? Rather than getting worse, she felt like her vision was clearing ¨C and her thoughts as well.

    She was at a table: a single, solid block of stone as dark and imposing as a mountain. Bel looked up and realized that she wasn¡¯t alone. There were figures sitting to her left and right.

    The one on her right was a woman who exuded power. Her lean muscles glowed with an inner light, and she wore armor woven of gold and covered in glowing filigree. On top of her armor she wore a deep, crimson tabard stitched with designs so tiny that they made Bel¡¯s head swim.

    Bel tried to focus on the woman¡¯s face and felt a pinprick of worry. The strong sensation broke through her mind¡¯s haze. The woman had the head of a beast, furry and muscled. Her eyes burned like golden suns, bisected by a slit pupil. Meeting her gaze sent a wave of awe through Bel¡¯s body, like she was a tiny splinter of wood adrift upon the vast ocean.

    The goddess ¨C Bel knew the powerful woman could be nothing else ¨C opened her mouth to speak, revealing her sharp fangs.

    ¡°Beloved, child of Lempo. Are you awake?¡±

    The goddess¡¯ breath was hot and humid like the worst summer day, and her voice was a storm tearing through Bel¡¯s body. Bel turned to her other side, unable to withstand the force of the goddess¡¯ attention.

    Bel gawked at the creature on her left. There was a vague outline of an arm, the hint of a few strands of diaphanous hair, the twinkling of a grinning face. But the person¡¯s body was made of a shifting storm of sand, their features only emerging momentarily before being swallowed by chaotic motion.

    Bel stared in slack-jawed wonder as the storm stilled, coalescing into a woman with vibrant green and purple flames for hair.

    ¡°Is that better? Hello there little one! I¡¯m Dutcha!¡±

    ¡°A-are you a goddess too?¡± Bel stammered.

    The woman laughed, the sound like tinkling panes of ice. ¡°I¡¯m not some stuffy concept personified! I¡¯m a spirit! A divine spirit! That means I¡¯m really powerful!¡±

    Bel stared at the woman¡¯s sandstone features as she made an exaggerated muscle.

    The spirit laughed and leaned back in her chair, displacing sparks and jets of steam as she moved. ¡°I¡¯ve just half-adopted you, so you can think of me as your second mommy!¡± She pointed enthusiastically at the goddess. ¡°And Kjar over there will be your aunt!¡±

    Bel could feel her mind slipping back into its previous haze. She was tempted to just let herself go, unable to dismiss the possibility that this was a hallucination brought about by another one of Beth¡¯s failed rituals.

    Or maybe James had found one of those mushrooms that he was always talking about?

    The spirit had other plans though; she jolted Bel with a small fork of lightning. ¡°Stay with us! This is important!¡±

    The spirit smacked the stone table. ¡°We¡¯ve already signed a contract, but you need to know what¡¯s in it.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Bel trailed off, struggling to process her situation. ¡°I signed what?¡±

    The goddess with the sharp fangs tapped a clawed hand against the table. Bel¡¯s attention was drawn to a stone tablet that had escaped her notice, overshadowed by the lunacy surrounding her.

    Bel glanced at the goddess, but immediately looked away again.

    ¡°You have no cause to fear me, child. I am Kjar, goddess of corporal punishment.¡±

    Bel stared at the goddess¡¯ hand, still too terrified to look into her eyes again.

    ¡°Your mother has asked us to mend your body and spirit. We have agreed¡­¡± The goddess tapped the stone tablet. ¡°¡­and the agreement has been signed.¡±

    Bel stared at three glowing marks. Signatures, she guessed. The first burned with a fiery intensity that reminded Bel of the goddess, Kjar. The second was formed of several substances, some of the marks made of ice while others glowed with heat. That seemed to match with the spirit, Dutcha.

    The third mark though, was an ever shifting set of lines of curves that made Bel¡¯s head hurt.

    ¡°But,¡± Bel objected, ¡°I didn¡¯t sign anything.¡±

    Dutcha laughed, a mix of lightning and flames belching from her mouth. ¡°Silly, a teensy thing like you couldn¡¯t sign something like this. Your mother signed for you.¡±

    ¡°My¡­ my what?¡± Bel¡¯s head was spinning. She was truly afraid that it would burst, and not in a figurative way. ¡°I don¡¯t have a¡­¡±

    Then Bel remembered what Kjar had first said to her. ¡°Lempo?¡± she asked out loud.

    ¡°Yes,¡± a thousand voices responded.

    Bel looked across the table at the figure ¨C or maybe a hundred, or a thousand figures ¨C sitting there. Bel¡¯s eyes teared up as she tried to focus, but the figure shifted like the light shining from a thousand tiny waves and eluded her comprehension.

    ¡°Your presence overwhelms her, sister.¡±

    The shifting figures glanced at Kjar, and a moment later it solidified into a woman. A woman with a familiar face, one that Bel had seen many times in her dreams and in shrines and temples across Satrap. Lempo, goddess of healing and harvest.

    ¡°Beloved child,¡± the goddess said sweetly in a thousand voices. They didn¡¯t overlap, but changed even as she spoke, as if her voice were an instrument playing an entire movement between each syllable.

    ¡°I am your mother, the goddess of change and upheaval.¡± The nearly overlapping voices were difficult to process, and rather than just being spoken aloud they were also rammed directly into her head.

    Dutcha reached over the table and shook her, and Bel realized that she had slumped over. She may have also blacked out, she wasn¡¯t sure.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the spirit drawled, ¡°how about I do the talking, okay?¡±

    Bel tried to nod, but only managed a slight drooping of her head.

    ¡°Great!¡± the spirit declared. ¡°So, obviously your little mortal mind isn¡¯t going to be able to remember any of this. It¡¯s sad really, your mom¡¯s been haunting your dreams for years trying to get you to do important stuff. She never does anything basic, so her recipe for life was a little¡­ eh.¡± Dutcha waved a few hands and tentacles and a couple of wings through the air. Bel assumed it was some kind of gesture, but she wasn¡¯t equipped to interpret it.

    The spirit shook her head, tutting quietly. ¡°So, here¡¯s the solution.¡± Dutcha poked the tablet. ¡°Don¡¯t look at us, just read this thing. You¡¯ll forget most of it, but we¡¯ll be able to remind you of stuff along the way. Hopefully. It¡¯s not like you need to understand our plans anyway.¡±

    Dutcha didn¡¯t wait for Bel to respond, instead she grabbed the tablet and held it up in front of Bel¡¯s face. Bel recoiled, startled by the sudden movement.

    ¡°Read,¡± Kjar¡¯s voice commanded.

    Bel¡¯s eyes struggled to focus.

    ¡°Beloved, child of Lempo¨C¡± Bel began.

    ¡°That¡¯s you!¡± Dutcha called out.

    Bel shook her head. ¡°¨Cshall be restored. In return, she will serve the wishes of her divine benefactors. If the child falls upon Olympos, her spirit will leave the mortal coil and be gathered into Lempo¡¯s embrace, where her experiences will be divided among her benefactors.¡±

    Bel stared at the words, struggling to comprehend them. Did that mean that she would die if she didn¡¯t do something? And Lempo and the others would eat her soul?

    ¡°Do not stop,¡± Kjar demanded. ¡°Your connection wanes.¡±

    Bel looked at the next line. ¡°The child shall leave the Barrier and seek¨C¡±

    Bel blinked at the darkness surrounding her. Her body ¨C no, her everything hurt. Bel groaned.

    What happened? Was I dreaming again? Did I fall asleep? Wait, did I finish reading the tablet?

    With a swelling sense of panic, Bel realized that she could only remember the very first part of it.

    A hand shook her, eliciting a hiss of pain as her body shifted.

    ¡°Bel! Are you okay?¡±

    She cringed back, momentarily frightened by the eerily backlit face of her wide-eyed sister, still wearing her eerie animal mask. James was right behind her, his hands squeezed together around a shaking candle, his knuckles white from his excessive grip.

    ¡°Bel, can you hear me?¡± Beth shouted.

    ¡°Crows,¡± she hoarsely cursed. Her words caught in her dry throat and she coughed until her eyes watered.

    ¡°Bargainer¡¯s balls! I think it worked,¡± her brother¡¯s voice proclaimed. He sounded happy, but for what reason Bel didn¡¯t know. She felt terrible.

    ¡°I told you I could handle the ritual.¡± Bel could hear the smug satisfaction replacing the worry in her sister¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Beth,¡± she wheezed. She really wanted to complain that Beth¡¯s ritual had not gone as planned, but her¡¯s throat was still tight and dry. Speaking more than a word at a time was too difficult.

    As she blinked back her tears her eyes began to focus. She could make out the dark skin and braided black hair of Beth as she leaned over her. ¡°Having trouble seeing Bel? You¡¯re healed though, right? That was pretty dramatic.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± added James. He gawked at her like she was a fish on display. ¡°You caught fire and everything.¡±

    Bel tried to turn her head towards him, but she felt heavy and awkward. Her words scratched her throat like a saw against wood as she asked, ¡°I did what?¡±

    Bel winced as Beth clapped loudly. ¡°Okay, give your sister some water. I feel like this was a success, but we¡¯ve already tarried her for far too long. We need to make like rain in the sea and disappear.¡±

    Beth grabbed Bel¡¯s hands and pulled her upright. ¡°I hope you can wal¨Cwhoah, look at them go!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bel looked around. The world was slowly coming into focus, but was still mostly just fuzzy blobs. Bel reached up to rub her head, but quickly retracted her hand when something hissed at her.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Beth continued, ¡°looks like they¡¯re healed too.¡±

    Beth rubbed her hands with anticipation. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what you can do now!¡±

    Bel felt something cool slither down the back of her neck. She shrieked.

 Chapter 8 â€“ Head Full of Snakes

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°Pay attention, Bel,¡± Beth scolded.

    Bel swatted at one of the snakes that was hanging in front of her face. She received an angry hiss in return. She hissed back ¨C she was fed up with her misbehaving hair.

    James laughed and Bel¡¯s blood surged. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh! It¡¯s not funny!¡±

    ¡°It really is,¡± he insisted.

    Beth smacked him in the arm. ¡°Both of you stop messing around.¡± Beth turned to the discombobulated gorgon, a serious look in her eyes. ¡°Bel, tell us what happened during the ritual.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel scrunched her face as she thought about it. ¡°I¡¯m not sure? I think, maybe, I have to do something or someone¡¯s going to eat my soul?¡±

    Beth buried her face in her hands and shook her head with disappointment.

    The smile fled James¡¯ face. ¡°You what?¡±

    Beth restrained him with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Are you sure, Bel? Even gods shouldn¡¯t be able to force you into agreements like that. Do you remember what you have to do?¡±

    Bel went to scratch her head, but rediscovered her nest of very active snakes instead.

    ¡°Ugh. I think¡­ I need to go through the Barrier? And then some other stuff that¡¯s fuzzy. Just the first part is impossible though, so I guess that the rest won¡¯t really matter.¡±

    Beth arched her eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s it? All the details matter, Bel.¡±

    Bel clenched her teeth. ¡°There¡¯s more, but I can¡¯t remember it. It¡¯s just like a dream that I can¡¯t hold on to ¨C it¡¯s so frustrating!¡±

    Bel rubbed her hands with frustration while her snakes writhed through the air. ¡°I think that there were some people, and I was scared of them, but they weren¡¯t dangerous. Or maybe they were dangerous, but not to me.¡± She shook her head, further riling up her snakes. ¡°I just can¡¯t remember.¡±

    Beth grabbed her hands and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Bel. Don¡¯t worry too much about it, talking with gods is tough.¡±

    The older woman tapped Bel in the nose, finally getting the agitated gorgon¡¯s attention. ¡°Did you know that Durak has never once spoken with me directly? So you¡¯ve already done something that I haven¡¯t.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t keep a small grin off of her face. ¡°Yeah, as long as my soul doesn¡¯t get eaten then I suppose it was worth it. I¡¯m healed, right? Can I grow stronger like you now?¡±

    Beth smiled widely, revealing her teeth. ¡°I think you¡¯d better start collecting essence. Especially if you want to be able to get through Technis¡¯ Barrier and leave Satrap.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not so confident about that part.¡±

    Beth gave Bel an enthusiastic slap on the back, moving her hand too quickly to be caught by Bel¡¯s snakes. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go kill some stuff and make you stronger.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± James complained.

    ¡°Free dinner if your sister catches anything good!¡±

    As she stood up straight, Bel stared at her sister. ¡°Beth, are you shorter?¡±

    Beth flicked her in the nose again, eliciting some hisses from Bel¡¯s snakes. ¡°No, silly. You must have grown taller.¡±

    Beth looked her younger sister up and down by the weak light of her candle. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re taller. And your skin looks better. Less sickly.¡±

    She squeezed the muscles in Bel¡¯s arm. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re stronger and faster now too? How about it, feel any different?¡±

    Bel looked down at her hands. Beth was right ¨C her skin was smooth and unblemished. Also, she could see her hands in the near darkness, something she was sure she would have struggled with before. She hopped up and down experimentally, and was pleased with how fluid and graceful she felt.

    The snakes would take some getting used to, but everything else was improved.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I feel better everywhere.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Beth replied. She pulled some canvas helmets from a crate and passed them to Bel and James. ¡°These are delving helmets. They¡¯ve got a place for a candle on the front and a little reflector behind that to make it brighter. With these and some extra candles we should be ready to go.¡±

    Bel tried to lower the helmet onto her head, but her snakes flew into a conniption. ¡°Beth, I don¡¯t know if I can do helmets.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Beth wondered. Then she looked at Bel¡¯s snakes. ¡°Oh. Well, I suppose you can carry a lantern in one hand. Just put it down before we get into any fights, or you¡¯ll break it and burn yourself.¡±

    While Beth dug around for a lantern in the delver¡¯s emergency supplies, James sidled up to Bel.

    ¡°So, did you learn anything about you?¡± he asked.

    Bel tilted her head. ¡°I really can¡¯t remember much.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? What about the people you met?¡±

    Thinking about it made her head hurt, but Bel tried to remember any details. ¡°There was a table, and there were instructions on it. Or maybe a contract?¡±

    Trying to remember the scene made her feel like her head was swelling, but she wanted to know more about herself so she pushed harder. ¡°I think that the table had four sides, so maybe there were three other people. Or maybe all tables have four sides, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    She rubbed at her forehead, hoping to reduce the growing ache.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push it,¡± Beth warned. ¡°Our mortal minds have trouble being in the presence of something divine. Just take it easy for now, and maybe something will come to you later.¡±

    Bel knew that her sister was right, but she was frustrated that she had wasted the opportunity. What if someone had been able to enlighten Bel about her past? ¡°Do you think we could do the ritual again? So that I could ask more questions?¡±

    Beth laughed. ¡°The result would be the same. Maybe once you advance your Path to the twentieth threshold and form a second core, but probably not even then.¡±

    ¡°Advance my what?¡±

    Beth started fiddling with the lock on the lower grate as she explained. ¡°We convert raw energy into an essence that the gods can use, and in return for it they grant us a Path. Your first core isn¡¯t blessed by a deity, but you can trade your essence for a path when you make new cores.¡±

    ¡°How about doing a ritual for me next time? They could fix my body to have a core too, right?¡± James pestered.

    Beth ignored him, sticking out her tongue slightly as she concentrated on the lock.

    ¡°Durak¡¯s probably the wrong one to ask since he¡¯s the god of revenge and stuff,¡± Bel whispered.

    ¡°How about Lempo then? She¡¯s the goddess of healing and harvest ¨C maybe you could pick her as your patron when you get your second core?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s not the goddess of that stuff.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°She isn¡¯t?¡± James asked.

    Bel paused, her confidence evaporating. She had felt so certain that Lempo was a goddess of something else, but now she didn¡¯t know where she¡¯d gotten that idea.

    The lock clicked open and Beth snapped her fingers with self-satisfaction. ¡°From what I¡¯ve read ¨C and keep in mind that everything I¡¯ve seen could have been altered by Technis¡¯ priests ¨C the Divine Treaty keeps the gods from interfering too much in our world. Divine meddling isn¡¯t good for anyone, apparently.¡±

    ¡°Why would the gods agree to that? I thought they were all about doing whatever they wanted?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Well, supposedly they almost destroyed the Old World with their bickering.¡±

    James scoffed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s still there.¡±

    ¡°I said ¡®almost.¡¯ What I read could have been censored or made up, but the basic gist is that some goddess grew bored with the world and threw a mountain at it. The description in the scroll I read was very over the top.¡±

    Beth raised her arms and waved them around for emphasis while she spoke with a deep, dramatic voice. ¡°A star the size of a mountain was called down from the heavens and struck the Old World, choking the air with fire and shaking the firmament itself. A hail of blood and fire wept from the heavens and the seas rose up in anguish. A vast cloud of thick, angry smoke blotted out and sun, and so on, blah blah blah. It sounded rough, I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve got the treaty.¡±

    James raised his hand. ¡°Hold on. Was it talking about a, ah, this language sucks.¡± He switched to English and continued. ¡°Was it a meteor impact?¡±

    Beth huffed with exasperation. ¡°You know I don¡¯t speak your language very well. If it sounds like a meaty impact to you, then I guess that¡¯s what it was. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll tell us all about it while we get a move on.¡±

    She pointed to the open grate, gesturing for them to hurry up.

    Light and shadow danced erratically and they moved down the long length of handholds carved into the rock, but physical exertion had never left Bel feeling so good. Her increased height made her feel slightly awkward, and her snakes kept drifting in and out of her line of sight, but otherwise everything felt so easy. Now she just had to do some impossible task for some shady deities or her soul would be eaten. Great.

    ¡°Hey Bel,¡± Beth called out.

    Bel turned, almost blinding herself when she looked into Beth¡¯s headlamp.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Beth?¡±

    ¡°All people have a starting ability in their core. It¡¯s useless, but maybe you have something different than normal. It could be a way to go straight through Technis¡¯ Barrier.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a gorgon,¡± James interjected, ¡°so she¡¯ll probably be able to turn people to stone.¡±

    ¡°How can I tell what¡¯s in my core?¡± Bel asked, ignoring her brother.

    Beth fiddled with a bracelet. ¡°You just feel it. I think it should be intuitive.¡±

    ¡°Feel for what though?¡±

    Beth held up one of her hands. ¡°Well, you know how you can move up and down, left and right, forward and backward?¡±

    Beth waited for Bel to nod before continuing. ¡°Well, you should be able to feel your core, but it¡¯ll be moving in another direction.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t get it. What other direction is there?¡±

    ¡°Heavenward,¡± Beth declared.

    James snickered, and Beth cast an irritated glance in his direction. ¡°Here,¡± she declared, ¡°I have a way to help you feel it.¡±

    Beth stepped forward and punched Bel in the sternum.

    ¡°Ow, Lempo¡¯s left tit! That hurt Beth!¡± She immediately regretted the popular curse, but she wasn¡¯t sure why.

    ¡°Hurt where?¡±

    ¡°On my¡­ uh, on my something.¡± Bel rubbed where Beth had hit her, but it didn¡¯t hurt against her skin. Bel could feel an ache somewhere else, on something that she didn¡¯t know she had. ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your core,¡± Beth answered. ¡°The ache should pass in a few minutes. Now that you can feel your core, try tensing it like a muscle. You should feel something.¡±

    Beth turned and started walking down the hallway. ¡°But feel it out as you walk. I don¡¯t want to stay down here forever.¡±

    They walked a few steps in silence before James spoke up. ¡°So, a meteor is a giant rock that¡¯s hanging out in space¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Hey Beth, I think I¡¯ve figured it out.¡±

    The light bounced along the tunnel walls as Beth turned her head slightly. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Bel rubbed her hands with excitement. ¡°I think it does have something to do with my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Ah-hah!¡± James cackled. ¡°Just like I said!¡±

    ¡°Sure James, just like you said.¡± Bel was feeling bad for her brother since he still didn¡¯t have a working core. She could let him have a few wins.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think your sister will be turning anyone to stone with her starting ability.¡±

    James spun around, excited to defend his ideas. ¡°You don¡¯t know that. Maybe Bel¡¯s gorgon powers are, like, super potent. She¡¯s not human, right? That should count for something.¡±

    Beth smacked him on the shoulder. ¡°Watch it with the candle. And there¡¯s nothing wrong with being human, so don¡¯t jump to conclusions,¡± Beth huffed. ¡°We may never fully understand her ability ¨C certainly no one understand the ability that people are born with, even though practically every person has it. We¡¯ll have to test it out.¡±

    Beth turned back to the young gorgon. ¡°How big does the ability feel?¡±

    Bel felt at her core. It was a strange sensation, like closing her eyes and running her hands over her feet to count her toes only to discover that she had more feet than she expected.

    Or maybe a slowly blooming flower with designs etched onto the petals was a better analogy? She certainly didn¡¯t want to think of there being weird extra toes floating around under her sternum.

    ¡°Three of something?¡± Bel replied.

    ¡°Great. Tense it,¡± Beth replied, ¡°like a muscle. Do you need to use it at something?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel got a strange sensation as she concentrated on the invisible extra limb.

    ¡°Yeah, I think I need to be looking at someone. And I think that they need to be looking at me.¡±

    Beth walked over to Bel and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Test it out on me, let¡¯s see what it does.¡±

    ¡°What if I turn you into stone?¡±

    Beth laughed. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m not gonna be taken out by a three stroke ability. Just try it on me.¡±

    Bel hesitated, but only for a moment. Beth was always ¨C usually ¨C right about these things. She looked into Beth¡¯s eyes and¡­

    She stared at Beth for an awkwardly long time until something clicked in her head. She felt a stirring somewhere in the direction of her core, followed by a sensation like belching hot air as energy travelled from her core and through her body for the first time. It settled into her eyes and a moment later she felt a strange connection to Beth.

    Bel stared, wide-eyed, for at least a solid second before staggering back with a splitting headache.

    ¡°Ugh, my head.¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Yup. Pretty potent for such a low stroke ability. Not gonna cut through the Barrier though.¡±

    A bout of nausea followed after the headache, forcing Bel to lean against the tunnel wall to wait it out.

    Beth patted her sympathetically. ¡°Well, we can play around with it more later. It¡¯ll get easier as your core advances, so we¡¯ll work on that first.¡± Beth spun a few of her bracelets as she thought. ¡°Also, your technique was wrong. You should actually be pulling the mana from your free strokes and sending them over the ability engraved upon your core rather than pulling the energy from the inscription itself. Now you¡¯ll have to wait for your core to refill before you can use the ability again.¡±

    Bel rubbed her temples, ignoring her sister for the moment. Even her snakes seemed to be affected ¨C they sagged like soggy loaves of bread around her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue what you¡¯re saying, Beth,¡± she finally complained.

    Beth pulled out one of her daggers. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll demonstrate one of my abilities. I call it cut like hatred.¡±

    Beth raised the dagger and plunged it towards the wall. The shadows seemed to leap onto the blade and it stabbed into the solid surface like the rocks were sea foam. Beth pulled her weapon out with a grin on her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit stronger than your ability, but the idea is the same.¡±

    Beth poked the dagger with her finger. ¡°I didn¡¯t actually use the mana from the space on my core where this ability is engraved. Instead, I pulled in mana from a free section and retraced the ability.¡±

    Beth waved her dagger around, stabbing an invisible opponent. ¡°Abilities have passive effects as long as you leave mana in their engraved strokes. If we both used this dagger to cut something, you would find that it¡¯s just a bit more dangerous when I¡¯m using it.¡±

    Beth sheathed the weapon. ¡°When I run more mana through it, the effect simply becomes more pronounced. When you use up all of your mana in the inscription, like you just did, the ability will shut down. So don¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°So how long until my headache goes away? And why didn¡¯t you warn me?¡±

    Beth laughed. ¡°You have to learn this stuff first-hand sometimes. The headache is likely from using mana for the first time, not emptying your engraved strokes.¡±

    She gave Bel a consoling pat on the shoulder. ¡°If you pull from the mana from the engraved strokes you won¡¯t be able to activate the ability until your core refills with mana, which takes around an hour. Most people try to leave a good amount of their cores empty so they have excess mana in their unused strokes. Unused mana also makes your abilities stronger passively, and helps you resist some kinds of attacks as well.¡±

    Beth waited a moment for questions, but James was too lost in thought to interrupt and Bel was still squeezing her head. She nodded with satisfaction. ¡°So, our next step is to grow Bel¡¯s core so that she can hold some useful abilities. I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll pick up something to take care of the Barrier somewhere along the way.¡±

    James frowned with concern. ¡°You¡¯re suddenly pretty confident that we¡¯ll be able to leave Satrap, Beth. Aren¡¯t you worried about the soul eating part of what she heard in her ritual?¡±

    Beth waved off his concerns with a casual sweep of her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sure that the gods wouldn¡¯t have given her a task that she couldn¡¯t complete.¡±

    ¡°What gods did she talk to anyway?¡± he persisted. ¡°What was your ritual supposed to do?¡±

    Beth shrugged. ¡°How would I know, James? I just did what Durak instructed. The gods may not be allowed to directly intervene, but they¡¯re like the director of a play; they sit off-stage and give us instructions. We¡¯re playing roles in a show where the script is never revealed.¡±

    Beth thumped her fist against her chest and pointed at James. ¡°Me, you, Bel ¨C are we important characters? Will we be talked about for generations? Or are we unimportant bit actors who only show up to hand the main lead a cup of water when they¡¯re thirsty?¡±

    She shrugged, the light from her hat dancing along the barren tunnel walls. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s best for us to focus on here and now ¨C and here and now I can hear a skittering along the floor somewhere up ahead.¡±

    Beth took hold of Bel¡¯s shoulder with a vice-like grip and moved her a step down the tunnel. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to help you grow, Bel. Pull out your weapon and let¡¯s get to stabbing. If this is a play, then it is high time for another action scene, right?¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 9 â€“ Action Scene

    <section>

    <section>

    Beth waved her hand at the darkness, casting long shadows through the tunnel. ¡°I can see it moving ahead of us.¡±

    Bel peered ahead, seeing absolutely nothing but more smooth tunnel wall. ¡°See what?¡±

    ¡°Some bug. Nothing dangerous. James and I will stand to the sides to keep some light on it,¡± Beth continued firmly.

    She looked Bel up and down and frowned. ¡°You know, it¡¯s pretty small. Maybe you should put that borrowed short sword away and use one of my daggers instead, just so you don¡¯t hurt yourself. Honestly, it¡¯s barely a threat.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t help but wonder what part of lifting the weapon from a corpse made it ¡°borrowed,¡± but she was genuinely touched that Beth was worried about her safety. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Beth, I won¡¯t accidentally slice off my fingers.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in you, it¡¯s just that we¡¯ve mostly practiced with much shorter blades.¡±

    Bel brandished her short sword with confidence. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. After that ritual my body feels fantast¨Caah!¡±

    A dark blob had detached from the wall and launched directly at her face. Bel screamed and frantically swung the sword around like a stick, desperate to keep the leaping thing away. She shrieked again when the insect slipped under her wild attacks. She instinctively lashed out with a foot when she felt an antenna brush against her leg.

    Bel shivered at the twitching pile, but realized that she¡¯d missed her chance to quickly kill it when the insect ¨C some kind of overgrown cave cricket ¨C regained its feet and leaped towards her again.

    She screamed and smashed her short sword into it, connecting with a hollow thunk. The insect struck the ground like a rock, bouncing across the hard floor. As it lay there twitching she seized the opportunity and plunged her weapon into the gross collection of twitching antenna and legs. Like a determined sewing machine, she stabbed her weapon repeatedly into the twitching mass at high speed. Her frenzy continued for several seconds before she regained control of her faculties.

    She was breathing heavily, and her snakes were darting around like they were on fire, but the insect was dead, right?

    Bel poked it with the tip of her sword. It twitched, but she was fairly certain that was just death contractions setting in. She stuck the sword into it on last time, just to be sure.

    Beth snorted. ¡°Okay, to be honest, that was a bit messy. It was essence corrupted, but it¡¯s still just a large cricket.¡±

    James chimed in. ¡°The screaming was a bit much.¡±

    Bel spun around, her face flushed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t screaming,¡± she insisted. ¡°Those were shouts of war.¡±

    Beth grasped Bel¡¯s hand and lowered her weapon. ¡°No yelling at allies while holding a weapon. Now, wipe this off and then we can talk about how to advance your core.¡±

    Bel stuck her tongue out at her brother.

    James rolled his eyes at her, but he stayed quiet.

    Beth watched as Bel wiped the sword on a corner of a rag, which she then discarded. Beth waited to speak until after Bel had resheathed her weapon.

    ¡°Bel, why didn¡¯t you use your angry face ability?¡± James asked.

    ¡°My what?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve only got one ability.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s call it glare. Not angry face. Glare.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he laughed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you glare at it?¡±

    Bel tilted her head. ¡°Uh, it didn¡¯t feel ready?¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long enough for her to recover,¡± Beth explained. ¡°Remember, it takes an hour to refill after emptying her core, and her inscribed ability will only refill after that. Unless it¡¯s an emergency, most people wouldn¡¯t pull energy from their inscribed abilities, just from their unbound mana, but since that was her first time we can forgive the mistake.¡±

    Bel examined the smashed insect. ¡°So what do I do with this?¡±

    Beth grinned. ¡°There are two things that you can do with an essence corrupted creature¨C¡±

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    ¡°What makes them corrupted anyway?¡± James interrupted.

    Beth gave him a powerful side eye. She answered his question though ¨C James would just keep asking otherwise. ¡°Not all deities make pacts with humans. Some get their compensation from insects or other things. Personally, I¡¯m happy that the divine treaty enforces some distance between us and the gods.¡±

    Beth paused to see if James would interrupt again before turning back to Bel. ¡°So, there are two things that you can do with the creature¡¯s core. First, you can break it apart and absorb some of its essence. This is the quickest way to build up the size of your own core, far faster than letting it accumulate naturally.¡±

    ¡°And then I can make a second core and choose a patron, right?¡±

    Beth nodded, sending the light from her helmet dancing around the tunnel. ¡°But first we¡¯ll do something else. Some creatures just get abilities naturally as their cores grow, but you won¡¯t get anything¡­ well, anything other than your glare, until you make a pact with a god to gain access to their Path. That isn¡¯t the only way to get abilities though, because you can also take abilities from someone else.¡±

    Beth turned to James quickly. ¡°And no, before you ask, you need a core to do it.¡±

    James slumped dramatically and Bel couldn¡¯t help a quick snicker at his antics.

    ¡°Put your hand on the dead thing,¡± Beth told her, to Bel¡¯s dismay. She reached out and held a finger against a part of the carapace that wasn¡¯t covered with its sticky innards.

    ¡°Now, flex your own core until you can just feel what¡¯s left in the insect. But don¡¯t absorb it ¨C you¡¯ll know what I mean.¡±

    To Bel¡¯s surprise, she did understand. She could feel the essence of the dead thing. It was tempting, like a scent of something sweet teasing her through the air. Except it was coming from the disgusting smashed remains of an overgrown cave cricket. ¡°Okay,¡± she said aloud, ¡°what now?¡±

    ¡°Just feel at its contours. You should pick up a pattern: that¡¯s the ability engraved upon the core.¡±

    Bel reached¡­and she felt something. There was just the hint of a¨C

    The core broke. A heartbeat later and all of the essence had fled. She turned to Beth, her eyes watering with the stress of her failure.

    ¡°I broke it.¡±

    Beth laughed gave her a quick hug. ¡°Of course you did, hon. It¡¯ll take you a few tries, which is why we¡¯re doing this with these tiny pests.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Bel looked at the mess. ¡°Yay.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°You should be noticing that there¡¯s a similar pattern in all the cores that you¡¯ve touched so far,¡± Beth explained.

    Bel probed at the most recent one with a ¨C relatively ¨C soft touch. She¡¯d already broken eight of them, and she was getting tired of failure.

    ¡°I think I recognize it.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Beth replied, ¡°now pick one end of it and trace it. Put some oomph into it so you get all the details. At the same time, trace the same pattern on your own core. It sounds complicated, but it should come naturally.¡±

    Bel didn¡¯t feel very confident, but she tried it anyway. She shoved her senses through the creature¡¯s core and felt it crumbling behind her heavy touch. Simultaneously, she pushed against the petals of her own core and felt a pattern start to form. When she reached the end of the pattern she felt the creature¡¯s core crack and dissipate, but she also felt a pull on her own core, followed by a strange pressure. Then the pattern that she¡¯d traced solidified and a strange new feeling spread through her body.

    ¡°I did it!¡± she exclaimed.

    Beth gave her a congratulatory thump on the back. ¡°Great! So what do you think it does?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ something in my lungs?¡± Bel could feel energy flowing from her core and all throughout her body, but most of it moved into her lungs.

    Beth nodded. ¡°Delvers call it improved lung capacity. It¡¯s useful in places with bad air. For some reason, all insects have it, even though they don¡¯t have lungs.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I bet I know why,¡± James said. He scratched at his chin for a moment. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s another language failure, but basically insects can¡¯t get very large because they don¡¯t have lungs. They absorb the, uh, good parts of the air through their skin.¡±

    He made a noise of irritation, clearly bothered by difficulties translating his English words into the Satrap tongue. ¡°That means that they¡¯re limited by their surface area, which gets smaller in relation to their volume as they get bigger.¡± He gestured at Bel¡¯s latest kill, some kind of overgrown grub as long as her arm. ¡°So if that ability enhances the way they use good air, then they must all need it to get this large.¡±

    Bel gave him a double thumbs up. ¡°Nifty. Thanks teacher!¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes at the gesture, but she nodded at James. ¡°That was actually useful to know. Makes me wonder if there are smaller essence insects that we just don¡¯t notice because they don¡¯t have that ability and stay small.¡± Beth fiddled with her braids for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s a bit scary actually ¨C but I think that really small things can¡¯t absorb essence quickly, so maybe they aren¡¯t dangerous.¡±

    Bel shivered at the thought of a horde of essence empowered ants tearing into her body. ¡°That¡¯s terrifying, Beth.¡±

    The woman shrugged. ¡°Lot¡¯s of terrifying stuff down here. Once we get into the Labyrinthos we¡¯ll start encountering the real monsters. You¡¯ll grow quickly then.¡±

    ¡°The real monsters?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, the real stuff.¡± Beth prodded the dead grub with her foot. ¡°These are just natural critters that some minor god blessed ¨C or cursed if you want to talk like a priest ¨C to get a trickle of essence. They can get to the surface sometimes, so delvers need to keep their populations culled to prevent them crawling into our beds at night. They aren¡¯t really dangerous.¡±

    Beth grinned as she spread her arms wide.

    ¡°The real monsters though, they¡¯d just squish these guys underfoot and never notice. They usually can¡¯t get out of the Labyrinthos because of their size, but they¡¯re the number one killer of delvers. Despite that, Technis¡¯ priests have been pushing the Delvers to reduce their numbers for generations; it¡¯s dangerous work.¡±

    James raised his hand. ¡°Question. If these things are so dangerous then why are we going into the Labyrinth?¡±

    ¡°Labyrinthos,¡± Beth corrected.

    ¡°Sure, whatever.¡±

    Beth laughed. ¡°These old mining tunnels obviously won¡¯t take us where we need to go. The Labyrinthos goes everywhere though. Since we¡¯re trying to avoid, you know, that war up above, this is the fastest, best way to travel.¡±

    ¡°What about safest?¡± Bel asked.

    Beth spread her hands. ¡°Eh. Fast. Safe. Easy. You can¡¯t pick all three.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Interlude 1 â€“ Inquisitor Clark

    Clark used his walking stick to idly poke at the corpse. A narrow hole had been punched straight through the back of the body and out of the chest. A frown pulled down the corners of his lips; the killer¡¯s methods were familiar to him. In fact, he had travelled to Baytown to keep track of this particular nuisance and her pair of escapees, but she had jumped ship earlier than expected.

    The woman had proven both willing and capable of striking down temple personnel across multiple towns. Her continued existence bothered Clark, even though Technis had a plan for her continued existence. The inquisitor knew that it was the personal connection he had with the assassin that bothered him. Nearly three hundred years walking Olympos, and he still hadn¡¯t mastered his emotions.

    His hand tightened around his staff. Even if his granddaughter¡¯s evil was part of his master¡¯s plan to pull more otherworldly information from the red-haired otherworlder, Clark still longed to bring her to Technis¡¯ judgement.

    He slowly drew breath and forced himself to relax.

    Unfortunately, he had been pulled away from his duties by the sudden invasion from the Points and the uprising of the delvers. He had his colleagues to blame for that ¨C there had been some strange happenings near some of the central mountains in the Spine, prompting several overeager inquisitors to raid some Points¡¯ storehouses. That had brought the rebels plans forward by more than a week.

    And now, after raiding the local temple, these three people of interest had slipped away. Things would still be fine if they ended up joining the Points ¨C something that Technis¡¯ oracles believed likely because of Bethany¡¯s relationship with the delvers ¨C but if they decided to disappear instead¡­

    Why raid the Baytown temple though? The other sabotage in the town had all been expected, but why raid the storerooms in an out of the way temple? General mayhem? Intelligence gathering? A distraction for something else? He tapped his walking stick against the ground as he worked through the evidence.

    ¡°Inquisitor Clark!¡±

    Clark looked at his local guide. The man was calling to him from a few tens of paces away, like a bird that wanted his bread but was too afraid to approach. He was twitching with such agitation that it was driving Clark to distraction.

    With a sigh, he meandered over to the spineless helper, an unremarkable hunter who had been glad to volunteer for anything other than the war effort. Despite the man¡¯s agitation, Clark made sure to move slowly and check for any clues that remained in the forest. Haste was wasteful; diligence always payed off. That was his hard-earned mantra, one that he had learned from years executing the plans of his god.

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    The hunter cleared his throat as Clark drew near. ¡°I¡¯ve found the junior acolytes.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Clark replied. He glanced at the two bodies. It was disappointing that they had been so easily lured into what was an obvious ambush; Clark made a mental note to chastise the local temple for their lack of training.

    His guide idly scratched one of his hairy arms. ¡°Should we bury them or something? The vandals¡¯ tracks are only a day or so old, but it¡¯s likely that they¡¯ve reunited with the rest of the Points army. I dunno if it¡¯s worth it to rush after ¡¯em.¡±

    Clark tapped his walking stick a few times. He could hear the faint sarcasm when his guide said the word ¡°rush¡±. Clark guessed that the uncomplicated man preferred running after prey like some kind of wild animal rather than pausing to think things over. Typical of the average human.

    Clark dismissed his guide from his mind and turned his thoughts towards his quarry. Given the timing, it was likely that Bethany and the Points were already working together. But what if they weren¡¯t?

    The assassin had been working on her own for years. On the other hand, the vandalism had clearly been done by the two escapees, who were absolute amateurs. They had even failed to properly burn down the temple down in their haste to escape, and hadn¡¯t taken anything of value either.

    It looked more like an attack of opportunity than something coordinated with the Points army, done by someone with a grudge against Technis and his clergy. Or perhaps it had been meant to look sloppy, and the assassin¡¯s goal was something else.

    Clark huffed with irritation. What mattered was where they would go next. If they were trying to get back to the Points, then an escape along the coast or even on a boat would have been better. If they were trying to get to the delvers though¡­

    The way they had fled was towards one of the delvers¡¯ tunnels. ¡°They must not have known that it was already closed,¡± he mused to himself. He slowly ground his staff into the dirt as he considered what he knew. They wouldn¡¯t be joining up with the Points army; they were avoiding the fighting.

    He nodded with satisfaction. He didn¡¯t know precisely where they would go, but he had a guess. Once he was close enough, he would simply flood the area with Technis¡¯ tracking creations.

    Then, perhaps, Technis would finally let him finish them for good. It was apparent to Clark that they were running out of usefulness. He glanced at the agitated hunter. Everyone in Satrap was running out of usefulness, really.

    Although, Clark did want to kill those three with his own hands rather than leaving it to chance.

    Much to his frustration, he could not spare the time or attention for the pursuit, at least for the moment. His first priority was to aid the local forces in holding the town and the port, thus preventing the Points¡¯ navy from blockading Central Bay and holding off reinforcements from Dominus city. That was the way they had planned the war, so he would have to ensure things progressed accordingly.

    After those reinforcements arrived though, Clark would commandeer a full squadron of the church¡¯s enforcers and find Bethany and her little pets.

    Then, if Technis allowed it, he would enjoy erasing her from existence.

    He wrestled his grin back under control before turning back towards the town. He gestured at his guide to follow as he began the return trek. He would send some acolytes to clean up the mess; perhaps they would learn some caution from the sight.

 Chapter 10 â€“ Level Up!

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel had been wondering why the miners would foolishly tunnel into the Labyrinthos if it was as dangerous as Beth described. It turned out that they hadn¡¯t.

    She stared at a hole, five strides wide, that had been smashed into the existing mining tunnel from the other side. Some creature had gone through an arm¡¯s length of solid rock as easily as a drunk blundering through a paper wall. Bel tried to picture the size and power of whatever had done it, but all she could think of was a whale with legs.

    ¡°And I thought that all the terrifying stuff lived in the ocean,¡± she shuddered.

    James stood up from the ground, anxiously running his hand through his hair. ¡°There are some gigantic tracks here.¡±

    Beth nodded absently as she moved her candle-hat around the hole to get a clear view through it. ¡°Probably some type of hell spawn,¡± she tossed over her shoulder. ¡°You can thank your guiding stars that the big ones are loud. I don¡¯t hear anything, at least nothing nearby. Let¡¯s get going while that¡¯s still true.¡±

    Beth skipped her way over the waves of rubble, peering around alertly. Bel and James followed timidly. They slid down several large chunks of stone and dropped into a hallway wide enough that the meager light from their candles left the edges dark when they stood to one side. Bel put her hand to the tunnel wall and was surprised by the feeling: cold, like a metal. It was perfectly smooth, but was still dull and barely reflective.

    Whatever had smashed its way into the mining tunnels had gone through a circular opening in the metal. The opening was so perfect that it had to be intentional.

    ¡°What¡¯s this wall made of?¡± she asked. ¡°And why does it have holes in it?¡±

    Beth shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s just how the Labyrinthos looks. The stuff¡¯s impervious to damage. As far as the delvers can figure out, the holes are here for drainage and air circulation.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? What¡¯s up with this sci-fi setting in my fantasy world?¡± James complained.

    Bel examined everything, curious about the origins of the strange tunnel. If the tunnel had started empty, it had been left alone for so long that it was filled with dirt. Bel checked its depth, digging down with her hands until her fingertips brushed the actual floor.

    Beth laughed. ¡°Curious? The Labyrinthos is eternal, or at least that¡¯s what the delvers say. All of this is just dirt and decomposing bodies that¡¯s sifted in from outside.

    James¡¯ headlamp bobbed and weaved as he looked around. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the dirt is just from dead things and whatever delvers throw away down here? That would take, uh¡­ well, a long time.¡±

    ¡°Something like that. Not very important right now, though. Let¡¯s get walking.¡± Beth took a few steps forward, but stopped when she realized that no one was following.

    James stared at the dirt as Bel tried to wipe her fingers clean on her pants.

    James slapped a fist into his palm. Bel could tell that he¡¯d just had another one of his strange ideas.

    ¡°You know, the dirt isn¡¯t very deep. It wouldn¡¯t be very hard to search through it for information.¡± He made a digging motion with his hands. ¡°Someone could drag a plow through it and see if anything shows up. Maybe we¡¯re surrounded by the journals and treasures of adventurers from times past.¡±

    ¡°More like the skulls of idiots from times past,¡± Beth replied with a roll of her eyes. She gestured impatiently for Bel and James to follow.

    James scuffed at some of the loose soil. ¡°Hey, are there magical weapons on Olympos? Could there be some magical weapons here? Like a magic sword or something else that I could use?¡±

    ¡°Crows take me,¡± Beth cursed. ¡°Hell spawn are real, you know. Now, please, please be quiet and follow me. We need to get to a smaller tunnel.¡±

    James looked like he was going to say something more, but Bel jabbed him in the ribs.

    ¡°Okay, okay. We¡¯re coming.¡±

    Beth turned, took a step, and then sighed. She cocked her head to a side for a moment and listened.

    ¡°Well, it seems like it¡¯s too late to avoid something large.¡± Beth looked around at the featureless hallway. ¡°No place to set up an ambush either. I guess we¡¯ll just stand here and wait for it.¡±

    Bel peered into the darkness. ¡°Wait for what? Hell spawn?¡±

    Beth shrugged and leaned casually up against the wall. ¡°Sounds like more of a shimmy than a stomp, so I don¡¯t think so. I think I recognize it, but we¡¯ll have to wait to be sure.¡± She pointed at Bel and her brother. ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you take care of whatever it is? Maybe you¡¯ll learn a lesson about listening to your older, wiser sister. Besides, I want to see if you¡¯ve got any new tricks up your sleeves now that you¡¯re healed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that I didn¡¯t become a better fighter, Beth. I mean, I wasn¡¯t exactly impressive against those insects.¡±

    ¡°Bah,¡± Beth waved off her concern. ¡°Maybe you just need to be in a stressful situation. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll still be standing by, and I¡¯m pretty confident that I know what this is.¡±

    Bel shot a worried look at her brother, but he held up his hands helplessly, clearly conveying that it wasn¡¯t his fault that Beth was crazy. She held back a sigh of irritation.

    Channeling all of her maturity, she smiled at Beth. ¡°Any advice, big sister?¡±

    ¡°Get it before it gets you.¡±

    Bel gave Beth her best begging look, but her snakes ruined it by getting into her eyes.

    Beth scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve taught you two plenty. Now show me what a gorgon and some Old World knowledge can do.¡±

    James gave Bel a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Then he quickly pulled his hands away from her snakes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sis. It¡¯ll probably be a giant crab or something. Everything evolves into crabs.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Her brother grinned as he held up his sling. ¡°I¡¯ll aim for the eyes before it gets too close. Most creatures can¡¯t deal with high-speed projectiles.¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Sure, sounds like a plan.¡±

    She still drew her short sword though. Stabbing something was also a plan, and one that was less likely to go wrong than hitting something in its tiny eyes.

    ¡°Wait,¡± she said. ¡°Something just occurred to me. If this thing lives in dark tunnels, will it even have eyes?¡±

    James froze as he thought about it. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just aim for whatever sensory organ it¡¯s got,¡± he finally declared.

    Beth snickered behind them.

    They grew silent, nervously shifting around as they waited. Soon, Bel realized that she could hear a strange noise echoing down the tunnel. It must have been the same thing that Beth had heard: a combination of shuffles and scrapes that made her think of a person dragging a rolled carpet.

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    Bel stared into the darkness, her heart thumping faster and faster as sweat dripped down her back. She was just about to glance back at Beth again when a hint of movement caught her eyes.

    Beside her, James spun his sling.

    The outline of a creature was just barely visible in the light from her lantern. It was huge, towering over her and reaching halfway to the tunnel¡¯s ceiling. It towered over her like a wave ready to sweep her away. James launched his projectile immediately, the sling buzzing angrily before snapping forward and unleashing a pointy rock at the unknown beast.

    It bounced off of its nose. Bel thought it was just as effective as yelling at the rain; the beast just snorted in response before hauling its body forward.

    She didn¡¯t know what it was, but it was hungry and looked big enough to make a meal of them. It had a long, brutish snout like a crocodile, but its head was furry rather than scaled. Its two front paws ended in a small cluster of claws, which, combined with the muscular shoulders and upper arms, looked like they could easily hold prey ¨C such as a human ¨C down without a problem. The back of its body had a ridge of coarse fur, but its torso was long and limbless except for two stubby flippers. It was like some kind of monstrous long-snouted seal with shoulders as tall as Bel. Its mouth was what bothered her the most though; it was lined with teeth and was large enough to gobble her down in only a few bites.

    A growl from the monster soaked her body in a wave of sweat, terror, and adrenaline that jolted her into action. She tried to glare at it, but, of course, the creature was blind, which made her ability worthless.

    Stupid ability! Stupid tunnels! Stupid me!

    Bel was caught completely off-guard as the monster, probably annoyed at the noise from the sling more than the sting of its projectile, hauled itself towards James with the speed of a sprinting human.

    Shit! Bel dropped her lantern and rushed to the side of the creature, aiming to get behind the bulky front flippers. She was happy to get away from its jaws, but she also thought that she would have more luck stabbing it from there. Her puny weapon wouldn¡¯t kill the thing, but at least she could distract it.

    Bel had dropped her lantern and couldn¡¯t make out any details so far away from the light sources, but she thought that she¡¯d gotten past the front claws. She slid through the loose dirt as she strained her muscles and rapidly pivoted to dive towards the beast¡¯s exposed flank.

    She lifted her short sword high over her head and delivered a powerful, two-handed downward stab. Her blade went most of the way into the beast¡¯s thicker-than-expected hide, but it didn¡¯t penetrate to the hilt. With a desperate tug Bel realized that her weapon was stuck.

    The creature curled its body away from the pinprick of pain, jerking the sword out of Bel¡¯s hands and sending her stumbling to the ground. It surprised Bel with its athleticism as it curled around her. She found herself surrounded by its body, the only light present filtering through the silhouette of its tooth-filled mouth. Bel desperately threw herself towards the body of the beast and away from its deadly teeth, her split-second decision driven by a vague memory of someone teasing an animal by scratching a spot on its back that was just out of its reach.

    She grabbed the fur on its flank and hauled herself up and away from the snapping jaws. Her legs kicked for purchase before one of her feet encountered the hilt of her sword. The weapon slipped free as she kicked at it, but it gave her enough leverage to push over the creature¡¯s back and avoid another snap.

    Unfortunately for her, as she reached the top of the creature her grabs for handholds found only air. She quickly found herself sliding helplessly down the other side. As she tumbled to the ground the only positive she could see was that she wasn¡¯t breathing very hard. Her new ability was really working.

    In fact, she thought as she hit the ground, maybe I should just run away.

    Then the creature rolled over on top of her.

    She was lucky ¨C the dirt had never been compacted by rain and heavy travel, so she sank into it rather than being immediately squashed. She was once again thankful for her breathing ability, because the air was forced from her lungs repeatedly as the creature rolled back and forth on top of her.

    ¡°For Durak¡¯s sake Bel,¡± Beth shouted, ¡°what in all the hells are you doing?¡±

    Bel didn¡¯t answer. In her position it wasn¡¯t possible. Besides, wasn¡¯t it obvious what she was doing? If she could have taken a breath she would have shouted for help, but instead she was mercilessly pushed deeper and deeper into the soft soil, like a seed being sown for spring. She tried to flatten herself to avoid breaking any bones, but she knew that she had to get away. Already there were spots swimming in her eyes, and it was only a matter of time until the animal figured out how to roll just right to finally break her body.

    That or it would just turn around and eat her while she was still stuck in the dirt.

    The weight removed itself from Bel¡¯s back and Bel squirmed, but she was stuck fast. When no life-ending bite followed, Bel looked up to see Beth forcing the monster back with threatening swings of her dagger. Beth¡¯s blade was coated in a cloud of darkness noticeable even within the barely lit tunnel. Bel¡¯s sister deftly twisted away from bites and swipes while delivering slashing counter attacks that cut far deeper than seemed possible with the short blade.

    The monster reared its head back and barked with fury. Beth pounced, darting forward and slashed her dagger through its exposed throat. The darkness around her dagger flared forward as if it hungered for the kill, leaving a deep, wide gash in the seal monster¡¯s throat. A moment later a torrent of dark blood soaked the ground.

    Beth danced back from the spray, but was still stained from her opponent¡¯s lifeblood. Her quick dodge did save the candle on her hat, though. She curled her fingers and the shadows danced up her body. When they fell away she was pristine once again.

    Beth thrust her dagger back into its sheath as the creature went through its death throes. ¡°That was a tracer, I think. They¡¯re good at tracking things over long distances. Nasty to fight in the water, but they¡¯re awkward on land.¡±

    Beth pulled a candle from her pocket and lit it from the still burning stump of the candle on her hat. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that I¡¯ve got some experience with this stuff.¡± She examined Bel. ¡°I really thought you¡¯d do better now. Are you sure you aren¡¯t holding back? Do you have to do something to activate?¡±

    Beth pointed at James. ¡°Did you mention people from your world who have to say a special word to activate their powers? Any suggestions for accessing Bel¡¯s potential as a weapon?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think gorgons work like that,¡± he sighed.

    Beth clicked her tongue, frustrated. ¡°Well, fine. Bel, absorb this one to grow your core, okay? Then let¡¯s get going before some scavengers show up.¡±

    James helped Bel out of the ground. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t help,¡± he apologized.

    She gave him a comforting pat on the back. ¡°It was way beyond us.¡±

    Bel picked up her short sword and advanced towards the tracer. Her emotions fell by the wayside as she marvelled at its bulk. She had seen a few megatoothed sharks that the fishermen had wrestled out of the water at Baytown, but she¡¯d never been this close to something so large.

    ¡°Stuff this big is normal down here?¡± she wondered.

    Beth made a so-so gesture with her hands. ¡°It¡¯s not common, but they¡¯re around. We got unlucky.¡±

    Bel eyed the corpse for a few heartbeats before steeling her guts and walking forward so she could reach it. The smell of blood saturated the air, reminding Bel of her time in Technis¡¯ temple. The ground had turned to blood-soaked mud beneath her feet, so she stepped carefully to avoid slipping.

    She put her hand onto the creature¡¯s rough skin and reached out with her senses to find its core. Once she had it in her metaphorical grasp she gave a tug, pulling essence into her own core for the first time.

    Some of the essence went into her core, but it seemed to slow down as she absorbed it. When that happened, she could feel the majority of the essence slipping away, dissipating into the air or rushing into the ground. Another tiny trickle seemed to fall into a hole before reaching the center of her budding core. Bel wondered if that was the tithe to the gods that Beth had mentioned.

    As the essence collected upon her core, it grew. Her earlier comparison to a budding flower felt correct; it was as if the central bud swelled and a new petal unfurled. Then her core swelled again, and another two petals unfurled. Most of the essence had drifted away, but the last dregs of it drifted into her core and just managed to swell her core a third time, loosening one more petal.

    ¡°Did you level up?¡± James asked eagerly.

    ¡°We call them thresholds,¡± Beth corrected. James waved her off, making it clear that he would be sticking with his own words.

    Bel nodded excitedly. ¡°Yes! My core grew three times I think.¡± She avoided using one word or the other to prevent more arguments.

    Beth clapped her hands. ¡°Excellent! You should be able to feel a structure at each new threshold. Those hold the strokes that make up your ability inscriptions. Tell me how many you¡¯re getting at each threshold.¡±

    ¡°It felt like one petal unfurled at the first one, then two unfurled at the second, and one more at the third. There was more essence, but it got away from me ¨C did I do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s the just way things work. Supposedly, the Heart of Olympos pulls any loose essence to itself, so if you can¡¯t absorb the essence quickly enough it goes back to the world.¡± Beth shrugged, indicating that it was a hopeless problem. ¡°It also means that you¡¯ll only get essence from the outer layers of a core, but that¡¯s not a problem you need to worry about yet. How many strokes fit on your core now?¡±

    Bel felt around the budding flower inside her. ¡°I think I have fourteen of them now, although five are already filled with glare and improved lung capacity.¡±

    Beth hummed. ¡°Same as a regular human then. Oh well. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll figure out what you can do at some point.¡±

    Beth pointed forward. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. Once you¡¯ve gotten a patron, your Path will offer you potential patterns. You¡¯ll feel them hovering around your core, kind of how you felt that pattern for improved lung capacity.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Bel paused. ¡°I can feel something there now. Is that wrong?¡±

    Beth grinned and her eyes gleamed with fervor. Bel was intimidated by her sister¡¯s sudden eagerness.

    ¡°It¡¯s not wrong Bel, it¡¯s fantastic! I want you to tell me all about it. Well, right after we get away from this corpse ¨C it wouldn¡¯t do to get eaten by scavengers when we¡¯re just getting to the exciting stuff.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 11 â€“ Aspirations

    <section>

    <section>

    Through her newfound sense, Bel could feel patterns for potential abilities, like intricate constellations hanging over her core. Walking and concentrating on them at the same time was proving to be a struggle for her though. James tugged her away from the wall, saving her from a head-on collision for what had to have been the tenth time in as many minutes.

    ¡°You need to put down your phone before you get hit by a car, Bel.¡±

    She stared at him blankly for a few heartbeats. ¡°¡­what? Is that some otherworld joke?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tease your sister, James.¡± Beth looked at them, her lips pursed. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong though, it takes practice to examine your core while still keeping your attention on the world around you. You¡¯d best stop until we can take a break.¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s all this stuff in there!¡± Bel whined.

    ¡°Just wait a minute,¡± Beth commanded. ¡°We¡¯ll soon reach a smaller side passage where we¡¯ll be safe from the larger threats.¡±

    Her excitement boiling over like an unwatched pot as they walked in silence. She turned to her brother and squealed to him in English, the language of excitement and nonsense. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get some cool magic, and then I¡¯ll become overpowered like those people in the stories you like!¡±

    She squeezed her hands together, wringing exuberance from the air. A pair of her hair snakes danced in the flickering light of James¡¯ headlamp, clearly picking up on her mood. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get more powers that have to do with my eyes,¡± she speculated, ¡°like those people you talk about!¡±

    ¡°Eyes that shoot beams of light! Eyes that shoot people¡¯s clothes off! Eyes that shoot sharks!¡±

    ¡°That last one doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± James replied glumly. ¡°And you mean x-ray vision so you can see through clothes, not eye beams that literally make people naked.¡±

    The melancholy in his expression made Bel feel like an insensitive clod. Her snakes immediately settled down, sheepishly peering at her brother from over her shoulder. ¡°Sorry James, I didn¡¯t mean to rub it in your face.¡±

    He held up a hand. ¡°No, it¡¯s cool. I¡¯m excited for you, I just wish that I could get magic too.¡± He put on an encouraging smile for her. ¡°Don¡¯t let me drag you down though. You¡¯ll just have to learn enough cool stuff for the both of us.¡±

    She gave him a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ll learn so much cool stuff that it¡¯ll blow your socks off.¡±

    James looked down at his feet, the light of his headlamp illuminating their current footwear. ¡°Pretty hard since we¡¯re both wearing sandals. God, I¡¯d kill for a few pairs of decent socks and some sneakers.¡±

    Beth shined her light down a side passage and pointed into it. ¡°Okay, kids, into the scary side tunnel.¡±

    ¡°What makes it so¨C¡±

    A crunching noise beneath her feet interrupted Bel¡¯s question. She looked down to see that she¡¯d just shattered the rib cage of some headless, human-sized torso.

    ¡°They¡¯re old, so it should be fine,¡± Beth reassured them. The unfazed assassin waved them forward. ¡°Come on, these smaller passages are safer since the big stuff won¡¯t fit.¡±

    Bel wrapped her hand around her short sword as she proceeded. Just in case.

    She focused her attention on the path ahead of them as the new passage split from the wider one at a gradual angle. As they progressed, Bel got the impression that they were spiraling downwards, which struck her as being more than a little ominous.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here,¡± Beth called out. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely that something will be able to attack us from both sides, and this tunnel is small enough that our lights can keep the entire thing lit. Just put your lantern on the far side, Bel, and then your brother and I will keep watch while you see what abilities are in reach. Just don¡¯t do anything until you tell me about your options.¡±

    Bel nodded eagerly and rushed to drop her lantern. She hurried back to Beth¡¯s side and sat down in the dry soil so that she could fully concentrate upon her core. Closing her eyes helped, so a moment later she was leaning back against the curved wall like she was ready to take a nap.

    She relaxed her body, but her heart was racing far too quickly for sleep. She hadn¡¯t realized how much she wanted to have abilities like Beth. She hadn¡¯t believed that it would happen, so she¡¯d tried to avoid thinking about it. Now that it was real¡­

    Bel felt through her core and felt a tug from the constellations that were just out of reach. Her inner senses directed her to four different celestial objects, each with its own distinct shape and feeling. As she cast her attention to each pattern, they seemed to sharpen in her mind¡¯s eye, and her impressions of each one became more distinct.

    The first set of stars felt natural to her, as though they were nearly part of her body already. She guessed that she had this straightforward constellation because she was a gorgon ¨C a feeling she confirmed when she found a star in the constellation that felt similar to glare. She spent a few moments running her mind over the pattern, eventually getting the intuitive sense that it would somehow expand her glare to work through sound as well as sight. I¡¯ll have to ask James more about his gorgon myths later, she resolved.

    Unlike that first constellation, the other three felt foreign ¨C foreign and dangerous. She knew immediately that they were related to the three figures from her half-remembered ritual.

    ¡°Hey Beth, you said that a person needs to select a patron before they can collect abilities from different deities, right?¡±

    Beth kept her gaze fixed on the darkness around them, but she shifted a bit to turn her ear towards Bel. Bel noticed that her sister looked just as excited as she felt, her hands alternating between spinning some of her bracelets and gripping the hilts of her daggers.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s normal. It¡¯s different for you?¡± Beth asked hungrily.

    ¡°Maybe. What does it mean to select a patron?¡±

    ¡°Well, you get access to new abilities. You also start growing a new core, like a plant forming suckers.¡± Beth frowned. ¡°Not my best analogy. Anyway, the new core will support your patron¡¯s abilities with fewer strokes. As a downside, a core aligned with a patron god won¡¯t be able to support abilities outside of those that your patron grants.¡±

    Bel scratched idly at one of her snakes as she listened. ¡°What¡¯s that feel like?¡±

    Beth tilted her head and half closed her eyes. ¡°If my unbound path feels like the unfurling of the crisp pages of a new book, Durak¡¯s path feels like the blades of a clasp-knife unfolding. The two are completely separate, and the abilities that Durak grants refuse to engrave upon my unbound path.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Mine feels totally different. There are four, uh, constellations, I guess, that are sort of hovering over my core. Some of them feel weird to me, but I don¡¯t get the sense that they¡¯re incompatible.¡±

    Beth started to turn, but then stopped so that her light was still facing down the tunnel. ¡°Tell me about them,¡± she demanded eagerly.

    ¡°One is from being a gorgon, I think. An ability that I felt does something like glare, but with growls. There are more abilities there, but they¡¯re out of reach.¡±

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    ¡°That¡¯s because you need more available strokes for those ones,¡± Beth explained. ¡°You can only sense what you can afford. If you know what¡¯s coming then it isn¡¯t an issue, but I guess we¡¯re all in the dark about your abilities. You have more options though?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I can feel three more constellations of abilities, and I think they have something to do with the scary people from my ritual.¡±

    Bel could hear James practically vibrating himself to pieces with curiosity, but Beth spoke up first.

    ¡°Excellent!¡±

    Smug satisfaction oozed from Beth.

    ¡°Tell, me, what abilities are there? Will they help us get through Technis¡¯ Barrier?¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°I haven¡¯t looked at the abilities yet. I don¡¯t know if I should¡­ What if something bad happens to me?¡±

    Beth waved off the concern. ¡°That¡¯s silly.¡±

    ¡°Whoah, Beth,¡± James interrupted, ¡°what if they have some trade-off? Like, maybe they eat her memories when she uses them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how abilities work,¡± Beth scoffed.

    Bel tugged on her snakes with distress. They hissed at her. ¡°But what if they eat my soul?¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t see her sister¡¯s face, but she was sure that Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t even remember most of what really happened when you met those goddesses. Maybe that was just an idle threat to keep you motivated. After all, if they were going to eat your soul they would have just done it there.¡±

    She didn¡¯t feel reassured ¨C it was her soul after all, and Beth had a tendency to stab first and think later. Beth wasn¡¯t wrong though; the scary goddesses wouldn¡¯t have told her to do something only to immediately kill her off.

    Bel stiffened her resolve. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see what they¡¯re offering.¡±

    She closed her eyes again, and pulled up the hood of her cloak to give her snakes somewhere to hide in an attempt to calm their agitation.

    The three divine constellations felt powerful. Intimidating. Overwhelming.

    Bel tried to look at the first one, but it shifted under her grasp, wriggling like one of her snakes. She decided to leave it for last.

    The next one was hot and stifling. She could almost feel it demanding integrity, that she seek out and punish the wicked. A name drifted back to the forefront of Bel¡¯s consciousness: Kjar.

    Kjar, goddess of corporal punishment. Bel remembered the scary animal-headed goddess from her vision. She didn¡¯t dwell on the memory, instead turning her attention towards the goddess¡¯ abilities: one to sniff out lawlessness; another to taste the intentions of others; one more to track the hearts of the beings around her. Then there was a wide gulf separating Bel from the next ability.

    So, Kjar is the goddess of corporal punishment and weird senses. Got it.

    Bel turned her attention to the third divine constellation and¡­ It wasn¡¯t as bad as the shifting she felt from the first one, but it felt as though someone had thrown down a wagon full of random paintings in the middle of a road and called it an art gallery. It didn¡¯t feel at all similar to Kjar¡¯s.

    This must be Dutcha, that spirit of chaos.

    Bel sifted through the strange sensations and found her options. One would move things around and make a mess¡­ And another bunch would transmute her flesh into fire, liquid, air, or other terrible options. One transmutation per ability, and no way to turn herself back. She would have been interested, but they all seemed like one way trips over the side of a cliff. If she used the liquid one, she would just turn into a puddle of water and stay like that.

    So, in summary: no. The divine spirit of chaos is bad for my health.

    And that left the first constellation, that one that made her queasy at just a look. Bel tamped down her reservations and forced her attention back to it. For a terrible moment she felt like she¡¯d been turned inside out; then she felt fine.

    Was I worried over nothing? she wondered.

    When she finally got back to the abilities, she couldn¡¯t tell if they were good or bad. One would disintegrate something, but so slowly that Bel thought a strip of sanding paper would be more practical. Maybe it would be useful if she were a woodworker, but not something that she thought would get through Technis¡¯ impervious Barrier. The next ability would add energy to something, but to what end she couldn¡¯t discern. The next would do something strange to little pieces of her body, allowing them to change in random ¨C and potentially harmful, she guessed ¨C ways. Why anyone would want abilities like those, Bel couldn¡¯t fathom.

    ¡°Beth, these abilities are bonkers.¡±

    ¡°Bonkers good?¡± James asked hopefully.

    ¡°Bonkers bonkers. I could turn my body into fire.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound bad,¡± Beth replied.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to turn back,¡± Bel deadpanned.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. There are more abilities that I can¡¯t see, but from the samples so far I think the gorgon ones will be more useful.¡±

    Beth was silent for a few moments. Bel hoped that she wasn¡¯t too disappointed. ¡°You had better list them all out for us. Maybe there¡¯s something interesting that you missed.¡±

    Bel went through the process of feeling out the constellations that hovered over her core yet again, this time detailing what she felt. When she finished, there was a long silence as her siblings considered her options.

    ¡°So? What do you think?¡±

    ¡°I think none of those will help us get through the Barrier,¡± Beth replied. ¡°You can just save up your strokes to see what¡¯s coming later.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± James declared. ¡°Maybe you should take that growl ability that works like your glare. It would be useful down here where things are blind.¡±

    ¡°But only down here,¡± Beth stressed. ¡°I can take care of you two just fine, so she should focus on the long-term. That means waiting for an ability to get through the Barrier.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think she¡¯s going to get an ability like that without a lifetime of effort? Didn¡¯t you tell us that the Barrier has kept humans trapped inside of Satrap for three thousand years?¡±

    Beth dismissed James¡¯ arguments with an irritated wave of her hand. ¡°Bel will have to choose a Patron after she clears the twentieth threshold. One of these godesses could easily give her a unique, Barrier-piercing ability.¡±

    ¡°Well, one of them is actually a spirit, and another one of them is Lempo. She¡¯s in all the shrines,¡± Bel interjected.

    Beth pressed forward with her arguments. ¡°This isn¡¯t the Lempo we know. If you save all of your core inscription space up until the twentieth threshold then you¡¯ll have a much better idea of what they all do. That will help you make a better choice of patron.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a pretty good idea,¡± Bel replied. ¡°Kjar wants to hunt people down and rip out their hearts, Dutcha doesn¡¯t give two twirls about anything other than causing chaos, and Lempo is creepy as a hagfish.¡±

    Beth clicked a finger. ¡°But what do those other two want? Between Dutcha and Lempo, which one is more likely to help you get through the Barrier?¡±

    ¡°Well, neither. Their abilities seem to be set up to get me killed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only the ones that you¡¯ve seen so far, Bel.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll be safer sticking with the gorgon abilities, like our brother says.¡±

    Beth shook her head vigorously. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Bel. Just keep those strokes empty so you can get a better feel for their different abilities. You¡¯ll want to know all you can before you¡¯re ready to form your second core.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Bel stomped the ground angrily. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. Why can¡¯t you trust me to make my own decisions? And don¡¯t just say it¡¯s because you¡¯re older and I lived most of my life locked in a cell.¡±

    Beth drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly. ¡°Okay, look, I didn¡¯t want to put any pressure on you, but the truth of the matter is that we¡¯re not just finding a place to hide.¡±

    Bel and James perked up. ¡°We¡¯re not?¡± they both asked.

    Beth jerked her head. ¡°No. We¡¯re going to meet up with some delver friends of mine ¨C people who¡¯ve seen shit, who aren¡¯t so caught up with the pedestrian ideas of normal that keep everyone else in line.¡±

    She spat out ¡°normal¡± like she¡¯d bitten into something rotten. ¡°We¡¯ll work through them to help the Points in this war against Technis and Satrap. But we need to show them something worthwhile. You need to show them something.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Bel shook her head. ¡°Beth, I can¡¯t show anyone something other than some snakes. Isn¡¯t James¡¯ otherworldly knowledge more valuable?¡±

    Beth held up a calming hand to forestall even more objections. ¡°Yes, of course James¡¯ knowledge will be valuable. Simply explaining how those new flintlock weapons work would be a big step forward.¡±

    Beth¡¯s voice took on a pleading tone. ¡°But Bel, you have to see that overthrowing a god isn¡¯t easy. Even if the Points and the delvers kill every single priest, inquisitor, and enforcer from here to Central City we still wouldn¡¯t win. We need you Bel, to give people hope, to show people that Technis¡¯ power isn¡¯t absolute. Just being able to pass through the Barrier, to acquire supplies from outside so that the resistance can¡¯t be starved, just that little thing would be a huge boost to morale.¡±

    James shook his head. ¡°Getting through the Barrier doesn¡¯t sound like a little thing, Beth.¡±

    Beth opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. She tilted her head, listening.

    ¡°What? You can¡¯t think of a response?¡± James huffed.

    Beth held up a hand, gesturing for quiet.

    Bel nervously rubbed her palms together. ¡°He¡¯s got a point, Beth. Even if I¡¯m¨C¡±

    ¡°Shush,¡± Beth hissed.

    ¡°Why¨C¡±

    Beth clamped one of her hands over Bel¡¯s mouth while the other went to her dagger.

    Bel immediately stopped squirming and peered into the darkness beyond their candlelight. Crows, now what?

    James drew closer to them, the light from his hat scanning back and forth over the ground.

    Beth motioned them back up the passageway, ascending the spiral.

    Bel took one step when the ground around her shifted like it was alive. She dropped her lantern to the dirt and quickly drew her own weapon as several short figures pushed out of their hiding burrows. In the flickering illumination, Bel could see that their ambushers looked like short people ¨C if people had sickly, pale green skin that sagged like aged flesh and were covered in a thin layer of ghostly white hairs.

    So not really like people at all, except that they walked on two feet and their hands were dextrous enough to hold short stabbing tools made of chipped rock.

    ¡°Durak¡¯s spit,¡± Beth cursed. ¡°Scrattes.¡±

    The one nearest to her opened its mouth in a savage snarl, revealing several rows of sharp, serrated teeth.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 12 â€“ Scratte Attack

    <section>

    <section>

    Beth reacted to the snarling scratte instantly, jabbing a dagger through its throat and turning its snarls into wet gurgles.

    Bel tore her eyes from the sight, brandishing her short sword as she jumped next to her brother, who was still fumbling around as he tried to disentangle his bag from the end of his fighting stick. She couldn¡¯t fight like her sister, but she could at least point her weapon at anything that tried to get close to them.

    The light from Beth¡¯s hat bounced madly as the assassin danced through the chamber. It was so distracting that Bel missed a scratte until it was almost upon her, only warned at the last moment by its sudden snarl. Bel reacted before she was fully aware of the danger, awkwardly slamming her weapon at the source of the sound. Miraculously, her blade bit into something ¨C but from the immediate counterattack she couldn¡¯t have hit anything vital.

    The stone knife wasn¡¯t very long, but it was wickedly sharp and easily sliced through Bel¡¯s sleeve and her skin beneath. Pain raced from her forearm up to her elbow of her offhand, but with adrenaline coursing through her arteries Bel hardly noticed. She frantically plunged her blade into the slightly darker blob in front of her until it collapsed. Then she knelt down and stabbed it once more for good measure, performing what James always called a ¡°double tap¡±.

    As she stood, Bel became aware of James cursing from behind her. She looked up to see that he was swinging his stick through the air in front of him, doing his best to keep another pair of the waist-high horrors at bay. Without a thought, Bel tackled the nearest of the attackers and shoved its face into the dirt. She grunted with effort as she stabbed it through where she thought the kidneys should be, aiming for an unprotected spot where she¡¯d stabbed innumerable straw practice dummies. As her victim weakened, she grasped its disgusting scalp and pulled its head back. The loose skin squishing disgustingly in her hand as she slit its throat.

    That dealt with, and with the sensation of the creature''s scalp in her hands forcefully shoved to the back of her mind, she pushed herself to her feet and looked for her brother.

    He was fine, or at least looked uninjured. He was breathing heavily, but from what Bel could make out he¡¯d caved in the skull of his own scratte without taking any injuries.

    ¡°You kids okay?¡±

    Bel nearly leaped out of her skin at Beth¡¯s sudden question and then nearly hugged Beth with relief when she realized that all of the scrattes were dead.

    James turned away from the nearest bodies and rubbed his stick in the dirt to remove the gore, his look of disgust comically stretched by the shadows from his candle. Beth tapped him, sending a pulse of her disinfecting darkness over his body, and then did the same for Bel. Bits of scratte and her own blood were momentarily cleaned, but another thudding heartbeat sent more blood dripping from the open cut on Bel¡¯s arm.

    Beth clicked her tongue and reached for her bag. ¡°We¡¯ve got to staunch that before we go, or we¡¯ll be leaving a trail that screams ¡®dinner¡¯ to the rest of them.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes twisted in alarm. ¡°The rest of them?¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Yeah. This group was probably meant to pop up behind us, but they couldn¡¯t restrain themselves, not after we stood around talking for so long. They¡¯re smart for animals, but not that smart.¡±

    Beth wrapped Bel¡¯s offhand in an uncomfortably tight cloth bandage before giving a satisfied nod. ¡°Right, good enough. Let¡¯s go kids.¡±

    ¡°But what about the cores?¡±

    Beth hesitated. ¡°Fine, snag a couple of them. Then we¡¯ve got to go.¡±

    Bel bent down and touched the loose skin of the second scratte. Her core swelled as she took its essence, and she felt another pair of petals unfurl. She touched the next one, but its essence wasn¡¯t quite enough for her to advance. She bent down and touched yet another, and was finally rewarded with the satisfaction of another swelling sensation.

    Beth tugged on her arm as she started heading for one more. ¡°How about living instead? I can hear the noises of angry little feet, but if we¡¯re lucky most of the newcomers will fight over the scraps here instead of following us.¡± Beth gave them each a quick shove. ¡°Now, go!¡±

    Beth forced them to run through several dark and twisting passages. The light of her lantern dipped and bobbed as she moved, and with each divot or bump in the ground Bel tensed as her imagination replaced the passageway¡¯s dimly illuminated features with crouching creatures and hungering maws. Beth never hesitated, pushing them forward until James tripped over a small dip and sprawled onto the ground. His legs quivered and his chest heaved as he gasped for air.

    Bel looked over him, frowning with worry as her snakes tensed over her head. She hadn¡¯t realized it, but her improved lung capacity and healed body were making a huge difference. Her body was still sore from running, but she¡¯d barely gotten short of breath. James didn¡¯t have anything to help him out though; he was clearly at his limit.

    Beth clicked her tongue. ¡°So frustrating.¡±

    ¡°Beth, don¡¯t be mean!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being mean, it¡¯s just frustrated to be run down by a bunch of scrattes. They¡¯re barely smart enough to bang two rocks together.¡± Beth crossed her arms with frustration. ¡°One of them must have gotten an ability that makes it smarter,¡± she grumbled.

    James wheezed from his spot on the ground. ¡°Where¡¯d they even get the rocks to make their knives? There¡¯s nothing down here but dirt.¡±

    Beth gestured vaguely around them. ¡°Oh, some of the side passages drop down to deeper levels. The Labyrinthos alternates between constructed levels like this and more natural caverns, at least from the rumors I¡¯ve heard. There are all sorts of downward leading offshoots from a tunnel like this.¡±

    She started rummaging in her bag and pulled out a pair of candles. ¡°I¡¯ve heard people say that they¡¯re for drainage. Not relevant now though. James, replace your candle, that one¡¯s about to burn out.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± James interrupted, ¡°maybe we could use a drainage passageway.¡±

    Beth narrowed her eyes. ¡°The natural caverns are far more dangerous than travelling through the Labyrinthos proper. Not a good place to hide.¡±

    ¡°How about a trap though? How steep are the drops?¡±

    Beth opened her mouth to respond but paused. Her hand went to her chin as she frowned in thought. ¡°Okay, sure, I see what you¡¯re getting at. We can cover one of the drainage holes and make a pit trap. We need to hurry though. They aren¡¯t the best runners, but scrattes are damn persistent.¡±

    <hr>

    Beth straightened up and wiped the sweat from her brow. ¡°Well, that¡¯s as good as we¡¯re going to get it. You kids hop in and I¡¯ll cover the rest.¡±

    Bel didn¡¯t like the plan. Oh, it sounded perfectly reasonable, but something about hiding in a hole while monsters rained down on her made her uncomfortable.

    Her brother gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ¡°C¡¯mon Bel, this¡¯ll totally work. The goblins will go straight for Beth, fall down the hole, and break their legs.¡± He brandished his stick. ¡°And then we¡¯ll finish them off for easy levels. You¡¯ll be OP in no time.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bel mumbled. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    James had a bad habit of falling back to his strange speech patterns when he was stressed, but Bel could still mostly follow that he meant to reassure her. The plan felt haphazard though, so she couldn¡¯t help but worry that something would go wrong.

    The pit wasn¡¯t actually a pit; it was a wide, steep channel for drainage rather than an actual hole into the abyss. They didn¡¯t even have spikes to put at the bottom, so Bel and James were going to have to wait there to finish the job. Worst of all, the drainage channel only covered about a quarter of floor of the tunnel, so, unless the scrattes really bunched up, Beth was still going to be attacked by at least a few of them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go kids.¡± Beth held up a corner of the tent that they had used to cover the hole and shooed them inside. The other corners were held down with tent stakes and the other half of the tent was already covered with dirt, but Beth couldn¡¯t finish hiding it before they¡¯d gone under the tarp.

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    Bel felt her eyes tear up a bit as she looked at Beth. The woman gave her an awkward thumbs-up in return.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry kiddo, I can always make a strategic retreat if things get too dangerous. You just worry about yourself and your brother.¡±

    Bel tried to put on a confident face as she nodded and slipped under the raised flap. She slid down the chute on her butt to avoid falling and made it to the bottom without a problem. From above, she could hear the sounds of Beth covering the rest of the tent with dirt, sealing them down below.

    ¡°Bel, help me toss some of these rocks over there. No reason to give them a soft landing, right?¡±

    James had already lit a few candles and shoved them into cracks in the natural wall. The light made it easier to see the piles of loose, head-sized rocks that he was talking about. The debris looked like it had been eroded from the natural cavern walls as it widened below the drainage passage. James was tossing the pointiest rocks the area at the bottom of the chute, changing the soft, sandy surface into something less comfortable.

    Bel helped him out for a few minutes, throwing the sharpest and edgiest ones that she could find into the path where the scrattes would hopefully be falling from above. She even smashed a few of them to remove any relatively smooth, flat surfaces.

    ¡°Good enough for government work,¡± James quipped.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that mean?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I dunno, it¡¯s a joke my dad used to say.¡±

    Bel nodded, not understanding his meaning but understanding his mood. He must have been stressed to mention one of his parents though. She bent down to pick up another rock, but she wasn¡¯t looking at what she was grabbing. Instead of something solid, her hand closed around something thick and leathery.

    Bel looked down to see that she was holding an enormous shed skin. She dropped it with a shudder.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    ¡°Gross,¡± James agreed. ¡°More than anything else, this world is filled with gross stuff.¡±

    Bel nodded and grabbed another rock ¨C looking first this time to be sure of what she was grabbing ¨C and tossed it onto the pile.

    They heard a shout from above as they were examining their finished handiwork.

    Bel pulled her short sword free of its sheath and tensed her body.

    ¡°What if the tent doesn¡¯t fall?¡± she whispered, her last moment anxieties suddenly overwhelming.

    ¡°That¡¯s why Beth tied the rope to the stakes, so she could pull them out herself.¡±

    ¡°But what if she¡¯s distracted?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s too late for that now. She¡¯ll probably be fine anyway, goblins are the weakest mob.¡±

    ¡°What''s a gob¨C¡±

    Bel¡¯s question was interrupted by the thumping of feet reverberating from the top of their trap. A moment later, a shower of dirt and twisting limbs fell into the dim light of their candles. The scrattes shrieked on the way down, but their noises were brought to sudden halts when their bodies smacked into the pointed rocks.

    Bel was about to step forward and check for survivors when another couple of scrattes fell down on top of the others. Those were followed by a few more. Each batch landed on the ones before, smashing them back down into the rocks in return for a softer landing for themselves. The last few to fall picked themselves up after only a moment of confusion.

    One threw itself at the steep slope and attempted to climb back up, but three more caught sight of Bel and James. They licked their hairy lips and a hungry gleam shown in light reflecting from their eyes.

    Bel immediately stepped forward and swung her weapon through the side of the nearest one¡¯s neck. The other two shrieked with rage and the climbing one abandoned its attempt, sliding back down towards them. James stepped up beside Bel and delivered a heavy blow to one of their skulls, preventing it from flanking her.

    That left two. The humans and scrattes stared at one another for a moment, until James spun up his sling and launched a small rock at one of the creatures. It tried to dodge, but caught its foot on the uneven ground and sprawled onto the floor instead. The last one, the one that had been attempting to climb away, reached into a ratty-looking pouch that hung at its side and pulled out a faintly glowing orb.

    Bel looked at it and hesitated.

    James looked at it, frantically lobbed a small rock at the scratte, grabbed Bel, and dove in the opposite direction.

    The rock hit the scratte in the shoulder. It didn¡¯t do much harm, but the scratte flinched and stumbled. It stepped back onto a sharp, unstable rock, and went sprawling, tossing the orb upwards as it flailed its arms.

    The orb glowed angrily as it spun through the air. When it hit the ground it exploded, turning Bel¡¯s vision white and making her ears ring like the Technisday bells.

    Bel quaked with fear as rocks and pieces of scratte were tossed in every direction. The world groaned around Bel as tons of rock were loosened from their resting places on the walls of the cavern. Bel¡¯s heart was thudding so violently that it took her several seconds to realize that the shaking and rumbling had stopped.

    Miraculously, one of the candles that James had shoved into the walls flickered back to life a few seconds after the blast, although Bel couldn¡¯t see much through the shifting dust. After coughing her lungs out for a minute she looked up again and saw that the entryway to the drainage chute had been completely choked with rubble.

    ¡°Shit,¡± she gasped. ¡°We¡¯re trapped.¡±

    Bel stared at the impassible rock that now separated them from their sister.

    James eventually broke the silence. ¡°On the plus side, the plan worked perfectly.¡±

    He grinned at her tiredly. ¡°And now there¡¯s plenty of XP¨C¡± He waved his hands at the bits of scratte scattered about. ¡°¨Cessence, I mean, for you to absorb. Yay.¡±

    Bel snorted at her brother¡¯s attempt at good cheer. His attitude had gotten the two of them through years trapped in Technis¡¯ temple ¨C what was a little time spent in a dark cavern?

    ¡°Sure,¡± she hummed as she knelt down to see if any of the corpses still had intact cores for her to extract.

    Most of the scrattes were smushed beyond usefulness. A creature¡¯s core wasn¡¯t a wholly physical thing, but, apparently, being blown into tiny pieces could still destroy them. Still, there were enough scratte scraps to advance her by another three thresholds.

    As she knelt next to the last corpse her hand brushed again a small, bristly clump of something strapped to its upper arm. Her nose wrinkled with disgust, and she lifted a candle closer to see what she had touched. It looked like a small, crudely crafted figure of a person with a spider-like head. As she stared at it she felt the familiar sensation of something staring back.

    Bel shuddered and jumped to her feet.

    Her brother appeared at her side. ¡°You okay, Bel?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m great,¡± she rushed. ¡°My core grew. I could get some ability, maybe one of them would help.¡±

    ¡°Cool, how many slots do you have?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bel raised her eyebrows. ¡°Strokes, James. Beth calls them strokes.¡±

    James thunked himself down on the ground. ¡°Sure. Whatever. Got anything new?¡±

    Bel cast one last uncomfortable glance at the dead scratte¡¯s disturbing yet familiar figurine, before turning her attention inwards. She concentrated on the unfurling flower that was her core and the constellations of abilities hanging over it. She concentrated upon her gorgon abilities ¨C Beth wasn¡¯t around to object.

    ¡°Um, I can toughen my skin and hair and nails,¡± she announced after a moment.

    ¡°AP bio kids would call that your integument.¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Sure. I can make my integument tougher. Or I can turn my nails sharp and metallic ¨C like bronze, I think?¡±

    ¡°Weird,¡± James quipped. ¡°This world is weird.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Those were from the gorgon abilities. I guess I should look at the other ones too¡­¡±

    She frowned. ¡°Well, I can make the little things that cause sickness weaker or I can make them stronger. I can also make things corrode faster. That¡¯s Lempo. Hard pass on those, I think.¡±

    ¡°The pathogen thing almost sounds like an ability that a healing goddess would grant.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes curled with frustration. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a goddess of something else, I just can¡¯t remember what.¡±

    James waited for her to say more, but Bel still couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡°Kjar has an ability to improve my vision, especially when I¡¯m looking at someone wicked. I think. And another that lets me pounce better.¡±

    James laughed. ¡°Is she a cat?¡±

    Bel tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s the cute animal that Old World people worship, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, something like that. Short snout, fangs, rotating ears, whiskers on its face.¡±

    Bel thought about it. ¡°Yeah, maybe she¡¯s a cat. She was scary, I can see why people would worship her. Do you think her being a cat is a good thing?¡±

    James spread his hands. ¡°I mean, cats are awesome, so sure.¡±

    Bel nodded. Maybe she¡¯d get better abilities from the goddess of retribution later. She felt around to see what the spirit had to offer. ¡°Eh, Dutcha only has some weird ability that influences something strange ¨C probability maybe? ¨C to make me warmer or colder.¡±

    ¡°So you can mess with thermodynamics?¡±

    Bel scrunched her nose. ¡°If you say so. Anyway, these abilities aren¡¯t useful here. Not unless I want to take that ability that lets me turn into a gas.¡±

    James looked at her. ¡°But you can¡¯t turn back, right?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I think that maybe I¡¯ll take the one that toughens my skin. I like the idea of being tougher.¡±

    ¡°What about the cat vision one?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I can only fit one, and we¡¯ve already got candles.¡±

    Bel copied what she¡¯d done when she got improved lung capacity, following the strokes of the toughened integument ability with her mind as she carved them into the free capacity on the petals of her core. It covered ten of them, but she felt safer as the mana from her new ability suffused her skin and snakes.

    Afterwards she stared at the rubble pile, waiting for something to happen.

    ¡°I guess she won¡¯t be able to dig through that?¡± Bel lamented.

    ¡°No. Probably not.¡±

    There was a long silence before James spoke again. ¡°She¡¯s probably fine. You know that those goblins ¨C those scrattes, they couldn¡¯t have caught her. Maybe she¡¯s looking for a different route to reach us.¡±

    Bel ground a pebble into the dirt with the toe of her frayed sandals. ¡°So should we wait?¡±

    James looked at Bel¡¯s previous discovery, the enormous shed skin. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s safe? This is a dead end, and there¡¯s got to be enough stone there that it would take a day to move it.¡±

    Bel tried to picture whatever creature had shed that skin. She instantly regretted it, as her mind supplied her with images of oversized serpents swallowing her whole. ¡°I suppose having a direction to run would be better than being stuck here.¡±

    Bel smacked herself in the forehead, sending her snakes darting about. ¡°Ah, all of our food and water is with Beth. And we¡¯ve got, what, five candles? Where¡¯s my lantern?¡±

    He gestured to a few scraps of smashed metal that may have once been her lantern. ¡°We¡¯re basically boned. Well, there¡¯s only one direction to go, so I guess that we should just get to it?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I suppose.¡±

    James nodded.

    Bel took a deep breath to steady her nerves. ¡°Well. Let¡¯s get to it.¡±

    They turned slowly and began picking their way through the small cavern.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 13 â€“ Making New Friends

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel and James trudged along the tunnel, holding their candles high as they searched for any passages that lead upwards and, hopefully, outside. Unlike the unnatural passages of the Labyrinthos, the tunnel they walked through was rough and uneven, and narrowed into uncomfortably tight cracks in places. They had no guarantee that the passages they travelled would go anywhere, but at least they were too small for a tracer or an ambush of scrattes. The fear of being eaten managed to outweigh Bel¡¯s fear of becoming stuck in some dead-end, doomed to slowly wither away in the darkness.

    They had been walking for what felt like half a day, although Bel didn¡¯t actually have any way to tell for sure. James¡¯ sense of time was terrible; left to his own devices, she was sure that he would revert back to his unnatural 24 hour cycle. However much time had passed, they were both tired, their feet were rubbed raw and Bel could feel her lips beginning to stretch and crack from dryness.

    ¡°So back to your abilities,¡± James began, his voice slightly hoarse and dry.

    ¡°For the last time, James, I can¡¯t look at them while we¡¯re walking,¡± she responded immediately. ¡°And yes, I do think it would be cool if you could figure out how to write the abilities down on something, but I think it would be even cooler if we¡¯re still alive tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Geez, don¡¯t hold back. But think about it, each creature must have a few abilities that are situational ¨C like darkvision ¨C that won¡¯t be very popular. But if I could write them all down in what I¡¯m calling a grimoire, then you could easily switch from one to another.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t write them down. They have, you know, other directions.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± James agreed, ¡°they¡¯re 4D or whatever. I¡¯ll figure out a way.¡±

    ¡°James, could you figure a way out of here first?¡± Bel groaned. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what abilities exist!¡±

    She threw up her arms with frustration. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll be happy to help you with your experiments later, but first I want to get the hells out of these caves!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­there¡¯s another crack up ahead,¡± James said, pointing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not as narrow as the last one. I think I nearly scraped off one of my snakes.¡±

    James snorted.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Bel simmered. ¡°They probably don¡¯t grow back like your hair. I¡¯m lucky I got that toughening ability, otherwise I think I would have left a layer of skin behind.¡±

    The light dimmed as James squeezed himself into the crack. Bel¡¯s surroundings grew dark as her brother¡¯s body blocked the candlelight. ¡°It looks like it widens right away this time,¡± he called back.

    James made it through with a minimal amount of grunting, and Bel followed. When she emerged she found herself in a wide, damp cavern. She eagerly inhaled the moist air.

    James gestured to the chamber. ¡°Smells like water, right? And water flows downhill. Maybe we can follow the water back up to the surface?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about caves, but sure, that sounds logical.¡±

    The two of them looked around the large chamber. The edges were too dark to make out, but Bel could see the candlelight reflecting from a large, still pool at the center of a hollowed out space that rested at the lowest chamber¡¯s point. Bel¡¯s snakes flicked out their tongues and Bel tried sniffing the air as well.

    ¡°Smell something strange?¡± James whispered with concern.

    ¡°Not me. If my snakes smell something I don¡¯t have any way of knowing about it.¡±

    James¡¯ lips pressed together in a tight line. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s try to be quiet.¡±

    The two of them crab-walked slowly, keeping their backs to the cave wall as they moved around the chamber, searching for a way out. Bel was keeping her eyes on the water, trying to see where the largest amount was flowing from, when she felt her gaze drawn to a smooth bulge of rock.

    She stared at it, a queasy feeling coiling around her guts.

    ¡°Hey James,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Shush.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t shush me,¡± she snapped.

    ¡°I found a tunnel, but there¡¯s something moving¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something here,¡± Bel hissed.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I¨C¡±

    ¡°No, here.¡± Bel tapped the ground.

    The rock twitched. Shit, I shouldn¡¯t have done that.

    James bumped into her and she almost lost her footing on the wet rocks. She looked up to punch him in the shoulder, but stopped when she saw a thick, stubby leg emerge from a hidden hole.

    The leg shifted, testing the ground, before being followed by a head. As the creature came into view her heart thumped in her chest. It was so pale that it was nearly translucent in the flickering candlelight, except for the bony jaw that took up most of its head. It looked like a fish out of a fisherman¡¯s nightmares, one that walked on land to take revenge upon fisher folk while they slept.

    Its mouth gaped open as its eyes turned towards them. Bel and James couldn¡¯t help but take another step back.

    Bel reached for her short sword. Maybe, if I can get behind it, I¡¯ll be able to slice it open.

    Bel made a rush to the side, but the ground shifted beneath her and she tripped and fell onto her face. Oh hells.

    A snake with a head as large as Bel¡¯s body hoisted itself into the air. It looked back and forth between the intruders in its domain, hissing loudly.

    Bel¡¯s snakes hissed back, but she ducked behind a rock and threw her hood over her head to muffle them. A few strides away, she saw James crouching down behind another rock, his eyes wide with fright.

    The fish clacked its jaw together loudly, drawing the snake¡¯s attention. The angered serpent lunged for the fish, wrapping around it like a string around a parcel. They both rolled down to the middle of the room, a bundle of hissing, snapping death.

    ¡°Run,¡± James yelled.

    Bel didn¡¯t hesitate. She hauled herself to her feet and followed James down the passage where they¡¯d just seen the fish emerge. She belatedly hoped that it travelled alone ¨C if not, they were about to become someone¡¯s lunch.

    Bel trailed just a step or two behind James as they tore down the uneven flooring, until James yelped in surprise and fell back onto the ground. Bel¡¯s eyes opened wide and her gaze was drawn to the shape on a dark blob in front of her.

    Her weapon flashed out, digging into the creature that had startled her brother.

    At her attack, a nest of the fist-sized things sprang into the air, filling the space around her with round, spinning creatures. Bel released a shrill battle cry as she swung her short sword back and forth, desperately trying to fend off the assault.

    ¡°Bel! Bel!¡±

    Bel spun to see what was wrong with James, but he was just standing there making placating motions with his hands.

    ¡°They were just little bugs, sis.¡±

    He nudged one that she¡¯d stabbed, and in the flickering candlelight she saw that it was, indeed, just a large bug. It had a set of strange forward facing legs that it used to spring into the air, but otherwise it appeared to be mundane.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said.

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    ¡°Do they even have cores? Can you absorb anything from it?¡±

    Bel knelt and touched her finger to the little corpse. ¡°No. Whoops.¡±

    The both of them couldn¡¯t help but laugh in relief.

    Once he¡¯d gotten control of himself James gestured back the way that they¡¯d come. ¡°If you really want some essence you could go back and see if that giant snake will share the giant walking fish with you.¡±

    ¡°No thanks,¡± Bel replied. ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here. This is the way that we wanted to go, right?¡±

    James gestured at a small stream running downhill towards the serpent¡¯s chamber. ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°Yay.¡±

    Bel looked back at the dead insects. ¡°You know, people kill things for more than just essence.¡±

    ¡°What do you¨C¡±

    His eyes widened. ¡°No. I¡¯m not eating them.¡±

    ¡°Even if we¡¯re starving?¡± Bel challenged.

    <hr>

    It was hours later when they finally exited the cave.

    Bel stumbled into the light, soaked and mud spattered, with small cuts and scrapes all over her body. She lifted her arms into the air in triumph.

    ¡°Freedom! Fresh air!¡±

    James staggered after her. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re so energetic. I still think that I¡¯m gonna hurl.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°Oh, come on. Those bugs weren¡¯t that bad.¡±

    James shuddered. ¡°They were disgusting,¡± he insisted. ¡°I can still feel one of them wriggling in my stomach.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be true, they were all dead.¡±

    ¡°How long were we in there anyway?¡±

    ¡°How should I know? A couple of days, maybe. Hardly life threatening, not once we found food and water.¡±

    James continued being grumpy, so Bel smacked him on the back. ¡°Besides, I reached another threshold, and we only had to stab a few crayfish. The underground must be saturated with raw essence for such awkward creatures to have so much in their cores.¡±

    ¡°Yippee for you,¡± James replied, ¡°does that mean you¡¯ll carry me the rest of the way?¡±

    Bel looks around as her snakes flicked their tongues through the air. ¡°The rest of the way where?¡±

    James spun around once, taking in the sights. They were in the middle of a forest. ¡°Damn. We¡¯re lost, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Bel replied gleefully, ¡°isn¡¯t this exciting?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done with excitement,¡± James sighed. ¡°I want to order in a pizza and fall asleep on the couch.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows compressed in concern as she looked at her brother. ¡°Hey, at least we found a way out, right? I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to find some people and ¨C oh!¡±

    Bel pulled the hood of her tattered cloak up and draped it over her head. It did a poor job concealing her snakes, and the inquisitive creatures kept peeking out as well. Bel spent a moment trying to poke them back under cover before giving up. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll find some people and figure out what¡¯s happening.¡±

    ¡°Then what? Get jobs? Put out missing person posters for Beth, the wanted criminal?¡±

    Bel chewed on her thumb before spitting it out when she realized how gross it was. ¡°Well, I still need to get through the Barrier or I¡¯ll die and my soul gets eaten. A short rest couldn¡¯t hurt though. I mean, you can see the Barrier from pretty much anywhere, how long could it take to get there?¡±

    Half an hour of searching eventually turned up a small game trail that may have had human footprints, although neither of them were confident about that. Another half an hour of following the trail convinced them that they were going the wrong way, but another hour traveling in the other direction brought them to the top of a hill that overlooked a small hamlet. It was mostly crop fields, but it had a small cluster of houses a thousand strides away from their overlook.

    The two of them approached the edge of the closest field and hesitated. Bel¡¯s disguise was slipshod and would barely stand up to a moment of scrutiny. James spoke the native language with an obvious accent and a tendency to throw in random English words, even when he tried his best to avoid them. They had usually relied upon Beth for anything beyond basic interactions in a busy market, where a shopkeeper would care more about their money than their oddities.

    In a small hamlet like this though, they were bound to attract attention. As those thoughts worked their way through them, the siblings turned to look at one another.

    ¡°Shit,¡± they both announced.

    ¡°Maybe we should¨C¡± Bel started, but then James interrupted her. He¡¯d become distracted before she could even finish a sentence.

    ¡°What¡¯s that? Is he using magic?¡± James punctuated his question with a vigorous point of his finger.

    Bel looked and saw a man, fit but slightly past middle age, dressed in a light, undyed cloak. He was walking through a field, holding a long staff with a fan made of what looked like thick paper. As she watched, he advanced several steps and swept the fan over the crops. Wherever it passed, a brown haze burst forth from the plants. The haze hung in the air for a few moments before settling on the ground again. His efforts left a trail of plants that looked more green and vibrant from his efforts.

    ¡°Is he some kind of plant mage?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me,¡± Bel replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about this stuff.¡±

    She stared in fascination as the man worked, and a few of her curious snakes slipped from under her hood and flicked their tongues in the man¡¯s direction. Bel absently pushed serpentine heads back into hiding, but, since her snakes outnumbered her hands, the effort was futile.

    ¡°These snakes are such a pain now that they¡¯re moving. Do you have some cord so I can¨C¡±

    Bel froze as she looked back at the man. He was looking straight at her. While she was messing with her snakes.

    She frantically urged the snakes under her hood and tugged the cloth closer.

    ¡°For your snakes?¡± James asked.

    Bel cringed. ¡°We should leave,¡± she hissed.

    ¡°Beloved! Child!¡±

    James and Bel turned to see the man running directly to them, heedless of the plants that he crushed. He was either using an ability to move so quickly, or he trained for the bi-yearly Central City athletic competitions. She hadn¡¯t thought that the simply dressed man seemed capable of such speed.

    He waved his staff to get their attention as a wide grin split his face. ¡°It is your humble servant, Ventas!¡± he shouted. ¡°I am coming, Beloved!¡±

    Bel stared at him with wide-eyes. Then she turned a bright crimson as blood filled her cheeks. I hate my full name! And how does this guy know it? And why is he so excited?

    James¡¯ eyebrows shot up. ¡°Uh, Bel, when did you get a servant?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea who this guy is,¡± she shot back. ¡°Maybe we should run?¡±

    Before they could move though, the man slid to a stop in front of them, kicking up little bits of mud with his feet. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them before bowing deeply. ¡°Beloved! Your humble servant, Ventas, greets you! I am overjoyed that Lempo¡¯s child has found her way to me!¡±

    My mother? Bel froze up as she remembered her terrifying encounter with Lempo. How could I forget that? Brief flickers of memory passed through her mind, momentarily stunning her.

    James saw Bel go rigid and stepped forward to clasp the man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Hello Ventas,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m James, Bel¡¯s adopted brother.¡± He leaned forward and whispered. ¡°Oh, she likes to go by ¡®Bel¡¯. It attracts less attention ¨C if you catch my drift.¡±

    Ventas caught James¡¯ hand between his own and smiled happily as he squeezed with excitement. ¡°Of course! It is a pleasure to meet you as well, James!¡±

    Ventas sketched a short bow to James before pulling off his own cloak. He was wearing a brown shirt and breeches underneath, and had a powerful physique at odds with his soft face. ¡°Please Bel, put this on. While the townsfolk would of course welcome Lempo¡¯s child, the agents of the betrayer, Technis, are everywhere.¡±

    He looked around with suspicion. ¡°In fact, might I suggest that we make haste to your mother¡¯s shrine? I will be better able to protect you there.¡±

    Bel had managed to unfreeze herself and accepted the robe with numb fingers. She relaxed slightly as the wider hood settled around her head. ¡°Thank you Ventas. Getting out of sight sounds great.¡±

    She gestured awkwardly. ¡°Please, um, lead the way.¡±

    Ventas nodded enthusiastically, his head bobbing like a bird as he took off at a brisk walk.

    James gave her a questioning look, but she could only shrug in return. Maybe Lempo was actually going to help out with this crazy quest thing after all.

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, on the slope of a mountain nowhere near Bel¡¯s location, a woman¡¯s hand thrust through a small hole in the ground. With a surge of strength, Beth pulled herself out of a small chasm and into the light.

    She spit dirt from her mouth and scowled.

    ¡°Shit-born scrattes. Stupid carrion-humping worthless sons of hagfish.¡±

    Her cursing was cut short when she realized that she wasn¡¯t alone. By the time she looked up, she had already been surrounded by a ring of figures dressed in protective leathers. They held short spears towards her, clearly ready for any sudden movements.

    ¡°Hold, stranger,¡± one of the figures commanded. ¡°It¡¯s rather suspicious to see someone crawling out of the Labyrinthos. Where have you come from?¡±

    Beth turned on him with a snarl that was brought up short when she saw his face.

    ¡°Who the hell are you assholes?¡± Her hand dropped to one of her daggers. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Technis has started sewing the faces of animals onto his favorite followers?¡±

    It was just her luck to surface in the middle of some other mess ¨C as if she wasn¡¯t already mixed up in enough! Now she was being ambushed by a bunch of half-human monster people. They were all dressed in the same rough armor, but every other one had scales or fur or ears or some other inhuman feature. She faced off against her ambushers for a few moments, but her odds worsened as even more of them showed up.

    She found herself outnumbered ten to one. She was still considering making a break for it when a mustached man with a furry tail broke through the circle to spout some nonsense in a language that she didn¡¯t recognize. She considered simply stabbing him right between his yellow eyes to avoid listening to his voice, but discarded the impulse. Unfortunately, her current situation wasn¡¯t very good. She decided to take a wait and see approach.

    The man twerked his mustache slowly and finally turned towards her, giving her a quick once-over, like a hunter sizing up his prey. Beth resisted the urge to stab him for the second time.

    ¡°You are fighting against Technis? Did I hear that correctly?¡± he asked. Beth found his voice just as grating in Satrap¡¯s common language as it had been in his other tongue.

    Beth could recognize a con-man from a hundred paces with her eyes closed. This guy was clearly about to try to sell her something ¨C but maybe she could get more out of him by playing along.

    ¡°Oh yes,¡± she said in the voice of a sad, desperate waif. She tried to coax some tears into her eyes as well. ¡°I¡¯ve been running from them and their war for days!¡±

    His bushy eyebrows rose. ¡°War?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all kinds of murder and mayhem, sir! You aren¡¯t one of Technis¡¯ foul creations, are you?¡± She blinked back her imaginary tears, but she had to cover her face to hide her smirk. It had been a while since she¡¯d done this and she was a bit out of practice.

    The man twirled the tip of his mustache. ¡°Why, no, I serve a much better god.¡±

    Wow, it¡¯s like this guy has never even heard of subterfuge, she thought.

    ¡°Thank my stars!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Could you offer me sanctuary, kind sir?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± the man said slowly. From the way that his tail wagged, he was clearly enjoying the drama. ¡°Perhaps I could. But I hope that you can tell us more about this war, and¡­ whatever else is happening.¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course sir. I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 14 â€“ Opportunities

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel and James trailed warily after Ventas as he rushed through the hamlet. The excited priest threw out greetings left and right to everyone they passed, beaming with exuberance. He seemed well liked ¨C people stopped to wave and return his greetings with just as much, or more, excitement as he offered. Several times he couldn¡¯t resist introducing the two of them as young acolytes who had escaped some bad circumstances and come to his shrine for aid. Invariably, when each person heard the explanation they offered them well wishes and bits of food. By the time they¡¯d made it through most of the hamlet James wasn¡¯t even complaining about the insects that he¡¯d been forced to eat and was instead rubbing his belly contentedly.

    Bel was suspicious at how trusting the townsfolk seemed, but she didn¡¯t have enough experience to know if it was truly odd.

    That aside, Bel thought that the people seemed friendly enough. They smiled and said hello when she shyly greeted them with a nod or whispered hello. The town didn¡¯t look particularly prosperous to her, but it wasn¡¯t in a state of disrepair either. The small homes had fresh thatch on their roofs and healthy egg-laying birds roaming their yards. Everyone seemed close knit and friendly once Ventas introduced them ¨C which was probably normal for a tiny community that had little contact with the outside, right?

    There was a noticeable lack of older men though, which Bel asked about as they were walking past another large field between the clusters of homes.

    ¡°Ah, most of them went away to the war,¡± Ventas answered.

    ¡°The war? Wait, that fight by Baytown is still going on?¡± Bel asked, confused.

    The priest shook his head. ¡°With help from the delvers, the southern army was able to force Baytown¡¯s militia back to the city limits. Unfortunately, they failed to take the town. It¡¯s not a true siege either, not unless the ships from the Points can successfully blockade the port.¡±

    James looked around. ¡°So who do people here support? Actually, what¡¯s the war about?¡±

    ¡°Many things,¡± Ventas replied, a grim tone entering his voice. ¡°But most importantly, Technis, that cursed betrayer of oaths, imprisoned you in his temple. My goddess¡¯ joy at your freedom rang across the land and we immediately began planning his downfall.¡±

    ¡°Four years ago?¡± Bel asked, surprised.

    Ventas nodded. ¡°Of course!¡± He thrust his staff into the ground with righteous vigor. ¡°But these things take time. Technis has made many enemies of course, and the people of the Points welcomed our aid. Alas, a secret cannot be kept between so many and Technis¡¯ priests recently began a purge of Lempo from his approved list of deities.¡± He shook his head. ¡°That was the flash in the pan that set off this war prematurely.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes were wide. ¡°So this war is because of me?¡± she asked with a tiny voice. Beth hadn¡¯t told her any about this ¨C not a single hint! What other secrets was her supposed sister keeping?

    Ventas raised a hand high and pointed it accusingly at the sky. ¡°The war is because Technis is a liar and a fraud!¡±

    James pursed his lips. ¡°So if everyone knows about Bel, why hasn¡¯t anyone recognized her before now?¡±

    Ventas nodded. ¡°Well, because we priests of Lempo have kept her a secret.¡±

    ¡°Then the war isn¡¯t really about her, is it?¡±

    Ventas shrugged. ¡°In truth, the delvers and many of the southern cities were already at their breaking points. We gave them a minor push ¨C Lempo is one of the most popular deities in these sparsely populated areas, you know.¡±

    James looked around nervously. ¡°One of? Hey, is everyone here on our side? Didn¡¯t you say that Technis¡¯ people were lurking about?¡±

    Ventas was silent as he considered James¡¯ words. ¡°I suppose that your concerns are justified.¡± He glanced around quickly. ¡°Most of the villagers here in Clearbrook are much more attached to Lempo than to Technis, and the majority of men-folk here are former delvers. Of course there were some who disagreed, but we encouraged them to leave when the conflict broke out.¡±

    He gestured around with his staff. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have any borders or walls here though. You are right. We should remain careful.¡±

    James rubbed his chin as he considered the priest¡¯s words. ¡°So, just to check, Technis is at war with the Points and anywhere Lempo is more popular than him?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­there is of course the aristocracy in the capital, and anyone in Central City may as well be a servant of Technis. It¡¯s probably easier to think of this as a war between the less developed west of the country ¨C all the towns south of Hammerstrike along the Spine and near the southern coast ¨C and the richer towns to the east and north. And the delvers of course, Technis¡¯ priests have ground them into the dirt for far too long.¡±

    James nodded, but Bel wondered if he really understood. They didn¡¯t really have a grasp of anything past the woods around Baytown after all. Actually¡­

    ¡°Ventas,¡± she asked, jogging slightly to walk beside him, ¡°do you have a map?¡±

    ¡°A map? Of course! There are several back in the shrine.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± Bel put her hands together with satisfaction. James had told her all about maps. She was excited to finally see something better than lines scratched into the dirt.

    <hr>

    ¡°Is this to scale?¡± James asked. The three of them were leaning over a table tucked into the back of Lempo¡¯s shrine in Clearbrook. The shrine itself wasn¡¯t very impressive, although it was well maintained. The area around it was clear of growth and there was an offering box sitting under a wooden statue of Lempo. Inside, the shrine had a large, empty room that Ventas said was for rituals and medical treatment, a small study, a room with Ventas¡¯ bed, and a storage cellar crammed full of papers, ritual objects, and preserved food. They were currently standing in the study poring over the map that Ventas had unrolled onto his desk.

    Bel hadn¡¯t seen a map before, so she was still puzzling it out, but she thought that James was disappointed with the quality. She hadn¡¯t actually gotten to looking at the places on the map yet, as she was too busy looking at all of the little drawings of beasts and sea creatures that filled the open areas.

    Ventas chuckled at the question about scale. ¡°Only the aristocrats have the money to hire surveyors to walk enough landmarks to make something accurate. I can tell you how long it takes an adult to walk any of these marked routes, but anything better than that is outside of our means.¡±

    The priest gestured to overstuffed shelf. ¡°I do have a local map that is better, but it doesn¡¯t leave the valley. It won¡¯t be useful at all if your goal is the Barrier.¡±

    Bel had told Ventas about her quest. If anyone would help her out, it would be one of her mother¡¯s priests, right?

    She smiled at the helpful man. ¡°I think this is fine, Ventas. It¡¯s not like we could miss the Barrier anyway, and I¡¯m in no rush. I still have, well, I don¡¯t really know, but I think there¡¯s no rush. Getting through the Barrier will be a challenge anyway.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that does sound like something difficult,¡± he replied.

    Then a smile bloomed on his face. ¡°But I am sure a child of Lempo will have no difficulty succeeding where a less talented mortal such as myself would fail,¡± he said cheerfully.

    Bel¡¯s intestines tightened. Ugh, no pressure.

    James cleared his throat. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll make quick work of it. That being said, I don¡¯t suppose that you could offer some help? You know, to Lempo¡¯s favorite daughter and her adopted brother?¡±

    Ventas laughed, a friendly chortle that brightened the room. ¡°Of course, of course. I didn¡¯t mean to imply that a goddess¡¯ quest would be easy. Did the task come directly from Lempo?¡±

    ¡°Um, yes,¡± Bel said hesitantly. ¡°from her and her sister Kjar actually¨Cthe goddess of corporal punishment. And the divine spirit of chaos, Dutcha. I can¡¯t really remember much of it though ¨C apparently gods overwhelm the brains of mortals? Something like that?¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Ventas bobbed his head with excitement. ¡°Of course, of course, that makes sense. And Kjar, hmm, now I see. Who better to be involved? Technis deserves to be punished after all he has done.¡±

    He nodded to himself for a few moments, clearly enjoying whatever fantasy of divine punishment was running through his head. Then his eyes refocused and he started rolling up the map. ¡°Well, I can certainly offer some help.¡±

    He placed the map gently back on the shelf and gestured for the two of them to follow him.

    ¡°For you,¡± he pointed at Bel, ¡°I can offer a small collection of essence that we have stored. It should be enough for you to advance, although not quickly.¡±

    ¡°That would be great,¡± Bel exclaimed.

    ¡°And for you, young man, I sense that you are Pathless.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± James nearly shouted, ¡°can you give me magic?¡±

    Bel suppressed her laughter. James was nearly falling over with excitement.

    The priest tilted his head. ¡°I¡­ am not sure what you mean by that. I can implant the core for a Path that is, hm, healing adjacent. There could be better improvements, but I believe this would be the most helpful to the two of you.¡±

    ¡°You can do that?¡± James exploded, eyes wide. He turned to Bel, his eyes wild. ¡°I told you that Beth was holding out on us!¡±

    Bel held up her hands. ¡°Whoah, calm down brother.¡±

    She turned to the priest. ¡°You can do that? So easily? Even though Lempo isn¡¯t really a goddess of healing?¡±

    Ventas hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Well, to be honest, it is not a trivial thing. But what could bring more joy to the goddess of upheaval than granting a mortal the strength to change their fate?¡±

    Ventas clapped James on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s a procedure usually done on infants who have suffered through some trauma. The survival rate is rather low, but with a healthy young man like yourself I¡¯m sure it will be much less risky.¡±

    Bel cringed. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    James gave her a thumbs up and a goofy grin. ¡°I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll be fine Bel! I¡¯m practically the main character, and I feel like we¡¯ve finally left the prologue. Besides, the worst thing that can happen to me is to be helpless when you, y¡¯know, need my help.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes flicked their tongues with suspicion as she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Are you sure that you aren¡¯t just living out one of your strange Old W¨C, uh, strange fantasies?¡±

    Bel didn¡¯t want to mention the Old World, at least not yet. Ventas seemed like a nice guy, but Bel realized that she really didn¡¯t know anything about him or how he felt about people who weren¡¯t Lempo¡¯s children. He was willing to risk her brother¡¯s life to give him magic, but that was probably more for her benefit than to help James. Her instincts told her that he was just trying to be helpful, but being helpful didn¡¯t necessarily mean that he was trying to keep her brother safe.

    If the priest noticed her hesitation, he didn¡¯t acknowledge it. Instead, he cheerfully descended into the storage cellar and began rummaging around. He hummed a cheerful tune as he opened chests and pulled things out, making an absolute mess of whatever organization the area used. Soon his arms were full of an odd variety of objects: a few short rods of dull metals, a couple of large, dried leaves, a strange set of jangling rings of several different materials, a tiny scoop on a long leather strap, and a large bundle of gauze.

    Ventas galloped up the steps and past the bemused siblings on his way into what he¡¯d called the ritual room, where he dumped his armful of items on the floor. He went to a closet and pulled out a large sheet with so many stains that Bel thought it looked like a painter¡¯s drop cloth. He unfurled it onto the center of the room.

    Bel interrupted the priest before he could spend too much time setting things up. ¡°Excuse me, but do we really need to rush? We¡¯ve just been through a bunch of stuff, like getting lost in the dark and eating bugs. Why can¡¯t we take a break first?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Ventos responded, ¡°because we are at war. Time waits for neither mortal nor god.¡±

    Bel opened her mouth to say something, but thought the better of it. The priest had a point. Beth wasn¡¯t around, and the two of them had no way to defend themselves. If one of Technis¡¯ inquisitors found them, they would be floating out to sea without so much as a log to hold on to.

    Ventas took her silence for agreement and continued setting things up.

    James was barely restraining his excitement, but Bel decided that she needed to ask some more questions.

    ¡°So what are you going to do to him anyway?¡±

    Ventas pulled out a wide bowl and poured a clear liquid into it. From the burning sensation in her nose, she guessed that it was some strong alcohol. Then he stoppered the jug and crumpled up one of the leaves before dropping it in.

    ¡°Well,¡± he replied, ¡°you know of the Bargainer, yes?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± they both replied. Beth had probably said the name as part of a long string of her endless curses, and James repeated them often enough, but the pair had quickly discovered that asking Beth about definitions and etymologies yielded additional swear words, but never any answers.

    ¡°Hm,¡± he frowned. ¡°Well, I suppose Technis¡¯ priests, may their souls be damned to eternal torment, wouldn¡¯t have seen any need to teach you things.¡±

    Ventas was quiet for a few moments while he carefully measured out a dark powder and dropped it into the bowl¡¯s increasingly murky liquid. The smell now not only burned Bel¡¯s nostrils, but also made her want to sneeze and throw up. Whatever he was making, it was quite powerful if its olfactory effects were any measure.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell the story quickly. In the beginning, the world was simple. There were fewer deities back then, but the primordial deity of instability strained against the primordial deity of entropy and eventually won, forcing the four corners of existence to change.¡±

    ¡°Whoah,¡± Bel muttered, ¡°is Lempo older than everything then?¡±

    Ventas shook his head. ¡°No, this was an earlier incarnation of instability. She tends to change from time to time. Let¡¯s not get sidetracked though, I¡¯m almost done setting up. Where was I?¡±

    He gently stirred the bowl as his gaze unfocused for a moment. ¡°Ah, right, change. Well, existence changed and eventually the Old World gained life, and intelligence, and all sorts of things. This, in turn, brought about new deities as they budded from the primordial essence.¡±

    He tapped his stirring spoon with satisfaction. ¡°Obviously these new deities came into conflict, and legends say that they nearly ended the Old World. The remaining gods and goddesses created the New Worlds and the Divine Treaty in response ¨C you could say that our world, Olympos, is like a storehouse of all of the interesting things from the Old World that the gods saw fit to preserve.¡±

    ¡°Whoah,¡± James marvelled, ¡°so they created a new universe because they almost destroyed the old one? But wait, what does this have to do with me getting magic? You know that the Old World doesn¡¯t have magic, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting there,¡± Ventas replied quickly. He dug through his pockets, eventually producing a stick of incense. ¡°So, to quickly summarize, the gods and goddesses created these worlds, not just as storage houses, but as a means to generate enough essence that they wouldn¡¯t need to fight over it. Every ¨C well, most living beings have a core of essence that draws in energy from the world around them and funnels a small amount of it into the Heart of their world. The Heart of Olympos sends that energy out to our deities, and in return they remain mostly peaceful and out of mortal affairs. Creatures could learn how to harness this power for themselves of course, but with no additional guidance that was all that they could do.¡±

    Ventas pulled a short table out from the wall. He pulled several tools from a wide pouch and arranged them across the table for easy access. Bel¡¯s eyes widened at the wide variety of blades, saws, and drills present.

    Satisfied with his work space, Ventas tossed a pillow down on the floor and knelt on it.

    ¡°Humans were brought to this world very recently, and all of the other creatures had already found ways to use their cores. The Bargainer, a great leader from the Old World, refused to bring the humans they ruled until we had a way to compete. The result is what you call the Paths.¡±

    Bel and James looked at him expectantly, but he only stared back in silence.

    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s it?¡± James said, incredulous. ¡°That¡¯s not even enough detail to put on the back blurb of a book.¡±

    Ventas looked slightly annoyed, but Bel thought that was more because he was excited to start his ritual than because he was insulted.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re in a rush,¡± Ventas huffed. ¡°The important point is that the Divine Treaty guarantees all humans and their descendants the opportunity to follow a Path, which means that there is a ritual to create a core of essence with its own Path inside of your body. Not every deity needs to offer you something though, so some cursed beings who refused to follow the will of the gods ¨C and some mortals who were missed during their birth, like yourself ¨C have only what they can earn themselves.¡±

    The priest gestured to the stained sheets. ¡°Now, lie down on this James,¡± he instructed. ¡°We should get started right away. It will take around a week to heal after the procedure, so it¡¯s best that we begin immediately.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± James gulped, suddenly taking in the tools and stained sheets.

    ¡°Still sure about this?¡± Bel asked him.

    James swallowed and nodded, lying down on the cloth. ¡°Your tools are clean, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I bless them daily, and eradicate the impure with the abilities that Lempo has granted to me.¡±

    Ventas nodded happily and handed James a leather-wrapped stick. ¡°Hold on to this, you¡¯ll want to bite down on it later. The pain will be exquisite.¡±

    James broke out into a heavy sweat. ¡°I¡¯ll have cool abilities after this though, right?¡± he asked, his voice breaking.

    ¡°Cool?¡± the priest asked, confused. ¡°Does that mean something? No matter ¨C I will implant a core that we know works with some abilities to facilitate natural healing and pull your future patients from death¡¯s grasp. You could likely learn other abilities as well, but it is untested for that.¡±

    Bel frowned with worry. ¡°What was it tested for?¡±

    ¡°We used it to restore abilities to a great many who were injured from the bone melting plague that struck Satrap many years ago. We then recruited many of those who we saved to continue our work and contain the contagion.¡±

    Ventas reached for his tools, but paused and turned back to Bel. ¡°Ah, Beloved. You¡­ may want to wait in the office. The ritual can be finicky, and I can¡¯t afford any distractions.¡±

    He held out a dull metal bar. ¡°This stick is filled with essence suitable for someone early in their development. Why don¡¯t you go absorb this while I help your brother?¡±

    Bel took hold of the bar. It tingled in her hands, and she could feel a similarity to the cores she had absorbed from the creatures of the Labyrinthos.

    She looked at her brother. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    James grinned back at her. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Ventas is a professional, right?¡± He turned to the priest. ¡°You¡¯ve done this before, right?¡±

    Ventas smiled. ¡°Of course! Several times! Now, this will take an hour or two, so let¡¯s begin!¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 15 â€“ History Lesson

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel took in the empty room that Ventas had called an office, nervous and twitchy from the sudden lack of companionship. The office itself had little to distract her: there was a chair, a desk, and a pedestal with a small figurine of Lempo, coyly smiling in Bel¡¯s direction. She did her best to avoid looking at Lempo. Adjusting to the knowledge that the goddess was her mother would take some time.

    Bel looked away from the figurine and back to the sliding panel door that separated her from the shrine¡¯s combined ritual and operating room. The muffled grunts coming from her brother made her want to run back inside, but Ventas had wanted her gone to remove distractions during the delicate operation of inserting an artificial core. She hesitated with her hand on the door frame; was the priest literally cutting her brother open?

    Bel shook her head, trying to clear the thought from her mind. I''ve got to trust that James knows what he wants.

    Bel stepped away from the door and began a desperate search for anything in the office that could keep her mind occupied.

    Unfortunately for her idle hands, Ventas was a very tidy person. His desk was clear of clutter, with just an inkwell and a few reed pens on its surface. The air even smelled clean, without a hint of old food or the scent of sweat that usually lingered in an occupied space. Bel inspected the rest of the room and peered into a few cubbyholes that dotted the walls, but all that she turned up were some uncut reeds, some clay tablets and unused clay, a few leather scrolls, and a small assortment of tools whose uses she didn¡¯t understand.

    After checking everything else, Bel finally gave in and turned to Lempo¡¯s figure. This one portrayed a middle-aged goddess with a thoughtful expression. The goddess¡¯ pale blonde hair was mostly hidden under a flat-topped cap, and her trailing hair was wrapped up in a bun that held several ribbons. The goddess¡¯ hands reached out of wide, petal-like cuffs as if she was grasping at something. Ventas had balanced a used reed in one of her hands ¨C whether that was a tradition, some irreverence, or just a bit of absent-mindedness she didn¡¯t know. The goddess¡¯ other hand grasped a small essence stick, identical to the one that Ventas had given to Bel.

    Lempo was wearing an incredibly ornate doll¡¯s dress made of woven reeds. It was dyed a deep green, but had lighter accents across the front and back. This version of her looked approachable; well-dressed but not haughty, old enough to look reliable but young enough that she wasn¡¯t crotchety. At least that was the impression Bel got. She leaned over the desk to inspect the goddess¡¯ face.

    ¡°Uh, hi mom. If it¡¯s okay for me to call you that. If it¡¯s not okay, then, I dunno, strike me down with lightning or something.¡±

    Bel stared at the immobile wooden figurine for a few seconds.

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll just assume that it¡¯s cool then. So, I don¡¯t suppose you could help me remember more about what you wanted me to do?¡±

    Bel waited, but nothing happened. She snorted. ¡°Just so I understand, I¡¯m important enough to you to start a war.¡± Bel pointed at the goddess. ¡°And you want me to do something, which is why I¡¯m so important to you. But you won¡¯t tell me what I¡¯m supposed to do?¡±

    Bel stared into the goddess¡¯ painted eyes. ¡°Nothing? No help at all? A little clue?¡±

    Another loud moan from the operating room sent her spine tingling. She couldn¡¯t take it any more ¨C Bel fled the office through another door that led to a small garden. She blocked out all of her fears about her brother. Instead, she focused on the flowers and the insects, their lives locked into a mutually beneficial dance of survival. It was a good relationship, with simple roles. Not like the one between her and the gods.

    In the office behind her, the small statue turned its gaze to rest upon her back. A few of Bel¡¯s snakes flicked their tongues in surprise, but Bel was too engrossed in the flowers and butterflies to notice.

    <hr>

    Bel tapped the metal essence rod slowly against her palm. The device was interesting; it was the opposite of the collection plates passed around in Technis¡¯ temples, dispensing essence to the user instead of taking it. She had already advanced her core once, although she could feel that the stick was nearly empty.

    Maybe this is what Technis does with all of his offerings.

    She stared at the small piece of metal. Technis collected a lot of offerings; add them all up and maybe it was worth a god¡¯s time.

    The door thumped open behind her, sending Bel a good foot into the air with surprise. She turned to see the priest at the door and flushed with embarrassment.

    ¡°Ah, Ventas! You startled me!¡±

    The old man smiled at her. ¡°My apologies, Beloved! Enjoying the garden?¡±

    Bel hoped that she hadn¡¯t disturbed something important when she saw Ventas inspecting his tidy office. ¡°Ah,¡± he said with delight, ¡°I see you¡¯ve communed with your mother. Excellent!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel looked back at Lempo¡¯s figurine. She didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d disturbed it¡­

    ¡°On to more mortal concerns. I came to let you know that your brother¡¯s operation is complete. I¡¯ll make a hearty meal to help him recover, but it would do him well if you could offer some words of comfort while he heals, if it would please you.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s okay?¡± Bel confirmed.

    Ventas nodded and stroked his chin. ¡°He is well. He is also full ¨C no, overflowing is the word ¨C with ideas. I can certainly see why you and your mother would favor him.¡±

    The priest absently turned back to the ritual room, clearly lost in thought. Bel hoped that James hadn¡¯t given him any ideas that were too crazy.

    She quickly popped to her feet and rushed to see her brother.

    When she entered the room he was still lying on the floor, his entire chest wrapped in bandages. She could see bruises peeking out from under the blood tinged cloth, but his chest was rising and falling evenly. She approached him carefully and knelt by his side.

    ¡°You okay?¡± she whispered.

    He grunted and cracked open his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been better,¡± he croaked.

    ¡°Was it worth it? Can you do magic now?¡±

    James gave her a weak thumbs up. ¡°I guess.¡±

    He tapped the ground to his side and Bel noticed a large leather scroll. ¡°I¡¯ll have to extract abilities before I can do anything. Ventas gave me this list of abilities and what creatures I should pull them from.¡±

    He lowered his hand, clearly drained by even that little effort.

    ¡°So you can¡¯t do anything now? Even after all this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not quite magic ¨C or at least not the way I thought about it ¨C but I can feel this thing in my chest. Ventas explained a bit about cores while he worked.¡±

    Bel realized that they were speaking in English. She glanced to the door of the room, towards the part of the shrine where Ventas said that he would be cooking. She leaned closed to her brother and whispered, ¡°did you mention that you¡¯re from the Old World?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± he responded, ¡°apparently he¡¯s heard of cases where Paths and cores have gone wrong for people before. He thinks that I was cursed by Technis. I mean, he¡¯s not wrong.¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Bel leaned back against the way. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. Actually, we should use that excuse for everything. Do you think it would work with my hair too?¡±

    ¡°I think that would be pushing it.¡±

    They both chuckled, although James winced at the movement.

    <hr>

    Ventas plopped a heavy pot of something halfway between a porridge and a stew on the table before taking his seat. ¡°So you wanted to know more of Lempo, child?¡± he asked Bel. ¡°Do you not speak to her often?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­ well, I met her once. During some ritual.¡± Bel paused, trying to find the words to describe their brief interaction. ¡°It was intense. I have a little bit of a vague memory of Kjar saying something about her being too overwhelming for mortals.¡±

    Ventas nodded knowingly.

    ¡°What does Lempo do for you, Ventas? I mean, for people in general? People only talk about Technis, other than someone we know who follows Durak, but beyond them I don¡¯t know much about the gods.¡±

    Ventas frowned as he ladled the food into three bowls, serving Bel first. ¡°That¡¯s not right. You should have been raised somewhere proper, not by Technis¡¯ followers. I shall do my best to make up for that.¡±

    The priest stirred his food and steam rose towards the ceiling. He idly watched it curl and twist in the light breeze that moved through the shrine as he considered where to begin.

    He ate a lump of potato, swallowed, and set down his bowl. After a sip of tea he was ready to talk.

    ¡°Imagine a person who lives in a valley. They walk around the valley every day, but they have never gone over the mountains; the peaks are simply too high. This person may pray to a deity so that they can run faster, or be a better hunter, or grow more crops, but they are still stuck in the valley.¡±

    Ventas gestured through a window that faced some of the Spine mountains, just barely visible in the distance. ¡°But if that person prayed to Lempo, she would find a way to get them to the other side. Perhaps she would give them just enough energy to ascend the peak, or mayhap she would guide them through cracks and tunnels in the stone.¡±

    He waved his hand towards the sky. ¡°Or maybe she would even find a flying beast to carry this person out.¡± Ventas flapped his hands, miming a large creature swooping over the table.

    ¡°It may not be easy, but Lempo will provide a way. For anyone who wishes to change their circumstances, or the circumstances of others, your mother is the ideal patron.¡± Ventas took another mouthful of soup and sip from his tea, nodding to himself.

    Bel waited for the explanation to make sense, and Ventas chuckled at her expression.

    ¡°The people of Satrap are trapped in a valley, Bel, and Technis¡¯ Barrier and his rules and institutions are the mountain that we cannot cross. Some people think nothing of their prison, but others want to leave, to experience a world unconstrained by Technis¡¯ boundaries. I know not how, but Lempo must have found a way to free us.¡±

    The priest pointed at her. ¡°A way that somehow goes through you.¡±

    Bel chewed on a large chunk of carrot to cover her embarrassment, unsure of how to respond. Ventas took another bite of his own food and they were silent for a few moments.

    ¡°Is that why you began following Lempo? To escape from Technis?¡± she eventually asked.

    ¡°Ah, alas, my initial desires were motivated by a more immediate need, something important at the time. Do you know about the bone-melting plague?¡± He looked at their blank faces. ¡°Ah, well, I suppose the fact that you have never heard of it is only proof of Lempo¡¯s blessings. I, along with some others, used her gifts to remove it from Satrap. It was during that time that I learned of the falseness of Technis and his priests.¡±

    Ventas¡¯ expression became heavy. Emotions clouded his face, easily adding years onto his looks. ¡°Years ago,¡± he sighed, ¡°there was a pox that dissolved its victims. The healers were overwhelmed, and my brother, his wife, and child ¨C a girl no older than you ¨C they all died while Technis¡¯ priests did nothing. They claimed that their healers were sufficient to battle the outbreak, but while their healers could slow the disease and save some victims with a great deal of effort, they would never win the war.¡±

    He sat heavily on his cushion, his eyes losing focus as his mind went to the past. ¡°And they would only fight their hardest for the very richest among us,¡± he added bitterly.

    Bel looked at James, surprised at what she was learning; not that there were even more reasons to hate Technis, but that those reasons went even farther back in time. For some reason, Beth¡¯s stories always made it sound like the problem with Technis had started within their lifetimes, but she was guessing that Ventas was probably somewhere between forty and fifty, around twice Beth¡¯s age.

    As she looked at her brother, Bel noticed that he was having trouble lifting his arms. She silently grabbed his bowl and spoon and began helping him take small portions of his meal, just like she¡¯d done after the priests beat him to punish her for some transgression.

    Ventas chewed angrily on his food as his thoughts took him away, but soon came back to the present. ¡°That,¡± he pronounced with a wave of his spoon, ¡°was when Lempo appeared. She wasn¡¯t on the list of approved deities, but what did I care? I, and many others, embraced her Path and we set out to eradicate the pox from all of Satrap.¡±

    The priest spoke with a sudden fire in his belly. His eyes were piercing, like a lighthouse shining against the darkness. Bel was amazed by his sudden transformation.

    ¡°At first, Technis¡¯ priests attempted to restrain us ¨C the fools! ¨C but eventually they were forced to relent. Had they persisted, they would have faced a backlash from all of the people who they had ignored. We walked the land, going from town to town until the pox was no more.¡±

    He thumped the table with remembered triumph.

    ¡°And what did we ask in return? Merely to create shrines for our goddess and to welcome her daughter into the world.¡± He nodded at Bel, surprising her. She hadn¡¯t realized that there was a personal connection between her and Ventas.

    If the priest¡¯s eyes had burned before, now they blazed. His voice turned deep and husky with anger. ¡°And how did Technis uphold his part of the deal? By imprisoning you to use as leverage against us.¡±

    He thumped the table again, rattling the bowls and spoons and sloshing some of his tea. ¡°But only a fool would dare challenge our goddess! Technis may have held this land in his grip for thousands of years, but nothing, nothing is forever.¡±

    Ventas scooped up another spoonful of food, but paused to pontificate once more. ¡°It is ironic. Technis is a mere mortal who has walked his Path to godhood, but he has quickly forgotten the harsh realities that mortals face every day.¡± Ventas scowled. ¡°Technis represents no enduring concept, unlike Lempo. He is a temporary nuisance, like a cloud that momentarily blocks the sun on an otherwise clear day.¡±

    Then the priest angrily bit into a large, stew soaked dumpling.

    ¡°Wow,¡± James whispered.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bel agreed. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize ¨C I didn¡¯t know all about this.¡±

    Ventas nodded, his lips twisting in a bitter expression. ¡°Of course not. Ignorance is one of the best ways to forestall change, as Technis well knows. It¡¯s often said that those who do not know the past are doomed to repeat it.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± James cursed. ¡°And Lempo organized an entire war because of the shit he pulled?¡±

    The priest tilted his head at James¡¯ odd turns of phrase, but understood his meaning well enough. ¡°Not just Lempo. Technis has angered too many to be ignored any longer. His time is at an end, and now he will fall.¡±

    ¡°But if Lempo is so great,¡± James asked, ¡°then why doesn¡¯t everyone follow her?¡±

    Bel was afraid the question would upset Ventas, but he merely smiled. The old man was apparently eager for any excuse to speak more of his goddess. Bel wondered if he gave sermons, the same as Technis¡¯ priests.

    ¡°Many people want change, James. Perhaps they¡¯ve been stricken by ill-events, or maybe they were born into a poor family. Conversely, those who are already at the top are often scared of change. Unfortunately, it is those at the top who control things and those at the bottom who are left to fill their bellies with wishes and dreams.¡±

    He lifted his spoon into the air like a baton. ¡°But the wise know it is better to be a pauper in a kingdom of plenty than ruler in a kingdom of famine. It is only through continual change that we can better ourselves and our communities,¡± he proclaimed with vigor.

    He clapped his hands suddenly and grinned. ¡°And that is why you two must grow stronger!¡±

    Bel laughed at his sudden enthusiasm. She felt embarrassed for her outburst a moment later and quickly covered her mouth. ¡°Sorry,¡± she rushed, ¡°it¡¯s just that the person who rescued us is more, I don¡¯t know¡­ aggressive with her encouragement. Your kind of enthusiasm is nice.¡±

    Ventas smiled warmly, clearly heartened by praise from his goddess¡¯ daughter.

    ¡°If I may ask, who was your rescuer? Lempo has little reason to keep us apprised of her greater plans, but I have to admit to being rather curious.¡±

    Bel leaned on her elbows and gazed into the distance as she pictured her sister. ¡°Well, Beth ¨C that¡¯s her name ¨C she¡¯s like a bossy older sister. That¡¯s what James says, at least. I don¡¯t really have family, so I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±

    Ventas chuckled wistfully at her remarks. ¡°Child, you are like family to all of us. Though Technis¡¯ priests may have kept you isolated from us, you have never been alone.¡±

    Her eyes widened and her snakes looked at him intently. ¡°Then can I call you uncle?¡± Bel asked hopefully.

    He laughed, instantly charmed by her earnest expression.

    ¡°Of course! I would be honored. I will be the best uncle a mortal can hope to be!¡±

    Bel grinned from ear to ear.

    ¡°What happened to this Beth? The two of you arrived in quite a sorry state. You told me that you made it through the Labyrinthos, but was there a reason why she could not guide herself?¡±

    ¡°Oh! When we were underground, we were separated by an explosion and a bit of a cave collapse. We¡¯re pretty sure that she¡¯s okay, but we didn¡¯t have a way to get back to her.¡± Bel frowned for a few seconds before smiling at Ventas. ¡°We were quite lucky to stumble into you.¡±

    Ventas happily refilled her bowl to cover some of his embarrassment. ¡°Well, I suppose that the feeling is mutual. I love the people of Clearbrook of course, but I have longed to be in the heart of things once again, working to improve our world.¡±

    ¡°Well, the feeling is mutual! Right, James?¡±

    She looked at her brother only to see that he had dozed off.

    Ventas chuckled quietly at the sight.

    ¡°The core fusion is a very tiring process. Well, there¡¯s no problem with that ¨C the two of your should just rest up for a few days. Then, when he is feeling up to it, we can begin collecting abilities for his core.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 16 â€“ Leveling Spot

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°Well, do you two think you¡¯re ready for some excitement today?¡±

    Bel swallowed the fruit that she¡¯d been eating, nearly choking herself in the process. ¡°Yes uncle,¡± she gasped out, ¡°I¡¯m so desperate to get out of here.¡±

    Bel paused. ¡°Ah, not that the shrine isn¡¯t great.¡±

    Ventas laughed at her apology.

    James, still subdued from his operation, just nodded. He had shown his wounds to her, and the artificial core was an enormous lump sticking out from under his ribs. It was shrinking rapidly, apparently moving from the physical world into the weird fourth dimension where cores liked to exist, in a process that Ventas called ¡°core fusion¡±. Whatever was happening, James had recovered well over a couple of days and was even feeding himself without any assistance.

    Ventas held up a hand to stop Bel from cramming more of breakfast into her face. ¡°There is no rush.¡±

    He took a sip of his favorite tea as he examined the two of them. Bel had a sip of the same tea, modelling her behavior on Ventas¡¯ calm demeanor. Unlike the sharp and astringent flavors that Beth preferred, the priest served an earthy brew with a clear, refreshing aftertaste.

    ¡°Who did you have to meet with this morning?¡± James asked.

    Ventas frowned. ¡°A fighter from the local group of delvers. His superiors sent him to deliver a request.¡±

    Bel twisted her fingers with worry. ¡°Are they asking you to join the fighting?¡±

    Ventas smiled kindly. ¡°They know that my place is in the village, ensuring that the harvest is safe. No, he came with some complaints about disappearances west of here, near the Spine mountains, and asked if I had any knowledge of them.¡±

    ¡°Sounds mysterious ¨C probably a side quest,¡± James joked.

    Bel thought about elbowing him, but he was still recovering from his operation so she held back. Several of her snakes flicked their tongues disdainfully in his direction though.

    Ventas rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°They assume that it is some subterranean beast that emerged from the Labyrinthos. Normally, the delvers would hunt it down, but they are currently occupied.¡±

    ¡°So are you going to chase after it? Should we help?¡±

    ¡°No, I will not be chasing after this mystery. The Spine is vast, and the messenger had no information to give. What if I left my village and some other creature emerged near here?¡±

    Ventas shook his head and took another sip of his tea.

    ¡°Perhaps, when you are more independent, but not now. In any case, we have plenty to keep ourselves occupied with right here. Today, we will be harvesting the first one of the abilities that will transform your brother into a competent healer,¡± he explained.

    James looked up, his interest clear from the way he leaned over the table in anticipation. ¡°Which ability? And how will this work? I¡¯ve seen Bel try to absorb an ability and she failed a lot.¡±

    Ventas chuckled. ¡°This ability will speed up blood coagulation. A hunter has captured several of the serpents who carry it.¡±

    James nodded and then stiffly settled back into into his cushion. ¡°And what am I going to do with this ability? Prevent a wounded person from bleeding out?¡±

    Ventas nodded. ¡°Exactly. You already understand blood coagulation?¡±

    James nodded. ¡°Yeah. It makes your blood thicken and form scabs. I guess that this snake has a venom that coagulates the blood where it bites you, which would be pretty bad.¡±

    ¡°That is correct,¡± Ventas agreed. ¡°The serpent¡¯s venom already has this quality even without an essence-enhanced ability, but the ability enhances it. Their cores are small, so any ability they have must be highly specialized.¡±

    Ventas gestured to the rolled up documents that described all of the abilities that James would need to become a master healer. ¡°Another serpent has an ability to strengthen the material formed from coagulated blood. Either one of them is sufficient to kill the serpent¡¯s prey or deter predators, so each serpent has only one. Nature abhors inefficiency, unlike we humans who love to over-prepare.¡±

    ¡°So when I have both of them, how effective are they? I assume that you use them to seal wounds. How quickly could I stop someone from bleeding?¡±

    Ventas pointed to James¡¯ chest. ¡°I used these abilities when I opened your chest, and you lost hardly more than a cup full of blood. The two abilities are very powerful, and if you have enough energy to overuse them they can have instantaneous effect.¡±

    ¡°Overuse?¡± Bel asked.

    Ventas nodded. ¡°Yes. Each ability is inscribed upon strokes that fill the segments of your core. When you direct more energy from your unused strokes you can temporarily increase the potency of any ability. With practice you can make a seemingly weak ability more versatile than it first appears.¡±

    ¡°Why bother getting abilities that require more strokes at all then?¡± James asked.

    ¡°The strokes are like instructions written in a primordial tongue,¡± Ventas replied. ¡°Some concepts are more difficult to describe than others and require more strokes to express. I should also mention that the strength gains from overuse will taper off at some point.¡±

    ¡°So I won¡¯t be stopping anyone¡¯s hearts with these abilities, right?¡± James glanced down at his scroll. ¡°They¡¯re what, both a single stroke?¡±

    ¡°That is correct ¨C although even a single stroke ability can kill. Most people will naturally resist any assault upon their person with the number of free strokes they have in their core though, so you will find them to be ineffective weapons on all but the infirm and the exhausted. It is not, I think, very impressive to kill someone who is already suffering a heart attack.¡±

    Ventas tapped the table a couple of times as he thought about the topic. ¡°That is actually another reason why people avoid simply grabbing random abilities. The energy in your free strokes resists the abilities of others, and the number of free strokes in your core also speeds up your rate of recovery.¡±

    Ventas drained the rest of his tea. ¡°Depending upon the density of energy, and a person¡¯s abilities, most cores will recover enough energy to refill their free strokes in an hour. Should a person with 60 free strokes happen to drain them all, then they will recover one a minute and it will take an hour to recover all of them. Of course you should avoid that, except in the direst of circumstances.¡±

    Bel nodded along with the explanation. It was certainly more than Beth had bothered telling her. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Thanks, uncle.¡±

    ¡°Any time, child.¡± Ventas smiled. ¡°Are you two ready to go then?¡±

    Bel shot to her feet, but James grabbed the sleeve of her shirt. ¡°Right after we brush our teeth.¡±

    She groaned, but Bel didn¡¯t want to look like someone who would bully her convalescing brother in front of Ventas. She brushed her teeth with only a small amount of foot dragging. A few minutes later Ventas led them out into the village of Clearbrook.

    She¡¯d been waiting in the shrine, so this was only her second trip through the village. She peered about eagerly from within her snake-covering cowl. Ventas had provided them with clean, untorn clothing, as well as socks and boots, and had also procured a thick bolt of a heavy, silken material for Bel to cover her snakes. Not that there were many people around, but she was wary of Technis¡¯ spies.

    Now that she looked for it, Clearbrook had a sad, empty feeling to it. Many houses showed signs of being abandoned ¨C overgrown yards and gardens and boarded windows and doors. Small hunting lizards stalked the roads, ready to pick off the tests that had made their homes in the abandoned houses. They scurried out of their way as Bel and the others passed, but quickly moved back to their positions, unwilling to give up their new hunting grounds.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Ventas had explained that most of the fit, adult men, and some of the women as well, had left to join to fight against Technis. The population of the village was further dwindling as the frozen winter passages through the mountains thawed, making it easier for more people to leave the village for more densely populated areas. Ventas had sadly explained that the only ones left were the very old and the very young.

    The person waiting for them at the edge of a forest field was one of the latter; a young boy who had yet to hit his growth spurt. He was sitting on a large log, and next to him was a wriggling bag, weighted down by a large stone.

    ¡°Hail Bert, a happy day to you,¡± Ventas called out to a boy.

    The boy looked like he¡¯d been napping, but he quickly popped to his feet and bowed to the priest. ¡°G¡¯morning Priest Ventas.¡± Bert¡¯s eyes drifted over James and Bel curiously, but his focus soon returned to the Ventas.

    Ventas pointed to the bag with his staff. ¡°Is that the essence corrupted beast?¡±

    Bert nodded. ¡°Yup. Found it tryin¡¯ ta eat our livestock. Granma said you¡¯d want ta see it.¡±

    Ventas nodded. ¡°Indeed. I¡¯ll have to track where it came from and seal up whatever rift it used to escape from the Labyrinthos.¡±

    He prodded the bag with his staff and Bel flinched back when it thrashed and an angry hiss spoiled the calm morning. Ventas ignored the theatrics and turned back to the boy.

    ¡°How is your grandmother doing, Bert? Is she still refusing to leave?¡±

    Bert nervously shuffled his feet. ¡°Yeah, she says she¡¯s been here since gramps first built our house so she ain¡¯t gonna go anywhere, ¡¯specially not for them priests of Technis.¡±

    Ventas knelt down so that his eyes were level with the boy¡¯s. ¡°Have you asked her about leaving? It must be pretty lonely in the village with all of your friends heading out.¡±

    ¡°Naw. I gotta look out for the field anyway, and keep away the essence beasts,¡± he said, gesturing at the still writhing bag.

    Ventas gave him a wide smile. ¡°Well, you¡¯re certainly a tough young lad, but you know, planting and guarding your dad¡¯s entire field is going to be tough. We probably haven¡¯t seen the worst of the essence beasts yet either ¨C the Delvers just stopped their regular work a week or so ago and look what we are seeing already. You don¡¯t think you could convince your grandmother to leave the field fallow for a year and go stay with your mom¡¯s relatives?¡±

    The boy shook his head. ¡°Granma don¡¯t like them much.¡±

    Ventas chuckled. ¡°Your mom had such a large family though ¨C are you sure there aren¡¯t a couple of nice ones? If you never go and meet them, then you¡¯ll never know.¡±

    Ventas stood up slowly and gave the boy a few pats on the back before handing him a small coin. ¡°Here¡¯s for the snake, Bert. Why don¡¯t you try asking your grandma if she¡¯d consider visiting your mother¡¯s family one more time? There are plenty a families who¡¯ve put off leaving until after the spring thaw, so you could even go with a big group.¡±

    Bert shoved the coin into his pocket. ¡°I can ask, but you know how stubborn granma gets. She doesn¡¯t want to let the house fall apart while dad¡¯s gone.¡±

    Ventas smiled. ¡°It won¡¯t fall apart in a season. Tell her that I¡¯ll come by later for a talk, alright?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Bert replied. He bowed to Ventas, and then flustered Bel by bowing to her and James as well before sprinting off down the worn dirt path.

    Bel watched him go, wondering why his grandmother didn¡¯t like the boy¡¯s mother¡¯s relatives. Families seemed so complicated. She only had two or three real relatives and a couple of adopted ones, and things were already too much for her to handle.

    ¡°Do you really think the war will be over in a season?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Not a chance,¡± Ventas replied grimly. ¡°This winter will be tough. Many fields will miss their planting this year, and if the war goes through the winter everyone will be low on food and wild game will be depleted.¡±

    Ventas gestured at the thick forest covering the nearby mountain. ¡°There is plenty of game to be had, at least for now, but also a growing risk of essence beasts now that the delvers aren¡¯t delving. Satrap hasn¡¯t witnessed a prolonged conflict for more than two hundred years ¨C I am afraid that no one is truly prepared.¡±

    James nodded like he understood perfectly, but Bel didn¡¯t understand the first thing about farming. When they needed food they just foraged, and if Beth wanted something more she would just kill it.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she asked, ¡°can food, like, run out?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± James replied, ¡°an army could trap everything edible, clear cut a forest for resources, and burn the rest to the ground. I hope that the war doesn¡¯t come here.¡±

    Ventas¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°Clear cut the entire forest? That seems extreme¡­¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°Well, I certainly hope this doesn¡¯t go so far, but I suppose that I¡¯m no general. The best we can do is prepare to the best of our abilities. Speaking of which¡­¡±

    Ventas prodded the bag again, eliciting another angry hiss.

    ¡°James, with the artificial core I¡¯ve given you, you won¡¯t be able to absorb essence from beasts¡¯ cores. Gathering their abilities will be easy enough, as long as they¡¯re similar enough to the ones on your list. It¡¯s not as good as a core crafted by the Divine Treaty, but it is the best we can do.¡±

    Ventas offered James a small, sad smile. ¡°Should you find yourself on your own, the descriptions that I gave you will help to find promising creatures. Lean closer, I will assist with this one.¡±

    Ventas deftly maneuvered the bag so that its opening was pointed away from them before he dislodged the rock that was holding it closed. A serpent¡¯s head shot out like a stabbing knife, but Ventas deftly pinned its head beneath his staff. The serpent had two eyes that practically burned with malice and unnaturally long fangs that dripped with venom, a clear sign that its body had been altered by an infusion of essence. Ventas pulled a short dagger from under his robes and quickly stabbed it through the head, putting an end to its threatening behavior.

    ¡°Quickly, James. Place your hand here and I will guide you through the process.¡±

    Bel watched with interest as James absorbed his first ability. She¡¯d done the same herself recently, so she was interested to see how the process looked from the outside.

    James¡¯ face was twisted in concentration. Or, as he would have said, it looked like he was constipated. Bel wondered with embarrassment if she¡¯d been making the same expression.

    Next time I do this, I think I¡¯ll try to do it in private, she promised herself.

    Unlike when she¡¯d done it, James wasn¡¯t being expected to manage on his own. Ventas placed his hand on top of her brother¡¯s and somehow guided him through the inscriptions in the serpent¡¯s core. Half a minute later, James whooped with joy.

    ¡°I got it!¡± he exclaimed.

    Ventas clapped him on the back. ¡°Excellent! Now, while it¡¯s still fresh, I¡¯ll use some of this beast¡¯s blood to track the way back to the rift where it emerged. If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll find some more of the beasts from your list on the way.¡±

    ¡°You track them through their blood?¡± Bel asked, curious. ¡°Is that another ability?¡±

    Ventas waved his hand in the air. ¡°Not truly their blood, no, I am actually using the lingering impression of the creature¡¯s essence.¡±

    He smiled at her. ¡°It is how I could tell you were Lempo¡¯s daughter when I first sensed you at the edge of our fields. I could never mistake her divine touch.¡±

    Ventas cleaned and put away his knife and then pulled out a forked stick, which he jammed straight into the skull of the serpent. Bel grimaced, suddenly reminded that she had snakes of her own. One of them had even sneaked out of her cowl, and was looking her in the face. She wondered if it was upset that they had killed another snake. Or maybe not ¨C she couldn¡¯t read much emotion from their reptilian faces and unblinking eyes. Maybe this one was just bored.

    Ventas stood, lifting his bloody stick with one hand and the bag with the dead serpent with the other. ¡°We¡¯ll dump this outside of town,¡± he explained. He slowly spun around. The stick must have told him something, because soon Bel and James were following him as he strode confidently into the woods.

    The stick may have been guiding Ventas to something, but it wasn¡¯t guiding him around obstacles. Bel put her new boots to the test by tromping through several muddy streams and scurrying up a rocky escarpment. They did eventually come to their destination, marked by an ornery spine-backed lizard who launched a bundle of sharp, flaming spines in their direction. Bel and James quickly dove behind a rock for cover. James grunted in discomfort as the movement jostled his healing wound.

    Bel glanced back to see that Ventas had stood his ground and done something else ¨C probably used some ability ¨C and the spines that had been aimed at him simply withered away and fluttered to the ground.

    I don¡¯t want to be the kind of person who hides behind rocks, she thought.

    Bel grit her teeth and jumped out from behind her hiding place. The lizard immediately looked at her and tensed its quills, so she glared at it.

    The lizard froze, its jaw hanging open in a dumb expression. Bel didn¡¯t hesitate to charge, brandishing her short sword as she closed the distance. The lizard jerked back to life just as she reached it, but it didn¡¯t have enough time to dodge her blade as she rammed it in between the creature¡¯s eyes.

    It appeared smaller once it was dead, some of its presence dissipating with stillness and the lack of fire along its spines.

    She turned back and gave a cocky thumbs up to James and Ventas.

    The priest¡¯s eyes went up marginally. ¡°Nicely done, Bel. I certainly can¡¯t fault your enthusiasm, but usually it is wise to check for other threats before rushing into combat.¡±

    Bel looked around, suddenly worried that she was surrounded by a swarm of something.

    Ventas chuckled. ¡°Not to worry, I don¡¯t see anything else. This lizard was probably eating anything small as it emerged from the rift. The snake must have slipped past it.¡±

    Ventas gestured to a jagged crack in the stone behind Bel, just wide enough for the lizard to squeeze through.

    ¡°Damn campers.¡± James clicked his tongue in remonstration as he approached the calf-high, two-stride long lizard. ¡°This doesn¡¯t have any abilities that I need, does it? Could I pick up that flaming quill thing?¡±

    Ventas waved his hand in a so-so gesture. ¡°I would advise against it. You first need an ability to make yourself flame proof before getting the ability to set yourself on fire. And then what?¡± The priest gestured at the dead lizard. ¡°Flames look impressive, but require a large expenditure of energy to be truly dangerous. The flaming quills likely served this lizard as a method of intimidation, or perhaps it blinded its prey in dark tunnels, but, as you just saw, they weren¡¯t useful in a fight.¡±

    Bel looked at them. ¡°So does that mean that I can take its essence?¡±

    Ventas nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Bel pumped her fist.

    What does James say?

    ¡°I¡¯ll loot the corpse!¡±

    ¡°That is macabre,¡± Ventas scolded her.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized. Bel touched the lizard and felt around for its core. As usual, she felt a ball of essence come free, but only a small amount of it actually made it to her own core. It was still enough to grow her core and unfurl another petal though, putting her up to 21 in total with space for 11 inscriptions. Nearly time to choose another ability, unless she wanted to do the responsible, boring thing and wait to see what else was available when she had a larger number of inscriptions available.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 17 â€“ Stranger Danger

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel leaned back against a tree and sighed contentedly. A light breeze ruffled her cloak, bringing with it the fresh scent of the forest. It had been a cold week on the mountain slope, and now the cedar were celebrating the warming morning with an aromatic onslaught while birds and little bounding mammals left their shelters to go about their business, creating a background hum of activity throughout the trees. A wide grin split Bel¡¯s face as she took in the sights, sounds, and smells.

    ¡°These four weeks have been the best, right?¡± she asked.

    James frowned. ¡°Better than the week Beth busted you out of the temple?¡±

    Bel tilted her head as she considered it. ¡°That was the best day. But then we had to do a lot of running. I don¡¯t know if you remember, but I fell down a lot.¡±

    James laughed and slapped his knee with delight. ¡°Yeah, you did.¡± He wiped at the corner of his eyes, over dramatizing the humor of the situation before turning contemplative. ¡°I think the best week of my life was when I asked a girl out in middle school. She said yes, obviously.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, of course your best memories have to do with a girl,¡± she said with mock disgust.

    ¡°Well, duh. I¡¯m a guy.¡± He pointed at her accusingly. ¡°And you think it¡¯s normal that your second most happy moments come from camping some rifts? We¡¯re sitting around and killing everything that comes out. Maybe Beth¡¯s violent nature has been rubbing off on you.¡±

    Bel nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Growing in power is great! And we¡¯re surrounded by all of this nature! Also, Ventas let me get these piercings!¡±

    Bel cupped her hands around her freshly pierced ears, each decorated with a moss-green stone held in place by a small amount of gold. ¡°Beth never would have let me do that!¡±

    James shook his head. ¡°Because they stand out. You¡¯re way to enthusiastic about body modification. Thank g¨C, er, thank Lempo that Ventas stopped you at just the ears.¡±

    Bel shook off her brother¡¯s criticism. ¡°Too scared to get your own? Maybe the girls would like a man who was brave enough to pierce his nose. And back on topic, was doing whatever you did with that girl really better than getting magic?¡±

    James stared into the distance for a moment. ¡°Yeah,¡± he eventually replied, ¡°yeah, it was its own kind of magic.¡±

    Bel shook her head and looked back at the rift.

    This was their fourth. Each morning they would wake up early, go to a rift, and clear out anything caught in their traps. Then they would reset the traps and wait around for new things to show up. Ventas had supervised them at first, but now he just brought them lunch shortly after midday.

    Bel¡¯s stomach gurgled as she thought about food. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Ventas be showing up around now?¡±

    James shrugged. ¡°Who knows? You people haven¡¯t invented watches. Don¡¯t you tell time by your bowel movements?.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes, and looked up at the sun¡¯s position.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± James finally admitted, ¡°he should be¨C¡±

    ¡°Hallo!¡± Ventas called out.

    ¡°Right on time,¡± Bel said smugly.

    Then she stood up and waved. ¡°Uncle! Good afternoon!¡±

    The priest waved enthusiastically before picking his way over the rocky ground, careful to avoid swinging the lunch basket hanging from his arm.

    ¡°How¡¯s the catch today?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°A couple of acidic snails in the morning. I think that whatever activity is happening inside of this rift is dying down.¡±

    Ventas nodded. ¡°Then I shall seal this one and we¡¯ll move on to another.¡±

    He turned to James. ¡°Unless you still feel that there is enough essence coming out of it to make it worthwhile to stay?¡±

    James shook his head. ¡°No, I think it dropped off a couple of days ago. The essence drops and then the creatures stop coming, just like you said and the same as the previous three. I still can¡¯t believe that the source of these essence spikes is truly random.¡±

    Ventas gave an apologetic shrug as he opened the basket, releasing the aroma of the fresh food sequestered inside. ¡°It is a mystery to us.¡±

    James rubbed at his smooth chin as he muttered to himself. ¡°Maybe because you don¡¯t have any epidemiology, but maybe¡­¡±

    Bel took advantage of her brother¡¯s distraction, striking at the unprotected loaf of fresh bread and tearing off the crispy heel. She bit into it victoriously, cackling internally at her victory.

    James came to his senses a moment later and scowled, but it was too late; she had already relieved the loaf of its second end as well.

    Ventas let them stuff their faces in silence, and as their eating slowed he poured out some tea into three wooden cups. ¡°How is your progress? You have the blood coagulating abilities and the ones to numb pain and raise or lower heart rates?¡±

    James nodded. ¡°And the one to remove inflammation. I got that last night.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. And your thresholds?¡±

    ¡°Cleared the fifth a couple of days ago. It¡¯s way slower than Bel since I can¡¯t take the essence from anything we kill.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Ventas smiled sympathetically. ¡°I apologize for my meager skills.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s okay. Like you said, once we¡¯re stronger I can always go to a more dangerous place with more loose essence to collect it faster. Just being able to work any magic is wonderful, even if Bel won¡¯t let me test it on her.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes twitched with annoyance. ¡°I did let you test it ¨C once. That was enough. You numbed my hand so badly that I could barely hold my sword.¡±

    Her brother rolled his eyes. ¡°I said I was sorry. You know I¡¯ve been practicing since then.¡±

    ¡°Keep practicing,¡± she retorted.

    Ventas cleared his throat. ¡°So, Bel, how about your progress?¡±

    ¡°I just got to seventeen from those slugs,¡± she beamed. ¡°I took the coagulation abilities a couple of days ago since they seemed good, so I¡¯ve got eighteen free strokes.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful! Have your mother or the other divine beings blessed you with any interesting abilities?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Bel¡¯s snakes flicked their tongues dismissively. ¡°Not really. Lempo has an ability that makes my mind numb to something ¨C I think pain and horror maybe ¨C and Dutcha¡¯s constellation has something that randomly rearranges my body. I don¡¯t think that one¡¯s any good.¡±

    Bel leaned back and sighed. ¡°Right now my gorgon abilities seem the most reasonable.¡± She held up her hand and mimed scratching at something. ¡°Metallic fingernails are a little bit useful, right?¡±

    Ventas smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling. ¡°You are too early on your Paths to dismiss what they may bring in the future. You¡¯ll just have to be patient.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Yeah, you already warned me that nothing great shows up until higher ability costs. But I have to form a second core once my first clears the twentieth threshold, don¡¯t I? It looks like I¡¯ll be going into my second core without having much insight into what abilities my different options will give.¡±

    James drained the last of his tea and reached for his sling, preparing to do a little bit of after lunch practice. ¡°Do you think that Bel should take Lempo¡¯s Path?¡± he asked, as he searched for small, slingable stones.

    Ventas tugged on his beard and hummed quietly. ¡°Well, I think that she should do as she feels.¡±

    He tapped his chest. ¡°My third core follows Lempo¡¯s Path, so I have some view of her abilities ¨C the ones that she grants me, at least. Lempo¡¯s gifts are powerful, but the power to change the world is rather expensive. Unlike your first core, which continues to grow even after you form more, your second core will only hold sixty ability strokes, which may not be enough to hold the strokes required to take advantage of Lempo¡¯s blessings.¡±

    Ventas smiled at Bel. ¡°But do not worry, child. Your affinity with a patron will make your core efficient at holding their abilities, so I assume that you will be quite blessed when you attune a core to your mother. I see nothing wrong with taking another Path for your second core though, if that is what you think will ease your future progress.¡±

    ¡°You have it so easy,¡± she sighed at her brother.

    He flicked a stone into the woods before turning to her. ¡°I have what now?¡±

    ¡°With your ability list. It makes your decisions simple.¡±

    James glanced at the pack that held the ability scroll. ¡°Well, I suppose that it is like having a strategy guide, but my core doesn¡¯t work with every ability like yours. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll get some OP abilities once you get past the early stuff.¡±

    James whirled his sling and tossed a rock at a distant tree. Bel nodded when she heard the thock of the stone against the distance wood. ¡°You¡¯re getting good at that.¡±

    James flashed her a thumbs up. ¡°Of course! You know, slings were better than most bows. I think that maybe I read somewhere that they even have longer range than most bows if you make them long enough.¡±

    Bel watched her brother pitch another missile into the woods. ¡°How about those gun things?¡±

    ¡°Uh, no, guns are OP,¡± he replied, bluntly.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± he reconsidered. ¡°I¡¯m not actually sure about those primitive things that they¡¯re using. I wonder if they learned how to make them by kidnapping someone else from Earth? Maybe that¡¯s what they planned for me, but then they realized that our technology had gotten too far ahead to copy after they stole my phone.¡±

    He scowled. ¡°Or maybe they were kidnapping so many of us that they hadn¡¯t gotten around to squeezing me for information yet.¡±

    Ventas grunted and nodded his head. ¡°That kind of callous mistreatment of the innocent sounds like them. The sooner we remove Technis¡¯ boot from the necks of Satrap¡¯s people, the better.¡±

    Bel snakes shrunk back in shame. ¡°I¡¯m sorry uncle, I don¡¯t think any of my abilities have anything to do with the Barrier. I¡¯m sorry for being useless.¡±

    Ventas quickly waved his hands at her. ¡°No, no, child, I was not complaining that you should be doing more. I am merely eager for the moment when we will be able to strike back. For now, let the delvers and the southern alliance do the fighting. You need only concentrate on growing stronger.¡±

    Ventas clasped a small, metal emblem that hung from his neck. ¡°Some day your path out of Technis¡¯ trap will become clear, I am sure of it.¡±

    Bel groaned in frustration. ¡°But I have no idea what my mother expects from me. What if there are some specific abilities that I¡¯m supposed to learn? What if they told me, but I just can¡¯t remember?¡±

    James patted the air, prompting Bel to calm herself. ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t supposed to use their abilities to get through the Barrier. Maybe you have them because you¡¯re family, and there is no hidden meaning behind them. Getting through the Barrier could be a completely separate thing.¡±

    Ventas nodded. ¡°Your brother speaks the truth. His experience with these ¡®tropes¡¯ and ¡®video games¡¯ bring him wisdom beyond his years.¡±

    Bel leaned back against a tree and thumped her head into it in frustration. Her snakes popped out of her cowl and hissed in her ears, letting her know that the behavior was unacceptable.

    She waved them off, unconcerned. She had grown accustomed to their antics in the past few weeks, enough to realize that she would feel it if she actually hurt them. Not only were they more durable than regular snakes, but her toughened integument ability also affected them. A little tree bumping wouldn¡¯t be an issue.

    Ventas looked up at the sky and squinted. Then he turned around and sniffed the air. A troubled look passed over his face and he tugged fretfully at his beard.

    ¡°Is something wrong, uncle?¡±

    ¡°There is a strange smell on the air,¡± he replied vaguely. He stood abruptly, clearly concerned by what he had sensed. ¡°You two stay here,¡± he instructed, ¡°I must check on something.¡±

    He was off before Bel or James could reply, bounding through the woods like a bird in flight.

    ¡°Damn, he¡¯s fast when he wants to be,¡± James marvelled.

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s pretty old,¡± Bel responded. ¡°Old people should be powerful, right?¡±

    James scoffed. ¡°Maybe in this world. Back on Earth, old people had to take it easy or they¡¯d break their bones.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes twisted with confusion. ¡°Why would their bones break? This sounds like you¡¯re teasing me again. You know, things are hard enough for me without you tricking me all the time.¡±

    James sent another rock zipping into the woods before turning back to her. ¡°You know, I think I¡¯m the one who has it rough here. At least you¡¯ve got a doting uncle in this town, I don¡¯t have anyone looking out for me.¡±

    Bel already knew where this was going and quickly moved to intercept the thread of the conversation. ¡°Yes, there aren¡¯t any single girls your age left in the town. It¡¯s very unfair. No, I don¡¯t care.¡±

    James turned to her with a hurt expression. ¡°Bel, why do¨C¡±

    He was interrupted by a crashing sound. They quickly glanced at the rift before realizing that the sound had come from the woods in the opposite direction.

    Bel tugged her short sword free of its sheath while James loaded another rock into his sling. A moment later a young man with brown hair and a scant beard hurled himself through the woods and into the clearing.

    He paused for a few second to gasp for breath before locking eyes with them. He was covered in sweat and pine needles, and his eyes were wide with panic. He stared at Bel¡¯s agitated snakes for a moment before shaking his head and looking her in the eyes. ¡°Enforcers,¡± he shouted. ¡°Maybe an inquisitor! You two need to run!¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 18 â€“ Dashing Through the Woods

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel felt a tingle of fear jump down her spine at the mention of one of Technis¡¯ inquisitors. She didn¡¯t want to run, but Beth had taught her to be always ready ¨C all of her stuff, which was just a change of clothes, was in a single bag that she brought with her every day. She grabbed it quickly and tossed James¡¯ over to him.

    She hesitated though, suddenly remembering Ventas and the village.

    ¡°Wait, what about Ventas?¡± she asked the agitated stranger. ¡°He was just¨C¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time,¡± the man responded angrily, waving her forward. Bel balked, but the stranger shook his head harshly. ¡°He told me to get you two out of here, before Technis¡¯ forces arrive. We can¡¯t stand around arguing about it!¡±

    He whipped his head back and forth, sending his hair flying as he looked around the woods with wild eyes. ¡°Come, hurry! They could arrive at any moment!¡±

    Bel looked at her brother, but he was just as lost as she was. She swallowed back the familiar and bitter feeling of helplessness. She didn¡¯t have a choice.

    She shoved her snakes under her cowl and tugged on her brother¡¯s sleeve to pull him forward as she rushed after the man. He barely waited, immediately setting a fast pace once he saw them taking their first step. Bel blinked pine needles out of eyes as her face smashed through the low-hanging branches, but she ignored her discomfort and focused on their guide¡¯s feet. Wildlife screeched in protest as they barreled through the once peaceful woods.

    Bel was much more fit and dextrous than she used to be, gracefully leaping over roots and rocks as they traversed the thickening forest, but now James was the one who struggled to keep up. As they burst into a small clearing of wildflowers, Bel looked back to check on her brother. She was surprised to see him lagging behind. His face was red with exertion and Bel belatedly remembered that her brother hadn¡¯t been able to take the improved lung capacity ability.

    James was more fit and well-rested than he¡¯d been in the caves, and he¡¯d been recovering well from his operation, but the run and obstacle course ¨C they had just leaped over a small stream before plunging back into the forest ¨C was too much for him. Leaves and branches slapped at them as they rushed past, as though the forest was trying to drag them apart, so Bel slowed down so she could keep a firm grip on James arm, pulling him forward. She refused to be caught by Technis¡¯ people, but she also refused to let them take her brother.

    The young man would have left them behind for certain if he didn¡¯t slow to a jog from time to time to give Bel and James time to catch up. Even so, it didn¡¯t take long before James was barely stumbling forward and wheezing like an old miner.

    ¡°Slow down,¡± Bel shouted, but their guide only responded with a look of irritation.

    Once it became clear that Bel wasn¡¯t going to drop her brother, the man did eventually slow. His face pinched with frustration as he rushed back to them. ¡°What are you doing? We must hurry, there¡¯s no time to rest!¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t move any faster,¡± Bel bit out. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Is Clearbrook under attack?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the man snapped. ¡°We need to run.¡±

    ¡°Run where?¡± Bel resisted. ¡°Why just us? Where¡¯s everyone else? Where is Priest Ventas?¡±

    James pointed at Bel and nodded, too winded to add his own thoughts.

    The stranger scoffed. Rather than responding to her questions, he stepped forward and grabbed Bel by the wrist. He tugged as if he planned to drag her through the woods, despite her resistance. She hadn¡¯t noticed before, but he was rather well-muscled for a farmer ¨C and also older than any of the young boys who had remained behind when the rest went out to war.

    Bel¡¯s snakes flicked through the air, suddenly wary.

    She recognized the look on the man¡¯s face ¨C it was one that she¡¯d seen many times on Technis¡¯ priests. It was a look that said he meant to do her harm.

    Bel balled up a fist and let him tug her forward so she could punch him in the gut. His face screwed up in discomfort, but he jerked her off-balance with a quick pivot and an underarm throw that sent her sprawling onto the ground.

    James reacted instantly, leaping upon the man and tackling him to the ground with his full weight. They hit the forest floor with a heavy thump, and the stranger was momentarily dazed when his skull collided with a rock. James didn¡¯t hesitate to press his advantage and slam his fist into the deceiver¡¯s face.

    Bel¡¯s arm stung where she had sliced it on a sharp rock during her fall, but she didn¡¯t let that slow her down. Her coagulation abilities staunched the bleeding before she even regained her feet.

    She drew her weapon as James lashed out; a right hook, a left, a right, and then the man writhed and bucked James off with superhuman strength. Bel slashed down at him with her short sword, but the man whipped his hand through the air to intercept her attack. A small armlet of twisted fiber uncoiled from his wrist and wrapped around her sword, and the man wrenched it out of her grasp in an instant.

    Bel did the only other thing that she could do: her snakes rose up, she stared into his eyes, and she glared. He twitched, not quite incapacitated, but distracted by her ability for as long as she could keep it going.

    Distracted didn¡¯t mean disabled though ¨C he was still able to take a step towards her and grab her by the wrists again. What he wasn¡¯t able to do was pay attention to his surroundings; James hit him in the back of his head with a solid swing of his fighting stick.

    Their attacker was tougher than a normal person had any right to be, but that was obviously because of some ability, not because he was invincible. Bel knelt and grabbed her short sword while James rained blows upon the man¡¯s head, keeping him on the ground. The man let out a feral snarl as his hand flashed out and caught James¡¯ stick in his hand, but Bel simultaneously lunged forward and shoved her weapon somewhere in the vicinity of his spleen.

    The man arched his back, flailing his arms to knock her away, but Bel quickly plunged her blade into him a few more times, unsure how much damage would be necessary to make his wounds fatal. James wrenched his weapon free and delivered a two-handed blow to the stranger¡¯s face, once again knocking him to the ground.

    Bel put her hands on the man¡¯s neck, waiting for his pulse to stop and ripping away the energy of his core the moment that she felt him slip away. She crossed a threshold ¨C the eighteenth of the twenty that would allow her to form a second core ¨C but this was no time to celebrate.

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    She and James stepped back from the corpse, morosely watching as a thick, red pool of blood formed beneath the dead man and was slowly absorbed into the hungry soil. The smell of sweat, blood, and death hung thick in the air, overpowering the sweet, woody scent of the forest.

    ¡°Well, damn!¡± a voice called from behind them, ¡°I thought we were done with the excitement after getting the jump on those other losers, but you three were hilarious!¡±

    Bel spun to see a very¡­ well, Bel didn¡¯t want to be judgemental, especially given her own circumstances, but the person was ugly. And laughing at them.

    ¡°The looks of panic on your faces! Stars above!¡± The woman¡¯s nose ¨C a snout really ¨C twitched. As she laughed at them, Bel wondered if the woman was actually human; her nose was definitely at the end of a dark snout, her eyes were sunken back into her head, her mouth was distressingly broad, and her ears were just little nibs on the side of her head.

    Her lower lip didn¡¯t reach out far enough to meet her overlong snout, and when she laughed she revealed sharp, pointy incisors that didn¡¯t belong to any human Bel had ever met. Her dark, nearly black lips were also surrounded by whiskers and every part of her exposed body was covered in hair so thick that Bel would have almost called it fur.

    Bel was just getting over her surprise when a second, masculine voice spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in those snakes.¡±

    Bel patted her head in alarm. With all of the panic she had forgotten to properly cover herself, and now she was revealing that she wasn¡¯t human to a bunch of strangers.

    Although I¡¯m beginning to think that they aren¡¯t human either.

    She spun slowly to take in the group who had formed a semicircle around her and James. To the right of the woman with the teeth was the man who had just spoken: a tall, slightly more human-looking man with dark hair and a neatly trimmed mustache that sat like a mantelpiece over his blocky jawline. Bel thought that his proper grooming and well-maintained clothes wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place on one of the richer citizens of Baytown, but the gray tail sticking out behind him would have caused some alarm. His bright, yellow eyes were somewhat disconcerting as well.

    To the mustached man¡¯s other side loomed a gigantic, hairy man who was, ironically, clean-shaven, with a face so hard and sharp-edged it looked like it could cut. There were other things to observe about him, but for several heartbeats Bel could only focus upon his incredible body hair. He was, in fact, so hairy that she had at first thought that his shirt was weirdly threadbare around his nipples. But no, he was both extremely hairy and very shirtless. Thankfully he had a loose shendyt skirt wrapped around his lower body, so he wasn¡¯t completely naked. Bel wondered if his hair was so prodigious that pants simply refused to fit around them.

    She turned to the last person, a blonde-scaled woman who was busy waving two bent metal rods from side to side as she critically examined them. Rather than being scaled like a snake, she had overlapping plates of what looked like large fingernails growing out from her skin. They covered the top of her head, trailed down her back, and, Bel presumed, straight through to the broad tail that was slowly waving from side to side in what Bel decided was excitement.

    The scaled woman quickly approached Bel and James with her strange tools before slowly circling around the pair.

    ¡°Hey,¡± James growled, brandishing his fighting stick, ¡°keep your distance.¡± The woman nodded absently, but continued with her odd examination. James turned his attention to the original speaker.

    ¡°Who are you people? And what do you want with us?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Who are we?¡± repeated the well-dressed one. ¡°Perhaps I will answer that in a moment.¡±

    He turned to the scaled woman and cleared his throat. ¡°Well, Crystal?¡±

    The woman grunted in response, staring intently at the young gorgon as she waved her tools around.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer my question now?¡± demanded James.

    The toothy one scoffed. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just shut you up now instead?¡±

    ¡°Relax, Rikja. Let Crystal do her work.¡±

    The first one, apparently named Rikja, tossed a rock at the scaled woman, finally breaking her out of her state of concentration.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Crystal exclaimed. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s definitely the snakey one! Can¡¯t tell how much, these things are quite finicky. Definitely her though.¡± Crystal waved her rod-like tools around, and they remained pointing in Bel¡¯s direction. Crystal grinned with triumph. Other than her scales and her slightly curved nails, Crystal looked like a regular human with eye-catching hazel eyes, unblemished skin, and a brilliant smile. Her looks were a sharp contrast with Rikja and the others, who¡¯s inhuman faces Bel found unsettling.

    ¡°Told you I could do it,¡± Crystal proclaimed proudly.

    Rikja clacked her teeth in response, but the yellow-eyed man was immediately pleased. A huge grin split his face, making his mustache quiver with excitement and revealing his sharp canines. His eyes never left Bel¡¯s face. She found his actions more than a little creepy.

    ¡°Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! You two simply must join us,¡± he declared.

    ¡°No,¡± Bel replied immediately.

    ¡°Yeah, why would we go with you?¡± James added.

    The man laughed, but in a forced way. ¡°Forgive my excitement. I should have introduced myself first ¨C my name is Nebamon, and these are my compatriots. We are from the Righteous Memory of Truth, a group who fights against Technis¡¯ tyranny.¡±

    ¡°A suspicious group that we¡¯ve never heard of? I don¡¯t think so,¡± James quipped.

    ¡°You do realize that we just saved you from an ambush, right? You barely held out against one of them, but there was an entire group of Technis¡¯ enforcers waiting for you.¡±

    Nebamon gestured at Bel. ¡°You must know that Technis frowns upon non-humans here in Satrap.¡± He pointed at the members of his own group. ¡°As you can see, we don¡¯t have that same prejudice. Come with us and you¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m okay,¡± Bel replied stiffly. What she really wanted was to return to Clearbrook and Ventas. She had decided that if the town and its people were truly in danger then she had a responsibility to help.

    She looked at the other members of the strange group, but none of them showed any sympathy. Rikja¡¯s sneer indicated that she held actual malice towards them, while the other two seemed indifferent.

    James tensed beside her; the strange group immediately shifted their stances in response. Bel thought that they were about to come to blows, but then the mustached man made a slight gesture with his hands and the other two relaxed. Crystal hadn¡¯t noticed the tension. Instead, she continued messing with her tools, slowly drawing closer as she muttered to herself. Bel¡¯s snakes eyed the woman warily as she drifted to the gorgon¡¯s side.

    ¡°Let me be honest,¡± the man started, ¡°we are a small and persecuted group here in Satrap. If you were to go out and get captured by Technis¡¯ forces ¨C which seems quite likely to me ¨C then they could torture you for information about us.¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t know anything about you,¡± James replied with exasperation.

    ¡°Ah, but they would think that you did, and wouldn¡¯t hesitate to stoop to torture to squeeze the smallest drops out of you. Even just knowing our numbers and location is a risk, and not just for us, but for all of the people that we work to protect.¡±

    The man fixed his eyes on Bel once again, his eyebrows curving in a show of false emotion. ¡°Please come with us. We only want to get people like you away from Technis. And if there are more of you, we would be glad to help them as well.¡±

    Bel had seen Beth scam enough guards to know that his only intention was to convince her to go with them.

    ¡°Hey,¡± James said in English, ¡°these guys are crazy sus. There¡¯s no way they aren¡¯t some shady secret society or something, striking out when everyone else is busy with war. Hell, for all we know these guys are pulling strings on both sides.¡±

    ¡°I think we know who orchestrated the war,¡± Bel replied dryly, ¡°and it wasn¡¯t some weirdos running around in the woods. I don¡¯t want to go with them either, but do you think we can actually fight all of them?¡±

    Crystal suddenly poked James in the gut. ¡°Hey, what language is that? Sounds like someone took Satrapian, shoved it in a box with a few extra consonants, shook it up, and dumped it out again.¡±

    James glared at the intrusive woman, but then switched to a more thoughtful expression. ¡°It¡¯s a delving tongue,¡± he lied. ¡°Popular in some parts of the Labyrinthos.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± The woman looked James up and down. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a delver.¡±

    He gestured at the rift. ¡°We¡¯re apprentices, practicing by camping this rift.¡±

    ¡°Oh for Ravager¡¯s sake,¡± cursed Rikja.

    She summoned a small orb of shimmering flames above her hands. ¡°Stop flirting and just come with us if you want to live.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 19 â€“ Helpless

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel¡¯s pulse thumped in her ears as she stared intently at the glowing orb of fire. It surged eagerly over the open hand of the aggressive, snout-faced woman like a hunting bird straining at its tether.

    ¡°Are you threatening us?¡± James challenged.

    The woman snorted, sending her long snout twitching and tilted her chin towards the woods. ¡°No asshole, they are.¡±

    Bel and James turned to see where she was indicating, back in the direction of the clearing that they¡¯d just run through. She could see a group of people closing in quickly, all dressed in the dark robes of Technis¡¯ enforcers. Bel stepped back in alarm as she imagined the murderous intent in their eyes.

    Bel froze, filled with the desperate need to act but overwhelmed with uncertainty. She wanted to return to Clearbrook and check on Ventas and the townsfolk, but now she was trapped, like a prawn squeezed between a crab¡¯s claws. Ventas and the town may have been in trouble, but now she and her brother were powerless to help; they¡¯d be lucky to escape this encounter with their lives.

    Even as she watched, one of the enforcers reached into their sleeve and flicked their arm forward. The air seemed to shriek in protest as a small throwing dart flew towards them, closing the hundred stride distance in an eye blink.

    Bel barely had time to flinch before the attack was intercepted by the well-dressed man. With the snap of his cloak he had moved in front of Bel and deflected the missile with a straight, double-edged sword. The riposte had been so fast that Bel hadn¡¯t been able to track his movement.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± James cried. Bel held up her short sword helplessly as the half-dozen enforcers split up and leaped through the trees and underbrush, moving to surround them like a school of hunting whales. The throwing man hurtled small spikes of steel with the force and volume of rain in a summer squall. Bel expected that they would be overwhelmed by the blurring barbs, but the mustached stranger with the yellow eyes ¨C Nebamon ¨C wove his own impossible blur of metal, intercepting every missile aimed at them.

    Rikja stepped forward, but remained behind Nebamon¡¯s protective sword. The air distorted around her hands as she lifted them into the air, and a moment later she threw a skull-sized incandescent ball of heat at the dart-thrower. The orb hissed and spat as it covered the distance, but its intended victim was saved by a large man who erected a shimmering blue barrier in front of the fireball. The ball flattened along the surface before splashing back to singe the surrounding underbrush, leaving the enforcers unharmed.

    Bel had seen enough. She grabbed her brother¡¯s hand and pulled him away from the conflict. They shoved past Crystal, who was busy assembling some long, metallic pole. They only made it another few steps before the large, hairy man caught them with a massive flex of his arms. Bel felt as though she was being squeezed by the sea itself and she was practically drowning in chest hair.

    Her snakes flailed and she kicked frantically as she was lifted up and deposited back on the ground next to Crystal.

    ¡°Stay,¡± the hairy man commanded, before turning back to the fight.

    Bel nodded weakly.

    ¡°His hair¡­¡± James groaned.

    Bel looked up to see that four of the enforcers had taken to jumping through the trees, faster than a flock of falcons, to avoid the fireballs and metal spikes that filled the air at ground level. Two of them dropped to the ground a few strides from Nebamon¡¯s group while the other two stayed in the trees, creating a three dimensional pincer attack.

    When they landed, Crystal stepped forward and gestured with her metal stick. As if it had been waiting for her command, a curtain of dirt rose up, momentarily interrupting the continual onslaught of projectiles from the still-distant enforcer.

    The two new arrivals leaped forward and Bel belatedly raised her sword, prepared to fight. Before she or the enforcers could reach one another, Nebamon took advantage of the sudden lull in missiles to prance forward and meet his adversaries. Before Bel had finished lifting her sword to the ready, he had already beheaded one of the attackers and had literally disarmed the other.

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    While Nebamon silenced his screaming victim, the two enforcers still in the tree paused, obviously caught off guard by the strength of their opponents. That made them easy targets for the hairy man, who swung his fist into a nearby tree, shattering the trunk into a cloud of tiny splinters. With an open hand, he slapped the thirty stride tall trunk, spinning it straight at the tree-bound enforcers. One man dove from his perch onto a lower branch and dove under the oncoming tree, while the second one frantically jumped to a distant branch clear of the destruction. The impressive acrobatics left the man too distracted to dodge the ball of fire that sent his body spinning through the air. The heat of the flames turned him into a charred corpse before he hit the ground.

    Bel gagged at the smell of cooking flesh, and she pulled her cloak over her nose.

    How strong are these people? They¡¯re making the enforcers look as slow at tortoises and as weak as butterflies!

    The surviving treetop enforcer lunged forward with his sword, apparently determined to take someone down with him, but his blade was caught in the hairy man¡¯s enormous hand. Without the slightest bit of effort or indication of pain, he clenched his fist and shattered the sword. The enforcer¡¯s expression told Bel that he didn¡¯t believe what was happening. Those were his last thoughts: before he could move, the hairy man¡¯s other hand shot forward, removing the enforcer¡¯s face from his head with a devastating slap.

    The wall of dirt finally turned into a shower of soil under the barrage of the projective throwing enforcer, but of the initial group of six only the dart thrower, and his guardian with the blue barriers remained.

    Bel¡¯s eyes whipped back and forth in a desperate attempt to follow all of the action. The air smelled of sawdust and charred flesh, and, save for the sounds of metal upon metal, the forest had gone silent. Despite doing nothing, she was soaked in sweat. A chill travelled down her back as she looked at the corpses strewn over the ground.

    She was absolutely terrified: her snakes writhed and her breaths were shallow and weak. Bel had always thought that no one could be as scary as Beth, but each of Nebamon¡¯s group was making her wonder if she misunderstood the world on a fundamental level.

    ¡°Got ¡¯em!¡± shouted the scaled woman. Bel¡¯s wide eyed whipped to her, wondering what terrifying ability she would display next. She watched in confused anticipation as the woman waved a second, longer metal rod around in the air for a moment before jabbing it into the ground in front of her.

    Nothing happened, at least at first; the only sounds and movement came from Nebamon as he deflected a few more darts and Rikja¡¯s fire orbs as they hissed and splattered against the enforcer¡¯s barrier.

    Then the ground rumbled ominously. The dirt to either side of the remaining pair of enforcers swelled like the sea, dipped down, and then rose up like a tidal wave of dirt. The enforcers had a moment to widen their eyes in horror before the ground crashed over them The enforcer¡¯s barrier shattered under the sudden mass after the slightest moment of resistance. The pair disappeared below the surface of churned soil, leaving the world momentarily quiet.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± James whispered hoarsely. ¡°These people are¨C¡±

    He froze when he saw the well-dressed Nebamon lock his yellow eyes onto them. He smiled like a shark, and Bel forced a lump down her throat.

    At least we weren¡¯t caught by the enforcers, right?

    With a flourish, Nebamon flicked a few specks from his weapon and returned it to its sheath at his hip. ¡°Rikja, Ken, drain their essence.¡±

    He twisted the tip of his mustache thoughtfully as he looked Bel and James over. ¡°Allow me to reintroduce my group. We are members of a virtuous group that we call the Righteous Memory of Truth.¡±

    He paused for a moment as though he was waiting for a reaction.

    Does he want us to praise him? It¡¯s a terrible name, Bel thought.

    Disappointed by their silence, the man finally continued. ¡°I am Nebamon, group captain.¡±

    He gestured to Rikja. ¡°Rikja, our fire mage.¡±

    ¡°Ken, a natural warrior. Not much for talking.¡±

    The hairy man lifted his chin and grunted.

    ¡°And finally, Crystal. She is an expert on¡­¡±

    He looked at her for a moment, as if he was deciding what to say. ¡°¡­well, on a variety of topics.¡±

    Crystal had just unscrewed her rod into two pieces. She nodded eagerly as she shoved the halves into a small leather holster at her hip. ¡°Hi! Hey, before we were interrupted I was asking about¨C¡±

    ¡°Later,¡± Nebamon commanded. He turned back to the siblings and smiled. ¡°Now, I would like to once again invite you to join us. I hope that this,¡± he gestured to the death around them, ¡°will help you to realize how much we have to offer.¡±

    Bel shared a look with her brother. They really didn¡¯t have a choice. Better to go willingly than to be dragged ¨C and Bel didn¡¯t doubt for a moment that Ken could drag the both of them for days without tiring.

    She smiled weakly as her snakes coiled defensively around her head. ¡°You make a pretty good argument. Going with you seems like a great idea.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± the man replied. He twirled his mustache in delight, and his tail wagged slowly behind him.

    </section>

    </section>

 Interlude 2 â€“ Clark

    ¡°Inquisitor! We¡¯ve found the extraction group!¡±

    Inquisitor Clark turned his head to look at the breathless soldier. The man ¨C a boy really, as Clark hadn¡¯t wanted to borrow someone important from the fighting ¨C had obviously run straight through a field and was covered in bits of grain and other debris. Clark had borrowed him as a personal servant, but at this point he was wondering if he would have been better of by himself. Perhaps if he hadn¡¯t wasted the time and rushed to the town directly he would have arrived in time to prevent the embarrassing outcome.

    The boy finally caught his breath and drew up in front of Clark. He did his best to straighten his back and salute, placing a open hand over a closed fist to form the symbol of Technis. He was nervous, but Clark was used to that. Everyone was a little bit nervous in front of an inquisitor, especially when they were furious. Even so, Clark wished that the boy would skip the pageantry and just get on with it.

    The boy gulped in fear as Clark glared at him, but he finally found his courage and voice.

    ¡°They¡¯re all dead sir.¡± He deflated as the words passed his lips, his spine curving as he hunched like a servant expecting a blow.

    A pointless gesture. Clark wouldn¡¯t hit a messenger for delivering bad news. His ire had to be directed elsewhere to have results. It wouldn¡¯t do to vent it upon the blameless.

    ¡°Show me,¡± he rasped.

    Clark followed the cowering boy at a sedate pace, not too slow, but not rushing either. The little collection of farms ¨C Clearbrook or some other maudlin name ¨C was still being sacked by the conscripted soldiers while Clark¡¯s remaining enforcers were busy rounding up any remaining inhabitants who had happened to survive the overzealous assault.

    His lips pressed together when he saw that the majority of the villagers had simply been killed and their houses burned. He enjoyed the sight of the burning temple, of course, but it could have been torched after he had conducted a proper search. The inefficiency of it galled him, like a swarm of wasps chewing on his arm.

    ¡°They¡¯re right up ahead sir.¡± The young soldier stepped to the side and saluted again, clearly hoping for Clark to go ahead without him so he could avoid any emotional outbursts.

    ¡°Follow along, boy,¡± Clark commanded.

    The first casualties were still being excavated from a tomb of stone and soil. Some kind of ground manipulation ability, but not an uncommon one in a delving team. Rather powerful though, given that it struck such a wide area and at such a great distance from the rest of the fighting.

    ¡°The rest are all ahead?¡± he probed a sweating solder.

    ¡°No sir, just the reinforcements.¡± The soldier hesitated, his eyes dilating slightly in fear as he looked at Clark¡¯s face. He dropped his gaze to Clark¡¯s weathered hands and continued, allowing the sweat on his brow to go dripping down his face. ¡°The original extraction team is another few hundred strides away¡±

    Clark moved slowly through the woods, poking the ground and moving underbrush with his cane on the idle chance that there was something interesting hidden out of sight. The original extraction team had been eliminated a good distance away from this fight, as if the ambushers themselves had been ambushed long before the reinforcements arrived. He wanted to know where this new group had come from and why they had come here. He wouldn¡¯t believe that a group of skilled fighters had shown up by sheer ill-luck.

    Clark knelt, moving slowly as his ancient body creaked from the uncommon movement. The rock in front of him had a line of blood ¨C not unsurprising considering the amount of carnage in the vicinity. But, unlike the rest of the innards strewn about, this blood appeared different to his senses. He activated a variety of abilities as he analyzed the dried fluid.

    Lempo¡¯s child.

    ¡°Inquisitor Clark!¡±

    Clark smoothed his expression before he looked up at the approaching captain.

    ¡°Captain Murah,¡± he greeted. ¡°The priest?¡±

    ¡°On the run. I¡¯m sure my men will catch him,¡± Murah harrumphed confidently.

    Clark stared at the man, wondering if he was an idiot, or just lazy.

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    ¡°Your men have been slaughtered by an unknown foe, and you have left pursuit of a powerful priest of an enemy goddess to your underlings?¡±

    ¡°Well, er¡­¡± Murah stammered. ¡°Well, I have to stay with the rest of my forces. We had to finish searching the town.¡±

    Clark glanced at the walking corpse. His soldiers had formed behind their captain¡¯s, like fattened lizards warily eyeing a circling bird of prey. Clark frowned at the bulging from their suspiciously overflowing money pouches. He suspected that the burning was merely cover for their unrestrained looting.

    ¡°And what have you found?¡± he rasped.

    ¡°Ah, not much. A few idols to banned deities. The owners have already been dealt with and the cursed items burned.¡±

    Clark tapped his staff on the ground. Slowly, loudly, and long enough to make everyone aware that the captain had gained his displeasure.

    Then he swung his staff at the man¡¯s head.

    The captain was ready ¨C so he wasn¡¯t an idiot after all ¨C but the blue barrier that he erected shattered under the force of Clark¡¯s blow. All that the barrier accomplished was to slow his magically strengthened staff enough so that some of the gore from the captain¡¯s insides still stuck to it.

    Clark handed the weapon to his borrowed servant. ¡°Clean this,¡± he instructed.

    He looked at the rest of the captain¡¯s enforcers, who were busy trying to catch butterflies with their gaping mouths.

    ¡°You have failed to secure the targets,¡± Clark lectured.

    ¡°You have failed to capture and kill the rabble-rousing priest who was known to live here. You have lost members of your company to unknown assailants and then burned down the only possible evidence of their identities,¡± he continued.

    Clark reached his hand back to accept his cleaned staff. He took a threatening step towards the assembled enforcers. Some of them flinched and a few of them took an involuntary step back.

    None of them ran though. Good, he thought, they may be salvageable.

    ¡°And finally, as if your previous failures were not enough, you have stolen from Technis himself, robbing your god of his people when you slaughtered them.¡±

    Perhaps sensing an imminent bloodbath if they offered no objections, one of the enforcers, a woman with short-cropped hair, stepped forward. Blood was smeared on the blue sash at her waist and a satchel at her side sway from the weight of ill-gotten goods. Her eyes shifted to the corpse of her former captain briefly before she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Inquisitor Clark, forgive my impertinence, but the people living in this town were heretics. They deserved punishment.¡±

    Clark narrowed his eyes and glared at the woman. ¡°So you determined that there was nothing they could offer to Technis? Not even as hostages to hasten the capitulation of their husbands ¨C husbands who will, once they hear of this, fight us until their dying breaths?¡±

    He slammed his staff into the ground. ¡°Not to mention their weekly contributions! Do you know how much essence is denied our cause by killing a single person? Not just that, but you have denied Technis the essence of their children, and of their children¡¯s children, and so on.¡±

    Clark shook his head with disapproval, although part of this was theatrics. His first instinct would have also been to simply kill the nonbelievers, but one of the concepts they had learned from their captured Otherworlders was economics.

    Sacking a town lead to a large, one time infusion of capital into Technis¡¯ coffers. However, afterwards the town would yield nothing: no essence, no crops, and no coin. Exponential growth ¨C a mathematical concept as powerful and dangerous as any weapon ¨C declared that the future value of a town left in peace was nearly immeasurable.

    ¡°Enforcer, do you know how much essence is lost with the death of 100 people?¡±

    The woman¡¯s mouth went slack. ¡°Uh¡­ no, sir.¡±

    ¡°Calculate it. And then calculate the loss of their ¨C how many children does a woman bear? No matter, choose some number, five, and calculate how much essence has been lost in the next generation. Repeat this for five generations.¡±

    The enforcers stared at him blankly.

    ¡°Do it now!¡± he shouted.

    He snorted as they scrambled about, like ants splashed with vinegar.

    Of course Clark didn¡¯t care a whit for the people here. The great majority of the people within Satrap were worthless. However, the true believers would be leaving Satrap, bound for greater things, and they had to be prepared.

    Ruling an entire world would spread the enforcers thin. Forceful reprisals, like the one in this town, were a potential solution to their weak presence, but not a good one. Too much violence would ruin the potential bounty of their new land. Satrap was a training ground for military tactics and disciple, yes, but also for diplomacy and effective governance. These soldiers would have to take that to heart if they were to become effective governors and judges one day, representing Technis¡¯ will across the land.

    Laboriously calculating the costs of their actions would hopefully drive that point home.

    Now, what to do about Lempo¡¯s child? The otherworld boy would be with her. We originally planned for him to join with the Points so that we could test ourselves against modern military strategy, but it seems that things have diverged.

    Clark tapped his fingers against his staff as he considered his options.

    He looked back down at the bit of gorgon blood on the ground, surrounded by so many other traces of violence. Surrounded by¡­ hair?

    Clark knelt down again and pinched a small number of black strands between his fingers. He stared at them suspiciously and then searched the ground, crawling like a spider in search of prey.

    Here is another bit ¨C but this is a different color.

    He wrinkled his nose and sniffed. They didn¡¯t smell like animals, or at least no animal he recognized from Satrap.

    And this¡­ a giant fingernail? A large scale?

    He stood slowly, his bones and joints popping as he moved. His eyes dilated. His nostrils flared. His teeth ground.

    ¡°Outsiders,¡± he spat.

    ¡°Boy,¡± he hissed, turning back to his servant, ¡°carry a message back to camp. Tell them to summon a purging squad from the High Temple with all possible haste.¡±

    The boy¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there boy, run! Run as if I am breathing down your neck the entire way!¡±

 Chapter 20 â€“ Hot-Blooded Hatred

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°Ah, what a beautiful day!¡±

    Bel¡¯s jaw tightened as she looked at Nebamon. Her snakes wriggled while she did her best to suppress the impotent feelings of rage that surged at the insufferable man¡¯s constant fake cheer.

    Nebamon simply twirled his mustache in her direction and sauntered away, his tail wagging smugly. The act of antagonizing her seemed to be his only motivation, although she knew that there had to be more to the group of not-quite-humans than bad attitudes.

    She and James were prisoners in every practical sense of the word. Their complaints about the brutal pace set over the last dozen days were ignored, their belongings had been searched, their weapons taken, and Nebamon¡¯s group refused to say where they were going. They weren¡¯t even allowed to relieve themselves alone, a humiliating experience that their mustached captor insisted was only for their own safety.

    After killing the enforcer that lead them away, Bel had reached twenty free strokes. She¡¯d hoped that one of the abilities now within her reach would give her a chance at escape, but if the world worked on hopes and dreams then she wouldn¡¯t be in her current situation. Instead of something useful, the gorgon constellation yielded an ability that would grow sharp tusks from her face while Lempo offered a probably-fatal strength modifier and something that would deaden her mind to mental anguish. Shockingly, that made Dutcha¡¯s ability to chaotically ¨C but temporarily ¨C alter her body the best option for her, but unless she could grow wings, grab her brother, and fly away faster than the speed of a fireball it wouldn¡¯t get her out of their current situation.

    Basically, they were screwed, and some lame ability that she didn¡¯t even know how to use properly wasn¡¯t going to save them.

    The only bright spot was that Nebamon¡¯s group couldn¡¯t read Satrapian writing. James had convinced them that the scroll with the abilities Ventas recommended was a list of local herbs for cooking instead. That shook of interest from most of the group, but Crystal had spent the last day asking James to translate it.

    Bel felt a knot in her gut whenever she thought about Ventas. She had felt safe and happy with the kindly uncle. Beyond just feeding and clothing her, he¡¯d also been kind and patient and had taken the time to fully answer all of her nonsense question. She reached up a hand to rub at one of her earrings; they were possibly the only things she would have to remember the kindly priest.

    It started as a joke, but once they¡¯d been separated she realized that she had truly thought of the cheerful priest as family. She felt like throwing up when she realized that she¡¯d barely thanked him for for all the time and effort he put into helping them, and now she didn¡¯t even know if he had lived through whatever happened in Clearbrook. And then that reminded her of Beth.

    Why didn¡¯t we go looking for Beth? Why did we assume that she was fine? What if she¡¯s still down in the tunnels, slowly running out of food as she searches for us?

    ¡°You doing okay, Bel?¡± James asked in a hushed tone. His constant concern for her was almost getting on her nerves, but she knew that was just her frustration looking for an outlet. Her otherworldly brother was being nothing but helpful.

    He had even figured out a way to put his recently learned medical knowledge and abilities to use by administering some kind of weird pressure point therapy to their aching muscles at the end of every day. If it hadn¡¯t been for that, Bel doubted that she¡¯d be able to stand in the mornings.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± she replied. She put on a smile to make it more convincing.

    He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but his shaggy hair hanging over his face ruined the serious expression. She patted her brother on the head, tousling his shaggy red hair. ¡°You should do something about your hair.¡±

    Beth was gone, Ventas was gone, and Bel couldn¡¯t help fearing that James would be taken from her as well. She absently smoothed out some of the errant strands of his free flowing mane while he tried to duck out of her reach. She took in his general appearance as he shoved his hair back into disarray. ¡°You should really shave too,¡± she chided him. ¡°The women will take one look at this and run away.¡±

    James¡¯ formerly clean-shaven face was forming a straggly beard. For all that she and Beth had criticized his obsession with shaving, Bel didn¡¯t like it. It was reminding her of Baytown¡¯s scraggly bearded sailors.

    James ran a hand through his hair and tilted his chin towards the sky. ¡°Some women like a wild man,¡± he proclaimed with a slight grin. Bel snickered at his mock confidence, but scowled when he held out a tiny brush to her. Somehow he¡¯d managed to hold on to his toothbrushes ¨C apparently Nebamon didn¡¯t recognize how terrifying the tiny instruments could be.

    He shoved it into her hand. ¡°Speaking of personal grooming, you should really do something about your morning breath.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes curled away in disgust. James had somehow convinced Ventas to make them a pair of these tiny brushes as upgrades to his previous devices. As if that wasn¡¯t awful enough, he had also made a mouth tingling, gritty paste that he wanted her to use to rub her teeth. She would grudgingly admit that her brother had a good teeth, but Bel would rather find some mouth cleaning ability than shove the gritty stuff in her mouth.

    James stared at her, his green eyes unblinking. Bel could feel the pressure building up.

    ¡°Fine,¡± she relented, ¡°I¡¯ll brush my teeth.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡±

    James grabbed his torture paste and they began their strange ritual.

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± Crystal trumpeted, ¡°I have some more ¨C oh, hey, it¡¯s that tooth brushing thing you were telling me about.¡± She watched them for a fraction of a second before her hazel eyes widened with excitement and she made a grabbing motion with her hands. ¡°Hey, can I try it out after you?¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    Other than the occasional verbal barb, their other captors mostly ignored them. Crystal was the opposite, always distressingly interested in whatever they were doing. At first she had just pestered Bel with questions about her snakes, her interested persisting through several bites, but when she learned that James was the source of the strange new language and odd habits she began focusing on him as well.

    It wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if her brother hadn¡¯t encourage the behavior. Bel was disgusted whenever he flirted the bizarre woman. She wasn¡¯t even human! Bel had tried pointing to the scales that covered the back side of her body, but James had just called her biased and had claimed, without any sort of evidence, that getting along with their captors was the first step to escape.

    Bel turned her head away from Crystal, hiding her expression of distaste at both the tooth brushing and the woman herself.

    ¡°Mmmf,¡± James replied with enthusiasm, spraying small amounts of the paste out of his mouth.

    Bel elbowed him in the ribs.

    ¡°Hwat?¡± he yelped.

    She didn¡¯t reply until she spit out the gritty paste from her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t try it Crystal, this stuff is awful.¡±

    ¡°But you have such nice teeth! Let me see your teeth Bel.¡± The bizarre woman shifted directions like a hummingbird, her hands reaching out to grab Bel¡¯s face.

    Bel quickly smacked the offending digits. ¡°No. Absolutely not.¡±

    ¡°How about my teeth?¡± James offered, smiling wide.

    ¡°Eh, they¡¯re just human,¡± Crystal monotoned. ¡°I wanted to see if she has anything extra,¡± Crystal explained.

    Bel glared at James. Surely Crystal wouldn¡¯t be so bad if he didn¡¯t keep encouraging her.

    ¡°Wrap it up,¡± their local fire mage grumped. Rikja¡¯s beady eyes stared angrily at the three of them. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡±

    Rikja sneered before grabbing her own pack and stomping away. The fire mage had gotten even more hostile after James had asked if she was related to a rat. That had apparently struck a nerve, and the other-worlder had almost been burned to a crisp for suggesting it. Crystal and Nebamon had actually been forced to physically restrain the woman.

    Not wanting a repeat of that disaster, Bel quickly slipped her bag over her shoulder and put on her well-worn boots. Her body still wasn¡¯t adjusted to trudging up mountains, but augmented integument had stopped her from developing too many blisters.

    Her brother was pretty miserable though. She felt a sympathetic pang as he groaned and winced with every step. He tried to put on a brave face, saying that it gave him a good way to practice his healing every night. Seeing as it was morning and he was already complaining Bel surmised that his abilities weren¡¯t quite up to the task.

    ¡°Friends,¡± Nebamon called, ¡°we just need to ascend this ridge and then we¡¯ll be a day¡¯s walk from our home base. We do have a small outpost that¡¯s closer, but there¡¯s no reason to stop there.¡±

    ¡°Not unless we wanted to eat something other than bricks,¡± her brother mumbled.

    Bel sighed in agreement. Nebamon¡¯s group had been giving them some kind of compressed food when they rested. The taste was bland and she could barely break them with her teeth. It made Bel wonder if they all had jaw and tooth strengthening abilities.

    They trudged onwards in silence, the only conversation the occasional out-of-nowhere questions that Crystal came up with from time to time. Soon though, they were going up and down rocky footholds as they squeezed their way through cracks in the mountain. They were forced to walk single-file, making conversation nearly impossible. Bel preferred to keep her attention on her feet anyway; each drop was at least a few strides down onto hard rock. Not fatal, but certainly not healthy.

    As they moved through yet another narrow crack in the stone, Bel thought that she saw a flicker of movement from behind her. Before she knew what was happening, she slipped.

    ¡°Shit¨C¡±

    Her hands shot out to grab onto something, but her pack was suddenly heavier than she expected. She flailed helplessly as she tipped over backwards. Bel briefly saw Ken watching her as she spun, his gaze following her descent with all the compassion of a tree lizard.

    Bel¡¯s foot flailed as she fell, and when it finally found solid ground the force painfully twisted her ankle and she collapsed onto the rocky ground.

    She ¨C and her snakes ¨C hissed with pain and righteous fury as she tried to stand. Someone had definitely made her fall. She glared up at Ken, her teeth bared in fury, but he stared back with the same empty expression that he¡¯d worn as she fell.

    James and, oddly enough, Crystal cried out in concern, but Rikja blocked their path back. Somehow she¡¯d moved from leading the group to being in the middle of it when everyone else had been distracted.

    Nebamon was at her side in the blink of an eye, offering platitudes and empty words, but Bel didn¡¯t give him any attention. Ken wouldn¡¯t have hurt her without being told to do so, she was sure. But why? Wasn¡¯t she already their prisoner? Wasn¡¯t that good enough?

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to bring you to our outpost. You won¡¯t be able to make it to the main camp by nightfall. It is rather unfortunate,¡± Nebamon sighed.

    Bel just caught the end of his speech, and her eye twitched at his words. Somehow she became even more angry than she¡¯d already been, probably more angry than she¡¯d ever been before in her life, like a fire had finally caught in her soul and was burning her up from the inside. Her face burned as blood rushed to her cheeks and her hands felt hot and sweaty as they clenched into tight fists.

    ¡°Son of a whore,¡± she cursed, ¡°the shit comes from both your ends, doesn¡¯t it? Ken pulled me down and you know it.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Nebamon said, aghast. ¡°He would never!¡±

    ¡°You¨C¡± Bel started, but the mustached liar poked her in the throat. It didn¡¯t hurt, but his hand had moved so quickly that she couldn¡¯t even track it. Her anger was washed away in a cold wave of fear.

    ¡°Well,¡± he sniffed, ¡°since you and Ken do not seem to be getting along I shall send him ahead.¡±

    Nebamon turned to the hulking giant of a man. ¡°Ken, take the boy and continue to our main compound. Please let the Third Priest and Paladin Monroe know of our situation.¡±

    Ken nodded and turned to James. The red-head backed away and held out his arms to block the hairy brute. ¡°Whoah, hold on a moment, I have some basic healing abilities. I¡¯m sure I could prevent the swelling and stabilize her ankle if you¡¯d give me a moment.¡±

    Ken ignored everything that the young healer said. He advanced like a rockfall, grabbing onto James¡¯ pack as he strode past, literally dragging Bel¡¯s brother away from her.

    Bel stared after them, her heart hammering in her chest.

    Nebamon clapped his hands in front of her face, demanding her attention. ¡°Now then, it seems that you and the boy, although not truly related, have a close relationship, yes? He¡¯s an oddity, but we don¡¯t much care what happens to him. Good, bad ¨C it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±

    Bel could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Her lip quivered. She hated being helpless. To think, her entire life had been like this until Beth had broken her out of Technis¡¯ temple ¨C amazing how just a short taste of freedom made capture so distasteful.

    ¡°If you behave, perhaps I¡¯ll even forget about him,¡± Nebamon mused. ¡°You¡¯ll be coming with us either way, so why not make things easier on him?¡±

    Nebamon twisted his mustache as he looked at her. His eyebrows shut up, making his yellow eyes big and round. ¡°Well?¡±

    Bel nodded meekly.

    ¡°Say it,¡± the man demanded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come quietly,¡± she whispered. She felt like her soul was being squeezed from her body.

    Today. She would go quietly today. And tomorrow or some day after, she would slip a blade through his back. Her face darkened with her thoughts of revenge.

    Nebamon, on the other hand, beamed like the sun. ¡°Perfect! Rikja, get her up. Crystal, you¡¯ll prepare passage the moment it is possible.¡± He stood up, stretching out his back and sighing with contentment. His tail swayed back and forth, mocking the young gorgon.

    Bel suddenly understood her sister¡¯s quest for vengeance. She wanted this man to die.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 21 â€“ Not-Birds

    <section>

    <section>

    As she was being prodded through the woods, Bel discovered two things about her captors. First, they spoke a second language that she didn¡¯t recognize. Some vague comments about Satrap and the way that they talked about the Satrapian language made her think that they didn¡¯t actually have an outpost at all and were going to be taking her to the other side of the Barrier. If she squinted just right that was a good thing ¨C getting to the other side was supposed to be her goal.

    The second thing that she¡¯d learned was that her brother had been a little bit right about Crystal. Unlike the rest of Nebamon¡¯s group, the scaled woman was friendly enough to talk with her. The topics of conversation weren¡¯t great, but talking was preferable to silence and gave her something to keep her mind occupied.

    ¡°Come oooon,¡± the woman moaned, ¡°just tell me how you got to Satrap.¡± She leaned in close to whisper in Bel¡¯s ear. ¡°It¡¯ll be our little secret.¡±

    Bel leaned away in distaste. ¡°No thanks. Why would I even want to help you?¡±

    ¡°Knowledge,¡± the unhinged woman proclaimed. ¡°Otherwise it¡¯ll disappear with you.¡± She turned her sad eyes on Bel, as if the thought of her secrets disappearing would somehow change her mind.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not disappear at all,¡± Bel grumbled. She hugged herself tightly. The way Crystal had said ¡°disappear¡± sounded far too much like her true meaning was something worse.

    Crystal shrugged, her mood unburdened by her heavy words. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m more of an act first, consequences later kind of girl. And, in my defense, I thought you would be a bit more mindless.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°What? Why would I be mindless?¡±

    ¡°Most spirits are a little¡­¡± Crystal began, but then just shrugged and waggled her hand in the air. ¡°You know, unstable? Flighty? Barely coherent?¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Bel sighed. Although, thinking about it, that described some of Dutcha¡¯s behavior ¨C or at least the sampling of abilities that Bel saw through the spirit¡¯s constellation and the vague memories she retained from her ritual.

    Bel leaned closer to Crystal and whispered, ¡°why don¡¯t you just help me escape? Then you¡¯ll have all the time in the world to ask questions. And maybe I¡¯ll even give you some answers.¡±

    Crystal glanced around furtively, obviously afraid of the others overhearing. ¡°Don¡¯t get me in trouble,¡± she whispered back. She pointed one of her scaled hands at herself. ¡°I¡¯m just hired help. Me and my dowsing rods. Now that they¡¯ve got you, I¡¯m not strictly speaking necessary.¡±

    ¡°Oh really,¡± Bel hissed, ¡°it must be terrible to¨C¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with all this whispering,¡± Rikja interrupted. Her snout twitched in irritation as she glared at them. She skimmed back her lips in distate as she looked at Bel, showing off her inhuman collection of small, pointy teeth.

    Crystal waved a hand in Rikja¡¯s direction. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Rikja! We¡¯re just chatting about boring stuff.¡± Then the woman whispered, ¡°don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s all fiery temper and no bite.¡±

    The grumpy fire mage turned to the group¡¯s leader and shouted, ¡°hey boss, why don¡¯t we just gag her, truss her up, and carry her back? She¡¯s a bad influence on our group dynamic.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to carry her?¡± Nebamon asked.

    ¡°No, I want Ken to carry her. We shoulda just gotten rid of the boy,¡± Rikja complained.

    Nebamon looked at Bel for a moment, his yellow eyes examining her with all the compassion of someone examining an old shoe.

    ¡°I thought that the Third Priest would find the boy interesting,¡± he explained. ¡°Besides, Bel won¡¯t do anything unreasonable so long as he is safe, yes?¡±

    Bel didn¡¯t respond. She didn¡¯t want to give the insufferable man the satisfaction. Instead she stared into the forest, listening to the droning of insects and the light fluttering of wings from the local birds. She drank in the little tastes of freedom like a drowning woman gasping air.

    Actually, there was a lot of wing fluttering going on. Bel looked around and spotted a large flock of¡­ of something following them through the upper canopy. Her snakes perked up as she squinted, flicking out their tongues in agitation. The behavior was strange for foraging birds, if that¡¯s what they were. Then again, most birds didn¡¯t have two pairs of wings and long, blade-like beaks that glinted in the sun.

    Crystal had joined in her looking into the air and stared at the circling flock with interest. ¡°Are those native to the area? What do they eat? Their body shapes don¡¯t seem optimal to perch in trees.¡±

    Everyone in the group glanced up, but Rikja barely spared them a moment of her attention. ¡°Shit birds for a shit country. Who gives a shit?¡±

    ¡°Very articulate,¡± Nebamon chided her.

    ¡°It¡¯s this stupid language,¡± Rikja began. Then she ranted about something in her native tongue. Bel couldn¡¯t understand the words, but she¡¯d heard enough from the temperamental woman that she could guess the meaning.

    Bel turned her attention back to the birds. They weren¡¯t going anywhere, but were instead hopping from tree to tree, keeping pace with the group but not making any other moves.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna catch one,¡± Crystal declared, ¡°for research.¡±

    Nebamon looked up with concern, momentarily ignoring Rikja¡¯s continuing complaints. ¡°Crystal, I would¨C¡±

    Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a loud thump. Crystal had drawn one of her wands, charged it up, and fired off what looked like a twirling knot of bright metal. She hadn¡¯t taken a moment to aim her shot, but given the number of avian observers Bel didn¡¯t see how the woman could miss.

    And Bel was right; a moment later there was a puff of feathers and a dark object plummeted to the ground. Crystal gleefully ran to her catch, as eager as a duck to bread.

    She immediately began poking at it with a stick, making all sorts of strange noises as she mumbled to herself.

    Nebamon made his own strange noises before grabbing Bel by the elbow and dragging her after the scaled menace. ¡°Crystal,¡± he began, but then continued his scolding in another tongue.

    Bel took the opportunity to examine the bird. It was even stranger than she had expected, looking like the bodies of two separate creatures cut apart and joined together. The wings were dark, but she could see other colors where their surface had been scratched by Crystal¡¯s attack. It looked like the feathers had started life as pure white and then been dyed black. The beak was long and sharp and coated in metal. Bel couldn¡¯t imagine the razor sharp edge was biological. There were metal threads holding it onto the body as well.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she gasped, ¡°I know what these are.¡±

    Crystal, Nebamon, and Rikja looked at her and Bel realized that she¡¯d spoken out loud.

    Oops.

    ¡°Well?¡± Nebamon prompted.

    ¡°Technis¡¯ priests make things like this. They take different materials and animate them. They¡¯re good at that ¨C well, this and making barriers.¡±

    The group of four looked up into the trees. The not-birds looked back. An unnatural quiet had fallen over the forest after Crystal¡¯s attack.

    ¡°Maybe we should¨C¡±

    As if Bel¡¯s words were a trigger, all of the creatures dove, like rain of a thousand daggers. Bel immediately dove to the ground between the other three, happy to protect herself while they were in harm¡¯s way.

    A moment later she saw Crystal hitting the ground as well, curled into a ball and protecting her head by tucking it under her tail. Nebamon and Rikja cursed at her but were forced to go back to back to fend off their endless attackers.

    Soon they were too busy to yell at Crystal or Bel ¨C the birds weren¡¯t very big, and individually they weren¡¯t very dangerous, but they were moving so quickly and they were so numerous that Nebamon and Rikja had to keep all of their concentration on the next attack lest one of the unnatural terrors stab them with their artificial beaks.

    The grounds was quickly littered with malformed corpses. The air was filled with shouts and curses in the stranger¡¯s foreign tongue: music to Bel¡¯s ears. She saw an opportunity and immediately took it, quickly reaching out to the corpses to drain them of their essence while a whirling blade of death and concussive gouts of flame filled the air above her.

    The essence from the manufactured creatures felt thick and sickly, but she couldn¡¯t afford to be squeamish. Her efforts payed off in just a terror-filled minute as she broke through two more thresholds. That placed her at the peak of her current core. She had no idea what would happen when she chose a patron, but she could only pray to her mother that it would be good.

    Nebamon grabbed her arm and jerked her upright and Bel feared that he noticed what she¡¯d been doing. Bel hunched her back, preparing for punishment, but nothing came. She looked around in confusion before realizing that the harrowing encounter was already over; the entire flock of not-birds littered the ground around them.

    ¡°Where did these come from, girl?¡± Nebamon demanded.

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t call them,¡± Bel protested, ¡°I just recognize them. Technis¡¯ priests make stuff like this, not me.¡±

    Rikja kicked one of the small corpses, splitting it into two where it was stitched together. ¡°Don¡¯t give us any shit, girl, Technis¡¯ priests can¡¯t make life. Only the primordial gods can do that.¡±

    Bel shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not lying. They¡¯re really good at keeping parts of people and animals alive while they do stuff to them. They¡¯re not making life, they¡¯re just using the pieces of it as material.¡±

    Nebamon dropped her arm. ¡°How disgusting.¡±

    Crystal dragged herself up from the ground. ¡°They¡¯re kind of fascinating though, right? Can I study¨C¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Nebamon interjected. ¡°Rikja, keep an eye on the trees.¡±

    He glared at Bel and her snakes shrank back in fear. ¡°No more dawdling, girl.¡±

    ¡°But my ankle¨C¡±

    ¡°Lean on Crystal if you must, but we¡¯re rejoining our forces and leaving Satrap. If you refuse to put your limbs to use then I¡¯ll be forced to start removing them. It will make you a lighter burden to carry.¡±

    Bel flinched at the animosity in his eyes. She was absolutely going to die. She could only hope that her brother found a way to escape on his own.

    <hr>

    James stumbled slightly as Ken prodded him into a wooden paddock filled with other humans. The figures were a sorry group ¨C most sitting on logs or just lying in the dirt. They sullenly lifted their gazes when he entered, but after a few heartbeats, as if the effort was just too much for them, their heads drooped back down. Most of them were younger than him, but there were a few older people thrown into the mix. Many sported bruises and hollow, sunken eyes, and none of them look thrilled to be there.

    So apparently kidnapping is just what these guys do. Good to know.

    Not that learning about this group would do him any good. There wasn¡¯t anyone he could go to about it; no proper police, no guild of adventurers, no king granting people quests to rid the land of evil. In fact, Satrap wasn¡¯t anything like his expectations of another world. Instead, the entire continent within the Barrier was just crap.

    He had kept his spirits up when he¡¯d been locked in prison with Bel by making up stories about how one day they would escape and go on adventures. Even if Beth was clearly holding on to Bel for some ulterior purpose, it had almost felt as though they had gotten past the worst of things after the revenge-obsessed woman had rescued them.

    And now the real-world kicks me in the nuts. Again.

    James stumped over to a free spot on a log and sat down, weariness pulling him to the dirt even as the sky called him to the heavens. The planet itself was alien and amazing, even if the people were a letdown. From horizon to horizon ¨C or from one side of the Barrier to the other side of the Barrier ¨C a narrow arc of light filled the sky. It wasn¡¯t a cloud, but rings, a full set of fat, Saturn-like rings just sitting there above him.

    Of course the people here just called it the Blade of Heaven, shrugged their shoulders, and went on with their miserable existences. They did the same thing when the multiple moons swung overhead as well, bathing the night in lights of red or yellow or blue. The people could all go die in a ditch for all he cared. The rings were cool, the moons were cool, and magic was cool. If there was just some way to make all of the assholes go away, even Satrap would be cool.

    Maybe.

    Or maybe it was time for him to just grow up? He was probably going to be imprisoned here for¨C

    ¡°Pst, kid, let me tell you about the joys of this wonderful cult,¡± whispered a familiar voice.

    ¡°B-Beth!¡± he spluttered.

    Her sudden arrival jolted him of his inner monologue. She wore a ragged cloak, but underneath the hood he could see a familiar grin, the pearly whites of her teeth contrasting with her dark skin.

    He nearly shouted, but dialed down his volume at the last moment. ¡°Beth,¡± he hissed, ¡°what the hell are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the meet and greet crew.¡±

    He stared at her, his emotions so crowded that they¡¯d formed a traffic jam in his head.

    ¡°Yeah, I give everyone a drink, tell them all about the amenities, give ¡¯em a quick low down on the fancy new god these guys worship. Some doodle called the¡±Dark Ravager¡°, a real laid back sort of fellow who¡¯s down for kidnapping and exploitation.¡±

    James felt one of his eyes twitching.

    Beth punched him in the shoulder and laughed. ¡°Just kidding.¡±

    ¡°So what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Just spying,¡± she casually replied. ¡°Been hanging out for a few weeks, pretending to be a simpering waif, just checking the place out. I¡¯ve managed to steal back most of my stuff and stash it in the woods when they weren¡¯t looking. These guys are no joke though, just really gullible.¡±

    She looked him up and down quickly. ¡°How about you? It feels like you somehow got your core working. And where¡¯s your sister?¡±

    James stared at Beth for a moment. She was obviously using Bel for something, yes, but she had never mistreated them. And she was certainly better than this cult. ¡°These guys took her somewhere else ¨C a forward camp in the mountains, or something like that.¡±

    Beth nodded like she¡¯d expected that.

    ¡°Before we ran into these guys things were going well,¡± James continued. ¡°We met up with a priest of Lempo in a little village. He healed my core as a favor to Bel, and ¨C oh, yeah! ¨C it turns out that she¡¯s Lempo¡¯s daughter.¡± He fixed her with a heavy glare. ¡°You happen to know anything about that?¡±

    Beth shrugged and tried to look innocent.

    James snorted. ¡°Anyway, we heard that all of Lempo¡¯s priests were upset about it. They started working with the Points once she was freed. How about that.¡±

    ¡°The world¡¯s full of different types,¡± Beth replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s not even a good misdirection, Beth. You¡¯d better get a good story going before we find Bel.¡± James ran his hand through his overgrown red locks, and then scratched at his incoming beard with frustration.

    ¡°Anyway, things were going well until Technis¡¯ people attacked. Everything immediately went ass up.¡±

    James looked at the guards who were standing by the gates to the enclosure. ¡°Some of these guys showed up right afterwards and nabbed us. They seemed to be looking for Bel. Something tells me that you know why.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Actually, I don¡¯t. Never heard of these guys before I ran into them.¡±

    James rubbed at his beard again, making his jaw red and irritated. ¡°So how about you? How did you end up here rather than looking for us?¡±

    The dark-eyed woman cracked her neck. ¡°Ran into them when I left the Labyrinthos. They seemed to be kidnapping people. Knowing you and Bel, I thought that you would wander into their clutches eventually.¡±

    Beth gestured around at the people held like livestock. ¡°So I stayed here to see if you two would show up. And here you are! Like I¡¯ve always said, my plans are excellent.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 22 â€“ Battle to the Death

    <section>

    <section>

    Beth savored the shocked look on James¡¯ face for a long pause before bouncing back to her feet.

    She¡¯d been desperate to find Bel but had nothing better to do than wait. Until now. Now, finally, after wasting four weeks, she had something solid.

    The silly gorgon was a vital part of the Durak¡¯s quest, yes. More than that, Beth couldn¡¯t help but feel just a bit protective of the naive girl who she¡¯d pulled out of the bowels of Technis¡¯ High Temple.

    Waiting around for news, not knowing if Bel was alive¡­ it had been affecting her sleep.

    Now that James was here and she had news of their wayward sister it was time to leave. Beth wondered for a moment if James would go along with her plans. The Otherworlder had never really warmed up to her, but she supposed that he wasn¡¯t wrong to be careful.

    Despite his reservations, Beth was still glad to see him ¨C she had almost given him a hug! ¨C and she knew that he would do anything to help her rescue their sister. She could practically see the relief oozing from his pores when he realized that she would once again swoop to their rescue.

    Beth grinned triumphantly, but although James did his best to seem impressed she thought he lacked the appropriate enthusiasm for his rescue.

    Maybe he¡¯s just worn out.

    James looked better with some of the worry wiped from his face, but he still looked worn ragged like a dirty old shirt. He was also in desperate need of a shave. And he smelled like something awful, too.

    ¡°C¡¯mon kid,¡± she grinned, ¡°let¡¯s bust outta here.¡± And let¡¯s stab some people on the way, she hummed to herself.

    The Otherworlder looked, as always, skeptical. ¡°Just how do you plan to do that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Easy,¡± she proclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ve already poisoned the water with something that activates once their heart rates go up.¡±

    James was aghast. ¡°All the water sources? What about¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh stop,¡± she huffed, ¡°just the communal barrel the guards are drinking from. I¡¯m not some murder-obsessed degenerate.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yeah. Sure,¡± James agreed, with incomplete sincerity. That was okay; Beth would happily give up a bit of trust to maintain some of her natural mystique.

    Beth sauntered up to the gate, immediately drawing the attention of the three guards. ¡°Hey boys,¡± she called. ¡°Anyone up for a knife fight?¡± She pulled out two of her daggers, spinning them through the air menacingly.

    Two of the guards hefted their spears, while the third reached for his sword. They lifted their weapons into ready positions ¨C and then promptly collapsed.

    ¡°Durak¡¯s fist, that¡¯s always a good one.¡±

    Beth chuckled. Turning her blood into poison wasn¡¯t always practical, but there were times when it was her best ability. It turned out that the same tricks that worked in the aristocracy were just as suitable in war. She grinned at how angry her parents would be if they knew she was using the education that they¡¯d provided in this way.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Oh, nothing much.¡±

    Beth looked closely at the gate¡¯s locking mechanism. It looked complicated. Certainly it was a higher quality lock than what she was used to picking. She shoved her lockpick into the keyhole and concentrated gnaw like loathing through the small tool. It probably wasn¡¯t exactly what Durak had in mind with the ability, but Beth had learned to be flexible. She spun the lockpick around, slowly weakening the inner mechanisms of the lock. She pulled on it as chunks of metal began falling out of the device, until the lock tore like soggy paper. They were free.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get my stuff,¡± she announced, ¡°then we¡¯ll see if there¡¯s any valuable information here, or at least a map that shows where they took Bel. After that we can go retrace your steps.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve still got my things,¡± James offered, ¡°including my fighting stick.¡±

    Beth couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just a stick, James, and they let you keep it because you tied it so tightly to your bag that you¡¯ll never be able to untangle it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s silly,¡± he objected, ¡°I can free it easily.¡±

    Beth ignored the red-head¡¯s antics as she led him to the leafy mound where she had buried some of the things that she wanted to avoid carrying on her person. The Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists had eventually gotten around to properly searching her, but by then she¡¯d just been carrying some worn down kitchen knives and a small number of coins. They may have been gathering prisoners at a rapid pace, but the people here clearly had no experience keeping them.

    Amateurs, Beth thought. A few heartbeats later and all of her knives were back on her body, where they belonged.

    She made a silencing motion to James. ¡°Now be extremely quiet. Actually, just hang back a few steps. I¡¯m going to check out the command tent, and I don¡¯t want you bumbling into someone dangerous.¡±

    James was about to object, so she set off through the outskirts of the camp before he could start.

    The command tent was a large rectangle, probably twenty paces on the long side. It had a single, guarded opening, although security was light: a pair of dour-looking men with spears in their hands and swords on their belts stood in front of the open flap. Like everyone else in the strange cult, the guards didn¡¯t seem to be completely human. One of them was unusually tall and had a pair of nubs sticking out of his head, while the other was pudgy, on the short side, and had moist skin like a frog.

    The exterior of the tent itself was a featureless tan material, but that just made Beth even more interested to see what they¡¯d hidden within.

    She gestured for James to wait in the woods as she crept closer, cloak of darkness gathering the shadows to mask her telltale movement through the woods. She flexed her fingers to keep them loose as she moved from shadow to shadow until she was shaded by the tent itself, at which point she knelt close to the ground and moved next to the fabric of the tent wall.

    She gripped her dagger and listened for a moment, straining to hear any voices from the interior. She heard nothing.

    Beth looked around, wary of a trap. The only other person she could see was James, who was watching her with a tense look. They were both concealed from the rest of the camp. Her silhouette was hidden from the interior of the tent as well, since she was on the opposite side from the sun. That being the case, she decided that no one would notice a little cut.

    Pardon the intrusion, she thought mockingly as she slowly slid her dagger along the tent¡¯s outer fabric. It parted with just a little tug of resistance, but once the slit was wider than her hand she heard voices and froze.

    After a moment there was no change in volume. Beth put her exterior redecorating on hold and risked a peek inside. Whoever had set this up must have really liked tents, because she could see another, smaller tent within the first one. It was at an angle to the outer tent, dividing the outer space into four triangles connected by narrow passages around the corners of the inner tent. The opening to the inner tent was just visible to her, on a face of the tent that was at a slight oblique angle to her vantagepoint. The flaps were pinned open invitingly, beckoning her to come closer and take a peek at the cult¡¯s hidden secrets.

    Beth licked her lips in anticipation, but held herself back. She¡¯d yet to identify the speakers. She held her own opening closed with her hands while still leaving a small gap for her vision and hearing.

    Someone seemed to be in the middle of a report. Judging by the man¡¯s voice and the way he rushed his words he either had to use the bathroom or he was delivering information both urgent and dire.

    Beth frowned in concentration, but she couldn¡¯t make out the words. Damn, it¡¯s that weird language they use. She¡¯d pieced together some of their words, but she wasn¡¯t so adept that she could understand the snatches of a rushed conversation from ten strides away. She caught the words ¡°Technis¡± and ¡°Barrier¡± being used ¨C maybe ¨C but she didn¡¯t hear anything useful.

    Oh well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. There are too many things happening around here anyway.

    Her only real goal was revenge against her parents, her extended family, and Technis¡¯ clergy, in that order. They would pay with a dagger through their throats for what they¡¯d done to her first and only love, Henricus. Anything along the way was just a detail.

    Beth leaned into the tent, drinking in the sounds of frustration emanating from within. She built a mental picture: a soldier reported; a harsh voice hissed back in response; a man with a voice like a creaking ship reprimanded. Finally, orders were given in a brisk, no nonsense tone. Beth saw most of the guards leave the tent in a hurry.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Now was her chance.

    She slid her blowgun from an inner pocket as she made her way back to her opening. She¡¯d always preferred stabbing ¨C it felt more personal ¨C but stealth sometimes demanded sacrifices. The weapon was too light to get through the annoying barrier abilities that most of Technis¡¯ followers used, but the Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists didn¡¯t seem to use that trick.

    She pulled out a single dart, slipping it carefully into her mouth before slicing her tongue on the sharp point. Vile blood transmuted her blood into a venom that she let soak into the porous wood of the sharpened dart. Then she closed one eye so that it would adjust to darkness before she left the sunlight. After waiting a moment to be sure all was quiet she widened the cut in the tent wall. She paused, like a bird of prey taking one last look before swooping.

    Someone was inside of the inner tent, but the flap was now closed. Most of the guards had left, but the shifting shadows suggested that a pair remained. There was no one else within her field of view.

    Beth gestured for James to remain hidden and then slipped inside. She waited a moment, adjusting to the interior before moving again. She crept along the rug-covered ground until she could almost see the opening to the inner tent. She took a deep breath, held the dart in her teeth to easily load the tube, lifted the blowgun to her lips, and quickly leaned around the corner.

    The farther guard noticed her almost immediately ¨C he got a dart in his throat as a reward. The closer guard made the mistake of turning to look at his companion, gawking as the other guard scratched at his throat. He reversed his motion only a heartbeat later, but her dagger found his unarmored throat before his hand even reached his unsheathed sword.

    She gently lowered his body to the floor and paused to listen for movement.

    A minute passed.

    She frowned. She was certain that someone had remained in the inner tent, and the first body had struck the dirt floor with an audible clunk.

    She gritted her teeth and flipped open the flap to the inner tent.

    It was empty.

    She quickly scanned the interior, making note of an ornate table with a pair of chairs and some small boxes piled on top. The room was lit by a few magical candelabra, their magical flames eerily still around their ever burning wicks.

    She slunk over to the desk, still expecting to find someone, but only shadows greeted her as she moved deeper into the room.

    Something wasn¡¯t right; her instincts screamed at her.

    She instantly dropped into a crouch, twisting backwards so her eyes could sweep the room. Her reaction gave her barely enough time to push herself aside and avoid the sword aimed for her neck. Instead of losing her head she lost one of her braids to the potentially fatal sneak attack.

    Beth dove and rolled, tossing candelabra in her wake in an attempt to gain some breathing room. The whistling sound of a swinging sword stayed with her, in spite of her impressive gymnastics. The threat of an unsatisfying and sudden end pushed her to keep moving or perish.

    Beth wasn¡¯t about to give up ¨C she wove an intricate dance between her attacker¡¯s strikes and leaped over the large desk, putting the heavy chunk of wood between herself and her assailant. She finally caught a glance at her ambusher: a heavily armored man at least two hands taller than her, effortlessly swinging a one-handed sword with a blade as wide as her neck.

    She was shocked that the man was moving so quietly. He was fully armored in plates of some dark metal and his face was covered by an expressionless helmet that extended down past his chin. If she¡¯d been wearing that much armor she wouldn¡¯t have been able to leap over the desk at all, yet the man moved with a grace greater than her own.

    His sword flicked over the table, then down to the side as he attempted to cut off her escape. Beth kept the solid wood between them as she feinted left and right. She needed a moment to assess his abilities, to figure out if his Path was full of passive physical enhancements or if he had some active abilities as well. She had to decide if this was a battle of attrition or one of carefully timed abilities. She needed to know if she had a chance at all, or if she would be better off turning tail and running.

    The swordsman continued testing her with his sword, even as he began probing with his voice as well. ¡°One of Technis¡¯ little fingerlings, eh? You¡¯re so late to the game that I¡¯m surprised you bothered to show up,¡± he mocked.

    Beth didn¡¯t bother correcting his misconception. She had better things to spend her breath on, such as spinning around his sword as she attempted to dart from behind the desk and to the opening in the tent. The whistling of the sword through the air made her hairs stand on end as she barely avoided another nearly fatal attack.

    She retreated behind the desk once again, hoping to catch her breath. The man paused to consider her.

    ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ve just now realized what we took,¡± he said. ¡°Even if you defeated us here ¨C which you won¡¯t, even after poisoning half of our force ¨C you would still fail to get her back. I¡¯d love to ask where you found her, but¡­¡± He tilted his head in the slightest of shrugs. ¡°¡­interrogations aren¡¯t really my specialty.¡±

    He hefted his blade slightly, suggesting his preferred methods.

    Beth¡¯s eyes narrowed. She¡¯d been doing her best to ignore his pointless blather ¨C he didn¡¯t have a clue who she was, obviously ¨C but something about that last statement caught her attention.

    Someone they took? Someone that Technis was also after? Was it Bel?

    The moment of distraction was almost fatal. The swordsman lowered his sword and then swung up through the desk. Shards of debris spun in every direction, forcing Beth to flinch back or risk being blinded. The swordsman¡¯s weapon hung poised above her, like a thundercloud waiting to strike. In the time that it took her to blink the dust from her eyes it was descending towards her like a bolt from the heavens.

    Beth¡¯s mind screamed for her body to move, but mechanics and her awkwardly placed limbs only allowed for so much. As the sword fell, she threw her favorite dagger at the man¡¯s ¨C a desperate attempt at a distraction ¨C while her other hand desperately grabbed for the remains of the desk. She pushed against the heavy weight, using it to force herself backwards slightly faster.

    It worked ¨C barely. Her body moved back just a step and the swordsman flinched just a tiny bit, moving his blade just a finger¡¯s width away from Beth¡¯s body ¨C but not from her arm, which was still extended, still pushing against the remains of the desk.

    His sword shone with a hungry light as it cleaved straight through wood, flesh, and bone.

    Beth couldn¡¯t afford the distraction, so she didn¡¯t look at her left arm lying on the ground. She didn¡¯t spare a glance for the short stump extending from her shoulder. She¡¯d lost her second favorite hand and her most favorite dagger, but she wasn¡¯t going to go down without at least inflicting some hurt upon her opponent.

    Even as her body reeled from pain and blood loss Beth forced herself forward; she dragged a new dagger from its sheath. She shoved her mana through cut like hatred and her dagger hungrily devoured the light as she stabbed it towards a weak point in his armor behind his knee.

    Before her blow could connect, the man flexed his offhand. Metal moved like a living thing and he was suddenly holding his shield in the path of her dagger. Her attack bounced off harmlessly, the darkness itself shattering from the dark metal of his impervious defense.

    Beth faltered from disappointment and blood loss. She caught herself quickly and focused her hatred upon her adversary: a coward who was hiding behind his armor and helmet. Bile burned her throat at the thought of the smug look on his concealed face.

    He was a fool to spend so much mana deflecting an attack when he didn¡¯t know the extent of her abilities.

    Beth was a thief and an assassin, and she had plenty of ways to kill a man. She aimed her injured arm ¨C now just a stump that ended above the elbow ¨C and transmuted her spraying blood itself with both vile blood and heart of revenge. She gave up the majority of her remaining mana to create a crimson spray of death. She thrust her stump towards the slit in the man¡¯s visor and was rewarded with a cry of pain.

    Her vision clouded with fuzz and her movements were heavy and awkward. As the man stumbled backwards she hesitated rather than pressing.

    She couldn¡¯t win. She felt it in her bones, but her instincts screamed for her to do something.

    So she ran.

    She held her dagger in her mouth as she squeezed her stump with her remaining hand to reduce the loss of her lifeblood. Beth covered herself in consuming darkness while she ran to the slit in the outer tent, sending a shadow clone towards the regular opening as a distraction. She leaped through the slit and stumbled into the light of open forest.

    She had hoped that there would be some kind of chaos outside, but everything was calm. She startled a pair of blue birds as she stumbled into the open; they flew to a nearby tree and warbled their disapproval. The only person she saw was James. He stared back at her with wide-eyed horror.

    James. She was leading her attacker straight to him.

    Twirl my tits, she cursed. Flight wasn¡¯t an option if it meant leaving James behind.

    Beth turned to confront her foe. She wobbled and struggled to stay upright, already woozy from her gushing wound.

    I¡¯m not even dying fighting Technis. This isn¡¯t right!

    The swordsman burst from the tent, a feral growl emerging from his throat. He had tossed his helmet aside to more easily wipe away her blood from his face, exposing a lizard-like face contorted with rage. He stared at her with eyes red and irritated but filled with his bloodlust.

    The swordsman moved so quickly that Beth could barely stumble back to avoid the thrust of his weapon. She¡¯d barely twitched out of the way when his shield struck her in the side and she doubled over in pain.

    Beth staggered backwards, her one arm flailing for balance as she bit down on her dagger, holding on to the weapon through sheer spite.

    A sudden kick to her gut sent her spinning through the air. Her dagger fell from her mouth with an explosion of breath from her lungs and went tumbling away when she landed. She desperately fumbled for it, her fingers scrabbling over dirt and rocks in her blind search.

    Her fingers closed around the hilt ¨C but too late. Her assailant drew back his sword for a finishing blow.

    Then he jerked his sword high to block a swing from James¡¯ stick, cleanly cutting the wooden weapon in half. Beth had drawn all of his focus; the swordsman had only noticed James at the last moment and had nearly been knocked in the back of his unprotected head. It was barely enough to distract him, but, for a moment, the lizard-man¡¯s shield was thrown back, his sword was high in the air, and he was unbalanced.

    And his neck was completely exposed.

    A wordless cry emerged from Beth¡¯s mouth as she flashed forward with her second favorite dagger. The moment it bit into flesh, she unleashed her abilities in a scream of rage and pain like a banshee shrieking into the abyss. The tall warrior may have been several times stronger and faster than her, but nearly all of Beth¡¯s abilities were for killing. Whatever he had, whoever he was, he couldn¡¯t stand up to her spite and desperation and her dagger through his throat.

    His eyes locked onto hers as he writhed silently. He fought through muscle spams to push her back with his shield. He shakily raised his sword, but James grasped him by the neck and used one of his new abilities.

    The strength left the swordsman¡¯s body. He stumbled, dropping his weapon.

    Beth took a step back and watched as her attacker collapsed on the ground, dead.

    Then Beth followed him onto the ground. She stared up at a clear, cloudless sky, her vision filling with spots.

    She could barely focus on James¡¯ concerned face as he rushed up to her.

    ¡°James,¡± she croaked, ¡°do something for me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he cried out as he grasped her stump. His face paled as he used some ability to staunch the flow of her blood. He was actually being useful ¨C she was proud.

    She gazed into his wide, green eyes. ¡°I dropped my favorite dagger inside,¡± she croaked. ¡°Could you¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± he snapped. ¡°Just be still so I can stop the bleeding. I think¡­¡±

    He wrapped a belt around her stump and twisted it tight before poking at the wound. ¡°That¡¯ll give me a minute.¡±

    He screwed up his face as he looked at her raw flesh and bone. ¡°Yeah, I think that you¡¯ll live. We can worry about the loot after that.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 23 â€“ Hoping for an Opportunity

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel yelped in fear as she dove onto the rocky cave floor. She skinned her elbows, and her knee somehow found the sharpest rock in the mountain, but those were preferable to meeting with the rapidly spinning drill arm that passed above her. She squeezed her eyes shut as the limb of braided metal shrieked through the air. A spray of sharp debris erupted as the drill tip bit into the rock wall, spraying rock shards that etched shallow cuts across her forearms as she desperately shielded her eyes and face.

    Her toughened integument ability made her skin tougher than normal, but the spraying rock and creature of living metal were too much for her to handle. Nebamon had stressed that he didn¡¯t care about her physical condition, but with the way he was forcing their group through the dangerous mountain it seemed that he didn¡¯t care for the safety of anyone.

    Too bad I can¡¯t just leave, she groused as she rolled to the side. She breathed a sigh of relief as she passed out from under the destructive device above her and crawled rapidly away from the fight. Maybe she could find a nice, small crevice to squeeze into. Maybe, if she was really lucky, the tunnel would cave in and bury both the metal creatures and Nebamon¡¯s men in one magnificent moment.

    Once the towering construct realized that it had missed its target, the cluster of cylindrical eye stalks on top of its body rotated around in a furious search for more prey. Bel¡¯s snakes hissed, but luckily for her, the constructs of metal and flesh didn¡¯t seem to have any hearing.

    One of Nebamon¡¯s fighter¡¯s stepped over her and slammed a heavy axe into the momentarily bewildered construct, sending it staggering. In other circumstances she would have been fascinated by the group of semi-humans who had met up with them at the tunnel mouth, but now she passed this one by without a second look. She kept crawling as the fighter grunted with satisfaction and stepped forward to deliver an overhead chop to the unnatural construct.

    She desperately wanted to run, but her situation was hopeless. Even if she could get away from Nebamon, Rikja, and the reinforcements he¡¯d picked up at the entrance to the tunnel, there was no way that she could safely make her way out of the twisting passages. The tunnels that descended into the Spine Mountains were dark, winding, and infested with deadly constructs that swarmed the place like ants. Bel squeezed her bleeding arm, speeding the coagulation of her small cuts as she wished for the latest attack to end.

    Bel took advantage of her momentary safety to examine the rest of the fight.

    Rikja¡¯s magic illuminated the cave system as she formed an orb of incandescent plasma in her hands. Rather than throwing it, the fire mage increased its intensity until Bel couldn¡¯t stand to look at it. She crawled in the opposite direction; previous experience taught her that she didn¡¯t want to be anywhere around the impact point of Rikja¡¯s overcharged abilities.

    Bel idly wondered how many strokes of Rikja¡¯s core were devoted to protecting herself from her own flames. The long-snouted woman yelled out a warning in her own language, prompting her allies to scatter away from a hulking four-armed tool-armed monstrosity that blocked their way forward. Bel reflexively covered her head and face and her snakes slithered for safety on the far side of her head. Light stabbed at her eyes through the gaps in her fingers and the heat of a roaring fire baked her skin. Bel held her breath, waiting for the heat and bad air to dissipate before she brought new air into her lungs.

    After she judged it was safe, Bel opened her eyes to see that the multi-limbed metal monstrosity had been set alight. It was apparently unperturbed by its smoldering exterior, and continued forward with its pick axe and whirling drill arms held high. The flesh of the human head mounted in the center of the construct may have turned more pink, but it was surrounded by a glass bubble that made it difficult to attack, at least with Rikja¡¯s flames. The best solution Bel had seen was Nebamon¡¯s approach, where he cut and ripped out the eyestalks and accessed the head through the holes left behind.

    The whole experience was a feast for Bel¡¯s nightmares. The situation was made all the worse because she had no idea what was happening. The constructs were clearly Technis¡¯ work, but why were they in the mountains? Were they mining something? Guarding something? If they were always here, then why hadn¡¯t the delvers noticed them?

    And who in all the hells were Nebamon and his people? If there was a group capable of standing up to Technis¡¯ priests and his twisted technological servants, then why hadn¡¯t Bel already heard about them? Bel grit her teeth with frustration ¨C if she was going to be kidnapped by these people, she at least wanted to know why.

    Rickja went from throwing flames to cursing the creature in her strange tongue. Nebamon was more useful: he leaped in front of the construct and neatly pierced his sword through one of the automaton¡¯s shoulder joints. The drill arm went limp at its side while the swordsman leaned back to avoid a swing from its pickaxe.

    The swordsman¡¯s mustache quivered in anger as he shouted something to Rikja.

    She responded with something that sounded sarcastic to Bel before tossing out a smaller burning orb, aimed at the eye stalks this time.

    Bel¡¯s attention was pulled to the other side of the cave where it sounded as if the walls were being torn down.

    Bel saw that her first impression wasn¡¯t far from the truth ¨C Crystal had finally unleashed a wand that she had spent the last minute charging. The rocky cave walls were writhing like dancers at her command, tossing person-sized boulders around like skipping stones. The scaled woman gestured and the walls of the passage shuddered, twisted, and abruptly came together to smash several of the automata with a deafening impact.

    Bel squeezed her hands over her ears in an attempt to shut out the sound. The moment she removed them she heard a voice.

    ¡°Get on your feet, girl.¡±

    Bel stared up at Nebamon¡¯s face, eerily illuminated by the light on his helmet.

    ¡°Maybe we had better turn back,¡± she suggested. She coughed as she inhaled some metallic dust that had been kicked up from the fight. ¡°This way doesn¡¯t seem very safe after all, does it?¡±

    Nebamon snorted loudly. ¡°I think not. These are more nuisance than danger, at least to us, and we are nearly there. We shall press onwards.¡± He gestured towards her and Rikja roughly pulled the gorgon to her feet.

    She hadn¡¯t really expected that to work, but it wasn¡¯t like she had many other options other than wasting their time. She remained alert though, hoping for something ¨C maybe a tiny hole that she could squirm through, perhaps an underground river to dive into ¨C anything at all that would give her the slightest chance of slipping away.

    Her snakes flicked their tongues in the air, expressing her irritation to the world. Bel sneezed, clearing out some of the dust from her sinuses. She fell into a caughing fit, but Rikja showed no consideration. She was pushed forward, stumbling down the tunnel until she could master her breathing again.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    When Bel could finally take a breath of the stale cavern air, she froze at a familiar scent, one she only remembered from the dungeon in the High Temple. Bel¡¯s feet ground to a halt. She didn¡¯t want to get any closer to whatever shared the tunnel with them. Nebamon¡¯s could yell and hit her all that he wanted, but she knew that there were more terrifying things in the world than him and his delusions of grandeur.

    Her feet scuffed on the rocky floor of the cave as Rikja pushed her forward. Bel braced her feet against the ground and got a quick punch in the gut for her trouble.

    One of the nameless guards grabbed her by the elbow and tugged her forward. Bel was surprised to see more details in the darkness around her feet, and she looked up to see the distinctive blue glow of Technis¡¯ Barrier reflecting from the walls of the cave. Her captors seemed pleased, but Bel was filled with a feeling of dread. If Technis¡¯ enforcers were going to show up, the moment would be now.

    Nebamon gestured to Crystal and barked out a command before turning to her with a wide grin.

    Eat shit, she thought. She almost said it out loud too, but she wanted to be conscious for whatever happened next.

    ¡°Well, little spirit, this is our destination. I suppose halfway point is more accurate, but things will be much less troublesome once we cross over.¡±

    He gestured and one of the guards put their hand to Bel¡¯s back, shoving her forward. Bel saw Crystal messing with some device, a large engraved metal or ceramic plate that she was rolling down the tunnel towards the Barrier. Another man with a tail like Nebamon¡¯s followed along with a tripod.

    Nebamon was no longer looking at her, but that didn¡¯t stop him from gloating.

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll show you how we¡¯re getting through,¡± he explained, as if that had been her first concern.

    Well, I do want to get through. Just not with you.

    ¡°Technis may have delayed us with his abominations, but, in the end, he is just a pale imitation of the glory of our ascending god, the Dark Ravager.¡±

    ¡°What a fool,¡± a hissing voice mocked. The entire group tensed, and Bel was rudely dropped as the man dragging her reached for his weapon.

    ¡°The Dark Ravager is a bug that Technis could squash underfoot. How dare you enter our holy land and attempt to take what is ours.¡±

    The voice had a dry, rasping quality with angry, snappy consonants ¨C like someone had written curses onto hundreds of sheets of parchment before flinging them into the air to flutter madly to the ground. The voice filled the tunnel with its echoes, but the speaker remained hidden.

    The lead guards kept their eyes forward as they stepped back and drew their weapons. Nebamon spun around, trying to locate the speaker.

    A body spun like a pinwheel as it was tossed from the darkness. Bel realized that it was Crystal, rolled into a protective ball again. She hit the ground with a large thud and continued spinning straight into the wall. A moment later the guard with the tripod also came flying past ¨C but just the upper half of him.

    ¡°We thank you for this device, dog,¡± the quiet voice mocked. ¡°I shall see to it that this weakness is patched.¡±

    Nebamon gestured to Rikja and the fire mage flung a burning orb into the darkness.

    The orb flew through the air, its orange glow overpowering the dim blue of the Barrier as it passed through the tunnel. No more than thirty strides from them it was caught in someone¡¯s hand. The glowing orb revealed a large figure, easily a stride taller than any natural human that Bel had ever seen, and a stride and a half taller than her. The giant clenched the fiery orb in a gauntleted hand and squeezed. The orb and its light disappeared with nothing more than a brief sizzle and a pop of light.

    Bel took a step back only for someone to shove her forward again. ¡°No runnin¡¯ kid,¡± her guard hissed.

    Bel cringed as the noise called attention to her.

    ¡°Ahhhh,¡± a second voice called out, this one as deep and foreboding as a pit. ¡°I recognize you.¡± The giant moved through the darkness, the ground shaking with its steps. It stopped just out of reach of Nebamon¡¯s two forward guards and leaned forward eagerly. ¡°You¡¯re the one we¡¯re looking for.¡±

    Bel fought to keep her heart from leaping out of her throat. The giant had come close enough that she could see its outline, backlit from the blue glow of the barrier behind it.

    The former human was wrapped in a loose cloak that barely concealed a body with bulging muscles; muscles that were placed in all the wrong spots, like a drunken artist¡¯s rendition of a champion wrestler.

    The creature¡¯s biceps were too close to the shoulder and a second bulge of muscle dominated its forearms where no joint should have existed. Its hands, clad in large, spiked gauntlets, bent at an odd angle from its wrists. Bel¡¯s heart sank as she looked at it. She recognized one of what James had named patchwork people. They were a kind of almost-human produced in the bowels of Technis¡¯ temple. Their bodies were all slightly different, but each one shared the same simpleminded devotion to Technis and an utter lack of remorse.

    She¡¯d hoped that, even if everything had gone to shit, she would have at least gotten to see the other side of the Barrier. Now it looked like she wouldn¡¯t even get that much.

    ¡°You ungrateful wretch,¡± the patchwork person hissed. ¡°You belong in the Temple! Technis will make your mother regret the day she shaped you from clay!¡±

    Bel wasn¡¯t sure about the truth of the clay bit, but she certainly wasn¡¯t going to stand around and argue with the monstrosity. She turned to run, but one of the guards grabbed yet again, this time around the waist. Her snakes bit at his face and he tossed her to the ground where he held her in place with a knee to her back.

    ¡°Technis will get nothing,¡± Nebamon sneered. ¡°Are you another broken thing, stitched together with foolishness and misplaced faith?¡± He brandished his sword. ¡°Come, we will send you to hell where you belong!¡±

    The giant bellowed with laughter.

    Bel was so distracted by fear and anger that she missed the more reasonably-sized person standing next to patchwork person until the second figure spoke. The papery voice sounded almost soothing after the giant¡¯s rumbling speech. ¡°The Dark Ravager¡¯s followers were foolish to trespass on this side of the Barrier. You are rats stealing scraps from their betters. Perhaps we will leave one of you alive to carry back a message¡­ or perhaps not.¡±

    The light bent strangely around the second man. Even when Bel looked at him directly she had trouble seeing anything more than a vague outline, the effect reminiscent of trying to read with a splitting migraine. She was confident that she saw robes and a staff, so she guessed that he was one of Technis¡¯ inquisitors. A feeling of death seemed to ooze from his pores, making him even more intimidating than the semi-human giant, despite him standing a full stride shorter.

    Nebamon glanced at the gorgon and huffed. He responded to the inquisitor in an offended voice, ¡°The Dark Ravager is no thief. As one truly worthy of godhood anything inside of his reach belongs to him. If you have complaints then take them to your absent god.¡±

    The inquisitor laughed. ¡°The Dark Ravager persists because he is simply too far beneath Technis¡¯ notice. You have our attention now though. Now that you are wasting our time, we have come exterminate you and your nest in Satrap. Klang and its siblings are always eager for battle, and Grand Inquisitor Clark has tired of these distractions.¡±

    The giant slammed its fists into its chest, making a hollow, thumping sound as it hooted in agreement, its capacity for speech and thought apparently not enough to prevent it from acting like an animal.

    Bel¡¯s heart thumped as she pictured a war band of the manufactured things spilling out of the forest and into wherever James had been taken.

    The mysterious man gestured and Bel heard the scuffing of movement coming from behind her. Shit, we¡¯re surrounded, aren¡¯t we? Why is everything a trap?

    Sure enough, the blue glow of the Barrier and the flickering glow of their headlamps revealed a host of unsteady things wandering out of the darkness. They looked like the downy spine-backed lizards common in northern Satrap, but with additional clawed limbs haphazardly attached to their backsides. Bel recognized the scraps of different failed experiments hastily slapped together to form the nonsensical body plans. She¡¯d seen similar messes from the practice animals of the less experienced acolytes in Technis¡¯ temple. Amongst the horde there were a few more lithe examples of a master¡¯s work standing upright on their enhanced hind legs. She guessed that this had been a rush job ¨C at least Technis wasn¡¯t ten steps ahead of her, just one or two.

    The forest of grasping claws closed off their only path of retreat. They would have to fight the giant and the priest, the horde, or both.

    Well, Nebamon¡¯s group would have to do that. Even though she was currently pinned to the floor, Bel was still hoping that the two sides would distract one another and give her the chance to make a run for it.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 24 â€“ Sacrifice

    <section>

    <section>

    Nebamon barked out orders in his incomprehensible language as he pointed at the spine-backed lizards blocking their retreat. Bel saw her captors split into two groups, one to deal with the lizards and the other to deal with the inquisitor and the patchwork giant. The ones who were nearest to the two powerhouses backed away until they had formed a rough semicircle of weapons.

    The guard pinning Bel to the ground finally got off of her back to join the semicircle. She hoped that he died first.

    Bel didn¡¯t get up immediately, happy to be out of everyone¡¯s line of sight for the moment as she planned her escape. She glanced at the guard who had been ripped in half and tossed through the air like an old shirt ¨C yes, going unnoticed was fine. She would just observe things and hope that an opportunity to get the hell out would arrive.

    Rikja stepped back to take command of the rear group facing the lizards. Bel thought that was a good call; it was unlikely that her flames would seriously hurt the inquisitor or the patchwork human, but against a crowd of lizards she might actually be effective. Bel searched the ground for a nicely sized rock. If Rikja cleared a path Bel would smash the rock into the fire mage¡¯s head on her way out.

    The temperamental fire mage drew a block of metal from her pocket and slammed an orb of fire into it. Bel watched in fascination as the metal absorbed the flame; an instant later it gained an ethereal glow, like one of Olympos¡¯ moons. Rikja didn¡¯t hesitate to begin pulsing sparking globs of metal molten metal into the crush of lizards.

    The rest of the fighters readied their swords and spears, their backs rigid with tension. Nebamon¡¯s tail was straight and unmoving. Bel took some satisfaction in the clear signs of stress and fear in her captors.

    Good. I hope he pisses his pants.

    She also hoped that he put up enough of a fight to keep Technis¡¯ forces busy.

    She surveyed the area for any possible hiding places ¨C even a crevice high enough off that ground to be out of sight would be perfect. The shadows from everyone¡¯s headlamps and Rikja¡¯s fire were bouncing around wildly, but the glow from the Barrier was a stable, if relatively dim, glow. Her view from the ground wasn¡¯t fantastic, but she could see well enough. There was nothing: the smooth walls of the tunnel curved inwards as they rose, without any naturally formed crevices or alcoves that she would see.

    The fight began in earnest while she was cursing her luck.

    Nebamon darted forward, his sword held in front of him as though he intended to run straight through his target. He was joined by a lightly armored man with a parrying dagger and a short sword as the two of them went straight for the inquisitor. Bel thought that they must have assumed that the man as the physically weaker of the two and intended to put a quick end to him before turning their focus on the giant.

    Bel knew better. If she hadn¡¯t already known that these people really were outsiders to Satrap, their focus on fighting the inquisitor rather than fleeing would have shown it to be true. Everyone knew that crossing an inquisitor was as foolish as trying to swim with an anchor.

    The inquisitor didn¡¯t move, clearly unconcerned, instead leaving the response to the giant. Despite its apparent bulk, the patchwork giant ¨C named Klang by the inquisitor ¨C moved faster than a bird in flight. Klang deflected Nebamon¡¯s sword stroke with a casual backhand from its gauntleted fist several strides short of the inquisitor.

    Then the giant threw a series of lightning fast jabs at Nebamon. The swordsman was forced away by the reach of the patchwork human¡¯s disturbingly long, double-jointed arms.

    The other man, in a show of immense foolhardiness, circled around Klang and got within a couple of steps of the inquisitor. A twitch of the cloaked man¡¯s fingers sent out a blast of percussive force. The center of the man ceased to be, and the remaining chunks of flesh that were once his body went flying in Bel¡¯s direction.

    She shrank back as the hunks of meat and bone slapped into the rocky floor. Blood and viscera sprayed about like water from a whale¡¯s blowhole, covering everyone within a ten stride radius. Bel¡¯s mind balked; the sheer force that the inquisitor had just displayed, and the speed and ease of it¡­ she was screwed.

    Hiding wasn¡¯t sufficient. No, with that kind of power, the inquisitor and Klang could go straight through rock to reach her. Even if they couldn¡¯t find her, they could just pulverize the entire tunnel. No, running ¨C running was the only way. A lot of running.

    Her shock distracted her, but her attention was snapped back as someone stumbled past her. It was another fighter, his face slack with surprise and a ragged gash opened across his chest. Bel leapt back and pressed herself up against the cave wall. She needed to be on her feet. She needed to get away from all of this. Doing something risky was clearly better than certain doom, and running through the wall of lizards was looking like a better choice than she¡¯d first thought. Remaining anywhere close to Technis¡¯ more capable servants would be suicide.

    She glanced at the giant and saw that he¡¯d revealed a whip-like tail, long and sinuous as it waved behind him. The appendage was covered in spikes, similar to the spines of the lizards. In fact, Bel suspected that the tail may have originally belonged to a particularly robust specimen. The tail flicked out and slashed one of the surrounding guards across his arm. The wound seemed shallow, but a moment later the wounded man began stumbling around, foam forming around his mouth.

    Spiny lizards can¡¯t do that.

    Bel chewed her lower lip as she waited for Rikja to throw a few more of her burning globs of molten death; that would momentarily clear some of the lizards. She would take advantage of that moment to run straight through the spine-backed lizards. She hoped that they were as slow as they looked ¨C and that one of Technis¡¯ overzealous patchwork crafters hadn¡¯t added poison to their spines as well.

    She glanced at the fire mage and was almost immediately blinded by a bright flash. Bel blinked desperately, hoping that the lizards would be mostly cleared by the time she could see again. As the afterimage from the flash faded, she saw that many of the lizards had their downy back¡¯s singed. Their injuries were only superficial, and their pause only momentary.

    The patchwork creatures resumed their coordinated advance after a single breath. In just a few heartbeats they overwhelmed one of the rearguard. One of the creatures wrapped a pair of unnaturally elongated arms around the man¡¯s ankles and tripped him to the floor ¨C he was dead midscream, before any of his allies could help.

    Bel froze at the sight. The lizards were more dangerous than she¡¯d thought. If she tried to run through that¡­

    Her head whipped back to the other battle. Nebamon cursed as the giant caught his sword in one gauntleted fist. Klang inexorably pulled the frantic man forward into range of its massive fists.

    Nebamon crashed to the ground, disarmed and dazed from a heavy blow to his chest. A surge of fighters jumped to his defense, and for a moment they pushed the giant back with their combined ferocity. Then the spined tail darted like a whip, catching one person in the side. The woman screamed in agony before falling to the ground, her limbs twitching madly.

    Time to run, Bel thought to herself. Any action is better than no action.

    Bel turned, only to see Rikja right behind her.

    The woman grinned viciously as she spun her fist into Bel¡¯s jaw, knocking the young gorgon down.

    Adrenaline surged through her body, but she was dazed and addled. Her snakes wandered aimlessly through the air as she slowly pushed herself back to her feet. She shook her head, fighting off the stars in her vision, and looked up¨C

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    Only to see Rikja coming for her again. The fire mage had grabbed Nebamon, and tugged him away from the battle. That left her a free hand, which she was winding up for another punch to Bel¡¯s face.

    The young gorgon stumbled backwards and onto her injured ankle, sending her sprawling onto the cave floor yet again. The fire mage spit at her as she went past, cursing something in her own language that Bel couldn¡¯t understand. She didn¡¯t need to understand it ¨C Rikja clearly meant for her to die.

    The pair dove straight into the horde of lizards, abandoning the rest of their company as they blazed a trail that immediately filled with more lizards.

    Bel stumbled to her feet once more. Her head was ringing and her steps wobbled, and the lizards had grown even more agitated.

    Maybe I can vault over them with an abandoned spear. They¡¯re only¡­ three or four lizards deep. Maybe I can make it.

    Bel grabbed for the spear that she¡¯d noticed, ripping it from the grasp of it¡¯s recently deceased owner. Then she turned and ran towards the lizards, but before she could attempt her athletic maneuver a horrific bellow shook her bones. It scattered her coordination, and she stumbled and jammed the spear into the ground to prevent a tumble onto the rocky floor.

    Bel looked over her shoulder and saw that the giant had gotten a spear shoved through its shoulder, disabling an arm. Before any of the three fighters standing around him could take advantage of his condition though, the inquisitor stepped forward and turned one of them into a fine red mist with another flick of his fingers.

    The second fighter made a desperate stab at the giant¡¯s face, but the giant¡¯s good arm scythed into him first. His body flew into the wall with a loud thump. Bel could tell from the angles of his parts that he was dead.

    The last fighter took a step backwards, but the inquisitor advanced. The old-looking man slid like a snake, slipping past the fighter¡¯s raised sword faster than the eye could blink. The inquisitor flicked his hand forward and the final fighter¡¯s head detached from his body.

    Bel turned back to the lizards and ran. One step, two steps, and then she felt a hard impact upon her back. She collapsed on the ground, her legs weak and senseless.

    If I¡¯d known that I was going to spend so much time getting knocked down, maybe I wouldn¡¯t have bothered getting up in the first place, she thought ruefully.

    James would say that¡¯s too pathetic for a final thought, Bel realized. She had to at least try.

    Her legs felt¡­ well, they didn¡¯t feel, but she could still crawl. She pulled herself towards the lizards. Maybe she could strangle one in a last act of defiance.

    From the edge of her vision, Bel could see the inquisitor¡¯s sandalled feet keeping pace with her.

    ¡°Still running?¡±

    He chuckled.

    ¡°I suppose that is all you can do. It seems that Lempo¡¯s children are weak.¡± He sighed, clearly delighting in her torment. ¡°Well, at least your body will nourish your betters.¡±

    Bel grit her teeth as her eyes met those of the large, toothy lizard in front of her. She blasted it with an angry glare, causing it to freeze up for a moment.

    Bel jabbed her spear at it, failing to fully pierce its thick hide and instead scraping the spear point along the side of the creature. A line of red opened up, and blood slowly dripped from the shallow wound. That¡¯s the best I can do, she thought sadly.

    The lizard opened its mouth, exposing an impressive set of sharp teeth.

    Then it went into a convulsion. Its teeth chattered, and pus oozed from its eyes. A moment later it collapsed.

    ¡°What¨C¡± the inquisitor began.

    He was interrupted by the sudden presence of a large hand around his face. The old man whipped his hands forward to use his previously displayed ability, but a second arm caught his left hand and a third his right. A fourth arm, ending in a hand with long, blade-like fingers, jabbed into his abdomen. Where the finger-blades pierced his flesh it turned gray and necrotic. Bel only had a chance to blink before the inquisitor¡¯s innards gushed out of his body in a stream of putrefied flesh.

    ¡°W¨Cwhat?¡± Bel stammered.

    She looked up at this new monster, but felt only confusion when she saw Ventas¡¯ face smiling down at her.

    ¡°Beloved, child of Lempo,¡± he spoke, his voice hoarse and tight, like the words were painful to form. ¡°Thank our goddess that I reached you in time.¡±

    He tossed the now dead body of the inquisitor aside. Bel heard Klang roar; then the ground shook as the giant took off at a run.

    Ventas moved past her in two long strides, rushing to meet the charging giant. Bel turned ¨C slowly and painfully ¨C to keep the fight in view. Unlike the inquisitor, the giant was not caught off-guard. His arms were longer, although one was still weakened by the earlier spear injury.

    Ventas slipped in close to Technis¡¯ furious servant. His four arms pummelled and slashed, heedless of any damage that he received in return. The giant¡¯s tail scored a deep jab onto one of Ventas¡¯ lower arms, but then the priest of Lempo put his hand upon the tail and it shattered apart.

    As the giant stumbled back, a scream of primal rage and agony ripped from its throat.

    Ventas calmly reached over to his poisoned arm and ripped it straight from the socket. He discarded it like an old glove and advanced, not giving the giant a moment to recover.

    The giant swung its strong arm like a flail, battering the two arms on Ventas¡¯ right side. The priest advanced through the onslaught, uncaring of his own bodily harm as he reached out with his remaining left hand to grasp the giant¡¯s throat.

    The giant¡¯s skin sizzled on contact. The patchwork human grabbed at Ventas¡¯ hand and kicked at the priests body as it attempted to break free, but with each pulse of its gigantic heart its blood vessels darkened and strength left its muscles.

    The giant¡¯s attacks weakened with each blow, and within ten beats of its heart it collapsed to its knees. Ventas pushed the giant to the floor. He held it there and the body swelled and blackened. The muscle and fat putrefied beneath the skin and oozed through the giant¡¯s open wounds. Bel gagged at the smell, but she dragged herself towards the priest anyway.

    Ventas straightened with a groan of pain and slowly shambled back to her.

    ¡°Ventas, you¡¯re hurt! You need to heal yourself!¡± Bel pleaded.

    He smiled at her, although half of his face was slack and unmoving. His entire body had been transformed; no longer was he the slightly tall, muscular, and healthy uncle she¡¯d gotten to know in Clearbrook. If not for his face and voice she wouldn¡¯t have recognized him. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    He coughed to clear his throat. ¡°I have made use of all of the gifts given to me by your mother so that I could make it to your side in time. Unfortunately, the urgency of our¨C¡± he coughed and paused for a moment.

    ¡°Urgency did not allow for a more controlled mutation,¡± he finished. ¡°I am sorry to say that I will not be able to help you beyond this point.¡±

    He coughed again, with a deep, wet sound, and staggered to her side. He knelt and put his last uninjured hand onto her back. ¡°I can no longer heal myself, but I can help you before I pass.¡±

    Bel felt a tingle, and then her legs twitched. A moment later and she could feel them again.

    She threw her arms around Ventas. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she sobbed. ¡°It¡¯s my fault that you¡¯re so hurt. My fault that you¡¯re d-dying,¡± she stammered.

    He patted her head. Her snakes quietly moving out of the way of his fumbling hand. ¡°It is okay my dear. By saving you I hope that I have already changed the world for the better. And now my soul will fly to Lempo, and I will be rewarded for my devotion.¡±

    Was that how things worked? Bel didn¡¯t know ¨C despite being the reason for all of this fighting and death she didn¡¯t have the faintest inkling of an idea of what was happening.

    She squeezed Ventas tightly as tears poured down her face.

    ¡°If¡­¡± The priest croaked. He cleared his throat. ¡°If you could do me one favor, child.¡±

    Bel pulled her head back so that she could look him in the eyes. ¡°Anything.¡±

    ¡°Please offer my body to Lempo, that I may move quickly to her side.¡±

    He patted Bel affectionately on the cheek. ¡°I do not wish to wander in the darkness for too long, and you are directly connected to your mother.¡±

    He coughed again, and a spasm wracked his body. ¡°Ah,¡± he cried out, ¡°I do wish that I had more time to guide you. Lempo had¨C¡±

    He coughed continually for a few moments, and Bel desperately clung to his hand. She clung to him as if she could hold him back from his coming end.

    ¡°Lempo has many plans in you,¡± he wheezed. ¡°And I had such joy in teaching her child.¡±

    Ventas¡¯ hand stiffened, twitched, and then his body relaxed. Bel slowly lowered him to the ground as her vision flooded with tears. She sat in a daze for what could have been minutes or hours, but eventually she recalled her uncle¡¯s last wish.

    She gently covered him with a spare cloak that she pulled from one of Nebamon¡¯s dead fighters and placed her hand upon his chest. Once she connected to the core in his body she closed her eyes and spoke a prayer to Lempo.

    ¡°Lempo. Mother. This man was very good to me, and a very loyal priest to you. He wanted to get to your side quickly and to s-stay out of the darkness.¡± She sniffed loudly, the sound echoing through the now silent tunnel. ¡°So please be good to him.¡±

    Bel¡¯s voice broke as she finished speaking. Her eyes clenched shut and she sobbed loudly.

    And then she felt a pulling sensation from her own core, as if she was absorbing his essence. She didn¡¯t want that ¨C she didn¡¯t want to treat him like some corrupted creature to be absorbed, but she couldn¡¯t stop whatever was happening. She felt his core break and all of his essence come churning out of it.

    However, instead of moving into Bel, or drifting away to the center of Olympos, Ventas¡¯ essence swirled close before spinning away, like a stream of foam being accelerated by an eddy in the water. She felt his essence move past her, and a connection to something vast and ancient open up. His essence moved into the abyss and the connection closed, leaving Bel feeling tiny and helpless in its wake.

    ¡°Be at peace, uncle,¡± she murmured. His body crumbled into dust beneath her hands, leaving behind only his clothes and the small pendant he¡¯d worn around his neck. Bel picked it up and put it around her neck, desperate for something to keep his memory alive.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 25 â€“ The Barrier

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel lifted the corner of the cloak, looking at where Ventas¡¯ body had been moments ago. Lempo had removed all physical traces of the priest ¨C and his soul too, if that was a thing.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s a sign that you¡¯re paying attention,¡± she muttered to her mother.

    Not that it does me much good now, she thought sadly.

    Bel sighed as her snakes swished through the air, still twitchy from the end of the fight. She knew that she should get up and do something, but she was so drained that all she could think of doing was curling up into a ball. If only her mother was actually helpful.

    ¡°I guess you did send Ventas to help me,¡± she admitted quietly. ¡°I just wish you weren¡¯t so hands-off.¡±

    As her adrenaline faded, her aches and pains came back. Her ankle still hurt from when Ken had pushed her over into a ditch. Her muscles were still sore from walking. Her face still hurt from where Rikja had punched her.

    The memories stirred Bel¡¯s blood. Sure, she was tired. Yes, she didn¡¯t want to do anything. But if that meant that people like Rikja got their way, well, to hell with that. If goddesses wouldn¡¯t help her, Bel would just have to help herself.

    Bel got to her feet with only a little bit of pain. She¡¯d learned from Beth that helping yourself meant taking whatever advantages were available. And that meant looting the room.

    She looked around, surveying the battle¡¯s aftermath.

    Ventas'' power had melted the lizard things into sludge, and the inquisitor and the patchwork giant were in a similar state. Their cores had broken and their essence had leaked out, dissipating into the air as it was reclaimed by Olympos.

    The inquisitor had reduced his targets to nothing, but the other corpses still had cores that Bel could use. She had reached the peak threshold for her current core, but absorbing more essence wouldn¡¯t hurt. She could vaguely recall a conversation between James and Ventas about growing new cores; whenever a mortal was ready to start a new path, the Divine Treaty would facilitate a communion with the pantheon. If she did that, she would be able to choose a patron, which would, hopefully, bring her new power.

    She walked from body to body, stepping carefully around the pieces of people that the inquisitor had left behind. As her core filled and she approached what would have normally been the next threshold, she felt her core burst open like a flower embracing the sun. A wave of sensations tickled her inner self, sending shivers along her back and whipping her snakes into a frenzy. She could feel a strange something waiting for her, like a breath caught in her lungs and waiting for her to exhale.

    She could already feel a stronger connection forming to¡­ something? Someone? Like an itch waiting to be scratched, she felt something in her core, but she resisted the urge to begin whatever was waiting for her. While communing she would be vulnerable, and this would be a terrible time for that. She did feel like she was closer to the divine beings from her ritual, but she didn''t know if that was a good thing. It certainly wasn''t something she had to figure out immediately either.

    Next was supplies. Bel walked around the empty cavern, collecting headlamps and relighting the ones that had gone out. The flickering glow of the candles didn¡¯t provide much actual warmth, but it made her a little less afraid of the darkness and shadows.

    The physical tasks were a balm to her singed nerves, but with that decreasing stress she felt weariness tugging at her body. It wasn¡¯t the time to relax yet, though. She needed a plan.

    Should I try to go through the Barrier? Maybe with that device that Crystal was setting up?

    Or should I go looking for James? Or maybe¨C

    ¡°Bel!¡±

    She spun at the familiar voice, her eyes wide with shock. ¡°James! How¨C¡± Her eyes widened and her snakes waved through the air with excitement. ¡°Beth!¡±

    The sight of her family released her from the grip of stress that had been gnawing at her insides, and she rushed forward to fling herself at her brother. She squeezed him in a tight hug, but was dismayed when she found his torso was covered in a cold, metal armor that made the hug unsatisfying.

    She turned to Beth with open arms, determined to get a hug out of her affection averse sister, but she gasped when she saw her sister¡¯s state.

    ¡°Beth, what happened to your arm?¡±

    Bel¡¯s hand moved forward and backward, caught between the impulse to help and the fear that she would make something worse. ¡°Is that our fault? Did it happen underground?¡±

    Bel stared at the stump of her sister¡¯s left arm. It was wrapped in enough cloth to hide the gory details, but Bel could see dark stains seeping through the fabric.

    Beth lifted the stump and shrugged.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she replied glibly. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad ¨C your brother actually did a decent job patching me up.¡±

    ¡°It is bad,¡± James insisted. ¡°Thank the stars or Lempo or whoever for Ventas¡¯ instructions. I was actually able to tie off her arteries and stop the blood loss. She still lost a lot of blood before I got to her though, and¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Beth blustered. ¡°We should be worrying about our escape.¡±

    The one-armed woman hooked her thumb back in the direction that they¡¯d come. ¡°What happened here? Is there anyone left?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s over. It was between Nebamon¡¯s people¨C¡±

    ¡°The Dark Ravager¡¯s people,¡± James interrupted. ¡°Not that we know who he is. Some kind of demi-god.¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Sure, it was a fight between those guys and one of Technis¡¯ inquisitors.¡±

    James¡¯ eyebrows shot up. ¡°Another one?¡± he asked. ¡°There was one attacking the Dark Ravager¡¯s camp. It¡¯s probably why we were able to slip away, despite¡­¡±

    He gestured at Beth¡¯s condition.

    He quickly changed the subject when he saw Bel staring at Beth¡¯s stump again. ¡°So why were they bringing you here?¡±

    Bel shook her head, still caught up with concern for her sister. ¡°They were going to take me through the Barrier when Technis¡¯ people showed up and ambushed them.¡±

    Her eyes moistened as she recalled what happened next. ¡°Then Ventas showed up and took care of them. He sacrificed himself doing it though.¡±

    Bel grimaced, and her lips trembled as a few tears worked their way down her face. James quickly wrapped her in another cold, metallic hug. At least his arms were warm ¨C Bel leaned into his embrace and sobbed over his shoulder.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Ventas?¡± Beth asked. ¡°The guy from Clearbrook? The one who gave James the core that support healing?¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yeah. He took care of Technis¡¯ inquisitor and that patchwork giant, but he used abilities that made him sick.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Beth declared, ¡°it¡¯s too bad there was only one of him. There was still a hell of a fight going on back at their camp. I don¡¯t know who''s going to win, but we need to be gone before someone shows up to see what happened down here.¡±

    James nodded emphatically. ¡°Yeah, the fight outside was pretty epic, but I wouldn¡¯t want to hang around here to explain what happened to the winner.¡±

    Bel looked around until she spotted the round object that Crystal had been messing with. She picked it up from the ground and was surprised by its lightness. She had thought that it was metal, but upon closer inspection it was similar to a tortoise shell with intricate designs carved into its surface.

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    Bel lifted it to show to Beth and James. ¡°This thing has something to do with getting through the Barrier. Crystal was going to do something with it, but maybe we can use it too. I think they were going to put it up on a tripod.¡±

    Bel looked around for the other piece that had been tossed around during the fight.

    James glanced at it. ¡°Is it some kind of anti-Barrier laser?¡±

    While Beth took the device and stared at it, Bel sidled closer to her brother.

    ¡°Is she really okay?¡± Bel whispered.

    ¡°Hyped up on toxins that she¡¯s directly transmuting from her blood,¡± James whispered back. ¡°High as a kite and ornery as hell. She forgot where we were going three times on our way here, and we were following a map that we stole from the command tent. She¡¯s gonna crash real hard any time now.¡±

    Bel chewed on her lip as she looked at her now one-armed savior, then turned back to her brother with a critical eye. ¡°And how about you?¡± she pressed.

    She looked him up and down again carefully, taking in his ill-fitting armor. ¡°Are you okay under that? Where¡¯d you get it anyway?¡±

    ¡°Same guy who cut off Beth¡¯s arm. Beth insisted that we weren¡¯t leaving without some kind of trophy.¡±

    Bel rapped her knuckle against a metal vambrace. ¡°It isn¡¯t too heavy?¡±

    James shook his head. ¡°Not really. I just took the arm and leg guards and his chest piece. Cuirass? Whatever, he had a helmet and a shield and some other bits and pieces that I didn¡¯t know what to do with.¡±

    He hugged himself and shivered. ¡°I wish I¡¯d taken a cloak or something though, it¡¯s cold down here.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± Bel wondered aloud. She was worn so ragged that she could hardly feel her body.

    James looked over to a few of the bodies, searching for a cloak that wasn¡¯t shredded or coated in gore. Bel didn¡¯t think that he would have any luck.

    He shook his head as he looked around. ¡°What happened to Ventas? I should pay my respects or something before we make it through the Barrier. We can¡¯t bury him, but I at least owe him a moment, and who knows if we¡¯ll ever make it back this side of the Barrier.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows arched. ¡°You¡¯re pretty sure that Beth will figure that thing out.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah, sure ¨C I mean, you¡¯ve got goddess-given quest to get through, and all this stuff is clearly just the tutorial. We¡¯ve got to get out of here and see the real world and start the main quest and all of that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a game,¡± Bel snapped.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized a moment later, after seeing her brother¡¯s hurt expression. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ this has all been a lot, and I¡¯m not ready for joking around. I feel like it¡¯s all my fault somehow, but I don¡¯t even know why these people were after me.¡±

    James waved her snakes away to give her a reassuring pat on the back. ¡°Sorry sis. It¡¯s just how I cope with all this crazy bullshit fantasy nonsense.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she sighed, ¡°I guess I¡¯m just not ready to joke about Ventas.¡±

    James nodded silently. Bel pointed to spot where the priest¡¯s body had disappeared. ¡°Just his clothes are left. I prayed for Lempo to take his spirit quickly and he turned into dust and just kind of faded away.¡±

    His eyebrows went up.

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it, so don¡¯t ask. All that¡¯s left is his pendant.¡±

    Bel pulled up the small bronze pendant so James could see it. It depicted something with wings ¨C maybe a bird, but the quality wasn¡¯t great.

    ¡°That belonged to his niece, right?¡±

    ¡°I think so. Do you think he¡¯d mind if I kept it?¡±

    James gestured to the empty spot on the ground, and Bel could tell that he was about to say something glib. Seeing her expression though, he coughed quietly and lowered his hand. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be okay with it. Why don¡¯t I go pay my respects?¡±

    With a nod, James went to the spot. Bel joined him, not knowing what else to do with herself. They stared in silence, and things were quiet until Beth broke the silence with an exclamation of satisfaction.

    ¡°Hey kids, I think I¡¯ve figured it out,¡± she called.

    James and Bel hurried over to her. Bel was barely awake, and her eagerness to leave was growing as more time passed.

    Beth pointed at a few marks in the ground. ¡°It looks like this thing has to be put into a specific spot to work right. They¡¯ve probably passed through a bunch of times.¡±

    Bel looked at the featureless surface of the Barrier. ¡°So do you think there¡¯s a cave on the other side too?¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± agreed James.

    ¡°Should be,¡± Beth shrugged. ¡°Anyway, we just put the tripod into the holes, put the disk on the tripod, and then charge it up with a bit of essence. It¡¯s mostly full already. I¡¯m guessing that they were just about to leave, right?¡±

    Bel remembered the last moments before the fight, when Crystal¡¯s rolled up body had been sent spinning through the air. ¡°Yeah. Nebamon was busy gloating before Technis¡¯ people showed up.¡±

    Beth nodded and stooped to pick up the disk. She clearly forgot that she had one arm, and only lifted one side of it. She was unbalanced and nearly fall over, alarming Bel with her uncoordinated movements.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it,¡± James offered.

    Bel grabbed the toppled tripod and put its legs into the marks on the floor, holding it steady while James lowered the disk into place.

    Beth placed her hand onto the disk and closed her eyes as she channeled energy into it.

    It was hard to see in the blue light, but Bel thought that Beth¡¯s usually dark complexion was unhealthily pale. She resolved to force her to rest once they reached anywhere that was just a tiny bit safe.

    The markings on the disk began to glow, and the blue of the Barrier dimpled in front of them. The dimple became an indentation, which then progressed to a circular depression tall enough to fit a person.

    ¡°We¡¯d better hurry,¡± Beth declared. ¡°I think it¡¯s timed.¡±

    The one-armed assassin walked down the tunnel, her single braid ¨C Bel realized that one of them had been cut short ¨C swinging to and fro as she stumbled over the rocks littering the passage floor. Bel hastened to her side to stabilize her swaying sister while James ran to support her other side.

    Bel had never been so close to the Barrier before, but it was just as featureless from a snake¡¯s length away as it was from ten thousand strides. She ran her finger over its surface as they crowded into the deepening cavity. Her hand met resistance from a material so smooth that she couldn¡¯t keep her finger from sliding along it when she exerted any pressure.

    James poked it too, but Bel smacked him when it looked like he was going to lick it. ¡°Don¡¯t be weird James.¡±

    He snorted in response but restricted himself to poking at the Barrier as they walked through it.

    The cavity deepened, allowing them to take one step. After a few tense moments there was space to step again. One dreadfully slow step at a time, they slowly moved through the Barrier. Bel glanced back and made a noise of dismay when she realized that the Barrier was closing in behind them. Soon the dark hole marking the entrance sealed behind them and the only things still visible was the opaque blue glow of the Barrier and the hard rock beneath their feet. Bel unconsciously clenched her hands until her knuckles turned white.

    They had walked another ten paces when a tiny hole appeared at the farthest point of their bubble. James quickly stuck his face by the hole and looked through it.

    ¡°There¡¯s more cave,¡± he announced. ¡°And nobody waiting for us. Well, nobody in front of the hole.¡±

    James looked back at them and then again at the hole. ¡°I mean, there''s stuff in there. Maybe I just couldn''t see the guards. It should only be another minute, I think.¡±

    Bel sighed with relief. ¡°We¡¯re almost out, Beth.¡±

    The opening grew with each step until they could see a strange device on the other side, a matching pair with the disk that they had activated on their side of the Barrier. It shone with the same strange light, calling them toward freedom. Bel unconsciously pressed forward, eager to be out.

    She drank in the view from the other side: empty rock walls; a few sacks made from a rough fiber; and, mounted upon a tripod and aimed at the Barrier, a large disk as tall as a man. The surface of the disk was covered in glowing filigree that moved in intricate, shifting designs that varied in intensity over time. Bel guessed that they had something to do with the bubble¡¯s movement through the Barrier.

    Once the Barrier was at their backs the opening disappeared and filigree on the large disk faded.

    Bel jumped when a voice called out to them. She turned her head slowly, somehow surprised that there was someone on this side. Belatedly, she realized that it only made sense ¨C who in their right mind would leave a device like this lying around?

    There were only two people, a man and a woman, and both of them were¡­

    Bel had no idea what they were, some kind of animal people again. It didn¡¯t matter. Once her thoughts caught up with her she reacted instinctively. She pulled Beth forward as she strode towards them with confidence.

    ¡°Nebamon barbar bar barbar!¡± she proclaimed. It didn¡¯t matter if she spouted nonsense, they wouldn¡¯t be able to understand her.

    The two strangers exchanged confused looks. By the time they looked back at her she had nearly reached them. One of them reached for her weapon.

    Bel looked her in the eyes and glared. She pumped extra mana through the ability, not stopping until she saw the woman¡¯s furry hand halt in midair. Then she snatched a knife from Beth¡¯s belt and slashed it through the frozen guard¡¯s neck. That broke her from her paralysis; she staggered backwards, her hands clutching at her throat.

    Bel turned to the second one, but Beth was already pulling her dagger free from the corpse.

    ¡°Nice one kid,¡± she said with a smile. Bel handed her dagger back and Beth cleaned the blades.

    ¡°Holy shit, Bel.¡± James looked between her and the scene, his eyes wide. ¡°What the hell was that?¡±

    Bel turned to him. She frowned. Wasn¡¯t it obvious? ¡°The Dark Ravager¡¯s people are guilty and must be punished.¡±

    James stared at her with unblinking eyes. ¡°What the hell was that?¡±

    Bel tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean? They were guilty. I had to punish them.¡±

    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t sound strange to you?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡­ hm.¡± Bel put her hand to her head. ¡°Maybe a little?¡±

    Both of them jumped at a loud clang. They looked over to see that Beth had toppled the large disk from its tripod.

    She gave them an innocent wave. ¡°Just making sure that we can¡¯t be followed. If that doesn¡¯t keep them away, then hopefully it¡¯ll at least delay them.¡±

    Bel nodded. That made sense.

    Beth walked to the wall with the cloth sacks. She searched until she found a small pile of empty ones waiting to be refilled. Then she collapsed upon them with a heavy sigh, like an exhausted seal finally beaching itself upon a sunny rock.

    She looked at them with bleary eyes. ¡°I¡¯m gonna pass out now. You two be good.¡±

    The siblings exchanged looks of concern, but, by the time they looked back, Beth was already unconscious. Her face relaxed in sleep and she snored quietly.

    James dropped his stuff and sat down. ¡°By the Bargainer, this has been a crazy day.¡±

    Bel nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she mumbled, ¡°one crazy day.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Interlude 3 â€“ Clark

    <section></section>

    <section>

    What a terrible day.

    Clark ground his staff into the ground with frustration. ¡°So we have arrived too late to catch the child? Again?¡± His eyes bore into the messenger. ¡°Where is Sopher? Why are you explaining this in his stead?¡±

    The man bowed repeatedly.

    ¡°Stop that,¡± he snapped. ¡°Answer my question.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, sir! Sorry, sir! Inquisitor Sopher is dead, sir!¡±

    Clark clenched his jaw until his teeth ached. ¡°So, not only were we too late to prevent their escape, but Sopher has gotten himself killed?¡±

    That overconfident prick. Clark had never much cared for the man. Far too focused upon his own personal advancement.

    He bundled his frustration up in a deep breath and let them go. ¡°How did he die?¡± he asked, calmly.

    The messenger almost started another bowing fit, but Clark¡¯s gaze stopped him mid-motion. ¡°Ah, it appears to be the work of one of Lempo¡¯s priests.¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Clark nodded. That made sense. It was ill-luck to run into so many strange occurrences all at once, but that was the norm when the gods meddled.

    He turned to examine the corpse of the unknown outsider who had claimed to follow some upstart godling. ¡°Not one of these¡­¡±

    He gestured at the corpse with distaste. ¡°¡­Dark Ravager¡¯s people?¡±

    The messenger glanced at the corpse. ¡°N-no. I mean, I don¡¯t know, sir. The method of inquisitor Sopher¡¯s death was consistent with the followers of Lempo.¡± He furiously dabbed sweat from his brow with one of his sleeves. ¡°Forgive me sir, but I am not familiar with the Dark Ravager¡¯s methods.¡±

    Clark waved him off. The priest from Clearbrook had slipped away from them ¨C it wasn¡¯t surprising for him to show up again. The Dark Ravager¡¯s people though, keeping rabble like them out of Satrap and away from Technis¡¯ plans was the entire purpose of the Barrier. Clark would have to look into it. Such outside influences were of even greater concern than the current play-war.

    ¡°Make a tally of all of the Dark Ravager¡¯s people; survey our forces and record our observations of their abilities and relative strengths. Preserve this corpse and the corpse of the paladin we found for further study. And bring me that woman¡¯s arm.

    Clark smiled. ¡°I believe that I can put it to good use.¡±

    The assassin ¨C that spiteful girl ¨C she had at least done her family proud by killing the Dark Ravager¡¯s second strongest follower in the camp. And she had even left him a small souvenir.

    Such a considerate grandchild, he thought.

    </section>

 Chapter 26 â€“ Second Core Decisions

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel woke up and stretched, her mind churning through the lingering sensations of a fading dream. She had finally remembered ¨C or dreamed that she remembered ¨C her ritual. For a brief moment, she understood everything that she was supposed to do. The sensation didn¡¯t last long after she woke up.

    All that she could recall were snatches of memory, either dreamed or real, of the three terrifying women telling her to do stuff. Well, she mostly remembered Kjar talking while Dutcha kept her upright. Lempo just stared at her with ever-shifting eyes. Bel sighed.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least it wasn¡¯t a nightmare.

    With a bit of lingering regret, Bel opened her eyes, brushed a couple of snakes away from her face, and looked around. She sighed again. She was on the other side of the Barrier, sure, but she was still lost in a cave. At least she was with her family rather than Nebamon¡¯s cultists. She was, hopefully, beyond the reach of Technis¡¯ people, but the Dark Ravager¡¯s strange semi-humans would still be after them.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I never did figure out what they wanted with me.

    Worst of all, she knew that her goddess mother and the other scary people from her ritual had wanted her to go through the Barrier, but she didn¡¯t have a clue what they wanted her to do on the other side. If they had been trying to send her something in her dream, they hadn¡¯t done a good job of it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder if choosing a patron will help?

    She¡¯d started to feel the beginning of a connection to something in her core as she¡¯d absorbed more essence after the fight. Maybe choosing a patron would complete that connection.

    Bel looked around. Beth was still fast asleep, although her rest didn¡¯t look peaceful. Beth¡¯s face twitched fretfully from whatever she saw in her dreams and the fingers of her remaining hand twitched rapidly, clutching at nothing. No matter how uncomfortable she looked, Bel knew that her sister needed to sleep so she moved quietly to avoid disturbing her.

    A grumble from her stomach reminded Bel that they needed more than just rest. Things like food and water, and maybe a map. A plan would be nice, too.

    She looked around for her brother and saw him sitting at the guard¡¯s table. They¡¯d pulled the two dead guards around the corner so the scene wasn¡¯t too macabre and then James had volunteered to keep watch. Instead, he had fallen asleep with his chin resting on his fist.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Looks like he thought himself to sleep, she thought with a chuckle.

    His eyes fluttered open at the sound. They slowly focused on her and his brow pinched in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    ¡°You are,¡± she replied. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Keeping watch,¡± he replied.

    ¡°No, James, you¡¯re asleep.¡±

    ¡°No¡¯m¡­¡±

    He voice trailed off and a moment later his eyes were closed again. He started snoring.

    Bel grinned. Her brother deserved his own sleep though, she wouldn¡¯t begrudge him that.

    She got up and stretched, and once again her stomach groaned. It felt like the opening to a yawning abyss, demanding immediate offerings to satisfy its furious hunger.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I haven¡¯t eaten in¡­

    Bel tried to remember when she¡¯d last had food, but nothing came to mind. Some time with Nebamon¡¯s group. And how long had she slept?

    She looked around and her gaze settled upon the sacks stacked against the cavern wall.

    <em style="font-style: italic">The guards must have been eating something, right?

    A quick search of the first few sacks turned up a large supply of cut and dried hay and some uncooked grain. Bel felt a growing fear that everyone outside of the Barrier would eat grass, but in one of the smaller sacks she turned up strips of dried meat, which immediately relieved her mounting worry. She happily began to gnaw on the tough food.

    She kept looking, and eventually found a few large clay containers of water. She plunged a nearby ladle into one of them and drank greedily. She continued to search through the supplies, gorging herself until she felt ill.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t regret it, she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">Who knows when I¡¯ll get a chance to eat like this again?

    The rest of the supplies were mostly non-foodstuffs. Plenty of space was devoted to record-keeping, like the pile of reed pens and lumps clay to form into tablets. Most importantly though, Bel found a map.

    At least, she thought it was a map. It wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d seen a lot of them, and this one had strange little drawings of people, birds, and beetles instead of proper writing. She put it on the table next to her brother so that he could take a look at it. His eyes twitched at the noise, but his head drooped down after only a few breaths.

    Bel nodded. She was safe, for the moment, and properly fed. Now was her chance to trigger whatever had been waiting for her since she¡¯d cleared the final threshold of her core. Bel prodded her brother and let him know of her plans; she got a bleary nod in return. Then she went to a comfortable rock in the corner, sat down, and put her back against the wall. She closed her eyes, reached for the new sensation that hovered around her core, and pulled.

    The world around her exploded into color, and then went dark.

    <hr>

    Bel found herself standing on a small circular area of smooth stone, surrounded by nothing. She prodded the area around the stone and her foot found no resistance. Just nothing. She quickly retreated from the edge.

    The space looked familiar, although if it was from what she¡¯d seen in the ritual she wasn¡¯t going to be able to remember any of it. She idly fiddled with one of her snakes; the memories were still just as elusive as the wind.

    ¡°Hey, hello there!¡± exclaimed a cheerful voice.

    Bel spun about, startled to see that she wasn¡¯t alone. She discovered a thin pedestal to her side where before there had been nothing, and upon the pedestal was the creature who had spoken to her: a six-legged caterpillar with tiny wings. It spoke from a mouth at the end of a prehensile trunk half as long as its body.

    Caterpillar was probably the wrong word, but Bel couldn¡¯t think of anything else even close to the bizarre thing. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ll just think of it as a caterwhatsit, she decided.

    ¡°Uh, hello,¡± she greeted it hesitantly.

    ¡°Welcome to your Path selection,¡± crooned the caterwhatsit, ¡°I¡¯ll be your guide! Call me Ishmael.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that your name? Or is that what you are?¡±

    The creature shrugged, a fluid roll that traveled down its body as each pair of leg shrugged in turn. ¡°Who knows? Not me!¡±

    Bel scrunched her face with worry and confusion. ¡°Uh, what?¡±

    ¡°Oh, my apologies! I don¡¯t have any memories. I¡¯ll try to remember to mention that next time ¨C or maybe not!¡±

    ¡°How are you supposed to help me if you don¡¯t know anything?¡± Bel challenged Ishmael.

    ¡°I know plenty,¡± it responded confidently, its trunk held aloft in defiance.

    Bel blinked back, confused, and the trunk dropped.

    ¡°Okay, well, I only know about Path advancement,¡± Ishmael admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything else.¡± Its trunk twisted through the air as it thought, tracing a sideways figure eight. ¡°I think maybe I was banished here? Or maybe I¡¯m paying off a debt? It¡¯s a mystery.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Bel stated flatly. Ishmael was landing somewhere between cute and annoying, but the more she realized that her future depended upon it, the more annoyed she became.

    ¡°Why send help at all,¡± she muttered aloud, not really expecting an answer.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy,¡± the little fuzzy creature responded quickly, ¡°the options here are so overwhelming that sentient beings kept picking whichever deities were well known! That really upset some of the newer and quieter ones, who demanded an impartial assistant be involved.¡±

    Ishmael pointed at itself with its long, flexible trunk. ¡°And here I am! I don¡¯t know a thing, so I¡¯m probably impartial!¡±

    ¡°Oh. I guess that makes sense,¡± Bel agreed.

    They stared at one another in silence until Bel asked, ¡°so what¡¯s next?¡±

    ¡°Well, first we should narrow¡­ oh, it looks like you don¡¯t have very many options. Typical for a gorgon, I suppose, since you¡¯re all cursed. Let¡¯s take a look!¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Ishmael gestured with a wing and a large, wooden placard popped up next it its perch.

    Bel stared into the darkness from whence it sprang, wondering what other stuff was out there. Her snakes flicked out their tongues suspiciously and Ishmael waved its trunk to get her attention.

    ¡°I get the feeling that you can read, right?¡±

    Bel looked at the placard and nodded, too distracted by the writing to respond.

    On the top part of the wooden message was a heading describing her current status and list of her current inscriptions.

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    Threshold: 20

    Strokes used: 17/40

    Second stage.

    Old Strokes/Threshold: 1 and 1/2 New Strokes/Threshold: 3

    Unbound abilities, 4 of 42 strokes

    <em style="font-style: italic">Improved Lung Capacity. Improve the exchange of gases to and from your blood. Two strokes.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Sudden Coagulation. Cause blood to immediately coagulate. One stroke.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Toughen Coagulation. Toughen coagulated blood. One stroke.

    Gorgon path abilities, 13 of 42 strokes

    <em style="font-style: italic">Glare. Channel your authority into your gaze, stunning any who dare maintain eye contact. Three strokes.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Toughened Integument: Gradually toughen your skin, scales, hair, and nails over time. Ten strokes.

    Below that was a thick line carved into the wood, under which were listed what she presumed to be her Path options for her second core.

    The Path of the Gorgon. Potency: 3.

    Kjar¡¯s Path of Judgement and Punishment. Potency: 3.

    Dutcha¡¯s Path of Disorder. Potency: 5.

    Lempo¡¯s Path of Upheaval. Potency: 7.

    ¡°So,¡± she said, gesturing to the placard, ¡°what do these mean? And what did you mean when you said that I don¡¯t have many options?¡±

    The caterpillar leaned back on its hind legs, freeing up a pair to gesture at the writing. ¡°Well,¡± it began, ¡°this is generally where all the gods, goddess, and other stuff make their pitches. You know, become a follower, give up some essence, learn powerful abilities, pledge your soul into near-eternal servitude, that sort of stuff.¡±

    Ishmael tapped itself with one of its free legs. ¡°And that¡¯s where I come in. I measure your compatibility with the different Paths on offer. The list comes from a combination of your rapport with a deity and the affinity of your existing abilities with their Path. With that done, I would present the best, oh, hundred or so options.¡±

    Bel looked at her list.

    ¡°I know! It¡¯s short, right?¡± the little creature enthused. ¡°But gorgons pissed off the entire pantheon, you know? It¡¯s a miracle that any of them even like you a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ wait, what did the gorgons do?¡±

    Ishmael spun its trunk in the air. ¡°I forget!¡±

    Bel grumbled deep in her throat, and her snakes hissed.

    ¡°Whoah, don¡¯t bite the messenger, okay? You¡¯ve got some great rapport with these three, so forget that other stuff!¡±

    ¡°Rapport?¡±

    Ishmael nodded enthusiastically, its trunk flailing the air. ¡°Yup! If you¡¯re closer to a deity then you¡¯ll have an easier time using their abilities! Basically, your strokes will be better at holding abilities from them because you¡¯ll be able to tap into their divinity ¨C just a little bit though!¡±

    Bel looked at the numbers. <em style="font-style: italic">Well, looks like being Lempo¡¯s daughter is good for something. And that weird spirit lady too. Seems like Kjar isn¡¯t quite as pleased with me ¨C probably because I¡¯m not punishing the wicked or something.

    Ishmael continued nodding, it¡¯s snout bobbing up and down out of sync with its body. ¡°You¡¯re only being tithed a tiny amount of essence for these Paths, too. These three must really like you!¡±

    He squinted at her curiously and looked her up and down, his gaze lingering upon her snakes. ¡°I guess they¡¯re already connected to you!¡± Ishmael clapped two of its little legs. ¡°How lucky!¡±

    Bel looked back at the small creature and decided that he was cute after all. ¡°Can you tell me about them? The three that are offering me these Paths?¡±

    ¡°What do you wanna know?¡±

    Bel tugged on one of her snakes. ¡°Well, what do Kjar and Lempo want from their followers?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Ishmael rubbed his head with his trunk, lost in deep thought. Then his trunk popped into the air. ¡°Nope! I¡¯ve forgotten. Sorry!¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°Fine, then can you explain more about the potency numbers? Are mine good?¡±

    ¡°Of course! When you walk a Path you specialize some of your strokes to better hold inscriptions that fit on that Path. <em style="font-style: italic">Glare takes three strokes on your current <em style="font-style: italic">Unbound Path, but on <em style="font-style: italic">The Path of the Gorgon it would only take one stroke because your potency is 3. Three divided by three is one, get it?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Bel nodded as she thought about it. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s really good! No wonder people get so much stronger when they pledge to a patron.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, probably! A potency of 7 is fantastic, I think! Lempo really likes you!¡±

    Bel looked at her existing abilities. ¡°What about my existing stuff? Would I have to give it up?¡±

    Ishmael shook its little body, sending its mouth-trunk waving. ¡°Nope, you¡¯re forming a new core but your old one continues to grow. Think of it like a branch sticking out of the trunk of a tree. The tree¡¯s height grows more slowly, but it doesn¡¯t stop.¡±

    The caterwhatsit¡¯s trunk shot up. ¡°Oh, and of course a bit of the extra energy that you gathered after reaching your current threshold will be used to form the new core, so it starts with ten strokes. From now on, when you gather essence a bit of the energy will go into your new core, so you¡¯ll get a single aligned stroke in the new path per threshold, and the rest will be unaligned and will add to your existing core.¡±

    Bel glanced at the line that said ¡®New Strokes/Threshold: 3.¡¯

    ¡°So I¡¯ll get double the strokes I got previously? One aligned stroke and two unaligned?¡±

    ¡°Yup! It¡¯s weird, right? Everything else triples ¨C 20 for the first milestone, then another 60 for the next, 180 after that, blah blah. But your core only gains space at double the rate when you clear the milestones.¡±

    Bel waved her hands to slow down her mystical guide. ¡°Wait, I can change my Path later?¡±

    Ishmael chortled. ¡°Of course! Plenty of people go onto one Path, grab some nice stuff to fill up all of their aligned space, and then switch to another Path later when they can form a third core. The second core is really more like a fun side-journey before you start your serious Path.¡±

    It shrugged and shook its head. ¡°I mean, look, all of these deities tend to be a little unidirectional if you know what I mean. If you want to be able to manipulate both fire <em style="font-style: italic">and water? You¡¯ll probably need two Paths.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Bel tilted her head. ¡°Wait, Dutcha¡¯s constellation seems to have all sorts of different things though.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah. I mean, it¡¯s called the <em style="font-style: italic">Path of Disorder, right? Throw in the fact that she¡¯s a spirit too and it isn¡¯t surprising.¡±

    Bel read the Path name again. ¡°What¡¯s special about spirits?¡±

    Ishmael leaned back, looking like it was getting into a relaxing mood to tell a story.

    ¡°Imagine you go and fetch water from a well,¡± the little caterpillar began.

    ¡°You have a fun little walk, and you spill some of the water on the way back. That¡¯s what happens when someone dips into the heart of Olympos to pull out some essence ¨C there¡¯s always a bit of spillage.¡±

    ¡°So what happens to it?¡± Bel asked, eager to learn something new.

    ¡°Well, sometimes it turns into something nice. Other times it becomes alive, gains sentience, and then it kind of does whatever it wants to. Dutcha is probably one of those.¡±

    Ishael nodded to itself. ¡°Powerful too, or at least powerful enough to get pulled off of Olympos and confined to the heavens where she¡¯s stuck doing this patronage thing. I think that the gods left me with these memories so that I could warn you to avoid messing around with the natural balance between Olympos and the spirits. We don¡¯t want them getting angry and running around blowing up the moons or something.¡±

    ¡°Blowing up the what?¡± Bel sputtered.

    Ishmael tapped its head a few times. ¡°Yeah, blowing up the moons. I can¡¯t quite remember, but I feel like that¡¯s a thing. You do have moons, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Wait. Is Dutcha¡¯s Path extra powerful?¡±

    Ishmael squinted somehow, an interesting trick without any eyelids. ¡°Well, powerful sure, extra powerful? I dunno. There¡¯s some crazy abilities in there.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me about them?¡± Bel asked hopefully.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Ishamel denied her, ¡°I can just give you some general information. There¡¯s some body transmutation stuff, matter transmutation, different ways to explode things, ways to steal essence faster, some weird ways to get around, a couple of things to interact with other spirits, and a whole lot of things that look dangerous to you and everyone around you.¡±

    ¡°What about the other Paths? What¡¯s in them?¡±

    ¡°<em style="font-style: italic">The Path of the Gorgon is your typical mythical being Path. Mostly body modification and strengthening, some special powers with your gaze.¡±

    Ishmael barely paused before continuing.

    ¡°<em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s Path of Judgement and Punishment ¨C a bit of a mouthful ¨C is mostly judgement and punishment. Lots of fire, lots of hunting the hearts of the guilty, stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°<em style="font-style: italic">Lempo¡¯s Path of Upheaval is¡­ holy pantheon, who allowed this stuff!¡± Ishmael gave Bel a strong side eye. ¡°Well, if you take this one you¡¯d better be careful. It starts off with your standard mutations, some abilities to ruin things, some ways to destroy souls, disintegrate stuff, put things back together the wrong way, and then moves up to bending reality and removing stuff from existence. Pretty heavy. Risks getting the attention of the gods, if you ask me.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened. It wasn¡¯t okay for a mortal to do stuff like that, was it?

    Ishmael whipped his trunk around in disapproval. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be honest, taking it is risky.¡±

    ¡°Why? Shouldn¡¯t I just take Lempo¡¯s since it has the highest potency?¡± she wondered.

    ¡°Well, you could.¡± Ishmael rubbed its chin with its trunk. ¡°It¡¯s powerful in the long-term, but you need to survive in the short term. I dunno where you¡¯re staying on Olympos, but some Paths attract the wrong sort of attention from the local ascendant candidates.¡±

    Bel waited for Ishmael to elaborate, but he wasn¡¯t forthcoming. ¡°The who?¡± she eventually prompted.

    The guide shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t remember. Sounds like people who want to walk their Paths far enough to ascend.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°So which of these is most powerful in the short-term then? And will I be able to switch from any of them to any other one after clearing sixty more thresholds?¡±

    ¡°You can always switch, unless you¡¯ve lost someone¡¯s favor. Which one is most powerful depends upon your circumstances though.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. <em style="font-style: italic">I need one of those¡­ What does James call them? Strategy guides?

    ¡°So,¡± she said aloud, ¡°Kjar¡¯s is out, I think. I don¡¯t want to be able to sniff out the last time someone told a lie or something impractical like that, and she doesn¡¯t like me as much as Dutcha and Lempo.¡±

    She looked over the gorgon option again. ¡°The gorgon thing is probably reliable, right? Or are gorgons hunted down for something? Our snakes aren¡¯t some weird delicacy, right?¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Gods, I hope that isn¡¯t what Nebamon wanted from me, she thought with a shudder.

    Ishmael waved its feet helplessly. ¡°Can¡¯t remember. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± She could always get more gorgon stuff with her unbound strokes. Dutcha and Lempo both offered so much potential gain with their high potency, but were they even safe to use? And were they even practical? Would she just be waiting around forever for something good to show up?

    ¡°Hey Ishmael, will I always get one Path aligned stroke forever?¡±

    The caterpillar shook one of its legs in the negative. ¡°Nope, those double when you move to the next Path too.¡±

    Bel felt out for the constellations near her core and looked at the abilities that she could see with her 23 free strokes. The farthest thing on Lempo¡¯s Path was an ability that would rapidly bulk up her muscles, eventually leading to them consuming her from the inside out and withering to nothing. She could see why overusing the abilities had been fatal for Ventas.

    On Dutcha¡¯s constellation, just within reach, was an ability that would turn something into fire. That was what she felt the ability would do, but she remembered Ventas warning her that fire abilities were more for show than effect. She wished that she could see a demonstration to see if this one was safe to use. Prior to that ability was something to temporarily morph her body in a small way. Those were both potentially useful, and with a potency of five they would only take four or five strokes so she assumed that she would be able to try them out quickly.

    She mumbled to herself as she thought things over. ¡°So, should I go for a high risk, high reward and take Lempo¡¯s Path now? Or go with Dutcha¡¯s Path because I can see the beginnings of some possibly useful abilities?¡±

    Her snakes twined through the air, flicking their tongues in the breezeless emptiness. ¡°Or am I being greedy? Should I just take the safe route and go with the gorgon Path?¡±

    Bel shook her head, discarding that wimpy idea. Beth was missing an arm, and she and her brother weren¡¯t much for fighting. She needed to get more powerful quickly if she wanted to keep them safe.

    Lempo¡¯s Path certainly had power, but¡­ Bel only had to think of what had happened to Ventas. He was someone who had followed Lempo¡¯s Path for years and his abilities were still too much for him to handle. The options that she had seen so far were about mutations and a weak disintegration that Ventas used for cleaning. If she tried to use Lempo¡¯s powers and made a mistake who knew what would happen to her ¨C maybe she would become goop. The thought of her flesh melting away from her bones made her shudder.

    Bel chewed on her lower lip as she stressed about the decision. Ishmael implied that Dutcha was powerful ¨C blowing up a moon seemed like a big deal ¨C but did she want to follow the Path of some crazy spirit of disorder? Bel nervously pulled at one of her snakes as it tried to wriggle away.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, what¡¯s the worst that can happen? At least my abilities should be surprising.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take Dutcha¡¯s Path, Ishmael.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t forget that this¡¯ll connect you even more strongly to the spirit, but it won¡¯t remove the influences of the other two. In fact, you¡¯ll probably feel an even stronger influence from them upon your mental state!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Ishmael waved several of its little legs. ¡°Good luck!¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 27 â€“ Preparations

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel woke to a tingling sensation spreading through her limbs. Her innards shifted ¨C or that¡¯s how it felt ¨C and she could feel a second Core forming alongside her first, like a bizarre new bud forming from the stem of her existing core. It popped into being with a chaotic swirl of power. A moment later, the extra essence that she¡¯d absorbed from the dead guards rushed into her cores and she felt them grow through two thresholds.

    Her original core continued to give her the impression of unfurling petals, but her new core was like a chaotic symphony of discordant instruments. A new, slightly out of tune noise joined the chorus with each threshold that she passed.

    Bel grimaced at the sensation, but the more she felt her new core, the more she became aware that there was a shared melody behind the noise, but one that she struggled to follow because it was too chaotic.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Which makes sense. Dutcha did call herself a spirit of chaos, right?

    Bel would have been elated at the expanded options she could feel from her cores, but instead her mind lingered on Ishmael¡¯s words. Was her thinking being influenced by the powerful entities that she was connected to?

    <em style="font-style: italic">No, right? Wouldn¡¯t I notice?

    She thought about how certain she had felt as she killed off the guard when she passed through the Barrier.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe there¡¯s something going on. But only after I cleared the twentieth threshold. Probably.

    ¡°God, finally,¡± James complained. ¡°You were asleep forever.¡±

    She snorted and opened her eyes. ¡°You mean <em style="font-style: italic">you¡¯re finally awake. And I wasn¡¯t sleeping,¡± she rebutted, ¡°I was advancing my Path.¡±

    ¡°Could have fooled us, kid,¡± Beth grumbled. Despite missing an arm, the woman hopped to her feet, seemingly none the worse after the events of the previous day. ¡°Hopefully you didn¡¯t do something crazy without supervision. You didn¡¯t pledge yourself to some god of pretty flowers or something, did you?¡±

    Bel was surprised to see her sister up and energetic, but a glance at the concern on her brother¡¯s face made it clear that Beth wasn¡¯t doing as well as she wanted to appear.

    ¡°Are you doing okay Beth?¡± Bel asked, her snakes leaning forward with concern.

    Beth made a rude noise with her mouth. ¡°Oh please, hon, I¡¯m great. I finally got you to the other side of the Barrier, right?¡±

    Beth leaned closer, examining Bel¡¯s face. ¡°Did you get your ears pierced?¡± She reached for Bel¡¯s ear and Bel leaned away.

    Beth scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t like it. It calls more attention to you. That¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Ventas didn¡¯t mind.¡±

    Beth jabbed a finger at Bel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ventas hasn¡¯t been struggling to keep you safe all these years.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°That reminds me. Ventas told us that the war between the Points and the government was brewing for years and that his fellow priests were helping out because Technis double-crossed Lempo.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Beth replied evenly.

    ¡°Yes. Apparently, Ventas and the rest of Lempo¡¯s priests got involved once I wasn¡¯t being held as a hostage. He wondered why you didn¡¯t bring me to see them back then.¡±

    Bel stared at her suddenly quiet sister. ¡°They were pretty eager to help, apparently.¡±

    Beth arched an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, really? Too bad ¨C I didn¡¯t hear anything about that.¡±

    Bel crossed her arms. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    Beth laughed. ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon Bel. I rescued you from the High Temple and then we were on the run for years. How was I supposed to know that a bunch of hermits were eager to see you?¡±

    ¡°You snuck off on your own plenty of times,¡± Bel accused. ¡°What were you up to?¡±

    Beth gestured to one of her daggers, fastened to a belt going across her chest. ¡°Taking care of my own business.¡±

    James sighed loudly enough to get their attention. ¡°Look, Beth, being vague and menacing like that isn¡¯t the right way to build trust. Why not just tell us what you¡¯ve been planning? You clearly had something in mind when you rescued Bel, right?¡±

    Beth shrugged. ¡°Look, kid, if you don¡¯t want to trust me that¡¯s your problem. I just do what Durak asks.¡±

    ¡°But why,¡± James pressed. ¡°What are you getting out of it? And don¡¯t just say that you like stabbing people.¡±

    ¡°But I do like stabbing people,¡± Beth insisted with a flippant tilt of her chin. ¡°Some people more than others.¡±

    ¡°And what do you want to do out here, Beth?¡± Bel asked. ¡°Now that we¡¯re out of Satrap? Is there anyone you want to stab out here?¡±

    Beth¡¯s expression went blank. ¡°I have no idea really. Gather an invasion force to liberate Satrap, I guess?¡±

    Her siblings stared at her.

    Beth shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a reasonable plan. We¡¯ve always heard that everything beyond the Barrier is incredibly dangerous, right? So that people here must be stronger as well.¡±

    James drummed his fingers on the table. ¡°I suppose that the Dark Ravager¡¯s people were pretty tough. I don¡¯t think that they¡¯d want to work with us though.¡±

    Beth grinned. ¡°So we¡¯ll find someone else. Durak¡¯s been guiding my steps this far, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s got something planned out for me.¡±

    ¡°But what if we don¡¯t want to overthrow everything in Satrap?¡± Bel challenged. ¡°What if I¡¯m supposed to do something else? You know that Durak isn¡¯t my god, right?¡±

    Beth¡¯s eyes softened. ¡°That¡¯s life kid. Families go their own ways eventually, you know.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Bel bit out, ¡°you two are the only family I¡¯ve got. Other than some magical goddess mother who doesn¡¯t even talk to me.¡±

    Bel stormed off ¨C to the other side of the cavern. She didn¡¯t want to wander off and get lost after accusing Beth of wanting to leave her behind ¨C that would be silly. Her fingers itched for a door to slam or a tent to dive into, but the cave didn¡¯t come with anything like that.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯m with Bel on this one, Beth,¡± James added. ¡°Sure, I would have gone to college, but I would have still been visiting my family regularly if I hadn¡¯t been sucked into Satrap. I mean, I¡¯d at least email them.¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you two aren¡¯t out for revenge too. If you want to stick together, why not help me out?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯d rather go home,¡± James insisted, ¡°and I¡¯d take Bel with me in a heartbeat. Revenge won¡¯t make us happy.¡±

    Beth just scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s just because you haven¡¯t stabbed someone that you really hate yet.¡±

    James tugged with frustration on his chin¡¯s ragged stubble. ¡°Well, whatever we decide to do later, let¡¯s try to get out of these caves first before the Dark Ravager¡¯s people come to check up on this place.¡±

    He poked at one of the maps that Bel hadn¡¯t been able to read. ¡°I think we can get out of here in less than a day,¡± he asserted.

    He glanced at Beth before speaking in English. ¡°And Bel, don¡¯t take what Beth is saying right now too seriously. She¡¯s still pumped full of whatever chemicals she¡¯s producing to keep herself sharp. She¡¯s like some kind of chemical-fueled super-soldier right now, hyper-aggressive and on edge.¡±

    Beth frowned. ¡°Hey, are you talking about me behind my back?¡±

    James scratched at his growing bush of a beard. ¡°Nah, of course not.¡±

    He turned back to Bel and continued. ¡°You know that my last conversation with my Old World family was a big argument ¨C I don¡¯t want to repeat that on this world too. She¡¯s a bit crazy, but in an overprotective elder sister kind of way.¡±

    Bel looked at her sister. She could see the dark, puffy circles around her eyes, the rigid way she held the stump of her arm¡­ yeah, Beth wasn¡¯t in a good place at the moment. <em style="font-style: italic">I shouldn¡¯t judge her too harshly. Bel smiled warmly, letting her sister know that she was forgiven for being a grouch.

    Beth scowled back and Bel laughed.

    ¡°Oh, before we leave,¡± Bel exclaimed. She rushed to where they¡¯d stuck the bodies and liberated a short sword from one of their belts. Beth nodded in approval as Bel cinched the belt around her waist.

    ¡°Also,¡± Bel proclaimed, ¡°I want to learn some new abilities!¡±

    Beth frowned. ¡°You didn¡¯t pick a flower god, right?¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t have many options, and that wasn¡¯t one of them. Gorgons are cursed, apparently.¡±

    She looked at James to see if he knew anything about it, but her brother shrugged helplessly.

    ¡°Well, the three people from my ceremony were all available. Kjar¡¯s path was about hunting people down¨C¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Beth hissed.

    ¡°¨Cbut I didn¡¯t take it,¡± Bel finished. ¡°I had better rapport with the other two.¡±

    Beth sighed loudly, obviously disappointed.

    ¡°Your mother and the spirit, right?¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yeah. I ended up taking Dutcha¡¯s path because Lempo¡­ well, after seeing what happened to Ventas and some warnings from Ishmael I just wasn¡¯t sure about it.¡±

    James frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s Ishmael?¡±

    ¡°Weird worm guy,¡± Beth replied. ¡°Guides everyone through their path selection stuff as a supposedly unbiased observer.¡±

    James¡¯ eyes shot up. ¡°Really? That sounds weird.¡±

    Bel turned her attention towards her abilities, too excited to want to talk about the caterwhatsit.

    Beth waved her hand in the air in a so-so gesture. ¡°Yeah, I was a bit weirded out as a little kid, but it¡¯s thanks to his lack of memory and impartiality that I was able to follow Durak when I reached my second milestone.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± James grunted thoughtfully, ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll go through the same thing? Ventas mentioned that my core might work with the religious parts of Olympos.¡±

    The constellation around her new core had expanded, and had a myriad of interesting treats. She could do the minor body modification, and then there were four abilities that could turn something that she was touching into fire, water, air, or stone. How, exactly, a rock would turn into a fire she couldn¡¯t guess, but it sounded interesting.

    Then there were some abilities to make the temperature around her chaotic, which didn¡¯t sound very useful. Another to make the air warm by manipulating random chance? Bel had difficulty grasping what the ability would do. Finally, at the end of the abilities that she could see, there was one that would make her more spirity.

    If the previous one had been confusing, Bel really didn¡¯t understand the last one. She got the impression that it would make it easier to talk with spirits, but that was a side-effect of it making her more <em style="font-style: italic">like a spirit. It would also, maybe, let her <em style="font-style: italic">eat spirits ¨C a vague impression that didn¡¯t make much sense.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I wish these came with better instructions. I¡¯ve never seen a spirit though, so this doesn¡¯t seem very relevant.

    Bel had picked Dutcha¡¯s path because she needed more power <em style="font-style: italic">now, not some vague time in the future.

    ¡°Hey guys, would it be better to be able to set things on fire, evaporate them, petrify them, or melt them into a liquid?¡±

    Her siblings halted mid-conversation and turned to her with confusion.

    ¡°Like, temporarily,¡± she explained. ¡°Oh, and how about changing a small part of my body? Temporarily again. That¡¯s cool, right? It¡¯s temporary so it¡¯s probably safe.¡±

    Beth furrowed her brows. ¡°Not a flower god, then.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Bel replied, ¡°Dutcha, divine spirit of chaos.¡±

    Beth made a gagging face.

    ¡°Can you turn someone to stone at a touch, Bel?¡± James asked eagerly.

    Bel closed her eyes and felt around the contours of the ability. ¡°I don¡¯t know? I think that they would turn back.¡±

    ¡°Well, liquifying someone or turning them into stone sounds pretty OP. That should be like an instant death attack, right? You can¡¯t survive being turned into a puddle for even a short time, right?¡±

    Beth snorted. ¡°Not likely. Everybody can resist you using an ability on them. It depends upon the relative sizes of your cores, how full they are, and how much energy your ability can handle.¡±

    She pointed at James. ¡°So you could probably liquify your brother straight through to his heart with only a bit of resistance, but it wouldn¡¯t work on me.¡±

    Beth leaned back thoughtfully. ¡°You could use that kind of ability to break someone¡¯s weapons though, or to get through their armor.¡± Beth tapped on her teeth as she thought about it. ¡°I suppose if the ability is really fast then you could liquify something as it cuts into you. Some people have abilities that affect their weapons though, so that won¡¯t be reliable.¡±

    Beth nodded her head to her inner thoughts for a few moments. ¡°Solidifying your clothes could work, but you¡¯d be better off just wearing armor. I don¡¯t know about evaporating things. Do they cost the same?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No, turning something into air takes more energy than turning something into water.¡±

    James nodded. ¡°That makes sense. It probably takes more energy ¨C it¡¯s breaking chemical bonds, I guess.¡± He scratched at his beard. ¡°Or maybe making new ones to turn something into a liquid? Man, now I want to see you doing this stuff. I¡¯m gonna wish that I had a microscope though.¡±

    Bel ignored her brother¡¯s mad rambling. ¡°So maybe I¡¯ll take <em style="font-style: italic">liquify and <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification?¡±

    Beth waggled her finger. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should take either. Filling up your core with random stuff isn¡¯t a good plan, and you¡¯re in no rush. I¡¯m here to look out for you, so there isn¡¯t any danger.¡±

    Bel examined her obviously ailing sister. <em style="font-style: italic">Yeah, she looks like she¡¯s going to fall apart at any minute. I¡¯m not going to wait.

    James shrugged. ¡°Sleep on it. Or pick one at the last moment in the middle of a fight. I think that¡¯s more exciting narratively.¡±

    ¡°This is not a game,¡± Bel deadpanned.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he agreed wistfully. ¡°If it was then I¡¯d have already met at least one princess,¡± James groused.

    Bel thought back to all the crap that she¡¯d gone through, running around in caves, getting separated from Beth, being ambushed outside of Clearbrook, being dragged around by Nebamon and Rikja, the inquisitor squeezing her neck¡­

    Could any one ability have stopped all of that? No. But burning things would be nice, right?

    Then again¡­ Rikja hadn¡¯t had much luck with the automota in the caves leading to the Barrier. She felt out the options again. She could put off the decision, sure, but she would much rather have something that she knew how to use when the next disaster struck.

    Maybe <em style="font-style: italic">Immolate or <em style="font-style: italic">Liquify? Burning an over-large insect sounded good, but turning Nebamon¡¯s sword into liquid sounded pretty awesome too. And maybe she could liquify armor and thick hides.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, and if a cave-in happened again I could probably liquify the rocks, she realized. That sealed the deal. She traced the ability, burning the inscription upon her core. It was the first time that she used the core on Dutcha¡¯s path, but it worked exactly as the little caterwhatsit Ishmael had described: the thirty-stroke ability fit onto six strokes of her second core, taking up less than half of her available space. That would mean that she could activate the ability twice before she had to wait for her core to refill.

    She didn¡¯t want to stop there though, so she traced the strokes for <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification, filling another four strokes. Her core would take hours to refill after she used both abilities, but that was only until she passed more thresholds. Bel didn¡¯t think that would take long: more fighting was inevitable.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 28 â€“ Water Predator

    <section>

    <section>

    They didn¡¯t find a company of semi-humans fighters in the tunnels. They did, however, in a surprise to none of them, find some giant insects.

    Most of the unnatural terrors skittered away at the sound of their footsteps, but a couple paused to menace them as they approached.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got this,¡± Beth declared as she stumbled forwards towards the thing that she and James had taken to calling a long-tailed cave lobster. James quickly restrained Beth by the shoulder, stopping her from hurting herself. Her state of feverish delirium had been getting worse by the hour, and Bel and James had quietly discussed taking away her knives before she hurt herself. She¡¯d seemed fine after her long rest, but after a short time hiking through the tunnels she¡¯d started acting strange. Now she was coated in a sheen of sweat and her loss of coordination was obvious to all of them.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let Bel handle this one?¡± James suggested.

    Bel brandished the short sword that she¡¯d liberated from one of the guards. ¡°It¡¯s good practice!¡±

    Beth raised an eyebrow but slowly nodded as her eyes drifted shut again.

    ¡°Is she asleep on her feet?¡±

    James examined his patient for a moment. ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    That crisis momentarily averted, Bel examined the long-tailed cave lobster again. It was more scared and defensive than aggressive. It didn¡¯t match with what she¡¯d been taught of creatures beyond the Barrier, but James had pointed out that everything they heard was probably a lie spread by Technis.

    The dark-shelled lobster was currently holding its two bright red pincer up high, threatening the group with a nasty pinch if they got closer. If it had been more than a couple of feet high Bel may have been intimidated, but as it was she just wanted the creature to go away.

    Bel was waving her weapon at the creature, waiting for it to move past them, when she saw some movement by the wall behind the lobster.

    ¡°Heads up,¡± she called out, ¡°there¡¯s something else here.¡±

    Bel gripped her weapon tightly in her right hand as she lifted an ever-burning candle with her left.

    Bel jumped as a pale blur twice the lobster¡¯s size slipped from a crack in the wall and snatched the smaller cave lobster with two of its eight legs. In an eye blink the lobster was sawed in half by the ambusher¡¯s bizarre mouth ¨C a strange arrangement with two vertically oriented jaws placed side by side. It sheared through the lobster so quickly that Bel only understood what happened after a few seconds of noisy chewing.

    After enjoying a mouthful, the newcomer turned towards James and made a threatening rattling sound by rubbing its mouthparts together.

    <em style="font-style: italic">That¡¯s enough of that, Bel thought.

    Bel <em style="font-style: italic">glared with disgust, easily overpowering the predator¡¯s resistance. She rushed forward and jabbed her sword at its frozen face, slicing across its eyes but failing to penetrate its exoskeleton.

    That broke the overlarge arachnid from it paralysis. It stepped back, waving its front legs frantically in the air.

    Bel rushed forward, her blade held up high. The arachnid must have been partially blinded because it didn¡¯t react until she was almost upon it. She slapped its head with one hand, forcing the exoskeleton to <em style="font-style: italic">liquify. Then she stabbed her weapon straight through to whatever served as its brain. The creature twitched violently and then went still, its legs curling in towards its body.

    Bel pulled the energy from its core, but there wasn¡¯t much.

    ¡°These really aren¡¯t worth much,¡± she complained.

    She was eager to advance her threshold a few steps. She¡¯d taken her first couple of abilities quickly, but now she wanted to save up for something fantastic. The power to blow up a moon would be nice.

    She was also considering just maybe using twelve of her unbound strokes to get a vision ability from Kjar¡¯s constellation. It would let her see wickidness, whatever that meant, and would also improve her vision in dark places. Taking it would be like admitting that she was bound to spend more time in caves though, which made her resist the obviously useful ability.

    Bel wiped off the ichor from her short sword on the bristly body of the spider-thing. ¡°Liquify is pretty useful. I¡¯m excited to see what other abilities I can get with my new Path. I wouldn¡¯t mind fighting something more dangerous, just to grow faster,¡± she told her brother.

    ¡°Is leveling slower now?¡±

    ¡°I think so. At least it is relative to my first Path.¡±

    James nodded. ¡°It makes video game sense. And I guess that your core is larger in its magical 4D space, so it takes more essence to grow a new layer? Does that sound right?¡±

    Bel shrugged and her snakes wobbled. ¡°I¡¯ve never understood that dimensional stuff that you and Ventas talked about. My new core feels about the same size.¡±

    James scratched his chin. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve got it. The amount of essence you would need grows with the surface area of your core. A sphere takes, uh¡­¡±

    James waved his fingers in the air as he thought.

    ¡°Four  I think. With a second core you''ve got twice the radius, so it makes sense.¡±

    Beth interrupted them with a sudden snort. ¡°What? Huh? What makes sense?¡±

    James rolled his eyes. ¡°Welcome back, Beth. Bel took care of the monster.¡± He pointed at the arachnid-type thing¡¯s corpse.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Beth blinked blearily. ¡°Oh. Is that dinner? I¡¯m starving.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± James replied quickly. ¡°Or¡­ I hope not. Gods, what if the only food outside of the Barrier is giant bug?¡±

    ¡°Oh Bargainer please, please, don¡¯t make these the only things to eat outside of the Barrier,¡± Bel prayed.

    Beth clicked her tongue in frustration. ¡°Aren¡¯t you two hungry? Why waste this thing?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t even have a way to build a fire,¡± James pleaded, ¡°let¡¯s just forget about this dual-jawed spider thing, okay? Maybe it was mutated from radiation. I¡¯m sure there gotta be something normal once we get out of the cave.¡±

    He pulled the map from his pack and started poking at it. ¡°I mean, we haven¡¯t found any landmarks yet, but I think we should come up to a pool soonish. Maybe it¡¯ll have fish.¡±

    Luckily for their stomachs, Beth wasn¡¯t in any condition to really argue. She gave up with only a little bit of grumbling and the siblings shared a sigh of relief as they left the corpse behind.

    Bel spend some of the time walking trying out the passive versions of her <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification ability. <em style="font-style: italic">Liquify, by comparison, was easy to figure out. She¡¯d used it to slightly soften the edge of her weapon and sharpen it. Even Beth had admitted that the ability was cool.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Changing part of my own body though¡­

    The passive version of the ability didn¡¯t go beyond making a small patch of Bel¡¯s skin feel as if it had a callus. She needed to see what the active version would do, but she¡¯d been holding off because she didn''t have enough free strokes left in her cores after getting her new abilities. Using either of her abilities would mean a couple of hours waiting for her strokes to refill.

    <em style="font-style: italic">But, if all we¡¯re going to do is fight giant bugs¡­

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going to try the body mod ability,¡± she said.

    James frowned. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s safe?¡±

    Bel tossed her hands into the air. ¡°How should I know? It wouldn¡¯t be an ability if it wasn¡¯t safe, right?¡±

    Her brother scratched at his growing beard. ¡°Well, what are you going to try to do?¡±

    Bel looked at her hand. ¡°Sharpen a nail, maybe?¡±

    She concentrated on her finger and tried to focus her ability on reshaping the nail of her pinky to be stronger and sharper. As the mana left her ability inscription, her nail lengthened and curved, turning into the claw that she¡¯d pictured. She felt a pressure in her pinky that rapidly turned into a painful sting.

    ¡°Ow, ah, tits, this hurts,¡± she cursed. Bel waved her hand in the air, desperate for the stinging to go away, but it was only getting worse. After a few seconds of exquisite discomfort her ability ended, her pinky nail warped back to its original dimensions, and promptly popped off of her finger.

    ¡°Ah, crows, that hurt!¡± she yelled.

    James rushed over to take a look, quickly numbing her pain as he grasped her hand.

    ¡°That was pretty stupid,¡± he scolded her, ¡°but other than your nail falling off I think it¡¯s fine.¡±

    Bel blew on her faintly stinging digit, staring with consternation at the raw skin now bereft of covering. ¡°That sucked,¡± she complained.

    Her brother shrugged. ¡°Practice makes perfect. How often can you use it?¡±

    Bel felt at her core. ¡°Ugh. I think it takes two hours to recover.¡±

    Beth scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve got to keep more free strokes in your core. Not just to resist whatever weird stuff people throw at you, but so you can recover faster. Only little kids fill their cores up.¡±

    Bel pouted, but even as she prepared a retort she saw her sister lean up against the wall and drift off again.

    ¡°Maybe we should take a break,¡± James suggested.

    Bel nodded wordlessly.

    <hr>

    After a few more hours spent wandering through the cave ¨C and backtracking only a couple of times ¨C they finally found the pool that James had been pointing to on the map.

    ¡°As promised,¡± he announced proudly.

    Bel swore to herself that she would learn how to read a map at the first available moment. James was clearly terrible at it.

    Beth cracked an eye open for a moment before drifting off again. Her condition was deteriorating. Although James could feel what was wrong with her through his abilities, he¡¯d told Bel that he couldn¡¯t do much about it without access to real medicine. He could, he explained, put her into a protective coma, but that felt like an option of last resort.

    Bel hesitantly approached the still pool of water, her candle held high as she searched the cave walls and floor for anything dangerous. The water was exceptionally clear, and very still. Her snakes uncoiled from her head and flicked their tongues through the air, clearly suspicious.

    ¡°Hey, could you refill these water bottles?¡± James asked.

    Bel grumbled to herself and went to dig through her brother¡¯s overstuffed bag. He had insisted on raiding everything they could from the cultist¡¯s stores, which included several stoppered gourds for water. They started full, but wandering through the dry, dusty caves had been thirsty work. It didn¡¯t help that all of the rations they¡¯d discovered were dried meats and grain the consistency of sawdust ¨C food probably meant to be boiled, but she had vetoed James¡¯ suggestion that they take a pot.

    She pulled out an armful of water jugs and wandered back to the water, but hesitated a couple of steps from it. <em style="font-style: italic">Something about this water is just¡­ weird.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, sis?¡±

    She glanced back at her brother and made a helpless gestured, and one of the gourds slipped free of her arms. She reflexively moved to catch it and all but two of the gourds broke free of her grasp. She growled, angry and frustrated as she watched them bounce along the ground. She stuck out a foot to stop their rolling, not excited by the prospect of chasing after them in the strange pool. She stopped one, but managed to kick another straight into the water.

    It hit the surface and rolled across.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is it ice?

    No sooner had she completed the thought when the water -- which was clearly not actually water --split down the middle. The gourd slipped into the opening and disappeared. The edges of the water lifted like a miniature wave. Bel skipped backwards, not eager to see what it would do next. The wave lifted only knee height before slapping down in a wide area around the pool. It caught several of the gourds and dragged them back, where they disappeared into the not-water¡¯s depths.

    Bel backed away slowly.

    ¡°Bel, are you done yet? I want to rinse of Beth¡¯s bandages.¡±

    Bel turned back to him with an incredulous expression.

    ¡°Hey James, let me see that map.¡±

    He looked up, confused. ¡°The map? Why? Can¡¯t that wait?¡±

    She tossed the remaining gourds at him and held out her hand. ¡°No. Give it. Something¡¯s weird about the water.¡±

    He grumbled with frustration, but dug out the map. It was made of hide and covered with little markings that Bel didn¡¯t really understand, but she couldn¡¯t imagine its makers marking this as a place to drink.

    ¡°Show me this pond,¡± she demanded.

    ¡°Geez, would it hurt to say please?¡±

    ¡°Please good brother, I want to stop us from dying. If that¡¯s okay with you, could you show me the pond?¡±

    He rolled his eyes, but pointed out a small circle. ¡°Here. What makes you think it isn¡¯t safe?¡±

    ¡°Maybe the teeth that are drawn next to it? And the bones below them?¡±

    James squinted, bringing his candle closer. ¡°Nah, I think those are hieroglyphs. Probably the pond¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Bel nodded, ¡°it¡¯s named Bitey Bone Pond.¡±

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s wrong with it then?¡±

    Bel bent down to the cavern floor and grabbed at a protruding rock. With a quick application of <em style="font-style: italic">liquify, she gouged it free of the cave floor and tossed it into the carnivorous water.

    It struck the surface and bounced.

    ¡°Huh,¡± James breathed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s weird, but¨C¡±

    Then the pond repeated its prior performance, swallowing up the stone before striking at the ground around it.

    James blinked several time. ¡°Oh, okay. Maybe those symbols meant it was dangerous.¡±

    ¡°You think? It¡¯s not even real water!¡±

    ¡°But it''s just a... a slime! It''s probably weak. You should kill it for XP.¡±

    Bel gave him a strong sideye. So did her snakes. ¡°It''s enormous, James. It would swallow me in a

    single gulp.¡±

    She shoved the map back at him. ¡°Let¡¯s find another pond, but one that¡¯s marked with smiles and rainbows instead of bones and teeth, okay?¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 29 â€“ A Delicacy

    <section>

    <section>

    After spending an interminable hour in the near darkness, they arrived at another pond. This one was in a damp cavern with treacherous footing. Stalagmites and stalactites thrust like teeth from parts of the floor and ceiling, obscuring their view around the room. All of the water ran downhill and collected in a pond that stretched out into the darkness beyond the light from their candles.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, it looks like a pond, Bel thought warily. She wasn¡¯t convinced yet. <em style="font-style: italic">And even if it is water this time, that just means that there could be other predators inside of it.

    She examined the new water more carefully, searching the edges for signs of cave lobsters or any other aquatic threats. A few creatures zipped away from her, but they were so small that she doubted they had any essence in them at all. Still, signs of life <em style="font-style: italic">probably meant that the water was actually water this time, and the little creatures <em style="font-style: italic">probably meant that there wasn¡¯t anything really dangerous hanging around.

    Bel knelt down, carefully set her candle on the ground behind her, cupped her hands to scoop out the water, and drank. The smooth, cool liquid moved down her throat, finally dislodging the dust that had built up during their trek through the dry caves.

    The water tasted like rocks, but she wasn¡¯t going to complain.

    James lowered Beth into a seated position, propping her back against a large stalagmite thrusting up from the floor. She¡¯d been mostly sleepwalking for the past hour or so, but Bel didn¡¯t know if that was a good or a bad thing. At least she had stopped producing more stimulants, which James was convinced were preventing her body from healing properly.

    James put a bit of torn cloth behind her head as a pillow before standing, his joints popping as he stretched out the kinks in his body.

    Bel joined him and nodded at the water. ¡°It seems safe,¡± she whispered.

    James sighed with relief and pulled out two of their empty gourds. ¡°I¡¯ll go fill these up then. Keep an eye on Beth.¡±

    Bel waved her brother off and looked at her injured sister. She couldn¡¯t hold back a heavy sigh. She wondered how James was managing. He acted calm, but like he said, he treated things like a game so he could cope with them. Beth had always been the one looking out for them before, and the sudden role reversal made Bel anxious. They were also in a completely unknown place ¨C who knew what would happen next.

    Bel knelt and held a candle to her sister¡¯s sleeping face. Some of the color seemed to have returned to her skin, although a sickly sheen still seemed to cling to her. Bel sniffed and wrinkled her nose. Beth also smelled like she needed a bath.

    She pushed she snakes away from her face with irritation as she looked back at the pond. Maybe once they were done drinking the water they could bathe.

    Bel watched James he filled the gourds, wondering how frigid the water would feel, when her attention was grabbed by a ripple of motion underneath the water.

    She got up, concern driving her forward. ¡°James, get away from the water,¡± she commanded.

    James didn¡¯t stop to ask questions, immediately grabbing the gourd and moving away from the water¡¯s edge. He was too slow.

    A mouth emerged from the water and rushed towards him, the gaping maw large enough to engulf James down to his shoulders. He desperately push backwards with his legs but slipped on the slick stones, and instead of ending up inside of the mouth he fell underneath it, pinned to the ground by a creature that looked to Bel like a gigantic, stretched frog with a row of widely spaced spikes for teeth. As its mouth slammed shut Bel saw that two of the lower fangs protruded through the upper lip, giving it an ugly, fierce appearance.

    James desperately pummeled at the side of the long frog¡¯s head with his fists, to no effect. Bel ran to his rescue, her hands dropping to the short sword at her side. She fixed it with her <em style="font-style: italic">glare, but her ability wasn¡¯t enough to make the creature freeze. Her attack did succeed in momentarily distracting the long frog, allowing James to squirm out from under its heavy body. He immediately pulled his fighting stick from a loop at his belt and swung it into the beast¡¯s moist exterior.

    The stick bounced off of its thick skin with a dull thump.

    In response, the creature ducked its head used its powerful neck muscles to ram James with one of its exposed tusks. Bel heard a metallic sound at the impact as James¡¯ new armor absorbed the blow, but the force behind it tossed him through the air. Bel didn¡¯t have time to check on him; she had to keep the amphibian busy. She rushed at its bulky body, her hand gripping her weapon as she prepared to attack.

    Its eyes tracked her progress as she shot past its head, dodging an awkward snap of its mouth. She drew alongside its less dangerous flank and dug her fingers into the wet, slick skin of its shoulder. She manipulated her nails to be slightly more pointy and dug them into its pliable skin, grabbed a hold to redirect her momentum into a pivot that plunged her weapon into its exposed side.

    The blade only sank in a finger length beneath the skin before slowing to a stop. Bel slapped her offhand against the frog¡¯s side and attempted to force <em style="font-style: italic">liquify into it so her weapon would fully penetrate, but she could feel heavy resist from the frog. Her sword was stuck: the creature¡¯s thick skin had squeezed tight around the wound and resisted her in both directions. It was so difficult to cut that she wondered if it was some kind of defensive ability.

    The monster¡¯s head bent to the side as it awkwardly snapped at her, but Bel moved deeper into the water and closer to the creature¡¯s midsection to avoid its face. She almost slipped, but used her grip on her weapon as an anchor to keep her feet under her, dragging it slowly through the skin and widening the shallow wound. Even if she couldn¡¯t kill it in a single blow, she could at least wear it down.

    For a moment she thought that she was out of its strike zone, but then beast abruptly rolled over. Bel only had a moment to realize what was happening before she was struck by the entire mass of the frog. The world tilted and then she was plunged into darkness as its mass pushed her under the water and pinned to the mucky bottom of the shallow pond.

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    Bel panicked, kicking for purchase in the mud. She frantically shoved and twisted her short sword as she went down. Even her snakes went wild, desperately biting into the slick surface of the amphibian¡¯s skin. She pushed and heaved, desperate to remove some of the bulk from above her, but she had no leverage; she was pinned under the water and, even with her her <em style="font-style: italic">improved lung capacity, her breath was running out.

    A stream of precious air leaked from her lungs as she strained with all of her might, shoving her blade deeper and deeper into the heavy creature, hoping that pain would drive it off of her. She strained until spots appeared in her vision. She could feel her muscles growing weak as more seconds passed and a feeling of despair washed through her. She was doomed, fated to die under a giant frog, stranding her family on their own in a dangerous land.

    The weight above her abruptly vanished, taking with it her thoughts of doom. Bel pulled herself upright and weakly kicked towards the surface. When she burst from the water she gasped in the sweet, beautiful air. She caught a glimpse of her brother and hoped that he could handle the beast for a few seconds while she recovered.

    She coughed and spluttered as she turned as quickly as possible back to the beast. She¡¯d left her short sword embedded in its side, but maybe she could reclaim it while her brother kept the long frog distracted. Currently he seemed to be wresting with the creature at the edge of the pond.

    Bel kicked and pulled at the water, and within two strokes her hands touched the bottom. She ran out of the pond and made straight line to the creature¡¯s side, intending to slam into it. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so dangerous if she could flip it over.

    James grabbed her before she could commit any more violence.

    ¡°Whoah, Bel, calm down. It¡¯s dead. Like, super dead.¡± He gestured at its rolled up eyes and the darkened skin around numerous bite marks on its side, as well as the blood seeping from the gaping wound that she¡¯d torn into it.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel said lamely. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice.¡±

    ¡°Were your snakes using those coagulation abilities? I didn¡¯t know they could do that with them.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t either.¡± She was too embarrassed to admit that she¡¯d been in such a panic that she hadn¡¯t even noticed what her headsnakes had been doing.

    James looked the long frong up and down. ¡°Think you¡¯ll get a level from it?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Maybe.¡±

    Bel put a hand on the slick flesh and pulled at its core. Petals unfurled in her original core and another syncopated beat joined Dutcha¡¯s path.

    ¡°Yup! Another threshold down,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°That should save, uh¡­¡±

    Her snakes writhed as she attempted the math in her head. ¡°¡­half an hour less to refill my core? I think.¡±

    James frowned at her. ¡°You know, we haven¡¯t practiced math in a while. Now that we¡¯re not in constant mortal peril, maybe we¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, geez,¡± Bel exclaimed frantically, ¡°look, we¡¯re making so much noise that Beth¡¯s waking up.¡±

    Beth blinked at them and then blearily looked around. Her eyes settled on the dead frog for a few moment. ¡°Hey,¡± Beth asked groggily, ¡°is that thing dinner?¡±

    Bel and James turned and considered the large amphibian.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not bug,¡± James admitted.

    Bel¡¯s lips pulled back in disgust. ¡°I¡¯d prefer bug.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°What in the hells are those?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes fanned out around her head at the alarm in her brother¡¯s voice. She looked where he was pointing and saw that the corpse of the long frog was twitching and bulging like it was alive.

    She stumbled back as she gripped her weapon in shock, her eyes widening.

    She stared at the corpse as James brought a candle closer. No, it wasn¡¯t moving. There were small lumps on it that were moving around, but the long frog was still dead. Breath puffed out of her lungs, a heavy knot in her gut uncoiling with relief. James told the worst stories about the undead. As far as she knew they were all just fantasy, the closest things being Technis¡¯ creations.

    James held up his candles to get a better look at the lumps. They were some kind of pale, disgusting crickets, each as long as Bel¡¯s forearm, crawling on the dead creature. They were eating it, their mouthparts moving about in a way that made Bel¡¯s skin crawl as they pulled the flesh from the long frog¡¯s body. She was suddenly glad that her stomach was still empty.

    ¡°Gods, they¡¯re disgusting,¡± she said.

    ¡°Says the girl who just shoved her hand into something¡¯s head.¡± James waved his fighting stick around, not really aiming to kill the pests, but chasing them off of the corpse. ¡°Let¡¯s get outselves some more provisions from this thing before the scavengers pick it apart.¡±

    Bel looked at the unappatizing lump of meat that she¡¯d been given earlier. She¡¯d left it on a rock when she¡¯d gotten up to test her ability. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind letting them have it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste good food,¡± he chided her.

    ¡°Is it <em style="font-style: italic">good though?¡± she challenged.

    ¡°It¡¯s, you know, better than starving.¡±

    Bel wrinkled her nose. ¡°If you say so.¡±

    <hr>

    James handed her a chunk of raw long frog. Bel looked at the unappatizing lump of meat with distate. Even her headsnakes retreated from it.

    James rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, come on Bel. Frog legs are a delicacy. C¡¯mon, this is like a fancy candelight dinner back on Earth.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. Is it even safe to eat?¡±

    ¡°I sterlized it with an ability.¡± He pointed at Beth. ¡°Look, she¡¯s eating it.¡±

    Bel looked over to see that her sister was eating with without complaint. She actually seemed to be enjoying it, and was quickly finishing her own chunk. Bel sniffed at her own piece and took a small nibble.

    ¡°It¡¯s chewy,¡± she complained. ¡°And gross.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    James took a bite and grimaced, but he forced out a smile after he managed to swallow. ¡°Perfectly fine.¡±

    Bel took another nibble and swallowed after another struggle.

    ¡°I¡¯m not convinced,¡± she gagged.

    James sighed dramatically and stepped towards Beth. ¡°Do you want another?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Beth looked up, her eyes a bit glassy. She mumbled something and twitched like she¡¯d been struck. ¡°Sorry, forgot to keep myself stimulated.¡±

    ¡°Geez Beth, knock it off with those drugs,¡± James chastised. ¡°You¡¯ll burst your heart or something.¡±

    Beth waved off his concern with a flick of her meat-stained hand. ¡°Yeah, I want another. I¡¯ll grab it.¡±

    She hopped to her feet and dodged around James protests, striding confidently over to the long-frog¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°Ugh, scavengers,¡± she complained.

    Bel took advantage of James¡¯ distraction to drop her half-finished chunk of meat, grab and candle, and go investigate whatever Beth had discovered.

    When she joined her sister, she saw that the body had been swarmed by small, pale crickets, each as long as Bel¡¯s forearm. They eating the corpse, their mouthparts moving about in a way that made Bel¡¯s skin crawl as they pulled the flesh from the long frog¡¯s body.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s it for meal time for me,¡± she declared.

    ¡°Spoiled,¡± Beth snorted. The assassin¡¯s appetite was unsinkable: she swatted away a few of the insects, carved out another chunk of frog flesh, and took a large bite.

    Beth looked her sister up and down. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re looking a lot better now. Maybe a nap and some food was all you needed.¡±

    Beth turned to her and nodded wordlessly, her mouth still stuffed full of frog.

    Bel¡¯s wrinkled her nose. ¡°Is the frog really that good?¡±

    Beth tilted her head before swallowing. ¡°Well, what else¨Coh, hey.¡±

    She dropped the meat and grabbed one of her knives. A moment later she held a wriggling cricket at the end of her weapon. The swarm reacted with a little bit of agitated scuttling, but Beth disdainfully kicked away any of the other insects that approached. Once the signs of life vanished from the one that she¡¯d skewered, Beth opened her mouth wide to bite into it.

    Bel quickly turned away. She¡¯d eaten giant bugs before, sure, but Beth was just going at it. In fact, even turned the other way she could hear loud mastication as the assassin crunched through her latest victim¡¯s carapace. A gulping noise followed as Beth forced a large chunk of uncooked insect down her throat. Bel couldn¡¯t suppress a shudder and nearly gagged.

    James shared a look with her. ¡°Yeah, I would kill for a pizza.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 30 â€“ Meeting the Locals

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°Tell me about pizza,¡± Bel pleaded. ¡°It¡¯s been at least an hour, and I can still see the cricket legs sticking out of Beth¡¯s mouth. I need to think of something else.¡±

    Beth snorted indignantly, but she had a small grin on her face. Bel suspected that her sister had been intentionally grossing her out, especially when she started making slurping noises. Bel failed to repress a shudder at the memory.

    James grinned and held out his arms like he was hugging someone very wide. ¡°Pizzas round and flat, and about this big.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°Are they an animal?¡±

    He laughed. ¡°They¡¯re like a flat bread ¨C not the weak, floppy breads you¡¯ve seen, but crisp and perfect, just strong enough to hold up their toppings while still being thin enough to crunch through when you bite into a slice. Pizza is covered with melted mozzarella ¨C it¡¯s a kind of cheese ¨C and with a sauce made from tomatoes.¡±

    Bel scratched her cheek. ¡°I can¡¯t really picture it. What¡¯s a tomato?¡±

    ¡°Ah, those are a red fruit that¡¯s a bit tangy. If you cook them they turn into a red paste to goes well with some savory herbs.¡±

    James licked his lips. It looked as if he¡¯d gone into a trance. ¡°Oh, and garlic. You can even get pizzas that have minced garlic as a topping. Stars above, I think I would murder someone for a pizza.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what those things are,¡± Bel laughed. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the taste at all. What¡¯s cheese?¡±

    ¡°Well, mozzarella is a kind of soft cheese made from the milk of a cow.¡±

    ¡°A cow?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like a¡­ hm. Satrap doesn¡¯t have any large mammals. Imagine a giant tree rat, but that lives on the ground and isn¡¯t gross.¡±

    James tugged on his beard with frustration. ¡°That¡¯s a terrible description. Gah, I can¡¯t describe it, but pizza is like this wonderful mixture of warm, gooey cheese and crisp bread with a tang of tomato on it.¡± He turned to her with a manic gleam in his eyes. ¡°And you can get them with pepperoni! My parents would get Hawaiian, which has pork and pineapple. I used to hate it, but I¡¯d kill for some of that now too.¡±

    ¡°Wow. I guess. Not sure if I want something from a giant rat though.¡±

    James¡¯ eyes widened in outrage, but Beth interrupted them before he could respond.

    ¡°Hey kids,¡± Beth called. Bel made the mistake of turning quickly enough to see a bit of insect still sticking out of Beth¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Ugh, Beth! That¡¯s gross!¡±

    Beth waved her half consumed insect in front of them. ¡°No, look. There¡¯s something ahead.¡±

    Bel looked and saw a crowd on insects, choking the tunnel up ahead. The light from their candles reflected from the innumerate carapaces. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s something.¡±

    Ery pulled out his fighting stick, but then paused. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it lighter up ahead?¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes at them. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re nearing the exit. What did you think I was pointing out? The locusts?¡±

    Bel looked at the insects. They were big ¨C maybe two hands long ¨C but she didn¡¯t see why that would be a problem. Beth was right, getting out of the tunnels was way more exciting.

    Although, as she stared at the insects she realized that, in addition to covering the cave floor, they also covered the cavern walls as well. If they wanted to leave the tunnel then they would have to go past the swarm of pests.

    Bel gestured at the obstacle. ¡°Think we can squeeze past without them swarming us?¡±

    Beth flicked a mostly-eaten cricket from her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s just stab our way out.¡± She advanced on them with menace in her steps, James and Bel following along helplessly.

    Rather than fleeing or charging though, the swarm turned towards the trio, staring with their glossy, lidless eyes. They began twitching their legs, but didn¡¯t make any motions to come closer.

    Beth was unintimidated, of course. She advanced with her dagger drawn and a malicious glint to her eyes.

    The insects intensified their leg twitching and produced an incredible sound. It began as a whisper, but a heartbeat later it felt as though the sound was a tangible force pushing against them.

    Bel stumbled back, squeezing her hands to her ears to block out the overwhelming volume that was coming from the vile creatures. From the corner of her eyes she saw Beth and James doing the same thing, although Beth was struggling with only one hand.i

    ¡°This sucks,¡± James yelled.

    Bel agreed. It wasn¡¯t just loud, it felt like an assault upon her very existence.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Like hell I¡¯m going down to a swarm of insects, she thought.

    Bel looked up at the swarm of locusts and blasted them with <em style="font-style: italic">glare. The effects were immediate. As her gaze swept across the insects she had a feeling like she was pushing through a barely tangible barrier, a thin curtain of spiderwebs, and the insects went silent one by one. A few raised their legs and made a scratching noise afterwards, but the noises of the single insects were accompanied by the power they had previously possessed.

    Beth capitalized on their confused state, rushing forward to skewer the nearest insect. James and Bel were right behind her, delivering woe and death to the little pests.

    The locusts didn¡¯t pose much danger after Bel had shut down their sonic attack. Other than a nasty bite in the leg, which barely broke through her <em style="font-style: italic">intensified integument strengthened skin, they didn¡¯t have any problems smashing the disgusting little faces blocking their way. Bel <em style="font-style: italic">glared regularly to make sure that the insects didn¡¯t recover. They methodically made their way to the cave opening, leaving a trail of slaughtered insects in their wake.

    Once they could see the light coming from the end of the tunnel James whooped loudly. He doubled his bug smashing speed, heedless of the ichor spraying onto his clothes.

    Bel felt a rush of excitement as well, and raced to compete. She snicker-snacked through the pests with her short sword, sending a chaotic rain of insect parts flying in every direction. She laughed with glee as she severed her foes before her.

    She was so absorbed in the competition that she only noticed the humanoid figures standing by the cave entrance when she stepped onto one of their long shadows extending from the mouth of the cave.

    The young gorgon snapped to attention. She stared at the silhouette of the person who was blocking the outside light, her eyes round with surprise. Three figures stood at the mouth of the tunnel and stared back at her, giving Bel plenty of time to inspect them. They wore ornamented helmets of some black lacquered material, giving them a vaguely hostile aura, and wielded simple wooden spears. Their clothing was unspectacular though, just a simple cloth wrapped around their torso. Each one had a basket hanging on their back, which they were busily filling with locusts.

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    James stepped in front of her and called out, ¡°hello stranger, well met!¡±

    Bel was impressed by his bluster.

    Two of the strangers ignored him and continued spearing the locusts and tossing them into the baskets on their backs with brutal efficiency. The last one stared in their direction for a moment and then bowed briefly.

    As the figure bowed it moved out of the direct sunlight and Bel saw that what she had taken for a helmet was no such thing. The person had a head wrapped in the dark, red carapace of an insect. A pair of large antenna beat the air around its head. A pair of powerful mandibles took the place of a more human jaw. As the figure completed their bow, Bel and James stared into its black, segmented eyes.

    Bel¡¯s mouth hung open as she looked at her brother. He looked back at her with raised eyebrows.

    Two of the ant-headed people moved to within a few strides of Bel and James as they collected the locusts. At a clicking noise from the first figure they turned and made their way out of the cave.

    Bel stared at the cave opening in disbelief. ¡°What in the hells was that?¡±

    James shook his head. ¡°And why were they all women?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    It took a moment for her brain to catch up, but then she threw her hands up in disgust. ¡°Bargainer save us. Were you checking out the ants?¡±

    James scoffed. ¡°I think you mean mants. For man-ants. Mants.¡±

    Bel hit him in the shoulder. ¡°You mean womants, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± He paused for though. ¡°Yeah, womants. You win this round.¡±

    She nodded in satisfaction, but then shook her head angrily. ¡°Their name isn¡¯t important! Where did they come from? Are they dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± He shrugged. ¡°No way to know but to go find out, right? They seemed peaceful. So far at least, and I think they were even leaving the rest of the locusts to us.¡±

    James pulled out his pack and started rummaging for something. Bel retreated in horror as he pulled out his pair of infernal toothbrushes. ¡°If we¡¯re about to meet some strangers, then we should make ourselves presentable first,¡± he declared.

    Bel gestured at their stained and ripped clothes. ¡°James, we look like shit.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s at least put in some effort, okay? And Beth, maybe you could help me shave?¡±

    Beth scowled. ¡°You want me to use one of my proper fighting daggers to shave your face?¡± she asked, incredulous.

    ¡°Yes. Think of a social encounter as a kind of fight. Like Bel said, we look like shit, so we need all the help we can get.¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes, but a moment later she wistfully tugged on the ragged patch of hair that used to be one of her braids. She sighed in defeat. ¡°Fine, whatever.¡±

    She unsheathed a clean dagger and gestured him closer. ¡°Bring your face over here, I don¡¯t want to have to reach.¡±

    Beth¡¯s blade moved like a shooting star across his face, and a moment later his beard was mostly gone, reduced to only a hint of red stubble along his jawline.

    ¡°Thank the gods, the stars, and the Bargainer. I hate having a beard,¡± he complained. ¡°A proper fantasy world should come with safety razors and mirrors.¡±

    He turned to Bel and raised his eyebrows. ¡°How do I look?¡±

    ¡°Like you were trampled by a herd of work lizards.¡± Bel gave him a thumbs up. ¡°But at least that beard is gone.¡±

    Beth rolled her at their antics and turned her attention back to more eating. She bent down and skewered one of the dead locusts with her dagger. Food secured, she looked towards the exit. ¡°Now, what¡¯s been happening up here? You two rushed ahead while I was protecting our rears¡±

    She opened her mouth and tore off some of the locust¡¯s exoskeleton with a feral bite. Bel and James recoiled as she spit it out and went back for a mouthful of insect meat.

    Beth continued unperturbed. ¡°Oh come on,¡± she said after swallowing, ¡°they aren¡¯t that bad, and I¡¯m still starving from using my abilities constantly. You kids need to be less picky if you want to grow up strong.¡±

    James stared into the dead eyes of the locust in his older sister¡¯s hand and squeezed his lips with disgust. ¡°There are, uh, people.¡±

    Beth nodded as she chewed. ¡°Yup. Saw three of them, but you guys didn¡¯t talk to them. Think they¡¯re dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t everyone?¡± Bel groaned.

    James elbowed her in the side.

    ¡°Come on, think positive. They didn¡¯t look like the Dark Ravager¡¯s followers. Let¡¯s check outside, maybe they¡¯ll be friendly.¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes and strode confidently towards the exit. She pointed at the dead insects as she went. ¡°Bel, come over here and shove these into my bag.¡±

    Bel dutifully opening the bag and depositing the gross little locusts. ¡°Beth, maybe you should hang back. We don¡¯t anything about these, uh, people, and sometimes you come off as a little, well¡­¡±

    She looked at her brother for help, but he looked back with a helpless expression. ¡°Sometimes you¡¯re a little aggressive, Beth, and your injury has you a tiny bit unbalanced. Maybe James and I should handle¨C¡±

    Beth jabbed the half-eaten locust in her direction.

    ¡°Gods, stop worrying about me. I¡¯m <em style="font-style: italic">fine, I¡¯ve been hurt before, and it¡¯s not like missing an arm makes it harder for me to speak.¡±

    Bel turned back to her brother and gripped the air in frustration. He could only shrug.

    Bel¡¯s snakes writhed with displeasure. ¡°But Beth,¡± she began.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Beth waved her food at the flustered gorgon as she strode into the light.

    James bumped her with his elbow as he walked past. ¡°You try to hold Beth back, I¡¯ll try to do the talking, okay?¡±

    ¡°Why is she so¡­¡± Bel waved her hands. ¡°¡­so irritable!¡± Bel gestured helplessly after her sister. A few of her snakes hissed to express her vexation.

    James stared at them for a moment. ¡°Should we hide those?¡±

    Bel pointed at her head. ¡°What, these girls? Those people have ant heads. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    James and Bel blinked and squinted as they left the darkness and ventured into the light. As their eyes adjusted they found Beth standing before a menagerie of different human-shaped people. There was far more variety than just the ant-headed humanoids that they¡¯d been expecting. The one-armed assassin looked at Bel and James with an expression somewhere between exasperation and confusion and gestured them over.

    ¡°You two handle this,¡± she demanded. ¡°I don¡¯t have the patience for this shit.¡± Beth strode away from the confused cohort, leaving Bel and James to fill her absence.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel looked at the group. The ant-headed women were still around, but they had wandered off to collect more locusts. Bel could see them moving about in the distance. In their stead was a small circus¡¯ worth of semi-humans. They were gathered in a half circle around where Beth had been standing.

    Bel saw a scaled¡­ <em style="font-style: italic">Boy? Man? I can¡¯t tell. He had scales along his legs and thin, twig like arms, and was was barely taller than her waist. Tattoos of scales had been drawn all over his face and down his limbs until they met with the actually scaled parts of his body. Next to him was a heavily-feathered and beak-faced bird-person dressed in a leather vest and assless chaps. The reminded Bel of a startled owl when when they swiveled their wide eyes between Bel and her siblings.

    The next man was bizarre ¨C more bizarre than the previous two, at least to Bel. He had an elongated snout and gigantic feet and was leaning back on his thick tail like it was a third leg. She stared at the tail for a few moments, trying to figure out what kind of animal he was supposed to be, but she couldn¡¯t come up with anything. With a shrug, she looked at the next person.

    The unknown, large-tailed person was easily a head taller than Bel, but even he was a full head shorter than the even taller crocodile-like person next to him. Bel thought she was a woman from the obvious smears of makeup across her face, but she wasn¡¯t ready to fully commit to that assessment.

    The crocodilian wore nothing but a tall pair of boots and was covered in thick, bumpy hide. Bel had often seen similar features ¨C minus the boots ¨C on the river predators of Satrap. Unlike a real crocodile though, this person¡¯s lips were smeared with a bright, red paint. As Bel stared, the crocodilian¡¯s lips lifted, revealing her teeth; it was either a smile or a threat display. Bel cringed back and hoped for the former.

    Finally, there was an ant person with the group ¨C just not the kind of ant person they had been expecting. Unlike the ones that they¡¯d just seen, this woman had a human head, topped with a curly puff of shining silver hair. Her human torso extended to around where her waist would be, but her lower half was that of a large red ant. Her ant body was coated in the same shimmering silver hairs as her head giving her a metallic appearance that shifted in the sunlight.

    The ant woman had a full set of six ant legs while also having human arms, for a total of eight limbs and a height slightly shorter than Bel¡¯s. The leather armor on her torso had an attached leather skirt that obscured the area where her human and ant parts met, and Bel couldn¡¯t help but wonder how her body worked. She had seen plenty of grafted beings in the bowels of Technis¡¯ Temple, but never had she seen one who seemed so healthy and moved so naturally.

    While Bel and James examined them, the strangers shared a look amongst themselves. Then they burst into activity, neatly dividing into two groups. They organized themselves so quickly that Bel was convinced they must have shared some signal or plan, but if there had been any communication she had missed it. The snake and the crocodile scampered and stomped, respectively, over to Bel while the owl, the one with the big feet and tail, and the ant went to James.

    Bel waved lamely and resisted the growing urge to follow after her sister and run away. ¡°Uh, hello,¡± she awkwardly greeted them. The crocodile woman pulled back her lips again, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 31 â€“ Birds of a Feather

    <section>

    <section>

    The snake responded to Bel¡¯s awkward greeting with what Bel thought was a cute little dance. At the same time, the crocodile woman started thumping on her chest with her short, muscular arms. Bel tried to look at both of them at once, her neck and snakes turning back and forth. She was soon making herself dizzy, and her snakes were getting tangled.

    She held up her hands to try to calm down the duo.

    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s happening¡­¡± Bel trailed off. The pair seemed good intentioned ¨C maybe even cheerful ¨C but it was hard for Bel to be certain since neither of their faces were wholly human. Bel pursed her lips, confused about how she should continue.

    The crocodile lifted a large, clay jug of water from her side and poured a stream of water into her mouth. Then she looked Bel in the eye and began to gurgle loudly.

    Bel held up her hands apologetically. ¡°No, sorry, I don¡¯t, um, gurgle.¡± She pointed at her mouth. ¡°Just talking.¡±

    The crocodile gulped down the water. Bel thought that her lips were pressed together with dissatisfaction, but maybe that¡¯s was just how crocodiles looked. Her lipstick made the expression look more severe.

    The snake-person tapped on Bel¡¯s knee, trying to get her attention.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Bel queried, bending down to get closer. Then the snake person thrust its face on top of Bel¡¯s head, starting a terrible bout of hissing and writhing with her headsnakes. Bel tried to stand to get her snakes away from the small snake person. To her dismay, the snake guy had become entangled with the snakes on her head, and, not realizing how light he would be, Bel hoisted the now panicking person into the air as she stood. She suddenly found herself with an angry, flailing person her head.

    Bel desperately tried to calm her snakes and extricate her unwanted passenger for a solid minute before the crocodile woman came forward and plucked the snake from her head with her stubby, short-clawed hands.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Bel gasped, desperately trying to smooth down her agitated snake hair. Her snakes hissed and writhed, clearly upset after the encounter with the unexpected guest.

    The crocodile lady staggered Bel with a slap to her back and made a deep gurgling noise that Bel decided to interpret as a laugh. Bel rubbed her shoulder ¨C so far her attempts to communicate were not going well.

    She inhaled a deep breath and sighed. <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder how James is doing? She looked in his direction.

    Her eyes narrowed.

    He was doing fine. Bel could see him, laughing and smiling as he chatted with the half-ant woman. The owl was hooting as some joke while the man with the thick tail was leaning back on and thumping his foot into the ground in apparent amusement.

    Bel looked back at her two conversation partners. <em style="font-style: italic">Why did I get these two? Is it because I¡¯ve got snakes on my head? Or am I just terrible at communicating with strangers?

    The little snake person was in some deep conversation with the crocodile, tapping rapidly on a metal pipe as his body weaved through the air. The crocodile chortled and gurgled back in response. Bel reached up, still trying to calm the bundle of agitation on her head. She couldn¡¯t see herself making any progress with these two.

    She looked back at Beth, her eyes pleading for help, but her former guardian had fallen asleep in the shade of the tunnel opening.

    Bel pulled on her battered shirt, forcing some air against her skin. It was hot. More hot and dry than she¡¯d ever felt in Satrap.

    She looked around for the first time, only now becoming aware or the world around her. She¡¯d been so distracted by the strange people that she hadn¡¯t even gotten a good look at the world outside of Satrap¡¯s Barrier.

    It was¡­ empty. Bel spun around slowly as she looked around. On this side of the Barrier, the Spine mountains were rocky and barren. She could see small clumps of brownish shrubs clinging to the higher reaches of the slope above her ¨C a far cry from the snow-draped pine forests in Satrap. The tunnel had opened upon a ridge overlooking a large¡­ beach? But without a sea? Bel wasn¡¯t sure what she was seeing.

    The ground under her feet was dry ¨C it crunched and shifted under her boots, a curious mixture of sand and pebbles that looked like it hadn¡¯t experienced rain in years. Everything around her was just more of the same, although down the ridge she could see splotches of lighter, almost white sections of the sandy ground. And on the horizon¡­

    Bel¡¯s breath caught in her throat and here eyes widened with wonder. The horizon went on forever. There was no blue glow of the Barrier in the distance. The land just continued until features shrank too small for her to see.

    Freedom. It looked like she could just pick a direction and go. With her back to the Spine mountains, she couldn¡¯t see the Barrier at all. The sky was wide and open, without a single cloud in sight. Two of Olympos¡¯ moons were visible in the sky, the ill-omens of the reddish hunting moon drowned out by the calming blue-white light from the disk and tail of the hunting moon next to it. Her view was bisected cleanly by the Blade of Heaven ¨C the thing that James insisted was a ring around the entire planet. Now that she could see it dipping down into and below the horizon she could imagine that he was right.

    Bel was broken out of her examination by a poke in the shoulder from the large crocodilian. They were apparently ready to try again. For this attempt the two strangers were holding a small collection of flags on sticks that they were waving at Bel with great enthusiasm.

    Bel stared for a moment, frustration tightening her chest.

    ¡°Ugh, look, my brother is doing fine just talking out loud,¡± she complained, pointing at James. ¡°I mean, can¡¯t we just do what they¡¯re doing?¡±

    The crocodile glanced at the other group and made a loud snapping noise, followed by a hiss. The owl glanced in their direction and waved a wing. A moment later and the other group was coming in their direction.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    James trotted ahead to reach Bel first.

    ¡°Hey sis,¡± he called out in English, ¡°it turns out that Daran ¨C she¡¯s the ant girl with the silver ¡¯fro ¨C speaks Satrapian.¡±

    Bel looked between the too of them, flabbergasted.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t call it Satrapian though,¡± he rushed to tell her, ¡°she calls is Mycenaean. I think maybe it¡¯s like some kind of early Greek? Do you remember when I told you about the Greeks?¡±

    He barely paused for her to respond before continuing. ¡°They¡¯re the ones that came before the Romans. They wore togas and stuff.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bel struggled to follow along with the flood of words coming from her overexcited sibling.

    Then the ant-girl skittered into the conversation, speaking Satrapian with a strange accent. ¡°Greetings Beloved, sister of James! I wish to introduce myself as Daran, daughter of¨C¡± She made some noises that <em style="font-style: italic">could have been a name, or she could have swallowed a fly. From context Bel guessed name, but one with clicks and chitters rather than the neat sounds of the languages that she understood.

    Bel¡¯s thoughts froze for a moment, her concentration grabbed by the antenna that protruded from the woman¡¯s head before she snapped her attention back on newcomer¡¯s face.

    ¡°Um, hello, people call me Bel,¡± she awkwardly introduced herself. She certainly wasn¡¯t going to mention anything about her own mother or explain that her name was more of a title granted to her by her mother¡¯s followers. Instead she held out a hand to shake.

    Daran stared at it blankly for a few moments, long enough to make Bel worry that handshakes were some kind of taboo.

    ¡°Oh,¡± the ant girl gasped, ¡°sorry, James is just showing this to me.¡± Daran¡¯s legs skittered forward and she timidly reached out her hand to gently grasp Bel¡¯s fingers. She gave a single, small up and down shake before blushing and taking her hand back.

    ¡°We are usually just bowing here in the Golden Plains. Not all people here has a proper hand for this shaking.¡± Daran¡¯s antennae beat the air enthusiastically. Bel suppressed the urge to poke one of them. ¡°Yes, many hands of different kinds here.¡±

    Daran smiled widely. ¡°But no people like your! You are gorgon yes?¡± Daran twisted to reach her hands into a small bag fasted to the back of her ant body. ¡°I am having a scroll with many creatures in it,¡± she explained.

    The ant-girl pulled out a small scroll with a triumphant expression. ¡°I remember that your people and my people are from similar place, am I right?¡±

    Bel¡¯s brow creased with confusion. ¡°Your people?¡±

    ¡°We are the daughters of Myrmex,¡± Daran explained. ¡°You are daughters of, hm, someone. I have it written here¡­¡± The ant girl unfurled her hide scroll and began scanning through it, her lips pursed with concentration.

    ¡°I think she means that gorgons and ant-people both come from somewhere around Greece, maybe,¡± James guessed. ¡°Back on Earth.¡±

    Bel rubbed her nose, irritated by the dry air and frustrated with her confusion. ¡°Does that have anything to do with this place?¡±

    ¡°No. Oh, but the Golden Plains is where we are now,¡± James explained. He dropped into English for the next part. ¡°I told them that we¡¯re from some place called the Lip ¨C well, she thought that we were from the Lip because you have some snake parts and she¡¯s only heard rumors about the place but hasn¡¯t been there, so I rolled with it.¡±

    Bel glanced at the group. Daran¡¯s antennae were waving through air as she alternated between looking through her scroll and watching them with wide-eyed curiosity.

    ¡°So we¡¯re lying to them?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Well¡­ I was worried that they might have something against Satrap.¡±

    Bel looked from her brother to the wide eyes of the eclectic group. ¡°<em style="font-style: italic">We have something against Satrap, James. Let¡¯s just trust them, otherwise this will get too complicated. We don¡¯t even know anything about the Lip, there¡¯s no way this lie will last more than a day.¡±

    ¡°But we can just make things up as we go,¡± James objected.

    Bel turned back to Daran. ¡°Hey Daran, I think we¡¯ve had some misunderstanding. My brother says that you think we¡¯re from some place called the Lip?¡±

    Daran nodded. ¡°Yes, I have knowing that it is a place lying on the far south with much mud and wetness. Since your tribes have not joined our grouping we have little talk with your people, but we all welcome you to the Great Swap.¡± She scrunched up her face, clearly struggling to think of the proper words to express her intent. ¡°We welcome all for the group¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s nice.¡± Bel glanced at James, but he just shrugged. <em style="font-style: italic">Great, so he doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about either. Hopefully not some kind of friendly group sacrifice.

    Bel cleared her throat. ¡°So, anyway, there¡¯s a little mix up. See, we¡¯re not from the Lip.¡±

    Daran tilted her head and scratched at her abdomen with one of her back legs. Bel found the long insect legs very distracting and almost didn¡¯t hear the ant girl¡¯s question. ¡°So were are you coming from?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re from Satrap.¡± Seeing the girl¡¯s blank look, Bel pointed over the mountains behind them. ¡°On the other side of the Barrier.¡±

    ¡°The other side? From Atmos? The land of great lizards? You are look very small for Atmos.¡±

    ¡°The what? Atmos?¡± Bel repeated.

    Daran pointed at the mountains, making a curved motion with her hands. ¡°Around the great blue and across the eastern sea.¡±

    ¡°No, no from inside of the Barrier ¨C the great blue. We¡¯re from inside of it.¡±

    Daran¡¯s antennae beat the air frantically for a few moments. She looked at Bel like she¡¯d just laid an egg. <em style="font-style: italic">Wait, maybe laying eggs is normal here.

    ¡°From the inside?¡± Daran clarified. ¡°Not around?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bel confirmed.

    Daran turned to her companions and said a few words in her own language. Then she made a few hand gestures to the crocodile, who turned to the snake and tapped on the smaller person¡¯s metal stick, apparently passing on the message until everyone got the news.

    A series of squawks, clacks, and hand dances commenced as the strange people discussed amongst themselves. James looked at Bel while he nervously fidgeted with freshly shaved chin, but Bel wasn¡¯t too worried. Sure, the group was strange, but she didn¡¯t get any feelings of hostility from them. Eventually, Daran turned back and cleared her throat.

    ¡°So, we have very much interest about the place inside the great ¨C the Barrier. But, first question that¨C¡± Daran made a glurbling noise and pointed at the crocodile woman. ¡°¨Casks is if you are having some sample of food?¡±

    Daran poked the ground with her stick-like ant-feet and bashfully hid her hands behind her back. ¡°She has much interest with cooking and is insistent about new flavor.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± Bel hesitated.

    She looked at her brother. ¡°Do you have anything left?¡±

    He shucked his pack and started digging through it. ¡°Maybe some nuts? I gathered them while Ken was pulling me through the woods, just in case they weren¡¯t planning on feeding me. Here they are.¡±

    James pulled out a beaten up package paper. ¡°Sorry, this is all we¡¯ve got. We ran out of most of our food getting through the tunnels. Although I guess that stuff probably came from here anyway.¡±

    The crocodilian grabbed the package eagerly, and then began handing out the small collection of nuts to the other strangers. Bel watched with amusement as the snake person sniffed and licked at a small nut, clearly not equipped to chew it. A brief discussion followed, after which the crocodilian put the rest of the nuts into a satchel at her side before stomping off with a spring in her awkward waddle-stomp.

    ¡°She will make us the evening meal as thanks,¡± Daran announced. ¡°It is early, but we have time to talk and we have much questions. Are you going to the Great Swap? How do you learn about it inside of the Barrier? How do you pass through? Are there many people in the place where have come from? Are they all interested in the Great Swap?¡±

    Bel cringed ¨C it was too much all at once ¨C but James jumped in with a smile, eager to explain more, so Bel relaxed and let him take the lead. She was just relieved that they had apparently lucked out and met a friendly group of people.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe the world outside of Satrap will be nice.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 32 â€“ Compatibility

    <section>

    <section>

    The crocodile woman, whose actual name was a noise like ¡®ubglubblug¡¯ ¨C Bel was going to keep thinking of her as the crocodile woman ¨C was an excellent cook. She¡¯d done something incredible to the giant locusts, some roots, and a few shoots of something that she scavenged. She¡¯d tossed them together with some powders and the giant bugs were transformed from unpalateable to slightly better than okay.

    Bel nibbled on her food and watched James as he leaned close to the ant-girl again.

    ¡°Daran, can you pass on my praise to the cook? This is the best giant insect I¡¯ve eaten.¡± He smiled and talked quietly, so that the two of them brought their heads closer and closer together so that she could hear his words. Her antenna were practically brushing his face.

    Daran nodded happily and turned to the crocodile woman to pass on James¡¯ message. Bel watched with narrowed eyes.

    <em style="font-style: italic">This is all very suspicious. I¡¯m pretty sure that James is flirting, but it¡¯s actually working. Maybe everything really is <em style="font-style: italic">different outside of the Barrier.

    ¡°Jealous?¡±

    Bel barely restrained her reflexive yelp of surprise. ¡°Beth, you¡¯re awake?¡±

    Her older sister gestured at the food. ¡°Smell woke me up.¡± Beth had speared another insect at the end of her dagger and was enthusiastically chomping down upon it.

    Beth frowned. ¡°What did you mean I¡¯m jealous?¡±

    Beth tilted her head at James. ¡°Because he¡¯s getting along so well with everyone and you aren¡¯t. There¡¯s no shame in solitude Bel ¨C you¡¯ve got great deeds in your future.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes flicked their tongues at her sister¡¯s overly dramatic view of the world. ¡°I¡¯m not jealous, Beth. I¡¯m just confused. And I¡¯m getting along with everyone just fine.¡±

    Beth gestured to the empty spots around them. ¡°Then why are we all alone? And not talking with anyone?¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°I can talk to anyone I want to. Watch this.¡±

    She tilted her chin and up examined Daran, waiting for a moment of quiet in her near-constant chatting with James. ¡°Hey Daran,¡± she smoothly interjected, ¡°do you have two stomachs?¡±

    Daran¡¯s tanned face turned as red as her carapace as she turned to Bel. Her antenna froze in midair.

    ¡°Geez, Bel,¡± James hissed, ¡°that¡¯s so rude.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not ¨C wait, is it?¡±

    Daran looked away. ¡°It is a little rude.¡±

    Bel cringed. <em style="font-style: italic">How was I supposed to know that?

    She looked at her brother. Was it obvious to him?

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is Beth right? Am I bad with people? She looked at Beth for help, but the one-armed woman just shrugged in response.

    Bel was thankful when Daran¡¯s smile came back a few moments later. ¡°It is no problem. James is telling me that there are no myrmex ¨C no ant-people ¨C where you have been from. That is amazing to me, since my family here is being anywhere the ground does not flood.¡±

    Bel was impressed with how quickly Daran was improving with the language. The ant-woman mentioned that she had only learned it from writing, but her strange accent was quickly morphing into the same accent as James.

    That didn¡¯t help her strange word choice, though. She¡¯d mentioned being put through rigorous training by her mother in preparation for her mating flight, but the ant obviously didn¡¯t have any wings. Bel thought about inquiring more on that topic, but she decided that she¡¯d already embarrased herself enough for the evening. Instead, she sat back and enjoyed her roasted locust, as much as that was possible, in companionable silence with her sister.

    The mood relaxed as their bellies filled, and Bel concentrated on the view. The sun was sinking low in the western sky. With the Barrier missing, the sky was free to take on a range of fascinating hues. James had described sunset before, but Bel thought that he hadn¡¯t done it justice. She sighed with contentment and leaned closer to the cooking fire, yearning for its heat as the sun¡¯s rays dimmed.

    Daran¡¯s antennae beat the air steadily as the meal wound down. ¡°I will ask a question,¡± she finally announced, looking between James, Bel, and Beth. ¡°James is saying that you come from Satrap because you are chased by someone, and you think that someone is from here. This person is called the Ravager of Darkness?¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Something like that.¡±

    Daran shifted in place. She didn¡¯t actually sit, her ant-half fidgeting around while they ate. Bel had done her best to avoid watching her too-many legs.

    ¡°We are knowing of this person,¡± Daran continued. ¡°He is being very powerful, and he rules the river from his pyramid in the middle of the Golden Plains. Are you knowing why you are chased?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Bel began, but James jumped in.

    ¡°They were rounding people up back in their camp,¡± he answered. ¡°I think that they were looking to collect more people for something.¡± Bel almost rolled her eyes at her brother¡¯s eagerness to show off any half-knowledge he had in an attempt to impress her.

    Daran frowned and exchanged signals with her companions; a round of hoots, thumps, and taps followed before Daran turned back to them. ¡°It is very bad to hear this. We have big war with them.¡± She knocked her fists together to indicate fighting.

    ¡°Eventually we must stop before both sides run out of people. Our alliance all agree to seek compatibility, but the Ravager¡¯s group is too small, so we think they will be disappearing if we wait.¡±

    She pointed towards the Barrier. ¡°If they get more compatibles from inside Barrier then they will outnumber us. It is bad news to hear.¡±

    ¡°Compatibles?¡± Bel looked at her brother to see if he understood, but he just shrugged.

    ¡°Ah, I am being sorry, I do not have the Mycenaean word.¡± Daran itched at her flank, clearly annoyed. The ant-headed people ¨C or attend-ants as James called them ¨C rushed in to groom her. Bel tried to ignore the weird behavior like the rest of the group, but she found it hard to not stare as the ant people rubbed any speck of sand off of Daran¡¯s ant body.

    James smiled at Daran. ¡°You have a great vocabulary ¨C maybe the right word just doesn¡¯t exist in Mycenaean? What do you mean by compatible? Maybe you could describe it?¡±

    Daran tiled her head into her hand for a moment before speaking. ¡°It is what we go to the Great Swap to find. It is when there are people who are good together for the making of more people.¡±

    James¡¯ eyebrows went up. ¡°Compatible as in making babies?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you need the compatible for the babies.¡± Daran frowned. ¡°I still think I am not having the right words.¡±

    James cleared his throat, and Bel looked over to see that her brother was blushing furiously. His skin was nearly as red as his hair. She thought his reaction was a bit too much, although he¡¯d always had trouble talking about basic biology.

    ¡°Um, Daran,¡± he hesitated, ¡°the Great Swap is where people go to find, what, people to make babies? Is it, like, and gigantic orgy?¡±

    Daran tilted her head in confusion.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to ¨C I mean, do compatibles stay together? Or is it just a quick thing?¡± James hurried to add.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Daran laughed. ¡°It is not a quick thing! To make and rear the child will take many years.¡± She laughed again, a light, happy sound like like the flutter of wings.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Clearly James¡¯ stupid questions aren¡¯t rude, Bel thought sourly.

    Daran continued, ¡°my own parents are spending thirty years to prepare me to leave to the Great Swap and make my own colony.¡±

    James jaw dropped open. ¡°You¡¯re thirty years old?¡± he sputtered.

    Daran¡¯s antennae wobbled through the air. ¡°Hm, it is not the same for all of the people. I am only thirty when I count the time when I was in the egg, and a larva, and then a pupa. My family has a very slow growth compared to some others.¡±

    She pointed to the man with the thick tail. ¡°Jack was active in the pouch of his mother from the day he was born.¡±

    James gawked. ¡°Wait, he¡¯s really a kangaroo? Can he jump really high?¡±

    Bel stared at her brother, wondering what he was going on about, and how he¡¯d been so easily distracted from the discussion of Daran¡¯s development.

    Daran herself seemed happy to change the topic and was nodding enthusiastically. ¡°Yes, he has the highest hop! Jack¨C¡± She said something to the man in a strange language and he hopped to his feet with a laugh. Soon he was bounding around the sand, and the group was cheering him on as he leaped higher and higher, adding kicks and flips to his routine.

    ¡°What in stars in going on,¡± Bel wondered.

    ¡°Yeah, these people are nuts,¡± Beth muttered.

    Bel examined the assassin¡¯s face, seeing that much of her earlier sickly pallor had faded with the large amount of food she¡¯d been eating. ¡°So is this what you expected outside of the Barrier?¡±

    Beth shook her head and absently pulled on her remaining braid. ¡°No. I expected much more stabbing, and much less flirting. Way too pink and mushy for me.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Pink and mushy?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that if your brother asked how a half-ant and a human would be compatible, then I doubt your new friend wouldn¡¯t mind demonstrating.¡±

    ¡°Eww, Beth. No.¡± Bel looked at James and Daran, laughing together as they cheered on the snake person, who was now joining in on what had quickly become some kind of strange talent show. The snake pulled out a piece of wood with multiple metal tabs sticking out of it and created a melody by rapidly striking them with his tiny, clawed hands. James and Daran leaned their heads closer together as they listened intently.

    Bel cringed internally.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be turning in early,¡± Beth chortled. ¡°Try to stay out of trouble.¡±

    <hr>

    Bel woke up slowly. The rapid disappearance of the day¡¯s heat had taken her by surprise, and she¡¯d wrapped herself tightly in some borrowed blankets for warmth. She hadn¡¯t actually gone to sleep until the fire had died down to embers, and the morning sun¡¯s rays were an unwelcome visitor to her small tent. She¡¯d stayed up so late because she¡¯d been worried that her brother would do something stupid with Daran ¨C not that she didn¡¯t like the ant-woman, but she knew that James was the kind of person to rush into things without thinking them through. He¡¯d managed to avoid upsetting their newfound friends¡¯ sensibilities so far, but Bel knew that people got weird about physical contact.

    Bel rolled away from the sun, certain that someone else would sleep in later than her. To her surprise though, James opened his eyes, stretched, and popped straight up. ¡°C¡¯mon Bel, time to get out there and face the new day.¡±

    He practically radiated excitement. Bel buried her snakes back under her covers. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna,¡± she sulked.

    To her shock, James grabbed her blanket and forcefully removed it. Her snakes hissed at the betrayal.

    ¡°Come on Bel. We¡¯ve got to make a good impression. Let¡¯s brush our teeth and pack up our stuff.¡±

    Bel stared at her brother, momentarily too shocked for words. ¡°Where¡¯s Beth?¡± she finally demanded.

    ¡°Up and out an hour ago probably. You know she takes her training seriously. She¡¯s probably looking for something to stab.¡±

    James made good on his words and strode out of the tent, merrily scrubbing his teeth. Bel stared after him ¨C what had happened to her brother?

    Bel groaned at the thought of exposing herself to the cold air. But¡­ maybe she should be out stabbing things too. Nobody was trying to kill her at the moment, but who could say what disaster she¡¯d end up in next? <em style="font-style: italic">As James would say, I¡¯ve gotta ¡®get good¡¯.

    Bel rolled up her borrowed blankets before tugging on her deteriorated pants and shirt.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I should see if anyone has any spare clothes too? she wondered. <em style="font-style: italic">Wait, how many of these people even wear pants? Or underwear? Maybe I can just get some cloth and call it a skirt.

    Bel emerged from under the tent and blinked at the light. She had to repress a snort when she saw that James was already busy joking around with Daran. He excused himself to ¡°take care of some business¡± as Bel walked over. Daran watched him walk off, and Bel was surprised to see the hungry look on the ant-woman¡¯s face. It made Bel feel weirdly uncomfortable, but the ant-girl had already noticed her approach.

    ¡°Good morning Daran,¡± she greeted.

    ¡°Oh, hello Bel!¡± Daran¡¯s antenna were as energetic as ever, beating the air rhythmically. She skittered a little closer to the gorgon. ¡°So, I have a wondering, what it is that your brother is descended from?¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡± Bel blinked sleep from her eyes. ¡°What he¡¯s descended from? Do you mean you want to know about his parents?¡±

    Daran nodded. ¡°Yes. He looks like fox with the very nice red fur on his head, but his other features are very human. I am wondering if he is¡­¡±

    Daran trailed off and blushed as red as her insect body. ¡°Yes, I am wondering about his parents.¡±

    ¡°Uh, they were just normal people as far as I know. Not foxes.¡± Bel didn¡¯t understand what Daran was getting at.

    Daran put on the frustrated face that had become familiar to Bel. She recognized it from whenever the ant-girl struggled with her words. ¡°I am meaning to ask if you think he and I are, I mean if we could be compatible.¡±

    Daran¡¯s voice went up in pitch and down in volume as she became increasingly flustered. Her face turned a darker shade of crimson until she hid it behind her hands.

    It was kind of cute actually, but was Daran really asking if Bel¡¯s brother was capable of mating with an ant?

    ¡°I uh, I don¡¯t know anything about compatibility. Sorry. Actually, how did ants and humans first, uh¡­¡± Bel started to make a rude gesture before coming to her senses and letting her hands drop awkwardly to her sides.

    Daran laughed, clearly put at ease by Bel¡¯s own awkwardness. ¡°We are the very old family, from the Old World, even before the time of the Great Bargainer. But the Great Bargainer allows us to become more human.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him!¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Mostly from Beth cursing loudly, but she¡¯d heard the name.

    ¡°Bargainer is great woman,¡± Daran corrected with a thrash of her antenna. ¡°A woman who makes all of life in Golden Plains possible because of her deal with the gods.¡±

    ¡°So she bargained with the gods for something? Power? Is that why we have Paths?¡±

    ¡°Hm, others have paths, not just human-kin.¡± Daran spread her hands wide in an all-encompassing gesture. ¡°When people first come to Olympos the world is belonging to many other creatures, but all fight because all different. The Bargainer asked for the ability to bring all creatures together into one family. That way, we all work together and prosper instead of all fight and fail.¡±

    Bel stared at the ant-girl, slowly digesting her words. ¡°So the Bargainer, she got the gods to make the first humans compatible? With everything?¡±

    ¡°Not everything,¡± Daran insisted with a halting hand gesture, ¡°just many creatures.¡±

    Bel tried to imagine that. Then she did her best to wipe the thought from her head and never imagine it again.

    Daran was unbothered by the thought ¨C obviously, since otherwise she wouldn¡¯t exist. ¡°Now the legacy of the Great Bargainer is in the matchmakers of the Great Swap. They guide us to good compatibility so that many generations are healthy.¡±

    Daran itched at her flank nervously and one of her ever-present attend-ants rushed over to make sure that her ant body remained spotless. ¡°You have said that you will follow us to the Great Swap, yes?¡±

    Bel nodded. They didn¡¯t have any other destination, unless Beth decided to go back and start stabbing the Barrier all by herself. Going to the Great Swap would probably be a good way to learn more about the Golden Plains, and they would have guides along the way. Bel thought that it sounded like a good plan.

    Daran lowered her head and looked at Bel with big, bashful eyes. ¡°When we arrive, can I have permission to take James to matchmaker before any other? He is very human, and my mother has a great fondness for grandchildren with great hands and dexterity.¡±

    Daran held up her own hands and wiggled her fingers around.

    Bel¡¯s snakes curled uncomfortably around her neck. ¡°Uh¡­ why are you asking me?¡±

    Daran balled her little fists and nodded with determination. ¡°With no parent the older sister must take care of a boy. Um, to prevent incompatible doings.¡±

    Bel understood what Daran was asking, but her mind was balking. ¡°What makes you think that you two are, uh, compatible?¡±

    Daran¡¯s antennae waved around excitedly. ¡°He is smell very good! And seems very human. I have much human in my ancestors, so he is good candidate!¡±

    Daran held up a fist and thumped herself on her leather chestpiece. ¡°Myrmex very good candidate as well! Excellent builders! Large homes! Large family with many warriors! None are more safe from the Ravager of Darkness! I will be good sister to Bel!¡±

    Bel stared at the ant-girl. <em style="font-style: italic">She¡¯s totally serious. She wants permission to take him away to live in some kind of ant city.

    Bel saw that James was coming back, and she realized that she need to give some kind of answer.

    ¡°Hey James,¡± she shouted in English, ¡°do you like Daran?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± he shouted back.

    ¡°Like, as in you think she¡¯s cute.¡±

    He laughed nervously, but flashed her a pair of thumbs-up. ¡°Sure,¡± he responded.

    Bel turned back to Daran and made her face as serious as possible. ¡°If you promise to look after my foolish brother and keep him healthy then it¡¯s okay with me. But James has to agree as well.¡±

    Daran clapped her hands in triumph.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, why is everything so weird, Bel thought. <em style="font-style: italic">At least some weird person isn¡¯t trying to get compatible with me.

    Maybe it was for the best. Bel had already dragged James into plenty of dangerous situations, and Lempo¡¯s plans were only going to lead to more disaster. If she could leave her brother with Daran, then he would be safe. And, if Bel was really subtle about it, maybe she could even trick her brother into thinking that it was his idea.

    All the danger he¡¯d been exposed to, from his time as her whipping boy to the moment that he¡¯d been lead him away to some pen in the woods in the Dark Ravager¡¯s camp: all of it had been because of Bel. She was determined to stop dragging her brother into danger. If Daran could be the solution, and she made James happy in some weird, half-human, half-ant way, then maybe this was for the best.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 33 â€“ Stoking the Flames of War

    <section>

    <section>

    It turned out that Bel and James were the last ones up, even though dawn was only timidly painting colors in the sky. Daran explained that her group walked during the morning, stopped in the middle of the day, and then walked again once the sun began its retreat from the sky. Taking so many breaks didn¡¯t sound very efficient to Bel, but she was sore enough that she wasn¡¯t going to complain.

    ¡°So, how far away is the Great Swap?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It is taking about half of the month,¡± Daran smiled back.

    ¡°A month as in 100 days?¡± James confirmed.

    ¡°Of course. A month is not having 100 days where you are coming from?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bel replied, at the same times James said, ¡°no.¡± The siblings looked at one another with exasperation.

    James rushed to explain. ¡°I mean, yes, Satrap uses 100 days a month. But I¡¯ve heard of places that do it differently.¡±

    Daran¡¯s antennae waved around as she thought. ¡°Differently is strange. The sky completes a cycle in 502 days, a month of 100 days is good fit, and it is leaving two special days for shortest and longest day celebrations.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sure. I didn¡¯t mean that it doesn¡¯t work, just that some people do things differently.¡±

    Bel was used to James weird otherworldisms, but she thought he would just embarrass himself if he starting spouting nonsense. Who would want to live with 24 hour days and have the same length for every day of the week? Bel decided to speak up before said something silly.

    ¡°So Daran, is there any way to get there faster? Half a month is a long time ¨C or is the Golden Plains really that big?¡±

    ¡°Hm. Well, we must go around the place of the Ravager of Darkness, which takes some time. Also, I am being the only person who can be providing cover. Oh!¡± She clapped her hands together. ¡°Unless one of you has power to move the sand?¡± she asked hopefully.

    Bel and James shook their heads.

    Daran looked disappointed, but simply shrugged, as if she hadn¡¯t expected anything different. ¡°Well, perhaps we will be finding more friends as we are moving. If we are having a little luck they will have an ability that will be helping. I will be doing the cover until then.¡±

    James tossed his recently combed hair, attracting the ant-girl¡¯s attention. ¡°That sounds important, Daran. Cover from what, exactly?¡±

    Daran¡¯s antennae beat the air, clearly excited by his praise. Bel tried to avoid gagging. ¡°Yes, it is being very important, both to protect from the hot of the sun and from the eyes of the sky predators.¡±

    Bel perked up at that. ¡°Birds? You know, I really want to advance my Path and improve my abilities. Think I¡¯ll have a chance to fight them? Maybe when we¡¯re taking breaks?¡±

    Daran laughed. ¡°Yes, there will be many of chances. Every day will be fight. The desert is full of animals that are sucking anyone dry that they are catching.¡± Daran mimed little biting monsters with her hands. ¡°Hm, but the sky, uh, the birds are being too dangerous.¡±

    Beth leaned into their conversation, lured in by the talk of fighting. ¡°The birds? Too dangerous?¡±

    Daran nodded and pursed her lips. ¡°Yes. Big eagles a little dangerous, but also not flying. Flying to dangerous with spearheads in the sky.¡±

    Bel and James gave her blank expressions, so Daran explained. ¡°Spearheads travel from Atmos.¡± Daran spread her hands wide. ¡°Very big, very dangerous.¡±

    ¡°But What is a spearhead?¡± Bel asked. ¡°A bird with a big beak?¡±

    Daran tilted her head and considered the question.

    ¡°Spearhead is like bird, but does not have feathers. It has head like a spear and a body as long as James is tall. But spearhead cannot see through cover.¡±

    Saying that, Daran lifted her hands to her sides, closed her eyes and then twitched her hands upwards. The ground in front of them burst up in a spray of small particles. The sand rose to form a cloud above them, providing a diffuse cover that blocked some of the light and reduced visibility, just like the ant-girl had described.

    Daran opened her eyes, and smiled. Her face was pinched with effort though, so Bel decided to stop pestering her with questions.

    James had no such reservation and immediately started talking to the poor girl, even though she wasn¡¯t capable of responding.

    Bel shook her head. <em style="font-style: italic">A month of that? I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be quite as excited about him by the time we actually get to this Great Swap.

    Bel looked at Beth and hesitated to talk to her. Her sister was still trying to warm Daran¡¯s group up to the idea of forming an army for¡­ well, Bel didn¡¯t really listen to what Beth was saying. Something about overthrowing the Dark Ravager and then taking back what Technis had stolen from them behind the Barrier. Losing a limb had only made Beth¡¯s desire for vengeance even stronger.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Staring at her in silence won¡¯t improve anything though. C¡¯mon, Bel, talk about something, she thought, trying to psych herself up.

    ¡°Do you think you could hide us like that, Beth? With your powers of darkness and revenge?¡±

    Beth tapped her teeth as she considered it. ¡°No, not all of us. And not for very long.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Are you still planning to convince people here that they need to start a war, Beth? Or has Durak given you another message?¡±

    Beth quirked an eyebrow. ¡°This place seems rough, so I bet that the people here are pretty tough. Technis took all the good land away from them, which doesn¡¯t sound very fair to me. It also sounds like they would be excited to find a way into Satrap and get at all those compatible humans too, doesn¡¯t it?¡± She spun her finger in the air like she was winding an invisible string. ¡°Seems like leverage to me, and if they have to fight Technis¡¯ priests to meet the humans then that works fine for me.¡±

    Bel chewed on her lip. ¡°Isn¡¯t there already one war in Satrap, Beth? Does it really need another?¡±

    ¡°Sure does, kiddo,¡± Beth replied with satisfaction. ¡°There¡¯s no way the Points-delver alliance will win.¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Beth pointed accusingly at Bel¡¯s face. ¡°And I¡¯m sure that they¡¯d see it the same way I do. If you started thinking for a moment you¡¯d realize that there won¡¯t be any sunshine and rainbows for them if they lose. Revolutions are do or die.¡±

    Bel gestured at the people around them. ¡°And you think these people could make a difference? How many people can even be out here in this desert?¡±

    Beth lifted the stump of her arm. ¡°Being serious about something means going to any length to achieve it, Bel. It means pushing for every advantage you can get, no matter what you could lose.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t think of anything to say to that. Her snakes slumped against her skull in defeat. The worst thing about it was that she could understand Beth¡¯s point of view ¨C Bel hated Technis too, and a part of her wanted to burn everything down, even if it meant hurting other people too. After all, Technis was guilty and had to be punished.

    But then she thought about Ventas, and how he had used his abilities to save people. Even when he¡¯d been forced to fight, he had still been fighting to save her. Everyone in the village had followed Lempo rather than following the orders from Technis¡¯ enforcers. If they could have all escaped rather from Satrap rather than staying to fight and die wouldn¡¯t that have been better?

    And wasn¡¯t Ventas¡¯ approach going to create more lasting change? The priest had been replacing Technis with an alternative ¨C Beth just wanted to burn it all down and didn¡¯t have a plan for the day after.

    Bel knew years of old world history from James. She¡¯d learned that revolutions were driven by ideas, not by destruction. <em style="font-style: italic">Well, that¡¯s what James says at least.

    Bel walked behind her sister in silence as Daran began to lead the way through the desert. She gradually drifted away from Beth as her sister began talking with the kangaroo about how much easier life was on the other side of the Barrier. She was soon lost in her own thoughts, swirling around in her head like the sand swirling above them.

    <hr>

    Once they left the rocky area near the mountains the air became hot and the sand began to swallow her feet with every step. As if the ground were fighting them, the sands rose in great waves that they would have to struggle up and down to make any progress. Her boots didn¡¯t help ¨C in fact, they kept filling with sand, so she quickly tied them to hang at her belt and proceeded barefoot. Her <em style="font-style: italic">toughened integument protected her feet well enough, but James wasn¡¯t so lucky. He had to stop every so often to run his hands over his swollen and blistering feet, activating some mix of abilities to reduce the size of his blisters and promote faster callous formation.

    Surprisingly, they weren¡¯t the only ones who were having trouble. The small snake person made so little progress with each step that he had to be carried by the big-tailed kangaroo guy. Bel hadn¡¯t thought much of his hopping when they were moving slowly, but he was by far the fastest of their group on the sand, although Daran could also skitter with surprising speed. They all crowded together beneath Daran¡¯s cover though, despite their differences in speed.

    When they reached their midday stop Bel was desperate for any reprieve from the heat and the ache in her calves. When she saw a freestanding wall that stretched for a hundred strides, Bel realized that their resting place had been planned in advance. The wall must have been part of a larger structure before it became a temporary shelter, but Bel couldn¡¯t tell much from looking at it. It was old, its stones ground down by the wind, but it was still tall enough to cast a soothing shadow over a large stretch of ground.

    There were also a few more people already there: a pair of bird-like people with long necks and legs, with bushy clusters of black feathers around their torsos that made them look like they were in terribly impractical dresses. There were also three people who looked mostly human, at least from Bel¡¯s distance. An upright scorpion with a human face also lurked at the edge of the wall, but Bel couldn¡¯t tell if that was another person or the local wildlife.

    ¡°Ho, Daran!¡± called out one of the humanoids.

    Daran called something back and skittered over, letting her cover of sand drop to the ground once they reached the wall¡¯s shadow.

    Bel trailed after the group, waiting for James to slowly make his way down the last dune.

    ¡°Still having fun hanging out with the ant-girl?¡± she teased.

    James smiled like a kid. ¡°Yeah! She¡¯s full of interesting stories. You know, this place is way better than Satrap.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Even if all the people aren¡¯t fully people?¡±

    ¡°Wow, racist much? You have snakes on your head, should I start treating you worse?¡±

    Bel leaned her head closer so a few of her snakes could hiss at her brother. ¡°I just meant that it may be hard to fit in with them. We can¡¯t even speak their languages.¡±

    James shook his head. ¡°No, Daran says that they usually group up by similar traits so I don¡¯t think that would be an issue, She also said that they¡¯re in too dire a situation to push people away. Are you feeling lonely, Bel? Those anteater people look pretty human; maybe they talk Mycenaean.¡±

    He ran his hand through his red hair and grinned. ¡°You could learn some of the local language too. Daran¡¯s been teaching me a few words ¨C it isn¡¯t hard.¡±

    Bel was about to tease her brother, but they soon came face to face with the newcomers. The ones that James identified as anteaters looked fairly human, but they had abnormally long, almost snout-like faces. From time to time their incredibly long tongues would pop out of their mouths. Bel wondered if they actually ate ants, and, if they did, how Daran felt about it.

    Just like with Ken, Bel had once again confused their furry bodies for clothes. The anteaters were covered with a coarse, brown hair and had dark markings around their necks and arms and white along their chests. The patterns had fooled Bel into thinking that they were wearing vests over darker shirts.

    ¡°Greetings,¡± one of them called out with the reedy voice of an old man, ¡°I am Samya, elder of my tribe. I¡¯m escorting my niece and nephew to the Great Swap as their chaperone.¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± James reacted, ¡°you speak our language really well!¡±

    The old man chortled. ¡°Of course. The Bargainer¡¯s tongue was more widely spoken before the Untrusting Ones locked themselves behind the Blue Wall. But I hear that you know more about that than I would.¡± He flicked his tongue in Daran¡¯s direction. ¡°This child tells me that you have travelled from there. Does this mean that the great divide between our peoples is opening?¡±

    Beth swooped into the conversation like a hawk onto a field mouse. ¡°Would that it were so, elder,¡± she lamented. ¡°But the land inside the Blue Wall is filled with disagreement. Many would be willing to heal our ancient differences, but dissent is not tolerated.¡±

    She lifted the stump of her arm. ¡°We payed a heavy price to leave our homeland, but we will be forever grateful that the people of the Golden Plains have welcomed us with such warmth.¡±

    The old man seemed quite flustered by the flattery, but Daran stepped in before he could respond. ¡°James is telling¡­ has told me much, no, many thing about Satrap. My mother would be, ah, would want war if it is possible to reach the Untrusting Ones. But the Ravager is the one whose hand is on top, and the alliance has little hunger for more fighting.¡±

    Bel was impressed by how much Daran¡¯s speech was improving, although her idioms could use some work. Then again, James had just spent all morning nattering at her nonstop. She would be bound to pick some things up.

    Old Samya nodded at Daran¡¯s words. ¡°It is hard to stomach more fighting when time will remove the Ravager¡¯s followers for us.¡±

    ¡°And how would time do that?¡± Beth asked.

    Samya gestured at the scorpion, skill skulking at the edges of the group. ¡°The human traits do not always breed true. In time, some regress so far that we cannot bring them back into the collective, even with the best work of our matchmakers. With a limited selection of people, it is only a matter of time until the Ravager¡¯s folk all revert to simpler creatures.¡±

    Beth clicked her fingers. ¡°But they¡¯re kidnapping people from Satrap. Pure humans. Perhaps you didn¡¯t know?¡±

    Samya¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    Daran nodded. ¡°Yes, it is changing some things to learn this. We will talk with the elders when we reach Outpost 3.¡±

    Samya nodded rapidly and ran his hands through his fur in agitation. ¡°I agree. This news is rather unsettling.¡±

    Daran and Samya began talking in their own language, and soon Bel felt excluded by the group as they fell into an animated discussion.

    Bel looked at the scorpion-person. He was short, the top of his head only coming up to Bel¡¯s neck, and most of his body was covered with a black chitin that gave him an ominous appearance. His tail waved nervously behind him whenever he got too close to the group, but he also hurried closer whenever he got too far away. Bel couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathy as she watched him. Like her, the scorpion seemed uncomfortable being an outsider, but wasn¡¯t brave enough to actually join the group.

    Bel caught the stranger¡¯s multifaceted eyes and attempted a friendly wave, but this just sent him scampering further away.

    Bel stifled a sigh. <em style="font-style: italic">If only I could be as friendly as James. Or as bold as Beth, she lamented.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 34 â€“ Bad News

    <section>

    <section>

    <em style="font-style: italic">Another day, another slog through the desert.

    Bel mentally prepared herself as she dragged her weary body out of her tent. She was greeted by the wan light of the sun peeking over the horizon.

    Her mind wasn¡¯t ready to face the day yet; instead, she slumped in front of her tent, idly counting the stars before they vanished from the sky. She was jolted from her morning ritual by and a shout of alarm. The call was repeated and rapidly spread through the camp. Bel turned towards the nearest shout, but before she took a step something light and prickly slammed into her.

    Thin, scratchy limbs clawed at her body. Her skin, strengthened by her <em style="font-style: italic">toughened integument, wasn¡¯t easy to pierce, but a few pinpricks of pain bloomed where her attacker found purchase. Bel instinctively thrust her hand into the mass of woody tentacles and activated <em style="font-style: italic">liquify, melting a large patch of her assailants limbs. With a surge of anger she forced her arms between her body and the attacker and threw it to the ground.

    It was a plant. Some kind of withered weed with branches that moved and twitched like fingers had gotten the jump on her. Her mind was surprised, but her body didn¡¯t hesitate to grab a cooking pot that someone had left over a nearby firepit. She proceeded to smash her assailant into bits, grinning with grim satisfaction.

    ¡°Bel!¡±

    She looked up to see her brother jogging over. He¡¯d made it a permanent habit to get up ahead of her, not even trying to wake her anymore. Instead he rushed directly to with Daran while Bel struggled to wake up on her own.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least he came to check on me, I guess.

    James waved with relief as he trotted over to her. ¡°A bunch of tumble weeds rolled into the camp overnight. Daran said that they can suck your blood for moisture, so be careful.¡±

    Bel gestured at crushed pile of plant matter next to her. ¡°Thanks for the late warning.¡±

    James blanched. ¡°Sorry. Wait, is that the crocodile¡¯s pot? She won¡¯t like you using it for fighting.¡±

    Bel grumbled as she rubbed off the twigs and roots sticking to the underside of the cooking pot before returning it to its previous resting place. Then she glared at James. ¡°Happy now?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°C¡¯mon, bring the plant this way. After a fight they gather up all the essence and see if anyone needs the abilities. Then they distribute the essence to the people who need it the most.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t get anything for killing it? And how do they distribute the abilities?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really cool,¡± James explained with fervor, ¡°they all have ability lists for different creatures, and if someone has the same or a similar ability they can guide you when you try to extract it, like how Ventas helped me out with my abilities.¡± James grinned.

    ¡°Oh. That does sound like a good system,¡± Bel admitted.

    Bel dragged the mangled plant to a growing pile of the things at the edge of the camp. Then Daran and a few other people pulled out some scrolls and started discussing something in their own language. James leaned closer to translate what he could.

    ¡°I think they have some abilities to drink water faster, blow better in the wind, and something about stabbing things with roots. Nothing that sounds very useful to me.¡±

    Bel agreed, so she was surprised when the owl person hooted with excitement. Bel watched as he went about draining the smashed plants until he flapped his wings with pleasure.

    Then the rest of the weeds were distributed to those with the earliest Paths. James couldn¡¯t use them and Beth didn¡¯t get any, but Bel got a single one. Daran let her know that she was a bit weak for her age.

    The rest of the day was the boring desert slog that she expected, although seeing the owl person attempting to leap into every gust of wind and glide down the sides of the dunes provided a bit of amusement. He got pretty good at it by the end of the day.

    <hr>

    The next day was exactly the same as the last, although there was some excitement when a trap door spider the size of a person tried to drag the crocodile woman into its hidden lair. If it had tried it on someone else, maybe even Bel, it may have even gotten away with it. The crocodile woman though, was too much of a challenge. Her tough hide was too thick for it to pierce and she was too large to be easily wrestled away before the rest of the group surrounded the spider and made quick work of it.

    Bel made sure to keep closer to the center of the group after that.

    <hr>

    Bel was getting really tired of getting sand in damn near everything. They had dug up and eaten some kind of enormous worm thing ¨C how they knew where it was Bel had no idea ¨C and then the crocodile had roasted it. The flavor of the worm meat was, surprisingly, okay, but the texture was awful. With every bite, sand scraped against her teeth. Bel suspected that the worm didn¡¯t just wriggle through the sand, but was made of it too.

    <hr>

    She was losing it. She wasn¡¯t even sure how long had passed ¨C perhaps a week? Two? She hadn¡¯t been keeping track, and every day was the same. The view never changed. The sands were endless. Tumble weeds were a recurring threat that showed up every other morning now. Smashing them had become a boring morning routine for Bel at this point, the very slow progress of her core her only reward. The only thing that wasn¡¯t constant was the slight variety in the desert monsters that they encountered and the swelling number of people in their group.

    Two¡­ maybe three? Some number of days prior they had merged with another group that was almost their size and had gained two more people who could cover them from the sun and the flying predators that everyone was so worried about. The only impact this had on Bel was that Daran spent even more time chatting with James, robbing Bel of her only conversation partner. It was so boring that Bel began to long for some chaos, just a bit of excitement to spice up the day. She began wishing that the much-feared spearheads would show up, just to have something new happen.

    Bel¡¯s boredom finally overpowered her shyness and she attempted conversations with anyone who had a mouth capable of forming words. Only a tiny fraction of them could speak Mycenaean, and none of them were interested in talking about anything other than finding a mate at the Great Swap. Even Samya, the old anteater, only asked her questions about the compatibility of herself and her siblings.

    It would have driven her up a wall if there were any around.

    <hr>

    Bel woke up with a simmering rage. Her teeth were clenched, her hands were balled into fists, and it felt like her snakes were sticking straight out from her head. She made a futile attempt to spit the sand from her mouth and avoided Beth and her brother as she packed up her things for the morning walk.

    Beth had been spending every day learning the language, solely to make a more convincing argument for war. She¡¯d been working with words to convince people that war with both the Dark Ravager and Technis were both necessary and inevitable. In that past that the assassin didn¡¯t like to talk about, Beth had learned rhetoric and logic. She¡¯d received the best education possible from Satrap¡¯s most expensive tutors and had learned technique¡¯s honed by Satrap¡¯s aristocrats in their own battle of words. The trusting people of the Golden Plains weren¡¯t prepared for such an assault ¨C Bel could see more of them come under her sister¡¯s sway by the day.

    It didn¡¯t help that the majority of people in their growing group were the young and unbound people travelling to the Great Swap in search of better futures. They were full of hopes and insecurities that Beth easily exploited. Bel couldn¡¯t understand the words, but she could practically see Beth molding thoughts like clay in her hand.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    James, of course, was fully invested in Daran and fully disinterested in worrying about their sister. He hardly noticed that Beth was doing her best to start a war with Satrap. Bel couldn¡¯t seem to convince him that something was wrong with what was happening ¨C instead, he was confused that she wasn¡¯t helping to organize a group to ¡®liberate the people of Satrap¡¯ as he put it. It wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d expected from a brother who didn¡¯t like killing and had nearly thrown up at the sight of a dead body back in Baytown¡¯s temple, and she didn¡¯t follow his arguments about Rome and ¡°long-term thinking.¡±

    She knew that what he was saying wasn¡¯t right, but she hadn¡¯t learned how to organize her thoughts like Beth had so she couldn¡¯t find the words to argue her viewpoint.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Her words are like little silver bells, and mine are like farts in the mud.

    Bel shoved her snakes away from her face in frustration. <em style="font-style: italic">If only I had grown up with proper help. If only someone like Ventas had been around to raise me.

    Alone in spirit, Bel drifted through the group of semi-humans, like flotsam floating in the sea. She did her best to avoid anyone she knew could speak Mycenaean, afraid that she¡¯d just blow up if another person asked about her or her siblings¡¯ compatibility.

    Bel¡¯s wandering brought her near a pair of old men, withered and bent with age rather than from their ancestry. <em style="font-style: italic">Walking next to these guys is probably safe, there¡¯s no way they¡¯re going to the Swap to meet women.

    They were both short, only coming up to the bottom of Bel¡¯s ribs. The first was covered in a layer of red fur, had pointed ears, and a bushy tail. Bel guessed that he was probably descended from a fox, the same creature that Daran had thought James was related to.

    The second man had the same long snout, pointy teeth, and tan hair coloring that she¡¯d seen on Rikja. This caused her to stare at him for a moment too long ¨C the next thing she knew she¡¯d been drawn into a conversation with the pair.

    The fox called out to her first. ¡°Oh, hey, I recon you¡¯re that snake-haired lass from behind the blue barrier, aren¡¯tcha?¡±

    Bel wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk, but she couldn¡¯t exactly run away from a pair of old men. ¡°Yup. That¡¯s me.¡± She tapped herself with a thumb. ¡°Very exotic stranger from the magic land of potential human mates.¡±

    The two old men shared a guffaw and the tan one slapped his companion on the back.

    ¡°Told you she looked like a real firebrand, didn¡¯t I Flann?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you did, you did.¡± The fox gave Bel a shallow bow that she feared would send him toppling into the sand, but he stuck out his tail for balance and managed to remain upright.

    ¡°Pleased to meetcha miss. I¡¯m Flynn, fox-kin, and this here is Wrankjan. You can tell from his beady little eyes that he¡¯s descended from a long and venerable line of meerkats.¡±

    ¡°Best burrowers in the Golden Plains, no matter what those ants say,¡± Wrankjan proclaimed. He chuckled at his own boast, so eager to laugh that he emptied his lungs with the effort. His voice was high pitched and he wore a goofy grin; Bel decided immediately that she liked the pair.

    ¡°Call me Jan,¡± the meerkat added after he¡¯d regained his breath.

    Bel couldn¡¯t stay angry around the two of them, despite her initial misgivings ¨C the pair were a special kind of adorable. ¡°You two speak my language so well,¡± she exclaimed with a broad smile.

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Jan laughed, ¡°we¡¯re rather ancient, you see. It used to be that the people of the plains spoke many languages.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a lot more unified now,¡± Flann continued.

    ¡°Supposedly,¡± Jan rebutted.

    ¡°Oh. So everyone doesn¡¯t get along? Daran made it seem like you guys are in such dire straights that you don¡¯t have any choice but to come together.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± they both responded, eyeing one another. ¡°Not always,¡± Flann finished.

    ¡°Exactly. One of my great-granddaughters,¡± Jan began.

    ¡°The one with the weird name?¡± Flann interrupted.

    ¡°Yes, Hwyvar. Terrible parents, bad naming sense and they never liked me. Where was I?¡± The old meerkat pondered for a moment, puffing out his cheeks and clacking his teeth. ¡°Yes, one of my great-granddaughters married a carnivore at the last Swap. Nice fellow, tall, thin, handsome enough, some kind of weasel. Well, we all get along, so that should be okay, right?¡±

    He peered up at Bel, putting in an incredible effort to lift his sagging eyelids enough to make eye contact with her.

    ¡°No?¡± Bel guessed.

    ¡°Ha!¡± they both laughed.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jan confirmed. ¡°Oh, they couldn¡¯t say much without causing a big stink, but she certainly wasn¡¯t welcome at the burrow after that. Her parents, like I mentioned, are terrible. That¡¯s why I¡¯m gonna to visit her, to let her know that she¡¯s still got some family to lean on.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m just here to make sure that this joker doesn¡¯t end up forgetting where he¡¯s going,¡± Flann chortled.

    ¡°I know damn well where I¡¯m going you old fox!¡±

    ¡°You may know where you mean to go, but can you even where your going? You couldn¡¯t find up if it was tattooed on your forehead!¡± Flann¡¯s tail wagged with amusement. Bel chuckled at what must have been a long-running joke between the two of them.

    ¡°Hey, so would things get better if you found a bunch of humans? Or would they get worse?¡± Bel asked. She wanted to know if Beth¡¯s constant calls for war were only going to bring misery to everyone. She was still struggling to put her misgivings about Beth¡¯s actions into words.

    The two old men looked at one another as they thought about it.

    ¡°Well,¡± the fox began, ¡°I suppose that, in the beginnin¡¯ at least, everyone¡¯d work together to get access.¡±

    Jan nodded. ¡°At first.¡±

    ¡°And then? Let¡¯s say that someone destroyed the Barrier and overthrew the current leaders inside. What happens next?¡±

    Flann smoothed down his whiskers. ¡°Well, for a generation or two I guess everyone just celebrates.¡±

    Jan rubbed his cheeks. ¡°Sounds right. A generation or two. Assuming there are lots of people inside the Blue Wall.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    Flann shrugged. ¡°No real reason to work together anymore, right? No more Great Swap, just go find a human. After that, I suppose someone¡¯ll try to take charge, or get all the humans to join their side, or something.¡±

    Jan nodded. ¡°Then we jus¡¯ repeat and wind up chasin¡¯ our own tails!¡± He grabbed at Flann¡¯s furry tail yanked it. The fox yelped and smacked his friend¡¯s hand.

    ¡°And what if they¡¯re not interested?¡± Bel wondered aloud. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve just got some snakes on my head and I had to hide them wherever I went in Satrap. If everyone likes the way that humans look, why would humans be any different? What if they aren¡¯t interesting in having kids with you guys?¡±

    Bel saw their troubled looked and waved her hands frantically. ¡°Ah, no offense. I mean, you guys are great.¡±

    Flann arched his eyebrows. ¡°Oh yeah, miss? You interested?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­¡±

    Jan laughed and poked his friend in the elbow. ¡°Don¡¯t be teasing the young¡¯un you old curmudgeon.¡±

    The meerkat¡¯s face became more serious. ¡°Now, as to your question¡­ well, why is your brother so okay with it?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ well, he¡¯s strange. He isn¡¯t the typical person you¡¯d find in Satrap.¡±

    Flann and Jan exchanged a glance and the old meerkat responded after a moment of thought. ¡°How about your sister? You don¡¯t think she¡¯d be interested in one of the younger lads? Maybe that kangaroo boy?¡±

    ¡°Or maybe a nice, young fox?¡± Flann added, wiggling his eyebrows.

    ¡°No,¡± Bel responded without a moment of hesitation. ¡°Maybe if they promised her an army ¨C Beth¡¯s biggest goal is to fight against the power in Satrap. She¡¯s not a typical person from Satrap either.¡±

    There was a long pause before Jan responded. ¡°Well, if you people have to choose between us and the Dark Ravager, you¡¯re better off with us. That old beetle would grind us all to dust if it helped him ascend faster.¡±

    Bel quirked her eyebrow. ¡°I thought that your alliance of people were holding him back?¡±

    Flann guffawed and slapped his knee. ¡°Is that what the young¡¯uns think?¡±

    ¡°No, no, we¡¯re no threat to him.¡± Jan shook his head. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t have any use for us. He¡¯s at the cusp of ascension you see, his Path is at the last threshold before he¡¯ll be pulled from this mortal plane and into the ranks of the gods. You might think that he¡¯d be rushing about stirrin¡¯ up a fuss, but it¡¯s like they say: some gods are patient.¡±

    ¡°Why are his people in Satrap then? Or do you think they¡¯re acting on their own?¡±

    Flann scratched his chin. ¡°Are there any spirits in Satrap? There¡¯s a rumor¡­¡±

    The two old men exchanged glances and moved a little closer to Bel before the fox continued. ¡°It¡¯s a rumor, but it¡¯s probably true. He uses spirits to speed up his Path advancement somehow.¡±

    Jan scrunched his sagging face, only accentuating his age wrinkles. ¡°It¡¯s bad stuff; it riles up the other spirits and it¡¯s against the will of the gods and the treaty our ancestors signed when they were brought to Olympos.¡±

    ¡°The gods should come down and punish him,¡± Flann added, some heat entering his voice.

    ¡°He should be punished,¡± Bel said with conviction.

    ¡°Aye, but it¡¯s not up to us to tell the gods how to do stuff,¡± Jan lamented. ¡°We just make sure to keep well away from any spirits that show up here. No cavortin¡¯ with ¡®em, no studyin¡¯ ¡®em, no breedin¡¯ with ¡¯em. We leave the Ravager alone, he leaves us alone, and we hope he ascends or gets struck down by the gods one day.¡±

    Bel¡¯s blood went cold. ¡°The Dark Ravager ¨C he¡¯s after anyone who¡¯s related to a spirit? Not just actual spirits?¡±

    Jan nodded. ¡°Supposedly he strikes through a person¡¯s blood. It¡¯s too bad, the spirit-kin used to be the most adaptable of us, but now there¡¯re none left.¡±

    ¡°That ¨C that¡¯s really bad,¡± she mumbled.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I am doomed,¡± Bel realized.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ll be in a bad spot if you have many spirits inside the Blue Wall,¡± Flann agreed.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be a problem,¡± she whispered.

    The she put on her best fake smile. ¡°Hey, it was great to meet you two. Thanks for the information. I think that I should go talk to my family about it now, actually.¡±

    The two smiled at her, and Jan held out a hand to shake. ¡°Take care miss! And look us up at the Outpost! I¡¯m sure my great-granddaughter would love to meet someone from inside the Blue Wall!¡±

    Bel gave a tight-lipped smile to the old meerkat as she shook his hand. Then she fled to find Beth.

    James¡­ she could talk to James about this, but in matters of life and death Beth would give better advice.

    It only took her a moment to find her sister, busily bending more ears to her cause.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 35 â€“ Unwanted Revelations

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel waved to get her sister''s attention. ¡°Beth! Can we talk?¡±

    Beth frowned as she glanced at her audience, clearly hanging on Beth¡¯s words. ¡°Now¡¯s not a great time, Bel.¡±

    ¡°I learned something more about what the Dark Ravager was up to in Satrap,¡± Bel said, trying to tempt her sister away.

    Beth¡¯s eyebrows shot up with interest. ¡°I suppose more inside information would be good.¡±

    The one-armed assassin turned to her current conversation partners and excused herself from their group before joining Bel. ¡°Well? What¡¯ve you got?¡±

    Bel took a breath to steady her nerves. ¡°Remember how Crystal was using something to track me down?¡±

    Beth frowned. ¡°I remember you saying something about that, but honestly my memories from before we left Satrap are a little fuzzy.¡± Beth glanced at the stump of her left arm meaningfully.

    Bel sighed. ¡°Well, Crystal tracked us down with those fancy rods. I think that I may have been the real target in Satrap, not the humans that they were keeping in pens. Or maybe they <em style="font-style: italic">were the real target, but I was a bonus.¡±

    Beth¡¯s eyebrows went up, but she waited for Bel to continue.

    ¡°I was talking to some old guys and they told me more about the Dark Ravager. Apparently he¡¯s looking for spirits, or anyone related to them, because he eats them or something to ascend faster.¡± Bel scrunched her face. ¡°I probably should have asked for more details about that part, actually.¡±

    Beth considered for a moment. ¡°So you¡¯re afraid that he¡¯s going to be able to track you down?¡± Beth considered it for a moment before nodding. ¡°If they have more people like Crystal then it¡¯s possible.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yeah. And he¡¯s super powerful.¡±

    Beth grinned. ¡°That¡¯s great! There¡¯s nothing like a surprise attack to stir up the hornet¡¯s nest. What¡¯s that thing your brother talks about?¡± Beth clicked her fingers. ¡°The Harbor of Pearls?¡±

    Bel grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s not great, Beth. People will die.¡±

    ¡°In the short-term,¡± Beth responded. ¡°But in the long-term the people of Satrap and the Golden Plains will unite, and then they¡¯ll both prosper. The people of the Golden Plains will no longer need to fear slowly reverting to near mindless creatures¨C¡± She gestured at the scorpion-person, still wandering timidly at the edge of the crowd. ¡°¨Cand the people of Satrap will be freed from Technis. Everybody wins.¡±

    Bel grit her teeth as her snakes writhed around her head. ¡°And you¡¯ll what, burn down the temples, kill the people you don¡¯t like, and walk away?¡±

    Beth grinned. ¡°Something like that.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°And who replaces the aristocrats in Satrap?¡±

    Beth shrugged. ¡°Not my problem. Anything is better than them.¡±

    ¡°And what if the Dark Ravager¡¯s people come and kill the people here to get to me?¡±

    Beth frowned. ¡°Look, we¡¯re not making them attack us. They¡¯re choosing to do it ¨C and if they do, they deserve whatever reprisal comes their way.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes hissed quietly. ¡°You do realize that you¡¯re just making more of you, right Beth? Some kid¡¯s brother or sister or grandparent is going to die, and they¡¯ll swear revenge. Maybe they¡¯ll come after you.¡±

    Beth smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t think some kid¨C¡±

    ¡°Crows! Shut up, Beth!¡± Bel exploded. ¡°What replaces the aristocracy in Satrap? At least plan that part out!¡±

    Bel stared into Beth¡¯s eyes. ¡°Because, if you don¡¯t, it¡¯s just more of the same,¡± she seethed. ¡°You not fixing anything, Beth. Not really. Sure, it¡¯ll <em style="font-style: italic">look like change, but it¡¯ll be false.¡± Bel jabbed a finger in her sister¡¯s direction. ¡°It¡¯s like that thing James says: those who don¡¯t study history will just do it again.¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re being overly dramatic Bel. What do you want to do then? Nothing? Let things keep going the way they are?¡±

    Bel jabbed her finger at her once protector a second time. ¡°No, Beth. I want to change things; for real though, the right way, so that they stay different. Progress.¡±

    Bel could always feel a shifting in her soul when she said it out loud. War and chaos could be good, or they could be bad. Change <em style="font-style: italic">could make things better, but sometimes things only changed on the surface. Real change was harder than just adding chaos by stirring a pot, but real change was what she wanted.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to Satrap,¡± she decided out loud.

    Beth¡¯s eyes shot open. ¡°Are you serious? By yourself?¡±

    Bel nodded.

    Beth¡¯s eyes narrowed and she forcefully grabbed Bel by the elbow. ¡°Are you crazy? What the hell will that do?¡±

    Bel shook off Beth¡¯s hand. ¡°Why would you care? I want to do what Ventas and the other priests of Lempo started. I want to change people¡¯s minds so that change is something they <em style="font-style: italic">want. It shouldn¡¯t be something you push on them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being naive, kid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid,¡± Bel snapped. She jerked her arm free of Beth¡¯s grasp as she spun away. Before Beth could say anything more, she strode off to find her brother.

    Beth stormed after her, hurling invectives as she went.

    <hr>

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± James said, eyes wide.

    Beth grunted. ¡°That¡¯s what I told her. You need to convince your sister to calm down.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m right here,¡± Bel sibilated.

    Her brother looked at her with concern. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay, Bel? The heat isn¡¯t getting to you?¡±

    Bel growled at him and a few of her snakes hissed with displeasure.

    Daran rushed into their argument, her antennae thrashing the air with alarm. ¡°Whoah, what is being the problem? Why are you all being so angry?¡±

    ¡°Bel wants¨C¡±

    ¡°My sister¨C¡±

    ¡°The Dark Ravager¨C¡±

    The three spoke over each other, each refusing to back down.

    Daran clapped her hands and blasted them with a quick burst of sand. ¡°Stop! This is not the way of talking.¡± The ant girl looked at the three of them. ¡°Bel, you are being the most angry. Please say what is making you so.¡±

    Bel snorted sand from her nostrils. ¡°I found out that the Dark Ravager hunts spirits. It turns out that his people were hunting me in Satrap, and they had a way to track me down. They¡¯ll be coming after me here too.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why we should hurry to Outpost 3, not run away,¡± Beth interrupted. She turned to Bel, a pleading look in her eyes. ¡°Look, it¡¯s apparently a gigantic hole in the ground three thousand strides across and eight hundred strides deep.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Bel tried interrupting.

    Beth rolled through without pause. ¡°It¡¯s basically a reverse tower, but with everyone living inside of the cliff walls. It¡¯s impregnable, you couldn¡¯t ask for a better hiding space, and the lake and farms at the bottom make it self-sufficient.¡±

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    ¡°Hey,¡± Bel bit out, ¡°it¡¯s my turn to talk.¡± She glared at Beth for a few moments before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding in some giant hole. Anyway, I shouldn¡¯t even be here. I need to go back to Satrap and help the people there.¡±

    ¡°But the goddesses¨C¡±

    ¡°Who knows what they want, Beth.¡±

    ¡°Look, Bel, I know you want revenge, but you have to be patient. Durak¨C¡±

    ¡°Hang Durak!¡±

    Daran shoved her arms in between them. ¡°Whoah, we are not insulting the gods here! Not even the newly ascended ones!¡± The ant-girl¡¯s attend-ants swarmed around her, whipped into a frenzy by her agitation. Beth and Bel were forced a few steps apart by the activity.

    James threw his hands into the air. ¡°This is crazy Bel. Look, I know you really liked Ventas, but you¡¯re not a priest of Lempo. You¡¯re not the, the second coming or whatever. No one is going to follow you if you go back to Satrap ¨C you¡¯ll just get caught.¡± James tugged on his hair. ¡°You don¡¯t even know if you¡¯ll be able to get back.¡±

    Daran¡¯s chewed on her lip as she struggled to understand what they were arguing about. ¡°Who is Ventas? And Lempo?¡±

    Her antenna spun with alarm. ¡°Wait ¨C what do you mean you were hunted? Are you a spirit?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I¡¯m related to one, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Daran deflated, her antenna hanging limply. ¡°It is unsafe to be a spirit here.¡±

    ¡°Daran,¡± James began in a pleading tone.

    Daran grasped James¡¯ hand in her own and pulled it close. ¡°I am not saying that your sister should go back to Satrap. She can hide. Not all other places are as dangerous as Atmos.¡± She pointed towards the rising sun. ¡°In the far west is Skotos. It is very big island, shrouded by a forest with trees as tall as a mountain. And north¡­ well, that is not safe either. Skotos is best.¡±

    ¡°I want to change things, Daran,¡± Bel insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t just want to hide in a forest.¡±

    Bel stared at James and Beth, daring them to argue.

    Daran turned from face to face, clearly conflicted.

    The tension rose when someone started yelling from the outer edges of the crowd of semi-humans. The cry was picked up by more voices, and soon there was a swarm of activity around them.

    Bel¡¯s snakes darted in different directions, agitated by the commotion. ¡°What¡¯s happening? More weeds?¡±

    Daran gestured to her attend-ants, calling them into a neat row. ¡°It is a group of the Dark Ravager¡¯s acolytes. They are testing our vigilance.¡±

    Bel grit her teeth, turned, and ran in the opposite direction from all the yelling. She could at least lead them away from the people who had nothing to do with her, and if she was lucky she could give them the slip as well.

    She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun Beth ¨C or Daran if the ant-girl decided to grab her ¨C but Bel had a plan. She got to the edge of the dune and jumped. When her feet hit the ground she <em style="font-style: italic">liquified it, sliding down the frictionless surface.

    Well, that was her plan, but it turned out that slippery things were, well slippery. Bel got halfway down before she went flying through the air with a choked curse. She pushed herself onto her elbows and realized that she¡¯d landed in the middle of an ominous group of black-robed people. They looked down at her from the backs of their large, shoulder-high riding lizards.

    ¡°Oh, swivel me,¡± she cursed.

    A rope whipped around her, and Bel suddenly found herself being dragged away from the camp. She still had enough in her for a second <em style="font-style: italic">liquify though. She turned the inside of the rope to liquid and slipped through it.

    She looked up with satisfaction as the man kept going, not even realizing that she¡¯d been left behind. The smile fell from her face when several of the other, more observant, lizard-riding cultists surrounded her.

    The closest one leaped down from his mount, a heavy wooden rod held aloft in his hands. He clearly intending to clobber her into submission.

    Bel danced backwards, evading the easily telegraphed swing, but she backed straight into the arms of another one of the cultists. She only belatedly realizing that it had been a trick. Her snakes hissed angrily as they snapped at the person holding her from behind while she flailed and kicked, but her captor was like an old tree, solid and unmovable.

    Bel¡¯s movements became increasingly frantic as she realized her precarious position ¨C even if she got away from the one holding onto her she was still surrounded by almost a dozen more. She could now hear fighting behind her as some people from the camp caught up to the cultists, but she was helpless to resist when her captor dragged her away towards an unmounted lizard. They turned slightly and Bel could see a few of the semi-humans, Beth, James, and Daran fighting to get to her. James was mostly staying back, probably looking for an opportunity to use his sling or waiting for an injury to heal. Beth moved awkwardly with only one arm, but any time she surged forward and slashed with her weapon another one of the cultists went limp.

    Daran occupied nearly all of the rest of the cultists singlehandly. Her skittering legs danced across the sand as bands of twisting sand leaped forward at every twitch of her fingers, deflecting weapons and cutting into the any exposed vitals. Whenever Beth would drive back the attackers for a moment, Daran would cup her hands together in a squeezing motion and a mouth would form in the sand, pulling one of their attackers underground before snapping shut.

    If Bel could delay long enough, Beth and Daran would eventually grind the cultists into the sand.

    The young gorgon summoned a heroic surge of energy and wriggled like a fish. She heard some muffled cursing coming her captor, but he just squeezed her neck, cutting off Bel¡¯s ability to breath. She thrashed until her limbs felt heavy and black spots swam in her vision. Her snakes struck helplessly against her captor, but they couldn¡¯t pierce through the thick leather of his arm guards.

    She was certain that she was doomed, but just before she lost consciousness she found herself suddenly released.

    Bel caught herself as she was falling and staggered several steps as she attempted to turn and fight. She was surprised to see that her former captor had collapsed to his knees on the ground. His neck was swolled and his veins stood out in purple and blue against his puffy skin. As she watched, he began to foam at the mouth.

    Behind him stood the lonely scorpion boy. Bel realized that he must have been hanging around outside of the group again, which had allowed him to sneak in behind the enemy.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Bel gasped out.

    The boy nodded shyly and then stepped forward to block a spear thrust from an new assailant. His large pincer-hand easily caught the shaft of the weapon, and quick tug brought the attacker close. The boy snapped out with his other pincer, easily cutting through the spearman¡¯s throat.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Damn, isn¡¯t there a gorgon ability to have claws? Maybe I should have taken that one, Bel thought.

    A moment later a tidal wave of sand scattered the clump of cultists to her side. Bel looked over, expecting to see Daran, but instead it was Jan, the old meerkat, grinning from ear. Flann was with him too; he pointed a finger and an eye-searing lance of flame cut through the head of another cultist. He alternated his fingers, blowing through the rest of the cultists in just a few heartbeats, his tail wagging excitedly the entire time.

    Bel stared at him with wide eyes as he blew on one finger and then the other as if he needed to cool them down.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± James¡¯ voice rang out, ¡°that was badass!¡±

    The fox laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t sound so shocked sonny! You don¡¯t get to be as old as us without having a few tricks!¡±

    Jan elbowed him in the ribs. ¡°Says the fox that darn near threw out ¡®is back tryin¡¯ ta run over here!¡± The meerkat turned to his stunned audience. ¡°Hey, you lot stop standing an gawking and grab them big ol¡¯ lizards! I reckon they¡¯re good steeds, it¡¯d be a shame to let ¡¯em loose in the desert.¡±

    Bel fumbled at the closest lizard, grabbing onto a pair of reins that were wrapped around its mouth. The old folk ambled over to her and Bel gave them a respectful bow. ¡°Thanks guys, you really saved me there.¡±

    Jan peered at her with a cloudy eye. ¡°So they were after you then, lass? You got some spirit blood after all?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ something like that,¡± she replied guiltily. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know it would cause trouble.¡±

    ¡°You gonna leave the group then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t want to put everyone in danger.¡± Bel looked around at the dead cultists. She didn¡¯t see any deaths from Daran¡¯s people, at least in this part of the fight, although she did see a couple of people with blood soaking through their feathers. James was tending to them while Daran nervously skittered around. Beth was busy poking at the cultists, probably looking for new weapons, and the mood was more victorious than glum, but for all Bel knew there were dead in other areas of the camp.

    ¡°Where you gonna run to?¡± Jan pressed her.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t really know. I guess back to the Barrier? It should be harder for the Dark Ravager to track me on the other side, assuming that I can find a way to get back through. So I guess that I¡¯ll head east?¡± Bel looked into the featureless expanse of the desert.

    Flann chortled loudly as he led two of the riding lizards over to them. ¡°Well, good thing I¡¯m coming along! It sounds like your sense of direction is just as bad as this old hunky¡¯s ¨C who knows where you two would end up on your own.¡± Flann¡¯s ears twitched with mirth. ¡°Probably drown in the sea while asking a merman for directions!¡±

    Jan snatched one of the reins from his companion. ¡°My sense of direction is fine, you old fox!¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡± Beth stepped forward between Bel and the old men. ¡°Bel isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡±

    Flann grinned at her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her about that? She seems set on leavin¡¯.¡±

    Beth snorted. ¡°She¡¯s a kid. She doesn¡¯t know¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid,¡± Bel growled. ¡°And I already told you that I needed to go. An entire village was attacked because of us back in Satrap, and the same thing just happened here.¡±

    Beth pointed her finger at one of the corpses. ¡°Look, the people here already know that they can¡¯t just leave these cultists alone. There¡¯s going to be war anyway, so you may as well stay.¡±

    Jan led his mount past her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll get your war. That doesn¡¯t mean you get to tell this young lady what to do though.¡±

    A ripple of sand lifted the meerkat rat into his saddle, and a finger flick summoned lifted the fox onto the second lizard. Bel jumped up to her own mount. She looked up to see James running in her direction, frantically waving his arms.

    ¡°Beth, tell James I love him and to take care of himself.¡± Bel turned and pulled at her reins. The lizard didn¡¯t move. She pulled and kicked for a few moments, but James had caught up before she figured out how to work the lizard. The two old men nearly laughed themselves out of their saddles as they watched her fruitless efforts.

    Flann grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Before we leave, maybe you should say goodbye to your family? And maybe absorb some essence from these guys too. Wanderin¡¯ the desert is dangerous business, and we probably can¡¯t take you the entire way.¡±

    Bel¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment as she lowered herself back down to the sand.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 36 â€“ Desert Eagles

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel didn¡¯t want to step on any toes ¨C or other appendages ¨C so she just drained the essence from the dead nearest to her. That still advanced her two thresholds, to the eigth if her count was correct. She didn¡¯t spare the time to concentrate on the abilities around her cores ¨C hopefully, she would get a free moment to do that later.

    She avoided her brother¡¯s gaze as she darted around, but she could feel it like a weight on her back.

    She peeked at him from the corner of her eyes and cringed. From his expression, she could tell that James was fed up with waiting for her to break the silence. His eyes were red-rimmed, but Bel couldn¡¯t tell if he was more likely to cry or to shout. Maybe both.

    ¡°So you¡¯re just going to ditch us?¡±

    Bel¡¯s lower lip trembled as she looked her brother in the eye, surprised by the sudden surge in emotions that clogged her chest. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but¡­¡±

    She roughly ran her forearm across her face, wiping away the forming tears. <em style="font-style: italic">Leaving is the right thing! Why is this so hard?

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then stay! Like Beth said, the Outpost is supposed to be like a huge, inverted fortress. We¡¯ll stay there for a little while, build up our power, and then crush this Ravager guy. He¡¯s just some miniboss bullshit.¡± James glared at her, and Bel¡¯s vision blurred.

    Bel rushed forward to give him a hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry James. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve heard about the Dark Ravager, but he¡¯s nearly a god ¨C or at least closer to a god than we are to him. I can¡¯t stay.¡± She took a step back. ¡°If I can get back to Satrap then he and Technis can go at it and hopefully leave everyone here alone.¡±

    She looked him in the eyes again. ¡°That¡¯s the closest thing to a win that we can get.¡±

    Bel saw Daran¡¯s feet fidgeting from the corner of her vision. ¡°I¡¯m sure Daran would tell you that they don¡¯t really want to fight the Dark Ravager either.¡±

    ¡°But what that contract from your ritual? And your three patrons? Your mom probably wants you to get help from the people here,¡± James argued.

    Bel laughed. ¡°James, my mom ¨C if mother is truly the right word for someone who puts together life like we would craft a doll ¨C who knows what she wants? The three of them stand for upheaval, chaos, and corporal punishment.¡± Bel gestured at the empty sands around them. ¡°Maybe they just want to melt everything down. Maybe I¡¯m just an agent of destruction and chaos, James.¡±

    ¡°But Bel¨C¡±

    ¡°No, James,¡± she cut him off with a slash of her arm. ¡°You need to stop being my whipping boy. Don¡¯t suffer for me anymore. These troubles belong to me ¨C let me lead them away from you.¡±

    She switched to English and held his head close. ¡°Look, you¡¯ve always dreamed about living your portal fantasy life, right? Now you¡¯ve finally met your ant princess ¨C go out there and start your best magical fantasy life.¡± She grinned at him. ¡°Have a bunch of healthy ant-children, or whatever, you perv.¡±

    He laughed weakly. ¡°It¡¯s totally natural,¡± he claimed.

    Bel snorted and hugged him tightly.

    Then she tore herself away from him and strode over to her riding lizard.

    To her surprise, Beth stood in her way.

    ¡°Hey kid.¡± Beth looked away, a rare flash of guilt clouding her expression before she pressed on. ¡°Look, it¡¯s true, when I rescued you it was just because Durak promised that freeing you would lead to my revenge somehow. After I¡¯ve spent time with you, well¡­¡±

    Beth clapped Bel on the shoulder. ¡°Well, I¡¯d be lying if I said that you haven¡¯t grown on me. I understand why you¡¯re leaving. Stay alive ¨C once I can whip up an army I¡¯m coming after you.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t stop a smile from sneaking onto her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we don¡¯t see eye to eye on some things, Beth. And thanks. I know how hard it is for you to say something nice.¡±

    ¡°Ah, shut it.¡± Beth swept her up in her single arm and squeezed her like she was cracking open a lobster. Bel grunted in pain as she felt her bones creak. She stumbled when Beth finally released her.

    Beth reached down to her side and shoved something into Bel¡¯s hands. ¡°Take this. It¡¯s my second favorite dagger. Since I can only handle one at a time now I think you¡¯ll get better use out of it.¡± She waved the weapon under Bel¡¯s nose. ¡°But if you chip it stabbing a stone or some shit I¡¯ll find you and murder you myself, got it?¡±

    She hugged the long, slender stiletto to her chest.

    Beth was always close-lipped about her past, but Bel knew that the weapon had belonged to someone important to her sister who was killed by Technis'' priests.

    She glanced down at the dagger, her eyes taking in the wave motif on the handle and the pair of small, blue gems set at the ends of the cross guard before looking back into her sister''s eyes.

    ¡°I''ll treasure it,¡± she promised.

    Bel laughed weakly as she accepted the weapon. ¡°Sure, Beth. Thank you. I know how much your weapons mean to you.¡±

    Bel looked up and saw that there was an uncomfortably large crowd gathering. Daran was waving her hands around as she tried to explain things, but Bel figured that she should get going before someone freaked. She wasn¡¯t sure how happy they would be when they learned that the Dark Ravager had attacked because a spirit-blooded person had attracted his attention.

    She hopped up onto her lizard and looked at the crowd one more time, finally noticing a lonely figure. ¡°Hey James, can you look out for the scorpion kid for me? He kind of came to my rescue. I¡¯m not going to get a chance to thank him myself.¡±

    James glanced over and nodded. ¡°Yeah. Sure, leave it to me.¡± He managed to put a smile on his face. ¡°Once I show him how to roll he¡¯ll have to pry the ladies from him carapace with a spatula.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, sure.¡± Bel grinned and shook her head at her brother¡¯s view of the world. Then she turned to her two wizened companions and gestured at the riding lizard. ¡°Now, how do I operate this thing?¡±

    <hr>

    It was the better part of an hour before Bel adjusted to the riding lizard¡¯s side-to-side gait. The jostling was uncomfortable, but Bel appreciated their fast pace. She knew that she was being silly, but the wind blowing across her face made her feel as though she was making progress.

    Progress implied that she was going somewhere, but in reality she knew that her plans were too vague. They were heading vaguely east, back towards the Spine Mountains and the Barrier, but she had no plan after getting there. Bel stared blankly at the horizon, watching for the familiar blue tint that marked the prison around Satrap.

    She smiled grimly. She had spent years dreaming of getting out; now that she was out she wanted to get back in. Well, her real goal had been to keep get away from everyone else so she wouldn¡¯t bring down the Dark Ravager¡¯s attention upon a bunch of bystanders. That was probably why Jan and Flann had offered to help her.

    The old men weren¡¯t much for conversation at the moment. Jan was concentrating on holding up a denser than usual dome of sand to shield them, not just from the birds above, but also from humanoid observers across the desert. Flann didn¡¯t have anything to do, so the wily fox had promptly fallen asleep. He was snoring slightly, and from time to time his whiskers and tail would twitch like he was having an exciting dream.

    Eventually Bel couldn¡¯t take the silence any more. ¡°Hey Jan, am I doing the right thing? Or am I just going to get myself killed for nothing?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Jan rubbed his face. ¡°Well, you know my great-granddaughter lives in the Outpost, right? I¡¯d be right pissed if¡¯n you lead the Ravager to ¡®er. Simplest thing to do is to just dump you in the river, float you out to sea, an¡¯ hope that the Ravager follows ya.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    Jan chuckled at the thought. Bel didn¡¯t find it humorous.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. Just old man humor.¡± Jan cleared his throat uncomfortably. ¡°Nah, you seem a right good person, I wouldn¡¯t do that to ya. But leavin¡¯ was the right call. These kids, they don¡¯t appreciate that the Dark Ravager never actually got involved in the old fightin¡¯ that their parents and grandparents remember.¡± He shook his head. ¡°He never much cared about all this.¡±

    The old man gestured out at the nothing in every direction, still barely visible through the thin screen of sand that his ability was holding around them. ¡°The Golden Plains didn¡¯t used to be like this, you know. The name is for the fields of wheat that used to grow here, not this empty expanse of sand.¡±

    Bel looked around, trying to imagine the area as a fertile plain rather than a never-ending desert. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°War. The gods.¡± Jan shrugged, the tiredness of his long life creeping into his voice. ¡°This was before Durak ascended, and was already a legend when I was a kid, but the impacts will be around forever.¡±

    Jan smushed one of his fists into an open palm. ¡°Durak, the Dark Ravager, and couple other ascendant candidates really went at it. A couple of them died, one of them fled behind the Blue Wall, and Durak killed his way into godhood.¡± Jan rubbed at his snout, going after an itch. ¡°I really would have expected Durak to come finish things by now. Stories of him never made him seem like one of the patient ones.¡±

    ¡°Wait ¨C Durak, the Dark Ravager, and Technis ¨C they all knew each other?¡±

    ¡°Technis is the one behind the blue wall?¡± Jan confirmed.

    Bel nodded.

    ¡°Yeah. They were all around at the same time at least. Bunch of people who were cooperating on their way to ascendance, until they started stabbing one another in the back. Something like that.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°People don¡¯t stop to write stuff down when they¡¯re runnin¡¯ for their lives, so the stories are a bit muddled.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Bel nodded. ¡°Interesting. I think I¡¯m supposed to fight Technis.¡±

    Jan¡¯s bushy eyebrows rose slightly. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Because he is guilty and must be punished.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ okay kid. If he¡¯s the one who built the blue wall then we¡¯re not a fan either. Ruined our weather forever.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This is all desert because of the Barrier? Because of Technis?¡±

    ¡°Part of it. Somewhere in there the Dark Ravager figured out how to advance his Path by capturing spirits. There used to be plenty of them ¨C spirits of the water, wind, and soil were commonplace.¡±

    The old meerkat shook his head. ¡°Stories say that spirits were a nuisance, but with a bit of coaxing you could get them to help out. Shift the winds here, purify some ocean water there, whatever. We could have maybe gotten through after the change in weather if they¡¯d still been around, but by the time all the dust settled they were gone from the Golden Plains and every neighboring island.¡±

    ¡°Wow. So you¡¯ve never even seen one?¡±

    ¡°Nah. Flann once ¨C hey Flann! Wake up you old geezer!¡±

    The fox¡¯s eyes snapped open and he looked around. ¡°What? Whadya want? I was sleepin¡¯. Have you gotten us lost again?¡±

    ¡°No, we aren¡¯t lost!¡±

    Jan looked up and corrected the course of his lizard a quarter turn to the right, and the other two followed. The old meerkat cleared his throat. ¡°Back on topic, I was just telling the young lady that you saw a spirit once, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, back when I was about a hundred years younger.¡± He laughed and rubbed his hands over his fuzzy cheeks. ¡°It wasn¡¯t long before one of Ravager¡¯s priests showed up and dragged it away. Why¡¯re you talking about spirits?¡±

    ¡°Just tellin¡¯ her some history. And that¡¯s pretty much it ¨C no more spirits, everyone started starving, and we¡¯re all just a few generations of poor breeding away from turnin¡¯ as dumb as these poor lizards.¡±

    Bel looked at her mount. ¡°Wait, these things aren¡¯t related to humans too, are they?¡±

    Jan laughed and slapped his knee.

    ¡°They could be,¡± Flann pointed out. ¡°Not like we have records.¡±

    Jan snorted. ¡°That¡¯s the Bargainer¡¯s truth. I figure my grandson must have descended from some deepwater eel to be so slimy, but I just can¡¯t prove it.¡± He laughed bitterly at his own joke.

    ¡°That reminds me,¡± Bel started, ¡°do you know someone named Rikja?¡±

    ¡°Rikja?¡± Jan looked at her with evident surprise. ¡°She¡¯s another one of my useless grandson¡¯s daughters, but she ran away from the nest years ago. Where¡¯d you run into her, girl?

    ¡°Oh.¡± Bel grimaced. ¡°She was with the Dark Ravager¡¯s people.¡±

    Jan spit angrily and clacked his teeth. ¡°Damn kids! I near died in the war keepin¡¯ us free and now they¡¯re just throwin¡¯ themselves at ¡¯is feet!¡±

    ¡°Now, now, Jan, a couple crooked teeth don¡¯t ruin the bite.¡±

    ¡°Easy for you to say, what with your children all living fat and happy at the Outpost!¡±

    Flann rolled his eyes, but didn¡¯t have a response.

    Jan waved a finger at Bel, nose twitching angrily. ¡°If you see that thankless spawn of mine you tell her how disappointed she¡¯s made her great-grandfather!¡± Then he turned to his friend. ¡°And you, you sly fox, you teach this girl how to deal with a flame mage so she doesn¡¯t get all burned up.¡±

    ¡°Why do I need to do anything?¡± Flann whined.

    Jan sprayed him in the face with a small geyser of sand. ¡°Because I said so!¡±

    A clod of sand hit Bel on the back too. ¡°And don¡¯t you look like this has nothing to do you with, missy! Yer too weak, so we¡¯ll have to train you up a bit. We¡¯ll start with the desert eagles.¡±

    <hr>

    The two old men had her to listen through almost an entire day of advice, old war stories, and unnecessary bird facts before they deemed her ready to fight. Bel was itching for action by then. Instead of jumping into action though, she found herself standing around in the open.

    A small cloud of sand a hundred strides from her obscured her companions. ¡°Are you sure they¡¯ll show up?¡± she shouted.

    ¡°A¡¯ course!¡± came the faint reply.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t see anything!¡±

    ¡°Stop talkin¡¯ more lookin¡¯!¡±

    Bel snorted and looked up at the sky again. It was bright and cloudless. Looking too close to the sun made her want to sneeze. Everyone in the Golden Plains had been making such a big deal about these birds, but she was feeling underwhelmed.

    ¡°You got two comin¡¯ for ya girl!¡±

    Bel looked back at the sand cloud before a jolt of adrenaline snapped her attention back to the sky. <em style="font-style: italic">Two of them? Where?

    ¡°They don¡¯t fly, girl! Who said they fly?¡±

    Bel hissed in annoyance. <em style="font-style: italic">They¡¯re birds, of course they fly!

    Bel drew her short sword and dagger, Beth¡¯s present in the off hand and her sword in her right. She spun in place, trying to locate her attackers.

    ¡°The other one¡¯s to your left!¡±

    Bel¡¯s head pivoted and she saw a cloud of sand rapidly approaching from the indicated direction. She had only a moment before she had to dive to the side. She had an impression of taloned feet digging into the sand before being blasted with a spray of coarse grains as a dark mass tore right past her.

    Bel pushed herself to her feet and then realized that the second bird was still coming. She threw her dagger in the vague direction of the oncoming threat as she dove again and rolled across the hot sand.

    Somehow, her frantic throw was on target. The bird ¨C a real monster with a wingspan three times Bel¡¯s height, even if it wasn¡¯t flying ¨C twitched to the side to avoid the spinning spike of metal. It aborted its attack and hopped into the air and glided past her with an angry squawk.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, I¡¯ve already thrown Beth¡¯s present into the dirt, just like she told me not to. Bel sucked in a steadying breath. <em style="font-style: italic">At least I¡¯m still alive.

    As it went past her, Bel took in the hunched muscles of the eagle¡¯s shoulders, the big, ugly hooked beak, and talons large enough to impale her. No wonder they made the people of the Golden Plains wary.

    The birds had missed with their first attack, but they weren¡¯t deterred. The pair let out indignant cries of frustration, before trotting in circles to come around for another pass. Bel turned to face them as they gathered speed, one slightly behind and the to side of the other.

    Bel tried to anticipate their arrival, but they put on an unnatural burst of speed at the last moment; she guessed that they had some ability that allowed for sudden acceleration to snatch up unwary prey. They had abruptly gone from a good ten seconds away to perhaps half that much.

    Bel figured that the ability explained why they weren¡¯t flying at her. An ability would push them faster than their body could handle, but it wouldn¡¯t necessarily make it possible for them to maneuver at that speed.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I can take advantage of that.

    Bel planted her feet in the sand, looked the lead eagle in the eyes, and <em style="font-style: italic">glared. It only twitched for a moment, but that was enough to send it sprawling into the sand. Its body tumbled end over end until it became a mess of wings, claws, and beak hurtling in her direction.

    Bel stepped to the side to avoid it¨C

    ¨Cand was almost blinded by a flare of light to her side. The other bird, still on track to rip her apart with its hooked beak, had just been roasted by a bolt of intense heat from Flann.

    The wing of the lifeless bird still clipped her as it went past, and the force sent her stumbling around like she was doing some manic dance step. When her body stopped spinning she was a little dizzy, but shouts from her foxy savior helped to clear her mind.

    ¡°At least handle the first one, lass! It won¡¯t be flyin¡¯ anywhere, but it¡¯s still kickin¡¯!¡±

    The first bird wasn¡¯t quite kicking, but it was certainly alive.

    Bel rushed over it. She didn¡¯t hesitate to jump onto the neck of the dazed bird and repeatedly plunge her short sword through its thick plumage and through its throat and vertebrae.

    Flann sauntered over to her as she wiped the gore from her weapon. ¡°Well, you coulda done worse. Lucky thing these were a couple of juveniles.¡±

    Bel stared at him. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    He grinned, flashing a toothy smile at her. ¡°Of course! Maybe only two thirds grown, and without the hunting instincts of the adults. Nice trick throwing the first one off though, was that some kind of hypnotic ability? Disturbing sounds? Flashing lights?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Bel realized that she had no idea why looking at something with <em style="font-style: italic">glare made them act the way that it did. ¡°I have no idea,¡± she admitted. ¡°I just look at them funny.¡±

    Flann flicked his tail with disappointment. ¡°Welp, sounds like we¡¯ve got plenty o¡¯ work to do. Grab yer essence, then we¡¯ll make a nice dinner outta these things.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 37 â€“ Alone

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel felt around her growing cores, tracing out the strokes of the abilities that were available. She¡¯d spent that last week fighting, mostly desert eagles, and she had advanced to the fourteenth threshold. There were a lot of interesting options from her gorgon path ¨C options to grow sharp claws of brass, sharpen her vision and <em style="font-style: italic">glare from a greater distance, send creatures into convulsions with her <em style="font-style: italic">glare, or to grow hard scales over her body. That last one was out of reach at the moment, because Flann and Jan had forced her to take some ¡°practical¡± abilities. A couple of them she could appreciate, like the one that improved her bone density and another that helped her maintain her muscles. The others were boring stuff that let her digest food better, digest weird things, and retain most of the water than she consumed.

    The mischievous old men had failed to warn her that those abilities would also make relieving herself a less pleasant ordeal, something she found out only after they made a meal out of the roots of a nearly indestructible bush. The experience had almost been enough for her turn around and give up her mad flight back to the Barrier.

    That experience aside, she found herself feeling surprisingly free. She still missed her siblings terribly. Especially James. She had never spent this long apart from him before.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, thinking about it makes me feel lonely again. Back to looking at these abilities¡­

    Lempo¡¯s Path only had a single new ability available, one that would shatter things. What things? Rocks? Armor? Bones, still in the body? All of those, probably. Bel¡¯s mother offered some scary stuff. Kjar¡¯s Path had the vision and jumping abilities that she¡¯d previously seen, and also had an expensive ability that would grow blazing claws on her hand.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s the kind of thing that James would go crazy about. I bet blazing claws were common on those teevee shows that he liked.

    The familiar sensation of a clod of sand smacking her between the shoulder blades broke her out of her reverie.

    ¡°Stop daydreamin¡¯ kid! You got a bird to kill!¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes flipped irreverently in Jan¡¯s direction. ¡°Sure thing old man!¡±

    She laughed at the meerkat¡¯s sputtering indignation and drew her weapons.

    Over the last week, Bel had discovered that she didn¡¯t mind traveling. The fighting helped to clear her mind and the old men were surprisingly good company, even if they did just want to get her away from where their grandchildren lived.

    The two of them had gone beyond the bare minimum. Jan peppered her with advice on her abilities while sharp-eyed Flann had given her pointers on hiding and ambushing in the desert. She¡¯d gotten ample opportunity to practice and improve her abilities while hunting birds, and, as a bonus, they were delicious when Flann roasted them to perfection.

    Bel licked her lips as she tracked the oncoming raptor. She knew its patterns now: it would close at an incredible speed, its legs blurring over the desert before it leaped to to impale her upon its sharp claws. Their attacks were deadly for the unaware, but their consistency was a weakness that Bel had learned to exploit. The young gorgon tensed her muscles as the bird utilized its ability to blur forward. She waited for three beats of her excited heart before she <em style="font-style: italic">glared.

    The eagle wobbled, just a bit, but with its unnatural attack speed it could barely control its flight. Just like the first bird she¡¯d killed, it lifted its wings for balance but one of the gigantic raptors wings dipped too low and touched the sand, sending out a spray of particles. The sudden drag sent the bird pinwheeling over the sand, its legs flailing to regain control of its momentum as it kicked frantically against the loose ground.

    Bel didn¡¯t give it a chance ¨C she ran straight for it, weapons at the ready. The eagle managed to get its two feet planted firmly on the ground just before she arrived. She rolled over the hot sand to dodge under a frantic snap of its hooked beak. As she bounced back to her feet she thrust a fist into its neck, making skin contact and creating a soft spot with <em style="font-style: italic">liquify, which she used to plunge her dagger deep into its neck. The normally stiff, protective feathers practically melted under her touch, and her dagger went in elbow deep. The blade easily reaching the bird¡¯s vitals buried within its neck. The body collapsed with a shudder, and Bel pulled out her arm to quickly clean it on the sand.

    ¡°Yer gettin¡¯ pretty comfy with this, girl,¡± Flann praised.

    ¡°So you think I¡¯m ready to take on a spearhead?¡±

    The fox just laughed. Bel had only seen one of the feared flying reptilian creature a single time, but Jan had thickened their sandy cover and insisted that they hunker down by the side of a large sand dune until it went away. Bel was curious about how much stronger it could be than the enormous eagles, but Jan insisted that she just run away if she encountered one.

    The grumpy meerkat erected a dome of sand around them, hiding their kill from the desert scavengers.

    Bel eyed the eagle¡¯s enormous corpse. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t take whatever ability is making it move so fast? I¡¯m still at the fourteenth threshold, and I don¡¯t think this one is going to push me over.¡±

    Flann eyed her skeptically. ¡°You want to bury yourself in a dune? Splatter your brains against the nearest rock?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± Bel argued, ¡°besides, I¡¯ve got tough skin.¡±

    ¡°I knew some turtles that tried it out,¡± Jan chimed in.

    Bel¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh really? Could they fly?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Jan nodded. ¡°They went up¡­ and up¡­¡±

    The two old men shared a look and finished together. ¡°¡­and then they came down!¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°They came down and then what?¡±

    ¡°Smashed themselves to pieces.¡±

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    Bel blanched as she pictured the poor turtles. ¡°Oh. I guess I¡¯ll just gather the essence then.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Jan praised her.

    <em style="font-style: italic">But I want to fly, she moaned internally. She wasn¡¯t crazy though, and she certainly didn¡¯t have any wings. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe one of the weird mutation abilities from Dutcha can solve that for me? Her minor body modifications meant that Bel never had to suffer through a stiff back again, but she was sure that she could do more with a stronger ability.

    Bel put her hands against the eagle pulled out its essence.

    ¡°I¡¯ve still got lots of space to learn abilities,¡± Bel said. ¡°I think I¡¯ve mastered my current ones well enough.¡±

    Jan looked at her skeptically. ¡°If you fill up your cores with weird stuff, then you won¡¯t have free mana ta keep yer <em style="font-style: italic">glare and <em style="font-style: italic">liquify goin¡¯. Are ya just ignoring all the words o¡¯ wisdom we¡¯ve been tellin¡¯ ya this past week?¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°But I have so many options ¨C shouldn¡¯t I take one?¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Bel lifted her fingers and started counting off options. ¡°Brass nails or claws from the gorgon abilities would work well with <em style="font-style: italic">liquify. Kjar¡¯s constellation has a claw ability too, and I think that those ones are magical fire.¡±

    ¡°Ya just think that sounds impressive, ye don¡¯t even know what it means.¡±

    ¡°Uh, moving on, there are more gorgon things. I could gain the eyes of a huntress to see farther and use <em style="font-style: italic">glare from a greater distance. Or I could enhance <em style="font-style: italic">glare so that it also sends things into convulsions!¡±

    ¡°What the point of <em style="font-style: italic">glaring from far away if ya can¡¯t attack from that far?¡± Jan challenged. ¡°And why do ya want convulsions?¡±

    Bel grumbled. ¡°There¡¯s also an expensive ability from Lempo that breaks solid things.¡±

    ¡°Any solid things?¡± Jan asked, eyebrow quirked.

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I guess. It¡¯s pretty expensive, so it had better be good, right?¡±

    Jan snorted. ¡°Or it¡¯s just a waste.¡±

    ¡°That sounds nifty though,¡± Flann chimed in.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t join at the end of the conversation,¡± Jan grumbled.

    ¡°What about that one that¡¯ll cover your body in scales? I thought that one sounded good,¡± Flann continued.

    ¡°It was also expensive. Also, I, uh, don¡¯t know if I want to be covered with scales,¡± Bel admitted.

    The fox snorted.

    Jan slapped her on the wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t just take abilities that ya think sound nifty and avoid ones that don¡¯t. My advice is, learn ta use what you¡¯ve got really good and wait for some powerhouse abilities. Take a few useful ones, like huntress¡¯ vision, if you want, but leave more mana free.¡±

    Flann summoned a small ball of flames over his hand. ¡°You need lots of free mana to do stuff like this! If you fill up on weird stuff then you¡¯ll end up with only your mundane weapons for fightin.¡±

    Jan poked her in the stomach. ¡°The one thing yer missin¡¯ is a good ranged ability or a way to close quickly. Wait for somethin¡¯ like that.¡±

    Bel gestured at the giant eagle¡¯s corpse. ¡°You mean an ability like what they¡¯ve got?¡±

    Jan tutted at her. ¡°One that doesn¡¯t splatter yer brains all over the ground when ya use it.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of the bird though,¡± Flann said with a grin. He pointed at some some choice cuts of meat that he¡¯d prepared. Then he ran over and shooed the riding lizards away before they made off with lunch.

    ¡°Damn lizards! Eat the scraps!¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit much?¡±

    Jan nodded. ¡°Bit much for lunch, but we¡¯ll get Flann to dry some out for jerky so you have somethin¡¯ to take with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Bel¡¯s snakes dropped sadly over her shoulders. She¡¯d almost forgotten that this was her last day with the old men.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be glum. Just don¡¯t go pickin¡¯ a fight with them arrowheads and you should be fine,¡± Flann consoled.

    Jan waved a finger at her. ¡°And if ya see any cat girls in the valleys you¡¯d best steer clear, you hear?¡±

    ¡°Cat girls, giant lizards, all bad,¡± she agreed.

    ¡°Just follow the Vagari hills and you should make it back to the mountains,¡± Flann added.

    ¡°Got it, just like the last ten times you told me.¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to get lost, like a certain old guy we know.¡±

    Jan glared at the two of them.

    Bel grinned. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m going to miss these two.

    <hr>

    When they finally came into view, the Vagari foothills broke the monotony of the desert sands. They were a spur coming down from the Spine mountains and extending into the desert, like painter¡¯s brush dragging color onto the dull scenery. The hills and the mountains trapped some moisture, sheltering a fertile area that was hidden from the rest of the Golden Plains. Splotches of green spilled from the folds in the land and teased Bel¡¯s senses, but she¡¯d been warned to steer well clear due to the dangerous wildlife that the region supported.

    Jan assured her that if she stayed on the arid side of the Vagari she could still tap the occasional cactus for water as she made her way back to the Spine mountains and the Barrier. From there she could look for another way to cross over ¨C after all, the Dark Ravager¡¯s people must have had another way to cross before they set up their artifacts on both sides of the Barrier.

    Bel looked at the unbroken line of undulating ground that lead back to the mountains. The actual Spine was somewhere beyond the horizon, just a vague splotch at her current distance. She slumped as she thought about the lonely walk ahead of her.

    ¡°Sorry we can¡¯t come with ya,¡± Jan apologized. ¡°I¡¯ve still got a great-granddaughter to visit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Jan. I appreciate that you¡¯ve taken me this far. Take care of Scruffles for me.¡±

    ¡°Terrible name for a riding lizard,¡± Flann moaned.

    Bel laughed. ¡°Well, you can rename him when I¡¯m not around.¡±

    There was a long, awkward pause before Jan loudly cleared his throat. ¡°Well, g¡¯luck. We feel bad turnin¡¯ you out like this, but we¡¯re not dumb enough to pick a fight with a demigod.¡±

    Flann¡¯s whiskers twitched like he wanted to say something, but in the end he sighed. ¡°Look us up if it¡¯s ever safe,¡± he said sadly.

    Bel smiled. ¡°Will do.¡±

    Flann nodded and then turned his lizard away. A moment later Jan¡¯s sandy cover hid them from her view. She hoped that they hadn¡¯t seen the tears she was furiously rubbing from her face. They hadn¡¯t said it out loud, but it was obvious that Bel was doomed. The only way it would ever be safe for her to be around other people would be if the Dark Ravager was dead, and that kind of thing was definitely beyond her abilities. Bel was grateful that the two old men had stayed with her this far despite the risk.

    Jan was a <em style="font-style: italic">great great grandfather ¨C Bel was going to punch the hell out of Rikja if she ever met the angry fire mage again. Bel grinned at her own bravado and set off, ducking into the low scrub that clung to the sides of the hills to provide cover from aerial hunters.

    ¡°Okay Bel, you¡¯ve got this,¡± she said aloud. It had only been a minute, but already the silence without the old men was stifling.

    If she was being honest with herself, the chance of her finding a way to slip back through the Barrier was slimmer than finding a pearl on the beach with her eyes closed. <em style="font-style: italic">The Dark Ravager¡¯s people will catch me first. Or maybe I¡¯ll be eaten by something. Hopefully I¡¯ll give it indigestion.

    She glanced up at the sky and the Blade of Heaven. The gods and goddesses didn¡¯t really live there, but it gave her something to look at.

    ¡°Hey, mom, Kjar, Dutcha: if you¡¯re getting tired of watching me wander around out here, I¡¯m not too proud to accept a little hint.¡±

    Bel waited for a moment, but there was no response.

    She shook her head vigorously, tossing her snakes around. <em style="font-style: italic">No reason to be so glum.

    Bel put her lips together and tried to whistle, but she only succeeded in making an annoying breathing sound that would drive Beth crazy. James had tried to teach her to whistle for years in Technis¡¯ basement, but she had never figured it out. It wasn¡¯t like she had anything else to do though, so she kept at it.

    She stumbled over the uneven ground for hours, practicing her whistling as she went until her lips felt dry and cracked. Then she plucked some spiny fruit that Jan had told her were good for water, chewed on some jerky, wrapped herself in blankets, and went to sleep.

    Alone, in the dark, on the side of a small mountain, in the middle of nowhere.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 38 â€“ Spearheads

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel woke up feeling stiff and sore all over. ¡°But I¡¯m still alive,¡± she croaked out defiantly.

    Her nose wrinkled with disgust.

    ¡°Ugh, and my breath is terrible.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">I can¡¯t believe it, I¡¯m actually missing my tooth brush. The jerky that she¡¯d had for dinner had gotten stuck in her teeth and now she was paying the price. She only had a single full waterskin, so she didn¡¯t want to waste it just to wash out her mouth. Instead, she tried to prise a needle from a nearby cactus to use to pick between her teeth.

    ¡°Travelling sucks,¡± she groaned. She looked at one of her dangling head snakes. ¡°You agree, right?¡±

    The snake flicked its tongue out.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± She heaved a heavy sigh and focused on the snake. ¡°I can¡¯t just sit around all day. Gotta go find the Barrier. Then I¡¯ll throw stones at it, or something.¡±

    The snake flicked out its tongue again.

    Bel nodded with confirmation, drank a bit of water, and set off, determined to make good progress before it got too hot. <em style="font-style: italic">Wow, there¡¯s actual wildlife in this part of the world, she realized. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯d better drink it all in while I¡¯ve got the chance.

    She admired the tiny flowers on the scrubby plants, observed the behaviors of insects as they scuttled about, wondered how in the world ant-people like Daran had come to be, and took a break to watch the antics of a few of birds who had built their nests into holes in a large cactus.

    Bel was zoning out as she sat in the sand, watching the colorful creatures flit in and out of their homes, when they abruptly flew back inside and went quiet. Bel had just began to turn her head when she heard a heavy snapping sound; it reminded her of the rippling crack of an open tent flap whipping in the wind. A loud thump followed, announcing the arrival of something large.

    Bel gawked. The creature was perhaps three or four times her height, but half of that was its overlong neck. Its body perched atop four graceful legs, of which the front two had a flap of skin hanging between, under-arm wings hanging like sheets left out to dry. The wings were hairless, but the neck had downy fuzz all along its length.

    Bel¡¯s attention was pulled to the creature¡¯s head. Mounted on the end of the trunk-like neck, The creature had had a comically long, thick beak. It looked like someone had held it by the legs and spun it until all of the mass from its body had moved from the bottom to the top. Bel thought that it looked like nonsense; the oversized head supported a colorful red crest, and the beak was a bright yellow with streaks of brown.

    She gawked. It looked at her and made a braying noise, like some kind of enormous bullfrog.

    Bel would have laughed at the absurdity of it, but she recognized it from far too many dire warnings: this was the oft-mentioned and greatly feared spearhead.

    Bel froze in confusion and fear. It hadn¡¯t dropped silent death on her from above. In fact, it looked utterly incapable of graceful movement on the ground. Bel simply backed away from it, moving from the flat ground to the slope of the hill, confident that it wouldn¡¯t be able catch her on the uneven terrain.

    ¡°You¡¯re an ugly thing, aren¡¯t you,¡± she taunted.

    The spearhead looked at her, put its two front legs into the dirt, and vaulted forward.

    The speed of the practiced motion sent Bel scrambling to dive behind a bush before the predator sailed over her head. It landed a dozen of Bel¡¯s strides ahead of her, or just out of beak range for it.

    Bel tried to <em style="font-style: italic">glare at it, concentrating all of her free mana in the attack.

    There was no effect; the pressure from its larger core easily repelled her feeble attempt, just as she¡¯d been warned.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, I am so twirled.

    The spearhead calmly advanced, almost prancing over the ground as it came after her.

    Bel ran down the hill, ducking as she heard it launch again. The spearhead landed ahead of her, and was now ready to chase her back up the slope.

    ¡°Are you just going to herd me back uphill?¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°How frustrating.¡±

    Bel wrapped her hands around the pair of weapons on her waist. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m not dinner ¨C not if I can help it. Her <em style="font-style: italic">glare hadn¡¯t worked, but with <em style="font-style: italic">liquify and a pair of sharp blades she was sure that she could do some damage. This thing didn¡¯t even have claws, and it didn¡¯t seem to be able to attack from the air, not unless it wanted to risk landing head first. If she could just dodge the beak and get inside of its range, she would have a chance.

    Bel charged, her eyes focused on the beak. When she was perhaps ten strides away its head blurred forward. Bel rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the snapping mouth. She was on her feet again before¨C

    Then she was airborn, the world spinning below her. Her mind had just enough time to register confusion before she slammed through a small bush and into the ground, kicking up a spray of sand from her impact. The air was blown out of her lungs and she was momentarily dazed. She struggled for breath as she desperately cast about for her weapons. She quickly grabbed Beth¡¯s gift, but was forced to abandon her short sword as the spearhead casually sauntered over.

    Bel scrambled backwards, knife held up defensively as she tried to process what had gone wrong. Had it kicked her? With those puny like wing-legs? The same ones that it used to vault into the air?

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    <em style="font-style: italic">Actually, that makes perfect sense. What has everyone been saying? Run?

    Bel turned and ran. Her ribs tightened with pain with every movement, her right arm felt tingles of pain and numbness, and her vision was maybe a little bit blurry, but she didn¡¯t have time to think about any of that. Bel ran, and when the spearhead vaulted towards her she turned to the side and kept running.

    She kept it up for a minute. Her legs burned, her body hurt, and she wanted to stop and throw up, but she kept at it. A vague thought had entered her mind that she needed a distraction, something chaotic and unexpected, and the best place to find that was in the valley on the other side of the foothills.

    Was it a good plan? She didn¡¯t have time to think about that. She only had enough concentration to keep turning towards the crest of the hill as she evaded the spearhead¡¯s lazy attacks. It clearly wasn¡¯t fully committing, happy instead to wear her down until she simply collapsed. After all, why should it bother putting in any effort? What could she do, outrun a creature who could fly?

    Bel finally threw herself over the top of the hill with a grunt of effort. The spearhead paused at the top to survey the area, obviously in no rush. Bel took the opportunity to put a few more steps between herself and her pursuer, narrowly stumbling around the slightly thickening undergrowth.

    She dodged around a tree and ran directly into an animal that had been hunched over the ground, munching on some undergrowth. It immediately reared up, revealing the muscled body of a kangaroo half again her height. Larger and less human than the half-man, half-kangaroo that she¡¯d met previously, this was one had two claws on the tips of its hands and glared at her with murderous intent.

    Bel hunkered down, hoping that it would just ignore her as she slipped past. It didn¡¯t look like she would be that lucky though ¨C the thick-tailed creature turned slowly to track her movement.

    Then a blur shot past Bel¡¯s shoulder. She reflexively yelped in fear and surprise as the spearhead caught the kangaroo around its neck. The sudden victim flailed in alarm, but the larger predator viciously slammed it into the ground in an act of casual violence that sent Bel scurrying for safety.

    She reached a scrubby tree growing next to a rock and squeezed herself behind it, watching the spearhead with wide, terrified eyes. Her snakes were whipping around in a frenzy, just as aware of their near death as she was.

    The kangaroo was large ¨C and a far better meal than she¡¯d make. Maybe the spearhead would just eat it and leave her alone?

    Then a heavy thump announced the arrival of a second one of the terrifying flyers. It was followed by second thump. <em style="font-style: italic">Is the kangaroo enough for three? How much do they eat?

    Bel turned and ran, the downhill lending her momentum as she accelerated.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m okay dying while taking down a few of the Dark Ravager¡¯s people, she thought, <em style="font-style: italic">but I¡¯m not okay becoming food for some giant flying lizard thing.

    The casual way that the spearhead had slammed the kangaroo into the ground replayed in her head as she ran. Terror flowed through her arteries, hiding the pain from her injuries as she ran for her life. If she couldn¡¯t get away from the spearheads then what would some cracked ribs matter anyway?

    Bel grabbed onto trees as she passed, alternatively pushing and pulling on them to quickly change her direction and hopefully throw off pursuit.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What can I do? Where can I go? She frantically cast about for something, anything¡­ maybe a hole? Could she bury herself under the dirt? Dive into a puddle and hold her breath until they went away?

    She saw some movement a few hundred strides away from her and sprinted in that direction. Maybe she could find something better for them to eat?

    She didn¡¯t dare look behind her; she could imagine the breath of a spearhead on her neck, the snapping of their wings in the air as they lazily trailed her path. Bel pumped her arms as she gave everything she had to keep going for just another few strides, just a bit longer¡­

    One of her legs gave out ¨C because she stepped wrongly or because she¡¯d hurt something she wasn¡¯t sure. Her body rolled over the rocky soil, her dagger cutting and slicing through her skin as she flailed about. She came to a stop and looked up. To Bel¡¯s surprised, she was gazing into the eyes of a young woman.

    The dark-haired, dark-eyed person stared back with a look of distaste. ¡°Oh, gross,¡± she gagged, ¡°what¡¯s this thing supposed to be?¡±

    A second head entered Bel¡¯s field of view, her lips skimmed back as she inspected Bel¡¯s snakes. ¡°It¡¯s one of those Medusa things,¡± she declared.

    A third head popped up, much like the other two, but with a small golden tiara on her head. ¡°A gorgon, you mean,¡± she said with disgust.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± asked the first. ¡°Eat it?¡± She raised a paw, and Bel belatedly realized that they had the heads of women, but the bodies of a small, four legged predator that she could have comfortably carried in one arm.

    Cats. They were cat girls. Her wits returned to her slowly, but she remembered the warnings. If the spearheads were bad, then these were worse. She needed to flee. Bel desperately struggled to get to her feet, but her head was spinning and something was wrong with one of her legs.

    The third girl smacked the first one¡¯s paw away. ¡°No, silly, it can speak.¡±

    The second one grinned, revealing a mouth full of fangs. ¡°That means riddles,¡± she squealed with delight.

    ¡°Riddles,¡± repeated the first with enthusiasm.

    Bel pushed herself onto her knees.

    Something thumped to her right. She turned slowly, dread filling her body with ice. One of the spearheads was still following her.

    Another thump. No, not one. Two.

    One more thump. Blood still trickled around the mouth of the final spearhead. It had finished the kangaroo and was hungry for more.

    Bel looked up in the sky and realized that they had attracted an entire flock of the things.

    ¡°Oh, gross, do we need to ask these things questions too?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t speak, stupid. Blast ¡¯em.¡±

    Bel looked down as the second cat-girl opened her toothy mouth. A bright beam of blinding light erupted from her open maw, slicing straight through the shoulder of one of the spearheads. It stumbled and collapse on the ground, blood rushing from the gaping wound.

    The three monstrous women cackled with glee.

    Bel took off running, heedless of her injured leg. She had to leave.

    ¡°Hey, come back! You need to answer some riddles!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± cried one of the others, ¡°what do men carry at their waist that they use to poke into holes that they¡¯ve poked before?¡±

    Bel kept running. She saw a flash of light and heard another spearhead bellow. Then there was another flash of light and the beast was silent.

    ¡°Where does a general keep his armies in the winter?¡± a shrill voice cried. Bel didn¡¯t slow.

    From behind she heard a snap of wings. Then, a series of bright flashes lit the world around her with an eerie glow, like lightning from a dream. Bel didn¡¯t dare turn.

    ¡°Three ox drivers were thirsty,¡± a distant voice called out. Bel was almost too far to understand what the cat girl was saying, but she kept going.

    Another flash of light lit up her surroundings, but Bel hunched her shoulders and kept moving. At this point her gait was less a run than a hobble, but fear had seized control of her limbs and pushed them forward, one jerky step at a time. She moved until she found the shattered slabs dislodged by a rock slide. The darkness of the rocky tomb called to her, and she desperately shoved herself in between the slabs of cold, heavy stone.

    Surrounded by darkness and the solid bones of a mountain she finally gained control of her racing heart. Bel could finally take stock of herself: she¡¯d dropped everything. Both weapons. The pack with her food and other supplies. Her waterskin was still at her waist, but it had been torn open and was filled with only dust.

    But she was alive.

    For one more day at least, she was alive.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 39 â€“ In the Mountain

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel woke with a start, roused by a nightmare filled with images of long, blood-spattered beaks and cruel voices that mocked her as she was sliced into pieces. She shivered, both from her cold sweat and from the dream¡¯s lingering terror. She passed a few minutes in darkness until she could wrestle herself free from her feeling of helplessness.

    Bel clenched her jaw. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m not helpless. And I¡¯m not dead yet. And I¡¯m going to keep it that way.

    It was time for her to crawl out of hiding and kick the day in the teeth.

    Each movement reminded her of her injuries, but each spear of pain was proof that she still drew breath. She¡¯d been foolish; she¡¯d pretended to be sure of herself when she¡¯d left James and Beth behind, but the truth was that she very much wanted to live and was scared of something ¨C giant flying lizards or the Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists ¨C ending her. She didn¡¯t want to live at her siblings¡¯ expense, sure, but that didn¡¯t mean that she was seeking death.

    Against the Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists, Technis¡¯ enforcers, or some crazed cat-girls, she would fight. She would struggle. And if she came to her end it would only be due to her inability to lift another finger. Bel clenched her fists. <em style="font-style: italic">I swear to¡­ to my mother, that I¡¯ll keep fighting until I drop.

    With a whimper of pain, she pulled herself free of the rocky tomb and thrust her head into open air. Her snakes twitched nervously as she rapidly scanned her environment. It was night; the hovering moons and the planet¡¯s ring brushed the world in soft shades and shadows. She didn¡¯t know what creatures could stalk the night, but she couldn¡¯t wait around all night; Bel slunk along the rock wall, searching for a way to ascend. She didn¡¯t really have a plan, but her first concern had to be getting out of the valley of terror. After that, she could worry about reaching the Barrier.

    Getting through the Barrier, well, that was a problem for future Bel.

    As she gradually made her way upwards the sky began to lighten, the first hints of dawn painting the far side of the valley in color. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve got to find a new hiding place before the day breaks, she realized.

    She was exhausted in any case; her limbs were sore, her chest ached, and she was weak with hunger and exhaustion. Bel picked her way through the upward slope for another twenty or thirty strides before finding a dark hole. It wasn¡¯t exactly welcoming, but it was large enough that she could squeeze inside and small enough to block one of the bloodthirsty spearheads from following. If a cat girl found her ¨C well, without spearheads to distract them she would be nothing more than a splatter on the rocks.

    She missed her weapons. In their stead, she grabbed a sharp rock before heading into the hole. It turned out to be a shaft long enough to easily swallow her entire body. In fact, she couldn¡¯t see or feel an end to it even after crawling several body lengths into it.

    She hesitated to proceed into the darkness, but she needed to make sure that the cave was safe. Bel closed her eyes and felt through the constellation of abilities around her core. <em style="font-style: italic">One of Kjar¡¯s abilities improves my vision, right?

    Bel reached out to the ability with her ethereal senses and scraped the twelve strokes of <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s Sight into her unbound core. She opened her eyes and the world sharpened into a clear view of a round tunnel that proceeded upwards without end.

    Bel kept moving up the slightly inclined shaft, determined to reach the end to verify that it wasn¡¯t already inhabited by some toothy menace. The end never came, no matter how many times she pulled her body forward. Eventually, something clicked in her tired and nutrient deprived brain ¨C the smoothness of the tunnel walls, the uniformity of the width, the way that it angled up and out of the valley ¨C the tunnel had been carved out by one of the cat girls¡¯ deadly beams of light, by a far stronger version than what they had deployed against the spearheads.

    Bel froze, her mind trying to understand the power behind this particular blast. It was a chilling thought, but after a moment she realized that it was a blessing. If the tunnel terminated halfway through the rock then it would be dry, but the bottom of the tunnel had a fine layer of slightly damp silt, likely deposited by a trickle of water from the outside. The power behind the shaft¡¯s creation was terrifying, but if it went all the way through the mountain then it was the safest way for Bel to ascend.

    She was too exhausted to continue though, and slumped down to sleep.

    Bel dreamed of her healing ritual. Details and faces of her patron gods faded in and out. Kjar, goddess of corporal punishment, offered indecipherable advice while Dutcha, spirit of chaos, danced around in gleeful anticipation. In the shadows cast by Kjar¡¯s flames of righteous fury, Lempo lurked. The goddess ¨C Bel¡¯s sort of mother ¨C smiled upon her indulgently, but her eyes held only an endless hunger. Once she¡¯d looked at her mother, Bel couldn¡¯t focus on the other two. Her consciousness was drawn into the swirling irises of the powerful goddess, like a sailor sinking into a powerful whirlpool, sinking, sinking, sinking¡­

    Bel snapped awake with a desperate gasp for air. For a moment, she was lost, her limbs lashing out at the tight constraints of her narrow confines. The movement immediately elicited sharp stabs of discomfort from her sore and injured body, but the pain pulled her mind fully from her dream state. She wasn¡¯t drowning as her sleep-addled feared; instead she was partway through a hole drilled into a mountain by a powerful and unsympathetic being. Everything was fine.

    Bel tried to stretch, but she couldn¡¯t do more than wiggle. As she reached her hands forwards and scratched again the floor of the shaft she felt water. There was just a small trickle leaking down from above, but it awakened in her a terrible thirst. Bel scratched at the ground to create a small pool no deeper than her pinky¡¯s fingernail and then pulled herself forward so that she could press her chapped lips to the cool water. She slurped at it greedily. She had to wait an agonizing time for it to refill from the tiny trickle making it through the shaft, but Bel was patient enough to wait until she¡¯d filled her stomach with the life-giving liquid.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I hope I don¡¯t have to pee while I¡¯m trapped here. The thought made her laugh out loud, her scratchy voice filling her enclosed space with slightly hysterical reverberations. Her snakes eyed her with suspicion, but she just grinned at them. If she survived all of this, she would return to James with some kick ass stories. Maybe they would even rival the ones he told from the Old World.

    Bel grinned at the thought before setting out once more, moving one limb in front of the other as she slowly crawled up the mountain.

    She fell into a haze; too on edge to relax, but too tired to concentrate on anything in particular. Vague memories swam in and out of her mind like the tentacles of a toxic jellyfish. Her unmoored thoughts drifted through her past, and she remembered her time in the High Temple, when Technis¡¯ priests would prod and cut her in their pursuit of strange knowledge. She remembered when she¡¯d refused to cooperate and the priests had brought James to her, already beaten and bruised. She remember her joy at seeing the outside for the first time.

    Worst of all, she remembered Ventas, the way the old priest would smile as he spooned more food into her bowl, the way he carefully explained details of some ability while James nodded along, and the way he would stop and talk with each villager he passed. These memories were too fresh, too easily juxtaposed with Ventas¡¯ last moments. Bel didn¡¯t want to be responsible for more good people dying.

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    The thought became a resolution and then an oath, quietly repeated to herself. The people who had killed Ventas, and who would beat James just to threaten her, they were guilty and deserved to be punished.

    The thought made her happy, like a star shining in the darkness.

    <em style="font-style: italic">No, wait, that¡¯s a light up ahead.

    She didn¡¯t know how long it had taken, but she had reached the end of the tunnel. She tried to trace her thoughts and found only a jumbled mess.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, long enough for me to start hallucinating, but not long enough that I¡¯ve gone mad.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I think.

    The tiny pinprick of light her certainly looked real.

    She yearned to get outside to bend her spine and roll her neck, so much so that she nearly didn¡¯t stop at the end to listen. Memories of spearheads and cat-girls arrested her before she pushed her head into the sun. She stopped ¨C her hand touching the loose pile of rocks that blocked the entrance, ready to push them out of the way ¨C and listened.

    There were voices. They were too indistinct for her to discern their number, but there were multiple. Bel brought her head as near to the tiny gap as she could and tried looking out of the hole, but was immediately blinding by the light.

    She cursed quietly, blinking to clear her vision before she pushed back some of her head snakes and made a second attempt. The hole was as wide as her hand and about as long, only affording her a poor view of her surroundings. She strained for a clear view, searching for the speakers.

    Bel guessed that dirt and rocks had choked the opening at some point, but then an enterprising animal had opened up its own escape route. She would be able to dig herself out, but not quickly or with any stealth. Whoever was there would see and hear her. With no other choice, Bel stared out of the hole and waited.

    A few minutes later she got lucky. One of the voices increased in volume as the speaker drew closer to her hiding spot, so close that she could see him. He was yet another hybrid; maybe of mix or three or four things, unless some lizard also had pincers for hands. What he held in those pincers made Bel¡¯s heart race: a pair of metal rods, identical to the ones that Crystal had used to track Bel down in Satrap. He was tracking her, and by his dark cloak and behavior he was likely working for the Dark Ravager. He practically glowed in <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s Sight, a clear sign that the goddess wanted him punished.

    Bel carefully backed down the tunnel, but froze when he looked her way.

    She wasn¡¯t an expert, but she had learned words in the Golden Plains¡¯ dominant language thanks to Jan and Flann. She hadn¡¯t realized that it would be so quickly become so vital to her.

    ¡°She¡¯s somewhere around here,¡± the man insisted. It sounded as though he were frustrated.

    Someone responded, but Bel couldn¡¯t understand what was being said.

    ¡°No,¡± the man responded, ¡°probably a cave. There¡¯s a hole here, but it¡¯s too small for a person. Maybe there are larger entrances nearby.¡±

    Bel breathed a sigh of relief. They must not have expected an passageway to pierce the entire mountain. She could only guess that they didn¡¯t want to tangle with the cat-girls either, and had avoided that area.

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll wait¨C¡±

    Bel strained to hear anything more, but the man said some unknown words before moving away. She cautiously crept forward again, and saw that he¡¯d joined a second person. There were a few more figures, but they all seemed to be walking away.

    <em style="font-style: italic">This is my chance, she thought. If she could get to the man and overpower him, perhaps she could destroy his searching tool. <em style="font-style: italic">They must be either difficult to use or difficult to make, otherwise everyone would have a pair.

    Her plan was simple: leap out of the hole, kill the man, destroy his tools, and get the hell out of there. It was made slightly more complicated by the fact that the exit was blocked and that the man wasn¡¯t alone.

    The exit she thought she could handle: an application of <em style="font-style: italic">liquify to the rocks should allow her to shove her way through, like a parasitic wasp forcing its way out of a doomed caterpillar, and leap onto her unsuspecting victim.

    The second person though, would be a problem. She would need to disable or kill them before they could warn the others. Depending upon their abilities that could be a huge struggle; after using her ability on the rocks she could use another <em style="font-style: italic">liquify or quickly modify a nail into a claw, but she wouldn¡¯t be very dangerous.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ll have to stroke quickly. If I wait too long the rest of the group will return.

    Bel squeezed her hands into fists and took deep breaths to get herself ready.

    She tensed her muscles and took one more breath.

    She launched herself forward, <em style="font-style: italic">liquifying the rock as she pressed against it, and emerged into the sunlight.

    The man with the rods had his back to her, but she briefly caught the wide, startled eyes on the second person¡¯s feathered face. Bel blasted <em style="font-style: italic">glare at perhaps an unnecessarily high strength, immediately draining half of her unbound core¡¯s mana. She didn¡¯t have time to see how effective her attack had been; she grabbed a loose rock and hurtled towards her target.

    The man spun, a look of surprise on his face, dropping his rods and reaching down to his belt as he moved. His timing was perfect, and Bel¡¯s rock hit him in the face with a wet <em style="font-style: italic">thock. Beth had schooled her on proper fighting for too long for Bel to hesitate, so she immediately struck a second time, splattering blood in a gruesome halo as she brought another rock down upon the prone man¡¯s skull.

    Then she turned to the second person. Bel¡¯s eyes widened as she saw a cloud of sand rise around the feathered woman. Flann and Jan had taught her all about fighting different abilities. Whereas fire was fast and mana intensive, manipulating soil and sand involved much more finesse. The woman would have to first bring the sand under her control before she could use it, and would struggle to extend her reach farther than a few strides unless she was really powerful.

    The wizened old fox had told Bel that most young mages mages couldn¡¯t afford any other abilities beyond their basic manipulation, so they would go down like a sack of tubers if Bel could turn a fight into a brawl. She charged.

    Bel opened her core and emptied most of her unbound mana into another <em style="font-style: italic">glare, but the sand mage turned away, shielding her eyes. That was fine, Bel had just needed a distraction. The woman didn¡¯t sit still of course; a spinning wheel of sand whirled in Bel¡¯s direction. The young gorgon guessed that her opponent expected her to dodge. Instead, she ran straight into it.

    She locked her arms in front of her face and activated <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification to harden her skin. The sand still cut into her, but her temporary modification, combined with <em style="font-style: italic">toughened integument, made her momentarily durable. By the time the sand had gone through a finger¡¯s width of her arm it lost all of its momentum. Bel through through to the other side of the sandy attack.

    A yell of pure rage escaped from Bel¡¯s mouth as she charged the final steps to her opponent. The mage scrambled backwards, surprised by her sudden ferocity, and began frantically pulling more sand into her orbit. She was too slow.

    Bel slid over the rocky ground and swung her fist into the mage¡¯s gut. The feathery person hunched over, bent double from the powerful blow. Bel didn¡¯t let up, immediately swinging her fist into the woman¡¯s unprotected side. A vicious kick to the side of the knee followed, sending her to the ground.

    Bel didn¡¯t hesitate to leap upon her would-be captor. She rained punch after punch into the feathered person¡¯s head, refusing to give her a moment to recover. Seeing that she was too stunned to move, Bel stole a wicked-looking knife from her belt and ripped it free.

    She lifted the dagger victoriously before plunging it down. The guilty had been punished.

    Bel pushed herself away from the fresh corpse and puked into the dirt.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What¡¯s wrong with me?

    She¡¯d fought people before, but Bel had never felt so vindictive about it. It was almost like there was something else inside of her¡­

    Bel clutched at her abdomen, the closest she could get to feeling her cores. It was the goddesses messing with her emotions, wasn¡¯t it?

    Bel shook her head. <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t have time for this. I need to escape. I need to survive.

    She pulled the essence from the bird woman before checking on the tracker. She took a moment to pull the essence from his body as well.

    Then she grabbed his metal tools and used <em style="font-style: italic">liquify to turn them into a twisted mess.

    She¡¯d reached a new threshold, but Bel didn¡¯t have time to worry about new abilities; she had to leave.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter â€“ 40 Chaos Breaks Loose

    <section>

    <section>

    She paused at the bottom of a ridge, bent over and breathing heavily. A flat expanse of rock extended to her east and the ridge rose over her head to the west. She didn¡¯t see anyone, although she was sure that the cultists must have been exploring the ridge. She¡¯d just run through it, taking advantage of the sparse forest of scrubby coniferous trees for cover. If they were still looking for a cave in there she guessed that it would take them a while.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and they¡¯ll find a real cave system and spend all day wandering around in them, lost.

    Bel caught her breath and stood up, surveying her options. There weren¡¯t many, but she decided to run east to take advantage of the flat terrain and put some distance between herself and the scene of her attack. Without their ruined dowsing rods she could hopefully slip away from the trackers, at least until they got another set and a person who could use them to track her. If she was lucky, she would find a way back into Satrap by then.

    Bel headed off to the east at her fastest stumble, cursing her tight and cramping legs as she went.

    It was only a few hundred strides before she found came upon a steep incline in the rock. Bel glanced back, verifying that she hadn¡¯t attracted any pursuit, and half-slid, half-walked down and out of view.

    She straightened her back and stretched, popping a few of her aching joints.

    ¡°You little shit.¡±

    Bel spun, slashing with her stolen knife, but the stranger calmly caught her arm. He squeezed until she gasped with pain; her dagger fell from her numb fingers, ringing like a bell as it clattered away, leaving her once again defenseless.

    For a moment Bel thought that it was Nebamon, but he was either dead or stuck on the other side of the Barrier. Her current adversary could have almost been his twin, though. He was missing the mustache, but he had the same self-important smirk on his face.

    Bel knew it was hopeless, but she went on the attack. What else could she do?

    She had regained enough mana for a quick <em style="font-style: italic">glare, which she followed up with a headbutt to man¡¯s nose. He grunted, but the ringing in her head made Bel think that she¡¯d come out worse. A quick application of <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification and her coagulation abilities staunched the flow of blood coming from the forehead.

    ¡°Stop,¡± the man snarled, but Bel swung her left fist at his face.

    He shoved her backwards, forcefully enough that she barely stayed on her feet. Running would be pointless so Bel stepped forward again.

    The Nebamon lookalike hopped backwards, easily dodging the awkward swing of her fists. His leg flashed out, catching her in the shin and sweeping her leg from under her. She fell to her knees and cried out in pain as something tore. Bel looked up at him and hissed, her snakes joining in to create an intimidating chorus of hatred.

    In a single spinning motion, the man drew his sword and slashed it through the air. It moved like a flash of light, faster than she could track. Bel felt pain explode across her face. Several somethings fell across her hands as she clutched at her left eye.

    ¡°I only need you alive,¡± the swordsman spat, ¡°not unharmed.¡±

    Bel through her right eye at the severed heads of three of her snakes, numb with shock. Blood ran down her face, and her vision blurred.

    <em style="font-style: italic">No, I can¡¯t just roll over here.

    She grit her teeth and stared up with an expression full of determination and righteous fury.

    Her attacker struck her in the side of the head, hard enough that she saw stars before her vision went to black.

    Time passed after that, but Bel had difficulty keeping track of it. She was moving, but not under her own power. It was too difficult to think of anything, and things were changing too quickly for her to follow them anyway.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Or maybe I¡¯m passing out too often to follow what¡¯s happening? she wondered groggily.

    Eventually, she was tossed into the sand while several people paused to have a loud conversation. Their words were like the grinding of a millstone set against her head, slowly wearing her down. She cracked open her eye ¨C the right one ¨C and saw that she was in the desert, at the base of a small mountain.

    She stared, waiting for her vision to focus.

    <em style="font-style: italic">No, not a mountain, a pyramid.

    James had told her about shapes. Pyramids were a shape. Bel tried to remember anything else about them, but her mind was too busy spinning. Instead she stared at the layers of shining metals that wrapped around the highest points.

    She was just starting to feel like she had to throw up when someone reached down and hoisted her into the air again. She passed out from the sudden motion.

    <hr>

    Bel awoke to a haze of pain. Had that Nebamon clone¡­ killed her?

    Bel reached up to feel her head, but her arm stopped partway there.

    She looked down to see that she was restrained, her arms bolted to the floor. Her eyes were sticky with dried blood, so she tried to force them open, but squeezed them shut instead when her left eye burned with agony. She slowly opened her right eye instead, but a crust of something still covered her eyelid, obscuring her vision. Her hands were both shackled, so she blinked furiously to clear her sight.

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    A whimper of pain escaped her lips as she attempted to shift her position. Her ankles were also bound, and her muscles were cramped from her unnatural kneeling position. Her vision finally cleared enough that she could look around, but the sight made her wish that she¡¯d stayed asleep instead.

    She¡¯d been caught by the Dark Ravager¡¯s people and dragged back to the seat of his power. She was sure of that, because a creature that had to be the Dark Ravager himself scuttled around before her. He wasn¡¯t insect-like; he was simply an insect. A large one, as large as a riding lizard, with a dark, iridescent carapace. His mouth parts moved continually, dark robed priests swaying out of his way as he moved about the room touching and stroking glowing symbols with his forelegs.

    Bel could feel his power from several strides away, the world seeming to bend towards him like he was the most important thing in existence. <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s Vision made him glow like a deep sea creature, as if the goddess wanted to be sure that Bel noticed how <em style="font-style: italic">wrong and <em style="font-style: italic">guilty he was.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Thanks Kjar, but there¡¯s not much I can do about it.

    Bel watched numbly as the large insect went about his work. After a small eternity of suffering, he turned to her.

    ¡°Ah, you are awake little spirit,¡± he hissed. ¡°Feel jubilation! You shall complete my ascension to godhood!¡± His carapace fluttered with excitement.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really a spirit,¡± Bel croaked.

    The gigantic beetle made a horrible, ear shrinking noise that Bel realized was his version of a laugh, if laughs were built out of fingernails on slate and the suffering of small children.

    ¡°I can feel the blood of a greater spirit in your veins, little thing. I can nearly taste it.¡± His mouth parts moved hungrily before he turned from her and gave instructions to his clergy in a horrible, grating language. Bel wished that she could simply pass out again, but her biology refused, her mind forced to full vigilance by a pulse of adrenaline.

    The moment she laid eyes upon the Dark Ravager she knew that she was meant to kill him. Just as much as Technis, the giant insect was guilty and deserved death.

    Bel wanted to laugh, but instead she slumped forward, her weight restrained by the shackles that bound her to the floor. Why would Kjar ¨C she had a feeling that all the judgement and death in her thoughts were Kjar¡¯s doing ¨C why would the goddess of corporal punishment send Bel after an unascended god? What could happen other than Bel getting herself captured and killed?

    Now she was obviously in some kind of ritual sacrifice; a ring of glowing green symbols radiated from her position out to a four sided figure etched into the stone floor. Red lines cut through the shape, forming a triangle that divided the other shapes into four regions, and surrounding it all was a circle of purple flames. The priests stood on the outside, some passing various tools to the Dark Ravager while others poured different dusts and liquids in to the ring of purple fire.

    It was all very dramatic. She was sure that her brother would say something about special effects.

    Bel withered. Would her brother even know what happened to her? Would Beth? Would the Dark Ravager destroy everyone when he ascended? Or would he be barred from affecting the mortal world directly? She hoped that whatever rules prevented her patrons from handling things themselves would similarly restrain the evil insect.

    ¡°Sorry for the delay, but the gods forbid this type of thing,¡± he explained jubilantly. ¡°I¡¯ll accept their complaints in person soon enough. They expect us to be patient, but I, I am a creature of action!¡±

    His body remained eerily still as the giant insect examined her. ¡°If you understood anything at all of the work around you then I am certain you would be impressed by my ingenuity, little spirit. Luckily for me, my carapace is mirrored enough that I may see my own beauty without the need to rely upon another¡¯s eyes.¡±

    His carapace split open and his forelegs spread into the air; lightning spat from his limbs into the floor, flowed along the red lines and into Bel¡¯s restraints. She screamed as the power coursed through her. It left her body just as quickly as it entered, leaving her a quivering mess. The energy leaped into the air above Bel¡¯s body and ripped reality open as easily as a knife parting flesh.

    The beetle opened its mouth wide and shouted into the abyss, ¡°I shall consume both you and your progenitor! I will ascend to the space beyond worlds!¡±

    The tear exploded into chaos; flames arced, ice blasted, sand poured, water whipped, and more, but none of it could leave the angry red lines inscribed into the floor as Dutcha¡¯s form manifested from the chaos. Bel couldn¡¯t perceive the body of the divine spirit, but instead saw hints of her outline by way the elements flowed around her shape. Bel recalled her vague impression of the spirit from her fragmented memory, gleeful and wanton while they were discussing Bel¡¯s contract. She seemed angry now, her mighty powers insufficient to break from the Dark Ravager¡¯s cage.

    The evil beetle cackled. ¡°Excellent!¡±

    Dutcha¡¯s body condensed into a figure of burning stone, three strides tall. ¡°Oh wow,¡± she said. She sounded cheerful to Bel, her attitude completely incongruous with their situation.

    The Dark Ravager flitted his wings in triumph. ¡°I will¨C¡±

    Dutcha held up a burning hand. ¡°Sure thing, buddy! But first, this is sure a nice summoning circle you¡¯ve got set up here. You wouldn¡¯t mind if I borrowed it, wouldja?¡±

    ¡°What¨C¡±

    Dutcha leaned down to Bel. ¡°Sorry baby, this is gonna sting.¡± The spirit formed a long blade from one of her fingers and sliced into Bel¡¯s arms. A steady trickle of blood drizzled onto the stone floor.

    The Dark Ravager¡¯s limbs twitched with undisguised rage. ¡°You dare¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, hush. Don¡¯t yell at me; this was her auntie¡¯s plan. Take it up with her.¡±

    Dutcha swiped her hand through the pooling blood and used it to draw a circle in the air faster than Bel could blink. The circle ignited and enlarged to fill the height of the chamber. The burning circle bulged and warped, and the world seemed to pause for a long moment. Then a figure emerged from its center, growing larger and larger like they were rapidly travelling from a great distance.

    Bel immediately felt a pressure form around her head as the figure pushed through the surface of the portal.

    Moments before she had thought that the Dark Ravager had a pull on reality, but the feeling she felt from the new figure was orders of magnitude greater. The air moved, light bent, and Bel even felt herself pulled toward the open portal the moment a sandal-wrapped foot pushed through.

    Bel slowly looked at new arrival. She had a body clad in glowing red and gold armor and the head of a beast, a predator with sharp fangs and golden eyes that blazed with righteous fury.

    Bel recognized the goddess: Kjar.

    And her aunt? Apparently?

    Kjar seemed to be savoring the moment, waiting for the Dark Ravager to twitch before she made her first move.

    One of the Dark Ravager feet slid backwards, the scrapping noise breaking the ominous silence.

    Kjar grinned, barring her fangs. ¡°You are guilty,¡± she hissed. ¡°You have defied the Divine Treaty and interfered with the balance of spirits that supports this world.¡±

    Dutcha made an exaggerated expression of shock behind the goddess, clearly enjoying herself.

    ¡°You will be punished,¡± Kjar declared.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 41 â€“ A Bath

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel¡¯s head resonated like a drum with each syllable coming from the goddesses¡¯ mouth. Like a clogged drain violently cleaned, Kjar¡¯s booming words brought clarity to Bel¡¯s mind. She felt invigorated and whole in the mighty deity¡¯s presence.

    The Dark Ravager and his followers, however, had a different reaction. The dark beetle scuttled backwards until his feet against the edge of the ring of purple flames that lined the chamber. His priests scattered, literally falling over one another in their haste to make it to an exit.

    ¡°You,¡± he sputtered through his twitching mouth parts, ¡°you cannot be here! It is forbidden!¡±

    Kjar laughed and the room shook with her breaths. ¡°Unbalancing the spirits of the moons is forbidden,¡± she corrected. ¡°But any mortal may summon a deity if they are powerful enough.¡±

    ¡°But I did not¨C¡±

    ¡°Hi!¡± Dutcha shouted, waving and pointing excitedly to herself. ¡°Technically mortal! We spirits never signed the treaty!¡±

    The fiery spirit shook her finger. ¡°It¡¯s why we were banished to the moon in the first place you know.¡±

    The Dark Ravager quivered with rage for a moment. Then, faster than Bel could process, his wings snapped open and a hundred beams of violent light shot out like spears at Kjar, Dutcha, and Bel.

    Kjar roared. Reality bent. The beams shattered as if they¡¯d been made of ice. The red lines and ring of purple flames extinguished and the Dark Ravager was tossed backwards to slam into the wall of the room. The angry almost-god flapped his wings angrily as he landed.

    ¡°I shall ascend!¡± he screeched angrily. ¡°I am at the cusp!¡±

    ¡°But I judge you guilty,¡± Kjar growled. She inhaled, and a heat radiated from her that was so intense Bel could feel her skin tightening.

    The Dark Ravager scurried backwards and blasted into the wall with a complex shape of bundled light. The wall disintegrated and the oversized beetle leaped into the sky.

    Kjar exhaled a blast of blinding fire that flooded the far side of the room and violently ripped open an entire side of the pyramid. Bel saw the flood of flames consume the Dark Ravager¡¯s form, but then he fell out of her sight.

    The lion-headed goddess clapped her hands with satisfaction. ¡°Excellent. I enjoy a chase. Perhaps I will dispense more justice to his accomplices as I play.¡±

    Kjar leaped through the opening that she¡¯d created, her body leaving a streak of light as she moved.

    Bel stared, slack jawed.

    ¡°W¨Cwhat?¡± The sudden stillness was just a shocking to Bel as the sudden action. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    Dutcha¡¯s burning form glanced down at Bel, and the spirit gasped.

    ¡°Oh no! Little Bel! You look like shit!¡±

    Bel stared up at the burning spirit of chaos. She was so insulted that her mind went completely blank. For a few moments the two of them stared at one another. The faint sounds of explosions and screams filtered in from the hold in the wall.

    Dutcha stilled her flames, turning into a lightly smoldering figure of granite with burning hair. ¡°Let me get you out of there, okay?¡± She grasped Bel¡¯s restraints and shattered them with a twitch of her fingers. Bel slumped to the floor.

    Dutcha instantly evaporated and reformed with her hands under Bel¡¯s body. She stood, hoisting the gorgon into the air like a baby. ¡°That was rough quest, wasn¡¯t it?¡± she asked cheerfully. ¡°That pretty much settles everything Kjar wanted though, and I¡¯m half settled. Just focus on what your mom wants and your future will be filled with wonderful excitement!¡±

    Bel groaned. ¡°I could do with less excitement. And what do you mean I did what you and Kjar wanted? Was I just bait?¡±

    The spirit hummed for a moment. ¡°Yeah, you were! But hey, blame your mother instead. She¡¯s a patient, scheming sort of goddess.¡±

    Dutcha shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t really blame her, you¡¯ve got to scheme a bit to really change the world. And hey, I¡¯m free! So far, so good!¡±

    Bel stared into the spirit¡¯s face. ¡°Free?¡±

    Dutcha nodded. ¡°Yeah, they banned me from the mortal plane, claiming that I caused too much trouble.¡±

    ¡°I get that¨CI mean, how did you convince Kjar and Lempo to let you back here?¡±

    Dutcha laughed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just waiting. I promised not to cause too much trouble until then. I¡¯ll go find a nice, remote island and melt it into slag or something.¡±

    The chaotic spirit straightened and spun around, whipping Bel¡¯s snakes around from the force. The terrified gorgon hung on to the spirit for dear life, her thoughts and questions whipped into incoherence.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go have some fun!¡±

    The spirit strode off towards original exit to the room, a large square opening in the stone wall. As she walked she created chaos. Small salamanders of burning flame dropped from her legs and melted through the floor, spirits of mist and air sprung from her breath, and where her feet met the ground the stones themselves rose up before lumbering off.

    Bel finally found her voice. ¡°What is going on?¡±

    The floor crumbled beneath them, dropped them into the midst of a small group of robed cultists. The spirit grew several new arms and used them to toss orbs of glowing energy down the hallway; whenever they struck, a person would splatter into a puddle of organs and flesh. Then the flesh would reassemble itself, get up, and amble away. Bel was absolutely terrified.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What if Dutcha decides it would be fun to squish me into goop?

    Dutcha hummed as she skipped down the hallway. ¡°Well,¡± she warbled, ¡°isn¡¯t this nice? Kjar wanted to do some justice and I wanted to wreak some havoc.¡±

    ¡°A¨Cand what does Lempo¡­ my mother, what does she want from me?¡± Bel stammered. <em style="font-style: italic">I finally have someone who can answer my questions, even if they¡¯re a murderous spirit of chaos. I¡¯ve got to ask.

    Dutcha grinned so widely that her stone face nearly split in half. Bel thought it looked terrifying. ¡°Yup, she¡¯s got plans for you. She¡¯s taught me a lot about planning, you know?¡±

    Dutcha held up a hand and a tentacle and started ticking things off. ¡°Like, chaos is great. But, if you do too much at once then there¡¯s nothing left to chaos. So you¡¯ve got to space things out.¡±

    The spirit looked Bel in the eye, waiting for a response.

    ¡°Uh, yeah, that sounds¡­ uh, smart?¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Dutcha grinned again and ticked off a second point. ¡°So now I wait for things to get complicated before messing them up. It¡¯s like, uh, baking your cookies before you eat them.¡± The spirit¡¯s face scrunched. ¡°Or something like that. To be honest, I don¡¯t understand baking. People do weird things.¡±

    She looked down at Bel and her eyes widened. ¡°Oh, which reminds me, you need to learn to be less human. That way you¡¯ll be able to fix your head and stuff.¡±

    ¡°My head?¡± Bel reached up and felt her injuries for the first time. There was a painful gash going through the right side of her forehead down and through her left eye, and the three snakes on the right side of her head were gone¨Cshe was nearly half bald. The rest of her snakes were wisely cowering away from everything that had been happening.

    Dutcha formed another limb and poked Bel in the head. ¡°Yeah, so, I couldn¡¯t really fix your body. It turns out that your mom isn¡¯t great and making life, you know? And Kjar is like¡­¡±

    The spirit shrugged. ¡°So I just stuck some spirits on there.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Dutcha rubbed Bel¡¯s bald spot. ¡°You should be able to get some more spirits to fix that up. You could try and replace your eye too, maybe? I¡¯m not sure, like I said, I don¡¯t really understand human things very well.¡±

    ¡°But I thought I was a gorgon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, human, gorgon, same thing. They¡¯ve both got what, organs and emotions and stuff?¡±

    Dutcha touched a wall and the stones turned into a tangled bunch of stoney snakes that hissed and slithered away. Then she leaped through the opening and into the midst of a panic of people running around a wide open room. The space was already filled with charred stones and had several holes melted in the walls, obvious signs that Kjar had recently passed by.

    Dutcha strode through the chaos, tentacles bursting from her back to slash and decapitate as she continued walking.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said, over the cries and screams of the dying, ¡°don¡¯t try to grab one of these little spirits that I¡¯m spawning. They¡¯re gonna to be too, uh, feisty. Grab some that resonate with you.¡±

    Bel looked at a watery fish that was somehow flying through the air. It stabbed a running man through the chest and emerged from the other side, now tinted a deep red, before splitting into to two fish and seeking out new targets.

    ¡°Feisty?¡±

    Dutcha sighed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re teensy. These ones are probably too powerful for you. Or, you know, you could get more powerful.¡±

    Dutcha held up her hands and Bel felt an intense pull. All of the cores of the people in the rooms shattered and their essence flowed into the powerful spirit. She smiled like a person basking in a warm breeze. ¡°Power is nice to have, just so you know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bel replied, ¡°I get that.¡±

    Dutcha nodded, pleased with her own teaching. ¡°Speaking of powerful beings, I think your auntie probably wants to talk with you before they pull her back.¡±

    The overpowered spirit walked up to a blank wall, and dissolved it into a grainy liquid with a touch. Bel recognized the source of her own <em style="font-style: italic">liquify, but executed at a power far out of her own grasp.

    The ground was easily more than a hundred strides away down the angled slope of the building. Without even a flicker of hesitation, Dutcha jumped. Bel yelped and reflexively clutched onto greater spirit¡¯s arm, but Dutcha quickly formed a pair of wings and glided to the ground, landing as gently as a kiss.

    She laughed at Bel¡¯s reaction and ruffled the gorgon¡¯s remaining head snakes. ¡°Okay, Beloved of Lempo, second mommy¡¯s going to go off and have a good time. There¡¯d better be absolute mayhem the next time we meet, or you¡¯ll be in trouble, miss.¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¨C¡±

    Dutcha dropped Bel on the ground and sprang into the air. Her body twisted and expanded, and in a moment Bel found herself watching a storm as is rapidly receded towards the horizon. The living weather phenomenon was alternating between raining water and raining fire as it went, with occasional sprays of ice and stone.

    A flicker of motion from the corner of Bel¡¯s vision caused her to turn. She shrieked with surprise and nearly fell over when she realized that Kjar had returned; the impossibly tall, terrifyingly dangerous goddess had appeared from seemingly nowhere to breath down her neck.

    Bel did her best to stand up straight and look respectful ¨C it was difficult with her torn and bloody clothes and the dried blood coating her face. She stared at the goddess with trepidation, worried about what was coming next.

    The goddess flicked some gore from the tips of her claws and licked them clean while Bel stared.

    ¡°That felt good,¡± the goddess purred. She stretched languidly. ¡°I will be ready for a nap after this.¡±

    Kjar gestured to the destruction around them and Bel turned to the sight. The Dark Ravager¡¯s pyramid had been reduced to a burning, melting hill of stone.

    ¡°I have taken care of the most guilty ones here,¡± the goddess explained. ¡°That leaves some for you to clean up. I think that you will find the exercise to be rewarding.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Retribution is necessary,¡± Kjar intoned, ¡°if you wish to change the world for the better. It serves two purposes: first, to remove the offender and prevent further transgressions, and second, to serve as a deterrent for others. Only with the constant and consistent application of punishment has humanity created social change that is lasting.¡±

    Bel was certain that Kjar, being the embodiment of corporal punishment, was biased. She wasn¡¯t wrong though, at least as far as Bel could tell.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Bel replied. Not like she was going to disagree with the goddess who had just laid waste to a city¡¯s worth of people after burning their demigod to a crisp.

    ¡°Excellent.¡±

    The goddess stepped back to examine Bel. Her feline features twitched, exposing a row of sharp teeth, and her eyes narrowed. ¡°You look terrible. I am no goddess of fashion, but it is clear to me that these rags are unacceptable.¡±

    Bel inspected her bedraggled condition. She¡¯d lost her boots somewhere, and her pants were more rip than seam. Her shirt was stained with sweat and blood, and barely covered her body anyway. The linen of her breastband showed through her torn up shirt, and she could see that it was literally hanging on by a few threads. If James could see her current condition he might even call her lewd.

    She looked up to explain her sorry state to the goddess, but Kjar had disappeared.

    Bel spun around, looking for the missing deity, but instead all she saw was destruction. Kjar had laid waste to everything. There were smoking piles of ash, smoldering rubble, and deep craters in every direction. The pyramid itself, which would have been the most impressive structure Bel had every encountered, was continuing its rapid disintegration and was now several impressive mounds of irregular bricks. Dutcha¡¯s power to liquify things didn¡¯t seem to fade with time and Kjar had blown away large portions of the stone building, bringing about a continual inwards collapse.

    Bel tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. The might of the gods was terrifying.

    The air shimmered and the goddess returned. Bel couldn¡¯t tell if she had bent the rules of the world, or if she simply moved so quickly for Bel¡¯s mortal eyes.

    ¡°Here.¡± Kjar held up a large barrel of water and upended it over Bel¡¯s head.

    ¡°Gaah!¡±

    Kjar mercilessly scrubbed at Bel¡¯s body, tearing off her rotten clothes as she went. Bel did her best to struggle, but she was helpless before the determined goddess. When Kjar finally released the young gorgon she collapsed on the ground, still sopping wet, but now fully clean.

    Kjar gazed down upon her without pity.

    ¡°Kjar, why?¡± Bel wailed.

    Kjar¡¯s eyes burned like two new suns, heating Bel until she was dry.

    ¡°Now for some better clothes,¡± the goddess decreed. She disappeared once again.

    Bel blinked and Kjar was back, now holding several sets of clothing. Bel tried to not think about where the goddess had procured them.

    The goddess held one thing up after another, discarding several until she seemed satisfied. Then she ran her hands over the garments scratching tiny, intricate markings onto the leather and metal with a speed that Bel could scarcely track. Her claws left glowing lines of fiery red that slowly faded to a dull glow. Once she was done, she held out the bundle and shoved them into Bel¡¯s arms. ¡°Put these on.¡±

    Bel thought about arguing ¨C she really did ¨C but she wasn¡¯t suicidal. If the murder goddess wanted to play dress up then she would do it. Bel donned the clothes: a comfortable, mundane, shirt covered by an uncomfortable but faintly glowing lamellar body armor with palm sized metal plates joined together to cover her body and shoulders. On her lower half she donned loose leather pants and a heavy lamellar skirt that Kjar impatiently fastened around her waist.

    ¡°Why am I dressed for war?¡± Bel wondered aloud.

    ¡°You have the remaining cultists to kill, revolutions to start, and your mother¡¯s quest.¡±

    Kjar took a step back and examined Bel. ¡°It is too bad that your snakes will get in the way of a helmet, but the rest is passable. You should grow claws. Why have you not done that yet?¡±

    ¡°Goddess ¨C Kjar ¨C can I ask a question?¡±

    One of Kjar¡¯s ears flicked. ¡°Yes. Of course. Be aware that my time with you is limited.¡±

    ¡°What does my mother want me to do?¡±

    ¡°To kill Technis of course. And some other things as well, but she feels it best for you to discover those on your own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of what I thought. Why though? And will I get help?¡±

    Kjar¡¯s ear flicked once again with annoyance. ¡°Your mother feels that he violated the spirit of an agreement when he locked you into a basement. Now she would like you to fix the situation since you were the one who was wronged.¡±

    Bel stared. ¡°So she wants me to kill a god? Why doesn¡¯t she do it herself?¡±

    Kjar gestured to the surrounding destruction. ¡°I am a well understood force, and the pantheon will barely tolerate my presence on this mortal plane for a brief period. You mother, the goddess of upheaval, is much less predictable and, dare I say, less trusted. There would be opposition to her making an appearance in what is supposed to be a resource planet that the pantheon shares.¡±

    ¡°A resource ¨C no, wait, how can I kill a god? That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯m just a mortal.¡±

    Kjar chuckled. ¡°Who has told you that Technis is a god?¡±

    ¡°Everyone. Well, everyone in Satrap.¡± Bel stared. ¡°Wait, are they lying?¡±

    Kjar laughed heartily, her fangs gleaming in the sinister light of the still burning pyramid.

    ¡°But still,¡± Bel protested, ¡°how can I even get through the Barrier? How¨C¡±

    Kjar held up a hand. ¡°Lempo would prefer that you find your own solutions. I am more practical, so I will give you an answer: go under it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Now, before you go charging off, I suggest that you do as Dutcha instructed. Find some spirits, repair your body, and grow stronger before you fight Technis.¡±

    Bel rubbed at the bald spot on the right side of her head. ¡°Can I take as long as I want?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Kjar looked into the distance. ¡°Technis will move beyond your reach if you tarry too long.¡±

    Bel waited for more explanation, but the goddess offered nothing more. ¡°And then what? Would my ¨C would Lempo be angry? Would she eat my soul?¡±

    Kjar rubbed at her cheek with one of her clawed hands as she considered her answer. ¡°Well, if it came to it, Lempo may decide to descend to the mortal plane and solve the problem herself ¨C over the pantheon¡¯s objections of course.¡±

    ¡°¡­and then what?¡± Bel asked tremulously.

    Kjar shrugged. ¡°Satrap is destroyed? This continent? This world? Or perhaps the pantheon will simply wipe all of this away to preemptively remove any temptation for your mother to descend.¡±

    Kjar gestured around with an open hand, suggesting to Bel that ¡°all of this¡± meant far more than just Satrap.

    Kjar gazed up at the moons and the ring above them. ¡°It was before my time, but a previous incarnation of change nearly wiped out life on the Old World. It was one of the compelling arguments for the pantheon to leave it in peace.¡±

    Her piercing eyes bored into Bel¡¯s timid gaze. ¡°And why we built Olympos. It keeps us occupied in the Old World¡¯s stead.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ change is bad?¡±

    Kjar shrugged. ¡°Change is change. Humans would not exist had Change not wrought death to the great flightless birds that once ruled the Old World.¡±

    The goddess placed a heavy hand on Bel¡¯s small shoulder. ¡°However, I do not find so much fault with this world that I would wish it be to wiped away. Take sufficient time to gather your strength, but do not take so long that Technis moves beyond your reached and Lempo herself intervenes. Gather your essence and grow quickly.¡±

    Kjar grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth. ¡°And good luck.¡±

    The goddess vanished, leaving Bel alone amidst the destruction. The overwhelmed gorgon collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 42 â€“ Good Surprises

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel poked carefully around the large cut that went down her face and over her eye. It hurt, a constant dull ache that she guessed wouldn¡¯t fade any time soon, but the new blind spot on her left side was worse. She found herself spinning left near constantly, trying to make up for her missing eye with increased vigilance.

    ¡°Not that there¡¯s anyone around here, right?¡± she asked the air.

    Bel turned, surveying the surrounding destruction. Kjar had told her that some of the cultists were still alive, but she couldn¡¯t imagine that there would be any survivors at the pyramid. She tapped a finger against her new armor as she thought about the goddess¡¯ words.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Was she talking about Nebamon and Rikja and the other people in Satrap? Are they still there?

    Bel had been hoping that they had all been wiped out by Technis¡¯ forces, but that would be too simple. She sighed, and then she dusted herself off and glared defiantly in the Barrier¡¯s direction.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Time to get moving.

    Bel grabbed a hefty rock for self defense. There <em style="font-style: italic">probably weren¡¯t any of the Dark Ravager¡¯s followers around, but better safe than dead. Then she started searching the rubble, checking for anything useful or dangerous.

    The pyramid was still shifting, its middle eroding away and the outsides collapsing inwards, so she patrolled at a safe distance. The building was larger than she¡¯d thought and she quickly realized that she would be walking for an hour just to go all the way around.

    Her goddess-blessed clothes squeaked as she moved, causing Bel to shift with discomfort. They felt heavy and hot, but Bel wasn¡¯t going to take them off, even if she felt silly wearing them. <em style="font-style: italic">Dressing like a warrior is something that Beth would enjoy, but I¡¯ve always worn simple stuff.

    She looked down at her still bare feet and sighed. <em style="font-style: italic">Now I look somewhere half between warrior and plague victim.

    She made sure to avoid stepping in the clumps of ash, bones, and melted metal that littered the ground, small monuments to Kjar¡¯s justice.

    After making her way about halfway around the temple Bel found a crater, wider across than she could throw a stone. At the bottom of it was the Dark Ravager¡¯s corpse ¨C the upper half at least, charred to a crisp. The lower half of the demi-god¡¯s body was nowhere to be seen.

    Being at the edge of ascension hadn¡¯t saved the giant beetle from Kjar¡¯s wrath, so killing a demigod was possible. If Technis was at the same stage then he was certainly mortal¡­ but could Bel really hope to challenge such power?

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that I couldn¡¯t have bent an antenna on this guy¡¯s head,¡± she complained to herself, ¡°how on Olympos am I going to fight Technis?¡±

    She hadn¡¯t even been able to stand up to Nebamon, who had in turn been below Ventas and Technis¡¯ patchwork people. With the element of surprise she¡¯d been able to defeat a couple of cultists, but that didn¡¯t count for much in the grand scheme of things. She had a lot of growing to do if she wanted to avoid whatever disaster would come from Lempo taking matters into her own hands.

    First though, Bel was desperate for a drink of water. She resumed her search through the rubble, hoping to find something ¨C anything ¨C to eat and drink.

    <hr>

    Across the desert, Beth bounced awkwardly on her riding lizard as it shimmied across the sand. Her mount wasn¡¯t like the thinner lizards of Satrap that allowed her to sit tall and proud; these ones were squat and fat, their wide feet well suited for navigating the shifting sands of the Golden Plains. Riding them was faster than walking, at least for someone with human legs and feet, but Beth was still frustrated with their speed.

    ¡°How long until we reach the pyramid?¡± she asked again.

    Orseis waved a few of her arm tentacles through the air, something that Beth recognized as the woman¡¯s version of an exasperated shrug. ¡°Only about a minute less than the last time you asked, Mistress Beth.¡± She leaned her heavily hooded head in Beth¡¯s direction and whispered loudly, ¡°you know, we could have gotten there faster if we left the others and swam.¡±

    For a moment, regret pulsed through the back of Beth¡¯s mind. It was foolish, but she had actually considered leaving everyone and rushing to the Dark Ravager¡¯s pyramid on her own on the possibility that she would be able to save Bel before something happened to her.

    That was foolish sentimentality though ¨C Beth knew that she needed an army to confront the demi-god, and she hadn¡¯t been able to get them moving until the skies had burned with fire.

    Beth turned back to Orseis and brought her mind back to the present, snorting at the tentacled woman¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Sure, swim right through the river with all the ash and hungry water spirits. I¡¯m fine going around all of that.¡±

    Beth gestured to their group, about 200 strong.

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll need all of us, even those who can¡¯t swim. If the Dark Ravager has just ascended and abandoned his cult to this mortal world then this is the moment to strike with as much force as we can muster. If that spirit storm we saw was any indication, there must be some extreme chaos created by their demigod leaving them leaderless.¡±

    Beth nodded grimly at her tentacled lieutenant. ¡°From what you¡¯ve told me of their organization, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they immediately fell upon one another, fighting over leadership.¡±

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re right,¡± James interrupted, ¡°are you sure we have enough people?¡±

    Beth stifled her annoyance as she looked at her otherworldly adopted brother. Bel and James were, as much as she was loath to admit, the closest that she had to a family. She regretted letting Bel go on without her, and she hated that James had volunteered to come along for this fight.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Beth answered with false confidence. ¡°They¡¯re disorganized, we¡¯re all excellent warriors, and we¡¯ll have the element of surprise.¡±

    She kept her tone upbeat despite her own misgivings. Having her arm removed by one of the Dark Ravager¡¯s paladins had taught her a costly lesson. Experience, though, told her that she couldn¡¯t afford to hesitate. The moment that the sky had burned with the light of a divine being she had whipped her followers into a frenzy. While the spirit storm was still rolling past, Beth had convinced them that this was their moment to strike; the discipline and fervor that she¡¯d inspired would have pleased her if James hadn¡¯t decided to come along as well.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    At least he had brought Daran with him. The ant princess, in turn, had tempted her bloodthirsty cousin, Hanti, with news of an entire nation of breedable humans just through the Barrier. Beth found the though amusing ¨C who other than James would even be interested in an ant woman? But Hanti had a small clutch of developing children in eggs and was easily tempted by the thought of finding suitable mates for all of them.

    From the maniacal grin on the older ant¡¯s face, Beth also suspected that the new ant woman was more than a little bit bloodthirsty.

    Hanti was the opposite of Daran. James¡¯ sweetheart was a happy-go-lucky young girl who, judging from the conversations they¡¯d shared, looked forward to peaceful days spent relaxing with her future family. Hanti, though, was born for war.

    She was bipedal, like a human, but she had four muscular arms instead of the usual, single pair. Her red carapace covered most of her body, making her hard and fierce compared to the cute and friendly Daran. Hanti also wielded twice the number of weapons as a regular human: two heavy swords on her back and two short swords on her belt. She carried a small arsenal of throwing axes strapped across her body. She was hauling around enough metal that Beth marveled at the woman¡¯s strength and endurance. The weight the ant-woman carried would have been enough to stagger regular human who wasn¡¯t reinforced with abilities, and Hanti moved as fluidly as any dancer despite the encumbrance.

    Hanti also brought 100 of her scuttling warriors, each one a shoulder high ant with jaws that looked like they could cleave a human in two as easily as Beth might snap a carrot. Beth found them incredibly disturbing, but the ant warriors nearly doubled the size of their force.

    ¡°I can see something!¡± Orseis pointed with her writhing tentacles to a smudge on the horizon. ¡°It is smoke I think ¨C maybe near the pyramid.¡±

    Beth raised her hand, signaling for the group to slow. To her annoyance she had to repeat the gesture several times, and the group only followed it once Hanti also gestured for attention. Beth squinted at the distance, but could only see a bit of darkness hanging over clear blue of the desert sky.

    ¡°Can anyone see any details?¡±

    No one responded to Beth¡¯s query, although Seth ¨C James¡¯ strange new scorpion-themed friend ¨C strode forward a few steps. The quiet man was oddly competent, somehow keeping pace with the lizards over the loose desert sand. He waved his fingers in front of his eyes for a few moments before turning back to the group.

    To Beth¡¯s frustration, Seth walked back to James and whispered in the red-head¡¯s ear rather than speaking his observations aloud. Beth had never heard the scorpion talk, although he had to be capable of speech. She wondered if he had a strange animal trait that made it difficult to speak out loud or if he was just obtuse.

    James nodded at Seth before turning to Beth. ¡°He says that the pyramid has collapsed.¡±

    Beth rubbed the pommel of one of her daggers. ¡°Any signs of movement?¡±

    The shy scorpion boy leaned to James¡¯ ear again.

    ¡°It may be too far, but he can¡¯t see anything. Just some smoke.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Beth set her face with determination. ¡°Let¡¯s go in fast and hard. We¡¯ll catch whoever is there with their pants down.¡±

    She looked at her hastily assembled group¡­ most of whom weren¡¯t wearing pants. ¡°You know what I mean. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Everyone with weapons checked them quickly before they moved at a brisk pace. Hanti gesture-bumped into her nearby ants, sending a ripple of communication through their ranks. They fanned out, preparing to swarm over any resistance that they encountered.

    As they neared their target and Beth caught sight of the smoke pouring into the sky, Beth¡¯s heart raced inside her chest. She licked her lips with anticipation. With the god ascended, his followers would be in disarray. Beth was sure of it.

    She, and the people of the Golden Plains, would sweep them away like rushing tide. She would rescue her little sister. Then she would convince everyone to go to Satrap and overthrow Technis.

    If she could pull this off, it would be the first step to everything ¨C years of effort ¨C coming together.

    The paladin that had taken her arm had been one of the Dark Ravager¡¯s stronger fighters, so Beth had been hardening her resolve for the brutality that was to come. She¡¯d been prepared for a wall of bodies blocking their way, or a small groups of elites, or even for some traps left behind by the newly ascended god.

    Beth¡¯s hand squeezed the reins of her riding lizard, her knuckles bloodless from the pressure. Her fighters crested one last dune and they overlooked a wide, flat plain. The pyramid was halfway between them and the east bank of the river that cut through the Golden Plains, just a short ride away.

    Instead of an army, there was only disaster.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a pyramid,¡± James announced.

    <em style="font-style: italic">He¡¯s not wrong, Beth agreed silently. Instead of the imposing structure that had been described, there was a hill of smoldering stone.

    The others were too silent to respond. They gawked, their faces filled with uncertainty and confusion. The entire force looked back and forth from the destruction to their companions as they struggled to understand what happened.

    ¡°Well,¡± Hanti finally broke the silence, ¡°no reason to linger.¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s approach slowly. I¡¯m not seeing any kind of guards.¡±

    They spread out into a wide line and advanced at a walking pace. As they drew closer to the center of the destruction there were increasing signs of battle. Burnt and melted remains lay in scorched pits. Spirits of different types ¨C small beings of sand, little waterspouts, molten lizards, scrabbling plants, and more ¨C shifted away from their passage. Other than the enigmatic creatures there were no signs of life.

    ¡°This is all strange, right?¡± James asked. ¡°I mean, these are all elemental spirits, right? And they¡¯re supposed to be rare?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Daran agreed, her antenna spinning in dizzying patterns through the air. ¡°This is being very strange.¡±

    Seth captured their attention by pointing to something. Beth squinted against the bright sunlight before finally seeing a small figure waving at them.

    Beth advanced cautiously, keeping her dagger loose in its sheath. Orseis trailed along at her side, her tentacles hidden inside of the folds of her robe.

    As the figure became drew closer and their features became visible, Beth¡¯s eyes widened with shock. It was Bel. Beth¡¯s sister was slightly disheveled, missing some snakes, and had a horrible scar running across her face. The young gorgon didn¡¯t seem to be in any imminent danger though. She was clean, wearing new clothes, and looked more tired than scared. Bel had lowered her hand once she¡¯d gotten their attention, but didn¡¯t bother getting up and leaving the shade of a large stone block where she¡¯d taken refuge. Instead she waited for them to get close before speaking.

    ¡°Thank the better gods it¡¯s you guys,¡± Bel cheered tiredly. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯ve got some water. I¡¯ve been trapped out here, and I couldn¡¯t find anything left unburied in the Dark Ravager¡¯s old temple.¡±

    Bel waved weakly at Daran and James as they joined the group. The ant-girl¡¯s antennae beat at the air while James stared, open mouthed.

    ¡°Some food would be nice too.¡±

    Hanti looked around suspiciously. ¡°The Dark Ravager is gone then?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes lazily looked the new ant woman up and down while Bel pointed in a direction. ¡°His body is in a crater over there somewhere. Lots of bodies around actually, watch your step.¡±

    Hanti gave Bel one last curious look before rushing off to verify her words. Her army of ants followed after her, and Beth pointed for a few of her own followers to go along as well.

    ¡°What happened, Bel?¡± Beth hopped off of her riding lizard. She grabbed a water skin from her saddlebag and offered it to the exhausted gorgon.

    Bel took a long drink and sighed with satisfaction. Then she took another long pull and wiped away some dribble from her chin. ¡°What¡¯s the expression that James likes?¡±

    Bel looked around at the destruction. ¡°All hells are loose?¡±

    James snorted. ¡°There¡¯s just one hell, but all of it is loose.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure. Are you still planning to go back to Satrap, Beth?¡±

    Beth¡¯s eyebrows went up with surprise. ¡°Well, sure. Once we¡¯ve organized.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Bel nodded. ¡°Because I¡¯ve got a demigod to kill. I¡¯d rather not do it alone.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Interlude 4 â€“ Clark (book 1 end)

    <section>

    <section>

    Clark leaned back to examine his work and frowned as he considered it.

    ¡°You are not my best work,¡± he stated, ¡°but I have been in an unfortunate rush.¡±

    The figure in front of him blinked slowly, but didn¡¯t respond. That was expected since he had removed the vocal chords to make room for some organs that would be more useful in combat. He gestured at a nearby boulder, shaken loose from the mountain during his fight with the leader of the outsiders.

    ¡°Destroy that,¡± he commanded.

    His creation pivoted towards the target and lurched into action. Clark grimaced at the slow movement ¨C the corpse that he had scavenged had quite a few interesting traits, but speed wasn¡¯t one of them. Still, the large, fingernail-like scales that lined the woman¡¯s body had been an excellent place to inscribe a few hundred spells. In life, the woman had been some kind of artificer, and even in death her body was still attuned to the craft.

    Nearly two beats of his heart passed before his creation attacked. Its right arm had a second forearm grafted onto it, a clever bit of fleshwork allowing him to attach Bethany¡¯s forearm without compromising the utility of the original. Clark was quite pleased with the result. The body folded back its original arm and struck with Beth¡¯s, using an aura of darkness to gouge into the thick rock. Its other arm, still possessing only a single hand and forearm, sadly, swung a wand forward and stabbed it into the opening. A burst of power exited the weapon and blasted into the rock with the force of a hundred miner¡¯s picks.

    Clark nodded with satisfaction as the boulder blew into tiny pieces, scattering debris across the mountainside.

    ¡°Playing with your toys again?¡±

    Clark wanted to scowl, but he mastered his expression into one of bland distaste as he slowly turned towards the speaker. ¡°Messenger.¡±

    The tall man laughed, flashing his perfect, white teeth. ¡°I have a name, you know.¡±

    ¡°I do not care to learn it. Deliver my lord¡¯s words and be gone.¡±

    The man arched an eyebrow. ¡°You know, he¡¯s my lord too. Or do¨C¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Clark interrupted, ¡°you are an integral part to Technis¡¯ plans as well, and I should remember as much. Or course. But you have not been granted the gift of immortality, and I need only wait a few years for you to pass into nothing more than memory.¡±

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Clark gestured for his flesh automata to come back to him so he could give it a final inspection. ¡°You fail to grasp that you are more like this creation, Messenger, than you are alike to myself. I see no need to engage with you in idle prattle.¡±

    ¡°Idle prattle?¡± the man repeated, insulted. ¡°If you want Technis¡¯ people to be prepared for the upcoming invasion then you should be listening to me, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Other people,¡± Clark rebuked, ¡°the ones who can¡¯t read reports. Just get on with it.¡±

    The man ¨C Clark truly hadn¡¯t bothered committing his name to memory ¨C huffed.

    ¡°We¡¯ve finished our investigation into the death of Inquisitor Sopher and the escape of Lempo¡¯s child and the Earth boy ¨C oh, and of your grandchild ¨C through the Barrier.¡±

    The man paused to see if Clark would react, but the Inquisitor didn¡¯t give him the satisfaction.

    ¡°We concluded that they didn¡¯t really penetrate the Barrier,¡± he continued. ¡°Instead, they brought something in from the outside that allowed them to pass back through. Their actual ingress point was through the Pillars that passes through the shell of the Barrier. The outsiders likely followed instructions from their leader, the demigod who calls himself the Dark Ravager.¡±

    The man waved his hand dismissively. ¡°A bit over the top, but luckily we won¡¯t need to discuss him since he¡¯s already dead.¡±

    Clark¡¯s eyes narrowed as the man¡¯s words gained his full attention. ¡°Dead? The demigod?¡±

    ¡°Yup. A real god used some kind of loophole to descend from the heavens and smite him. We don¡¯t know the details since this all happened outside of the Barrier, but the fireworks were probably visible from orbit.¡±

    Clark grunted with irritation at the man¡¯s confusing expressions. <em style="font-style: italic">More of his attempts to show off his otherworldly knowledge, no doubt.

    ¡°Then we will be moving to fortify our borders in case the child of Lempo returns?¡±

    The man grinned. ¡°What, scared that some real god is going to come and do the same to Technis?¡±

    Clark considered removing the man¡¯s head from his shoulders, but managed to calm himself before he struck. <em style="font-style: italic">The man is a tool, Clark repeated to himself, <em style="font-style: italic">and only a fool would get angry at a hinge because it squeaks. He glanced at his automata, wondering if he could remove the man¡¯s vocal chords without compromising his duties.

    ¡°I tire of this,¡± Clark announced. ¡°What are my Lord¡¯s commands?¡±

    The messenger shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re accelerating our timeline. Forget about Satrap¡¯s Barrier and come back to the capital. Everything else is now considered a distraction.¡±

    The messenger grinned again. ¡°All resources will be committed to accelerating our return to Earth. I¡¯m looking forward to going home.¡±

    Clark¡¯s lips pulled back with distaste. He looked at his new creation to hide his expression and pondered what to do with it. He tapped it on the shoulder and looked into its eyes. ¡°Descend the Pillar the same way you originally entered Satrap. If you find your former colleagues or any enemies of Technis, kill them.¡±

    The automata nodded her head and turned to wander off.

    ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± the messenger questioned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I just said?¡±

    Clark could have explained that it had a limited lifetime or that he wanted the satisfaction of knowing that something was going to hunt down his wayward relative, but that would involve speaking to the messenger more than was necessary. If getting angry at a squeaky hinge was absurd then speaking with it was ludicrous. The inquisitor turned on his heel and headed directly towards Satrap.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 44 â€“ Ups and Downs

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel stalked a small serpent through the dried riverbed. A month prior the six pairs of legs, three sets of eyes, and body made of sand would have given her pause. Now, a month after meeting her second mother and the divine spirit of chaos, Dutcha, Bel had grown used to the bizarre spirits she left in her wake.

    Bel placed her feet carefully with each step to avoid alerting the small spirit; she¡¯d been wasting days trying to find one small enough to suit her needs and she didn¡¯t want her patience to go to waste. Bel needed to catch one of spirits to heal the missing serpents that had been cut from her head. She felt diminished without the missing snakes. Incomplete. Broken.

    Luckily for her, in the month since the goddess Kjar had killed the Dark Ravager and the destroyed his temple, Dutcha¡¯s spirits had spread throughout the Golden Plains. They were now common enough that Bel could usually find one within a day of searching. Unfortunately, she had yet to master the <em style="font-style: italic">lesser incorporation ability that Dutcha claimed was the key to replacing Bel¡¯s missing head snakes.

    Bel resisted the urge to run a hand along her scarred face or the bald half of her head. She clenched her jaw with determination; she was broken, but she would be made whole. She just needed to catch the sandy spirit serpent, then she would use it to heal herself.

    Definitely. Maybe. Hopefully.

    If only she could figure out how her ability was supposed to work. So far, Bel hadn¡¯t been able to just grab a spirit and shove it onto her head. They fought her, fiercely struggling until Bel ran out of energy to power her ability. She had also tried bashing the annoying little things into submission first, but that didn¡¯t work either.

    Bel had learned that spirit never yielded, even to extreme violence. They just evaporated into smaller spirits if they became grievously injured, and the smaller parts of a spirit were frustratingly good at escaping. It was a perfect survival mechanism for a creature that didn¡¯t perceive itself as a single, indivisible entity.

    She was going to try a different approach this time. If she could grab the serpent quickly enough, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t even know what was happening until she¡¯d already succeeded. That was her hope.

    Bel leaned forward with anticipation, her lone functional eye widening as she held her breath tightly in her throat¡­

    Just a bit closer¡­

    A buzzing came from one of her pockets. The arm-length sand serpent popped its head into the air. Its neck neatly split, forming four more heads so it could look in every direction. It only took a heartbeat for it to spot Bel and dive straight into the sand, disappearing like a fish into water faster than Bel could curse.

    Orseis, Beth¡¯s right hand woman and Bel¡¯s assigned bodyguard and chaperone, covered her face with a wide sleeve and laughed, her tentacles writhing with mirth.

    The tentacled woman finally tucked her tentacles back into her sleeves and got control over her giggles, but Bel could still see the amusement in her eyes. Her bizarre, w-shaped pupils were wide with excitement and Bel was certain that the girl was sporting a wide grin behind the veil that she used to obscure her face.

    ¡°It¡¯s not funny,¡± Bel insisted.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± Orseis gasped, you were concentrating so hard that I thought your blood vessels would burst. You nearly leaped out of your own skin. It doesn¡¯t help that the weird ability you¡¯re using makes you look all fuzzy.¡±

    Bel grunted in response. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that you think <em style="font-style: italic">my ability is weird. Dutcha told me to make my body more like a spirit, so that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing. My apologies for taking the life advice of a powerful spirit over yours.¡±

    Bel poked a finger in Orseis¡¯ direction. ¡°You¡¯re, what? Five years old?¡±

    Orseis waved a pair of tentacles back. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m young, but I¡¯m not <em style="font-style: italic">that young. And cuttlefish mature faster than¨C¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes and turned away for some privacy. She pulled a small stone with intricate filigree from her pocket and lifted it to her face. ¡°Dammit James,¡± she hissed into it, ¡°I need a way to turn this thing off so you can¡¯t ruin my hunting. And what if I¡¯m hiding from something in the Labyrinth and your stupid call stone starts buzzing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re testing things now, sis,¡± James¡¯ cheerful voice responded. His words were oddly muffled, but were surprising loud and clear for something coming from a rock. His talk of cell phones and distant communication had been a fantasy for so long that she had been taken completely by surprise when he had actually managed to replicate a part of his old world technology.

    Mostly. It was still lacking in a couple of ways. For one, calls could only come from James to her, a deficiency that he didn¡¯t seem particularly motivated to fix. Second, the power on her stone ran out in less than a minute. Finally, the stupid buzzing noise that it made and the lack of volume control made conversation unpleasant.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Actually, perhaps I should be thankful that calls only last for a minute.

    Bel held the stone away from her ear, wincing at the volume of her brother¡¯s excited voice.

    ¡°Speaking of testing,¡± she asked, ¡°how is the fall defender?¡±

    ¡°Parachute,¡± James said slowly. ¡°It¡¯s a parachute.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say, James.¡± Bel stuck out her tongue. She kept warning her brother to stop introducing new words into the language. Eventually, all of the older older, more conservative semi-humans were going to throw him into the ocean.

    ¡°The parachute is ready for testing. The silk they have access to here is fantastic, although I haven¡¯t had a chance to try the finished product myself. I¡¯ve been too busy doing the blood adaptation rituals with Daran so that we¡¯re both ready to have children.¡±

    Bel pushed the call stone away from her face. Baby-making was not on her short list of fun conversation topics. ¡°We¡¯ll come back right away to test out the fall protectors,¡± she responded quickly.

    ¡°We should keep stress testing the calls, Bel. No need to rush. Anyway, the adaptation process is really fascinating, and maybe one day you¡¯ll want to¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh no, brother, I think the stone is fading.¡± Bel shoved the stone under some sand. ¡°Can you still hear me, James? I don¡¯t think I can hear you.¡±

    Bel waited for several long heartbeats before breathing a sigh of relief and retrieving her stone.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Orseis asked behind her.

    Bel turned, surprised. She¡¯d forgotten that she had an audience.

    ¡°Bel? Yeah, she¡¯s right here. Don¡¯t worry, she just dropped her call stone.¡±

    Bel stared at her betrayer, shock rippling across her remaining snakes.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Orseis trilled, ¡°she would love to hear more about how you and Daran are going to make lots of cute little larva babies together.¡± Orseis offered her call stone to Bel with one of her dextrous tentacles. ¡°Here you go.¡±

    Bel glowered at the merciless girl. ¡°Gee, thanks.¡±

    ¡°So anyway,¡± James began, ignoring Bel¡¯s discomfort, ¡°I remember that you asked why people didn¡¯t just have children with multiple people, right? It turns out that the matchmaker¡¯s adaptation rituals tune the couple¡¯s bodies so that things work between them, but only between the two of them. So what we¡¯re doing is¡­¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Bel grit her teeth. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s only a minute. I can make it.

    <hr>

    Bel peered down over the edge of the bridge. ¡°That¡¯s a long way down,¡± she muttered. Bel could barely make out the people on the small fishing boats that covered the lake at the bottom of the sheer-walled crater.

    She took a step away from the edge, back to the group of what James was calling ¡°beta testers.¡±

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never asked why the sand doesn¡¯t just fill this in,¡± she dissembled.

    Daran¡¯s antennae perked up, ever-eager to offer bits of trivia about the Golden Plains. ¡°Oh, good question! First of all, the walls are made of rock.¡± James¡¯ bride-to-be pointed at the walls on the opposite side of the crater, nearly three thousand strides from Bel. The vastness of the void in the sand never failed to stagger the young gorgon.

    ¡°See, it¡¯s not sand all the way down. I¡¯m surprised that you haven¡¯t noticed before.¡± Daran¡¯s antennae beat the air with excitement for a moment before she continued.

    ¡°Second, this is home to one of the oldest ant colonies in the Golden Plains. My cousins work nonstop to keep the paths clean and the lake at the bottom clear.¡±

    ¡°Like Hanti?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Daran¡¯s lips twisted. ¡°Well, Hanti¡¯s always been more interested in more martial pursuits. She normally manages the guards at the rim, watching out for the Dark Ravager¡¯s followers.¡±

    Daran scratched her abdomen with one of her ant legs. ¡°Well, she used to. She was kind of upset that she didn¡¯t have anything to do with getting rid of them, but hopefully the flying threats from Atmos and the occasional elf from Skotos will keep her satisfied. She¡¯s been getting really worked up about the invasion of Satrap, too.¡±

    Bel rubbed at the scarring around her missing left eye. Beth had done too good a job selling an invasion of Satrap to overthrow Technis¡¯ priests and gain access to a large number of ¨C potentially ¨C reproductively compatible humans. ¡°Speaking of fighting, was this entire thing really made during an epic battle?¡±

    Bel looked up to the top of the circular pit, nearly twice as high as they were distant from the ground. It had taken them a couple of hours traversing a series of terrifying, rickety ladders and treacherous handholds to get down to their current position: a bridge that shortcut a few hundred strides where the great stone spiral ramp that wound down the entire crater was being repaired.

    Of course they had used safety ropes on the way down. Now, though, Bel was going to jump off of the bridge and plummet the rest of the way with nothing to protect her except for a sheet of fabric.

    ¡°Stop stalling, sis,¡± James scolded.

    ¡°I¡¯m not stalling,¡± she protested.

    James pointed at the precipice. ¡°Then climb over that railing and jump.¡±

    Bel hugged herself tightly. ¡°Yeah, I will, just¡­ you tested this thing, right? There¡¯s an alpha test that comes before the beta testing, right?¡± She craned her head to look at the lumpy pack that held one of her brother¡¯s experimental parachutes.

    James rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes. We dropped a few with weights before a couple of people with wings gave them a go. Some people are already excited to use them to speed up crossing the crater. You¡¯re lucky that the merchant¡¯s consortium hasn¡¯t already ripped these prototypes out of our hands.¡±

    Bel looked out at the spiralling ramp that lead from the top of the crater to the bottom. The terrifying ladders and handholds could be used to bypass a turn around the rim go up or down a level, but crossing from one side to the other would require a half turn, which could take a good hour if you were walking uphill.

    ¡°I would have thought that getting up would be the bigger struggle,¡± she mused, ¡°the parachutes only go down.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of value in dropping a heavy load from the top and letting it drift down. It only takes a single person to manage the descent,¡± James explained.

    He pointed to the bottom of the outpost. ¡°We¡¯re building hot air balloons too. Flann has been trying out some designs. You¡¯ll see them at the bottom.¡± He made a shooing gesture. ¡°Now stop stalling and jump.¡±

    A pat on her back drew Bel¡¯s attention to Seth, the nearly silent scorpion boy. He nodded shyly and pointed to his own harness and parachute and making a claws-up gesture of confidence. She smiled weakly at his reassurance.

    Bel didn¡¯t want to jump, but the parachutes were necessary if she wanted to get below the Barrier and find a way back into Satrap. The vast caverns hiding in the Labyrinth were too deep to traverse with ropes, and the pillars that held up the world were fiercely guarded, both according to legend and their latest scouting reports. The parachute that James introduced really was the best way for her to quickly descend, and his hot air balloons were the only practical method to ascend again ¨C either to escape or to get back into Satrap once she had slipped under the Barrier.

    Bel breathed in deeply and relaxed her tense muscles. ¡°Okay, here I go,¡± she declared. She stepped up to the edge of the long, wooden bridge and squeezed under a gap in the railing. She glanced at the bit of rope that was secured to her pack. Rather than catch her, it would pull her bag open and release the parachute during her practice runs. Beth, and apparently Seth, were already releasing the devices on their own, and soon they would be practicing jumps from the very top of the Outpost.

    Bel tensed up as wind tugged on her body, but she finally stiffened her resolve and let herself topple over the edge. She screamed ¨C but only a little bit ¨C as she fell off of the bridge.

    She drifted towards the center of the vast hole and away from the vertical walls of the artificial crater, her remaining four head snakes whipping about in the powerful updraft. Her armored skirt flipped upwards and she shrieked at the indignity. Then, with a snap of silk and a sudden jerk, she found herself forced fully upright as the parachute filled with air. Her descent slowed and Bel took a moment to gain control over her stomach.

    She gazed up at the full fabric of the parachute for a moment before directing her attention back to the ground floor of the Outpost, spread out below her like one of her brother¡¯s maps. She found the experience disorienting; like she was drifting downwards in the ocean, but her sight was clear and unobstructed in every direction. The incredible amount of movement threatened to overwhelm her, especially when a flock of small birds flitted past her like a school of fish.

    She was overwhelmed and fascinated and a bit terrified all at once. Once her mind worked through the initial shock she couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the experience.

    The energetic waving of another person caught her attention; Seth was gliding around with far more grace and agility under his own silk parachute than she could manage with her own. His urgent pointing reminded her that she still had to guide herself to a landing before she scraped her face off on the rocky walls.

    Bel looked down and spotted her target: a small barge that they¡¯d placed in the middle of the lake. They had planned ahead: a landing in the water would be unpleasant, but mostly safe, assuming she quickly ditched her gear before it drowned her. Bel could see a safety team of fishy folk standing by as well.

    She wanted to land on the barge though. Bel ¨C and everyone else involved ¨C had agreed that anyone going into the labyrinth would need to be able to control their landings well enough to do that much. If she missed, she would have to keep jumping until she could stick the landing regularly. She¡¯d expected this part to be easy, but as she struggled to control her drifting body she realized that it wasn¡¯t quite as simple a task as her brother had described.

    Bel watched with dismay as her feet drifted past the barge. Instead of landing on the wooden surface, her feet skid over the water before she plunged through its surface. Bel took a deep breath before her head submerged, and was immediately weighted down by her parachute.

    Thanks to her <em style="font-style: italic">improved lung capacity she wasn¡¯t in any immediate danger, but the rescue crew quickly came to her assistance anyway. In less than a minute they¡¯d pulled her out of the water and onto the barge to the cheers of a nearby fishing vessel.

    It was cold in the bottom of the Outpost since full sunlight only fell for a short time each day. Bel shivered as she glared up at the bridge where she¡¯d jumped. ¡°Think I can get up there and try again before the sun sets?¡± she asked.

    Seth patted her back and gestured at the dripping fabric of her parachute.

    Right. She had to learn maintenance and care as well. <em style="font-style: italic">Great, she thought. She couldn¡¯t wait for the hot air balloons to start working.

    The loud laugh of a wily old fox caught her attention.

    ¡°Flann!¡± she yelled, ¡°help me dry this out!¡±

    Her friend, the elderly fox-kin who only came up to her waist, waved his cane and hobbled over to her.

    ¡°Why bother? You¡¯re just gonna go in the drink again on your next try.¡±

    Bel snorted at him. ¡°I have to climb all the way back up. Unless I hurry, there won¡¯t be a next try.¡±

    Flann laughed. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got plenty of time.¡± He wiggled his bushy eyebrows. ¡°At least if you¡¯ll join me in my brand new hot air balloon.¡±

    He gestured excitedly to Seth, who had successfully touched down in the center of the barge.

    ¡°Hurry up kiddos, going up is twice as fun as going down. And, thanks to the generous donations of our friendly neighborhood spider-folk, we¡¯ll be riding comfy in silk slings the entire way!¡±

    Flann scurried over to a pile of silk and gestured excitedly for Seth and Bel to help him out. He had them lift it up into the air several times, and when it was falling slowly back to the ground he thrust his hands underneath and created a small cone of flames.

    Bel was worried that the old fox would simply burn their ride into ash, but the silk hemisphere retreated from the flames and puffed up like a loaf of fresh bread. Soon, the only things holding it down were Seth, Bel, and a large boulder that was rolled onto the carrying slings.

    Flann slipped himself into a sling ¨C which looked to Bel like a large, embarrassing diaper ¨C and gestured for them to join him. Once they were all firmly tied into position, Seth rolled the boulder free with a grunt of effort. Bel¡¯s breath caught in her throat as they slowly rose into the air.

    ¡°Wow!¡± she shouted with glee.

    Now that she wasn¡¯t hurtling towards her death she could enjoy the view. ¡°This is fantastic!¡±

    Flann nodded proudly, his hand sticking up as he continually fed a small flame to the balloon. ¡°Yup! I was giving rides to some of the young¡¯uns around town earlier. You shoulda seen their faces light up.¡±

    He grinned from ear to ear, clearly proud to be part of something so exciting.

    Bel smiled back. ¡°So how do you steer?¡±

    ¡°Eh.¡± He shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re hopin¡¯ to figure something out once we get into the caverns. Maybe bring some long poles and push away from the rocks.¡± He made a shoving moving with his cane.

    Bel stared at him with narrowed eyes.

    ¡°Whoah, girl, don¡¯t shoot the messenger! That was your brother¡¯s idea!¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 45 â€“ Awkward Introductions

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°It¡¯s not the dumbest idea,¡± James insisted.

    Bel scoffed. ¡°Birds don¡¯t fly with <em style="font-style: italic">poles, James.¡±

    James rolled his eyes. ¡°We also talked about putting a harness on a couple of people with wings, but Daran says that none of them can actually fly.¡±

    Daran nodded eagerly. ¡°It¡¯s true, their bodies are too large for their wings.¡±

    The ant-girl tilted her head in bewilderment. ¡°Why do you not like James¡¯ ideas, Bel? I think his ideas are very amazing.¡±

    Bel grimaced at how easily Daran was impressed with her brother¡¯s wacky ideas. ¡°Ugh, he¡¯ll be back to whining about the lack of internet in another week. Let¡¯s see if you still think the stuff coming out of his face sounds good. He¡¯ll probably spend an entire day talking about cat videos and pizza and all the stuff that¡¯ll never exist here.¡±

    ¡°Not true,¡± James objected, ¡°we¡¯ve already managed to duplicate the cell phone with some magic rocks. I¡¯m going to start up a schooling program to increase literacy and teach the scientific method. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be racing towards modern technology in a year or two ¨C including pizza.¡±

    He scratched at the thin beard forming on his chin. ¡°Well, maybe with some cheese substitute. And some tech is pretty far off.¡±

    He waved his hand through the air. ¡°Rockets aren¡¯t happening, I think. We can do assembly lines and math and stuff though.¡±

    Bel cringed at the thought of more math.

    ¡°Dreams are great, kids, but do you plan to stand around out here all night? You¡¯re supposed to be in this meeting.¡±

    Bel grinned at her older sister, spreading her arms for a hug. Beth stepped back, but Bel pouted at her until the older woman finally relented.

    Bel inspected her sister for any signs of injuries as she squeezed her. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve barely seen you this last month. Have you been exploring the Labyrinthos?¡±

    Beth nodded as she extricated herself from Bel¡¯s enthusiastic hug. ¡°Yeah. Well, a bit. Everyone here¡¯s too scared to actually go far enough to find anything interesting.¡±

    The overeager assassin glanced at Daran. ¡°No offense.¡±

    Daran¡¯s antenna twitched with amusement. ¡°I take none. All the sudden changes around here ¨C the death of the Dark Ravager, news of people behind the Blue Wall, the sudden return of the spirits ¨C is too much for a great many of us.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t think that war is necessary,¡± James grumbled. ¡°With the spirits back and the Dark Ravager gone it seems like things out here are fine.¡±

    Beth scowled. ¡°Out here, sure, but back in Satrap things can only be getting worse.¡±

    James shrugged. ¡°Oh no, the people who would have burned us at the stake are having a bad time, oh no.¡±

    Bel elbowed him in the gut. ¡°Hey. Some people were good.¡±

    James swatted her elbow away. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that there aren¡¯t good people, but more war means more death. War is indiscriminate, Bel,¡± he sighed.

    Beth clicked her tongue. ¡°Stop it with your big-word arguments. Technis is bad and Bel is going back into Satrap anyway. If the gods want him gone, then isn¡¯t it the right thing to do?¡±

    Bel¡¯s instincts were to take her brother¡¯s side, but she couldn¡¯t argue about the gods. When Kjar descended to the mortal plane and killed the Dark Ravager, she had also made it very clear to Bel that killing Technis should be her goal. It was the reason why the goddess Lempo had created her, at least as far as she¡¯d been told.

    Bel waved her hands between her siblings to get their attention. ¡°Look, ignoring whatever is happening in Satrap isn¡¯t a good idea. We don¡¯t know what Technis is capable of ¨C maybe he¡¯ll even invade the Golden Plains now that the Dark Ravager is gone. I¡¯m not saying that war is good, James, but I do think that the people here should be prepared.¡±

    Bel rolled up her right sleeve, revealing a colorful new tattoo of a lion¡¯s head breathing fire. She patted the image of her aunt for good luck. ¡°Kjar also gave me a mission, so I have to go.¡±

    ¡°You love showing that thing off,¡± James laughed.

    Bel¡¯s brow¡¯s knit together with annoyance. ¡°Of course. Kjar is awesome, and so is this tattoo.¡±

    Beth rubbed her forehead. ¡°Sure, we get that Bel, but why did you have to get one of that crazy spirit on your other arm too?¡±

    ¡°Dutcha?¡± Bel asked. ¡°Well, I was afraid that she would be jealous. Look, don¡¯t laugh, she¡¯s really powerful and scary too.¡±

    ¡°And couldn¡¯t be bothered to explain how to use that spirit binding ability?¡± James asked.

    Bel¡¯s face twisted. ¡°I think she assumes it¡¯s just natural. Spirits and people are pretty different. Orseis says that my body gets weirdly fuzzy whenever I try to use it, so I think my, uh, shape becomes momentarily flexible.¡±

    Bel made a smooshing motion with her hands. ¡°I just need to find a way to convince a spirit to just kind of jump on board.¡±

    Beth shook her head. ¡°Sounds silly to me.¡±

    Orseis leaned her head out of the save doorway where Beth had emerged. ¡°Hey, I thought you were fetching them? Why are you all just standing around out here? They¡¯re almost done telling their family histories, and the introductions are next.¡±

    The tentacled woman narrowed her w-slit eyes as she looked them over. ¡°You aren¡¯t planning on skipping the introductions, are you? The council wouldn¡¯t like that.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Beth nodded. ¡°Of course not.¡±

    She turned back to her siblings and smacked her hand onto her hip, the closest she could do to a one-handed clap. ¡°Right. Attendance is mandatory, but you don¡¯t need to pay attention.¡± She turned at glared at Bel. ¡°Just don¡¯t fall asleep.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened with innocence. ¡°Me? Fall asleep? Why would I do that? I¡¯m sure sitting through a bunch of people arguing about nonsense will be fascinating.¡±

    Beth jabbed her finger in James¡¯ direction. ¡°You never shoulda taught her sarcasm.¡±

    ¡°Whoah,¡± James protested, ¡°I think that comes from you.¡±

    Beth snorted as she followed Orseis back through the dark entryway. Daran scuttled in after them, and James squinted at Bel until she reluctantly entered the planning room.

    She blinked in the dim interior and almost immediately found herself lost in the crowd. The room was just a large in Outpost 3¡¯s wall, but there was space for fifty people around the massive stone table that dominated the center of the space. Light came in from a series of shafts that lead to the surface so she could see, theoretically. The tallest of the semi-humans were like roving clouds, blotting out the sun and blocking her view as they passed. Even with <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s sight, Bel was struggling to find her travel companions.

    She finally caught sight of a fluffy tail that she recognized. Bel rushed over to the familiar flame-tossing fox.

    ¡°Morning young¡¯un,¡± Flann called out. He was hanging out by the wall of the room, leaning on his cane with one hand and waving with the other.

    ¡°Hey Flann, how¡¯ve you been? How¡¯s Jan?¡±

    His whiskers twitched as the old man chuckled. ¡°He started a huge argument with his family. Couldn¡¯t let it go after he found out that Rikja had run away to join the Dark Ravager. He went back and had it out with his grandchildren, demandin¡¯ that they let the young ¡®uns take a turn out o¡¯ the old warren ta get some different perspectives.¡±

    The fox swished his puffy tail through the air. ¡°I¡¯d say that he¡¯s got most of the younger generations on his side, but the entire meerkat clan has sealed themselves in their warren until they reach a full consensus. I fear he may never escape,¡± Flann finished with a sad droop of his ears.

    He immediately perked up again. ¡°Oh, but he sends his best wishes. This also means that I¡¯ve got some free time, so I¡¯ll be comin¡¯ with you folks for the first couple of drops.¡±

    Bel clapped with excitement. ¡°That¡¯s excellent!¡±

    Flann chuckled and he hit the ground with the cane a few times to accentuate his mirth.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Thank Kjar for people I can trust. Although I do feel guilty that Jan is trapped in what sounds like the worst meeting ever.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that Jan is stuck,¡± Bel apologized. ¡°I hope they sort things out before we get back.¡±

    Flann slapped his thigh as he chuckled. ¡°Pretty confident, aren¡¯t ya? The Labyrinthos is a dangerous place, you know.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s nothing if not confident,¡± Orseis¡¯ precise voice answered.

    Bel pouted unconsciously; she was getting fed up with the tentacled girl¡¯s teasing. ¡°James says that I should have some swagger. You know, since I¡¯m the child of some goddesses and such.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ beak clacked as she chuckled. ¡°Of course you should,¡± she encouraged. ¡°We will all need some swagger to make it through the underworld.¡±

    ¡°We are not expecting to make it all the way on our first attempt, are we?¡±

    The deep, rumbling voice shook Bel¡¯s bones. She turned to see the speaker, who towered nearly a stride over her, more monument than man. He had thick, dark skin that could have been carved granite and an enormous mouth with tusks jutting out from his lower jaw.

    Bel didn¡¯t gawk ¨C she¡¯d been carried around by a spirit made of burning stone and had been violently bathed by a goddess ¨C but she did stare.

    ¡°Ah, let me introduce myself,¡± the statue intoned. ¡°I am Cleisthenes. My ancestor¡¯s were mostly hippos.¡±

    Bel examined his teeth as he spoke. She didn¡¯t know much about hippos, but his tusks reminded her of a predator ¨C or maybe they were just for intimidation? <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t think that I want to check.

    Bel hadn¡¯t payed too much attention to the other people who had been practicing with the parachutes because the majority of them wouldn¡¯t be in a her group anyway, but she was wishing that she¡¯d at least looked at them. Instead, she had mostly stuck with Flann during her practice. Orseis had also been a constant, undesired companion.

    ¡°Hi Cleisthenes, I¡¯m Bel.¡± She offered the massive man a handshake, a tradition that she and James had been popularizing among the handed semi-humans. ¡°Do you mind if I just call you Chris? Or Cleis? Something that I could shout in a hurry, you know, in case there¡¯s trouble while we¡¯re delving.¡±

    The large man chuckled as he gently pumped her hand up and down with his massive mitt. ¡°Cleis will work for me. Let me introduce my fellow soldiers as well.¡±

    Bel hadn¡¯t even noticed the two smaller individuals hiding in the hippo¡¯s bulky shadow.

    Cleis gestured at a woman with scaled skin and bulging eyes who was half his height. That put the fish-person at about a hand shorter than Bel. ¡°This is Pelagius.¡±

    Pelagius gaped her mouth at Bel in response.

    ¡°She can¡¯t speak ¨C tapping is more common for the fish-folk,¡± Cleis explained. ¡°She understands just fine though. Pelagius is one hell of a scout around any water.¡±

    Pelagius hefted a small metal stick with in one of her fins fin and rapidly tapped on it with her teeth.

    Bel waved awkwardly.

    Cleis gestured to the last person, who only came to Bel¡¯s waist. She recognized one of the snake people immediately from his scaled skin. Recalling her experiences with the first group of semi-humans she had met upon entering the Golden Plains Bel made a note to keep her own snakes away from him.

    ¡°This is Simon. He¡¯s good at squeezing into small spaces. Our plan is to let him and Pelagius do most of our scouting, and I¡¯ll take care of any fighting.¡± The big man thumped his chest while the small snake person carefully pulled his tail away from the hippo¡¯s enormous feet. Simon pulled out his own metal stick and tapped out a pattern on the surface with his nimble fingers.

    Bel noticed that everyone, including Flann and Orseis, nodded in understanding. Orseis even clacked out a response with her own beak.

    ¡°We got one more, right? Where¡¯s Johan?¡±

    Someone hooted at them and they looked up to see that a person was sitting in one of the light shafts. The feathered person dropped the rest of the way to the floor with a few wingbeats and hooted again in introduction.

    Bel sighed. She didn¡¯t think that she would ever fit in around the semi-humans of the Golden Plains. It didn¡¯t help that she¡¯d been too busy worrying about fixing her head to bother learning the stranger local languages.¡±

    Flann waved. ¡°¡¯Bout time you got here!¡±

    The fox gestured to the owl-like person. ¡°Johan will be responsible for steering the balloons! He¡¯s got a couple of abilities that will probably help out.¡±

    He winked at Bel. ¡°Better than poles, right?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes wound through the air in indecision. She¡¯d been on the balloon a few times with Johan, but his ability to move it balloon hadn¡¯t impressed her. James assured her that the large caverns in the underworld wouldn¡¯t have as much wind as the surface, but Bel wasn¡¯t going to believe it until she saw it.

    A loud thonking sound quieted the background murmurs and called everyone to attention. Bel shuffled forward with her team to fill a row of seats near the head of the table. Cleis and Pelagius broke away from their group to jump into a small pool that was set into the floor, but Bel continued onwards to a proper seat.

    Hanti, the four-armed ant warrior and the closest thing to a unified military commander in the Outpost, stood at the front of the table and slammed a large mallet into the wall until everyone took their places. She looked the crowd up and down until her eyes settled on James, who was still whispering something to Daran. She stared at him until Daran slapped a hand over his face, finally silencing the talkative otherworlder.

    Hanti smiled, in a feral ¡°let¡¯s kill and eat something¡± kind of way ¨C that was how Bel interpreted it at least ¨C before finally dropping her mallet.

    ¡°Thank you for gathering here,¡± the warrior spoke. ¡°Today we have representatives from all of the families of the alliance, as well as from those guilds who have been involved with this operation. We will be discussing a plan that will forever change the future of our peoples.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 46 â€“ Iron Age Slideshow

    <section>

    <section>

    Hanti began the meeting by nodding to a long line of important people who were distinguishable from the rest of the room by their fancy hats. She greeted each one by name and a brief list of accolades which slipped through Bel¡¯s memory like sand through her fingers.

    It didn¡¯t help that she still didn¡¯t understand the government in the Golden Plains. From what she¡¯d seen of it, consensus was built via shouting matches, bribes, and the occasional ceremonial fight. After Kjar and Dutcha had laid waste to the Dark Ravager¡¯s pyramid, Bel had been plunged face-first into the local politics. Things had gone about as well as swimming through mud. She had even started having dreams that her mother, primordial goddess of change and upheaval, would take things into her own hands if things didn¡¯t start happening soon.

    Unfortunately, bringing Lempo into the discussion had only created <em style="font-style: italic">even more discussion rather than speeding things up. Since that early frustration Bel had retreated to the desert and tried to be as uninvolved as possible, although she was anxious for them to finally make up their minds and get things moving.

    She wasn¡¯t the only one eager to get back to Satrap. Beth worried, with increasing volume, that they were losing the tactical advantage by giving Technis¡¯ forces more time to put down the Points rebellion and react to the Dark Ravager¡¯s incursion into their territory. Bel¡¯s sister leveraged the small army of semi-humans that she had riled up with the promise of human mates on the other side of the Barrier to much more effectively than Bel would have managed.

    Hanti finally finished her long-winded acknowledgements and began the meeting. Bel leaned forward in her seat, eager for things to finally commence.

    ¡°As you know,¡± Hanti began solemnly, ¡°with the death of the Dark Ravager many things have changed within the Golden Plains, both for good and for ill. The divine spirit released from his failed ritual has reseeded the continent with spirits, but the chaos she has caused in Skotos has had other repercussions.¡±

    She hoisted a string with a frightening number of ears impaled upon its length. ¡°The elves of Skotos continue their attacks. Despite being pushed back repeatedly, they are still arriving with nothing more than crude rafts, wooden spears, and bloodlust. Darshan?¡±

    Hanti gestured to her side and Darshan, a tall, wiry man with large eyes and a slender frame stood up. Bel couldn¡¯t decide if he had lizard or bird ancestry, or perhaps both, but either way he looked fast and deadly.

    ¡°Yes, general?¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Probably lizard, Bel thought after hearing his hissing response.

    ¡°Have we made any progress identifying any organization behind the elven incursions?¡±

    ¡°My spies returned overnight general. They report seeing great destruction from the spirit Dutcha¡¯s mana storm going straight through the heart of the elven lands. Although we cannot rule out that they were previously held back by the Dark Ravager¡¯s followers, I would conjecture that these are slaves who are escaping in the chaos rather than an organized reprisal from their prince.¡±

    Hanti snorted. ¡°So diplomacy would be useless once again, eh?¡± The ant-warrior glared at a fluffy woman sitting near the front of the table. The woman shrugged back in response, but Bel wasn¡¯t sure what that indicated. <em style="font-style: italic">Is the fluffy person pro-diplomacy? Bel had some vague memories of her going on and on about pointless things at great length, but she couldn¡¯t remember any of the details.

    A scaled woman who looked very similar to Crystal ¨C some kind of pangolin hybrid Bel had learned ¨C tapped on the table for attention. ¡°Have they been making any landings on the western side of the Golden Plains? Or do their attacks all go through the river?¡±

    Darshan wobbled his clawed lizard-hand in the air in a kind of ¡®so-so¡¯ gesture. ¡°Some land in the desert, but they give up quickly and continue in their water vessels. Most travel along the coast until they find the river. They are escaped slaves, and are ill-equipped to cross the desert so they find the river a more inviting route.¡±

    Hanti grinned. ¡°Well, with their short legs I¡¯m not surprised that they struggle with the sand. Keep an eye on them, and let us know if anything changes.¡±

    ¡°Of course, general.¡±

    Hanti looked at the people with fancy hats. ¡°With no new developments on that front, I believe we are ready to discuss the Satrap campaign. Unless anyone has any topics they would like to bring up?¡±

    James began to raise his hand, but Daran quickly squeezed him in a hug, locking his arms in place. Beth gave her an appreciative nod. Bel felt a mix of guilt and glee ¨C guilt that she¡¯d left her brother without an ally, but glee seeing Daran handle him so easily. She couldn¡¯t help but feel hopeful that the ant-woman would make a good wife for her brother. She had gotten the people of the Golden Plains to adopt his technology far faster than would have been possible without her help, so Bel hoped that James would learn some social graces from his bride-to-be.

    The rest of the room ignored the small scuffle and the fancy hats were silent, so Hanti nodded with satisfaction and locked eyes with Beth, who had been sitting to Darshan¡¯s side. ¡°Lady Beth? I have heard that your people are ready for the trip into the Agartha ¨C I¡¯m sorry, into the Labyrinth, as you call it. How are your preparations?¡±

    Beth stood quickly, her back stiff and straight. ¡°I¡¯ll begin with a summary our situation for those who are new to the plan. As many of you know, we¡¯ve discovered an entrance to the Labyrinth under the Dark Ravager¡¯s pyramid. We believe he mined the area for spirits, but most of the passages they used are now blocked, leaving the passages under Outpost 3 as our best route of attack.¡±

    Beth grinned and held up a small skull. ¡°The area is crawling with scrattes, with the fire breathing dhvaras showing up less frequently. Aside from the pillars that hold up the world, the first layer is mostly empty. We¡¯ve done a fair bit of exploration, and we think that we¡¯ve found a route that leads to an empty cavern where a small task force will be able to drop most of the way to the second layer.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Beth carelessly tossed the skull into a corner of the room. ¡°Past the first layer though, we have no hard information. Your people have stories of seven layers, but we haven¡¯t been able to verify much of their content. We are certain that the Dark Ravager¡¯s followers had their own passages underneath their pyramid, but again, those have been buried.¡±

    Beth gestured at James. ¡°With our innovative new technology we won¡¯t be needing their old passages anyway.¡±

    The fluffy person who had attracted Hanti¡¯s glare earlier rang a small chime to interrupt. Her voice quavered with age, but she spoke with a calm, soothing tone. ¡°Is it not possible for us to negotiate with the Dark Ravager¡¯s former cultists for more information? Surely that would be a better alternative than going in blind, and perhaps you over-discount the value of their old routes.¡±

    Beth frowned. According to Beth, this kind of discussion had been the main obstacles to them moving quickly.

    Hanti quickly stood before Beth could response. ¡°Respected elder Rob¨¨te, this point has already been litigated to the point of death. Please do not interrupt unless you have a constructive point or an actual question.¡±

    Rob¨¨te¡¯s large ears drooped sadly. ¡°Surely if we offered amnesty to those¨C¡±

    Hanti smacked a hand into the table. ¡°Amnesty to who, elder? Unless you are sheltering former cultists and have been hiding them from us, we know of no one to offer amnesty to.¡±

    At Hanti¡¯s angry words several different people leaped ¨C or leaned ¨C up to shout their own accusations and indignations into the air. Bel met her sister¡¯s gaze and rolled her eyes. This was why she avoided all of these meetings.

    It took a solid minute and Hanti banging her mallet to bring everything to order again. Her antenna wheeled angrily through the air as she gnashed her teeth in the direction of anyone who continued making noise. Finally, the room grew quiet. She gestured with her mallet and commanded, ¡°Beth, please continue.¡±

    The assassin nodded eagerly. She reached into her cloak and removed a metal disk with intricate filigree that fit into the palm of her hand.

    ¡°We do not need the Dark Ravager¡¯s secrets,¡± she declared, ¡°we have already copied his technology for piercing through the Barrier ¨C the Blue Wall as you call it ¨C and need only place agents on the other side to secure passage.¡±

    Beth nodded in Bel¡¯s direction. ¡°The goddess Kjar has already given us information on how to pass through the Barrier. We will send a small team under it. Surely no one here will object to the directions of a goddess?¡±

    Beth paused for a moment, but there were no audible objections, although Bel saw a few people twisting their mouths or fluffing their feathers.

    Beth dropped the disk onto the table and pulled out a large bundle of silk. ¡°I¡¯m sure that many of your have already heard of our experiments. These ¡®parachutes¡¯ and ¡®hot air balloons¡¯ make use of innovations from the Old World, innovations that the Dark Ravager knew nothing about. While he may have had discovered one possible pathway through the layers of the Labyrinth, we will be able to find a more direct route.¡±

    Beth gestured to James, who eagerly jumped to his feet. While the room filled with quiet murmurs, the read-headed otherworlder quickly set up a tripod that reached most of the way to the ceiling. He hoisted a piece of fabric held open by a rod onto the tripod, revealing a small diagram.

    This was a technique called a ¡°slide show.¡± James swore that his ¡°power pointing ability¡± would blow the minds of everyone in the room.

    Beth picked up an arm length pointing stick and gestured to a curved line that represented the surface of Olympos. It was even labelled, the word ¡°Olympos¡± stitched into the fabric in large letters. An arrow connected the name to the curved line.

    ¡°As I mentioned, we have discovered a route that leads to a thousand stride drop onto the bottom of the first layer.¡± Beth traced a red line that descended through the outer circle and dropped through a large empty space. ¡°Our task force will parachute down to the bottom of this floor, bypassing most of the level.¡±

    Beth pointed to a small drawing of parachutes dropping down.

    ¡°Then they will immediately drop through another opening and straight into the second layer.¡±

    She pointed at a number two stitched into the fabric, with another set of parachutes dropping below it.

    ¡°Once they have reached the bottom, they will assess the second level. Stories indicate that it will be watery, so we have included several people skilled in water scouting and combat in the task force.¡±

    Beth gestured at Cleis and Pelagius, who waved their hand and flipper. Orseis, dutifully sitting at Beth¡¯s side, stuck an appendage out of her cloak and waved a few of her tentacles as well.

    Beth nodded to James, and he swapped out the first cloth drawing for a second. It depicted a watery layer with two different scenes clearly divided by a thick cord running through the center of the cloth.

    ¡°In one scenario,¡± Beth explained, ¡°the Barrier only extends through the first layer. If that is the case, the task force will alert us through James¡¯ call stones and will be able follow with the bulk of our forces whenever they are ready. The task force will ascend into Satrap and send us information as we work to join them.¡±

    Beth pointed at the second drawing, where several figures were stuck on the other side of a blue line. ¡°If the Barrier extends deeper, they will scout the area and gather more actionable information before returning with their hot air balloon.¡±

    Beth glared at Rob¨¨te. ¡°We have already agreed,¡± Beth bit out, ¡°to wait until after the main harvest before beginning our assault. Spending additional time scouting beforehand will ensure that we can move quickly once we mobilize.

    The fluffy elder shrugged off Beth¡¯s complaints.

    ¡°If the second layer is similar in size to the first, then it would take us a week at most to find a path through,¡± Beth explained.

    James swapped to a third cloth panel. This one illustrated six layers with question marks underneath the known first layer. There was some math and the number 60 was circled on the side. Beth tapped the number. ¡°Even if we have to descend to the center of Olympos, if the task force spends a full ten day week finding a route through each level it will only take slightly more than half a month.¡±

    She pointed to another column of numbers. ¡°Some have suggested that the creatures will grow more dangerous as we proceed. If we imagine that the time it takes to map a route increases by half of the time of the previous layer, the absolute worst imaginable case that Hanti and I can imagine, then exploring the six additional layers would take slightly more than 200 days, or two months, just after the end of the main harvest.

    The room was quiet, apparently intimidated by the show of numbers, just as James predicted.

    Hanti grinned with satisfaction as she stepped forward. ¡°Thank you Beth.¡±

    The warrior ant queen tapped her fingers against the pommel of one of her swords. ¡°The soothsayers have approved two groups of seven to serve as two groups in the task force. They have only to make a small offering at a ceremony to the gods before they leave. If there are no more <em style="font-style: italic">reasonable objections, I will send them on their way.¡±

    Hanti glared, daring anyone to speak. She smiled slightly at the silence and smashed her mallet into the stone. ¡°Then this meeting is complete.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t suppress a trill of excitement that travelled up her spine and ended the flicks of her serpents¡¯ tongues. She was going to explore the alien world underneath Olympos¡¯ surface. She was going to grow strong and powerful. Then she was get back to Satrap, where she would avenge Ventas and kill the false god, Technis.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 47 â€“ Tension

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel tapped her feet with irritation and angrily tugged at one of her snakes.

    ¡°Whoah, calm down sis. You¡¯ll tear that thing off.¡±

    Bel rolled her remaining eye at her brother. Her snakes hissed with mild rebuke. ¡°This is so stupid,¡± she complained.

    ¡°What is?¡±

    Bel gestured to the open air sculpture garden. ¡°It¡¯s going to take us another hour to leave because of this.¡±

    James shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s traditional to offer prayers to your gods before you go. Just be thankful that the augurs are letting you go today rather than waiting for the seventh day of the seventh week of the month or some nonsense like that.¡±

    One of Bel¡¯s snakes hissed at the thought.

    James shrugged. ¡°Hey, they even built new masks for your moms. That¡¯s not so bad, right?¡±

    He gestured towards a corner of the room where Kjar and Lempo had been placed.

    Bel sighed as she wandered over to them. Her lips twisted with disapproval when she got a closer look. Each pedestal in the room had an actor on actress on it, dressed up like a deity. Their costumes were completed with comically large clay masks of the deity, ruining any semblance of dignity. This was apparently the tradition of the Golden Plains, taking the place of the statues in Satrap.

    Bel thought of the rough power of Kjar and found the whole thing insulting.

    Kjar¡¯s actress wasn¡¯t nearly muscular enough, and her robes looked cheap in comparison to the real goddess. Also, her eyes didn¡¯t glow.

    ¡°I can¡¯t pray to some stranger,¡± Bel whispered in English.

    ¡°Just play along,¡± he whispered back. ¡°People everywhere take their beliefs too seriously, and you don¡¯t want to insult them.¡±

    Bel stifled a grimace as she walked up to the person dressed as Kjar. ¡°Hi auntie,¡± Bel said cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go kill Technis, now. Wish me luck!¡± The actor almost sputtered when Bel glibly popped a thumbs-up gesture in her direction.

    Bel snickered quietly as she moved to the Lempo pedestal, which was¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to be?¡±

    Bel looked between the formless lump of clay and the distraught actress standing next to it. Her scaled hands were moving frantically over the mess, attempting to shove it back together. She looked up at Bel and froze, horror painted clearly across her shimmering face.

    Her long tongue snaked out as she flicked the air nervously and she started hyperventilating.

    ¡°I¡­it¡­it just slipped¡­¡± She hiccuped, clearly close to tears. Well, Bel didn¡¯t know if she was capable of tears, but she looked like she was in bad shape.

    James looked at the bits of clay that had once been a mask of Lempo. He put an arm around the clearly distraught girl and led her away. ¡°You know,¡± he started, ¡°my sister has met the goddess in person, so she probably doesn¡¯t actually need the acting, you know?¡±

    ¡°B¨Cbut¡­¡±

    Bel ignored the girl as her brother lead her away. She felt bad, but she¡¯d learned that she was absolutely terrible at comforting people. It didn¡¯t help that a lot of people in the Golden Plains were scared of her after what happened with the Dark Ravager.

    Bel sighed. ¡°Well, mom, I¡¯m off to do that stuff. I hope I¡¯m fast enough.¡±

    Bel glanced down at the broken mask and was surprised to see that it had reformed into a small statue of Lempo. Well, Lempo in the shape of a fanged, tentacled thing. It was still Lempo though ¨C Bel could just tell.

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re paying attention? Thanks.¡±

    Bel stared at the currently unmoving statue. ¡°Well, I uh, I guess you aren¡¯t going to say anything. Your last plan worked out okay, so hopefully this one will as well. Just, um, give me enough time to finish it.¡±

    Bel glanced at her brother. ¡°You know, don¡¯t get impatient and start destroying the planet. You¡¯ll probably do whatever you want, but maybe it doesn¡¯t hurt to ask.¡±

    Bel tilted her head. She actually had a lot that she wanted to ask her goddess-mother, but she doubted that she would get a response from the puddle of clay.

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s it. I¡¯ll go kill Technis.¡±

    The clay wriggled and morphed into an expressionless version of the blond woman that Ventas had kept on his desk. Her gaze was even more disconcerting than the tentacled creature. Bel gave Lempo the same thumbs up that she¡¯d given Kjar. The goddess slowly morphed to return the gesture, but with her thumb facing down. Bel backed away slowly.

    ¡°I think I calmed her down,¡± James said. He stopped when he saw the statue. ¡°What the heck is that?¡±

    Bel glanced back and forth between her brother and the statue, afraid to look away from it for too long. ¡°It¡¯s Lempo,¡± she explained. ¡°Her eyes are giving me the chills, and she¡¯s pointing her thumb in the wrong direction.¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Oh,¡± James started. Bel immediately recognized his lecturing mode. ¡°You see, the thumbs up and thumbs down gestures are from ancient Rome. When someone lost a fight the emperor would hold his thumb up to spare someone, or hold it down to tell the winner to kill them.¡±

    Bel looked at the small Lempo statue. It¡¯s thumb was pointing straight down.

    ¡°I guess my mom doesn¡¯t like Technis.¡±

    <hr>

    With the ceremony out of the way, Bel and her group descended a long, dark shaft that stabbed through the ground and into the Labyrinth. The route was wide enough for them to use riding lizards, and their way was regularly patrolled so Bel wasn¡¯t expecting much excitement.

    Instead, Bel turned to the new faces for entertainment. She couldn¡¯t actually speak with Pelagius, the fish, Simon, the snake, or Johan, the bird, so she smiled at Cleisthenes and cleared her throat.

    ¡°So Cleis, what do¨C¡±

    ¡°Quiet,¡± he snapped. ¡°Silence is imperative to our safety in the Labyrinth.¡±

    Bel looked around them. The passageway was barren but well lit by ever-burning candles placed on stands every ten strides or so. Bel turned in her saddle to look at Flann, but the fox just shrugged.

    Bel looked behind them to see Beth¡¯s group, with James surrounded in a protective circle. She could see her brother gesticulating as he talked even from their hundred-stride distance. She sighed.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m missing my brother¡¯s rambling. She cast an annoyed side-eye at the warrior hippo who had rebuffed her attempt at conversation.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, maybe Cleis is just nervous. I¡¯ll have to try to get to know him better once we break for camp.

    They rode in an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the day before arriving at their forward operations encampment. The soldiers had crafted three sets of circular walls about the camp. Most of them were peering suspiciously into the darkness, but a small group of younger members came and brought food for the riding lizards as Bel¡¯s group entered the camp¡¯s center. The group felt a little low energy to her, but it was probably late in the evening, although she couldn¡¯t be sure without any natural light.

    She grunted as she slid down from the saddle and rubbed at her sore rump. She held out a helping hand for Flann as he slid down from his own mount. He immediately began, twisted and stretching until his back popped.

    ¡°How close are we to the jumping point?¡±

    ¡°Beats me. I¡¯m more worried about how close we are to a warm meal,¡± the old fox replied.

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Hey, Cleis,¡± she called out.

    ¡°My apologies, Miss Bel, but I must see to our supplies. Please see to our resting area.¡±

    Bel¡¯s cheeks puffed in irritation as the large hippo spun away and stomped off to another part of the camp. ¡°What¡¯s his problem?¡± she asked.

    Flann patted her on the elbow. ¡°Seems like a new military boy straight outta the academy to me. Someone¡¯s spoiled brat rather than the properly trained warrior that should be out here. I think Hanti just didn¡¯t want to give too much authority to your sister.¡±

    The fox turned to the other newcomers and clicked a quick pattern onto a nearby rock. The others joined in, and soon they were engaged in what looked and sounded to Bel like a bizarre, percussive concert.

    Orseis drifted next to her, her features hidden behind her cloak and veil. Her curved pupils glared at Cleis¡¯ retreating back. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all fresh. The plump fish went through training with the hippo, so don¡¯t expect any support from her.¡±

    Bel glanced at her tentacled companion and wondered if she had dreams of eating their other party members. Hopefully not, although Orseis joked about eating different ocean people with an uncomfortable frequency.

    ¡°Well, I guess that I¡¯d better go make sure we¡¯ve got lodging,¡± Bel muttered, ¡°whatever lodging means in the middle of a cave.¡±

    Cleis didn¡¯t return until it was time to eat, and immediately after that he insisted that it was time to sleep.

    ¡°Beth¡¯s group isn¡¯t getting ready to sleep,¡± Bel said, pointing at her sister¡¯s group.

    Cleis snorted. ¡°That is because your brother is busy setting up the communication stone that serves as a relay that will connect the forward encampment with our base of operations. They will be following after us tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re planning to leave them behind? That wasn¡¯t part of the plan.¡±

    The hippo thumped his stomach with a powerful slap of his arm. ¡°We will merely be preparing the way for the second group to follow. Now, I know that our pace has been difficult for a non-military person such as yourself. We will set forth in a few brief hours, so I suggest that you get your rest.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ugh, it¡¯s not even worth talking to him.

    Bel stomped over to her bedroll and flopped onto the hard stones. It kind of hurt, but she was annoyed enough to blame Cleis for that was well. She angrily thunked her head into her pillow and pulled her blanket over her face.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What a jerk, she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">He just doesn¡¯t like me for some reason, he doesn¡¯t treat his fighters like this. She could even hear a couple of the others communicating, quietly tapping to one another.

    <hr>

    The next day was much the same. They woke up, ate food, and then Cleis tried to rush them onto their riding lizards.

    ¡°At least let me see my siblings off,¡± she complained.

    Cleis stomped one of his thick feet against the ground. ¡°They have things to do ¨C and so do we. War isn¡¯t some fun trip, I¡¯ll have you know. Hanti warned me that you lot may not be good at following orders, and she¡¯s already given me leave to replace you if that¡¯s the case.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes narrowed at Cleis¡¯ words. <em style="font-style: italic">Politics, she realized. <em style="font-style: italic">I hate politics.

    Bel grumpily jumped onto her riding lizard and stared daggers into the Cleis¡¯ back as they rode away. When he turned around to begin briefing them on whatever nonsense he wanted to speak on, Bel made sure to brush her teeth at the same time. She¡¯d noticed that the hippo seemed to be disgusted by the foaming goop that her brother had concocted.

    After he was done talking about scrattes ¨C for an entire ten minutes! ¨C he rode back alongside her.

    ¡°I find your habits to be very disrespectful gorgon.¡±

    Bel replied in English. ¡°And I find your face ugly. You¡¯re also an idiot.¡±

    He frowned at her, his large, wide face pulling together like a mushy pumpkin. ¡°It is rude to speak in a language that others cannot understand.¡±

    Bel gestured at the rest of the group, the ones who didn¡¯t speak any tongue with which she could converse, and pinched her eyebrows with annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s rude? They don¡¯t seem to think so.¡±

    ¡°It is only natural that you should speak their tongue. Under the water your air-based language is simply impossible. Ask any aquatic and you will get the same answer.¡±

    ¡°Oh, language is overrated,¡± Orseis butted in. ¡°And that¡¯s some big talk for someone who only swims in freshwater. The <em style="font-style: italic">real aquatics swim in the ocean.¡±

    Orseis puffed herself up and her skin turned a threatening crimson. ¡°Anyway, air-based languages work great ¨C ever heard of a whale?¡±

    Cleis sputtered indignantly and began a barrage of angry complaints that Bel could scarcely follow. Orseis returned in kind and they spent the next couple of hours on the way to the forward encampment and their jumping point.

    Once they were there Bel would find out if all of her practice with the parachute was worth it.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 48 â€“ Outrageous Accusations

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°What in hells is your problem, Cleis?¡± Bel turned on the overbearing hippo, her nostrils flaring and her lone eye narrowed with anger. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to be an obstacle.¡±

    ¡°Whoah,¡± the hippo began, his meaty arms raised. ¡°Miss Bel, this¨C¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®whoah¡¯ me! I¡¯ve been in the damned Labythrinth before, if anyone¡¯s doing any ¡®whoahing¡¯ then it should be me!¡± she sputtered. ¡°And Beth has spent more time in the Labyrinth than all of us put together, so why are you trying to leave her behind? The council put her in charge of this exploration, didn¡¯t they? Hanti finally agreed to that, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Cleis shrugged. ¡°She did agree that Beth would be the nominal civilian lead, yes.¡±

    Bel gestured vaguely towards where they¡¯d left Beth behind. ¡°And Beth put me in charge of this group. So stop ignoring what I have to say.¡±

    The hippo tapped his hands together delicately. ¡°Well, your understanding is not quite correct, Miss Bel.¡±

    Her eye narrowed and her jaw clenched with frustration. <em style="font-style: italic">Politics, she thought angrily. Bel¡¯s serpents rose up to stare Cleis in the eye. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± he gestured at her, ¡°you are the civilian leader of this expedition. However, as the highest ranking military member, I will be in charge whenever we are not in a civilian situation.¡±

    Bel shook her head at him. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Are your brains made of mush? Anyway, Flann has been in way more battles than you have ¨C how about he leads anything ¡®non-civilian¡¯.¡±

    The hippo nodded. ¡°Certainly, I appreciate Mr. Flann¡¯s advice, but he was part of a volunteer militia in a war that is long over.¡± Cleis thumped his chest and gestured to the three other semi-humans with him. ¡°We have all been extensively trained in modern tactics. When it comes to battle, you¡¯ll find each of us quite capable. We will be relying upon Flann for logistical support with the hot air balloon, of course, but any additional support will not be required.¡±

    The hippo smiled. Bel¡¯s hand drifted to her new short sword as she wondered if she could take him in a fight. She¡¯d been busy recovering and trying to catch a spirit since the death of the Dark Ravager, but she had still reached the twentieth threshold of her second path. She¡¯d been saving her free strokes and practicing with her current abilities, and she thought that she¡¯d grown pretty competent.

    Bel also had the magical, faintly glowing armor that Kjar had gifted to her. Beth had spend a solid hour trying to scratch it without any result. She was feeling confident.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I think that I would hit him with a powerful glare to start, and then I¡¯d liquify his weapon just to teach him a lesson. Maybe give him a quick bite from my snakes.

    Cleis seemed to be big and in your face. Really big. Big enough that he could probably crush her in a single blow. <em style="font-style: italic">Well, maybe I would be better off just glaring at him when it would be most embarrassing. Maybe when he¡¯s relieving himself?

    While she was pondering, Cleis decided to take her silence as angry agreement. He gave a self-satisfied nod and turned away, gesturing for his semi-humans to follow after him.

    ¡°What a little prick,¡± Flann said.

    Orseis shrugged her tentacles. ¡°This is about what Beth predicted. While Hanti may support the overall invasion of Satrap, she also wants to manage every detail. I hope those four are at least capable of holding their own in a fight.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°They¡¯re capable of pissing me off at least. What kind of military training did they do anyway?¡±

    Flann flicked his tail. ¡°Hells if I know, kid. It was survival of the fittest in my day.¡±

    ¡°I was trained in the marshes of the Lip before following the shore to Outpost 2. By trained I mean I survived until I could leave.¡± A shudder passed through Orseis.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what these jokers got up to, but I¡¯m going to guess that there was a lot of sitting around and feeling smug about themselves,¡± Orseis added. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Outpost has its fighters absorb a standard set of abilities from the local wildlife before selecting one of the patrons of order.¡±

    Bel immediately recoiled at the thought. ¡°Order? Why not war or something? Order sounds like¡­¡± She pondered for a moment. ¡°It sounds like Technis¡¯ priests. I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Flann chuckled. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just what they do. Last big war was with the Dark Ravager¡¯s people back in my day.¡±

    ¡°I thought Daran said that everyone had to get along. Something about resources being to scarce to fight.¡±

    Flann chuckled. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not quite fightin¡¯, are we? If you didn¡¯t notice, nobody on the council agrees about anythin¡¯. Sometimes they hold tongues long enough to get things done, but usually it¡¯s just a lot of backstabbin¡¯.¡±

    Orseis flicked a tentacle at Bel¡¯s ear. ¡°Can¡¯t you call Beth with those ear¡­ uh, ear things?¡±

    Bel reached up to rub the new call stone that was hanging from her right ear, right below the earring that she¡¯d gotten from Ventas. ¡°It uses the pillars to carry the signal, or something weird like that. It¡¯ll only work within a few thousands strides of one of them, so it¡¯s useless right now.¡±

    Orseis clicked her beak with frustration, her expression partially obscured behind her veil. ¡°Lame,¡± she loudly drawled.

    Bel nodded sadly. ¡°Yeah, lame. Maybe I should just stab Cleis in his sleep?¡±

    Flann patted her elbow. ¡°We should parachute down into the wild part of the labyrinth and closer to the pillar tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe Cleis will leave some of this politickin¡¯ in the craphole once we get into the real shit.¡±

    Orseis snorted. ¡°Thank you for that strange ¨C and disgusting ¨C metaphor old man. Have you seen how much the hippo shits?¡±

    He guffawed, slapping his knee with delight. ¡°You¡¯ve got a sense of humor, young¡¯un!¡±

    Bel grinned. <em style="font-style: italic">Thank Kjar that these two are getting along, at least.

    <hr>

    Cleis shut down any conversation that night, spouting some nonsense about ¡°attracting the wildlife.¡± Bel didn¡¯t even bother try to argue, instead tossing her sleeping roll up again the cavern wall and turning away from the light of their torches. She thought angry thoughts until she finally drifted to sleep.

    She awoke some time later to someone¡¯s hand covering her face.

    ¡°Mmph!¡± she exclaimed.

    ¡°Shush, Bel. It¡¯s me.¡±

    Bel squinted into the darkness of the Labyrinthos, their torches extinguished at some point while she slept. <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s Sight helped her make out the form of a person standing above her, glowing with a slight aura that meant Kjar thought them something less than blameless but nowhere near as bad as a true villain. She recognized her sister immediately.

    ¡°Hey Beth,¡± she greeted her sister. ¡°Why are you skulking about?¡±

    ¡°Shush,¡± Beth replied. ¡°The hippo snores about a loud as a monsoon wind, but I don¡¯t want the rest to realize that I caught up with you. I need to warn you that Hanti plans to blow the mission and then blame it on my ¨C you know, since I¡¯m supposed to be in charge and stuff.¡±

    Bel nodded quickly. ¡°That makes sense. So Cleis is going to mess things up on purpose?¡±

    Beth chuckled. ¡°Ah, no. He¡¯s just really incompetent. Everyone knows it, apparently.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Beth rubbed at one of the knife handles protruding from her vest. ¡°Hanti did tell him to split the group, though. Anyway, here¡¯s my plan. You¡¯re going to let him mess up.¡±

    ¡°So far I¡¯m not liking it,¡± Bel quipped.

    ¡°Hush.¡± Beth poked her in the ribs. ¡°Listen to the entire things first. Hanti is going to find a way to blame use no matter what. I¡¯ll deal with the fallout up here, but¨C¡±

    Beth poked Bel in the ribs to punctuate her words. ¡°Do. Not. Leave. Let Cleis run back to report his failure, but you stay down there with Orseis. See if you can keep Flann with you as well.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not much of a plan.¡±

    Beth patted her on the head, rustling her dozing snakes. ¡°It will be once you make it under the Barrier and up the other side. When you¡¯re successful, Hanti will just have to suck it up. Talk to us with James¡¯ magic rock until then.¡±

    Bel yawned as she tried to think about all the ways Beth¡¯s terrible idea would go wrong. ¡°I still think it¡¯s a terrible plan. The three of us going deep into the Labyrinth? Sounds downright stupid.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on, Bel,¡± Beth snorted. ¡°You¡¯re blessed by some goddesses, right? It should be simple.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some fancy, glowing armor. That doesn¡¯t exactly make me invulnerable.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not invulnerable, but you¡¯ll be tough to kill. Look at me ¨C I lost an arm, and I¡¯m still getting stuff done. You¡¯ve just got to ride these waves and keep on swimming.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think¨C¡±

    ¡°Whoops, I think I hear someone else stirring. Well, you just stick to the plan, okay kid? I¡¯ll see you when you get to the other side.¡±

    Before Beth could finish rolling her eyes, Beth had already darted off into the darkness.

    Bel sighed heavily and tossed herself back into her sleeping roll. If she was about to embark on something stupid, she at least wanted to be well rested.

    <hr>

    Bel yawned uncontrollably as her eye drifted shut.

    ¡°Oi, Bel, we¡¯re here,¡±

    She looked up at Orseis and then turned towards the distance. She could see a rough gate that was protected by a few semi-humans armed with long spears.

    ¡°Is this the jump point?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Flann replied. ¡°I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be excited.¡±

    Bel glanced at Cleis and his entourage, who had been slowly pulling away from Bel¡¯s group during the morning ride. ¡°Well, I wanted a chance to talk without them listening in. Beth thinks that they¡¯re going to blow everything on purpose. When they do, she wants me to stay in the Labyrinth and keep looking for a way through.¡±

    ¡°And she wants us to stay with your, right?¡± Orseis added. ¡°She came and saw me last night too.¡±

    Bel clicked her tongue. ¡°Look, it¡¯s a dumb plan and I don¡¯t want you two staying if it¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    Flann chuckled, a series of sneeze-like wheezes. ¡°Ah, youngun¡¯, I¡¯ve been up to much more dangerous. Anyhow, who else would inflate your escape balloon if I leave ya down there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m staying too,¡± Orseis proclaimed.

    ¡°Thanks, guys. But, even if my goddess mother plans to protect me, that doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯ll protect you. I think¨C¡±

    A loud shout interrupted Bel¡¯s speed. Cleis was standing tall on his very tired-looking riding lizard, waving angrily at them.

    ¡°Do not separate from your protection! The labyrinth eats mistakes like that for breakfast!¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°What is even going through his head? Does he listen to what he says? Maybe he doesn¡¯t actually know words, and he¡¯s just making random sounds that we <em style="font-style: italic">think are him speaking?¡±

    Flann leaned over in his saddle to pat Bel on her back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Bel, we know what we¡¯re gettin¡¯ into.¡±

    Orseis and Flan directed their lizards forward with flicks of their reins, and Bel followed behind them helplessly. As they neared the small encampment the visibility increased. There was a very large fire burning with unnatural stillness in the center of the camp, illuminating a wide area around their solid fencing. Several stern-faced guards watched them with suspicion as they approached the gate.

    After a few moments of awkward silence, the guards pulled open the large metal gate. Cleis urged his riding lizard ahead.

    ¡°Greetings, Lykus!¡± he called.

    A tall, gray-furred man lifted an arm in greeting. ¡°Greetings, Cleisthenes.¡±

    Bel was the last to direct her own riding lizard into the gate. A couple of semi-humans shoved it shut behind her. They directed her to bring it to a paddock, clearly meaning to exclude her from whatever conversation was happening between Cleis as Lykus. She tossed her reins to one of the startled guards as she dismounted, and ambled over to Cleis, with Flann and Orseis joining her a moment later.

    ¡°Greetings, Lykus!¡± she called out. ¡°Cleis has been telling me all about you.¡±

    She grinned at the hippo, interested to see if he would contradict her.

    Lykus looked down his long snout at her. ¡°And you must be¨C¡±

    She shoved her hand forward to shake. ¡°Bel, beloved daughter of the goddess Lempo, blood-child of the divine spirit of chaos Dutcha, niece of the mighty god of punishment Kjar, and the appointed leader of this expedition.¡±

    She grabbed the semi-human¡¯s paw and vigorously shook it while he gaped.

    Cleis cleared his rumbling throat. ¡°Hmm, what she means is that¨C¡±

    Bel waved her hand dismissively and interrupted. ¡°Yes, yes, Cleis is in charge of the day-to-day details, stuff like rationing food and where to poop. So, Lykus, what do we know about our landing site?¡±

    Bel could hear a quiet chittering as Orseis¡¯ beak clicked with laughter.

    Bel felt bad for poor Lykus; his ears drooped and his tail sagged between his legs. He clearly wasn¡¯t happy being involved in the little power play between her and Cleis, but Bel couldn¡¯t let Cleis continue thinking that he was the one in charge or he would do something stupendously stupid and get them all killed. The inexperienced hippo just didn¡¯t have enough skin in the game to be the one making decisions. For all she knew, his plan was to eat all the food on the first day and then give up the mission due to unavoidable starvation.

    Cleis rumbled with discontent, but Lykus made the decision to rush through things and get rid of them. He gestured down the tunnel, where Bel could now see that it came to an abrupt end.

    ¡°We¡¯ve lowered a few people on ropes. They¡¯ve dropped torches to check the depth, and we¡¯re looking at nearly two thousand standard strides.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°That¡¯s deep. It should take us to the next level, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    Lykus nodded. ¡°It should. Seems to be a gigantic sinkhole.¡±

    He pointed off in a direction, although there was just a rock wall there. ¡°Best thing is, once you drop you¡¯ll be able to see the Blue Wall, and a pillar that supports the world in front of it. If there¡¯s a route under it, this¡¯ll be the way to go.¡±

    ¡°Is the return clear for the balloons?¡± Cleis asked.

    Lykus tilted his head. ¡°Eh. We haven¡¯t dropped, so I¡¯m not sure. We¡¯ll be keeping torches lit at the edge so you can find the cliff again, and we¡¯ll have a few of our people standing by with hooks to drag you in when you ascend.¡±

    Cleis rubbed his massive mitts together. ¡°Excellent. Then we shall begin our descent. Since Miss Bel is lacking in low-light vision¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel interrupted, ¡°that¡¯s not the case. I have an ability for that.¡±

    Cleis only paused for a moment. ¡°Forgive me, I misspoke. I meant that since you do not have the ability to see great distances, that we should have another person take point.¡±

    Bel quickly directed her senses inwards to the constellations of abilities that hung near the sensation of her cores. She traced the pattern for an ability that she called <em style="font-style: italic">Eyes of the Huntress from her gorgon abilities, burning it onto the open strokes of her unpathed core in record time.

    The ability filled thirty-three strokes, but let her see at a distance and even glare from farther away.

    It seemed a bit silly to use so many strokes ¨C three quarter of the free strokes in her unpathed core ¨C just to win an argument, but Bel wasn¡¯t going to back down now. Besides, she¡¯d been thinking about taking the ability in any case.

    ¡°I actually <em style="font-style: italic">do have an ability that lets me see long distances.¡±

    A strange tingle enveloped her remaining eye as her ability took hold. Bel looked at Cleis and could now see the massive hippo¡¯s dissatisfaction in incredible detail. The untested warrior shifted his armor and thumped his large poleaxe into the ground.

    ¡°Nevertheless, I shall descend first to secure out landing sight. From your practice jumps, I estimate that your landing will be off target. It will be best if you wait to jump until we secure the area.¡±

    Bel seethed. It wasn¡¯t her fault that she only had one eye and no depth perception.

    Lykus nervously waved his hand for attention. ¡°Actually, we already have pretty clear instructions for the jump. The artificer ¨C James ¨C he already planned it out.¡±

    Lykus gestured to the cliff edge. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll show you.¡± The wolf-man trotted away, clearly happy to cut off their arguing. Everyone in their group hurried after him.

    Lykus was standing by a large parachute with a large plate tied to the bottom. ¡°This¡¯ll go down first. We¡¯ll light it before we toss it, and it should illuminate the way down.¡±

    Lykus held his hand in the air. ¡°There¡¯s no breeze down here, so it should fall pretty straight. It won¡¯t burn forever though, so everyone needs to follow along after it. James said it would be best to go in order of size, so Cleis should go first.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t really object to that ¨C it was her brother¡¯s plan. She nodded grudgingly and Lykus smiled.

    He gestured to a metal bar that had been driven into the ground at the edge of the cliff. ¡°Just affix your rip cords to this, and then jump off, one after the other.¡±

    He wagged his tail, clearly excited to be rid of them. ¡°Any questions?¡±

    Everyone grunted, nodded, clicked, or hooted their assent. Cleis was going first, followed by the fishy Pelagius. Then Bel and Orseis, who were about the same size. Johan looked like he was larger than Flann, but his hollow bird bones and feathers exaggerated his mass so the fox went before him. Simon, the waist-high, rope-thin snake person was going last.

    ¡°Artificer James estimated that the fall would take a couple of minutes, although it depends how far up the rim of the sinkhole you land. Try to avoid the side closest to the pillar. A huge colony of scrattes has built a nest around it.¡±

    Everyone glared at the man; that seemed like an important detail to leave out until the last moment.

    He grinned back at them. ¡°Well, best of luck to you all!¡±

    He gestured to one of the guards and they lit a highly flammable substance that filled the large dish. Lykus immediately jumped in to help the other guard shove the burning dish over the edge, and then he waved his arms at them. ¡°Hurry, hurry! You need to follow the light!¡±

    Cleis didn¡¯t hesitate. The ground thumped as he ran up to the edge and hurled himself over. Pelagius soon followed, and then it was Bel¡¯s turn. She didn¡¯t want to hold up the line and ruin the jump, so she rushed over, hitched the cord from her parachute back onto the bar, and tossed herself over the edge.

    It took everything she had to keep her eye open. She also kept the screaming to a minimum.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 49 â€“ First Layer First Impressions

    <section>

    <section>

    The world opened up around her as Bel fell below the edge of the cliff. The people of the Golden Plains talked about the pillars in near reverent tones, but Bel hadn¡¯t understood why until that moment. The glow of the far off Barrier combined with her newly acquired <em style="font-style: italic">eye of the huntress revealed the details of the cavern as she fell. The walls were nothing but craggy rock for as far as she could see, but one of the pillars that support the world was in between her position and the Barrier, a column of near darkness backlight by a hard, blue glow.

    The pillar was enormous. Mind bogglingly huge. Bel was nearly as shocked as the first time she¡¯d seen the ocean. Her mind fizzled at the sight ¨C an unblemished, reflective metal cylinder that thrust up through the bottom of the cavern and out through the top, like a whale cutting through the ocean without a care for everything it displaced.

    She had seen the top of this pillar under the remains of the Dark Ravager¡¯s collapsed pyramid, but it had looked like an uninteresting decapitated cone from the surface. When they began to excavate it, scrattes had poured from an opening on the side until they reburied it, so its true size hadn¡¯t been revealed. Daran claimed that the pillars that dotted the surface of Olympos went all the way to the Heart of Olympos, the center of the world.

    James dismissed the idea as impossible ¨C something about pressure and molten cores of superheated metal ¨C but the moment Bel saw the gradually widening pillar she felt that it could be true.

    Bel marvelled at the structure ¨C surely placed by the gods when Olympos was formed ¨C as she fell, careless to her destination. Finally, movement on the surface attracted her attention. With a sigh, she finally broke eye contact with the enormous pillar.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It would be nice to go exploring somewhere that isn¡¯t dangerous. One of those ¨C what does James call them? A vacation?

    Bel looked down. Still far below her dangling feet, she could see the scratte nest that they¡¯d been warned about. It didn¡¯t look like the small, green bipeds were able to scratch the metal of the pillar itself, but wherever there was an opening in the pillar they had suspended platforms and rope bridges, forming a spiderweb around the base of the structure.

    <em style="font-style: italic">How do they make rope? Bel wondered. <em style="font-style: italic">Actually, how do they make anything? Didn¡¯t the ones I fought with Beth have tools? One of them had a necklace with a creepy religious symbol, too.

    Bel pondered as she slowly descended, but at the halfway point she finally remembered that she was supposed to be aiming for a landing spot. Luckily for her, she was drifting along the same course as burning disk, blown by the same gentle currents of wind as her target. The lead parachute was easy to see, glowing like a beautiful jellyfish from the fire it carried. The parachutes of Cleis and Pelagius were off to the side, probably to avoid falling straight into the fire after it landed, so Bel tugged on her parachute until she aligned with their trajectories.

    She frowned when she realized that the guide flame was going straight into the center of the sinkhole, but Cleis kept guiding to the side so that he would land much farther up the ridge.

    ¡°No skin in the game,¡± she muttered to herself. A couple of her snakes nodded in agreement. Her frown turned into a grimace as the guide light illuminated movement among the rocks and loose soil of the sinkhole¡¯s slope. It looked like scrattes were already rushing to investigate ¨C they stood out against their dim surroundings, glowing with a faint, angry aura in <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s Sight. With her new <em style="font-style: italic">eye of the huntress ability she could see a veritable ant hive of activity around her.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Now I almost wish that I hadn¡¯t taken this ability. I don¡¯t want to know how many scrattes are running around down here.

    Bel touched and double-checked all of her parachute¡¯s buckles and straps, making sure that she¡¯d be ready to release as quickly as possible. It didn¡¯t look like the scrattes would be giving her much time to prepare.

    Bel saw Cleiss hit the ground first below her. He fumbled for a moment, but released his parachute before any scrattes reached him. A moment later he began spinning his poleaxe in wide, deadly arc. Bel angled her descent away from the enormous hippo and his deadly weapon. She didn¡¯t fancy being caught by an errant swing.

    Pelagius landed a bit to the side and ended up in a tangled heap. Bel clicked her tongue in displeasure as the awkward fish-person¡¯s predicament. She pulled on the cords of her parachute to angle her trajectory back in Pelagius¡¯ direction.

    She struck the ground with enough forward momentum to send her skidding, but she was only a few seconds of hard running away from Pelagius. With practiced motions, Bel released her parachute from her back and ran to Pelagius. Bel quickly loosened the strap holding her sword in its sheath as she covered the distance. Pelagius had already attracted the attention of a couple of scrattes, but she was hopelessly entangled in her parachute and in no position to defend herself.

    Bel caught up to one of the short scrattes and stabbed it straight through its important organs, just like Beth taught her. Its death warble halted the second scratte in its tracks, which gave Bel time to kick the first from her sword and come to Pelagius¡¯ defense.

    Bel prepared to <em style="font-style: italic">glare, but both she and the scratte were surprised when a tentacled mass leaped from the shadows. The scratte shrieked in fear as it was wrapped in tentacles and squeezed like a juiced fruit. Bel had seen Orseis kill a couple of hairy elves before, so she quickly turned away from the sight before the scratte¡¯s organs were pulped out of its body.

    She had originally assumed that the woman would fight with the same finesse as Beth since the two of them got along so well, but that couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth. Orseis fought with a raw brutality that made Bel¡¯s snakes twist, literally ripping her opponents to shreds.

    Bel slowly spun, looking for more threats and checking on her allies. Cleis had gone into some kind of rage and was swinging his poleaxe around wildly while invoking the name of his god. He was fine though, and there weren¡¯t even any living scrattes still near him.

    In fact, Bel wasn¡¯t experiencing anything like the horde of scrattes that she had expected. A quick glance in Flann¡¯s direction provided an explanation.

    The old fire mage¡¯s parachute was hovering above the ground, suspended by the updraft from the incredible blaze he¡¯d started out of a band of a dozen scrattes below him. He was tossing a fireball every few seconds, blasting away at his surroundings and killing any scrattes that still moved.

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    That gave Johan and Simon, the bird and snake people respectively, plenty of safe cover to land. They touched down without a problem and calmly packed their parachutes back into their bags. Bel turned to help Pelagius with her own disaster, and by the time she¡¯d disentangled her the fight was over.

    Pelagius made some noises that Bel decided to interpret as thanks. Bel nodded back and jogged over to retrieve her own parachute. She began the annoying process of wrangling it into her bag, trying to work as quickly as possible. She would have to check it over and repack it later, but she didn¡¯t want to get it cut to ribbons in a sudden fight.

    Once everyone¡¯s parachutes were in order they gathered around Pelagius, who was somehow still struggling to shove her parachute into its bag.

    ¡°That was passable,¡± Cleis declared as Bel trotted up. ¡°Now I will distribute the essence equally among the fighters. That means two in ten for each of Pelagius, Simon, and Jonah. I will take the remaining four.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel raised her hand and Cleis glared at her.

    ¡°You are not fighters,¡± he huffed, ¡°so you do not need to grow your essence.¡±

    Bel stared at him. ¡°Say, what¡¯s your goal down here? Like, were you ordered to come, or did you volunteer?¡±

    The hippo grunted as he reached down and drained the essence from a corpse. ¡°I won¡¯t bother explaining things to you; you obviously haven¡¯t embraced our culture here in the Golden Plains. I doubt you would understand.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Cool, cool. Hey, Pelagius is carrying the backup hot air balloon, right? Maybe we should take that off her load so that she can concentrate on fighting. It looks like she twisted an ankle when she landed.¡±

    Cleis stomped over to Bel and looked down from his towering height. ¡°Are you planning to abandon us while you return to the surface? You should know that I brought along a device that will allow¨C¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Return? Abandon you?¡± Bel shook her head. ¡°Never. I¡¯m just trying to help you be the best that you can be.¡±

    Bel glanced at Pelagius, awkwardly limping with her scaled legs. ¡°And believe me, Pelagius needs all the help she can get.¡±

    For a moment Bel thought that Cleis would take a swing at her, but instead he went to Pelagius and pulled the second, smaller hot air balloon from her pack. It was still a heavy burden, and Bel nearly fell over when Cleis deposited it into her outstretched arms.

    Bel thought about leaving him the moment that she put her hands on the tightly wrapped bundle of silk, but instead she turned towards her real companions to get their thoughts. Wisely, they waited for Cleis was wander away again before opening their mouths.

    ¡°We could just kill them all,¡± Orseis suggested. ¡°The fish would wash the disgusting taste of the scratte from my mouth.¡±

    ¡°Whoah, don¡¯t be startin¡¯ anything crazy,¡± Flann urged. ¡°They¡¯re just a bit, you know, young and inexperienced. Maybe a bit simple.¡±

    ¡°What is Hanti thinking?¡± Bel demanded. ¡°I understand that she wants to set us up for failure, but Pelagius is going to get herself killed. Failure here is going to make it take that much longer to get into Satrap.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Orseis hissed, ¡°but Hanti knows that elder Rob¨¨te has already delayed the beginning of the campaign. With the extra time she¡¯ll frame you as incompetent, and your sister by extension. Then she will take full control of the operation, all in time for elder Rob¨¨te¡¯s schemes to lose momentum.¡±

    Bel grit her teeth. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I should have learned something about the local politics.

    ¡°What about you two?¡± Bel wondered. ¡°What are you hoping to get out of this?¡±

    Orseis laughed. ¡°Suddenly worried about the company you keep?¡± The tentacled woman patted her on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me ¨C my folk want the Barrier to disappear so that we can expand our coastal hunting grounds.¡±

    The woman¡¯s wavy pupils narrowed. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t mind having more possible mates too.¡± She shrugged. ¡°That part goes without saying.¡±

    Flann chuckled quietly. ¡°You water folk always were the direct ones. Food to eat, mates to bed, maybe some kelp to wrap yourself in at night and you¡¯re happy.¡±

    Orseis clacked her beak. ¡°We are a practical folk.¡±

    Flann¡¯s tail swished behind him. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that.¡±

    He smiled at Bel. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m here because I¡¯m hopin¡¯ for a better future for my family and my friends¡¯ families. I¡¯ve seen too much blood shed for the people of the Golden Plains to just let us all fade away.¡±

    ¡°How altruistic,¡± Orseis mocked.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you two start fighting,¡± Bel warned. ¡°So what do¨C¡±

    ¡°We are leaving!¡±

    Bel looked up to see that Cleis was stomping on the ground, ready to fly into another rage if they didn¡¯t get going quickly enough.

    Flann patted her on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll leave ¡¯im behind soon enough young¡¯un. We got a long way to go ¨C it won¡¯t hurt us to let ¡¯em stick their feet into the ant¡¯s nest first.¡±

    Bel suppressed a groan and hurried to catch up with the ornery hippo.

    Despite Flann¡¯s assurances, Bel had been worried that the trek would be too strenuous for the old fox. He was having no problems though, at least compared to their fish and snake companions. Pelagious¡¯ feet were mostly flippers, and were terrible at traversing the rocky downhill of the sinkhole. Simon was a snake with tiny feet and legs: Bel could have rolled up the slope faster than he was carefully picking his way down.

    The scrattes had been pushed back ¨C temporarily at least ¨C but that didn¡¯t meant that the descent was peaceful. They were confronted by a nearly constant stream of small, essence corrupted insects, but, luckily for Bel, Flann didn¡¯t let them get closer than a stone¡¯s throw.

    Much to her annoyance, Cleis insisted on collecting each corpse and distributing to himself and his cronies. It bothered Bel in two ways: the distribution wasn¡¯t fair and it was also a waste of time. Ventas had taught her that the essence a person absorbed from a broken core only came from the outer shell ¨C everything else went back to Olympos. According to James, the surface area of a four dimensional essence core grew at the cube of the radius. Bel didn¡¯t know what the hell that meant, but apparently draining the essence of something weaker than you would accomplish a big, fat nothing. Unless these jokers were still working on their first core, smashing some insects was a waste of time.

    Bel gestured at Orseis ¨C Flann was busy looking for threats ¨C and the cloaked woman stuck out a tentacle to make a strangling gesture.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Bel said aloud, ¡°stopping for all of these little critters is slowing us down. We¡¯re giving the scrattes more times to organize a real attack.¡±

    Cleis glanced back at her and snorted. ¡°The scrattes are too simple for such a thing.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve built a nest, you know. Back in Satrap they also set ambushes, and we saw some that got their hands on some kind of explosive.¡±

    Cleis waved a meaty paw. ¡°Stolen, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, they stole an ambush? What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t twist my words, little gorgon. You know what I meant.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes hissed. ¡°No, I really don¡¯t because you don¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    Cleis thumped his poleaxe against the ground and slightly picked up the pace. ¡°Be quiet. All this talking is what will draw the scrattes to us.¡±

    Bel fumed for a minute, and silence fell over the group. Then there was a loud clatter of rocks from above them. Bel spun around and saw a large number of loose rocks bouncing down the sheer side of the sinkhole right above them.

    Bel tapped Flann and Orseis and gestured to a large, stable looking rock.

    ¡°I think we should get behind some cover,¡± she announced.

    Cleis turned to her. ¡°And why would we do that?¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯re about to be ambushed. James used to tell me about a movie ¨C oh, movies are, well, we don¡¯t have time ¨C anyway, in a movie called ¡®Spartacus¡¯ they rolled flaming logs down a hill to scatter an opposing army.¡±

    Cleis stared at her with his tiny eyes. ¡°And what does that matter?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I just don¡¯t think that standing downhill where the scrattes can roll rocks at us is a good idea.¡±

    Cleis thumped his poleaxe into the ground. ¡°The scrattes don¡¯t set ambushes,¡± he insisted.

    Just then another clatter of rocks heralded the arrival of several large boulders. Bel jumped behind her chosen refuge with Flann and Orseis while Cleis and his men gaped in surprise. Johan leaped into the air and into the sinkhole, taking himself both out of the path of the boulder and out of the fight. Simon shoved himself into a small crack in the ground and Cleis stomped his foot into the ground and activated some kind of ability; the boulder that hit him smashed itself to pieces on his unmoving body.

    The last boulder clipped the slow moving Pelagius in the side, sending the woman spinning downhill.

    Cleis roared ¨C and then charged uphill. He was intent on fighting the scrattes on his own, apparently.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 50 â€“ A Rampaging Hippo, Full of Hot Air

    <section>

    <section>

    The boulders crashed past Bel¡¯s position, thundering into the darkness below them. The scrattes shrieked with jubilation, but their cries were immediately drowned out by the thundering stomps of Cleisthenes¡¯ trunk-like legs as he charged uphill.

    Bel could see the scrattes all around them, glowing with an irritating crimson hue in <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s sight. The nearest group of ambushers rushed downhill to meet Cleis. Bel watched with concern, but Cleis swung his massive poleaxe and turned the scrattes into a fine mist. Their auras dimmed as their lives were extinguished, giving Bel the grim impressive that the rampaging hippo was cutting down a horde of ghost-like beings in a cyclone of murderous rage.

    If the scrattes were being forced into his reach then Cleis¡¯ approach would have been a good one, but his reckless charge ignored the fact that they could simply go around him. Once they realized that he was dangerous, the small, loose-skinned creatures turned their attention to the seemingly less dangerous members of the party.

    Bel looked at Pelagius. The fish-person was flopping around on the ground, clearly injured from the shoulder high boulder that had clipped her as it tumbled down the sinkhole.

    ¡°We should save her,¡± Bel said.

    ¡°Are you sure¨C¡± Orseis began, but Flann bopped her on the head with his staff.

    ¡°None o¡¯ that now, don¡¯t be jokin¡¯ around during a fight,¡± he scolded.

    The old fox drew back his arm and cast it forward, tossing a sheet of sparks in to the air to provide enough light to better see the approaching creatures and, more importantly, the ground beneath their feet. He strode with determination towards Pelagius, flicking bolts of flame as he went.

    ¡°I was serious though,¡± Orseis mumbled under her breath.

    Bel sighed. Things weren¡¯t ideal, but things never seemed to be. She quickly checked her weapon before charging at the nearest scratte.

    She swept her <em style="font-style: italic">glare over it and two of its closest friends before killing them with three precise cuts of her blade. She flicked her sword quickly to toss off some of the gore, doing her best to avoid looking at the mashed corpses she left behind.

    <em style="font-style: italic">This past month of training really payed off, she thought grimly. <em style="font-style: italic">Beth would be proud, though.

    The entire slope lit up at Flann bathed it in a wave of searing flames. Bodies of scrattes went flying, tossed by the incredible force of his attack. <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, maybe Beth wouldn¡¯t be that proud. The old fox is putting me to shame.

    While she was distracted, Orseis breezed past Bel, tentacles snatching up and tossing rocks as she went. By the time she reached a clump of a dozen scrattes who had ducked behind a boulder to shelter from Flann¡¯s assault, half of them were already dead from rocks to the brain. Orseis fell upon the rest with flailing tentacles and gleeful laughs; in moments pieces of scatte were flying over the ridge.

    Bel lowered her opinion of herself once again.

    Then she turned and went to Pelagius¡¯ side. The fish woman was still breathing, but her scaled skin was pale and her mouth opened and closed as she gulped down air.

    Bel honestly couldn¡¯t say if that was worse than normal, but the oozing blood from the long, jagged gash down her side looked pretty bad. Bel put her hands on the wound and focused her two coagulation abilities, first to force the blood to immediately stiffen and second to made the oversized scab tough enough to hold together despite the fish-woman¡¯s thrashing.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Bel asked.

    The fish woman gaped at her.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Right, we don¡¯t speak the same language. Great.

    Flann hobbled over to Bel¡¯s side. ¡°Looks like we took care of the last of ¡¯em.¡±

    ¡°Where are you cretins?¡± Cleisthenes shouted. ¡°The fighting is up here!¡±

    Orseis sauntered over, wiping gore from her tentacles onto her gore-covered cloak. She looked up at the hippo as he yelled. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯d taste good,¡± she declared, ¡°but I¡¯m willing to try.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°Stop joking around, Pelagius may be seriously injured. I¡¯ve stopped her bleeding, but I¡¯m not a healer like my brother.¡±

    A rainfall of shattered stone heralded the arrival of the angry, angry hippo.

    ¡°Where were y¨C Pelagius!¡± Cleis turned to them with narrow, angry eyes. ¡°What happened?¡± he demanded.

    Bel stood up and brushed off some dirt from her knees. Her gloves creaked as she clenched her hands into fists while she tried to control her temper. ¡°She got hit by a rock.¡±

    ¡°A rock?¡± Cleis made the statement into an accusation as he rushed to the injured woman¡¯s side. ¡°This is serious! Thanks to your mismanagement, we must withdraw!¡±

    Simon and Johan had finally made their way over from whatever hole they¡¯d crawled into, and made a variety of distressed noised when they saw their injured companion. Bel ignored them.

    ¡°You¡¯d best deploy your balloon, Cleis. Pelagius is too heavy for us to handle, so we¡¯ll watch your back while you make it ready.¡±

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    Cleis harrumphed, but he did pull out the tightly compressed wad of silk that would expand into a balloon once fully inflated. He got Johan to pull it open and give it some shape, but, to Bel¡¯s surprise, he didn¡¯t ask Flann to inflate it. Instead, the hippo swallowed a large brick of something, walked under the open balloon, and breathed fire. Bel had to admit that she was impressed; the balloon quickly filled with hot air.

    The hippo continued to exhale an impossibly long breath and the balloon soon swelled to fulness. Without pausing for breath, Cleis scooped Pelagius up in his arms while Simon and Johan grabbed onto two of the dangling silk slings. Bel waved as they ascended.

    ¡°I assume that we aren¡¯t following?¡± Orseis asked.

    Bel glanced at her two reliable companions. ¡°Of course not. I mean, as long as that¡¯s okay with you two.¡±

    Orseis squeezed several tentacles in the air. ¡°My hunger is not yet quenched.¡±

    Flann gave her a thumbs up.

    ¡°Great! Maybe you could calm down a bit with the bloodlust though, Orseis. There¡¯s no one here to impress, you know.¡±

    Orseis clicked her tongue, and Bel grinned.

    ¡°Okay, should we just run down the sinkhole before more scrattes get here? Can you keep up Flann?¡±

    ¡°I can scamper just as fast as you young¡¯uns!¡±

    The fox paused and scratched at his furry chin. ¡°Although, I do have to admit that my eyesight isn¡¯t as good as it used to be. Maybe we could¨C¡±

    A pair of tentacles emerged from Orseis¡¯ cloak and wrapped around the fox.

    ¡°Put me down this instant, you accursed water-breather!¡±

    Orseis cackled with glee as she took off running, forcing Bel to rush to keep up. She was worried about a few clusters of scrattes who were emerging into their downslope path, but then she Orseis rotated Flann like a foxy turret and he blasted a group that was in their way.

    Her heart ached a little when they ran by all of the corpses ¨C she needed essence to grow stronger after all! ¨C but it would would be stupid to sit still for another ambush, especially since she¡¯d just yelled at Cleis for the same thing.

    The continued for a long minute, and soon Bel was sweating inside of her her heavy, laminar armor. Orseis was gasping for breath, and she wasn¡¯t holding Flann up quite as high in the air as she had at the start of their run, but neither of them slowed until they reached a glowing hole in the ground.

    ¡°What the heck,¡± Bel panted, ¡°is this?¡±

    Orseis leaned over the edge, dangling Flann by one of her tentacles. When she pulled the fox back Bel expected him to yell and curse, but instead his nose quivered with excitement.

    ¡°It¡¯s amazin¡¯! I¡¯ve never seen the like! Green, green everywhere!¡± He spread his arms wide for emphasis. ¡°There¡¯s rivers, and waterfalls, and so much life! Seeing it absolutely makes this trip worth it!¡±

    Bel took a step forward, but Orseis waved her back. ¡°Wait a moment Bel, the edge is dangerous.¡±

    Bel was about to ask why Orseis got to go to the edge, but then she noticed a pair of tentacles that stretched from Orseis two or three strides back to a large boulder that jutted out of the ground, anchoring her in place.

    ¡°How far do your tentacles stretch?¡± she asked.

    Orseis clacked her beak. ¡°You¡¯re so rude, Bel. Get out your parachute. How far is the drop, Flann?¡±

    The fox was was still being held in the air, but he didn¡¯t seem to have any more objections. ¡°Looked at least as far as the drop we just did to get down here.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have trouble with the landing then,¡± Bel worried. ¡°We don¡¯t have that burning brazier on a parachute to light the way.¡±

    ¡°Nah, the plants are all glowing,¡± Orseis responded. ¡°We should be fine.¡±

    Flann shook his head. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be able to see where we¡¯re falling, but the ground is under all the plants. Who knows what¡¯s under them ¨C it¡¯s like a sea of green, Orseis. It¡¯s like nothing in the Golden Plains.¡±

    Bel bit her lip and tucked back one of her snakes that was wandering into her eyesight. ¡°Well, are they trees that will break our bones if we hit them? Or are they just¡­¡±

    The gorgon paused. She didn¡¯t know the word for fern in the native tongue. ¡°Wait, haven¡¯t you guys seen anything besides scrubby grasses and scraggly trees?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got mangroves in the Lip,¡± Orseis responded.

    Flann was silent.

    Bel rubbed her hands with frustration. ¡°Okay, you said that there was water, right? How about we drop into that?¡±

    Flann¡¯s ears drooped. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really like getting wet¡­¡±

    Orseis clacked her beak. ¡°Okay, river it is. How should we drop? There¡¯s nothing to tie our ripcords to.¡±

    Bel rummaged in her bag and pulled one of the metal piton that James had given her for just these occasions. She held it up triumphantly. ¡°If you two can watch my back, I¡¯ll set up the parachutes.¡±

    Orseis pulled herself back from the edge, releasing a small rockslide of debris. Bel was suddenly glad that she hadn¡¯t rushed to the edge. She turned and jabbed the piton into the rock soil. She slammed a rock into a few times to drive it deep enough that it wouldn¡¯t move. It took her a few minutes of work to untangle everyone¡¯s parachutes and fasten their cords to her piton, but soon she had everything set up.

    She looked up and squinted against the bright light as Flann incinerated a few more scrattes.

    ¡°They¡¯re gonna start getting wise to this sooner or later,¡± the fox said. ¡°Won¡¯t take ¡¯em too long to just start rolling rocks at us again.¡±

    ¡°Good thing that I¡¯m done,¡± Bel replied. ¡°Who wants to go first?¡±

    ¡°Me,¡± Orseis volunteered. ¡°I¡¯m most capable in the water.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°You want to go next, Flann?¡± Now that he¡¯d admitted that his eyesight wasn¡¯t good, she wanted to be sure that the old fox didn¡¯t get separated from their group during the descent. Bel was relieve when he nodded without protest, and in less than a minute they were counting down to their second jump of the day.

    Orseis whooped as she leaped over the edge.

    Flann followed a second later.

    Bel watched to be sure that their rip cords worked properly, pulling their parachutes open before slipping free of the anchored piton. She followed after her companions without a backward glance.

    As she cleared the lip of the hole her mind was blown for the second time that day.

    Another enormous cavern lay below the first one, but this one was lit by the soft glow of a million delicate leaves. Each fern and vine was speckled with blue or orange spots, and the multitude combined to create a soft illumination that covered every surface available. As she drifted past a vine that hung hundreds of strides from the ceiling she saw that it wasn¡¯t the leaves that were glowing, but tiny insects that each twinkled with their own internal light.

    She couldn¡¯t help but laugh with happiness. ¡°This is amazing!¡± she yelled.

    She looked down, wanting to share her delight with her two companions. They were too far away for her to speak to though, and it seemed like she still had a minute more to fall. Bel craned her head in every direction, determined to drink up every sight. She would bet that even James, with all the wonders of his strange world, had never seen anything so beautiful.

    As they neared Orseis¡¯ target ¨C a large, still pond ¨C Bel sighed with contentment. Maybe she could convince James to take this route as well. With some protection of course. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe even Beth would mellow out after seeing something like this, she thought.

    Bel¡¯s finger¡¯s tingled with tension as Orseis splashed into the pond.

    A few seconds later, Flann followed her.

    Bel watched Orseis emerge from the water, and Flann emerged a moment later, both safe, and some tension left her gut.

    Bel hit the surface a second later.

    It was just like her practice jumps; she shucked the outer pouch that held her parachute and hoped that the oiled inner pocket of her bag was properly sealed against the water.

    She sank deeply enough that her feet touched the squishy bottom, but she quickly pushed up. Then something hard clamped around her ankle and she was jerked back down.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, shit, she thought.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 51 â€“ Crabtastic

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel fumbled with her short sword for a moment, but abandoned the idea as the clear water became murky from stirred up silt. Instead, she reached down to whatever had gotten a hold on her boot. Her fingers slide along the shell of what she guessed was a hard-shelled claw.

    She couldn¡¯t see what was attacking her, so she used <em style="font-style: italic">liquify to weaken her assailant. At first her ability didn¡¯t push through the resistance, so she doubled up on the ability, sending it into cooldown. To her relief the resistance crumbled a half instant later. Bel snapped the claw with vicious jerk of her wrist, freeing her leg. She immediately swam towards the surface.

    She struggled awkwardly through the water in her boots and armor, but she didn¡¯t let herself ease up. So she couldn¡¯t afford to get swarmed by a pond-full of angry crabs, not when the water was their element.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I can¡¯t even glare at anything under the water. Didn¡¯t Kjar tell me to grow some claws?

    The reminded Bel that she wasn¡¯t completely helpless ¨C the passive form <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification let her reshape her body slighly, so she gradually increased the webbing between her fingers to speed her swim. She was just feeling good about herself, settling into a rhythm of splashing with some strong forward progress, when she was overtaken by Orseis. The water-loving woman zoomed past her, dragging a sputtering Flann in tow. ¡°I¡¯ll come back for you in a minute,¡± she shouted over her shoulder as she went past.

    The wake of her speedy passage almost sank Bel, but a competitive streak flared up and pushed Bel to kick a little harder for short. By the time Orseis returned and towed her out of the water, both of Bel¡¯s calves had cramped.

    Bel flopped over and massaged her aching calves, but Orseis strode back into the water until she was half submerged. The tentacled woman looked eager for a fight.

    ¡°Why do you want to go back in there?¡± Bel groused. ¡°It¡¯s full of giant crabs or something.¡±

    They had originally thought that the body of water was just a small pond, but the distance had been deceiving. It was instead a respectable lake, teaming with dangerous and unknown creatures. The diffuse lighting from the tiny insects gave the water¡¯s surface an eerie look, and the farther from shore she looked the darker and more foreboding the view became.

    Orseis glanced over her shoulder, and waved Bel forward. Her W-shaped pupils were wide with excitement. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re having crab for dinner tonight,¡± she crowed. ¡°Help me catch some!¡±

    She reached a tentacle over her face and undid her veil, letting Bel catch a glimpse of her face for the first time. The gorgon was surprised to see a very young girl. If she was human, Bel would have guess that Orseis wasn¡¯t older than 11 or 12.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I assumed that she was older since she¡¯s on her own, but maybe things don¡¯t work like that here. Or maybe she ages really slowly.

    Bel stood up slowly, eyeing the lake with suspicion. She didn¡¯t have to wait long before a swarm of bumps broke the surface of the water. Claw after claw emerged from the depths, each pair followed by crab with a bright red shell. Their beady eyestalks and grasping mouths reminded Bel of one of Technis¡¯ fanatics who used to hassle her when she went near Baytown.

    ¡°Nothing about them is appetizing,¡± she declared. Orseis shook her head with disbelief, so Bel turned to her other companion. ¡°Right, Flann?¡±

    Flann groaned and stood up. He immediately shook himself off, spraying Bel in the face with water. He spit out the sand from his mouth and gnashed his teeth at the approaching army of crabs.

    ¡°Dunno about eatin¡¯ them, but I don¡¯t mind seeing ¡¯em cook,¡± he proclaimed, tossing an orb of fire at the crabs.

    Bel watched expectantly as the attack hit, but it fizzled when it hit the water, only knocking a single one of the crabs under the surface. Bel doubted that the attack had done any real damage.

    Orseis laughed. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll have to leave this to me, old man.¡±

    Flann heaved a rapid barrage of streaks of flames into the water, with little effect. The water hissed and spat, and steam started rising into the air. It didn¡¯t matter to the crabs, but the pyrotechnics seemed to offend the glowing insects; within a matter of moments the foliage nearest to the assault was dim and devoid of insect life.

    ¡°Maybe no more of that,¡± the worried gorgon cried out. ¡°What if something really scary shows up when it¡¯s dark?¡±

    Flann lifted a hand into the air and summoned a bright flame for light while he grumpily muttered something about the water.

    Orseis waded into the pond and started sweeping the crabs into her tentacles, squeezing them until they cracked before tossing them away. She was merciless, but the swarm seemed to be endless and she soon found herself stumbling out of the water and back onto the shore.

    ¡°Damn,¡± she cursed, ¡°I can¡¯t move around in this thing.¡± She hopped back to give herself some breathing room before grabbing the hem of her robe and pulling it over her head.

    Bel expected to see an octopus ¨C James¡¯ best guess as to Orseis¡¯ identity ¨C but instead she saw a short girl with a pair of human legs covered in water-repellent hide pants, a human torso, and a bald, human head. Her arms were tentacles though, with two of the flexible limbs sprouting from each shoulder, and a longer tentacle emerging from underneath each of her armpits.

    Orseis hopped back into the pond and set about herself with renewed vigor, summoning the occasional wave of water to push the crabs back. Bel was just starting to relax when the water over an area twice as wide as she was tall began to visibly bubble and froth. A moment later an enormous specimen of a crab burst through the surface, its shell an bright, angry red. It brandished two claws the length of a person at Orseis, clicking them at her menacingly.

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    Orseis leaped towards it, but the crab waved a claw and launched a pile of crabs at her with one of the most bizarre abilities Bel had ever seen. Orseis disappeared under the shelled assault. Bel quickly lost track of any details, only seeing a mess of claw and tentacles writing furiously beneath the surface of the water.

    ¡°Orseis!¡±

    Bel rushed forward to help, but the giant crab was moving just as quickly in the same direction.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Shit! I¡¯ll just have to concentrate on the big one and hope that Orseis can look out for herself.

    Bel drew her short sword as she splashed her way through the calf high water, directly towards the giant crab.

    The crab¡¯s eyestalks pivoted towards her, and when she was within striking distance one if it claws snapped forward. It swung with the force of a runaway cart, but Bel was ready for it. She threw herself down and to the side to safely pass beneath the attack and underneath the crab itself. She stabbed her sword up through the water and into the underside of the crab, but her weapon bounced off of the shell.

    The crab didn¡¯t roar ¨C in fact, the entire battle was only filled with the sounds of clicking claws and churning water ¨C but it did scuttle rapidly to the side, clearly irritated by her attack. Bel grabbed onto a leg as it went by and so that she could remain in a relatively safe spot underneath the frustrated crab¡¯s body.

    Safe, until the crab tried to drop down and crush her. Bel wouldn¡¯t have made it out, but Orseis grabbed her with one of her longer tentacles at the last moment and pulled her free. Bel breathed a sigh of relief as she tugged her legs out from under the descending crab body.

    The crab smashed its claws against the shallow water and several spears of sand shot forth from the impacts. Orseis yelped with surprise and dove into the deeper part of the lake to avoid the attacks, dragging Bel with her. They had avoided the spears, but now they had landed in the midst of a mob of angry, smaller crabs.

    Bel felt several claws squeeze around her impervious armor before one managed to clamp onto her unprotected forearm. She yelled with pain, letting loose a large amount of precious air, before stabbing the crab through its irritating face with her short sword.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I think I¡¯d rather fight one big thing, Bel realized.

    She pushed and flailed at a few crab that were attempting to drag her down before her feet found the sandy lake bottom and she slogged out of the water. The moment she emerged there was a boom of something heavy striking the water and Bel threw herself forward, instinctively evading the arc of sand that sliced through the air where she¡¯d just emerged from the water.

    Bel spun onto her back and locked eyes with the crab. She <em style="font-style: italic">glared, forcing three times the normal mana through her ability and stunning the crab into immobility.

    The affliction only lasted for a few heartbeats, but, while it was still, Flann scampered up one of its legs and onto the back of its shell. He quickly grasped onto the ridge at the end of its shell with one hand while slapping the palm of his other hand onto the shell¡¯s smooth surface.

    ¡°Die ye overgrown sea monster!¡± he shouted with vengeance.

    The crab waved it claws frantically, bucking and spinning in an attempt to dislodge the disgruntled fox. Soon though, the air was filled with the smell of cooked crab meat and the giant monster collapsed into the sand.

    Bel watched as all of the little ones ran away deeper into the lake or into the surrounding woods. Within moments, Bel, Flann, and Orseis were surrounded by darkness and silence, alone in the second level of the Labyrinth.

    Orseis was suddenly free of her own struggles, and splashed ashore with wet, slapping footsteps. ¡°Sometimes legs are the worst,¡± she complained.

    As things quieted down from the battle with the crabs, the insects slowly returned to the area. The ethereal green and orange glow that illuminated the vast cavern revealed a shore covered in crabs the size of dinner plates.

    Orseis had her eyes on the largest specimen. ¡°Well,¡± Orseis said, eyeing the massive crab, ¡°at least we know what¡¯s for dinner.¡±

    ¡°I s¡¯pose I don¡¯t mind ¡¯em cooked,¡± Flann agreed. Bel grinned as she watched his damp tail wagging happily behind him.

    Orseis nodded dove under the water. The tentacled girl easily flipped the giant crab over and began dragging it to the shore. She still struggled and grunted, but Bel could tell that Orseis was by far the most physically powerful of their group.

    ¡°So how should we divide the essence?¡± Bel wondered as she checked through her bags to make sure that nothing had been ruined.

    Flann hopped along the shoreline, hopping over puddles until he retrieved his walking stick from where it had been tossed. ¡°Little too small for me,¡± he replied with a shake of his head. ¡°The big one is somewhere on its second core, so I guess it¡¯d be good for one of you ladies.¡±

    Orseis waved it off. ¡°I¡¯m almost on my third core, and this one felt like it was mid. You¡¯d better drain it, Bel.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    Orseis nodded, so Bel strode up to the boulder-sized crab.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Wow, I haven¡¯t gotten any essence in a while. I think I¡¯m a little excited.

    She placed her hands against the still-warm shell and felt around with her spiritual senses. A moment later she forced open the dead monster¡¯s core, sucking down as much essence as she could before it was reclaimed by the Heart of Olympos.

    Her cores swelled, more petals unfurling in her original core and a series of strange and grating instruments joining into the increasing cacophony that Dutcha¡¯s Path added into Bel¡¯s core. The essence easily pushed her to the twenty-first threshold. She flashed a thumbs up to show that she was done.

    ¡°Great,¡± Orseis cheered, ¡°now let¡¯s crack this one open and eat. Flann, I don¡¯t suppose you could cook some of the smaller ones too, could you?¡±

    The fox eyed her skeptically. ¡°How much d¡¯you need to eat, young¡¯un?¡±

    Orseis laughed, but Bel noticed that she blushed slightly at the fox¡¯s comment.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got an ability that boosts my strength but taxes my metabolism, so I¡¯m always a little hungry,¡± she explained holding up a pair of tentacles to indicate just a small distance. All of the eyes on her seemed to make the girl suddenly self-conscious, and she looked around for her cloak.

    Bel reached down and picked up the soaked fabric from where Orseis had tossed it earlier.

    ¡°Looking for this?¡±

    Orseis nodded eagerly and quickly accepted the cloak. As she started wringing it out, Bel spoke up. ¡°Hey Orseis, why do you always wear the cloak? Wasn¡¯t it making it hard to move?¡±

    Orseis grimaced. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a bit sensitive to the sun.¡± She looked up at the sunless cavern ceiling.

    She scratched at her bald head with a tentacle-arm, clearly embarrassed that her rehearsed response had fallen apart so easily.

    ¡°I¡¯m also going for that ¡®girl of mystery¡¯ kind of look, you know?¡± she added as she threw her cloak back over her shoulders. ¡°I hear that boys are into that, right?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes looked at the girl with curiosity. ¡°Boys? Really? You didn¡¯t strike me as that kind of girl.¡±

    Orseis laughed with embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding!¡±

    The flustered semi-human hurried over the pond to pull out more crabs, but Bel smiled when she saw that she didn¡¯t pull up her hood or hang the veil over her face this time.

    Thanks to Orseis¡¯ enthusiasm, it only took them a few minutes to haul an entire fishing boat¡¯s catch worth of crabs onto the sand, where Flann cooked them with brutal efficiency.

    <em style="font-style: italic">They¡¯re not my favorite food, but can¡¯t argue with the quantity.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 52 â€“ Crab Dinner

    <section>

    <section>

    Flann patted his stomach as he leaned back in the sand. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not bad. Almost makes all that splashing about worth it.¡±

    He closed his eyes happily. ¡°Reckon I could go for a nap now.¡±

    Bel frowned at her own cooked crab. She didn¡¯t have Flann¡¯s sharp, pointy teeth and his willingness to chomp on the shells. She glanced at Orseis and watched with envy as the girl¡¯s powerful suckers easily gripped a shell while she prised it open. Bel tapped her fingers against her crab, forming smalls claws with her nails that she attempted to put to good use. With a grunt of frustration she finally gave up and smashed the stupid thing with a rock.

    ¡°Picking out the bits of shell isn¡¯t so bad,¡± she muttered.

    Orseis giggled. ¡°I¡¯ll bet you wish you had some of these, don¡¯t you?¡± She waved her tentacles around.

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Not really. I¡¯d like some sharp claws instead.¡±

    ¡°Claws?¡± Orseis asked, baffled.

    ¡°Claws,¡± Bel affirmed. ¡°My aunt said that I should be using some claws. There are probably some abilities on her path, but I was hoping to get good enough at shaping my body that I could make something useful out of my nails.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°Your aunt? You mean the goddess who destroyed the Dark Ravager?¡±

    ¡°Yup. Sorry, but I¡¯ll have to take her advice over your suckers.¡±

    Orseis snorted. ¡°You were just bait, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes hissed and she narrowed her eyes at her tentacled companion.

    ¡°Whoah, whoah, I¡¯m just saying what I heard. But you weren¡¯t exactly made for your fighting¨C¡±

    Bel <em style="font-style: italic">glared at the girl with five-fold the base mana.

    Orseis locked up mid sentence, her eyes wide with surprise. Bel continued picking at the bits of shell, too hungry to give up but not desperate enough to want to feel them scraping her teeth. Flann cracked his eyes open for a moment and glanced back and forth between the two of them before rolling over with a grunt.

    Orseis stumbled as she regained control of her body. ¡°Hagfish bile, Bel, what was that for?¡± she angrily demanded.

    Bel arched an eyebrow. ¡°You were just saying that I couldn¡¯t fight ¨C I just wanted to make sure you know what I can do. My mom didn¡¯t make me weak.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles in the air in surrender. ¡°Okay, sure. You were still bait though.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°Yeah, to catch a god.¡± She reached up and rubbed around the scar that cut across her face. ¡°It all went according to my mother¡¯s plans, I guess.¡±

    Orseis ripped another crab apart, but this time she handed it to Bel, the meat neatly freed from the upper shell. Bel accepted it gratefully.

    ¡°Will you be less grumpy after you eat?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°So you keep mentioning that you have to hunt down this other guy too ¨C Technis, right? Is that why your mom made you? To hunt people down?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. She¡¯s after Technis for revenge for locking me up, at least as far as I understand, but she obviously made me before that happened. Going after the Dark Ravager was just something Kjar wanted to do because he was messing around with the spirits on Olympos, so I don¡¯t think that was part of Lempo¡¯s plan either.¡±

    ¡°And Dutcha?¡±

    Bel wrinkled her nose. ¡°She wanted to get back here because she was kicked off of Olympos for causing trouble, I think. She promised to wait quietly¡­ well, quietly for her. There¡¯s more to Lempo¡¯s plans, but I don¡¯t know them.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Well, maybe Lempo just wanted a child.¡±

    Bel laughed, the absurdity of the notion catching her off guard.

    ¡°Why on Olympos would a goddess want a child?¡±

    ¡°Hey, why does anyone have children? To create a legacy or to make something new. Or maybe it¡¯s just an instinct.¡±

    Bel wrinkled her brow. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never gotten a chance to talk with her.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Not entirely true, she did speak to me once. It knocked me out.

    ¡°What about your parents, Orseis? Did they ever tell you why they had you?¡±

    Orseis clacked her beak loudly with distaste. ¡°Nah, I never met ¡¯em.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel gasped, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I think it¡¯s natural for the ocean. I met a couple of my siblings ¨C at least I think they were my siblings. I¡¯m way more human than any of them though.¡±

    Orseis leaned back and looked up at the roof of the ceiling. ¡°Didn¡¯t really fit in there.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°I can understand that feeling.¡±

    She was trying to think of something encouraging to say when a large yawn forced itself upon her.

    Orseis glanced in her direction and couldn¡¯t resist a yawn of her own. Even Flann, facing the other way, broke out in a large yawn.

    Bel frowned. ¡°I guess that we¡¯ve been down here for a while. Why don¡¯t we climb a tree before we go to sleep? James said that climbing trees was a good way to stay safe in a forest.¡±

    They looked at the massive towers of wood.

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    Flann pushed himself to his feet, brushing sad from his clothes and fur. ¡°I can say I¡¯ve ever seen trees so large, so it didn¡¯t even occur to me to climb ¡¯em. But it sounds like a fair plan to me.¡±

    It didn¡¯t take them very long to find tree that the three of them couldn¡¯t have wrapped around even if they were tied together, hand to foot. They marveled at its impressive size for a few moments before Flann scampered up the trunk. His claws dug into the soft bark as he ascended, and soon he¡¯d risen above the lowest branches.

    ¡°Got a nice hollow up here,¡± he called down. ¡°Probably big enough for us and our stuff.¡±

    Bel tried to shape her nails into claws again, but the going was so rough that she nearly ripped her nails straight out. Soon she found herself pulling out a pair of pitons that were meant to be used to pull open their parachutes for a jump, but they were sharp enough to dig into the soft bark of the tree.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I should get that Gorgon ability that turns my nails metallic.

    Orseis spread her tentacles wide and rapidly ascended after Bel, pulling herself onto their chosen branch with a feat of acrobatics.

    Bel snorted with amusement and turned to look at Flann¡¯s hiding place.

    The hollow looked large enough for the three of them, although they wouldn¡¯t have a lot of extra leg room. ¡°Looks cozy,¡± she said.

    Flann was busy tidying the hollow; tossing out bits and pieces of detritus and throwing down their bags to serve as pillows. Orseis hung her cloak over the branch so that it would dry out, and Bel and Flann quickly followed suit. Flann replaced his wet pants with a loose robe and Bel began removing her own soaked articles. She groaned with relief as she unbuckled and pulled her laminar armor off. It wasn¡¯t wet ¨C Kjar had made it impervious to just about anything ¨C but it was heavy and uncomfortable.

    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna keep that on?¡± Flann asked.

    Bel massaged her aching muscles and sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll put it back on, I just need a break.¡± She looked at her companions, and found them just as worn out as she felt. They squeezed themselves into the hollow like a pack of tired slugs, exhaustion weighing them down.

    As the three of them settled into a comfortable sleeping arrangement in the hollow, Flann broke the weary silence with a question. ¡°Are we close enough for your magic rock to work?¡±

    Bel touched the small, silver earring that was the evolved version of the rock phone.

    ¡°My phone? I don¡¯t think that we¡¯re close enough to the pillar for it to work.¡±

    Her snakes curled around her head as she thought. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how close we need to be. I¡¯ve never understood James¡¯ explanations. We¡¯ll have to head in that direction tomorrow and hopefully it¡¯ll pick up at some point.¡±

    There was silence for a few moments and Bel almost started to drift off, but then Orseis stirred.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she asked, hesitantly. ¡°What¡¯s it like having a brother?¡±

    Bel grinned. ¡°Why? You want one? I thought you had siblings.¡±

    Orseis laughed. ¡°Yeah, but not really.¡±

    She sighed wistfully. ¡°I think I wouldn¡¯t mind having a sibling. You didn¡¯t grow up with any family, right? You adopted each other?¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t know about my mother at the time, and it¡¯s not like she¡¯s in constant contact. Having a brother is nice, although he can be stupid at times.¡± Bel tilted her head and thought about it. ¡°Yeah, siblings are nice. You can talk with them about pretty much anything.¡±

    She idly wiped some sand from one of her snakes. ¡°We don¡¯t agree about everything though ¨C I mean, he likes putting this awful stuff in his mouth to make his breath minty. And don¡¯t even get me started complaining about Beth; she drives me absolutely crazy with her constant talk of revenge, and she¡¯s a maniac for drills and exercises.¡±

    Orseis hummed contemplatively.

    Bel scratched at her cheek; maybe that had been a little much? ¡°Your family really didn¡¯t get along, Orseis?¡±

    The girl waved a tentacle in the air. ¡°No. I mean¡­ I guess there are some out there somewhere. I could see them from my egg before I hatched, but by the time I came out my mother had already left and I didn¡¯t really know enough to think about siblings at the time.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Bel chewed on her lip as she tried to imagine how being trapped in an egg would feel. ¡°Hey, Orseis, sorry if it¡¯s rude, but what are you anyway? James was guessing octopus. You look a lot more human than we¡¯d thought, though, now that you¡¯ve taken off your hood.¡±

    Orseis laughed. ¡°I¡¯m mostly cuttlefish. It¡¯s a weird matchup though, since humans and cuttlefish don¡¯t have a lot in common. I got unlucky, and all of my non-human features are on my top side.¡± Her tentacles writhed in frustration. ¡°Getting the non-human stuff on the bottom side would have been better.¡±

    Bel shifted to look at her companion. ¡°Why¡¯s that? I don¡¯t know much about your culture out here in the Golden Plains.¡±

    Orseis held up a tentacle, examining it. ¡°Well, I suppose we like having human top sides so we can look at each other and have something in common. And also, would you brother be interested in Daran if her ant parts were all up top?¡±

    Daran was a sweet girl, but Bel couldn¡¯t picture her brother kissing someone with an ant¡¯s head.

    Orseis nodded at Bel¡¯s silence. ¡°I¡¯m lucky that I can at least cover some stuff up.¡±

    She pulled up her lip, revealing her beak. It looked like a single, solid tooth. ¡°I filed down my beak so my mouth looks human. There¡¯s nothing to do about my eyes or my arms and tentacles though.¡±

    ¡°Aww, I like your eyes, Orseis. They¡¯re cool.¡±

    The cuttlefish girl grinned. ¡°Thanks, Bel. I can¡¯t see colors, but I¡¯ve been told that my vision is better than what most people have, so I guess that they¡¯re alright.¡±

    The cuttlefish glanced at Bel¡¯s missing eye a frowned. ¡°Ah, um¡­ sorry if that was insensitive. Are, uh, are the other people in Satrap nice like you and your brother?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Eh¡­ well, I don¡¯t really know. I didn¡¯t get to know very many of them since I was always hiding.¡±

    Bel¡¯s thoughts drifted to Ventas for a moment. ¡°I think that some of them are nice though. And there are way more people in Satrap than here in the Plains, so I don¡¯t think it would be impossible to meet other people who don¡¯t have a problem with tentacles.¡±

    ¡°I hope so,¡± Orseis sighed. ¡°I need to find a nice guy soon.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°Wait, a nice guy? You¡¯re in a rush?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll live, but I¡¯m already eight. Actual cuttlefish don¡¯t live that long, so I could hit old age at any time.¡±

    Bel had a vague memory of Daran talking about lifespans at some point, but the ant-girl had stressed how much human ancestry she had, and how long her grandparents had lived. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t know anything about your grandparents?¡±

    Orseis shrugged her tentacles.

    Flann stirred.

    ¡°Oh, sorry Flann, are we keeping you up?¡±

    ¡°Nah, you young¡¯uns don¡¯t mind me. You know, there are a few creatures that have some longevity and health abilities in the Plains. Most people aren¡¯t interested since they¡¯d rather improve their health by advancing their cores and they¡¯re a bit of a drain on your core space, but back when we all had shorter lifespans it was pretty common to get those abilities.¡±

    Orseis perked up. ¡°Really? Could you tell me about them?¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± the old fox grinned. ¡°My family taught me about this stuff when I was just a kit, it¡¯s only right I pass it on.¡±

    The fox leaned back with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we¡¯re so busy arguing when we could be workin¡¯ together. Me and Jan had hoped that, with the Dark Ravager dead an¡¯ gone, we would all come together.¡±

    He gestured vaguely above them. ¡°Instead we had Hanti putting Cleisthenes up to some nonsense to sink the mission so that she could be put in charge ¨C what a mess.¡±

    ¡°So the tribal alliance has always had these problems?¡± Bel wondered.

    ¡°Never ending,¡± Flann moaned. ¡°And meanwhile we¡¯ve got entire groups o¡¯ people who are slowly regressin¡¯ to their animal states. It¡¯s beyond stupid; everyone knows we¡¯re all doomed in the long-run.¡±

    His ears flattened sadly. ¡°There just isn¡¯t enough human blood left in us after all those wars.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°Really? What about all those matchmakers that Daran talked about? And the Great Swap?¡±

    Flann waved a furry paw. ¡°Too little, too late. Sure, maybe some people will make it through, but for most of us the future generations will either disappear or regress back into something resembling their original animal ancestors.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that things were so dire,¡± Bel gasped.

    ¡°It¡¯s why you guys coming out of the blue wall is such a big deal. I mean, the alliance agreed to do something in only a month; that basically never happens.¡±

    Orseis pointed several tentacles at herself. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t be down here in this dangerous place if I didn¡¯t think this was important, you know?¡±

    She chuckled and waved a tentacle out at the glowing forest around them. ¡°Not that this floor isn¡¯t beautiful. If I were an enterprising cuttlefish I might sell tickets.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 53 â€“ No More Free Lunch

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel woke up disoriented and confused. The The bug-based light source meant that nothing had changed since she¡¯d gone to sleep except for the crustiness around her eyes.

    Flann had already gotten up, but Orseis was still fast asleep. Bel watched the cuttlefish girl for a moment; her tentacle arms twitched slightly as she snored. She was also slowly shifting colors, going from a pale yellow to a slight purple tint.

    <em style="font-style: italic">She¡¯s eight? And she wants to find a way into Satrap to find a human mate before she dies of old age?

    Bel rubbed her head with frustration.

    <em style="font-style: italic">This is weird, right? I feel like this is weird. I mean, I guess I¡¯m not one to judge, but still¡­

    Bel pushed herself to her feet, doing her best to be quiet to avoid waking Orseis.

    Bel crept out onto the wide limb of the tree and looked around. She spotted Flann perched farther out on the limb than she would dare to go, the old man¡¯s small size for once proving to be an advantage as he stretched and twisted. His joints popped audibly as he moved and Bel felt a wave of guilt for dragging the old fox into the underworld with her.

    ¡°See anything?¡± she asked.

    Flann yelped with surprise and Bel¡¯s heart surged up her throat when she thought she was going to startle him to his death. She sighed with relief when he kept his balance. He bent down to retrieve his staff and slowly moved up the limb of the tree to rejoin her, waving his tail around for balance.

    ¡°Trees are really somethin¡¯,¡± he proclaimed brightly. ¡°I wonder if my ancestors lived in ¡¯em?¡±

    Bel shoved a sleepy snake out of her face. ¡°Which ones? Your human ancestors, or the foxy ones?¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± He scratched at his ear as he pondered it. ¡°Not the human ones, right? Don¡¯t you need claws for climbin¡¯?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°How old are you, Flann?¡± she asked abruptly.

    She gestured back towards the sleeping Orseis. ¡°I mean, she¡¯s eight. Are you only 20 or something crazy?¡±

    He snickered. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m well over a hundred. I wasn¡¯t kiddin¡¯ about those life extending abilities.¡±

    ¡°I should have picked them up then,¡± Bel lamented.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll have your chance when we make it out of here. They don¡¯t actually do much while you¡¯re young anyway, so you may as well save the space in your core.¡±

    He flicked his gaze towards their sleeping hollow. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to be like Orseis and overfill your core so that any random gorgon could paralyze you stiff.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± an annoyed voice complained. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough you¡¯re being so loud, don¡¯t talk about me behind my back.¡±

    Orseis crawled out of the hollow and stared at them blearily. Bel wasn¡¯t convinced that the girl was actually awake.

    ¡°So, have you seen anything dangerous?¡± Bel asked Flann.

    ¡°Well,¡± he started, ¡°there¡¯s a bushel and a half of stuff out here, but I haven¡¯t seen any creatures movin¡¯ about. I can smell ¡¯em though.¡±

    He scratched his head. ¡°They¡¯re prolly sensitive to strangers and ran off when we showed up. The crab was either stupid or thought it had an advantage on its home turf.¡±

    Bel hummed. ¡°So we won¡¯t have any trouble exploring?¡±

    Flann made a so-so gesture, wiggling his paw around. ¡°Sure, until something more powerful shows up. And if everything here is so sensitive, I¡¯m guessin¡¯ that the powerful hunters are all real stealthy.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± That thought put a wet towel on her good mood. She went to inspect their belonging that they had hung out the night before to dry.

    ¡°Hey, do you have any idea what time it is? Is there any day and night cycle here?¡±

    Flann flicked an ear. ¡°No idea. I haven¡¯t seen anything changin¡¯, but I¡¯ve only been up for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess we should wake Orseis and start looking around.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m up,¡± responded a groggy voice. She limply waved a few tentacles through the air. ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡±

    Flann¡¯s tail swished. ¡°Just like a follower of Gigampas, huge brawn, huge appetite.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes flicked out curious tongues. ¡°Gigampas?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my patron.¡± Orseis flexed a tentacle. ¡°God of might and hunting and stuff.¡±

    ¡°More like god of always being hungry,¡± Flann accused. ¡°Maybe you should go easy on his abilities, let your core get some breathing room.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, spoken like one of Hermeis¡¯ nags.¡±

    Flann opened his mouth, but Orseis held up her tentacles in defeat. ¡°No, please, I give up. Hermeis is great. That¡¯s settled now, so let¡¯s eat.¡±

    Flann laughed, slapping his knee with delight. ¡°We got nothin¡¯ but some hardtack, not unless you want to go back to the pond.¡±

    Orseis pondered for a moment. ¡°Back to the pond,¡± she declared.

    They repacked their things, donned their protective gear ¨C or just pants in Flann¡¯s case ¨C and headed back to the pond. Bel watched in wonder as the cuttle-girl packed away a pair of head-sized crabs that she swam down for breakfast.

    ¡°This place is actually kind of amazing,¡± she sighed contentedly. ¡°Maybe we could all just move down here?¡±

    Bel looked around. ¡°Well, Flann was thinking that there are probably predators. Stealthy ones that snap your neck when you¡¯re trying to use the bathroom, probably.¡±

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    Orseis peered around. ¡°Huh. That sounds less amazing. I¡¯d better be careful.¡±

    Bel nodded, but she was actually enjoying the more relaxed version of Orseis that had shown up before they¡¯d gone to sleep.

    <em style="font-style: italic">We¡¯re not here for fun, she scolded herself. <em style="font-style: italic">There¡¯ll be more time for chit-chat later.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can climb up a tall tree and see what¡¯s around,¡± she suggested.

    It was easy to find tall trees, but unfortunately, every tall tree was surrounded by other tall trees. They tried sending Flann to climb to the top of one anyway, but once he got high enough to rustle the branches all of the glowing insects flew away. The sudden darkness made it impossible for him to see what he was doing and he was forced to climb down.

    They stood around in a circle afterwards, wondering what to do next.

    ¡°Well, we know which direction to go to get to the blue wall,¡± Orseis observed. ¡°Let¡¯s find a river that¡¯s going in that direction and follow it. The trees are smaller near the water, so at least we¡¯ll be able to see anything trying to sneak up on us.¡±

    Flann grumbled a little, but none of them had a better idea. Keeping their orientation was actually more difficult than Bel thought it would, surrounded as they were by dense, overhanging vegetation. As they wandered around, becoming increasingly disoriented, Flann suddenly called them to a halt with a quickly raised hand.

    ¡°Stop,¡± he hissed.

    Bel gripped the hilt of her weapon and peered into the forest. She hadn¡¯t seen anything strange, but she trusted Flann¡¯s instincts and superior sense of smell. The small foxy man knelt to the ground and reached into a clump of ferns. His hand came back with something shiny.

    ¡°Is that a knife?¡± Bel asked.

    Flann turned it over in his hands. ¡°A piece of one, it looks like.¡±

    Bel examined the forest floor more closely, and a strange lump drew her attention. She stepped forward to prod it with her foot. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she wondered.

    The mound crumbled as she poked it, releasing a thick, decomposing smell and revealing several bones beneath the dessicated skin.

    ¡°What did you find?¡± Orseis asked tensely. Her tentacles were up and at the ready, and her pupils had gone wide.

    ¡°It¡¯s a dead¡­something.¡± Bel leaned closer, her nose wrinkling at the pungent scent. ¡°Something with big fangs.¡±

    Flann nodded. ¡°Prolly one of those predators that I was guessin¡¯ should be around.¡±

    ¡°But what killed it?¡± Orseis wondered.

    ¡°The Dark Ravager¡¯s people,¡± Bel answered. ¡°We know that they were getting spirits for their demigod. They may have done a number on the local wildlife as well. This could be why we¡¯re not seeing much.¡±

    Flann raised his eyebrows. ¡°This place is huge though. There¡¯s no way they wiped out everything.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes wriggled in disagreement. ¡°James told me that hunting will absolutely wipe out a species, even over a large area. Even if they aren¡¯t all gone, they¡¯ve probably learned to be wary of people.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I suppose that could be it,¡± Flann agreed.

    ¡°If they had a path, we should follow it,¡± Bel suggested. ¡°We know they found a way under the Barrier, so if we retrace their steps then we¡¯ll find it too.¡±

    ¡°Oh, good idea,¡± Orseis cheered. ¡°We¡¯ll be in Satrap in no time!¡±

    <hr>

    Five days passed ¨C at least as far as they could tell without any change in lighting ¨C and they hadn¡¯t found the pillar or the Barrier. The waterways grew thicker and deeper, rapids turned to cascades of water that fell hundreds of strides, and the mist grew so thick that they could barely see themselves. The heat had also increased as they moved gradually downhill, and it combined with the moisture in the air to form a special kind of hell ¨C at least for Bel and Flann.

    Orseis hummed a happy tune as she shoved through another dense stand of ferns that partially obscured the trail they¡¯d been following. ¡°I suppose I was being too optimistic before,¡± she tossed over her shoulder, ¡°but at least we¡¯ve been eating well!¡± She grinned and rubbed her full belly.

    As the waterways had grown in size, they had treated Bel¡¯s group to an ever expanding variety of crustaceans and fish.

    ¡°Yay,¡± Bel deadpanned. ¡°Giant water bugs.¡±

    Flann drooped miserably. He¡¯d already complained about everything there was to complain about, and now he was a quiet, tired, and soggy fox.

    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon,¡± Orseis chided, ¡°I¡¯ve gone up a threshold and you¡¯ve gone up two! Things aren¡¯t that bad.¡±

    Bel saw a spark ignite in Flann¡¯s dead eyes. ¡°Says that girl who doesn¡¯t have any fur to dry off,¡± he objected.

    ¡°Well, at least we aren¡¯t stuck here with Cleisthenes, right?¡± The cuttlefish-girl beamed, revealing her manicured beak.

    Bel sighed. <em style="font-style: italic">I suppose I should be thankful for that, she thought.

    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s a big fish!¡±

    Bel barely glanced at Orseis. ¡°At least she¡¯s always excited about the food down here,¡± she remarked to Flann.

    He nodded with a quiet grunt.

    Orseis jumped straight into the water, tentacles reaching forward towards her prey. Just like she always did.

    Then she came flying out of the water. Bel saw a surprised look on her face as the girl was sent careening towards them.

    ¡°Orseis!¡± Bel reached out as the girl came flying past, but she zipped by the gorgon and slammed into a tree before Bel could do anything to help her.

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened in alarm and she spun to face their attacker.

    It was a fish.

    And it was flying.

    The fish levitated through the air, surrounded by a large sphere of water. The creature itself was¡­long. Perhaps seven strides long, Bel guessed, with a sail-like fin running along its back and a large, red spine on its head, like a long-handled mace with an angry expression and teeth.

    It locked eyes with her and Bel pulled her short sword free of its scabbard. She prepared to <em style="font-style: italic">glare.

    Then a stream of water scythed towards her with enough force to cut straight through several of the Bel-sized trees in the way.

    Bel ducked down, but the watery attack dipped to follow. Flann waved his arms and released a torrent of fire that disrupted the water attack, filling the air with hissing mist as the two elements met. The water lost its cohesion and struck Bel with the force of a hard kick to the shoulder, but she was otherwise fine.

    As the glow bugs fled the area and plunged it into darkness, the fox grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s a bad matchup fer me,¡± he warned. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna be much help!¡±

    Bel glanced back at Orseis, but the girl was still laid out, tentacles splayed in every direction. Instead, Bel locked eyes with the giant serpent and blasted <em style="font-style: italic">glare, overloaded the ability with triple its usual mana requirement.

    The serpent shrugged off her attack with nothing more than an annoyed flick of its tail. In response, it sent a volley of water blobs at her with the weight and speed of rocks from a sling. Bel ducked and rolled, while Flann sent out a wave of fire in an attempt to disrupt the attack.

    Bel wanted to run, but another quick glance at Orseis told her that the girl wasn¡¯t moving.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Running could be futile anyway, seeing as this thing is floating.

    Bel ran in a semi-circle as she dodged another barrage of water bullets. When she had a moment to breath, she slid to a halt and once again locked eyes with the creature. Her snakes rose up in a threat display as she all of her free mana through <em style="font-style: italic">glare.

    This attempt went better ¨C the giant fish wobbled for a moment, and it dropped a large portion of its water. It still had enough to keep itself in the air, and more than enough to fend off any attack from Flann, but Bel was pleased to have had <em style="font-style: italic">some effect. If it was just as effective with each attempt, Bel thought that two more full power <em style="font-style: italic">glares would suffice.

    She just had to survive long enough to refill her core. No problem.

    The hovering serpent regarded them for a long moment. Bel was worried that it was preparing for some stronger attack, but the fish had apparently decided that they weren¡¯t worth the trouble. It smoothly turned and swam back through the air and into the deep river where Orseis had disturbed it.

    Bel stared at the spot where its red crest had dipped below the water¡¯s surface, worried that it would come back out with a fresh supply of water. After a minute of waiting, she finally relaxed and sheathed her sword.

    ¡°That was scary,¡± Bel quavered.

    Flann nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a big¡¯un. This is why I¡¯m not a fan of water, you can never tell when something gigantic is gonna show up.¡± He tilted his heard towards their downed companion. C¡¯mon, we¡¯d best check on Orseis.¡±

    They hurried to their companion¡¯s side.

    Orseis was bruised, and the blow had knocked her out, but she was breathing steadily. Bel and Flann hovered protectively over her, and she soon stirred.

    She peered up at them with bleery eyes before looking at the river.

    ¡°I guess this means no more easy meals for me,¡± she moaned.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 54 â€“ The Siren

    <section>

    <section>

    After their run-in with the water serpent the danger of the situation sank in, and they all proceeded with more caution.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, two of us are being cautious.

    ¡°Oh come on,¡± Orseis whined, ¡°it was one giant, floating fish. It caught me by surprise. I bet I could¡¯ve¨C¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Bel cut her off. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that thing didn¡¯t have your appetite, or it would¡¯ve gobbled you down. Stop thinking with your stomach.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m <em style="font-style: italic">hungry, and there¡¯s hardly anything on the land! The Dark Ravager¡¯s people already ate it all!¡±

    Bel bopped the younger girl on the head.

    ¡°Hey¨C¡±

    Flann followed up with another bop from his cane. ¡°The dead don¡¯t get to eat, young¡¯un.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    Orseis rolled her eyes and writhed her tentacles, but there was no way on Olympos Bel or Flann were going to let her back into the water.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get walking,¡± Bel demanded. She wasn¡¯t used to being the leader of a group, but Flann wasn¡¯t acting like he enjoyed leading. Now that she thought of it, Jan had always been the one making plans when she¡¯d travelled with them before.

    Orseis trailed behind them as she turned her head from the water and slowly scanned the forest. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s still something tasty out there?¡± she mused.

    Bel grabbed her by the tentacle and tugged her forward. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. They were only here for spirits, so they wouldn¡¯t have bothered hunting down the strongest beasts. The stuff they left out here could be worse than the fish.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only fourteen strokes to make my nails turn into metal,¡± she warned the younger girl.

    Orseis pouted, but she followed along when Bel shaped her nails into small, threatening claws to improve her grip.

    The trail became increasingly treacherous. They stopped at the first couple of geysers to marvel at their violent explosions of water and mist, but soon the novel water entertainment became commonplace. The mist took on a heavy, stifling aura as it thickened around them.

    The path ¨C presumably what the Dark Ravager¡¯s people had left behind after passing through the area many times ¨C was leading them onto a section of slippery rocks that formed a winding path through a swampy section of the cavern.

    Flann tapped suspiciously at a slippery stone slab before hopping up to it with exceeding caution and peered around. ¡°Looks like the path keeps winding through here,¡± he remarked.

    ¡°Is it still safe?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Better than jumpin¡¯ in the water,¡± the fox replied.

    Orseis rolled her eyes and dunked a tentacle into the water at the side of the path. ¡°The water is¨Couch!¡± She yanked her tentacle out and blew on it. ¡°The water is hot!¡±

    Bel and Flann laughed while Orseis glared at them angrily.

    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you show off, young¡¯un!¡± Flann guffawed, as he grinned widely, revealing all of his small, pointy teeth.

    Bel smiled at the other girl. ¡°That was great. Thanks Orseis, we needed a good laugh.¡±

    Orseis harrumphed and pulled her hood over her head.

    Bel chuckled. ¡°Oh, come on. Don¡¯t be like¨C¡±

    Flann stopped her with a tense hand on her arm. ¡°Quiet,¡± he whispered. ¡°I¡¯m hearin¡¯ somethin¡¯ strange.¡±

    Flann flattened himself against the warm stone, and soon the three of them belly down and out of sight, lined up like snakes warming themselves on the rocks.

    Bel peered into the water-saturated air, but she couldn¡¯t see a thing beyond the tiny droplets of water. She assumed that she wasn¡¯t the only one have trouble seeing ¨C Orseis and Flann were also looking about with similar expressions of frustration. Bel was about to suggest crawling off of the rocks when the outline of a figure appeared in the distance.

    Bel quickly tapped her companions and pointed at the movement, but Orseis and Flann didn¡¯t seem to see anything. Bel was confused for a moment, but realized that Kjar¡¯s ability was highlighting something wicked, even if she couldn¡¯t quite see what had set off the ability.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Great.

    Bel waved her hands, telling everyone to crawl off of the rocks and back into the concealing undergrowth.

    Flann scampered ahead of them on his short limbs, but Orseis and Bel had more of a struggle. Nothing attacked them or made a noise of alarm though, so Bel assumed that their efforts had kept them concealed.

    From their new vantage point, Bel peered out from behind the leaves of a squat plant, waiting to see if they would be discovered. A couple of tense minutes passed before the threat drifted into view ¨C a large goose with gray and white feathers. Its long neck ended in the head of a dark-haired woman who peered around with a hunter¡¯s vigilance. Her dark eyes were like pools of malice ¨C Bel suppressed a shudder when she caught sight of them. Bel pulled her remaining snakes back instinctively, fearing that their movement would alert the bird-woman of their presence.

    The three of them remained frozen while the goose-woman floated in circles. She eventually hopped up onto the rocks and examined them critically before opening her mouth and emitting a head-splittingly loud honk.

    Flann grimaced, hands pressed to his sensitive ears, while Orseis and Bel cringed with discomfort. Bel only had to wonder why the woman had honked for a moment though, as two more of the creatures drifted down from the sky and skid to a halt on the water.

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    Then proceeded the most painful conversation Bel had every been forced to hear. The ear-splitting noises went on for minutes before one of the woman grew angry at the other two. She lay about her with squawks so thunderously loud that the water near her vaporized. She chased her two companions across the water until they took flight. They were swallowed by the mist, leaving nothing behind but a few feathers and the blessed, wonderful silence.

    ¡°The hell was that,¡± Bel murmured.

    ¡°Sirens,¡± Orseis hissed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about them but¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°That was terrifying.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Flann asked. He pawed at his ears pitifully.

    Bel gave him a consoling pat on the back and gestured towards the rocks. ¡°Let¡¯s make a break for it.¡±

    Flann and Orseis didn¡¯t look very excited about the prospect of continuing, but Bel wasn¡¯t ready to give up. Too many people needed their help.

    Orseis opened her mouth to say something, but then her eyes widened and she pointed frantically.

    Bel¡¯s hand went to her weapon as she turned. It seemed like something else had been hiding from the sirens, and now that they were gone it was going into the open. Bel watched with growing excitement as a small, red lizard thing crawled out of a nearby pile of rocks.

    The body looked rocky, but wherever there were cracks and seams on its body it glowed with an inner light, as though its center was molten. It had six legs, two sail like wings on its back, and a head with its jaw put on sideways. Bel would recognize the nonsense body plan anywhere: this was a spirit. A little one, far weaker than what Dutcha had released. She could catch this one and use it make herself whole again, she was sure of it.

    Bel licked her lips with anticipation.

    Flann put a restraining hand on her elbow. Bel looked at him. She pointed to her head to the spirit and then back to her head. Flann was confused, but Orseis nodded with understanding; she¡¯d been stuck with Bel for plenty of unsuccessful spirit hunts before.

    The spirit was waddling towards the stone path on its tiny legs, leaving smoldering footprints in its wake. It seemed deathly afraid of the water, a fact which Bel was going to use to trap it when it walked past. Her four remaining snakes lifted into the air in anticipation.

    She ignored Orseis and Flann; the tentacled girl was trying to explain everything with quiet gestured, but the fox wasn¡¯t getting it. As long as they remained quiet it would be okay. Bel would just have to capture the spirit and then she would show him what she was trying to do.

    Her eyes widened and her pupils dilated as the awkward lizard neared her position.

    When it was at its closest, Bel charged from her cover.

    The lizard reacted instantly. A wave a legs formed on its body and it accelerated. The bold spirit was making a straight path towards the rocky path through the water, apparently confident that it could outrun her. Bel grinned and gave chase, her companions hurrying behind her.

    The spirit¡¯s extra legs kicked wildly on the slippery surface as the it flopped onto the rocks, Bel just a few strides behind. It grew a new set of eyes and looked back at her, but the extra vision seemed to confuse it because the little creature soon flipped over in a tangle of limbs. A victory cry escaped Bel¡¯s lips as she dove for the spirit. As soon as her hands squeezed around its wriggling body though, she felt her fingers burning from the heat.

    Bel ignored the pain and reached for her ability, but she was interrupted by a spray of water as something large breached the surface. Both the young gorgon and the spirit stared in horror as another, larger serpent rose above them, several globes of water hovering at its sides. Bel dove to the side just as it unleashed a spray of water bullets, barely making it out uninjured.

    ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯ll come along willingly,¡± Bel snapped as she activated her <em style="font-style: italic">lesser spirit incorporation ability. Unexpectedly, she got the impression that the spirit actually agreed with her. Bel didn¡¯t waste any time smashing it onto her bald head where she was missing three snakes. A burning sensation crawled up her scalp, followed by a weird feeling of being in two places at once.

    Then Bel hopped back to her feet and stared down the serpent. <em style="font-style: italic">I feel great! And powerful! I¡¯m going to crush this overgrown fish and take over the underworld!

    Bel cackled with glee as she squeezed her hands and¡­what was she doing?

    The air was knocked out of her as Orseis tackled her out of the way of a watery scythe that split the air above her. Flann started throwing blazing balls of fire at the serpent, but it washed him back into the forest with a flick of its tail and a tidal wave of water.

    ¡°W¨Cwhat¡¯s going on?¡± Bel asked.

    Orseis¡¯ jaw clenched with frustration, but she pushed Bel away from the serpent. ¡°We need to run, before¨C¡±

    A deafening thunderclap split the air. Orseis and Bel cowered on the ground, their hands and tentacles pressed into their ears. One of the siren had returned.

    The goose-bodied woman fell upon the serpent with a barrage of shouts so loud that the water around its body effervesced into a spray of dense mist. The woman bit into the head of the disoriented fish and screeched.

    The head of the serpent burst into a fine, red mist. Its body jerked and fell still, and the siren dragged it back onto the shore.

    That was too close for Flann; he came running out of the woods and onto the rocks, trying to get back to Bel and Orseis. Bel looked at his wet, bedraggled fur and burst and wanted to laugh.

    ¡°This is great,¡± she bubbled, ¡°everything is happening all at once! It¡¯s so chaotic!¡±

    Orseis slapped her with a wet tentacle. ¡°Get a hold of yourself, Bel! We need to get out of here!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Orseis gestured with exasperation at the siren. The bird-woman was busy tearing into the raw flesh of the serpent, but she glared at them as she chewed, jealously guarding her catch.

    Bel raised her hand to wave, but Orseis wrapped a tentacle around her waist and dragged her away.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with ¡¯er?¡± Flann fretted.

    ¡°She stuck the stupid little magma lizard on her head and now she¡¯s gone crazy!¡± Orseis panted back.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Crazy? I¡¯m not crazy, right?

    Bel looked up, and from the corner of her eye she could see the rocky form of her new snake. It glowed with an internal light along its length, giving it a still-molten look, even though Bel didn¡¯t feel like her head was burning.

    ¡°Are you making me crazy?¡± she asked it.

    It peered back at her and flicked out its tongue. Bel stared at it with suspicion as she allowed Orseis to guide her to the other side.

    When they reached the far side of the rocky path over the water, Orseis shoved her roughly into the foliage.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Bel?¡± she demanded.

    Bel rubbed her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel fine. I mean, maybe I feel a little bit weird, but kind of good?¡±

    ¡°Bel! Can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Bel spun around, looking for the source of the muffled voice.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with ¡¯er now?¡± groaned Flann.

    The young gorgon inspected her snakes. Were they suddenly talking?

    ¡°Bel, did you forget how to use your phone?¡± the voice asked. ¡°Pinch it with your fingers. Is everyone okay?¡±

    Bel clicked her tongue. Yes, she¡¯d forgotten about her phone.

    She reached up and pinched her earring. ¡°Hey James, I¡¯m here with Flann and Orseis on the second layer. Cleis took his people and ran away a few minutes after we landed. How are things with you?¡±

    Flann threw up his hands. ¡°Ah, all the gods above, she¡¯s completely lost it.¡±

    Orseis patted him on the shoulder. ¡°No, no, this is fine. She¡¯s just talking on the magical rock thing. In English, so she¡¯s probably talking to her brother.¡±

    Flann waved his hands at her angrily. ¡°How can you tell? She¡¯s just wanderin¡¯ around makin¡¯ noises at ¡¯erself!¡±

    Bel glared at them. ¡°Hey, could you two keep it down? I can¡¯t hear what my brother is saying,¡± she huffed.

    ¡°Sorry James, could you repeat that?¡±

    ¡°Cleisthenes is saying that you gave away their position to the scrattes, and then you all turned tail and fled.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s full of shit.¡±

    ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t been able to make contact with you for the past two weeks so he¡¯s been telling his story to everyone who¡¯ll listen. There isn¡¯t anyone to disagree here, so you¡¯ve really let him set the narrative.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Bel¡¯s snakes flicked their tongues. ¡°Two weeks? It¡¯s been that long?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and now Hanti is organizing a search party. She¡¯s also demanding that you come back and face punishment for ¨C and these are her words, not mine ¨C for your disgraceful behavior. She brings it up at the beginning of every meeting, and it¡¯s driving Beth insane.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 55 â€“ The Best Volcano

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°My behavior?¡± Bel shrieked indignantly. ¡°That¡¯s a pile of fish offal. Hanti can go eat crow.¡±

    Her new snake hissed at the air, twitching from side to side to see who it should bite.

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± James laughed. ¡°This is all just political theater. It¡¯s pretty tame really, at least for a medieval fantasy world. At least there isn¡¯t any poisoning, and thank all of your gods that this isn¡¯t like the fantasy from my world ¨C everyone would either be stabbing everyone else or sleeping with them.¡±

    Bel clicked her tongue. ¡°James, you know that we¡¯re real people here, right? This isn¡¯t how you talk to Daran, is it? Do you tell her that she¡¯s just a character in one of your tv shows?¡±

    ¡°No, I¨Cof course, I don¡¯t tell her¨Cwell, maybe I¡¯ve said¨C¡±

    Bel grinned as her brother sputtered on the other side of the conversation.

    ¡°So is she actually sending people after us?¡± she interrupted.

    Her brother¡¯s annoyed huff was just barely audible over his talking rock.

    ¡°Nah,¡± James eventually replied, ¡°there¡¯s been other stuff happening here too. A bunch of seal and otter people showed up and started yelling at the Alliance, blaming them for all of the elf attacks.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Bel interrupted, ¡°seals and otters?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to have a problem with that, sis. There are ant people. And you¡¯re travelling with a fox and an octopus.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a cuttlefish, actually.¡±

    ¡°The things that people in Satrap used for ink?¡±

    Bel glanced at Orseis. ¡°I¡¯m not going to mention that part to her. She¡¯s full of hope and dreams and stuff and is looking forward to meeting the people there.¡±

    ¡°Huh. I thought she just did what Beth told her and liked to eat.¡±

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s those things too. She¡¯s a complex individual with at least three dimensions.¡±

    Bel locked eyes with her new snake, who was leaning over her face and peering around, curious about the source of James¡¯ voice. Her eyes widened. ¡°Oh, James, I have some super exciting news!¡±

    ¡°Is it actually good, or are you¨C¡±

    Bel bopped the little magma snake in the nose. ¡°I got a new snake!¡± she squealed.

    ¡°What? Like, as a pet? Or did that spirit stuff work out?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s on my head! Just like Dutcha said!¡±

    ¡°Cool. Look, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay, but the battery won¡¯t last much longer so we should get serious. Tell me everything important for anyone who wants to follow after you.¡±

    Bel puffed out her cheeks, but she swallowed her pride a moment later. <em style="font-style: italic">James is right, there are a lot of people counting on us.

    Then her eyes narrowed. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to tell Hanti, are you? I don¡¯t want her sending Cleis after us. He¡¯s a loser.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± James agreed, ¡°I¡¯ll just pass along everything you¡¯ve learned to Beth. She can dole out bits and pieces for bargaining power. We just need some details to show that you still have a chance of success down there.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Bel agreed.

    She quickly gave her brother a run down of the things that they¡¯d encountered, from the scrattes to the path they were following. She ended with the flying serpents and the sirens.

    ¡°You know,¡± Bel mused, ¡°it¡¯s weird that these animals with the human heads ¨C the cat girls and the sirens ¨C are so powerful compared to all the rest of the semi-humans.¡±

    ¡°You mean sphinx¡­¡± James started to respond, but his voice became too quiet for Bel to hear him.

    ¡°James, are you still there? James? Ah, damn, it¡¯s out of power.¡±

    ¡°Call over?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°What¡¯s happening back at Outpost 3?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Politics. Hanti¡¯s trying to blame us for Cleisthenes being a moron, so we need to accomplish enough to embarrass them. James will call for regular status reports.¡±

    ¡°Too bad we haven¡¯t done much,¡± Flann lamented.

    ¡°If the call stone started working that means we¡¯re close to the pillar though, right?¡± Orseis pointed out.

    Bel grinned. ¡°Yup! Let¡¯s look around!¡±

    ¡°Whoah, hold on Bel. You were acting weird back there.¡±

    ¡°No I wasn¡¯t,¡± she denied.

    The two of them crossed their arms ¨C and tentacles ¨C and stared at her.

    Bel examined her companions critically. Flann¡¯s fur was bedraggled and matted, and Orseis¡¯ cloak was torn in multiple spots. She also had a large bruise on her head from where she¡¯d been tossed into a tree.

    ¡°You know, I think we¡¯ve all been under a lot of stress. I¡¯m sure a bit of success and some food would do us good, right?¡±

    Orseis narrowed her eyes suspiciously. <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, shoot, I thought for sure that talking about food would distract her.

    Flann made a calming gesture with his hands before Orseis could open her mouth.

    ¡°Standin¡¯ around isn¡¯t gonna help,¡± he declared. ¡°We may as well keep goin¡¯. Let¡¯s just take it easy.¡±

    He pointed at Bel. ¡°Don¡¯t think this means we¡¯re droppin¡¯ your weird behavior though. Stickin¡¯ strange spirits into your head can¡¯t be good. And that one looks like it¡¯s liable to set you on fire.¡±

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    He flicked his tail with unease. ¡°Just keep it away from my fur.¡±

    ¡°But you use fire abilities constantly,¡± she complained.

    Bel gently moved her new snake out of her face, depositing it on top of her head.

    ¡°And my mother ¨C my other mother ¨C she told me to do it. Mothers know best, right? And I want a full head of snakes.¡±

    Flann¡¯s tail stood out from his back as he puffed up and waved his cane in Bel¡¯s direction. ¡°Your other mother? The crazy spirit? The one who¡¯s causing a disaster on another island?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, h¨Coh, I see.¡±

    Bel rubbed her chin, feeling slightly worried and possibly a bit foolish.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you if I notice any strange effects,¡± she promised.

    Orseis waved her tentacles towards the heavens. ¡°No, Bel, we¡¯ll tell you if we¡¯re seeing anything strange. It¡¯s already happened.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay, well, the next time you notice something just let me know okay?¡±

    Orseis writhed towards the heavens and silently screamed into the air. Flann gave her a comforting pat on the back.

    ¡°Just drop it for now,¡± he suggested.

    Bel flashed a thumbs up and turned around to survey the area that they¡¯d reached from the stepping stones. The far shore of the water had been swampy, but on this side the water was moving freely. There were large outcroppings of mossy rock through which the water had carved deep furrows, and what was left behind was a series of fast moving streams with slender fingers of moss-covered stone in between. The path left by the Dark Ravager¡¯s people was easy to see; they¡¯d trampled a deep furrow through the thick moss, leaving a slick, barren trail through the vibrant green.

    The mist was still thick though, and, with the reduction in large plants, the ever-present light of the glowing insects was fading, as if the world were captured in an eerie, unshifting twilight.

    ¡°I guess that we¡¯ll just keep following the path?¡± Bel asked.

    She looked at her companions and they shrugged. Since there were no objections ¨C just grumbling from Orseis ¨C Bel set off at a mild pace. She wasn¡¯t sure how long the day had been, but it only took her a few steps to realize that she was exhausted.

    ¡°We should keep an eye out for a place to rest,¡± she suggested, gaining grunts of approved from the other two.

    After another minute of silence she glanced back.

    ¡°Hey, Flann, why are the sirens and the sphinxes ¨C the cat girls ¨C so much stronger than everyone else?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not natural creatures,¡± he responded. ¡°Some god or goddess assembled them.¡±

    ¡°And that means?¡±

    His ear flicked at the question. ¡°They¡¯ve got an unfair advantage. Most are unnaturally strong, and they¡¯re blessed with special abilities.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Bel put a finger to her chin as she considered that. ¡°Oh, like me?¡±

    Flann chuckled. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not natural to have snakes comin¡¯ out of your head, now is it? Some crazy god or goddess must¡¯ve come up with that one.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t actually in my head,¡± Bel replied indignantly. A couple of her snakes nodded along. ¡°They just kind of go along the top.¡±

    ¡°You sure about that?¡± Orseis challenged.

    ¡°Well¡­they¡¯re spirits actually, so I don¡¯t really know. Maybe I should have asked Kjar.¡±

    Bel idly poked at a snake. ¡°I should have asked her a lot more questions actually,¡± she mumbled, disappointed with herself.

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t push it,¡± Flann said. ¡°Everyone knows that the gods are capricious, you don¡¯t know what¡¯ll rile ¡¯em up. We¡¯re lucky that Kjar didn¡¯t decide to wipe out the entire Plains when she was there.¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Kjar would only do that to people who are guilty and deserve to be punished. She wouldn¡¯t do anything bad.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Flann¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°And how does she judge that?¡±

    Bel pushed some extra energy through <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s Sight and looked at her companions. They were still fine.

    ¡°You can just tell,¡± she responded. ¡°You can just look at someone and, bam, you know. Guilty. Punishment. Simple.¡±

    ¡°So she looks inside your head?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°Can she mess with it too?¡±

    ¡°No¡­well, I don¡¯t think so, or at least not that I¡¯ve noticed,¡± Bel admitted.

    ¡°So you haven¡¯t noticed that sometimes you start talking all weird? You don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bit of mischief from one of your illustrious parents?¡±

    ¡°What? When have I talked weird?¡± Bel turned to look at her companions.

    Flann waved his hands for her to keep walking. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that you¡¯ve got some personality quirks. Nothin¡¯ too extreme. Maybe think of it as an accent that you picked up from your parents.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good way to put it,¡± Orseis agreed.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Accent? Personality quirks? Do I have those? Bel wondered.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, I grew up locked in a prison cell, so I can blame any personal weirdness on that.

    She hadn¡¯t interacted with her divine origins much though, so Bel doubted that she¡¯d picked anything up as Flann implied.

    ¡°Well, whatever,¡± she muttered as she pressed onward over the slippery rocks.

    The scars cut through the rock deepened as the volume of water increased, forming chasms through the rock. The path lead straight over one of those gaps, but whoever had blazed their trail had left ropes of braided metal strung across them. The thought of holding onto nothing but water-slicked metal as she hung over the scalding water below them was terrifying. Luckily for the group, Bel had packed some metal clips for climbing that they could use to make little safety harnesses before they crossed.

    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly well-prepared,¡± Orseis remarked once they had all crossed.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Bel said, proudly. ¡°I planned all of this out with my brother. I¡¯m taking this seriously, you know.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Flann called out, ¡°come look at this.¡±

    ¡°Food?¡± Orseis responded with excitement.

    Bel and Orseis hurried over to the excited fox. As they moved towards the edge of the narrow strip of rock the mist fell away from them. It was thick around the surface of the water, but now the water was descending below them, flowing into the deep grooves that it had carved through the rock. For the first time in days they could actually see the world of the second layer as the sheer drop from the cliffs revealed a wide panorama of activity that spread out before them.

    The water collected below them in a sea that filled the bottom of the cavern. Land jutted up from its surface, and where it broke through the thick mist Bel could see roosting sirens. Brightly colored lizards crawled up and down the stone surfaces while swift-winged birds patrolled the skies. Strange shark-like creatures with thick, powerful legs strode over the land, their wide, toothy grins and menacing presence enough to scatter the other wildlife.

    Towering over everything else was the pillar. Its opening oozed with glowing lava that slowly dripped into the land below, creating an incline of newly formed land cut through with grooves and channels from all of the rushing water. Where the angry, red lava and the sea met they hissed and fought, sending out huge plumes of smoke and debris.

    ¡°I guess going up or down the pillar is completely out,¡± Orseis muttered.

    ¡°Is that the blue wall back there?¡± Flann asked.

    Bel squinted. She could just make out a blue tinge to the horizon, although there was plenty of haze in the air. She didn¡¯t look for very long, she was much more interested in the flowing lava. It was just so powerful and exciting, and it filled her with a sense of awe.

    ¡°It looks like there are some handholds cut into the cliff over here,¡± Orseis called out. ¡°And the path continues below.¡±

    Flann stuck out his tongue and flopped onto the mossy ground. ¡°No more today. I¡¯m beat.¡±

    Orseis made her way back to the group. ¡°Yeah, my head and back are killing me. Remind me to avoid smacking into trees in the future. Living on land is dangerous.¡±

    Bel was silent, still watching the lavafall.

    ¡°Bel? You want to rest? We can take turns keeping watch.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up? You¡¯re just staring.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The lava is beautiful.¡±

    Flann and Orseis exchanged a glance.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s great, kid. How about we set up a tarp to hide under? Maybe we can bury it with moss or something, I don¡¯t much fancy being found by those sirens.¡± Flann gestured vaguely into the air.

    Bel glanced at him. ¡°Sure, Flann. Sounds good.¡±

    Orseis waved some of her tentacles. ¡°You with us Bel?¡±

    Bel smiled. ¡°Of course. I was just thinking that when I grow up, I¡¯m gonna be the best volcano.¡±

    Flann¡¯s eyebrow climbed to the top of his furry head. ¡°Yer gonna what now?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­you know, you two may be right.¡± Bel tried to grab her new head snake, but it pulled away. ¡°This new one may be messing with my head after all.¡±

    It flicked its tongue out at her.

    ¡°Although, Dutcha would probably enjoy being a volcano too,¡± Bel muttered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should let Bel keep watch alone,¡± Orseis whispered.

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Flann replied.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 56 â€“ Fishing Break

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel woke up and stretched. <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because nothing woke me up, or if it¡¯s because I finally replaced one of my missing snakes, but I¡¯m feeling fantastic. She breathed in the hot, humid air and released a slow sigh of contentment. She booped the snout of her new snake, pleased with herself.

    A snort drew her attention to one of her companions.

    ¡°What a wonderful morning,¡± she greeted Orseis. ¡°Thanks for letting me sleep in!¡±

    The tentacled girl grunted in response. ¡°Hungry.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Flann?¡±

    ¡°Fishing.¡± Orseis popped to her feet and pulled on Bel¡¯s arm, urging her up. ¡°Now that you¡¯re up we can join him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s being careful of the serpents, right?¡± Bel asked, as she pulled their camouflaged tarp from its stakes so she could return it to her bag. Orseis may have been in a rush, but Bel didn¡¯t want to lose any of their limited supplies.

    ¡°More careful than you were with that spirit, volcano girl.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Who hasn¡¯t wanted to be a volcano when ¨C no, wait, that¡¯s the spirit again.¡±

    Bel chewed on her lip. ¡°Huh, Dutcha did warn me about spirits that were too powerful.¡±

    Orseis slapped her forehead with a tentacle. ¡°The crazy spirit? Even she warned you? And you didn¡¯t listen to her!?¡±

    Bel paused, tarp halfway stuffed into a bag. ¡°You know, when you put it like that, it sounds like I was being stupid.¡±

    Bel held up a hand. ¡°But,¡± she sputtered, ¡°I just don¡¯t feel complete without my snakes. I just needed it ¨C I can¡¯t really explain it, but I just had to catch this one. Just imagine if you lost a tentacle.¡±

    Bel reached up and poked at her new addition. Tired of the frequent prodding, the magma snake snapped at her finger. Bel¡¯s four original snakes took offense: they tussled with the newcomer, making a tangled, hissing mess on her head.

    Orseis watched as the four green snakes overwhelmed the new one, wrapping it up and pinning it to Bel¡¯s head in a show of dominance.

    Orseis¡¯ eyelids twitched. ¡°Blessed Bargainer, if being around Dutcha is anything like this then I can understand why the elves are fleeing Skotos and coming to the Golden Plains.¡±

    Bel harrumphed. ¡°Hey, we don¡¯t make fun of you for your appetite, don¡¯t make fun of me for my spirit snakes.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles in surrender. ¡°I think you do make fun of my appetite though. But speaking of my eating, I can¡¯t handle all of this on an empty stomach. C¡¯mon, maybe we can catch something.¡±

    Bel followed Orseis to the edge of their finger of land and was surprised to see Flann sitting on the edge, a fishing rod in his hands and a smile on his face.

    ¡°Where¡¯d you get that, Flann?¡±

    The old fox grinned. ¡°When I heard that there could be a layer of water down here I grabbed my old pole. Me and my grandpa used go fishin¡¯, back when there were still rivers and fish in the Golden Plains.¡±

    ¡°When was that?¡± Orseis wondered. ¡°The rivers never had any food in them.¡±

    Flann threw a loose clump of moss at her. ¡°You young¡¯uns! You¡¯re not even ten years old, and you¡¯re tellin¡¯ me that the rivers never had fish! Next thing you¡¯ll say that the people of the Plains always spoke the same language!¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Orseis began, but she trailed off under the old fox¡¯s stare. She sighed with resignation. ¡°Okay, then, tell me more about this wonderful fishing.¡±

    Flann grinned and his tail wagged. ¡°Of course! But first, grab a good rock for clubbin¡¯. And Bel, you grab that net over there.¡± He nodded as they followed his instructions. ¡°Alright, I got a good feelin¡¯. When I catch something, you grab it in the net and she¡¯ll whack it good.¡±

    Bel eyed the water below them. ¡°You won¡¯t be catching any of those serpents, will you?¡±

    He laughed. ¡°Only the small ones! Now where was I¡­oh yeah!¡±

    Flann leaned back and closed his eyes, clearly reminiscing about something. Used to his behavior by now, Bel sat down and settled in for a long wait. Much to her amusement, Orseis stared at the point where the fishing line disappeared into the mist over the water¡¯s surface. The semi-cuttlefish was practically drooling over the thought of a meal.

    ¡°So,¡± Flann began, ¡°people used to rely upon spirits to refill the waters, drawing in the salty brine of the ocean and separatin¡¯ it out to fill our ponds with freshwater and our food with flavor. Other spirits would do what spirits do naturally, causin¡¯ all sorts of storms and squalls on their own.¡±

    He pointed at the water, which flowed between two fingers of rock a strong stone¡¯s throw across. ¡°Rivers this size weren¡¯t uncommon back then, and plenty of them ran ten foxes deep. We had a name for the big river back then. It was¡­hmm¡­¡±

    Flann rocked back and forth for a moment. ¡°Ah, we called it the Spear, because it split the Plains like a spear through a fish. Anyway, there were maybe ten decent rivers back then, and we foxes shared one with the meerkats and the scorpions.¡±

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    Flann leaned back and grinned. ¡°That was where I first met Jan, actually. Silly meerkat had managed to walk right into the river!¡± Flann¡¯s ears twitched with excitement and his eyes unfocused as he got lost in the memory.

    Orseis¡¯s stomach growled. Bel watched with concern as the girl leaned farther over the water, her eyes large and desperate.

    Bel almost laughed when Flann¡¯s nose twitched at her inattention. After a brief pause, he snorted and resumed his rambling.

    ¡°O¡¯ course the meerkats didn¡¯t trust us, so, other than Jan fallin¡¯ in, they mostly lived on the far side. And of course nobody trusted the scorpions. Most of them ended up with the Ravager in the end, so it was the smart thing to do, although some of them got blamed for stuff they weren¡¯t part of.¡±

    Bel wondered if that was why Seth was so awkward around people. The quiet scorpion boy saved her during an attack by the Dark Ravager¡¯s people, and as far as Bel could tell he got along with James and Beth, but he hardly ever opened his mouth. Not that she could do anything about it from underground, but maybe she could ask James to make sure that he had friends.

    ¡°Speakin¡¯ of the Ravager, he¡¯d already been hunting the spirits for a long time when I was a boy. We didn¡¯t realize the effects at first, but, sure enough, once they finished disappearin¡¯ the rains went with ¡¯em. But back when there were rains, my grandad used to¨C¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Orseis shouted. ¡°It¡¯s something! It¡¯s by the line! Catch it, catch it!¡±

    Flann burst out laughing. ¡°You just have to be patient! Ya can¡¯t make somethin¡¯ bite!¡±

    He twitched his line a few times, trying to entice whatever was in the water below.

    ¡°What are you using for bait anyway?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Worms in the rocks,¡± he replied. ¡°Found some crawling on you in the night.¡±

    Bel gagged a bit and started wiping off her body with one of her hands.

    Flann¡¯s eyes popped open and he hopped to his feet. He jerked on his pole and started reeling. ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡±

    Orseis hopped from foot to foot as he pulled up his catch, and even Bel felt a bit of excitement ¨C at least until a round lump emerged from the mist.

    ¡°Is that a giant bug?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Net it, net it!¡± Orseis demanded, undeterred.

    Bel reached out with the net and caught the creature, which was stubbornly holding onto a tough, thick segment of worm that Flann had affixed to his hook. She pulled the netted creature closer. It wasn¡¯t bothered by the situation and stubbornly worked on the worm with its mouthparts, refusing to let go. It was big and fat, far plumper than the crabs that they¡¯d eaten before, but, Bel thought, far less appetizing. She put it down on the rocks, uncertain if she was hungry enough to eat the pale, hard shelled, many legged thing. Its four antenna waved around, and Bel shuddered when she thought of them wriggling in her stomach.

    Orseis smashed her stone down on its head with a cry of glee. ¡°Yes! Breakfast!¡±

    Bel¡¯s lips curled in disgust. Its blood wasn¡¯t even red; instead, it was a bright shade of blue.

    ¡°Now I¡¯ll just cook it up, and we¡¯ll¨C¡± Flann stopped mid-sentence as Orseis ripped the isopod in half with a powerful flex of her tentacles before shoving half of it directly into her face. Blue blood smeared everywhere.

    Bel grinned at the fox. ¡°She seems hungry. Looks like you¡¯ll have to catch more of them.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes as Flann grumbled, but he slipped a new segment of worm onto his hook before tossing it back in.

    Bel turned to gaze at the Pillar that Supported the World. It was still dripping impressive amounts of magma, the same as the last time she¡¯d looked. A little voice in her head told her to rush straight to it, and kill anything that tried to stop her.

    She ignored it ¨C clearly the little magma snake had overinflated opinions of its own capabilities that were intruding into her own thoughts.

    ¡°Is it really fishing if you aren¡¯t catching fish?¡±

    Flann slapped his knee as he chortled. ¡°Ah, you young¡¯uns are so funny. Course it¡¯s fishin.¡±

    Orseis finished the isopod and tossed its empty shell back into the water. ¡°Oh! Should I have shared that?¡± Orseis asked, eyes wide. ¡°Sorry, I was just so hungry,¡± she apologized.

    Bel and Flann waved the girl off.

    Bel smiled at Orseis¡¯ guilty look as the girl leaned over the edge of the cliff. Then Orseis¡¯ face shifted to a look of excitement.

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± she asked, ¡°do you like crayfish? Because we¡¯ve got a swarm of them climbing up the cliff.¡±

    Flann didn¡¯t hesitate, quickly jamming his pole into a crack in the rock slab and summoning a pair of fiery orbs to his hands. Bel whipped her short sword out of her sheath just as the first crayfish cleared the lip of the cliff. Before she could step towards it though, it launched a narrow beam of water at her from one of its claws.

    Bel blocked the water instinctively, quickly using <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification to further strengthen her already <em style="font-style: italic">toughened integument. The beam of water didn¡¯t slice through her, but it stung like hell where it hit. Bel dove to the ground to evade multiple incoming attacks, coating herself in the thick moss that covered most of the ground but ducking out of the crayfishes lines of sight.

    While they were busy attacking Bel, Orseis used their distraction to get close and grab three of the little crayfish in her tentacles. Before she could finish them off she was hit by multiple beams. She yelped with pain, and hurled her caught crayfish at some of her attackers.

    Then Flann summoned an incredible bonfire that crisped all of the crayfish that had cleared the cliff. Bel breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed at her arms where bright, red lines were forming where she¡¯d been hit. She sucked her breath back in when a second group of crayfish completed the climb, their pincers clacking with menace.

    She <em style="font-style: italic">glared at them this time, freezing them before they could attack, and then rushed in with her sword. Some of Orseis arm tentacles were wrapped limply around her body, but she still rushed forward with Bel to finish off the newcomers. The assault wasn¡¯t over though ¨C another pair climbed up behind the second group. Bel covered her face to block any attacks at her eyes, but the expected assault didn¡¯t come. Surprised, she looked up to see the crayfish twitching helplessly in mid-air.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Did the moss catch them?

    Bel¡¯s mind struggled to understand the scene before she realized that it was Orseis who had caught them in her tentacles.

    ¡°Did you just go invisible?¡± she asked, surprised.

    Orseis grinned as she crushed the little crayfish bodies. ¡°Not invisible, but most of my upper body can still change color and texture. It¡¯s sometimes useful in a fight if I¡¯m moving slowly.¡±

    ¡°Put yer damn shirt back on!¡± Flann yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any sense?¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened as she saw the incensed fox. His whiskers were twitching with shock and distress. ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents ever teach ya to be decent around other folks?¡±

    Orseis stood tall and proud with her tentacles braced on her hips. ¡°Never met ¡¯em. Didn¡¯t I already tell you that?¡±

    Flann tossed her cloak to her. ¡°I¡¯ve a mind to adopt you myself jus¡¯ so I can give you a good talkin¡¯ to.¡± He turned around and started collected the crayfish, his tail still swishing with agitation. ¡°Young¡¯uns these days, I swear,¡± he muttered to himself.

    Bel picked up one of the limp miniature lobsters and peered into its beady eyes. ¡°Say, do you think these things have any good abilities? Shooting things with beams of water doesn¡¯t sound bad.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 57 â€“ Obstacles

    <section>

    <section>

    Flann laughed at Bel¡¯s suggestion. ¡°You want to shoot beams of water? From where?¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with shooting water?¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle at the dead crayfish. ¡°They were shooting water that they brought with them. Back in the Golden Plains that¡¯s a pretty useless ability.¡±

    Bel gestured at Flann. ¡°But he summons fire all the time.¡±

    The fox shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not summoning fire. That¡¯s just a side effect of the heat.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re summoning¨C¡±

    Flann cut her off. ¡°No, I¡¯m generating heat with the energy from my core. I¡¯m not making anything. Making stuff is hard.¡±

    Bel pouted. ¡°So I can¡¯t summon water beams?¡± She looked at the fist-sized crustacean still dangling from her hand. ¡°Well, maybe it has something else interesting.¡±

    Bel¡¯s face scrunched with concentration as she grasped the core with her senses, feeling around for¨C

    ¡°Ah, it broke,¡± she exclaimed, dismayed.

    Bel dropped the crayfish and grabbed another one. She again sent her senses into the core and¨C

    ¡°Ah, damnit, the cores on these things are super fragile.¡±

    Orseis laughed. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re just bad at this?¡± She prodded one of the corpses with a tentacle and closed her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s got an ability to move water, another to make a distracting light, and, oh, there¡¯s the one to shoot water¡­¡±

    She went silent for a moment. ¡°Yeah, nothing special. Better oxygen transfer so they can grow bigger, something to manage heat in the water¡­ actually, maybe I¡¯ll take that. The water around here is hot enough to scald my tentacles.¡±

    Bel pouted. ¡°Why was that so easy for you? Is it because you¡¯re part fish?¡±

    Orseis threw the crayfish at Bel, giving her a facefull of spindly legs. ¡°I¡¯m not a fish! Humans just call cuttlefish that because they¡¯re bad at naming things!¡±

    Flann chuckled at their antics while he gathered up the crayfish. ¡°You two may as well just drain these for essence. We¡¯ll find something small for you to practice your ability extraction on, Bel. Maybe those worms I was using for bait.¡±

    ¡°But why,¡± Bel complained.

    ¡°You¡¯re more powerful now than you were before. Of course it¡¯s easier to break things. You should really keep up your practice so stuff like this doesn¡¯t happen.¡±

    Orseis waved a crayfish in her face. ¡°Half and half?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡±

    They divided the large crustaceans into two piles and before Bel and Orseis pulled out their essence. They were stronger then Bel had thought ¨C her core advanced by two thresholds. That gave her as much free capacity as she¡¯d had when she gained the <em style="font-style: italic">lesser incorporation ability to merge spirits into her body, so she would get to see new abilities from Dutcha¡¯s path soon.

    Bel nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Done.¡±

    Flann rubbed his hands. ¡°Great, now how about I cook ¡¯em before Orseis shoves the rest into her face?¡±

    The tentacled girl looked up suddenly, a bit of crayfish tail still hanging out of her mouth. She hastily snapped it off and swallowed. ¡°Uh, yeah, cooking is great, I can totally wait.¡±

    Flann snorted. ¡°I swear, this girl was raised in a hole,¡± he muttered.

    <hr>

    Orseis bludgeoned a shallow hole into a rock so that Flann could boil the crayfish in large groups. Bel wasn¡¯t impressed with their flavor, but she was hardly paying attention. After eating a couple she started poking around the thick moss, searching for the worms Flann had told her to use for practice.

    ¡°You¡¯re not eating more?¡± he asked with concern.

    ¡°Nah. I¡¯d better practice that essence stuff. I don¡¯t think my mom will be okay with me wasting time.¡±

    Orseis immediately grabbed another tentaclefull. ¡°More for me,¡± she declared happily.

    Flann¡¯s whiskers twitched. ¡°You¡¯re not used to all this, Bel. Didn¡¯t you just get your core recently? Rushing isn¡¯t reasonable ¨C the hasty kit falls down the hole, you know.¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think my mom¡¯s reasonable. Kjar warned me that she takes things to world-ending extremes when she doesn¡¯t get her way, remember? I don¡¯t want to fall behind wherever she thinks I should be.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­well, I suppose¡­¡± His tail flicked with agitation. ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard of Lempo though, is she really that powerful? No offense, but maybe your mom is just a bit dramatic?¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Kjar didn¡¯t think so, and she blew up the Dark Ravager¡¯s pyramid like a kid kicks over a sand castle. I wouldn¡¯t want to risk pissing off my mom.¡±

    Bel nervously coiled one of her snakes around her hand. ¡°Actually, Flann, maybe you shouldn¡¯t speak disrespectfully about her, who knows if she¡¯s listening through me.¡±

    Flann shrugged. ¡°Eh, then she must already know the kind of fox I am. Anyway, shall we get goin¡¯? If those crayfish had found us while we were sleepin¡¯ it would''ve been bad, so I want to find a more sheltered place to hide before we sleep again.¡±

    He flicked his tail at Orseis. ¡°Besides, I think Orseis is gonna start eatin¡¯ rocks if we wait around any longer.¡±

    Orseis spit out a bit of shell. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t eat rocks,¡± she declared indignantly. ¡°But if we¡¯re ready to go, I think there are some handholds leading down the cliff face. They¡¯re a bit wet, but I think you two can make it.¡±

    They peered over the edge of the cliff where Orseis pointed, and there was indeed a path of rough notches in the rock.

    Orseis scampered down the cliff without a moments hesitation, and Bel rushed after her, eager to prove that she was capable. At first she tried to form her nails into claws to help with her grip, but she found that they weren¡¯t nearly hard or sharp enough to dig into the rock.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Hey, why don¡¯t I try to make little suction cups like Orseis?

    Bel focused on <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification and quickly changed the texture of her skin.

    As she slipped off of the rock, falling the remaining few strides, she realized that suction wouldn¡¯t work with dry skin. She sank into a thick padding of ancient moss with a muffled grunt, but quickly slipped her arms behind her head and relaxed, trying to play it off. She avoided Orseis¡¯ gaze as she watched Flann slowly pick his way down, his staff awkwardly swinging from his belt.

    ¡°So,¡± Orseis began, ¡°you getting any cool new abilities from your parents?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Well, I¡¯m trying to build up more free space in my first core to improve my <em style="font-style: italic">glare, but I¡¯m hoping for something interesting from Dutcha¡¯s path soon. You know that I can <em style="font-style: italic">liquify things, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, gods, you mention it all the time. Makes it easier to break something¡¯s neck. You usually mime it with your hands, it¡¯s starting to freak me out.¡±

    Bel ignored her tentacled companion as she watched with concern as Flann felt around the slick stone for his next foothold. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I should have asked Orseis to carry him?

    He finally found the foothold and continued, and Bel breathed a sigh of relief.

    The old fox finally dropped to the ground and rubbed his hand against his back as he leaned again the rock wall. ¡°And <em style="font-style: italic">toughened integument makes your skin tougher, right?¡± he asked. ¡°Saved you from the jets of water from those crayfish. Good defensive abilities are just as vital as a proper offense. You youngun¡¯s always forget that.¡±

    Bel chewed on her lip. ¡°Sure, but it still hurt. I¡¯d rather have killed them first.¡± She tapped her tapped. ¡°Although¡­ there is a gorgon ability that lets me grow scales all over my body. It fills forty strokes though. I can¡¯t afford it.¡±

    Bel could feel the little star of the ability at the edge of her gorgon path, but she¡¯d placed it out of reach when she¡¯d inscribed <em style="font-style: italic">eye of the huntress.

    ¡°But would it help you take down one of those serpents?¡± Orseis called from farther down the path. ¡°I¡¯m still mad about that last one. I think offense is the best defense anyway. Pretty sure someone smart said that.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­no, tougher scales wouldn¡¯t have helped against that flying serpent,¡± Bel admitted.

    ¡°There are gorgon abilities to grow brass nails or brass claws for fourteen or twenty-eight strokes, or I could make things convulse from my glare for thirty-six strokes.¡±

    ¡°I got claws,¡± Flann interjected, ¡°not helpin¡¯ me much.¡±

    ¡°Well, Kjar¡¯s path also has claws. I think they¡¯re for rending the wicked. Probably made of flame and righteous anger or something.¡±

    ¡°Do they only rend the wicked? Or just rend them more?¡± Orseis asked.

    ¡°And what exactly <em style="font-style: italic">is wicked?¡± Flann added.

    Bel recalled how some things showed up more strongly with <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s sight. ¡°I have a vision ability from her path that makes some people glow. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re who¡¯s wicked.¡±

    ¡°How about the serpents?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Oh, not them, no. They¡¯re just, you know, wildlife. Eating things isn¡¯t wicked.¡±

    Orseis waved towards another drop in the cliff and rushed ahead.

    Bel sighed. ¡°Do you need any help, Flann?¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± the old fox waved her off, ¡°I¡¯ve still got a bit o¡¯ spunk in me.¡±

    Bel¡¯s lips pressed as she wondered if Flann was trying too hard to act young, but she finally decided to go ahead. Once she reached the ground though, she waited at the bottom of the cliff and watched Flann¡¯s descent, ready to catch the old man if he slipped.

    ¡°What about your mom?¡± Orseis asked as they waited. ¡°Goddess of change and upheaval, right? She must offer some cool abilities, right?¡±

    ¡°Lempo¡¯s abilities so far are more weird than useful, unless you wanted me to be able to make a disease stronger or weaker.¡±

    Orseis waved a dismissive tentacle. ¡°Pass.¡±

    Flann hopped down onto the ground. ¡°That¡¯s actually pretty useful. Just not right now.¡±

    Bel nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Well,¡± Flann sighed, ¡°may as well keep going into¡­ erm, into that cave I guess. It¡¯s pointed in the same direction as the pillar and the blue wall at least, and the worn down sections of moss lead straight into it.¡±

    Bel looked around and saw that the path did indeed go into a dark cave. ¡°Think this was made by the Dark Ravager¡¯s people?¡± Bel asked. ¡°Or could there be other people down here?¡±

    They all squinted at the opening for a minute, but none of them knew much about rocks. If it had been carved recently there weren¡¯t any signs. With a collective round of shrugs, Flann summoned a small flame to light their way and then entered.

    The cave started off level, but quickly began a steep descent deeper into the rock. As it dipped, the air grew hot, humid. It only took a minute for the three of them to become absolutely miserable.

    ¡°Oh, hey! It¡¯s one of those worms!¡± Orseis shouted with excitement. ¡°I wonder if that means larger, more tasty things will show up?¡±

    Bel looked where Orseis was pointing and saw the same kind of thick, pale worm that Flann had used for his bait.

    Orseis reached for it eagerly. ¡°Actually, you caught something with one of these, right? Do they taste good?¡±

    Bel¡¯s lips turned down in disgust. ¡°Ugh, Orseis, aren¡¯t you still full?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m growing.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¨C¡±

    Orseis ignored Bel¡¯s objection and grabbed the worm anyway. She ripped it out of the wall and lifted the wriggling thing to her mouth for a large bite. Her eyes widened as she bit down, her w-shaped pupils going round as the moons before she spit it out.

    Flann burst into laughter.

    The light from his flame danced and flickered from his laughing fit; he worked himself to tears before he calmed down. ¡°Ah, sorry girl, just the expression on your face.

    Orseis was wiping desperately at her mouth. ¡°That was disgusting!¡±

    Flann nodded wisely. ¡°That¡¯s why it was bait.¡±

    The wily fox danced away from Orseis¡¯ frustrated tentacles, and Bel hurried after him as he danced farther down the tunnel. He stopped when the path abruptly exited into a cavern dotted with a few large, steaming pools, all teaming with life. Something ¨C or someone ¨C had drilled holes into the ceiling and walls, drawing cooler air in from outside as the steam rushed out from the holes at the top.

    Orseis eyed the pools with mistrust. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s worth it to search for food in here?¡±

    Bel raised her unscarred eyebrow. ¡°You didn¡¯t learn your lesson with that worm?¡±

    Orseis grinned. ¡°Ah, but what if there are fishes with useful abilities?¡±

    Flann flicked an ear with impatience. The humid air had soaked through the outer layer of his fur and his whiskers drooped with displeasure. ¡°Hey, I thought we were looking for a way into Satrap, not a buffet.¡±

    Bel paused. ¡°You know, the tentacled stomach has a point. What if they have abilities that would make it easier to get through here?¡±

    Flann shook his head. ¡°Plenty o¡¯ creatures can survive in places like this naturally. No reason to get an ability to do something that comes naturally.¡±

    Flann continued through the chamber, shaking his head with disappointment. Since he was the one with the light Orseis and Bel were forced to keep up.

    The tunnel descended for a short while before bringing them into another, even larger chamber. This one was ventilated like the last, but the ceiling was extremely high ¨C perhaps fifty strides from the floor ¨C and the ground was dotted with several tens of shallow craters with small amounts of water that were steadily steaming. Bel glanced at the closest one and saw a suspicious hole in its center, visible through the clear water.

    She tapped Flann on the back. ¡°There¡¯s a hole in the pond. There could be a monster in it.¡±

    They paused to look for threats, peering at all of the nearest ponds with distrust. Without any warning, the surface of the water bulged. It exploded upwards, sending a geyser of white water straight to the ceiling and saturating the air with moisture.

    Bel whipped out her short sword while Orseis and Flann also reaided themselves for a fight, but nothing followed the water. Instead, the liquid quickly pooled and ran backwards, draining back into the hole in the center of the pool.

    Bel stared in awe as another geyser erupted farther back in the spacious cavern.

    ¡°Wow,¡± she breathed after finally finding her voice.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Orseis agreed. ¡°You know, it¡¯s got to be pretty hot under all this. Have either of you thought about how we¡¯re going to get down to the next layer if it keeps getting hotter? I mean, I could take that heat ability from a crayfish, but are either of you good at swimming?¡±

    Orseis gestured at the geysers. ¡°The deeper we go, the more flooded things are going to become. We may have to do some swimming in the scalding water.¡±

    Bel paused. ¡°That seems like something that the Dark Ravager¡¯s minions must have sorted out, right?¡±

    She received only shrugs in response.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 58 â€“ A Desperate Search for Useful Abilities

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel frowned as she looked around the steamy, geyser-filled room. ¡°Well, I guess that we¡¯ll have to hope that the Dark Ravager¡¯s people left a path leads around all of this somehow.¡±

    The geysers popped and gushed while the three watched them warily.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Bel hesitated, ¡°should we make a run for it?¡±

    Flann looked like he was about to object, but Orseis scooped him into her tentacles and took off running, laughing wildly as she splashed through the super-heated water.

    ¡°Orseis, wai¨C dammit!¡± Bel rushed after her, doing her best to stay ahead of the geysers that seemed overdue.

    The path was still roughly visible from the scuff marks on the ground, and it didn¡¯t lead them straight into any of the seemingly bottomless pools. They passed by a pile of disintegrated scraps that Bel guessed were the remains of some empty sacks before turning around a large stone column that filled the middle of the chamber.

    And then the path lead straight to a dead-end. It ended at another pool, this one larger and more ominous that the others but still just as impassible. They stared at it, and then they all backed away to the safety of the stone column. As they watched, a rush of bubbling water pushed up from deep underneath the surface, forming a dome on top of the water before it burst and sprayed in every direction.

    This geyser spewed more than just water though ¨C a large, short-limbed serpent had ridden it to the apex. The serpent flipped over at the top of its arc, and its two sets of eyes locked onto them. Then gravity reasserted itself, but before the serpent fell halfway it opened its mouth and spat a fireball in their direction before diving back through the hole.

    Flann raised his hands and redirected the fire, splashing the bright arc against the rocky floor. The small fox grunted with effort as the flames licked around them, but none came close enough to do them harm.

    ¡°That one didn¡¯t look like the others,¡± Orseis spoke, her eyes wide.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Flann panted, ¡°the firebreathing, horns, and legs were new. Not a typical fish.¡±

    Bel tugged nervously on her snakes. Even the little magma spirit felt slightly cowed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t scaled like a fish either; more like a lizard. Maybe we should back up and rethink this. There could be a¨C¡±

    Her train of thought was interrupted by a subtle thrumming on her ear. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s my brother.¡±

    They retreated quickly for the beginning of the cavern, away from the fire spitting serpent and steaming geysers. Bel pinched her earring between two fingers to activate the call.

    ¡°Hey James,¡± she greeted.

    ¡°Hey Bel, you still doing okay down there?¡±

    Even through the distorted sound of her earring, Bel thought that her brother sounded worn out.

    ¡°We¡¯ve had some, uh, hiccups.¡± She glanced back into the dangerous room. ¡°We were about to take a break. How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Things are nuts up here.¡±

    He paused, and Bel could picture him angrily rubbing at his hair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pull your hair out, James,¡± she teased him.

    The quiet sound of his chuckling followed over their connection. ¡°I know you¡¯re doing the more dangerous things, but it¡¯s just so frustrating up here. Everyone is so short-sighted.¡±

    James sighed loudly. ¡°Beth wants everyone to join her army and conquer Satrap; Hanti wants to conquer Satrap, but she wants to be the one leading the army; and Rob¨¨te wants everyone to just ¨C I don¡¯t even know what she wants ¨C make friends and sing songs together.¡±

    ¡°Sounds rough.¡± Bel glanced at her magma snake, who was still staring back in the direction of the flame tossing lizard. ¡°I think that we¡¯re making good progress down here though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice. I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve gotten something good out of the experience. Beth wants you to come back though.¡±

    Bel¡¯s blood drained from her face. ¡°What? Why? We need to find a way into Satrap, don¡¯t we?¡± She couldn¡¯t help her voice going a little shrill.

    ¡°Hanti is raising hell that you aren¡¯t coming back. She¡¯s saying that you¡¯re deserting. Don¡¯t worry too much about that, Daran says that Hanti can¡¯t actually do anything to you, and it¡¯s not like the rest of your group didn¡¯t know that it was dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but¨C¡±

    ¡°Beth also just wants your report. If you¡¯ve scouted more information about the second level, then she thinks that¡¯s enough of a success for her to maintain her influence over the process.¡±

    ¡°So she doesn¡¯t trust that I can make it any farther?¡± Bel asked. She couldn¡¯t keep an angry note from creeping into her voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? She thinks that we made it through the Barrier, and Kjar tricked the Dark Ravager using me as bait, and that¡¯s it for me? That there¡¯s nothing more I can do?¡±

    Bel gnashed her teeth and her snakes hissed into the air. ¡°What about my mother¡¯s expectations? She¡¯s a goddess you know ¨C she probably knows a bit more than Beth does. And Kjar even said that I could go under the Barrier.¡±

    Bel glanced at Orseis. ¡°And what about all the people in the Golden Plains who are at the end of their compatible matches? All those different people who are at the dead end of a long line of semi-humans? What happened to helping them?¡±

    Bel could hear James making noises of frustration from his side of the call. ¡°Look, Bel, I completely agree with you,¡± he pleaded, ¡°the people should come first. We don¡¯t need war to help the people out here, and we definitely don¡¯t need all of this useless politicking. I don¡¯t know what else to say though, I¡¯m just a messenger.¡±

    Bel could hear his voice growing faint; their ranting had taken up all of the earring¡¯s energy. ¡°I think you¡¯re fading, James.¡±

    ¡°Dammit. Look, just stay safe down there. And come¨C¡±

    The connection weakened to the point where Bel could only hear a faint buzzing. She sighed and released her earring.

    Orseis and Flann shared a look.

    ¡°So,¡± Orseis said slowly, ¡°we¡¯re going back?¡±

    Bel looked at the tentacled girl; a girl who just wanted to meet a nice guy who didn¡¯t mind that she was bald and had tentacles for arms and ate ten meals a day. Bel fists tightened she clenched her jaw. Maybe it was her little magma spirit that was filling her with righteous indignation, but maybe it was okay to get angry.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°No. Hell no. We¡¯re not going back.¡±

    Flann¡¯s ears flattened unhappily. ¡°Bel,¡± he said carefully, ¡°we both heard your side of that conversation. We¡¯re being asked to come back, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes darted angrily. ¡°That¡¯s such a pile of lizard scat, and you know it. What happened to all that concern you had for the fate of the Golden Plains?¡±

    Flann summoned another glowing orb and tossed it back down the path, lighting up the expanse of the wide chamber. ¡°Look, Bel, even if we want to go farther this is a dead end.¡±

    Bel gestured back towards the end of the cavern. ¡°The path leads straight to that pool. It seems pretty clear to me that we¡¯re supposed to jump in.¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle. ¡°Whoah, remember that scaled serpent? I don¡¯t want to die down here.¡±

    She pointed her tentacles at Bel. ¡°Not to mention that you¡¯d cook.¡±

    ¡°The Dark Ravager¡¯s people made it,¡± Bel challenged. ¡°Why can¡¯t we?¡±

    Flann shook his head. ¡°How strong were the ones you met on the other side?¡±

    Bel frowned. Nebamon was pretty tough ¨C probably a bit weaker than Beth, somewhere early in his third core maybe. Maybe Ken too. Rikja¡­well, she was weaker than Flann, so she was probably just in her second core. <em style="font-style: italic">And who could tell with Crystal.

    ¡°I think that some of them were in the second core. They weren¡¯t much stronger than I am.¡±

    ¡°Ah, some of them, but some were stronger, yeah? I don¡¯t like our odds with that serpent, young¡¯un. Avoidin¡¯ stuff like that is how you get to be my age.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Orseis added, wringing her tentacles nervously, ¡°and if we go back we can tell people about what we found down here. Then the next group can come better prepared.¡±

    Bel thought for a moment.

    ¡°Sure,¡± she decided, ¡°that makes sense.¡±

    Flann and Orseis breathed sighs of relief.

    ¡°I¡¯m still going deeper though. There¡¯s no guarantee that anyone else will actually come down here.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ writhed with frustration. ¡°But¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not changing my mind,¡± Bel insisted. ¡°Think about Cleis ¨C he was obviously meant to sabotage the mission in the first place. Sure, maybe Hanti sent him just to embarrass Beth, but what if there¡¯s other politics going on too?¡±

    Bel strode to the nearest non-geysering pool. She tentatively poked a finger in and immediately pulled it out before inspecting it. Hot, but not immediately scalding. At least at the surface.

    ¡°Hey Flann, let me use your fishing net.¡±

    The fox frowned. ¡°The ability o¡¯ some mollusk isn¡¯t gonna take care of that serpent, young¡¯un.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Bel agreed, ¡°but let me borrow it.¡±

    Seeing that she was about to reach in with her bare hands anyway, Flann opened his pack and handed it over. The handle was broken into two parts that were held in place with a pin, and once Bel assembled it she could a stride and a half farther than with just her hands.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Bel plunged her arm into the pool, waving the net around for anything on the bottom. Her feet slipped on the slick rock and she fell farther in, but she could feel a sudden weight at the end of her arm.

    Orseis yelped with worry and rushed forward to tug Bel out of the pool. Her arm emerged red and irritated, but Bel grinned with triumph as she pulled a full net from the water.

    She pulled a wriggling eel from the net and smacked it into the ground to subdue it. Then she reached into its core and felt around for any useful abilities.

    ¡°You want to eat this, Orseis?¡±

    ¡°What? Sure. No, wait, you need to stop doing this Bel, you¡¯re going to hurt yourself.¡±

    Bel tossed the dark-skinned eel to her tentacled companion and grabbed another water dweller from the net.

    Orseis handed the eel over to Flann. ¡°Can you cook this?¡± she asked sheepishly.

    ¡°Girl, you have got to get your hunger under control.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m growing.¡± She leaned closer to Flann to whisper. ¡°What are we going to do about Bel? Do you think it¡¯s that new snake?¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°I can hear you, you know. And what if it is the new snake? Maybe angry and stubborn is good if it means we won¡¯t just go along with dumb decisions.¡±

    Bel finished picking through everything in the net with a snort of dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Look, people are dying in a war in Satrap. The semi-humans are running out of time in the Golden Plains. I¡¯m running out of time to do something about Technis before my mother blows her top and annihilates the continent. I¡¯m not going back.¡±

    Bel plunged her arm back into the water. It burned, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through. As she was waving her arm around, it bumped into something cool and soothing. She moved her limb and brushed against the source again, only this time it was accompanied by a stinging and burning sensation as whatever she¡¯d touched retaliated. Bel immediately scooped it up in her net.

    It was some kind of pink jellyfish. Bel ignored the throbbing in her arm ¨C both from the heat and the jellyfish¡¯s venom ¨C and touched a finger to the bell of the creature. The tentacles had been even hotter than the water, but the bell was cool to the touch. It had to have some kind of temperature manipulating ability. Bel trickled her essence outward, but easily overpowered the simple creature.

    <em style="font-style: italic">There! Bel grinned with victory as she felt it; something that shifted heat from one part to another. The moment she fully understood the ability, the creature¡¯s core finally shattered. That was fine, she would just catch another.

    ¡°Bel, I think you¡¯re going too far,¡± Flann cautioned. ¡°Let¡¯s just report all of our discoveries at the surface. Our group was never meant to be this small, or to make it to Satrap in one try.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No. Hanti is going to try to blame everything on me, and Beth will be fine throwing me under the cart if it helps her hold on to power. You two go back, blame everything on me, and tell Beth and Hanti about the second layer.¡±

    Bel was momentarily distracted by the distressed flashing of different colors across the skin of Orseis¡¯ head and neck. The tentacled girl stared at her, her eyes wide and pleading. ¡°Bel, I totally respect what you¡¯re saying, but that serpent was scary. If you dive into that pool you¡¯ll probably have to fight it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Bel disagreed. ¡°The Dark Ravager¡¯s people went that way, and they didn¡¯t have to fight the serpent or it wouldn¡¯t still be there. There must be a way past it.¡±

    Orseis opened her mouth, but closed it a moment later. Her brow pinched as she considered Bel¡¯s words.

    Flann bonked her on the head with his staff. ¡°Don¡¯t you go gettin¡¯ crazy ideas too.¡±

    Orseis scowled and pushed his staff away. ¡°She¡¯s got a point though, old man.¡±

    Bel reached into the water once again, searching for another jellyfish.

    Flann and Orseis fell into an argument, but she ignored their background noises. Her hand finally closed around the cooling bell of another jellyfish. She didn¡¯t hesitate to haul it to the surface.

    She took a moment to clear her mind before pushing into the creature¡¯s core. It only took her a second to find the ability she wanted. Bel pushed her senses through the pattern inscribed into the creature¡¯s channels while she forced the essence within her own core to flow through the same design. Once she was done, the core of the jellyfish crumbled, but Bel had succeeded at inscribing the <em style="font-style: italic">thermal redirection ability.

    It took a surprising amount of space ¨C six strokes of her unbound core ¨C but if it got her past the serpent it would be worth it. Now she just needed to test it.

    Bel tossed off her bag and jumped into the hot pool. As she descended beneath the surface, she caught sight of Flann and Orseis frantically waving at her to stop. She waved back at them, a wild grin on her face.

    Causing a bit of chaos always felt so liberating.

    The heat closed around her body immediately and she felt as if she¡¯d jumped into a pot of soup, but she quickly channeled energy through her new ability. It took her a few moments to get a grasp on it, during which her skin began to turn red like a beat. Once she figured out how the ability worked though, she shunted all of that excess heat into her magma snake.

    She figured that the spirit hadn¡¯t burned her, even though it still had the appearance of semi-liquid stone. If any part of her would be able to handle the extra heat, it would be her new spirit snake.

    Her body relaxed with immediate relief as heat transferred into the snake. The water around her head boiled as all of that heat was squeezed into the tiny space of a head snake, but Bel felt fine. Her head snake was fine with it too; Bel could feel that she¡¯d gone limp with pleasure, happily floating around in her zone of boiling water.

    Well, the little magma spirit had been excited by the thought of a volcano, so a bit of extra heat was probably fine.

    She kicked her legs, done with her successful experiment. Bel couldn¡¯t keep the grin off of her face as she burst through the surface of the pool, creating her own geyser as the leaped from the water.

    She flashed a thumbs up to the her relieved companions. ¡°It¡¯s all good!¡± she declared. ¡°I¡¯ll just send all the heat to my new snake.¡±

    Bel bent down to retrieve her bag. She cinched all of the drawstrings of the oiled bag tightly in an effort to keep everything inside more or less dry.

    ¡°Whoah there,¡± Flann cautioned, ¡°you¡¯re not just going to rush back to that big serpent, are you?¡±

    Bel grinned. ¡°Of course!¡±

    Flann paused, and Bel worried that he or Orseis might actually try to stop her.

    Orseis stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you. Maybe if I¡¯m one of the first people of the Golden Plains to show up in Satrap I¡¯ll be able to find a mate quickly. If I have to compete with everyone else I don¡¯t know how that¡¯ll go.¡±

    She waved her tentacles to quiet Bel¡¯s objection. ¡°I know you¡¯re gonna say that people will be fine with my tentacles, but I know that humans like hairy things. My best bet is getting there ahead of all the people with cute ears and long tails.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel stared, momentarily speechless. ¡°That was totally not what I was thinking. But I¡¯d be happy if you came along.¡±

    Bel glanced at Flann. ¡°Although maybe you could go with Flann and make sure he gets back okay.¡±

    She felt suddenly guilty. She hadn¡¯t been thinking about how her choices were going to affect her companions at all.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 59 â€“ Serpent Circumvention

    <section>

    <section>

    Orseis waved her tentacles dismissively at the thought that Flann would need help. ¡°Flann¡¯ll be fine. Right, old fox?¡±

    Flann¡¯s ears twitched with irritation. ¡°Ya don¡¯t hafta go ¡®round callin¡¯ me old. I¡¯m in great shape for my age.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t want to go swimming with us.¡±

    ¡°Yer damn right! I¡¯d rather leave being reckless up to you young¡¯uns, but Jan won¡¯t let me hear the end of it if I let you two get eaten right before my eyes.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°We won¡¯t get eaten. We¡¯ll¨CI don¡¯t, know, jump under that fire-breathing lizard?¡±

    Orseis nodded. ¡°Yeah, that would work. We¡¯d have a head start.¡±

    She looked Bel up and down. ¡°And I can tow Bel along with me. No offense, but human legs are rubbish for swimming.¡± She prodded her chin, deep in thought. ¡°But how are you gonna breathe?¡±

    Bel tapped her chest. ¡°I¡¯ve got an ability that improves my breathing. I think I can hold my breath for a few minutes if I use it actively.¡±

    Orseis clapped her tentacles together. ¡°Excellent. Sounds like we¡¯re all set.¡±

    Flann tapped her on the head with his staff. ¡°All set my fuzzy, red tail. That¡¯s about the worst plan I¡¯ve ever heard.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Orseis challenged him.

    ¡°The water¡¯s so hot it¡¯s explodin¡¯!¡±

    ¡°I got an ability from the crayfish to deal with the heat,¡± Orseis replied with satisfaction. ¡°I figured that I¡¯d want to catch some fish later.¡±

    Flann threw his arms up to the heavens with frustration.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to come along though, Orseis?¡± Bel asked. ¡°I kind of have a responsibility to appease my mother, but you could just wait for the second group. And I really think you¡¯re too human-obsessed, meeting someone isn''t a good reason to rush into danger.¡±

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°A girl has to have goals, right? Anyway, my time¡¯s wasting, I¡¯ve got to get a move on too.¡±

    Bel looked her up and down. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re completely wrong you know. I don¡¯t even think you¡¯ve passed puberty.¡±

    Orseis waggled her tentacles in the air. ¡°Yeah, but who knows? It¡¯s not like I had any parents who stuck around to answer this stuff. But there are plenty of hybrids who barely live past ten.¡±

    Bel glanced at Flann and lifted her brow.

    He shrugged. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s possible. The chipmunks are like that, but they''re pretty insular and badly inbred. Most people stick with known pairings that''re known to work out well.¡±

    ¡°See? I¡¯m doomed. Let¡¯s get a move on.¡±

    Bel huffed. <em style="font-style: italic">I can¡¯t say that she¡¯s definitely wrong, but I have a feeling that she¡¯s not right.

    Bel wanted to object to Orseis going with her, but if Kjar was right and Lempo was really going to get impatient and drop a mountain on Satrap then turning help away would be stupid.

    ¡°So is racing it through the water the best plan?¡± Bel finally asked.

    ¡°The path leads to that pool, right? If that Dark Ravager¡¯s people could figure it out then I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be too hard.¡±

    Flann shook his head. ¡°Yer darn confident for someone who has no idea what she¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°She who bites first eats first,¡± Orseis quipped.

    Bel shucked off her pack. ¡°Well, if we¡¯re going to do this we¡¯ve got to redistribute our supplies. Let¡¯s figure out what Flann needs to get back to the surface, and we¡¯ll figure out what we need to keep going.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just gonna balloon my way outta this madness,¡± Flann replied. ¡°I¡¯m tired of all this walkin¡¯.¡±

    It still took a while to unpack and repack everything, mostly because Bel and Orseis made an attempt to squeeze their dry rations into a few small, waterproof bags that they¡¯d brought. Orseis ate whatever wouldn''t fit on the spot.

    Flann shook his head at the result. ¡°I think you¡¯re gonna lose it all.¡±

    ¡°Well, then we¡¯ll just have to hunt.¡±

    Flann left his on bag on the floor. ¡°I¡¯ll just be comin¡¯ back for it anyway,¡± he explained, ¡°and I don¡¯t want it slowin'' me down once you piss off that lizard.¡±

    Bel nodded, and leaned down to give the fox a quick hug. ¡°Thanks for coming with me, Flann. Stay safe, and say hi to Jan for me.¡±

    ¡°Of course. He¡¯s gonna be so jealous when he hears about the fishin¡¯ down here. Maybe I¡¯ll even be able to convince him to make a quick trip.¡±

    Orseis awkwardly waved from a few strides away. ¡°It¡¯s been good, I guess. If I don¡¯t make it back, leave out a few fish for my lost spirit.¡±

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    He snorted. ¡°I could leave out all the fish in the sea and it wouldn¡¯t satisfy your vengeful ghost. You¡¯d better stay safe.¡±

    She laughed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. You¡¯re not a good enough fisherfox anyway.¡±

    Orseis pranced away from the flailing swings of Flann¡¯s staff.

    Bel expression was tight as the watched the two of them. <em style="font-style: italic">I hope this isn¡¯t a dumb idea.

    ¡°Well, are we ready to go?¡± she asked aloud.

    Her companions nodded, and they made their was back to the lizard¡¯s pool.

    As they approached, Bel channelled more mana through <em style="font-style: italic">improved lung capacity. Her breathing became more even and her heart rate slowed, and Orseis and she started running towards the pool. It burst upwards as they approached, spraying hot water and steam. Bel hoped that the chaos would keep them hidden.

    The scaled serpent rose into the air on the plume of water, and Bel could swear she saw it doing a double-take as it went past. Before it could react though, she took a deep breath and dove into the water.

    Bel tried to orient herself downwards, but was slow and awkward with her clothes and the bag on her back. She felt a little bit of fear in the back of her mind: was she moving too slowly?

    Then the water came rushing back into the hole, and Bel suddenly found herself being pulled along with a powerful current. The serpent flashed past her and swiped with its claws, drawing a shallow cut along her leg, but then Orseis grabbed onto her arm and yanked her away.

    Orseis pulled them both into a powerful current, and moments later they were sucked down narrow tunnel where her bag repeatedly caught on the twists and turns.

    Bel was helpless to resist. The best she could do was to raise her arms over her face to prevent any more injuries to her sensitive sensory organs. She pulled upon her body modification ability to create thin scales over her skin and reduce some of the scraping, but the experience was still painful.

    Soon she forgot all about her arms as her lungs began to burn from lack of breath. <em style="font-style: italic">Thermal regulation protected her from most of the heat, but her eye stung painfully whenever she cracked her eyelid and she couldn¡¯t see any details in the dark, increasingly terrifying underwater tunnel.

    Bel was beginning to panic when the flow of water abruptly smashed her into a rocky wall and then receded back the way it had come, leaving her on a shelf of stone. Bel gasped for breath and coughed. She had made it, somehow, but she couldn¡¯t tell where she¡¯d made it to.

    She looked around. Everything was glowing an intense orange and red¡­

    <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, I¡¯m on top of some almost molten rocks.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fricking hot!¡±

    Bel looked to the side to see Orseis leaping back into the water.

    She stood up, but looked down in surprise as her boots melted to the floor.

    ¡°Wow, <em style="font-style: italic">thermal regulation is working really well, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Good for you! My ability only works in the water!¡±

    Bel inspected the rest of her stuff, and¡­

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, damn. It looks like Kjar¡¯s armor is the only thing that isn¡¯t ruined.

    Somewhere along the way her bag he been ripped off of her body as well, leaving Bel with just the jewelry on her ears and the necklace with Ventas¡¯ memento. She clutched at it briefly as she looked around, glad that she hadn¡¯t lost the only thing she had from the kindly old man.

    A quick search revealed a small alcove above her current position, reachable from a gradual ramp that someone had carved into the stone. The water was spraying in regular surges, making her footing tricky, but Bel went back to the water¡¯s edge and offered an arm to Orseis.

    ¡°Climb on my back and I¡¯ll carry you over the stones,¡± she offered.

    ¡°You know that the air is hot too, right? Also, I don¡¯t want to sound like a weakling, but you know that your new snake is glowing, right? It looks super hot.¡±

    Bel glanced at her little magma snake. <em style="font-style: italic">She does look pretty hot.

    ¡°Her heat is self-contained, I think. Spirits don¡¯t really follow normal rules, you know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, great for you and your snakes.¡±

    Bel waggled her fingers at Orseis. ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯ve got to get out of here. For all I know my little snake can only absorb so much heat before it needs to go somewhere, and then we really will be in trouble.¡±

    Orseis dove under the water again, dunking herself thoroughly before grabbing onto Bel¡¯s arm.

    Bel pulled her out of the water and Orseis clung awkwardly to her shoulders while leaning away from the glowing snake. The rest of Bel¡¯s snakes began a chorus of hissing, clearly not thrilled with the situation. Bel staggered up the ramp under the continual aural assault of her companion and her snakes arguing behind her head.

    <em style="font-style: italic">This is the last time I carry someone like this, she promised herself.

    She finally made it up the ramp, through a small opening, and then nearly fell straight over a cliff. Her eyes widened with surprise. She was at the top of a mountain, with a sheer drop over a few thousand strides below her, leading directly from the top of the third layer to the bottom.

    The ceiling of the massive cavern glowed from its heat, illuminating a world of dark, rocky hills and shifting shadows.

    In the distance she could just make out the blue glow of the Barrier, peeking out from behind the massive pillar that she knew was under the Dark Ravager¡¯s pyramid.

    Her risks had worked out, and her little magma spirit had come through for her. She gave the small snake a quick pat on the head.

    She¡¯d lost her shoes, her short sword, and all of her stuff, but she had her snakes, her abilities, and one really annoying companion.

    ¡°Orseis, you can get off my back now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry, I was just admiring the view. Did you see the castle?¡±

    Orseis dropped to the ground and pointed with her tentacles. ¡°Over there.¡±

    Bel stared, fascinated by the citadel of dark stone that seemed to rise directly from the stone itself.

    For a while, she and Orseis were overcome with the sight and silently observed the third layer from their relatively safe perch.

    It was apparently a land of darkness, fire, and conflict. The floor supported soaring mountains of dark stone, the tallest of which rose to the ceiling. Between the peaks were valleys of crumbling boulders, shot through with glowing veins of magma. Most mountaintops supported a squat, foreboding fortress.

    They didn¡¯t have to wait long to see one of fortresses in action. <em style="font-style: italic">Eyes of the huntress allowed Bel to pick out some of the details, even through the hazy air, revealing that a bunch of small people were attempting an assault on one of the peaks. She couldn¡¯t see much more than some shifting colors and the bright arcs of spells slicing through the air, but it was enough for her to learn that the layer wasn¡¯t peaceful.

    Not that she had expected anything different.

    Bel heaved a sigh and started looking over Orseis. The cuttlefish-girl looked mostly fine, although she¡¯d gotten some nasty scrapes and was forming a few bruises. Her clothes were also ruined, hanging to her in tatters.

    ¡°You know, you look more impressive with your tentacles exposed rather than hidden under your cloak.¡±

    Orseis hugged her limbs to her body, embarrassed. ¡°It makes me look unhuman though. I don¡¯t like it. Plus, everyone can see that I¡¯m bald.¡±

    Bel patted her on the head. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be finding any good dating material down here, Orseis. Just more fighting.¡±

    Orseis grinned. ¡°Well, at least I¡¯m good at that.¡± She proudly lifted her chin in to the air. ¡°You should feel lucky that I decided to come along.¡±

    Bel clapped her hands together. ¡°I do! And you managed to hold on to your bag, too! I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get through this layer without a problem.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 60 â€“ A Land of Heat and Smoke

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel woke up from a dreamless slumber with a thought-muffling headache. She rolled over and groaned at her bleak surroundings. Her throat was dry, her eyes itched, and her nose was clogged with ash that continually sifted out of the third layer¡¯s atmosphere.

    She groaned wordlessly at the ceiling.

    ¡°The air is horrible,¡± she coughed.

    ¡°Mmf,¡± Orseis responded. Bel glanced at her companion to see that the girl had wrapped the scraps of her clothing around her face in an effort to keep out the gritty air.

    Bel frowned as she looked down at her mostly unclothed state. The lamellar armor and skirt preserved her modesty ¨C as long as she didn¡¯t kick anything ¨C but they didn¡¯t afford her any way to protect her face from the caustic air.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get moving,¡± she wheezed, pointing at a path that hugged the cliff face as it meandered downwards. ¡°Maybe the air is better somewhere else.¡±

    Orseis shrugged her tentacles, clearly not putting much faith in Bel¡¯s words.

    With a snort, Bel set off with a long, confident stride, forcing Orseis to rush to catch up.

    Bel glanced up as she made her way down the path, eyeing the glowing ceiling warily. <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder if I should worry about lava rain or something deadly like that. After a moment of worry, she shrugged. <em style="font-style: italic">Not much I can do about it.

    She moved slightly closer to the cliff-face, hoping that it would offer protection from one direction at least.

    She and Orseis followed a few twists and turns around the ever widening mountain in silence. The scenery was unchanging, until the latest turn suddenly revealed a closer view of one of the fortresses. Bel stopped short, and Orseis bumped into her with a muffled grunt of dismay.

    Bel pointed silently at the sight. From their distance of a few hundred strides they could see that the fortress was hewn from the stones of the mountain itself, polished to an dull sheen and topped with jagged crenelations lined up like the teeth of a shark.

    Bel marvelled at the imposing view, but hesitated to approach the foreboding fortress.

    ¡°Things haven¡¯t exactly been safe down here,¡± she muttered to Orseis. ¡°What¡¯s the chance that whoever made this is friendly?¡±

    Her companion shrugged, and the two of them retreated around the last outcropping of rock to get back out of the fortresses lines of sight.

    Bel considered for a few moments. ¡°Obviously there are people there, but if they¡¯ve interacted with anyone else it would have been the Dark Ravager¡¯s people. Doesn¡¯t make me eager to meet them.¡±

    Orseis pulled her face covered away from her mouth. ¡°Maybe they expect some kind of payment for safe passage?¡±

    Bel¡¯s expression turned sour. ¡°As in money?¡±

    She peaked back around the rock quickly, chewing on her lip with worry.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Can we go around? Knock on the door and say hello? Stay here and wait to see if someone comes out?

    The decision was taken from her when a sudden flurry of movement heralded an imminent attack upon the fortress.

    A band of rag-wrapped bipedal creatures ¨C Bel guessed they were scrattes although she couldn¡¯t see any of their features from between their clothes ¨C was attempting an assault. Her eyes widened as they spilled out of numerous mountain caves and filled the rocky field before the fortress.

    ¡°There have to be more than a thousand of them, right?¡± she wondered aloud.

    As the lead scrattes approached the fortress, glistening bolts of metal were fired from slits in the wall, casually slicing through the front of the assault. Bel was shocked at the carnage, and equally shocked that none of the scrattes turned back. The mass of the short, angry creatures was great enough that some, perhaps one in ten of the original group, made it to the fortress walls. The survivors tossed weighted chains up the walls, hoping to catch their hooks on the top of the fortress walls. Whenever a chain caught the scrattes immediately began to scale their improvised ladders.

    Tall figures in stone armor leaped onto the battlements. They wielded long spears which they stabbed downwards mercilessly onto the climbing scrattes, picking most of them off before they made it even halfway up the wall.

    The defenders were giants to the tiny scrattes, and at least half again as tall as Bel, with arms long enough to reach all the way to the ground with their spears.

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    The scrattes weren¡¯t completely helpless, and a few swings from their hooked chains managed to snag on a defender and pull them from the walls. Despite the occasional luck though, the scrattes were completely exposed before the stone fortresses and had no way to defend themselves from the spears and arrows of the defenders¡¯ attacks. Within a minute all of the attackers were dead, leaving an ocean of corpses before the fortress, like a wave of bodies frozen in motion.

    Bel didn¡¯t know who they were, but she had to admit that the defenders were competent.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Does being competent mean that they¡¯re reasonable? she wondered.

    As she ruminated on that thought, the figures jumped from their battlements onto the battlefield. The closest defender was thin, with the look of an uprooted tree covered in metal armaments. They wore a helmet that covered the top of their head and the bridge of their nose, but with an open bottom half that allowed a long, bushy brown beard to roam free down their chest. The others were dressed similarly, and Bel noticed that they all sported the same thick beard, although some others had beards of blonde or red.

    Bel assumed that they would drain the essence from the scrattes, but she watched in horror as one of the tall, three stride tall armored figures lifted a corpse into the air and tore it in half. It opened its mouth, its lower jaw unhinging like a snake¡¯s as it spilled the scratte¡¯s green blood onto its face, squeezing the body until it was dry before tossing the dried husk aside.

    Bel shuddered.

    The creatures were brutal: they bled every dead creature dry with eager efficiency as they batched themselves in the blood and viscera of their enemies. They even included their former comrades in their activities, cracking the taller corpses into a pieces and making off with their armor and weapons. Once they finished their grim work they left, leaping back up to their battlements and leaving the battlefield a mess of pulped bodies.

    ¡°Blood and offal.¡± Bel turned to Orseis. ¡°What the actual¨C¡±

    Her snakes hissed with alarm ¨C three of the tall cannibals were sneaking up on them, only a few strides away from Orseis¡¯ unprotected back. Bel eyes widened and she blasted the three attackers with <em style="font-style: italic">glare.

    The bearded ambushers froze, their feet scuffing on the ground.

    Orseis spun at the sudden noise. Her tentacles snaked around a nearby stone and she flung it at one of the warrior before charging at a second. The rock struck one in the chest, knocking it down, and Orseis and her second victim went flying in a tangle of limbs and tentacles.

    Bel reached down for her short sword, but her hand closed around nothing.

    ¡°Ah, crows,¡± she cursed.

    The final warrior charged. Bel jumped to the side and <em style="font-style: italic">glared again, but the warrior turned away, hiding its eyes with an arm. She thought that she¡¯d still dodged its attack, but the long-legged creature¡¯s foot planted onto the loose stones with unnatural grip, allowing it to pivot to Bel in an instant. Before she fully landed the attacker whipped a spear from its back and jabbed it straight into her chest.

    A strike like a hammer brought Bel to the ground, but Kjar¡¯s armor didn¡¯t yield to the spear¡¯s sharp point. Bel fought for control of her shocked body, but before she could lever herself upwards she was slammed to the ground again by the monster¡¯s spear.

    Seemingly incensed beyond reason by her impervious armor, the creature continually slammed its spear onto Bel¡¯s chest with a furious snarl. The tip of the spear began to glow, shooting out sparks as it contacted Bel¡¯s armor.

    Bel snapped her arms up to grasp the glowing spear and she <em style="font-style: italic">liquified the shaft on her attacker¡¯s next thrust. She bent the suddenly flexible weapon, aiming the point straight at the creature¡¯s face. Her attacker¡¯s eyes widened as it fell downwards, but without the expected impact it lost its balance. It attempted to push the spear away, but Bel continued to pull upwards on the point, flexing the weapon until the tip pierced through the eye slit on her attackers armor.

    The body twitched and writhed, but Bel felt it¡¯s control over its core slip away after a moment. She didn¡¯t hesitate to grab it by the wrists and rip its essence out, finishing it. She felt her cores grow, but she didn¡¯t have time to concentrate on that. She kicked the surprisingly light body off and scurried to her feet, wielding the now fishhook-shaped spear.

    Orseis was pinned against the cliff wall, throwing a continual barrage of small rocks at her remaining attacker while trying to keep away from its glowing spear. The cuttlefish girl seemed dazed, and uncoordinated, and Bel could see a large amount of blood spilling down the side of her face.

    Bel took a step forward, but jerked with surprised she saw a sudden flurry of movement coming down the cliff face. She glanced up just in time to see several hairy, green scrattes leap down onto the tall warrior and begin hacking it to pieces.

    Unlike the ones who had assaulted the fortress, these ones were mostly naked save for the small sheets of metal that protected their vital areas. One of them turned to her and Bel¡¯s eyes were immediately drawn to a small, darkened effigy of some many-limbed creature with deep, red eyes.

    She stared at it for a moment before looking up at the wearer. The scratte looked like any other ¨C short, green, and hairy ¨C but it stared at her with an excited fervor that looked more religious than the hungry expression she¡¯d seen on the others that she had encountered.

    Bel took a step forward, her hands tightening around her misshapen weapon.

    ¡°Leave my friend alone,¡± she demanded.

    The scratte grinned, revealing a row a needle sharp teeth. It lifted the disquieting effigy and made a series of high-pitched rasps in her direction.

    ¡°That¡¯s my mom¡­ that¡¯s Lempo, isn¡¯t it?¡± Bel asked.

    The scratte made more awful noises, but approached Bel without hesitation, pulling its religious symbol from around its neck and thrusting it in Bel¡¯s direction. Bel looked into the red eyes of the many-armed thing and weakness suddenly overtook her body. Bel watched the world tilt as she fell over¡­

    ¡­and fell into the darkness.

    ¡°Hello daughter,¡± a thousand voices called out, ¡°you have been moving too slowly.¡±

    A many-limbed ball of eyes and teeth landed in front of Bel and immediately began shifting, limbs stretching and twisting, eyes sinking and disappearing, until the shape finally settled upon the blond-haired form of Lempo that had been popular in Satrap.

    ¡°I have arranged help to speed your journey,¡± Lempo announced.

    ¡°The scrattes?¡± Bel asked, incredulous.

    ¡°Any tool that swings,¡± she replied quickly. Then the goddess tilted her head and tapped her chin. ¡°That is a human saying, is it not? Or have I confused the mortals again? I am trying my best to be ¨C what did Kjar call it? ¨C more normal for you.¡±

    She gestured down at her glowing body. ¡°Let me know how I am doing.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 61 â€“ Family Matters

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel blinked at the divine figure as her mind struggled to catch up. The cave seemed muted and hazy, the sounds around her muted as though she¡¯d been plunged under water. Only the glowing figure of Lempo, goddess of change and upheaval, was clear in Bel¡¯s vision.

    ¡°H¨Chi, mom,¡± Bel stammered. ¡°Where am I?¡±

    ¡°You are lying on the dirt,¡± the goddess replied wryly. ¡°I haven¡¯t taken you anywhere ¨C it isn¡¯t allowed.¡± Lempo frowned.

    ¡°There are plenty of bothersome rules like that,¡± she huffed. ¡°The other deities do not like it when I change things. I think they are too skittish.¡±

    Lempo sighed dramatically, a cloud of colors escaping upon her breath and spinning dramatically through the air.

    Bel¡¯s snakes flicked out their tongues, tasting the air as Bel took a few moments to gather her thoughts. ¡°So if I¡¯m still on the mountain how am I seeing you? How are we talking?¡±

    ¡°Drugs,¡± Lempo replied cheerily. ¡°The little green people are really into them. I¡¯m not as involved as some of the other deities, but nothing changes a person as quickly as a good dose of drugs so of course they¡¯re a good way to reach me.¡±

    Lempo grinned. ¡°Dutcha is a fan of drugs too, just so you know. It is difficult to find something that would unbalance her any more than she is already though, and she has already been banned from the gardens of every god of the harvest. She was getting quite desperate to escape the oppressive rules of the divine world.¡±

    Bel squinted, struggling to decide if her mother was pulling some kind of horrible god humor or if the spirit of chaos really went around destroying the gardens of the gods on drug-fueled benders.

    ¡°Wait, really? Did¨Cno, wait, a minute, I¡¯m lying on the ground, high out of my mind? Surrounded by scrattes?¡±

    Lempo¡¯s hair snaked through the air as she laughed. ¡°Not <em style="font-style: italic">out of your mind. You¡¯d need something a little stronger for that. No, you¡¯re just hallucinating a bit.¡±

    ¡°So is this real?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Lempo turned serious. ¡°And while you¡¯re still hallucinating, let¡¯s go over some things.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows rose at Lempo¡¯s sudden turn to the serious.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been going too slowly,¡± her goddess-mother scolded. ¡°So I¡¯m going to get you to help these green people out. They¡¯ll help you in return. That¡¯s nice, isn¡¯t it? A very human thing to do?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t human though,¡± Bel objected.

    Lempo waved an arm and Bel couldn¡¯t help but notice that she had a few too many fingers on her hand. ¡°Pretty close. Change a few of the building blocks and you¡¯d arrive at just about the same thing. They even have the same number of limbs.¡±

    ¡°Uh, sure.¡± Bel wondered what Lempo would consider ¡°pretty far¡± if the scrattes were ¡°pretty close¡±, but she didn¡¯t ask. She had a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t enjoy the answer.

    ¡°So, am I safe? Is Orseis okay?¡±

    Lempo nodded. ¡°Stop worrying so much. Unfortunately, the effects will only last for so long, so we won¡¯t get to spend much more time together.¡±

    The goddess drifted closer and looked Bel up and down. ¡°I¡¯m rather jealous that Dutcha and Kjar got to visit in person, you know. It¡¯s stifling being separated from my instrument of change.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Is that all you think of me? Just a tool to¡­¡±

    Lempo frowned angrily at her. Seeing the annoyance on the powerful goddess¡¯ face reminded Bel that the person she was talking to was dangerous enough to worry the other gods.

    ¡°Of course I think of you as a spawn of my ethereal flesh,¡± Lempo refuted.

    The goddess pursed her lips. ¡°Daughter. Daughter, that¡¯s the concept. Of course I think of you as my daughter. Is it not right for a parent to have expectations for their child?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­I mean, maybe?¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t help thinking that other parents didn¡¯t expect their children to go around slaying demigods, but she didn¡¯t say it out loud.

    Lempo nodded. ¡°Of course, if you decided to do things differently I suppose that I could not fault you ¨C that would be my nature, at least. I must warn you that I will insist on accomplishing my goals even without your help though. Kjar thinks that the destruction would cause you great unhappiness.¡±

    Bel winced. ¡°Yeah, I heard something about that.¡±

    Lempo nodded. ¡°So you will help, then? Excellent. You should hurry though ¨C Technis will be accelerating his plans, so you must reach him soon.¡±

    Lempo looked her up and down. ¡°Kjar should have given you something more than just some armor. Perhaps you¡¯ll need to bring some help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of scrattes. I don¡¯t suppose I have another option?¡± Bel asked, timidly.

    Lempo rolled her eyes. ¡°Your friend ¨C the tentacled one. Tell her¡­¡±

    Lempo hummed for a moment. Eyes burst open on her flesh and gyrated madly. Each pupil darted back and forth until a hundred eyes locked onto the same point in the distance. A smile broke out on Lempo¡¯s face.

    ¡°I can see an interesting future. Ask her if she is interested in journeying to the Old World, to a land overflowing with humans.¡±

    ¡°You can send her there? Wait, can you even¨C¡±

    Lempo ignored Bel, and her eyes resumed their manic spinning, searching for something else.

    ¡°Ah,¡± the goddess exclaimed with satisfaction. ¡°Of course. Seek out the people who I used as your template. Some gorgon would make an excellent addition to your group.¡±

    Bel tried to stamp her foot with frustration, but only succeeded in kicking the air. She realized with a start that she was lying on her back on the ground, staring up at the glowing ceiling of the third layer.

    ¡°And there it goes,¡± lamented the now disembodied voice of Lempo. ¡°Ah,¡± she rushed to add, ¡°Kjar told me to let you know that I am pleased with you as an individual, despite your limitations as a mostly flesh and blood mortal. You are a good daughter, even if you don¡¯t try to talk to me very often.¡±

    ¡°How would I do that?¡± Bel croaked. ¡°Take more drugs?¡±

    She stared blearily at a charred blob: the scratte¡¯s effigy, she realized, slowly turning to ash out as it finished burning.

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    <em style="font-style: italic">So weird, she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">Everything keeps getting weirder. Compared to her relatively peaceful time hiding in the woods of Satrap with Beth and James her life events were growing increasingly more chaotic.

    Bel loved it. She was certain that James would scold her if she said it out loud, but she loved that she didn¡¯t know what each day would bring.

    ¡°What¡¯s so great?¡± a grumpy voice asked. ¡°Was that burning wood that good?¡±

    Bel turned her head to look at the speaker and realized that she had a splitting headache.

    ¡°Urgh,¡± she groaned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®urgh¡¯ me,¡± Orseis complained. ¡°Can you hear me now? Do you know what¡¯s going on? We¡¯re surrounded by scrattes, but they aren¡¯t attacking, and then one of them shoved a thing in your face and you started talking funny.¡±

    Bel turned her head ¨C slowly ¨C to look at Orseis. Then she slowly turned her head to look at the scrattes.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look,¡± Orseis warned. ¡°They¡¯re busy laying eggs in the dhvaras¡¯ corpses.¡±

    ¡°The what? Wait, eggs?¡± Bel gasped.

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°Well, they could be seeds. The scrattes are plants, right? Since they¡¯re green and covered in roots?¡±

    Curiosity quickly overpowered her and Bel looked. Her eyes widened. Her hand clapped over her mouth as her stomach heaved.

    ¡°I warned you,¡± Orseis grumbled.

    Bel decided to stare at the ground for a little while. ¡°What did you call the tall people? Dwaraf?¡±

    ¡°Dhvaras. I had some time to think, and I remembered hearing stories of tall, slender demons who come out of the ground when someone burrows too far underground.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you remember something important like that beforehand?¡± Bel huffed.

    Orseis waved a tentacle dismissively. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like cuttlefish burrow, right?¡±

    Before Bel could come up with a witty response, the scratte who had been carrying her mother¡¯s symbol wandered back to them, making awful shrieking noises the entire time.

    He ¨C or she, Bel couldn¡¯t tell ¨C waved for the two of them to follow. The creature began shrieking with increasing urgency when they didn¡¯t immediately get up.

    ¡°Crows, I wish they wouldn¡¯t speak,¡± Bel complained as she rose to unsteady feet. Orseis reached out to lend her a tentacle to lean on.

    ¡°You can¡¯t understand them? I thought you were speaking to them before.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No, I was¡­ well, I was speaking to my mom, I think. To Lempo.¡±

    Orseis narrowed her eyes. ¡°Is that how it works? You inhale something weird and talk to a goddess?¡±

    Bel shrugged helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Oh, that reminds me, Lempo told me to ask you if you wanted to go to the human world. I don¡¯t know what she meant by it though.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°What, really? Can she send me there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She didn¡¯t say.¡±

    <hr>

    <em style="font-style: italic">I wish I hadn¡¯t said anything.

    Orseis wouldn¡¯t stop asking about James¡¯ world after Bel brought it up. At first she went on and on asking how Lempo could get her there, but she soon switched to asking nonstop questions about what it would be like to live there. Bel couldn¡¯t even answer most of what she asked.

    <em style="font-style: italic">She should have really talked to James about this stuff, Bel sighed internally. <em style="font-style: italic">Well, I guess she didn¡¯t think she could get there before I passed along Lempo¡¯s words.

    Bel glanced at Orseis. The girl¡¯s voice had finally been worn out from the caustic air and now she was walking silently, her eyes glazed over as she became lost in her own strange fantasies.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I hope my mom wasn¡¯t misleading her.

    Bel wrung her hands with uncertainty. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I should have tried talking to Lempo before now. I didn¡¯t even know that some scrattes worshipped her.

    Bel glanced at the scrattes who were crowding uncomfortably close. They weren¡¯t exactly harmless, but the one that she was thinking of as a shaman had rubbed some sweet smelling ooze onto her and Orseis that seemed to calm the rest of the group.

    A few had still tried to nip at Orseis¡¯ tentacles, but the shaman had hit them with a stick. Bel could see why the scrattes hadn¡¯t conquered the layer, despite their greatly outnumbering the dhvaras.

    She couldn¡¯t speak with the scrattes, and she wasn¡¯t completely certain that their harsh noises were actual words, but as they wandered the rocky crags that dominated the third layer their destination had eventually become clear. Upon climbing to the bottom of the jagged peak they turned towards the pillar that supported the world and walked in an almost straight line straight towards it.

    Progress was slow. The scrattes seemed completely incapable of planning efficient routes and they were forced to leap over several streams of hissing lava along the way. Scrattes fell in frequently, instantly turning into wailing balls of fiery misery. The only reaction from the other scrattes was to shove and roll large rocks near to the edge of the lava so that they had slightly shorter distances to jump. The process would repeat until the last scrattes made their way across or had been burned to a crisp.

    Now they were approaching a new obstacle ¨C a small encampment of Dhvaras who had made a lean-to of rock up against a large boulder.

    Bel pointed to the inclement inevitable encounter and waved her hand to get the shaman¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Do you really want to fight them?¡± she asked, sceptically. ¡°Maybe we should go around?¡±

    She mimed two legs walking away with her fingers.

    She looked at the scratte, waiting for a response. The scratte looked at her and then looked ahead, squinting like someone¡¯s near-blind grandmother as it peered into the distance. Then it shrugged, and resumed walking.

    ¡°Are you dumb, or just nearsighted?¡± Bel asked rhetorically.

    The scratte opened its mouth a let out a noise like two rocks scraping together.

    Bel sighed before bending down to pick up a hefty, hand-sized rock. ¡°Well, looks like we¡¯re fighting.¡±

    ¡°Finally,¡± Orseis replied hoarsely, ¡°this was getting boring.¡±

    Bel looked at her companion with worry. ¡°Are you okay Orseis?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she moaned. ¡°I¡¯m shriveling up.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°Someone has to have water. Maybe I can ask¨C¡±

    The scrattes chose that moment to shriek out a challenge to the small encampment. The dhvaras bellowed back, hefting long spears and wicked-looking swords longer than Bel was tall.

    ¡°Oh good,¡± Bel mumbled.

    As intimidating as slender demons were, there were only four of them in the encampment compared to the thirty or so scrattes charging them. Bel jogged along behind the group, her feelings about taking sides mixed.

    <em style="font-style: italic">On the one hand, the scrattes worship my mother and aren¡¯t trying to eat us at the moment. The dhvaras that I¡¯ve seen so far have been terrible, but do I really know that all of them are?

    She couldn¡¯t bring herself to feel any bloodlust for the battle, so she hung back with her dehydrated companion, her guilty conscience steering her eye away from the upcoming carnage. It was thanks to her inattention that she noticed a fifth member of the encampment striding his way up the slope from a nearby channel of lava.

    He seemed particularly tall and unkempt: scorch marks marred the surface of his metal armor and his beard had patches burnt away, revealing a bit of pale chin and a mouth full of dark teeth. In one hand he wielded a tall staff and in the other he pulled on a long chain.

    Bel¡¯s eye traced the links down to the lava river where they dipped out of sight. The figure paused for a moment upon seeing the charging scrattes before tugging on the chain. The first links to emerge from the lava were glowing with heat, but still seemed solid enough for the tall man to haul upon whatever was attached to the other side. Bel watched with a wide eye as a creature of stone slowly pulled itself from the molten river.

    The horns emerged first, two thick, curving arcs of hissing stone that dripped molten droplets as they shook about. A face followed, reminding Bel of some sort of bear, but twice as large. The body fully emerged with a spring from the creature¡¯s hind legs that launched a wave of lava over the shore. It shook itself like a wet mammal, tossing deadly projectiles of glowing stone in a circle around it.

    The dhvaras held up a small shield to protect his face, but Bel could immediately see how its armor and beard had gotten into their current unkempt states. Once the rain of molten stones died down he pointed his staff at the oncoming scrattes.

    Bel clenched her teeth. She didn¡¯t particularly like the scrattes, but she couldn¡¯t imagine things going well for her and Orseis once they were overrun by the giant, horned magma bear.

    <em style="font-style: italic">So much for my pathetic attempt at morality. Crows, James is going to make me feel like shit about this later, I just know it.

    She increased her pace, staring at the staff-wielder until her movement caught his attention. When she was around fifty strides away he glanced at her and she <em style="font-style: italic">glared. His body locked up just as the molten bear strode forward. The force on the chain yanked him off of his feet. The bear turned and stared at its prone controller, who was now lying face down in one of its smoldering footprints.

    Bel didn¡¯t expect her surprise attack to finish the dhvaras off, but it did give her a moment to figure out what to do about the bear. She craned her head up to look it in its glowing eyes.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Blood and offal, it¡¯s tall.

    The bear rumbled deep in its throat. It pushed down with its front paws with enough force the crack the ground beneath them and rose up onto its back legs, quickly doubling its height. It towered over her like a small, burning mountain.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you want to talk about it?¡± she asked hopefully.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 62 â€“ Bear Necessities

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel could hear the sound of weapon upon flesh as the scrattes rushed into the dhvaras with heedless abandon, but she didn¡¯t even look. Her full attention was on gigantic, semi-molten rock bear that stood six times her height and was staring her down with bored contempt.

    Bel held up her hands in a placating gesture. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s a spirit, right? she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I can reason with it?

    ¡°You¡¯re a big, independent spirit, right? Why are you doing stuff for these losers?¡±

    She pointed at the spirit¡¯s handler, who was still spluttering with anger from the ground where he¡¯d fallen after being hit with her <em style="font-style: italic">glare.

    The bear tilted its head, opened its mouth, and made a high, keening noise.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, damn. Why did I think that I would understand it?

    Luckily for her, she had some help. Her little molten head snake perched atop her brow and hissed loudly at the bear.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Hey, hey, don¡¯t be so confrontational, she thought desperately as she stared up at the spirit¡¯s menacing horns.

    Her snake hissed, the bear keened, and the scrattes and dhvaras kept fighting. The staff-wielding spirit-bear handler hauled himself up from his prone position with a bit of cursing and a slight limp. He snarled angrily at Bel and tugged on the chain, clearly annoyed that she hadn¡¯t been squashed and seared into cinders. Bel could see a small glint travel up the links and into the bear ¨C apparently the dhvaras¡¯ method of control. The bear shook its head when the light jolted into it, and its eyes narrowed with focus.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, things aren¡¯t going to get any better if I just stand around.

    She charged straight between the bear and the dhvaras, once again cursing herself for her lack of a weapon mightier than a puny rock. The bear crashed back to the ground, planting its front legs into the rock like a man hammering sand. The ground around it was pulverised and Bel was sent sprawling. She saw that the Dhvaras man was staggered as well, but the molten bear was the real threat.

    Bel rolled to her feet and rushed straight at the closest length of chain between the dhvaras and the spirit. It had been impervious to lava, but she hoped that <em style="font-style: italic">liquify would work a miracle.

    She dove, sliding painfully across the rocky floor, and grasped one of the hand-sized links. The metal was startlingly light and perfectly smooth, made out of a material that was new to her. She pumped all of her free strokes through <em style="font-style: italic">liquify and into the link.

    Her energy was quickly absorbed, but she couldn¡¯t tell if her ability had done anything. She slammed her stone onto the link repeatedly, but when she checked for a result she only saw a few indentations.

    A shadow abruptly blocked out the light from the third layer¡¯s ceiling and Bel looked up and saw of the bear¡¯s massive paws on a collision course with her head. She shrieked in a completely involuntary and extremely embarrassing manner before diving to the side. Her quick reflexes saved her from being immediately turned to a paste, but the concussive force of the bear¡¯s strike sent a spray of molten stone in her direction.

    Bel threw her arms over her eyes and channeled mana through <em style="font-style: italic">Thermal Regulation in a desperate attempt to stave off any serious injuries. Kjar¡¯s armor once again proved to be impervious to mortal attacks, but Bel¡¯s arms and lower legs stung with the heat from hundreds of tiny impacts, burning her body before her ability could shunt all of the heat into her snake.

    She howled in pain as she writhed on the ground, but a moment later she grit her teeth and forced herself to her feet. She glanced at the controller, who was holding his chain up in cruel triumph. He jerked the chain, sending a jolt of light down the length of it.

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    The light stopped halfway to the bear, right where Bel had been working on the chain. She grinned when she saw what happened; the bear had finished the job that she¡¯d started, shattering the single link that she¡¯d weakened.

    She looked up at the massive spirit and saw that it, too, was staring at the broken link.

    For a few moments the three of them were all frozen, looking at the severed chain. Bel was pleased, the controller was fearful, and the giant horned magma bear seemed to be confused. Eventually Bel¡¯s spirit snake hissed at the bear, breaking the stalemate. The bear tilted its head, puzzled by its situation.

    The tall dhvaras could obviously see that his situation wasn¡¯t getting any better ¨C he bent his legs and sprinted in Bel¡¯s direction. His long, spindly legs darted gracefully over the rocky landscape and Bel barely had a chance to blink before her was right in front of her. Bel used her body modification ability to quickly sharpen her nails into something more threatening. She held up her hands, claws out.

    The spirit handler swung his staff. The heavy blow knocked all of the air from Bel¡¯s lungs and sent her spinning through the air.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Crows, he¡¯s strong.

    Her head slammed into a rock and her vision exploded into stars. Bel was vaguely aware that all of the snakes on her head were hissing with urgent displeasure, but she couldn¡¯t seem to get her body under control. She could only watch as her attacker reached down to the shorter chain, helpless to interfere.

    Then a large, glowing paw slammed down onto the dhvaras. When it lifted the tall man was still moving.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Persistent like a cockroach, Bel cursed. Then the bear smashed him again. From his newly flattened look Bel could tell that he hadn¡¯t survived the second blow.

    The bear sat back on its haunches, shaking the ground once again. Bel warily rose to her feet, keeping her eye the spirit as it slowly examined its hand. Then it looked left ¨C and right. A struggle broke out on its face, and Bel watched in shock as it began to split down the middle.

    The two sides shoved and pushed at one another, clearly taking advantage of their newfound freedom to get into a fight. Bel watched as the large spirit slowly dissolved ¨C a leg grew four new, smaller legs and walked away, one of the horns took inspiration from Bel and slithered off, and the two larger sides finally separated and stormed off in their own directions.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What the heck¡­, Bel thought, <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder if Dutcha ever has trouble staying in one piece? The rapidly disassembling spirit reminded her how Dutcha had left swarms of smaller spirits in her wake. Bel decided that Dutcha must have had a stronger sense of self than the magma bear, which at that point didn¡¯t have any remaining pieces any larger than Bel.

    Cradling her aching head, Bel made her way back to the smashed corpse of her foe. She prodded it gently with her toe and was relieved to find that his cores were still intact. She greedily pulled the essence away, expanding her own core by two thresholds.

    She squinted as she felt around in her cores, but the only new thing she found was a weird ability to break things down into their constituent parts. <em style="font-style: italic">What¡¯s that good for anyway?

    Bel grunted as she slowly stretched and assessed her new injuries. She¡¯d been bleeding a bit from her head, but the blood flow had stopped, at least as far as she could tell. Her legs and arms were dotted with disgusting little divots from the spray of molten rocks, but since she¡¯d survived the attack she didn¡¯t feel too unlucky. She was far tougher than she¡¯d been back in Satrap, at least.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Slow and steady, she thought, <em style="font-style: italic">that¡¯s what James always says.

    ¡°Now,¡± she muttered, ¡°what happened to Orseis?¡±

    Bel wandered back to the scene of the scratte¡¯s battle and saw the spoils of their combat: a small oasis, surrounded by greenery. Orseis floated happily in the water, apparently unbothered by the unspeakable things that the scrattes were doing with the corpses. Bel turned away before her stomach heaved. She was thirsty, but she could wait a minute for the travesties to die down.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is Lempo teaching me a lesson about moving faster? Make progress or she¡¯ll team me up with the worst possible people?

    She stared up at the ceiling, ignoring the sounds of glee from the scrattes behind her.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m really missing Flann right now. And Beth and James. I wonder if he¡¯s missing me too? Or is he still obsessed with Daran?

    Bel sighed as a feeling of loneliness swept over her. She touched her earring, but calling only went one way. For all she knew, she¡¯d missed her brother¡¯s call during one of her fights and now she would have to wait for hours to hear from him again. She didn¡¯t begrudge Daran all of her brother¡¯s affection ¨C he¡¯d talked nonstop about meeting a fantasy princess for years after all ¨C but she couldn¡¯t deny feeling a little abandoned.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, at least I know that my mom cares about me, in a weird, messed up way.

    Bel stared at a few of her head snakes as they writhed about.

    <em style="font-style: italic">My mom said that I could meet up with some other gorgons, right? I wonder what they¡¯re like.

    <hr></section>

    </section>

 Chapter 62 Interlude â€“ Crecerelle

    <section>

    <section>

    On the other side of the world from Bel, Crecerelle strode through the lively little hamlet with a bounce in her step. All the construction was new ¨C less than ten cycles, she guessed ¨C and laid out in a wandering spiral with arching walkways providing easy shortcuts between the major paths. It felt far less stuffy than the ancient towns she¡¯d passed through, and was less cramped than life on one of the flying isles. She enjoyed the feeling of wind rushing through her snakes as she bounced up the path to the tall tower where her group had rented a room.

    She burst through the door with a smile on her face. ¡°Hey everyone,¡± she called, ¡°I¡¯ve got a great lead on a¨C¡±

    She stopped when she saw that the rest of the gorgons were already gathered. They were packed too, and they all wore serious, possibly dour, expressions.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?¡± she asked.

    Agrafe stepped forward. Crecerelle¡¯s heart sank when she saw the faint sneer of superiority on the insufferable woman¡¯s face.

    ¡°Cress. We talked while you were out doing¡­¡± She flicked her hands distastefully. ¡°Doing whatever it is you do. We have decided that we will return to the last den.¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Cress asked carefully.

    Agrafe gestured to the entire group. ¡°All of us. They offered us membership, you know. As long as you aren¡¯t there.¡±

    Cress clenched her jaw. Sure, she¡¯d pissed off some of the den¡¯s leaders, but she couldn¡¯t imagine them specifically excluding a fellow gorgon unless Agrafe had done some negotiating in secret.

    ¡°You never had to come with me in the first place, Agrafe,¡± she bit out. ¡°If you hate me so much then why didn¡¯t you just leave?¡±

    ¡°I came to keep my friends safe,¡± Agrafe replied. She placed a hand on Brebis¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Things just aren¡¯t safe with you.¡±

    Cress cast an entreating gaze at her childhood friend, but Brebis wouldn¡¯t meet her eyes. Cress realized that she¡¯d already lost the argument, but she couldn¡¯t stop her mouth from moving. ¡°That¡¯s not fair ¨C nowhere is safe in the underworld. There are bound to be deaths anywhere.¡±

    Agrafe snorted. ¡°But there are more deaths with you. You don¡¯t really seem to mind though, do you? That just means more personal belongings for you to redistribute.¡±

    Cress¡¯ snakes hissed angrily and she stepped towards her fellow gorgon, barely holding back the urge to strike the hateful woman. ¡°How dare you! I¡¯m not getting people killed to steal their things! Besides, everything goes to the group, not to me!¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Which is why we¡¯ll be taking everything when we leave,¡± Agrafe declared.

    Cress could feel her knees grow weak. <em style="font-style: italic">How long has Agrafe been undermining me? Do the others really think I¡¯ve been luring them from their dens with the promise of a brighter future just to rob them? Or are they just too tired speak for themselves?

    She looked at Brebis once again, unclenching her jaw and loosening her fists into peaceful, open hands. ¡°Brebis. You know me,¡± she pleaded. ¡°I have only ever wanted to improve life for us and our fellow gorgons.¡±

    Brebis finally looked up, revealing her moist, tearful eyes. ¡°But what about Silva? Life isn¡¯t better for her, Cress. She¡¯s dead.¡± Brebis choked up, and Agrafe patted her comfortingly on the back. Crecerelle rankled at the possessiveness in the gesture and looked away before she completely lost control of her snakes.

    She looked at the dozen other gorgons who filled the room, searching for any signs of doubt. Most wouldn¡¯t meet her eyes, but those that did had no sympathy. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s over.

    Crecerelle glanced at her own travel bag. She¡¯d dropped it when she came it, so its contents were untouched. Maybe her dream wasn¡¯t over yet. She quickly grabbed it and slung it across her back.

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going with that?¡± Agrafa hissed.

    Cress glanced back. ¡°It¡¯s my travel stuff, why would it matter to you? You¡¯re taking everything else to offer to your new den, right? Or would you like to leave me naked as well? Beat me senseless and leave me in an alley, hmm?¡±

    Agrafa held out her hand. ¡°Give them up, Cress. The tokens aren¡¯t just your travel stuff.¡±

    Cress¡¯ snakes rattled warningly. ¡°Will you kill me for them, Agrafa? Because I would kill you before I let you take them.¡±

    Her hand dropped to the handle of her heavy maul. The tension in the room rose instantly and a dozen hissing heads of snakes filled the air with their sibilant sounds.

    Agrafa stared murder at her, but Cress held firm. <em style="font-style: italic">The spiteful bitch would kill me in an instant, I¡¯m sure of it, but I doubt the other gorgons are so completely on her side that she could get away with it.

    Cress tilted her chin. ¡°I feel sorry for that other den, Agrafa. They won¡¯t last ten cycles with you poisoning their blood.¡±

    Agrafa hissed, her lips skimmed back, her face stretched and ugly with rage. ¡°Give me the tokens, or I will¨C¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Cress interrupted. ¡°I earned these, through my own words and actions. Is this what you had in mind when you first joined the group? If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m sorry to disappoint.¡±

    Crecerelle kept one hand on her maul as she felt for the door handle. She didn¡¯t move her eyes from Agrafa as she pulled the door open and slipped outside.

    She immediately jumped to the top of the building and dropped down the other side, where she pulled up the hood of her cloak and slipped like a fish into the bustle of the marketplace. She would have to leave town immediately, but luckily for her she¡¯d just heard news of a trio of successful dens not too far away. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe they¡¯ll be more open to my radical ideas.

    She glanced behind her. <em style="font-style: italic">Or, even if no one wants to follow me to a better world, I¡¯d at least like it if they were friendly.

    The new world was hell for gorgons, it was true, but vile worms like Agrafa who stabbed their own kind in the back only made it worse. <em style="font-style: italic">I just want to make things better for my people. Why can¡¯t they see that? One day ¨C probably not soon ¨C but one day, if I can just hold on, I¡¯ll find some like-minded gorgons.

    She grinned, a small bounce coming back to her steps. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ll find some other gorgons who think like me, and then we¡¯re going to change the world.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 63 â€“ Portal of Fire

    <section>

    <section>

    An annoying buzzing in her ear alerted Bel to an incoming call on her earring. She quickly grasped the small, golden stud between two fingers to establish a connection.

    ¡°Hey James,¡± she greeted cheerfully, ¡°how¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s all you have to say?¡± her brother replied incredulously. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to call you, but you haven¡¯t been answering. We thought you were dead.¡±

    ¡°I''m fine though,¡± she said, doing her best to keep her tone light.

    ¡°Orseis is fine, too.¡±

    Tentacle girl mimed trying to drink from an empty cup, clearly complaining about the lack of water yet again. It was practically all that she''d talked about for the last day.

    ¡°Flann said that you and Orseis decided to dive into a pool of boiling water and hope that an underwater tunnel would lead you somewhere safe. Everyone up here agreed that wasn''t very smart.¡±

    ¡°But it worked,¡± Bel protested. ¡°It worked great! And Flann made it out safely too! I¡¯ll bet that Hanti is chewing her own arms off with frustration, right?¡±

    ¡°It worked great?¡± James responded testily, completely ignoring the bright side of things. ¡°And are things still going great? Are you trapped there, or have you figured out a way out? And why haven¡¯t you been answering my calls?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes writhed with agitation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy,¡± she replied. ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of fighting, and¨C¡±

    ¡°Fighting?¡± James interrupted. ¡°Fighting who? Aren¡¯t the layers getting more dangerous as you go? Are you sure you''re safe? Maybe I should convince Beth to go after you.¡±

    Bel laughed nervously. ¡°We¡¯ve been fighting these tall, bearded people. They¡¯ve got pointy teeth. Oh, they¡¯re cannibals too. Orseis has been calling them dhvaras.¡±

    ¡°Dwarves?¡±

    ¡°No, dhvaras. The meerkats apparently tell their young that they¡¯ll be eaten by them if they don¡¯t listen to their elders, but Orseis thought that the dhvaras were just made up to keep little kids in line.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± James muttered. ¡°Wait, they sound pretty dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Bel snorted, ¡°I¡¯m much stronger than when I set out, and Orseis is pretty tough too. We also have some help.¡±

    Bel glanced at the mob of scrattes that surrounded them. The small gang had been growing as they made their way across the lava-filled floor of the limitless cavern and had now progressed into a small horde of a few hundred members. Their group had grown so large that the last few oases had been rapidly sucked dry upon their arrival, forcing Bel and Orseis to fight to get any of the precious water for themselves.

    Luckily, the stuff that the scratte leader smeared on them seemed to prevent violence even among the newly arrived scrattes. Unluckily, she and Orseis had seen where it came from. The choice between leaving it on and staying uneaten but mentally scarred or scrubbing it off and being immediately devoured had weighed heavily upon them, but they eventually resigned themselves to their unhygienic fate.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the help?¡± James asked, skeptically.

    ¡°My mother sent some of her followers,¡± Bel replied cryptically.

    ¡°Really? Like Ventas?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­not exactly like Ventas. We don¡¯t speak the same language.¡±

    Bel still wasn¡¯t sure if the sounds coming from the scrattes counted as a language, but she didn¡¯t want to tell James that she was surrounded by them. She couldn¡¯t imagine that conversation ending well.

    A new voice intruded upon the conversation. ¡°Hey, are those new allies going to help us take Satrap?¡±

    ¡°Beth! I didn¡¯t know James¡¯ calling rock could work with two people!¡± Bel felt a sudden surge of happiness in her heart ¨C she was still a bit angry that her adopted sister didn¡¯t trust her abilities, but that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t miss her.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got our faces smooshed together,¡± Beth replied flatly. ¡°I¡¯m wishing that Daran hadn¡¯t convinced him to grow a beard, it¡¯s driving me crazy.¡±

    ¡°Look, you could have waited to talk to¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, shush,¡± Beth scolded him. ¡°I have some important stuff to say and not a lot of time to say it.¡±

    Bel¡¯s smile dropped and she turned serious as her sister continued.

    ¡°Look, Hanti still wants to take over the attack on Satrap. Flann did his best to paint your efforts in a good light, but that damn ant ¨C no offense to your wife James ¨C that damn Hanti has gotten most of the council on her side. That sheep woman, the main opposition leader, she got caught trying to sneak some of the former followers of the Dark Ravager into the city. She claims she was just helping some poor, brainwashed sods reintegrate with civil society, but nobody believes she¡¯s that altruistic.¡±

    ¡°That sucks,¡± Bel huffed, ¡°so now Hanti¡¯s in charge?¡±

    ¡°Close. Most of the council still wants to listen to me and James, given that we¡¯re the only ones who¡¯ve been to Satrap, but they want their own people to lead the attack. Some of them are even talking about grabbing a few humans and making a run for it to completely avoid fighting with Technis and his followers. That isn''t what I planned for at all.¡±

    Bel pinched her brow as she thought that through. ¡°I don''t think Technis would let them get away with that. I still don''t really agree that kidnapping some humans and starting more wars is the best option, but if they waste the element of surprise things will just be even worse than they are now.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Beth agreed while ignoring Bel''s objection. ¡°So can your new allies help?¡±

    Bel looked at the scrattes. Then she sniffed her odiferous arm. Her nose wrinkled with disgust.

    ¡°They¡¯re really not a long-term thing. I¡¯m not sure they speak a language either.¡±

    James¡¯ voice piped up again. ¡°What are they?¡±

    Bel grimaced, but a moment later she remembered that they planted seeds. ¡°They¡¯re walking plants,¡± she replied.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Plants that lay their seeds inside the corpses of their enemies, but still plants, she thought smugly.

    ¡°Strange,¡± James replied.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re¨C¡±

    Bel was interrupted by a tentacle tap on her shoulder.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up? Oh, it looks like we¡¯re almost where we¡¯re going.¡±

    She stared up at the glowing pillar that now dominated her view. It was so unbelievably large that she hadn¡¯t been able to tell that they were getting closer to it, in spite of hours of walking. Now though, she could see a large entrance on the side of the pillar. It was close enough that she could have thrown a stone through it from where she was standing.

    <em style="font-style: italic">A stone might be the only thing I can throw through it, she fretted. The portal, a perfect circle cutting through the otherwise impervious surface of the pillar, was filled with an angry, flickering curtain of flames.

    There was nothing burning that she could see, but the impossible flames didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    ¡°Is that another spirit?¡± Orseis asked.

    Bel nodded. ¡°Hey guys, can you let Flann know that we¡¯re okay? And say hi to Jan from me?¡±

    ¡°Bel, don¡¯t you dare disconnect,¡± Beth warned.

    ¡°Sorry sis, I¡¯ve gotta go,¡± Bel apologized. She released her hands from her earring just as she caught sight of the scratte¡¯s leader making his way towards them.

    Her earring began buzzing again almost immediately. Bel winced at the noise, but ignored it.

    ¡°I guess he wants you to open it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bel agreed. The scratte was screeching and waving his arms at her and at the fiery portal, clearly expecting her to handle it.

    Bel rolled her shoulders and strode confidently to the raging inferno ¨C or at least she tried to be confident. She stopped ten strides away when she began to feel her skin tightening uncomfortably from the heat. Even her <em style="font-style: italic">thermal regulation couldn¡¯t entirely deal with the oppressive spirit of flames.

    ¡°Hey there,¡± she greeted hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m Bel. One of my moms is a spirit.¡±

    Her snake hissed at the flames. Bel hoped that her little magma spirit could communicate with this spirit as it had with the burning lava bear.

    The flames continued to undulate, licking the unburning walls of the pillar with desperate persistence.

    ¡°Ahem. I guess that doesn¡¯t impress you. I don¡¯t suppose you could just move over a little?¡±

    Bel made an arm motion. ¡°You know, shift to the side a bit so we can get through?¡±

    Her snake hissed emphatically, but the flames didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°What are you doing here anyway?¡± she questioned. ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like a fun place for a fire. Why don¡¯t you go off somewhere more fun?¡±

    The flames flickered briefly before going back to their previous state.

    Bel smacked a fist into her palm. ¡°Ah, you want to leave but you¡¯re stuck?¡±

    The flames flickered again, and this time she got the impression of a negative response.

    ¡°Not stuck then? Maybe you don¡¯t know where else to go?¡±

    The flames flared up, forcing Bel back a step. ¡°Oh, you want to go somewhere but everything looks just as boring?¡±

    Bel spun around, surveying the burned out nightmare of the third layer.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not much,¡± she agreed. ¡°But you know who has stuff that would burn?¡±

    She glanced at her audience. ¡°Well, of course you don¡¯t, you¡¯re a pile of flames.¡±

    She pointed back in the direction that she¡¯d travelled with the scrattes.

    ¡°If you go that way for a few thousand strides¡­¡± She looked at the legless flames.

    ¡°Well, just go that way for a while and then head up that really tall mountain. At the top you¡¯ll see¡­¡± She looked at the spirit that also didn¡¯t have any eyes. ¡°Well, whatever, just get to the top. Some bad people live there and they make a lot of cloth.¡±

    The flames didn¡¯t seem interested, flickering listlessly as Bel finished speaking.

    ¡°Huh. Oh, cloth is really flammable,¡± she added.

    The flames¡¯ response was immediate. It folded in on itself, like a flower blooming in reverse, and rolled out of the portal. Bel threw herself out of its way, certain that even Kjar¡¯s armor wouldn¡¯t save her from an encounter with the powerful spirit. She stared after it as it rushed past, wincing as it spun through some of the scrattes, leaving behind a short trail of ashy clumps.

    ¡°Crows,¡± Orseis cursed, ¡°what did you say to it?¡±

    Bel wiped herself off as she stood up. ¡°I said that the nearest dhvaras castle had a bunch of stuff to burn.¡±

    Orseis twisted her lips. ¡°They do?¡±

    ¡°No. I lied. Maybe we should leave before it gets back.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± Orseis shouted. ¡°Why would you lie to a gigantic flame monster?¡±

    ¡°Spirit,¡± Bel corrected. ¡°And I lied to get it to move. C¡¯mon, the scrattes are already moving.¡±

    She pointed at the portal. The scrattes were already streaming into it, like water rushing through a burst in a pipe. In just a few blinks of the eye the entirety of their force was inside.

    ¡°I guess this was what they wanted me for,¡± Bel speculated. ¡°I wonder what my mom promised them?¡±

    Orseis wrapped a tentacle around Bel and began dragging her towards the circular opening. ¡°Who cares about the scrattes? I don¡¯t want that that angry ball of flames to come back here and eat us. Come on, move faster!¡±

    Bel picked up her feet and jogged through to the portal. The two of them entered a long, barren tunnel and fell into a quick jog. She would have been worried about more dangers ahead, but Bel assumed that the scrattes would have run into any dangers lurking in the tunnel when they passed through.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, unless something was on the ceiling. Bel looked up quickly to check, but realized that the tunnel was pitch black.

    ¡°Let¡¯s run faster,¡± she suggested, quickening her pace to something just below a desperate sprint. She couldn¡¯t help from frantically searching the curving walls for something dangerous.

    The light at the end of the tunnel couldn¡¯t have come soon enough. Bel and Orseis burst through the other end, emerging into a wide, beautiful courtyard. It was tiled with smooth, polished stone and filled with ingeniously crafted sculptures that used different colored rocks to produce incredibly lifelike effects. As Bel stared around in awe she heard a voice shouting.

    ¡°Get back here you worthless potato people! You can¡¯t pass through without a token!¡±

    Bel turned towards the source, excited to meet someone new who could actually speak.

    Two people¡­ no, one person¡­ no, two people, stuck together back to back, stormed into the courtyard. The first face was nearly apoplectic with rage and as bright red as a brilliant sunset.

    ¡°Get back here or I will hunt you down and plant you so deep in the ground that your roots won¡¯t even know which way is up!¡±

    Bel glanced at Orseis. ¡°His insults could use some work.¡±

    ¡°What? Can you understand him, Bel?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied. ¡°Can¡¯t you?¡±

    Orseis shook her head.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Bel shrugged. ¡°I wonder if he can understand me.¡±

    ¡°Hello, sir,¡± she called out, waving. ¡°Can you tell us¨C¡±

    The man screamed when he looked in their direction.

    ¡°Who let the flames out?¡± he demanded. ¡°Where did they go?¡±

    Bel blinked a few times and looked the figure up and down. He had two faces, although one of them was now hidden on his other side. He was also equipped with four arms and four legs, each pair facing in a different direction as though he was two men sewn up back to back. He seemed ungainly, but Bel had just seen him running nimbly through the courtyard while screaming incoherently and barely looking where he was going. He was also twice her height, and his muscles bulged so vigorously that Bel almost decided that he was a bizarre muscle spirit rather than a regular person.

    In summary, she decided that she didn¡¯t want to fight him.

    ¡°The scrattes did it,¡± she said without hesitation. ¡°They sent the fire to go burn some stuff somewhere else.¡±

    The man¡¯s arms shot into the air. ¡°Let¡¯s go with rock, I said. No, you said, rock is too boring, you said. Well a god cursed rock wouldn¡¯t have fallen for the tricks of a few dim-witted potatoes, I¡¯ll tell you that.¡±

    It took Bel a moment to realize that he was yelling at his other half, but she nodded in agreement anyway so that the side staring at her wouldn''t think she disagreed.

    He glowered at her. ¡°You two can go ahead and show yourselves out. Bet you¡¯re just here looking for some gossip anyway.¡±

    Saying that, he spun around so that one of his faces was looking towards the scrattes¡¯ escape route. His rear-facing head glowered at them again before the forward facing head took off at a speed so fast that Bel couldn¡¯t help but feel impressed.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Orseis demanded. ¡°What did he say? What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s going to go punish the scrattes I think.¡±

    ¡°So let me get this straight. Outside there¡¯s an extremely dangerous living ball of fire that is going to figure out that you lied to it at any moment now.¡±

    Bel nodded.

    ¡°And inside,¡± Orseis continued, ¡°is an extremely angry giant man with extra arms, legs, and head. He¡¯ll be back to deal with us right after he pulverizes the scrattes?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s going to pulverize them¡­¡±

    Orseis smacked Bel on the back. ¡°They¡¯re going to come back and kill us! We need to get out of here!¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 64 â€“ A Disagreement with a Tree

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened as Orseis flailed her tentacles in a panic.

    ¡°Okay, okay, we¡¯ll get out of here. We want to go down, so¡­¡±

    Bel spun around, looking for stairs or a ramp or even just a hole. The courtyard was crowded with so many sculptures that she couldn¡¯t see much, so Bel quickly ran in opposite direction from the scrattes and the double-bodied man.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Hopefully they weren¡¯t going down.

    She pushed past a statue in the shape of a majestic bird with eyes on the tips of its feathers, shoved aside the branch of a tree that was sticky with sap, and emerged in a wide hallway that followed the outer edge of the pillar. The stone floor ended before the wall, leaving a wide gap that was filled with more glowing lava.

    She chewed on her lip as she looked around, hoping to spot some other means of egress.

    ¡°Look,¡± she said, pointing at several large metal cylinders, ¡°there are tubes running into the lava. I think that they¡¯re piping it up to the layer above. That¡¯s probably what was keeping the water so hot there.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ lifted her brow. ¡°And? We don¡¯t want to go up.¡±

    ¡°But maybe there are tubes going down too.¡±

    Orseis jabbed her in the side. ¡°We¡¯re not jumping in, okay?¡±

    Bel shook her head with disbelief. ¡°Why would you even think I would suggest that?¡±

    ¡°Because you get crazy when you panic. Your little snake could convince you that the lava is nice. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Bel harrumphed as loudly as she could and went back to examining the lava. She wasn¡¯t even considering for a second jumping into it.

    ¡°How about we check out the center of the pillar? You know, the place that doesn¡¯t have any lava?¡±

    Bel tilted her head and took in the massive pipeworks that were transporting lava over huge distances. They were impressive, even if they weren¡¯t immediately helpful. A bit like a massive, artificial volcano.

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Okay, fine, let¡¯s go back to the center.¡±

    Orseis breath a sigh of relief. Bel could only roll her eyes in response.

    They made their way back to the center of the pillar, which was filled with an interior tower that looked like it ran all the way to the top of the pillar. Bel leaned back and strained to see the ceiling, but even with all of her abilities it faded to a point in the far distance.

    ¡°This place is really big,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s why we call them the pillars that hold up the world, right?¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle at the smooth surface of the inner tower. ¡°But how the hell do we get down?¡±

    Bel shrugged. She pointed to the right. ¡°You go that way, I¡¯ll go the other, and maybe we¡¯ll find something.¡±

    Orseis narrowed her eyes. ¡°Bel. Look at this thing. It¡¯ll take hours to run all the way around it.¡±

    ¡°Fine, then we¡¯ll both go right.¡± Bel took off at a fast jog. ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± she shouted over her shoulder, ¡°it¡¯ll take us hours to go around it.¡±

    It turned out that they only needed to run for a few minutes to find an opening in the inner tower. Bel shouted with delight when they saw it. With a burst of speed they dashed through the wide opening and entered a small waiting room.

    There were rows of chairs against the walls, a small booth made of glass on the interior side, and metal plaques covered in tiny script all over the walls. The plaques were polished to a fine finish that reflected the light that shone from an uncertain distance above them, concentrating it into bright blobs on the interior of the room and lighting up several alcoves and doors. The doors were set into the wall near the booth and were mostly made of a dark, lustrous wood. Two stood out as different.

    One was made of a shimmering wall of water and the other was a mass of tangles vines running over a squat tree. Bel wouldn¡¯t have chosen to make her doors out of something so impractical, but after seeing the previous spirits blocking doorways she figured that these were similar.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Bel hummed, ¡°maybe there¡¯s some writing that we can understand on the wall in¨C¡±

    The two-headed man¡¯s voices startled her so badly that she nearly leaped into the wall.

    ¡°No token, no travel!¡± he shouted. His voice reverberated from the walls themselves. ¡°Violators will be prosecuted and dismembered!¡±

    Orseis changed color rapidly, switching between an angry red and a deathly pale white. Her tentacles danced through the air as she pointed at the doors. ¡°Pick one! We need to run!¡±

    Bel held up a hand, both demanding that Orseis calm down and also forcing herself to stop and think.

    ¡°The double man didn¡¯t seem unreasonable. Even if he does come back, we can ask about these tokens. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve travelled anywhere yet.¡±

    She kept her hand up to forestall Orseis¡¯ objections.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°We still have time to try to get down to the next layer though. Who knows what he would charge us to travel through.¡±

    She stared at the doors. ¡°There was a door with a fire spirit blocking our way in. If the spirit corresponds to the layer, then the water door leads up to the previous layer.¡±

    Bel pointed at the tangled mess of plants. ¡°So maybe that one leads down.¡±

    Orseis ran to the door and began pulled on the various plants. She¡¯d scarcely removed a single leave when a limb swung out from the gnarled tree, sending her sprawling.

    Bel ran over to her companion, helping her up and checking her for injuries.

    ¡°You¡¯d better leave this to me Orseis. My snakes can help.¡±

    Orseis rubbed her ribs, wincing when she touched the place she¡¯d been struck. ¡°Sure. Do your snakey thing. I¡¯ll just lie here, being miserable.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes, stood up, and strode confidently to the woody spirit.

    ¡°Hey there, sorry about that. Can we pass through?¡±

    She watched the leaves expectantly.

    Nothing happened.

    She nudged her little lava snake. ¡°Hey, you want to say something, Sparky?¡±

    Her snake flicked its tongue hesitantly, but it slowly uncoiled so that it was reaching towards the plants. It hissed softly in the their direction.

    There was a faint rustling of leaves. Her snake hissed loudly and the leaves shook in response.

    ¡°I will hunt down all trespassers!¡± the double man¡¯s voice boomed out. ¡°Give yourselves up and throw your starchy bodies upon the mercy of the asura!¡±

    Bel grit her teeth with frustration and her little magma snake spit out a small, glowing pebble of almost molten stone.

    The projectile struck the wooden wall with a hiss and the plant retracted briefly. Then several woody vines whipped out, wrapping around Bel¡¯s arm and reaching for her snakes.

    ¡°Dammit Sparky, that was a dumb move!¡±

    Bel struggled with the vines, but even as she tore some away more emerged from the spirit.

    Bel clicked her tongue. ¡°This is getting us anywhere!¡±

    She grabbed a thick vine that was covered in moss and small white flowers and squeezed it with her left hand. Then she formed a snarp nail on her right hand sawed through the woody tendril. Her cry of satisfaction was cut short as she realized that her legs were being engulfed in plant matter.

    ¡°Hey Orseis, give me a little help,¡± she shouted.

    The cuttlefish ran over and began beating back the onslaught of vegetation, whipping her tentacles through the air and smashing them into the vines and branches. Bits of green and brown rained through the air, pooled on the ground, and turned into small walking plants and meandered back to the door. Orseis tried shoving some away with her feet, but she was wary of getting too close to the door. Eventually she settled for clearing a small area in front of Bel.

    Bel nodded when she saw things were under control and raised her stolen length of vine to her head.

    ¡°You¡¯re not doing that thing, are you?¡± Orseis questioned.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m doing that thing. I can¡¯t communicate with it right now.¡±

    Bel shrugged, grasped the writing tendril in her hands, and put it on her head. She activated <em style="font-style: italic">lesser incorporation and got ready for a mental fight.

    ¡­except that would be silly. Who would want to fight? That was an inefficient use of resources. Once you find a nice, bright place with plenty of water you should just sit around.

    ¡°Hey Bel.¡±

    Of course if someone tried to steal your sunlight you would have to smother them, but that was just obvious, right? Bel nodded. She had plenty of light though, so things were fine.

    ¡°Bel, snap out of it.¡±

    Water though, Bel didn¡¯t have a lot of that. Her brow wrinkled with consternation. Orseis smacked her in the face, her suckers pulling on Bel¡¯s cheeks until her face was stretched comically wide.

    Bel smacked at the offending limbs. ¡°Stop it. We¡¯re doing serious stuff, why are you playing around?¡±

    Orseis jabbed a tentacle at her. ¡°Because you¡¯ve been standing around drooling for the past minute, ever since you stuck that thing on your head.¡±

    ¡°Ah! It worked!¡±

    Bel reached up with excitement, feeling around for the new snake on her head. She grabbed it in her hands and pulled it down into view. It was¡­ like a snake, but also like a moss and flower covered bit of wood. Its wooden mouth opened slowly and a green tongue flicked out. She got the impression that it was mechanically going through a snake motion ¨C maybe her other snakes were telling it what to do.

    ¡°Well, whatever, as long as it can get us through the door. Okay, new snake, tell the door to open up.¡±

    The snake stared at her.

    Bel waved it at the door. ¡°Do the thing, dammit! Open up!¡±

    The snake flicked its tongue again, but didn¡¯t otherwise move.

    ¡°Not working, huh? Who would have thought that grabbing bits of spirits and sticking them onto your head wouldn¡¯t be the way to go.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shush.¡±

    Bel quickly looked around the room, hoping for inspiration. Her eyes landed on one of the bright, reflective plaques. She looked back at the door, then back at the plaque.

    ¡°Hey, do you have anything messy in your bag?¡±

    Orseis¡¯s mouth dropped open a bit. ¡°This isn¡¯t another weird headsnake thing, is it? You don¡¯t want to plant your head in the dirt, right?¡±

    Bel grabbed Orseis by the shoulder and pointed her at the plague. ¡°No, I want something to make the plaques less reflective. The plant spirit wants light, so maybe it¡¯ll move if there isn¡¯t any light reflecting over her.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an actual good idea! Amazing!¡±

    Bel smiled proudly. <em style="font-style: italic">Wait, was she being sarcastic?

    Before she could sort that out, Orseis pulled out a couple of rags. ¡°These are all that¡¯s left of my clothes.¡±

    Bel grabbed one without hesitation, although after catching a brief whiff of it she held it at arms length.

    She and Orseis rushed wordlessly to the far side of the room and began to smear the charred clothes over the nearest plaques. There were an incredible number of the curved pieces of metal, but with the two of them smearing gunk at their fastest rate things moved quickly. Bel glanced at Orseis, who had ripped her cloth into six pieces which she used to simultaneously wipe down six separate plaques.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, maybe she¡¯s doing way more work that I am.

    Bel had worked herself into a heavy sweat when she heard a heavy stomping from the other side of the room. She dropped her cloth and spun, her hand reaching for her weapon as she prepared to confront the pillar¡¯s guardian.

    Unluckily, she had once again forgotten that she had lost her weapon. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t the two-faced guardian returning. Instead, the tree spirit was very slowly moving out of the now dim doorway, slowly creeping its way into the light.

    Bel tapped Orseis excitedly on the shoulder. ¡°Now¡¯s our chance!¡±

    Orseis glanced sadly at the last wisps of her clothes. ¡°I really want a new shirt.¡±

    Bel glanced quickly at her companion ¨C her chest was wrapped and she had about a third of a pair of pants. ¡°You¡¯re fine Orseis. Who¡¯s going to judge you down here? The scrattes?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for that anyway, we need to run.¡±

    Orseis dropped the scraps with a sigh of regret, and the two of them slipped behind the creeping tree and into the darkened doorway. The cuttlefish almost immediately tripped down the first step of a long, spiralling staircase, but Bel caught her at the last moment.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me lead if you can¡¯t see in the dark.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles forward. ¡°Sure thing, spirit lady. Lead us to the next layer. May it be filled with handsome humans.¡±

    Bel huffed. ¡°There won¡¯t be any humans down here. Stop being silly. It¡¯ll probably be filled with nothing but plants.¡±

    ¡°That doesn''t sound so bad.¡±

    Bel nodded in agreement, but stopped suddenly. ¡°They''ll probably be carnivorous.¡±

    "Oh, hagfish," Orseis groaned. "You''re probably right."

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 65 â€“ Calling Home

    <section>

    <section>

    Orseis waved her tentacles forward. ¡°Sure thing, spirit lady. Lead us to the next layer. May it be filled with handsome humans.¡±

    Bel huffed. ¡°There won¡¯t be any humans down here. Stop being silly. It¡¯ll probably be filled with nothing but plants.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad.¡±

    Bel nodded in agreement, but stopped suddenly. ¡°They¡¯ll probably be carnivorous.¡±

    ¡°Oh, hagfish,¡± Orseis groaned. ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡±

    Bel dashed down the steps as fast as she could safely descend. They weren¡¯t hanging over a yawning abyss ¨C the wide stairs were flanked on either side by the sheer, perfectly smooth walls of the pillar. Bel stayed to the inside of the spiral to take the shortest path, idly trailing her fingers against the inner wall as they turned.

    The entire stairway was devoid of markings, as least as far as she could tell in the near darkness.

    ¡°This thing must go on forever,¡± Orseis panted. ¡°Won¡¯t that angry guy catch up to us?¡±

    Bel grimaced. ¡°We haven¡¯t heard him yelling for a little while.¡±

    ¡°So he gave up?¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should keep running.¡±

    Orseis grabbed Bel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wait, wait. We¡¯re probably just going to encounter more doors and more guards. Maybe we should make for one of those windows?¡±

    Bel could see Orseis¡¯ tentacle pointing in the dim light from a tiny opening coming from far above them.

    ¡°That has to be at least ten strides away from us,¡± she sighed. ¡°And this wall seems to be impervious to anything we¡¯ve got. I can¡¯t even <em style="font-style: italic">liquify it, not even a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Orseis cackled, ¡°then it¡¯s lucky for us that I¡¯ve got all of these suction cups.¡±

    Bel glanced at her tentacle. ¡°Can you climb without grabbing onto anything?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± the cuttlegirl replied confidently, ¡°the smoother the better.¡±

    ¡°Really? How do you tentacles work?¡±

    Bel poked at one of the girl¡¯s tentacles, which quickly retreated.

    ¡°Hey. They¡¯re sensitive.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°They are not. I¡¯ve seen you rip crabs apart with them.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re both,¡± Orseis insisted petulantly. ¡°Now let me work my magic.¡±

    Bel watched at Orseis stretched her tentacles to their maximum lengths, worming their way up the wall with alternating undulations. She clapped when Orseis¡¯ feet rose slowly from the ground.

    ¡°So¡­should I just grab on?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Orseis reply was muffled, her face pressed up against the wall. ¡°I didn¡¯t really think about that part. I guess. Just keep your snakes away from me.¡±

    Bel circled her arms around Orseis¡¯ waist and waited.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Orseis complained, ¡°keep your snakes to yourself.¡±

    Bel looked up and saw that a few of her snakes were waving around Orseis¡¯ face.

    ¡°Sorry. If you were a bit taller then they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach.¡±

    ¡°Are you calling me short?¡±

    Bel decided not to respond to that ¨C the cuttlegirl was the one doing the hard work of pulling them up the side of the wall.

    ¡°I can¡¯t really control them,¡± she replied instead. ¡°They have minds of their own, especially Sparky.¡±

    ¡°What a terrible name,¡± Orseis snorted. ¡°Why not Maggie, you know, for the magma?¡±

    ¡°Maybe if I was my brother. He likes puns. But Sparky suits her personality.¡±

    Orseis grunted as she lifted Bel from the ground and the gorgon¡¯s full weight pulled on her shoulders.

    ¡°Hey, I hate to complain since I¡¯m not doing anything, but aren¡¯t we going really slowly?¡±

    ¡°Tentacles don¡¯t work like arms,¡± Orseis groaned. ¡°The shoulder joint is completely¡­look, just let them do their thing. They¡¯re kind of self-controlling, just like your snakes.¡±

    ¡°Really? They do things on their own?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Orseis hesitated. ¡°Sometimes they get grabby.¡±

    ¡°Like with food?¡±

    ¡°Um, sure, that too.¡±

    Bel thought that Orseis sounded a bit embarrassed, but she couldn¡¯t understand why. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t already know how much she loves to eat.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Orseis cleared her throat. ¡°So, we¡¯re about halfway there I think. Do your other snakes have names?¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it. Should I give the other ones names?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t? You seem like the person to do weird things like that.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°I started with seven of the normal ones, and I couldn¡¯t tell them apart. Sparky is different.¡±

    ¡°Then what about the new one?¡±

    Bel turned her head, trying to get a look at her new snake, but the little spirit of wood and flowers was hiding somewhere on the back of her head.

    ¡°She seems shy. I¡¯ll have to get to know her better later.¡±

    ¡°Are they really girls?¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Are they? Bel¡¯s mind churned on Orseis¡¯ question. ¡°I don¡¯t think spirits work like that. I mean, Dutcha just dropped little bits of herself to make new spirits. Does that make her a mother and them her children?¡±

    ¡°Sounds more like a starfish than a mother to me,¡± Orseis grunted. ¡°Ah, finally, I can feel it. We¡¯re almost out.¡±

    Actually squeezing through the extended tube that served as a window took an impressive number of curses and twice as long as climbing the wall, but eventually Bel and Orseis found themselves sitting on the edge of the opening, their legs danging out over a gut clenching drop.

    ¡°This layer looks really beautiful, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Bel asked rhetorically.

    The two of them looked over the dense forest below, its huge trees swaying gently in the occasional breeze. Birds flitted in and out of the canopy, the only sight of the forest floor coming from hollows created where some of the most massive trees had fallen.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Orseis nodded. ¡°Very pretty. Now how the hell do we get down?¡±

    Bel fluttered her hands like wings, but stopped when Orseis groaned with frustration.

    ¡°The parachute?¡± Bel suggested. ¡°You¡¯ve still got it, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit ripped. Maybe a lot ripped. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe with both of us.¡±

    Orseis glanced back through the long window tunnel. ¡°Should we go back and keep going down?¡±

    Bel grimaced. ¡°If that double-guy catches us he¡¯ll probably throw us back out in the third layer. Or maybe he¡¯ll throw us in jail or make us work off some kind of debt. We don¡¯t have time to waste with that nonsense.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until James calls again and I¡¯ll ask about the parachute. He designed them, so he should know. He¡¯s been ringing my ear nearly nonstop since we entered the tower.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been ignoring him?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah. We¡¯ve been busy.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Orseis nodded, ¡°and by busy you mean running for our lives, right? Honestly, Bel, I think you attract trouble.¡±

    ¡°Just a normal amount, I think.¡±

    Bel nodded to herself. <em style="font-style: italic">Well, I guess Lempo wants me to do some dangerous stuff. It¡¯s too late for Orseis to turn back now though.

    Her ear buzzed again, so she quickly reached up to pinch her earring.

    ¡°Hey, James. How are things?¡±

    ¡°Well, at least you <em style="font-style: italic">sound alive. Beth is really ticked off.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s not much I can do about that. But hey, we¡¯re in the fourth layer now, maybe that will cheer her up.¡±

    ¡°Do you even remember why she¡¯s angry?¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Look, James, Lempo is sending me messages through scrattes, and we just spent the last however long it was getting weird gunk smeared on us so they wouldn¡¯t turn violent, and then we went into a tower where some double-person yelled at us nonstop¨C¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle. ¡°Oh yeah, how did you understand him anyway?¡±

    Bel ignored her and continued to rant. ¡°¨Cand then we had to run away down a stairway that went on <em style="font-style: italic">forever, and now we¡¯re dangling our legs over a several thousand stride drop wondering if we¡¯ll impale ourselves on some trees if we try to use the parachute.¡±

    She paused for a breath. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t really have time to worry about Beth.¡±

    James was only silent for a moment. ¡°You were travelling with scrattes? I thought you said that Lempo sent some plant people.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re plant people apparently,¡± Bel huffed. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the important part. Look, Orseis still has her parachute, is it good enough for both of us?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± James hesitated. ¡°I¡­ maybe? I didn¡¯t really know how to do any of the math, so there was a lot of trial and error. Each one of them was big enough for a hippo though, so unless the two of you have been gaining weight it should be okay.¡±

    Bel looked at Orseis. The weary girl¡¯s face had gone slightly gaunt and she still looked dehydrated.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder what I look like? Bel glanced at her forearms, now speckled with small scars from her fight with the magma spirit. She shook her head. <em style="font-style: italic">My looks are a problem for later.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re heavier than a hippo,¡± she finally replied.

    ¡°Just as stubborn as one,¡± James muttered under his breath.

    ¡°Hey! I heard that!¡±

    ¡°You must be hearing things, Bel. Our connection must be noisy.¡±

    She snorted. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m shocked that this still works.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just good at what I do,¡± James declared haughtily. Then he chuckled. ¡°Actually, it was a nice pair of snake people who really did most of the work. I don¡¯t know why you didn¡¯t want to meet them.¡±

    Bel grimaced as she remembered the first snake person she¡¯d met getting caught in her hair.

    ¡°Hey, speaking of getting along with people, how are you and Daran doing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re doing great!¡± James gushed.

    Bel saw Orseis rolling her eyes and miming falling asleep. Bel didn¡¯t mind listening to her brother going on about his new wife though; the bit of normalcy helped settle her nerves. She¡¯d spent the last however-long running around a lava-filled hellscape with a bunch of scrattes. She could do with some down time. She let James¡¯ voice drone on the background, giving him the occasional ¡°uh-huh¡± or ¡°yup¡± of encouragement.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I do feel bad for¨Cwait, is she already asleep?

    Orseis had closed her eyes, and her chest was rising and falling in a slow, rhythmic fashion. Bel was worried that she would tumble out, but then she saw that the girl¡¯s tentacles were working on their own, suctioning onto the walls and anchoring her in place.

    She decided to keep an eye on the younger girl, but she let her get her rest.

    ¡°Hey James,¡± she interrupted. Her brother was going on about some weird blood-mixing ritual anyway. She enjoyed hearing his voice, but there were some topics that would never get her interest.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Am I a bad daughter?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Bel could imagine him scratching at his hair in confusion.

    ¡°Lempo seemed disappointed in me,¡± she explained. ¡°Well, she said that Kjar told her to tell me that I was okay, for a mortal, but that I wasn¡¯t talking to her enough and my progress is too slow. It made me feel like a bad person.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ well, my mom would complain that I didn¡¯t call her often enough. That¡¯s just a normal, mother thing.¡±

    ¡°So¨C¡±

    ¡°But wait, hold on, you¡¯re talking about a goddess. She literally made you. If there¡¯s something she didn¡¯t like she could have made you better.¡±

    Bel traded a glance with one of her snakes. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that was possible. She¡¯s the goddess of, uh, upheaval and stuff, and she made me with Dutcha and Kjar¡¯s help. I don¡¯t think the three of them could actually plan stuff.¡±

    ¡°The world is simpler with a flawless, omniscient god, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, what if that god was someone like Technis though?¡±

    James laughed. ¡°Sure, I guess having a bunch of flawed gods is better than just having an omniscient Technis.¡±

    Bel frowned as she heard her brother¡¯s voice fading. ¡°Hey, my earring is running out of power. It was great to talk to you again though; I¡¯ll try to be better about answering.¡±

    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. Things must be crazy¡­¡±

    His voice faded into silence and Bel slowly released her earring.

    ¡°Yeah, crazy,¡± she muttered to herself.

    She glanced at Orseis, who was still sleeping peacefully, and felt a wave of envy.

    ¡°That big guy probably can¡¯t fit in here. What do you think, snakes? Is this a good time for a nap? Maybe I can shimmy backwards just a bit so I don¡¯t fall out?¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 66 â€“ Divine Tongue

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel woke up from her nap when Orseis started screaming.

    ¡°What the hell? I fell asleep and you left me there? Are you crazy?¡± Orseis writhed around in the narrow window tunnel, turning so she could face Bel and wave her tentacles angrily. The skin on her face flashed red and bands of darkness swept over her in an agitated pattern.

    ¡°Do you control your color consciously? Or are they like when humans flush?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re¨Cdon¡¯t change the subject!¡±

    Bel held up her hands in surrender. ¡°Fine, fine. Your tentacles looked secure, so I assumed that was how cuttlefish sleep.¡±

    ¡°Cuttlefish didn¡¯t evolve to sleep on the edge of cliffs, Bel!¡±

    ¡°Well, I thought that you needed some sleep. So did I, honestly. Do you really want to drop into that forest and then have to look for a safe place to sleep?¡±

    Orseis flicked a tentacle back at the opening. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like this was a safe place!¡±

    Bel opened her mouth to respond, but Orseis began pointing frantically over Bel¡¯s shoulder. She turned around to see an angry face staring back from the end of the tunnel.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you unwelcome pests! Travel without a token is forbidden! Come out of there and submit yourself to the justice of the Asura!¡±

    Bel frowned and turned back to her companion. ¡°Time to go.¡±

    Orseis nodded and began checking the straps of her back pack.

    Bel shimmied back to the end of the tunnel, ignoring the continuing ranging of the tower guard.

    ¡°Do you think you can hold onto my back? And release the parachute without letting me go?¡±

    Orseis quickly nodded. ¡°Sure, six tentacles, plenty of grip. Just keep your snakes out of my face.¡±

    Spurred on by the double-headed man¡¯s yelling, the two of them quickly completed what would have otherwise been an awkward and embarrassing feat of gymnastics without a moment of hesitation.

    ¡°Failure to comply will result in a permanent and multi-generational ban!¡±

    ¡°May your afterlife be unfulfilling!¡± Bel retorted before launching herself and Orseis from the pillar.

    They rushed freely through the air for a few seconds before the parachute abruptly caught the wind and jerked them backwards. Bel¡¯s throat constricted when she felt Orseis¡¯ tentacles straining, but she released a sigh of relief as their motion stabilized.

    ¡°Get these snakes outta my face,¡± Orseis whined.

    Bel reached up and pulled her snakes forward. She gave them a stern look. <em style="font-style: italic">You all behave, she thought forcefully.

    They flicked their tongues in response; Bel couldn¡¯t tell if they cared, or even if they had understood.

    ¡°What language was that?¡± Orseis asked.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, with the guy?¡± Bel tilted her head. ¡°Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°But you responded to him, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I wished that his afterlife would be unfulfilling.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty tame.¡±

    Bel scrunched her face with distaste. ¡°I <em style="font-style: italic">meant to say ¡®go to hell¡¯, but those were the words that came out.¡±

    She tilted her head in thought. ¡°Or that was the meaning. I can¡¯t actually remember what I said.¡±

    ¡°So wait, to be clear, whatever language he was using, and that you responded with¨Cyou don¡¯t actually know it?¡±

    Bel nodded, releasing her snakes. ¡°Yup. Maybe it¡¯s a language I used to speak when I was so young that I can¡¯t remember it?¡± She twisted slightly. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    She froze as the words left her mouth. There was someone keeping pace with them, studying them as they slowly fell. Large, lustrous white feathers, golden eyes, and a hooked yellow beak, but also human arms, clothes, and a spear clutched between his hands.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got company,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got what? Who¨Coh.¡± Orseis went quiet. ¡°I take it back Bel, I¡¯m glad I got to rest.¡±

    ¡°You have finally become aware of my presence,¡± the bird-man noted. His voice was deep and resonant, but his tone was full of derision. ¡°You seem like simple vagrants, yet a second look reveals equipment far beyond your worth.¡±

    Bel traced his gaze and was unsurprised when she realized that he was talking about the armor she¡¯d been gifted by Kjar.

    ¡°What¡¯s he saying?¡± Orseis asked.

    ¡°I think he wants my armor,¡± Bel replied dryly. ¡°I¡¯d sooner test my <em style="font-style: italic">glare on him.¡±

    ¡°Eh, maybe hold off on that. He may have an entire flock waiting nearby.¡±

    They all glared at one another in silence for a few heartbeats. The wind whistled in Bel¡¯s ears as she looked around.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll take a while for us to reach the bottom,¡± she realized. ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s going to let us land?¡±

    The bird man seemed to be in no hurry, simply examining their parachute with interest.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try talking to him?¡± Orseis suggested. ¡°Like with the guy in the pillar. Maybe the words will come back to you if you try to practice saying them.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Worth a shot.¡±

    She looked at the bird man and though ¡°who are you?¡± No voice left her mouth though.

    ¡°Well?¡± Orseis prompted.

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it. It¡¯s like trying to sneeze when you don¡¯t have to.¡±

    ¡°Try harder.¡±

    Bel sighed. <em style="font-style: italic">If it¡¯s a language that I used to speak¡­ oh, maybe it¡¯s the language that Kjar and Lempo speak?

    Bel tried to remember Kjar¡¯s voice from her rescue in the Dark Ravager¡¯s pyramid. She opened her mouth, preparing to the bird man who he was and what he wanted.

    ¡°What manner of mortal dares confront us?¡± she snarled. ¡°And what purpose is served by your covetous looks?¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, that wasn¡¯t really what I meant to say or how I meant to say it. Wait, how can I understand what I¡¯m saying but not know that I¡¯m about to say?

    The bird man¡¯s pupils widened. Then he looked at her face and his eyes narrowed with suspicion. ¡°Ah, you must be a child of some meddlesome god. Your interference in the land of the Garuda is unwelcome, divine spawn that you may be.¡±

    Bel glanced at Orseis. ¡°From what he said, I think that being daughter of a goddess means that I can speak whatever language we¡¯re using.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re communicating?¡± Orseis asked hopefully.

    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m mostly just threatening him. Let me see if I can be more polite.¡±

    Bel cleared her throat and thought of Kjar¡¯s voice again. ¡°What nonsense must fill your head that you utter baseless accusations,¡± she replied hotly. ¡°We care not for you bird people or whatever place you call home, but should you unjustly provoke me I will burn your world to cinder.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe thinking about how Kjar spoke is the wrong thing to do.

    The bird man laughed. ¡°Your divine parent must have stuffed your ego overfull that you speak such nonsense. I¡¯ll not twitch a feather to interfere, yet I would wager that you¡¯ll be dead within minutes of breaching the forest canopy. Tell me, would your divine parent hold a grudge if I picked that fine piece of armor from your cooling corpse?¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, at least he doesn¡¯t want to make my parents angry. Thinking of Kjar clearly isn¡¯t working; how about Lempo?

    ¡°You and your stagnant people are only worth the fertilizer birthed from your decaying corpses. Bother me not.¡±

    Bel cringed. <em style="font-style: italic">Creepy! Why is everything about my mom so creepy?

    The man¡¯s hands tightened around his spear. ¡°You are unwelcome here, godchild. I will not interfere¨Cit is not my place¨Cbut the hunting shadow that prowls these lands will end you quickly.¡±

    Bel thought long and hard before answering, almost responding several different ways until she hit upon a feeling of a short sentence.

    ¡°What?¡±

    The man laughed. ¡°Some other god¡¯s spawn has beaten you here. Even now, it patrols the land below, hunting down the remnants of the Dark Ravager¡¯s people.¡±

    He smirked. ¡°Perhaps you could be so kind as to do us a favor and murder one another?¡±

    Bel chewed on her lip, trying to find a non-threatening way to ask a question. Before she could though, the man tilted slightly and began to draw away. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon for that fine piece of armor.¡±

    He made a gesture that Bel assumed was rude before rolling to the side and gliding away after a few powerful flaps of his wings.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that we¡¯re not going to be friends?¡± Orseis asked.

    ¡°Nope,¡± Bel replied without remorse. ¡°He was an asshole anyway. He wants to take my armor from my once I¡¯m dead.¡±

    ¡°Oh? But he didn¡¯t want to try to do the dead himself?¡±

    ¡°I think he didn¡¯t want to anger my parents. He seemed pretty sure that we would die once we get into the forest.¡±

    Bel looked down. They were close to the unbroken sea of trees now, but still a while away.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we falling really slowly?¡± she asked.

    Orseis shrugged her tentacles. ¡°I haven¡¯t been paying attention. Isn¡¯t that just a trick of the mind? Some of these trees are so huge that my mind insisted that we had to be closer for them to look so large.¡±

    Bel looked at the closest trees as she sped past. Then she shook her head.

    ¡°Wait, wait, the bird man also mentioned someone down there who was hunting down the Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Orseis chirped excitedly. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll want to help us out?¡±

    ¡°That would be nice. He was pretty sure that we would get into a fight though.¡±

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°Hah! What does he know?¡±

    Bel grit her teeth. ¡°How to land. That¡¯s what he knows. We¡¯re going kind of fast, and there¡¯s no open areas or water to aim for.¡±

    Orseis was quiet as she looked around. ¡°Huh.¡±

    A few leaves from the highest branches slapped against Bel¡¯s bare feet. She quickly pulled her legs up, but their height was dropping so quickly that a moment later her knees were under assault.

    Then they scraped against the side of an exceptionally tall tree and went spinning. Her snakes squeezed around her head in a hissing ball that left her nearly blind to her surroundings and she flailed for Orseis tentacles, desperate to have something to hold on to.

    Something struck her in the gut, bending her in two. Her head slammed into something heavy and she saw a night sky''s worth of stars. Bel spun like a pinwheel, and suddenly she and Orseis were no longer together. Bel plunged in a free fall, punching through multiple layers of scratching branches. Her hand slapped against something and she instinctively grabbed on while simultaneously modifying her arm to have sharper nails for grasping onto the thick bark.

    Bel¡¯s arm jerked over her head and she grabbed ahold of a tree limb, wrenching her shoulder but halting her descent.

    Bel whimpered in pain as she hung by her injured arm, swaying back and forth.

    She grit her teeth and opened her eyes, ready to take in whatever horrible situation she¡¯d gotten herself into. Two large, round eyes peered back at her from the trunk of a tree.

    Bel blinked a few times, making sure her vision was clear. The tree had eyes.

    She looked up and down the trunk, wondering if her head trauma was making her see things that weren''t there.

    The tree had a hand, and it had caught ahold of her as she had tried to catch ahold of it.

    ¡°Hi there,¡± she greeted it. She tried waving with her free hand, but that made her sway more violently.

    When her motion slowed enough that she wasn¡¯t in incredible pain she smiled sheepishly. ¡°So, do you speak?¡±

    The tree¡¯s eyes drooped. It looked like it was about to fall back asleep.

    ¡°Oh, no no no, wait, can you put me down before you do that?¡±

    Bel''s new, woody snake hissed quietly, clearly chastising the much larger spirit.

    The tree¡¯s eyes opened again¨Cjust a little bit¨Cand with a great creaking of its wooden limb it lowered her the remaining thirty or so strides to the ground.

    Bel¡¯s feet happily sank into the soft soil. ¡°Thanks a bunch!¡±

    The tree didn¡¯t respond. It just closed its eyes and went back to being a tree.

    Bel had seen a few spirits on the previous layers¨Cthe little magma spirit that she''s put on her head, and a few others that the dhvaras were bossing around¨Cbut if even a fraction of the trees were spirits then the fourth layer had far more spirits than the earlier layers.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Did the Dark Ravager not harvest the spirits on this level? Or was he still in the middle of that when his people found me?

    It was an interesting thought, but she wasn¡¯t in such a leisurely situation that she had time to think about it. She looked in every direction, each one more choked with plant life than the last.

    ¡°If I were a tentacle girl, which way would I go?¡±

    Bel spun slowly in place, looking for a sign of someone other than herself smashing through the trees.

    Her search bore unexpected fruit when she heard Orseis¡¯ shouts of anger and rage.

    ¡°Perfect! If she¡¯s still angry then things can¡¯t be so bad.¡±

    Bel quickly set off towards her wayward companion at an urgent run.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 67 â€“ Shock and Awe Yeah

    <section>

    <section>

    The forest was thick with snaring vines and tangling roots, forcing Bel to move carefully as she rushed towards the sounds of Orseis¡¯ increasingly frustrated shouts. She¡¯d barely made any progress at all when a shout was cut off by a sudden yelp of pain. Fear crawled down Bel¡¯s spine and she put on a burst of speed, which almost resulted in her biting off her tongue when her trailing foot caught in a root.

    She grunted with pain when she hit the forest floor, but she immediately hauled herself up and pressed forward with reckless speed. The bird man¡¯s ominous warning about a hunting shadow loomed heavily in her mind, a growing cloud of worry that threatened to blot out her rational mind. When she finally burst into a small clearing and could see Orseis¨Cvery much alive and kicking¨Cher panic thinned and her senses came back.

    Orseis was okay, but her parachute had been caught in the limbs of the massive trees. She was dangling in midair, swaying to and fro and she angrily cursed a crowd of furry, sharp-toothed critters. The arboreal animals were only knee high if you discounted their large, bushy tails, but their teeth were disproportionately large: each was the length of a proper stabbing stiletto.

    Bel¡¯s hand twitched for her long-lost sword, but she stooped to pick up a solid-looking stick.

    The giant tree rats¨CBel decided that was the best way to think of them¨Cwere focused on Orseis and hadn¡¯t noticed her yet. Five of them were running along the tree limbs surrounding her tentacled friend, searching for a safe way to get close. Orseis snapped a tentacle at them when they neared, but Bel could see that one of them would eventually risk a leap at the trapped girl. Even if she tore that one apart, the others could take that opportunity to swarm her; once that happened, it would be too late for Bel to intervene.

    Bel immediately used her first and best ability, whistling loudly to draw the tree rats¡¯ attention and <em style="font-style: italic">glaring at one in mid-jump. The suddenly froze animal missed its landing, bouncing stiffly off of a branch before plummeting to the forest floor below. Bel didn¡¯t hesitate to leap to it and slam her club into its head, guaranteeing a kill.

    The remaining four creatures hissed with outrage, and Bel quickly turned her attention away from the one she¡¯d already defeated. She scarcely had time to look up before one of the enraged quadrupeds thumped into the ground a few steps away. Bel raised her club threateningly as the creature dug its claws into the loamy soil, searching for a good grip before it pounced.

    The its form blurred, and suddenly there were two of them.

    Bel didn¡¯t hesitate¨CBeth hadn¡¯t drilled her very often with her shadow clone abilities, but she had drilled her enough. Bel ignored the identical creatures coming her way and instead turned her senses to the ground, searching for signs of the creature¡¯s true location.

    A rush of air stirred a leaf. Bel swung. Her club connected awkwardly, striking the jaw of her opponent before she¡¯d fully extended. The weight of her foe wrenched her weapon from her grasp but her attack was enough to snap the creature¡¯s jaws closed, although the force was insufficient to knock it away. Its body struck her and its saber-like teeth scraped against her divine armor.

    Bel tilted her head back, fearful of another sudden blinding. It snapped and lunged at her, but its smaller size meant that it had to leap into the air to do so. Bel yelled in anger as its jaws snapped at the air right in front of her face, and a burst of adrenaline powered her arms as she grasped the thrashing tree-dweller and slammed it into the ground, stunning it.

    She quickly shaped the nails of her right hand into sharp points and jammed them through the little monster¡¯s eye and into its brain.

    A sharp cry from Orseis warned her that another attack was incoming, but Bel was in no position to defend herself. She reflexively curled into a ball to protect her face, but was knocked sprawling by the third tree rat. She screamed in pain as it bit into her right calf. She wanted to kick that one off of her, but she caught a blur of motion from her blinded side and brought up her arms to intercept the fourth one as it attempted to gore her throat.

    She howled in rage as she forced <em style="font-style: italic">liquify into its spine before snapping its neck with a quick jerk.

    Then she lifted her left leg and kick the fourth one in the face until it let go her of bloody right leg.

    It hissed at her, but she <em style="font-style: italic">glared back, momentarily stunning it. She bent forward and did to it what she¡¯d done to the last, practically twisting its head off in desperation.

    She fell to her back and leaned up, her eye darting around for the final creature, fearful that it was approaching from her blind spot. She pushed herself backward until her back came up against a thick tree, but she still couldn¡¯t find the final one. Then she looked up.

    The face of the fifth tree rat was only a stride above her, its mouth opening, its teeth glistening with malice.

    Bel shrieked with surprise, pushing herself sideways to avoid the attack. Pain burned up her injured leg and she sprawled across the ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s dead!¡± Orseis yelled. ¡°Sorry, sorry, Bel,¡± her companion apologized, ¡°just give me a minute and I¡¯ll get down and help.¡±

    Bel¡¯s breathing was harsh and fast, her imminent death still flashing through her mind. It took her confused mind a few moments to sort out the scene in front of her: the final creature, impaled upon a broken limb, and Orseis, somehow even more tangled in vines and parachute cords than she¡¯d been when Bel entered the clearing.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Orseis¡¯s tentacles jerked and pulled as they travelled over her snare.

    ¡°Tentacles aren¡¯t good for knots,¡± she explained remorsefully, ¡°and I made things worse when I tried to swing my way out of things. I only got close enough to grab one of them. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    As her heart rate finally slowed, Bel was able to start thinking again.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve got to stop this bleeding, she realized. She concentrated on her blood abilities as she forced her ruptured skin into roughly the correct location.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I should clean this out, but¡­

    Bel¡¯s lips skimmed back with pain as she prodded her injuries. <em style="font-style: italic">We don¡¯t have any medical supplies, not even any water after the fiery hell of the third layer.

    With the snapping of branches and a shower of debris, Orseis finally worked her way free. She bounded quickly to Bel¡¯s side, her skin taking on a pale, bumpy pattern as she fretted over Bel¡¯s injured leg.

    ¡°How bad is it?¡±

    Bel patted Orseis¡¯ head, touched by her concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably not as bad as it looks. It didn¡¯t manage to gnaw its way through the bone at least, although I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll be walking on it.¡±

    Bel looked up, scanning the trees around them, searching for more threats. ¡°We probably shouldn¡¯t hang around her for long. Who knows what kind of scavengers are in this place.¡±

    Orseis looked at the nearest corpse. ¡°Do you think these are what the bird guy thought would kill us?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Nah. It sounded much more ominous¨Ca prowling shadow or something like that. Can you help me up?¡±

    Bel reached out to Orseis and winced as she flexed her arm. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯d almost forgotten how I hurt my shoulder when that tree caught me.

    She gave Orseis a pitiful look and held out her good arm. ¡°Help. We¡¯ll drain their cores and then we should leave.¡±

    <hr>

    Orseis had insisted that Bel take all of the cores, but Bel had convinced her companion to at least drain the one she¡¯d killed herself. Bel had been hoping to gain a threshold per core ¨C the damned tree rats had some good abilities! ¨C but she¡¯d only cleared two thresholds from the ordeal.

    That would have to be enough. It was obvious that she needed more abilities if she wanted to survive on her increasingly dangerous journey. She was currently wedged into the nook of a tree limb and a massive trunk thirty strides from the ground below. This was as safe a place as she would get to contemplate her choices.

    ¡°I still think you should have tried to copy that body clone abilities they used,¡± Orseis mumbled.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t really match my paths,¡± she huffed. ¡°Maybe if I was copying Beth, but it didn¡¯t seem like something a gorgon would do, and Dutcha would literally split in half before she made an illusion.¡±

    ¡°Well, do you paths have anything worthwhile then? How many strokes do you have?¡±

    Bel cast her mind inward to the chaotic symphony that her pair of cores had become. ¡°25 free strokes on my unbound path and 17 on Dutcha¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°That would be enough for me to get an ability to eat rocks,¡± Orseis declared proudly.

    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    Bel looked at the tentacled menace, but the girl only rolled her eyes in response.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Right, I guess I could get some strange abilities too.

    She whistled as she examined her options. ¡°I could get an ability that would pull essence into my core faster. I think by ripping things around me apart.¡±

    ¡°Is that safe?¡± Orseis asked.

    Bel shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s from the divine spirit of chaos, so probably not safe. Still tempting.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t help anything out immediately though.¡±

    Bel shook her head, dislodging a few of her sleeping snakes. ¡°I¡¯m sure James would go crazy about it. He used to talk for hours about optimizing character abilities in the games he would play in the Old World.¡±

    Orseis snorted. ¡°Well, that sounds like a waste of time.¡±

    Bel pursed her lips. ¡°He was pretty frightened when he first showed up. I think he just needed to talk about something.¡±

    ¡°I meant playing games about having abilities sounds like a waste. Just go out and get them, right?¡±

    Orseis quirked her tentacles. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s different when you know you¡¯ll live super long.¡±

    Bel pinched one of her errant tentacles. ¡°Stop acting like you¡¯ll die before you¡¯re ten. I still think you look like a little girl ¨C Flann said that most human hybrids have pretty good lifespans if they aren¡¯t inbred.¡±

    Orseis snatched her limb back and turned an angry shade of red, but Bel ignored her antics. Instead, she focused back on her core.

    ¡°Oh, hey, here¡¯s a useful ability. It would almost completely fill Dutcha¡¯s core though.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡± Orseis asked eagerly, her earlier pouting forgotten.

    ¡°It makes the air run away from my hand. Like a shockwave.¡±

    ¡°Is that strong? I don¡¯t know if air sounds strong.¡±

    Bel traced the pattern of the ability with her mind. ¡°I feel like it works underwater too, somehow.¡±

    ¡°But is it strong?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bel huffed, ¡°it takes up so much space, so it has to be strong, right?¡±

    Orseis shook her head. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever heard the story of the greedy scorpion?¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes as Orseis started reciting some children¡¯s story from the Golden Plains. <em style="font-style: italic">Whatever, I¡¯m just going to take it.

    She closed her eyes and inscribed the ability onto her core, leaving only a tiny part unfilled. She nodded with satisfaction when she finished.

    ¡°¡­and that¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t ¨C wait, did you just ignore everything I said and take it anyway?¡± Orseis¡¯ glared at Bel, her w-shaped pupils narrowing to slits.

    ¡°Yup! Wanna see if it¡¯s powerful?¡±

    Orseis held on for a long three seconds before she gave in. ¡°Yeah. See how much of a dent you can make in that branch.¡±

    Bel looked at her target ¨C a branch as thick around as her leg that jutted out from their current perch several strides away.

    ¡°Can you hold onto me so I don¡¯t fall off? I want to get closer so I don¡¯t miss. Now that my core¡¯s full I¡¯ll have to wait an hour to try again.¡±

    Orseis hopped to her feet and wrapped a tentacle around Bel¡¯s wrist while anchoring her other tentacles to the trunk. ¡°Go for it.¡±

    Bel limped her way across the tree limb, which wasn¡¯t as dangerous as it could have been: the limb was as wide across as Bel was tall and Bel¡¯s feet found plenty of purchase on the wrinkled bark. She got to within a stride of the smaller branch and pointed her hand at it.

    ¡°<em style="font-style: italic">Shockwave,¡± she announced.

    As if their air itself had been mortally insulted, it retreated from her outstretched hand with an ear-piercing shriek. Bel felt no recoil from the ability itself, but when the air collided with the branch it sent a spray of debris into the air which was immediately pulled back towards the vacuum left by her ability. Orseis pulled her backwards as she desperately held her arm in front of her face to ward off any large or sharp bits of wood. Even with her eye closed, she could tell that she had completely obliterated her target by the repeated crashes of the limb as it fell through the lower branches.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Orseis breathed, ¡°I guess Dutcha doesn¡¯t mess around with her abilities.¡±

    Bel wiped a fine layer of sawdust from her face and cautiously opened her good eye. Only a small amount of the original branch remained, just a handspan of shredded stub sticking out from the main limb. She felt a little guilty over the random act of destruction, but also pleased at her new power. ¡°Yeah. I think the only thing she takes seriously is messing stuff up.¡±

    She turned to Orseis, her chin lifted into the air. ¡°Pretty cool ability though, right?¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 68 â€“ The Bird Man Returns

    <section>

    <section>

    They decided to rest for a while in the relative safety of a massive tree, which gave them the opportunity to observe life on the fourth layer. It was practically overflowing with life ¨C and death.

    Creatures as oversized as the trees that towered overhead roamed around the forest floor. After an hour of observation the two of them had seen many times more creatures than they had seen in all of the previous layers. There were insects that ranged in size from those that could perch on a fingertip to beetles that may as well have been walking boulders. Flying things skimmed through the gaps in the greenery only to be caught in spiderwebs as tough as wrought iron. Animals walked, crept, crawled, and bounded their way through the space, scavenging, hunting, and fleeing for their lives. The forest was <em style="font-style: italic">loud; Bel hadn¡¯t realized it when she¡¯d rushed to Orseis¡¯ aid, but there was an unceasing background of noise. It was nothing like the forests in Satrap.

    She and Orseis watched in silence as hard-hoofed alligator stomped through the underbrush. The moment it was out of hearing range, Orseis swatted another finger-length biting fly. Her tentacles cracked like whips as she unleashed her pent up fury at the small swarm of biting insects.

    ¡°This place sucks,¡± she moaned. ¡°I¡¯d rather be dehydrating in the third layer again.¡±

    Bel resisted the urge to scratch at the welts forming on her skin and instead inspected her injured leg. She tensed her muscles for a moment to assess its state, flinching at the pain.

    She leaned back against the tree with a sigh. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not going anywhere fast like this. I don¡¯t even have a clue where to go, anyway.¡± Bel gestured upwards. ¡°Maybe if we can climb high enough we can see if we¡¯re below the Barrier yet. I still think we should stay still until we figure out all the dangers here. What that bird guy said still worries me.¡±

    Orseis looked around and frowned. ¡°Maybe we should worry about food first. Hunger is like a slow, creeping death you know. Way worse than something you can hit.¡±

    Bel groaned at the thought of moving. ¡°Can¡¯t you just eat whatever crawls past us?¡±

    Orseis donned a hurt expression. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t have any standards?¡±

    ¡°I know you don¡¯t. I¡¯ve seen you try to eat just about anything. I bet you¡¯d eat rocks if your jaw was stronger.¡±

    The young girl help up her tentacles in denial. ¡°Whoah, I wouldn¡¯t eat rocks. They¡¯re probably too dry. Speaking of dry, we do need to find some water¨Cyou¡¯ve lost too much blood.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t deny that she was feeling light headed. ¡°Sure. I guess we could focus on that first.¡±

    She rubbed her head, trying to fend off an increasingly powerful headache. ¡°I hope my mom doesn¡¯t get angry that I¡¯m moving slowly again. I don¡¯t even want to think about what help she would find for me down here.¡±

    Orseis shivered. ¡°If it¡¯s a swarm of bugs, then I quit. How about this? I¡¯ll go explore quickly, and come right back once I find some water.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of us splitting up.¡±

    Orseis looked at her injured leg. ¡°And I don¡¯t like the idea of that opening up and us leaving a trail of blood for something to follow.¡±

    She stood up and walk towards the end of the branch. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    ¡°But James always told me to never split the party,¡± Bel protested weakly.

    Orseis turned around and grinned mischievously. ¡°You worry to much! Anyway, I got a new ability on the last layer that I¡¯ve been dying to try out.¡±

    With a mysterious wave of her tentacles, Orseis¡¯ skin quickly shifted in color and texture until she blended in nearly perfectly with the tree limb.

    ¡°Trees don¡¯t wear pants,¡± Bel pointed out.

    ¡°Oh, hush. I¡¯ll just roll up the legs. You just relax, and I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡±

    <hr>

    In spite of all the years Bel had spent locked in Technis¡¯ jail, she wasn¡¯t very good at sitting still.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Actually, maybe I¡¯m bad at sitting still because of all the time I was stuck somewhere. I¡¯ll bet this is one of those psychology things that James liked to talk about.

    Bel¡¯s musings were interrupted when she saw a gigantic snake lowering itself from a higher limb. It flicked its tongue, clearly tasting the air ¨C clearly smelling her blood.

    Her own snakes lifted up and hissed at the intruder, but it ignored them. It wound its way around the limb, slithering closer with every heartbeat.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°If you try to eat me, you¡¯ll regret it,¡± Bel warned.

    In answer, the snake opened its mouth, revealing a gaping maw easily larger enough to swallow her whole.

    Bel held out her hand and waited until the snake was only a fang¡¯s length away. Then she used <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave.

    The air screeched violently and blew a large hole in through its palette and out through the top of its skull. The body twitches and then went limp, still wrapped around the large limb. Bel poked it with her foot, but it remained inert. Then she sucked out the essence from its core and went up two thresholds at once.

    She smiled at the sudden growth. ¡°Shockwave is great! Good choice, me,¡± she praised herself.

    ¡°Now, as long as Orseis gets back to protect me until I can use it again things will be great.¡±

    She thought it a bit ironic that the time to recharge <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave meant that she would now prefer to fight a single powerful foe instead of a few weak ones, but she knew that a great ability was worth planning around. Beth had advised against it, but she wasn¡¯t the one with a crazy goddess mother who wanted her to go kill a demigod as quickly as possible.

    Bel was keeping a vigilant watch, but she was still startled when Orseis abruptly appeared in front of her.

    ¡°What the hell did you get up to when I left? I¡¯ve only been gone for a few minutes, right?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Did you find some water?¡±

    Orseis eyed the dead snake suspiciously as she skirted around it. ¡°No water,¡± she replied cheerily, ¡°but I did find these interesting fruits!¡±

    She held up a round¡­ rock.

    ¡°That¡¯s a rock?¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯ve actually started to eat rocks? Before you left you said¨C¡±

    Orseis trilled her lips loudly, interrupted Bel. She shook the rock; Bel could hear a wet sloshing sound from inside.

    ¡°It¡¯s sweet,¡± Orseis declared forcefully, ¡°you¡¯ll love it.¡±

    ¡°How do I open it though?¡±

    Orseis slammed it against the side of the tree. ¡°With violence,¡± she answered.

    <hr>

    The snake¡¯s corpse was bound to attract scavengers, so once Bel drank the liquid and gnawed on the insides of the rocky fruit they decided to leave. Orseis helped Bel lower herself to the ground and they slunk off, moving quickly from tree to tree so they would always have a place to retreat. Bel kept scanning the trees above them, looking out for more surprises from above. That was how she saw a small object that seemed to glow in <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s sight.

    She tapped Orseis on the shoulder and whispered, ¡°wait a second, I see something strange.¡± They both examined the object: something round and thin, like a disc, that was sticking out of the side of the tree at an angle.

    Orseis looked around warily as Bel reached up to grab at the mysterious object. She squeezed her fingers around it, careful to avoid the potentially sharp edges and pulled and wiggled until she eventually managed to prise it free with a grunt of satisfaction.

    She and Orseis leaned over to examine it.

    ¡°Well?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Bel turned it over a few times, tilting her head from side to side with confusion.

    Orseis poked it tentatively with one of her tentacles and immediately recoiled. ¡°Oh, gross,¡± she squirmed.

    ¡°Why? What is it?¡±

    Orseis¡¯ lips pulled back in disgust. ¡°It¡¯s a giant fingernail or something.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">A giant fingernail¡­where have I seen something like that?

    A shadow fell from the sky and landed on the ground nearby with a heavy thump. Bel yelped in surprise and the mysterious fingernail flew from her hands. She reached for her sword¨C

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, dammit, when am I going to remember that I still don¡¯t have a weapon?

    She felt at her core, but she hadn¡¯t recovered enough for <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave either.

    Having gone through all of her options and coming up empty, she finally examined the source of her sudden fright: it was the bird man.

    ¡°Still alive,¡± he sniffed.

    Bel kept her mouth shut, unwilling to cede control of her words to either Kjar or Lempo¡¯s voice.

    <em style="font-style: italic">There isn¡¯t anything I want to say to this guy anyway.

    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t feel like talking?¡±

    He bent down and picked up the large fingernail. ¡°I smelled the two of you together, so I¡¯d thought that she¡¯d taken care of your already.¡±

    He glanced at Bel¡¯s injured leg. ¡°Soon though, I think. And then I¡¯ll add a second god-blessed item to my collection.¡±

    He hefted his spear, drawing Bel¡¯s gaze. She hadn¡¯t really looked at it the last time they¡¯d met ¨C falling from the sky had been a little distracting ¨C but now she examined his weapon more carefully.

    The haft was made of a dark wood that sported nearly black stripes across its lustrous surface. The blade seemed to grow directly from the wood, a thin needle that narrowed to a whisper thin point.

    ¡°I would love to test it against your armor,¡± he menaced, ¡°but the gods are petty when it comes to things like that.¡± He tilted his head and clacked his beak in frustration, clearly annoyed that she wasn¡¯t responding.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is he trying to goad me into starting the fight? Does he think I¡¯m stupid?

    A flick of the bird man¡¯s hand sent the nail spinning past Bel¡¯s ear. He chose her blind side, where she struggled to judge its trajectory, forcing her to lean away in fear. Her snakes hissed with outrage as he squawked with avian mirth.

    ¡°Well, it won¡¯t be long now. I¡¯ll just have to be patient.¡±

    His crest ¨C a swatch of bright red feathers that topped his head ¨C popped up as he gazed at Bel and Orseis with a look of smug superiority. Then he bent his legs and leaped into the air. A few powerful flaps of his wings lifted him up, and soon he was rising in to the sky.

    Orseis clicked her tongue with irritation. ¡°What in the abyss did <em style="font-style: italic">he want?¡±

    ¡°I think he was picking a fight,¡± Bel responded. ¡°He still wants my armor. Also, he¡¯s probably just an ass. Probably doesn¡¯t have any friends so he has nothing better to do.¡±

    Orseis laughed. ¡°Yeah, did you see his head feathers? I may be bald, but I should be thankful that I don¡¯t have a head like that.¡±

    Bel reached up and nudged her still-agitated snakes. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll stick with my snakes.¡±

    Orseis skeptically eyed the mess of serpents. ¡°Uh, you do you, Bel.¡±

    ¡°Hey, my snakes are awesome.¡±

    ¡°We should get going, right?¡± Orseis said, tugging on Bel¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Wait, do you have something against my snakes? Hey!¡± She quickly bent down to snatch up the mysterious nail, hoping that more inspection would reveal something about it, before continuing her limping travel through the dense forest.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 69 â€“ Old Enemies

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel slammed her improvised weapon ¨C a sharp tooth wrapped in wood that she had <em style="font-style: italic">liquified into a handle ¨C through the skull of the tree rat. It squeaked in futile fury before going still. She jerked the dagger free and searched for her next target, but Orseis had already finished off the other two.

    ¡°This is getting easier, right?¡± she asked as she wiped off her bloodied weapon.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Orseis agreed, ¡°but now you¡¯re going to complain that these cores are too small for you to advance your path.¡±

    Bel frowned and reached down to the dead creature in front of her, quickly stealing whatever essence it had. Her lips twitched with displeasure. ¡°You¡¯re right, these cores are too small.¡±

    Orseis rolled her eyes. ¡°You know, most people would be happy to have advanced to¡­ where are you now?¡±

    Bel inspected her weapon for any signs of wear as she felt around her core, counting her thresholds again even though she knew the result. ¡°Four more since that giant snake. Threshold thirty-six, still twenty-four short of my third core.¡±

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°See? That¡¯s great.¡±

    Bel shook her head, jostling her snakes. A few hissed as they were dislodged from their spots in her head, forcing her to push them out of her face. ¡°But you¡¯re already at the third core. Beth has been on her third core for as long as I¡¯ve known her. Neither of you could stand up to Technis, assuming he¡¯s as strong as the Dark Ravager, so I obviously need to grow a lot more.¡±

    Orseis blew a raspberry. ¡°Well, yeah. He¡¯s a demigod, right? Of course we can¡¯t fight a demigod. Can¡¯t you just assume that one of your divine parents will help out when you fight him?¡±

    Bel raised her hands to the sky. ¡°I have no idea! I¡¯ve been looking for anything that¡¯ll let me talk to my mom, but nothing works.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but you¡¯ve just been eating random mushrooms and shouting at the sky. The only results I¡¯ve seen are puking and some bad farts. I wish you¡¯d stop.¡±

    Bel¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment and indignation. ¡°Well, what else am I supposed to do?¡±

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°Make an altar? Pray? I dunno, my patron likes it when I kill stuff.¡± She flexed her tentacles. ¡°Especially when I use brute force.¡±

    Bel snorted with disgust. ¡°My parents aren¡¯t so easily pleased, and I think they want me to do this on my own.¡± She looked around for inspiration. ¡°Maybe we should start looking for tougher things to fight? I haven¡¯t even had to use <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave on any of these.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ skin flashed an alarmed white. ¡°Whoah, that¡¯s because we¡¯re keeping it in reserve, remember? In case something scary does show up? Look, we¡¯ll get to the pillar soon, why don¡¯t you just keep it in your skirt until we get there.¡±

    She smiled brightly. ¡°For all we know, the pillar people in this layer will be friendly!¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound likely,¡± Bel responded bitterly. ¡°People aren¡¯t very helpful in general. I dont¡¯ know why you¡¯re hoping to find more of them.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. You¡¯re just being grumpy, Bel. I¡¯ve met plenty nice people, and I know you have too.¡± Then the girl spun around and poked at Bel. ¡°Also, food is really bland without any salt or other flavors, you know? People who live here are bound to have something tasty.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, those are her true motivations.

    Bel heaved a heavy sigh of exasperation. Orseis was a bit childlish ¨C but she was a child, even if not in the eyes of the people from the Golden Plains. Bel didn¡¯t have it in herself to be angry at a child.

    ¡°Sorry Orseis, we just aren¡¯t making much progress. Hearing that Technis¡¯ Barrier reaches down this far was like a kick to the gut.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ lips wobbled with sympathy. ¡°Sorry. I could scurry up another tree and check again ¨C maybe it doesn¡¯t reach all the way down to the floor.¡±

    Bel waved her off. ¡°Don¡¯t waste time just to get my hopes up. We¡¯ll just have to trudge through this forest for a few more days, and then repeat this whole process in the next layer.¡±

    Bel¡¯s sour mood killed the conversation for a while, long enough to pass through companionable silence and into awkwardness, at least for her. Bel was about to say something stupid to break the silence when Orseis pointed with excitement.

    ¡°Wow, look at that!¡± she called out.

    Bel rushed forward. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Some rocks!¡± her companion answered with mock excitement.

    Bel swiped at her, but Orseis spun out of the way, giggling.

    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. All this walking through the same trees is getting boring.¡± She pointed at a large, pointed boulder, surrounded by jutting spikes of stone. The boulder stood three or four times Bel¡¯s height, which, relative to the enormous trees towering over them, wasn¡¯t much.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re not worried about something jumping out of the shadows and eating us,¡± Bel sniped back. ¡°Being bored and not eaten is better than laughing in something¡¯s belly.¡±

    Orseis gave her an incredulous look. ¡°I think you¡¯re just cranky. Maybe it¡¯s because you haven¡¯t eaten?¡±

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    ¡°You¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, hey, look! There¡¯s a dead thing on it. Maybe it¡¯s a scary rock.¡± Orseis lifted her tentacles and did a poor impression of a predator. ¡°Rawr.¡±

    Bel turned her focus back to the large stone. There was indeed a dead, hairy thing clinging to the side of it. It looked like it had been smashed by another rock and squished flat from the impact.

    Bel examined the area around them again, noticing that the rock formation was new. Shrubs and bushes were bent under the stones, and a few nearby trees had deep chunks gouged out of them. She took a step closer and saw that one of the trunks had a large collection of the sharp, fingernail disks stuck into its bark.

    ¡°Ori, I don¡¯t like this.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me a nickname. And yeah, it¡¯s creepy, that dead thing is wearing clothes,¡± Orseis replied. The cuttlefish girl was tense, her tentacles roving around touching everything within reach, verifying their status.

    Bel glanced back at the mass of hair that had once been a living thing. It had to have been dead for quite a few days, she decided: insects had made off with most of the meat, leaving the partially mummified hide of some type monkey-thing behind. Bel¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°Ken?¡± she wondered aloud. The last time Bel had seen the cultists, he¡¯s been dragging James away from her back in Satrap.

    A bead of sweat formed on her back and trickled down her spine, causing her to shiver. Bel was suddenly aware that the forest around them had grown eerily quiet. Her snakes spun around, alert, flicking their tongues through the air as they searched for unfamiliar scents.

    ¡°Who¡¯s¨C¡±

    Bel shushed her companion with a harsh wave of one hand as she clenched the handle of her weapon with the other. ¡°He was one of the Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists. I think we should go.¡±

    Bel took a step and then her earring buzzed, nearly frightening her snakes straight out of her head. She grasped the small ball of metal and hissed at her brother. ¡°This is a terrible time, James.¡±

    ¡°Bel, guess what?¡± James excited voice rolled right over her objection. ¡°Daran¡¯s layed her first successful larva! I¡¯m a dad!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel felt dizzy ¨C she was probably in mortal peril, but she was also excited for her brother. ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t that too fast?¡± she finally asked, too distracted to worry about her own safety.

    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s ant stuff. Looks like a beautiful baby girl though. I mean, with antennae. The larva is like an external womb, so I can¡¯t really see any details. Daran says everything is fine though.¡±

    ¡°Uh, great. Look, I have to¨C¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so much cuter than I though a larva could be,¡± he squealed. ¡°Want to guess what we named her?¡±

    Bel opened her mouth and her smile faded. ¡°James, I¡¯ve gotta go. Call me later.¡±

    She quickly pulled her fingers from the earring and looked around, her movements frantic and jerky. From her peripheral vision she¡¯d seen Orseis activate her camouflage abilities before hiding herself against the rock, but she hadn¡¯t seen any other movement. It was too still and too quiet. Every heartbeat hammered in her chest.

    A shadow blurred to her side and Bel whipped around, her dagger lifted into a defensive position.

    The bird man laughed at her from his perch on top of the rock. ¡°I came to watch the fun,¡± he mocked, ¡°and to pick over your corpse of course.

    His eyes flickered back and forth. ¡°Where¡¯s that seafood friend of yours?¡± he taunted. ¡°Once you¡¯re gone I¡¯m sure your patrons won¡¯t care what happens to her. I rarely travel to the outer layers, so I haven¡¯t had any fish in a long while.¡±

    It took all of Bel¡¯s will to avoid looking in Orseis¡¯ direction and giving her position away. Instead, she tightened her fist around her dagger and turned to look into the woods.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If he¡¯s here to watch, then he won¡¯t be standing where the threat is coming from, she reasoned.

    Bel glanced back at his bird face. It didn¡¯t have expression like a human face would, but Bel still got the impression that his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

    The rustling of brush and the sounds of many footsteps pulled Bel¡¯s attention back to the forest. There were shouts and the sounds of fighting, and from the flashes of light she guess that someone was tossing flames around in the forest. As they drew nearer she began to hear the distinctive whistling of arrows cutting through air, as well as the blood curdling cries of the dying.

    A moment later, she finally caught sight of a group of figures running through the woods. <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s sight painted them with an angry red, marking them as the guilty that deserved punishment.

    Bel set her jaw and her snakes rose in a chorus of hisses. She recognized the them: Nebamon led the group, with Rikja just a few steps behind.

    ¡°So you survived,¡± she muttered. <em style="font-style: italic">Finally, I¡¯ll have justice.

    She felt a pulse of fear when she saw Nebamon¡¯s sword, and she unconsciously reached towards the scar running down her face. She pushed the emotion down, quashing it to make room for her righteous anger.

    <em style="font-style: italic">They¡¯re tough, but they aren¡¯t paying attention to where they¡¯re running. This is my chance to catch them off guard.

    Bel¡¯s eye scanned over the chaotic scene as they rapidly approached. <em style="font-style: italic">After dealing with them, I¡¯ll have to worry about whatever is chasing them. Maybe it¡¯s another one of those two-faced men from the pillar.

    Bel lowered herself into a crouch and licked her lips with anticipation.

    Nebamon burst through a wall of leaves and jumped over a berry bush. He rolled as he hit the ground, bouncing painfully over the rocky clearing. The moment his body hit the ground, Bel snarled in fury and launched herself at him. The swordsman looked up, his eyes wide with surprise. He pushed himself to his feet¨C

    ¨Cand dodged around her, heading for the rock instead.

    Bel spun, eyes wide with shock and indignation. ¡°Come back you bastard!¡±

    A moment later Rikja incinerated the bush and barrelled past Bel. One by one the cultists ran by, none sparing a glance.

    As one of the last ones sped past, Bel reached out and stabbed him in the leg. The scaled man ¨C some type of lizard person ¨C went down with a cry of pain. To Bel¡¯s surprise none of the other cultists stopped.

    They didn¡¯t even turn, rushing after Nebamon to the large rock in the middle of the clearing. He leaped, his sword held high and Rikja flung an incandescent stream of plasma which wrapped around his blade, causing it to glow with heat and energy. He swung it down onto the boulder in an explosion of light and sound, forcing Bel to cover her face to avoid being blinded by the light and debris.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Orseis! Bel tried to look, but molten stones still peppered the ground around her. She could hear the wounded cultists thrashing on the ground, and with a quick glance through her nearly shut eye, she saw that he was actually trying to drag himself <em style="font-style: italic">towards the exploding rock.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me,¡± he wailed.

    Bel blinked furiously, as she looked at the epicenter of the blast. She could just make out the other cultists jumping into the pit left under the rock.

    Bel stared. <em style="font-style: italic">No, it¡¯s not a pit, the rock was covering up a hole ¨C that must be a way to get to the next layer!

    ¡°Unhand me you lesser creature!¡±

    Bel looked up and was relieved to see that Orseis was unharmed. She had grabbed onto the bird man as he dodged the destruction, and now her tentacles were wrapped tightly around his legs, preventing him from flying away. Orseis wouldn¡¯t be safe for long though ¨C the bird man had already lifted his spear from his back, the blade on the god-gifted weapon glinting dangerously as he aimed it at Orseis¡¯ head.

    Bel forgot about Nebamon; she had to get to Orseis immediately.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 70 â€“ Three Way Face Off

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel pushed herself to her feet and threw her dagger at the birdman¡¯s head. Her tooth-turned-weapon was poorly weighted and wouldn¡¯t have done much damage, but she counted on the birdman instinctively protecting his eyes anyway. As she wanted, the birdman swatted her weapon aside and glanced at her angrily. Bel took the opportunity to pull all of the loose energy her core and funnel it through an overpowered <em style="font-style: italic">glare.

    The birdman¡¯s wings stuttered for a moment, but he didn¡¯t drop far enough for Orseis to reach the ground. He did give up on stabbing her though ¨C he executed a flapping pirouette that ended with a powerful kick instead. Orseis whirled like a cyclone of tentacles and dismay as she was tossed away and slammed into a nearby tree. Her tentacles weakly suckered onto the surface and she rolled down the bark, but Bel could tell that Orseis¡¯ limbs were acting purely on reflex: the girl had been knocked out cold.

    The birdman dismissed the tentacled girl with a cruel sneer and locked his eyes onto Bel. His birght red crest puffed up with challege and he pointed his spear tip at her. He flapped his wings once before folding them, diving at her, spear first, his face creased with anger¡­ and then his eyes flicked to her side.

    Bel immediately threw herself clear of whatever he¡¯d seen. Her quick reflexes were barely enough to dodge a sharp scale that cut through the space that she¡¯d just occupied. Bel nearly tripped over the lizardman cultist as she danced away. The new attacker followed up with a spray of pebbles that zipped through the air like angry hornets. The cultist was punctured in multiple places as the rocks tore through him, and a painful squawk told Bel that the birdman had been moving too quickly to avoid the assault.

    She took partial cover behind a nearby rock. Her snakes roiled with agitation as she stared into the forest. Her eyes widened as a familiar figure came into view, bathed in the red glow of Kjar¡¯s judgement.

    ¡°Crystal?¡± she hesitated. ¡°I thought you died?¡±

    Bel quickly realized that sharp nails she¡¯d been seeing were the overlapping plates that covered Crystal¡¯s back. Crystal had been pulling them off and throwing them, giving her a half-plucked, mangy appearance. She was also clearly dead, and her corpse had been turned into one of Technis¡¯ patchwork people. Her tail had been lengthened and fitted with spikes, strange marks had been written into her skin, and her eyes glowed with a disturbing yellow-green light. Two holsters of rods swung at her hips, and she had a rod each in two of her hands. She also had a third forearm attached to one of her elbows, and her third hand wielded a short and wickedly curved knife.

    ¡°Is that my sister¡¯s arm? What the¨C¡±

    Bel¡¯s confused and outraged tirade was interrupted by a wind whip that formed from the tip of one of Crystal¡¯s wands. She dove behind the rock, and a spray of pebbles chipped away from it confirmed that the attack was powerful enough to cut her to pieces.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Right, Crystal was dangerous even before Technis messed with her. Bel thought back to her last encounter with a patchwork person, her futile fight with Klang in the caves before the Barrier. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m stronger now, sure, but not that <em style="font-style: italic">much stronger. And there¡¯s no Ventas to save me this time ¨C not that I want someone sacrificing themself for me again, she thought bitterly.

    A grunt of effort from the birdman reminded Bel that Crystal wasn¡¯t her only problem. She glanced at the troublemaker and saw that he¡¯d drawn his arm back. Her eyes widened as his arm whipped forward and he threw his spear. She whipped her head the other way to follow the path of the weapon as it spun like a drill on its way to Crystal.

    If the weapon¡¯s divine nature made it anything like her armor, Bel expect it to easily go straight through Crystal. The patchwork woman had other plans though ¨C she thumped a rounded bulge on her shoulder, summoning a blue barrier around her body. The spear slid around Technis¡¯ shield and embedded itself in a tree down to the butt.

    The birdman¡¯s eyes widened in shock, but he quickly held out his hand. The spear dissolved into red mist and flowed back to him.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, I want that, Bel though reflexively.

    Crystal was less impressed by the special effects. Rather than waiting around for the spear to return to its owner she immediately began to run. Not towards the birdman though, she was heading straight towards Bel.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Why me? Bel thought forlornly. <em style="font-style: italic">Is it because I¡¯m closer?

    Bel decided that discretion was the better part of valor and also began to run: straight towards the birdman. With any luck, she could get the two of them to fight it out.

    ¡°You honor-less wench!¡± he snarled.

    Bel channeled her inner Kjar to speak in the divine tongue. ¡°An unremarkable death awaits the unrepentant!¡± she shouted back.

    The birdman¡¯s eyes widened. His feather¡¯s puffed and he squawked incoherently.

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    <em style="font-style: italic">Good, good. All according to¨C

    The rocks beneath her feet leaped up, tripping Bel and sending her tumbling amongst the jagged shards of the large boulder. That saved her from the spear that cut through the air above her, though, so she felt lucky. Bel looked at her legs to see that they¡¯d become entangled in a sheath of rocks, trapping her. Bel glanced back to she another one of Crystal¡¯s wands glowing with power.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Screw me, she cursed. She quickly <em style="font-style: italic">liquified the rocks around her legs, but Crystal was nearly upon her. The fingers on Beth¡¯s stolen arm wiggled and Crystal was coated in darkness. Then she split into five shadowy figures.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Great, it stole my sister¡¯s abilities too.

    Bel tracked the movements of the small pebbles around the clones¡¯ feet and moved away from the real one. She forgot about the birdman though, and was reminded of him when he kicked her in the back.

    ¡°Die,¡± the birdman commanded.

    Bel desperately pivoted as she stumbled helplessly towards the real Crystal, but the pathwork woman spun her body, lashing out with her thick, thagomized tail. The barbs crashed into Bel¡¯s body and skid off of Kjar¡¯s armor, leaving small, glowing scratches in their wake. The barbs didn¡¯t cut into her, but the force of the attack sent Bel flying back towards the woods.

    She found herself once again staring blindly into the sky, pinpricks of light swirling around her head.

    For a few precious heartbeats she was confused, but the sound of fighting and a surge of adrenaline brought some reason back to her thoughts. <em style="font-style: italic">Get up, she urged her body. <em style="font-style: italic">Let¡¯s go! She twitched awkwardly, then managed to roll over.

    Her body heaved and she convulsively vomited, voiding her stomach and then coughing up bits of blood.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Probably fine, she hoped.

    She grimaced as she forced her head up, searching for the fighters. Crystal and the birdman were locked in a heated struggle, their attacks like lighting flashing through the heavens. The birdman was holding his own, but Bel knew that meant he was losing. The patchwork people didn¡¯t tire, they were unfazed by pain and fatigue, and they wouldn¡¯t stop until they¡¯d carried out their instructions. The birdman was as good as dead, his fate sealed when he decided to attack her instead of staying away.

    <em style="font-style: italic">All because he was too greedy and wanted my armor.

    She glanced at his spear, its plain haft and functional blade still looking flawless as he used them to parry and counterstrike Crystal¡¯s onslaught. <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar forgive me, but I¡¯m greedy too. I¡¯m just not conceited enough to think I¡¯d survive long enough to use it.

    Bel forced herself to her feet and stumbled towards Orseis. A few steps in, she came across the scattered remains of the lizardman cultist. She paused only for a moment to pull the essence from his core, the fresh infusion of energy lifting her another threshold and clearing her head slightly.

    There was a loud explosion behind her, and a rain of burning debris showered the area, knocking Bel to her knees. Standing seemed hard, so she crawled, sparing a quick glance back at the fighting only when she had nearly reached Orseis¡¯ limp form.

    Bel could tell that the birdman was growing increasing desperate. His feathers were sticking out in every direction and there were obvious wounds across his body, but he launched new attacks at a frenetic pace; he unleashed a barrage of flaming swipes with his taloned legs, a blast of sound from his mouth that was loud enough to pulverize rock, and stabbed his divine weapon faster than Bel¡¯s eyes could track.

    Crystal weathered it all, dead-eyed and expressionless. Her scales deflected his talons, she summoned sheets of stone to block his sonic attacks, and her miniature Barrier protected her from his spear.

    Then Bel saw Crystal use her curved knife to cut a thin slash into the bird man¡¯s legs during one of his desperate kicks.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, there¡¯s no way he isn¡¯t poisoned now.

    Bel crawled to Orseis and inspected her companion. She was still out cold, but Bel could still see her chest rising and falling. Bel grabbed the smaller girl and pulled her over one of her shoulders. Her tentacles tangled with Bel¡¯s feet, so she wrapped them around her shoulders and hoisted Orseis by tucking her legs under her arms instead. Bel hunched over to keep her friend in place and desperately ran to the hole that Nebamon had uncovered.

    The birdman saw her running, but by now Crystal had forced him back to the other side of the rocky clearing. He screamed at her with impotent rage. ¡°You coward! Wretched creature of a worthless god! How dare¨C¡±

    The birdman¡¯s verbal assault was cut off by a loud explosion of rock, but Bel was too busy running for her life to look back. She reached the edge of a wide pit and awkwardly tipped into it. As they entered free fall, Bel desperately clung to Orseis so she wouldn¡¯t drift away. In the flailing of limbs Bel couldn¡¯t make out what was below them, so she was taken by surprise when they hit a wooden platform after falling for only a couple of seconds.

    ¡°It¡¯s that annoying bitch.¡±

    Bel looked up to see Rikja staring at her from the other end of a wooden bridge. The ends of the walkway were anchored to the ceiling of the fifth layer, and all of the cultists had gathered on one end of it.

    Bel tried to suppress the wobble in her legs as she stood, focusing on looking tough and much more healthy than she felt.

    ¡°Rikja,¡± she greeted the other woman coldly. <em style="font-style: italic">Great, how can I stall for time?

    The ever-angry meerkat didn¡¯t give her a chance. ¡°You look better with your face all cut up,¡± she mocked, before tossing a crackling orb of fire straight at Bel¡¯s face.

    Bel pivoted and stretched out a hand, hitting the orb with a <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave before it could hit her. The fire burst apart and rolled like a wave back towards Rikja, forcing the angry fire mage to redirect it downwards into the layer below.

    ¡°It seems she¡¯s learned some new tricks,¡± Nebamon stated. His mustache was more ragged than when she¡¯d last seen him, but his face still looked just as punchable.

    ¡°That¡¯s not all I¡¯ve learned,¡± Bel blustered.

    ¡°Right. Well, it¡¯s a waste of a trap, but I don¡¯t feel like dealing with you.¡±

    Bel tensed as the swordsman hefted his weapon, but then he surprised her by swinging it downwards.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Why is¡­ oh.

    Realization hit Bel just as the platform gave way with a violent spray of wood. Now missing half of its support, the bridge swung free from Nebamon¡¯s side and took her along with it. She wrapped her arms protectively around Orseis as they rolled down the platform and were dumped into the open air.

    </section>

    </section>

 Interlude â€“ Beth â€“ A Girl and Her Dagger

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°You know, I always complained about how noisy they were, but I think I actually miss their banter.¡± Beth gestured at the dead spearhead. ¡°I¡¯m sure James would be sharing some nonsense about flying lizards from the Old World, and Bel would be, I dunno, complaining that she had too much sand stuck in her snakes.¡±

    With a grunt of effort, Beth pulled her favorite dagger free from the spearhead¡¯s face. She frowned at the wet, squelching sound it made on the way out. She quickly wiped it dry on the sandy soil and then cleaned it with a small cloth so she could inspect the pointed blade. ¡°It¡¯s meant for pushing through gaps in someone¡¯s armor,¡± she explained, ¡°but it¡¯s usually just as good at slipping through gaps in skulls and ribs. There was a lot of resistance with this thing though.¡±

    She tapped the large, pointed bill of the spearhead. ¡°Either it¡¯s getting dull or these are particularly tough.¡±

    She glanced at her travelling companion, but only received a slow nod in response.

    Beth returned her favorite dagger to its sheath and pulled out her third-favorite dagger, a nice parrying dagger that she¡¯d lifted from a particularly annoying knight. She tested its edge against the corpse¡¯s hide.

    ¡°Same result. I guess these are pretty tough.¡± Beth grinned. ¡°I¡¯m glad there isn¡¯t something wrong with my favorite dagger.¡±

    She sheathed her third-favorite dagger, pulled the essence from the corpse, and looked around. Then she looked at her companion, Seth, the ever-taciturn scorpion boy and lifted her eyebrows. She¡¯d learned that just because he wasn¡¯t speaking it didn¡¯t mean he had nothing to say.

    ¡°Are you wondering why it¡¯s my favorite?¡± she asked, patting her dagger.

    He was still for a few moments before nodding, his sandy colored hair flopping against his sun-darkened face with the motion.

    Beth smiled as she looked into the distance. ¡°It¡¯s my favorite because I used it to kill a very bad man.¡±

    She looked back at Seth and grinned, showing off her teeth. ¡°It was my first act of revenge, actually.¡±

    Seth paused for a few heartbeats before nodding.

    Beth nodded back and turned to walk up the hill. Without any talking to fill the air, the only sounds were the crunching of the ground beneath their feet and the wind whispering through the scrub.

    Halfway up the incline, Beth patted her third-favorite dagger, which was resting near her ribs. She¡¯d had to rearrange all of her weapons after losing an arm, and everything still felt slightly off. <em style="font-style: italic">I should move this one back a few finger widths later, she told herself.

    She tapped her fingers against the hilt and arched an eyebrow at Seth. He met her gaze with a blank expression.

    ¡°This one,¡± Beth explained, ¡°is my third-favorite. I pulled it from the corpse of that bad man.¡±

    She pulled it from its sheath and flicked it through the air a couple of times. ¡°I didn¡¯t actually plan to survive that encounter, but amateurish desperation can make someone dangerous. And then, Once I¡¯d done the deed I realized that I wanted to accomplish more. I grabbed this little guy and put it to good use.¡±

    The dagger was built for parrying. It had a wide, sturdy blade and a guard that bent at a right angle to trap an opponents weapon. She remembered some of her desperation as she fled the stables where she¡¯d ambushed her first victim and laughed.

    ¡°Ah, I was young and foolish back then.¡±

    She smiled at Seth. ¡°Just so you know, I was born into a rich family. I was being raised to be a merchant¡¯s wife ¨C you know, handle the books, appraise goods, keep a house in order.¡±

    She looked at the scorpion. ¡°Actually, maybe you don¡¯t know any of that stuff. Have you ever met a merchant family in the Golden Plains?¡±

    Seth shook his head. ¡°Nope,¡± he whispered.

    ¡°Yeah, I figured. You guys have it rough out here.¡±

    He nodded in response.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that I was young and spoiled. I fell in love with a guy, and then my grandfather decided that I should become a nun at Technis¡¯ temple.¡±

    She looked at Seth. ¡°Do you know nuns? They¡¯re a specialized kind of¡­ well, just imagine if the Dark Ravager kept female acolytes who wore weird clothes.¡±

    Set tilted his head and pursed his lips.

    ¡°Whoah, not <em style="font-style: italic">that kind of weird clothing!¡± Beth teased. ¡°Get your mind out of the gutter!¡±

    Seth snorted with bemusement.

    <em style="font-style: italic">That¡¯s three reactions today, Beth cheered internally. <em style="font-style: italic">I think I¡¯ve just about got this guy figured out. It¡¯s only taken a week of walking.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Beth continued, ¡°we decided to elope so my grandfather had my lover killed. So then I went and killed the guy who killed my lover. Pretty basic story, right?¡±

    They reached the crest of the hill at that moment, so they both went silent for a few moments as they surveyed the valley on the other side. Beth whistled as she admired the view. ¡°That¡¯s a little slice of paradise, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Seth nodded.

    Beth¡¯s eyes roamed over the valley. ¡°Somewhere in there, hopefully, Bel dropped my second favorite dagger. It¡¯s not a great weapon for assassinations, but I keep it around for the sentimentality.¡±

    She gestured to Seth to continue. ¡°You¡¯re the guide.¡±

    He nodded slowly and started picking his way down the slope. The area on this side was much more verdant than the uphill walk, with thick clumps of grass and wildflowers carpeting the landscape. There were even proper trees swaying happily in the breeze, and Beth could make out light flickering from the surface of a small river running through the center of the valley.

    Beth didn¡¯t usually think of herself as very talkative, but a combination of missing her siblings and the temperament of her current companion seemed to draw it out of her. Beth found herself opening her mouth again after only a few steps.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always taken revenge really personally. I¡¯ll kill Technis, change the world, and then I¡¯ll feel like it was all worth it. That¡¯s probably why I¡¯m so made at Hanti and her desperate need for glory.¡±

    Beth snorted. ¡°Not that it matters ¨C Durak only promised me that my actions would lead to Technis¡¯ downfall, not that I would be the one twisting a dagger in his back. James probably convinced me to take this trip because he knew that I just need some distance to settle my emotions.¡±

    She gestured at her stump. ¡°I¡¯ve probably been a bit off-balance since I lost my arm. I guess James is just looking out for me. He''s a good kid.¡±

    Beth frowned. ¡°Bel though; she¡¯s a troublemaker, just like me. I¡¯m going to scold her damn hard when she gets back.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Beth¡¯s eyebrows rose when Seth made a quiet sound. She pivoted slightly and saw that he was gesturing at a nearby tree.

    ¡°Something interesting?¡±

    He nodded and jogged over to the tree. Beth followed after him, scanning their surroundings for threats as she went. She¡¯d barely glanced at the tree, so when she finally walked under its branches she was surprised to see that its limbs were weighted down by a bounty of deep, purple fruits that hung from its limbs.

    Seth tested a few of the deep purple fruits by gently squeezing them with his pincers before twisting one free and handing it to her.

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    Beth accepted it and brought it to her nose to sniff.

    ¡°Smells nice enough I guess.¡±

    She watched at the scorpion-boy quickly found another fruit, which he greedily devoured. Beth lips curled up at the sight.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I guess he does get excited about some stuff.

    She lifted her own fruit to her mouth and took a bite. The fruit burst the moment her teeth punctured the soft skin, and she was forced to slurp in a very unladylike manner to keep the juices from dribbling down her chin.

    She laughed with delight. ¡°This is so messy!¡±

    Seth glanced at her, concern written all over his face.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I like it,¡± she reassured him. ¡°I just haven¡¯t had such a juicy fruit before.¡±

    Seth¡¯s eyes shifted to a point behind her. ¡°Ah,¡± he muttered.

    Beth turned and burst out laughing at the strange creatures that were approaching. There was a group of five, all hopping on their hind feet, bounding over the loose soil as they closed in on Beth and Seth.

    ¡°Are those really predators?¡± she asked.

    Seth shook his head. ¡°Just territorial.¡±

    Beth had already heard about the odd beasts that roamed the edges of the valley, of course, but seeing them was something else. James called them giant kangaroos when he heard their description, but the people of the Golden Plains called them something that translated at ¡°hop bears.¡± Their name wasn¡¯t so important to Beth, just that they were something new and interesting to fight.

    Beth grinned and ran towards the nearest of the group. She tensed her muscles, preparing to duck under a slash from its clawed hand, but it surprised her by leaning back on its tail and lashing out with its large back legs. Beth back flipped, kicking off of a large root to give herself solid footing for the maneuver. The size of the legs and feet gave the attack more range than she¡¯d been expecting.

    <em style="font-style: italic">That silly tail is almost like a third leg, she mused. <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder if it can pivot on it?

    Beth spawned a shadow clone to race to the right while she cut to the left. With her first step she kicked a stone along her clone¡¯s path and then took care to step as quietly as possible on rocks and roots as she moved. Any creature with a pinch of fighting instinct would be able to pick out a fake if it didn¡¯t make any noise or disturb the soil, so proper use of her shadow clones required a little subterfuge.

    The hop bear, it turned out, didn¡¯t have much fighting instinct. It hesitated for a moment, but when her kicked rock landed near her clone¡¯s feet it committed to that direction. Beth easily reached its side while it kicked her clone into shimmering dust. Then she punched it in the leg.

    It wasn¡¯t a fatal strike ¨C it probably wouldn¡¯t do more than bruise the beast ¨C but Beth had been warned that the true rulers of the valley didn¡¯t like it when visitors went around killing things.

    While the hop bear was braying in pain and confusion, Beth jumped up grabbed one of its arms, and hoisted herself onto the back of its neck.

    <em style="font-style: italic">That¡¯s harder to do with one arm, she winced. Before the creature could react to her presence, she wrapped her legs around its neck and slammed the pommel of one of her heavy daggers into the back of its skull. The hop bear staggered before collapsing, and Beth jumped free of it and pranced back to Seth.

    The scorpion boy had been clicking his pincers and holding his tail aloft, threatening the rest of the group as they warily circled him.

    ¡°They probably want the fruit,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Well they can hop their furry selves to a different tree. I don¡¯t feel like giving this one up.¡±

    Everyone ¨C Beth, Seth, and the hop bears ¨C turned slightly as something landed upon one of the fruit tree¡¯s limbs with a series of loud flaps. The limb bent dramatically from the weight and an annoying voice announced the arrival of the valley¡¯s true threat.

    ¡°What on Olympos are you doing, attacking our little fuzzy bears,¡± the nasal, whiny voice complained.

    Beth scoffed. ¡°They started it, and we didn¡¯t actually hurt them.¡± She gestured at the one she¡¯d hit, now shaking its head in confusion as it pushed itself upright.

    ¡°Ah, visitors are the worst,¡± the new creature drawled. She had the body of a small, four-legged creature. A cat, according to the locals, with the head of a small girl. Her dark eyes twinkled with mischief as she leered at Beth, but then she frowned when she turned to look at Seth.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said, her disappointment clear.

    A second one landed on another branch, setting off a shower of delicious fruit. Beth bent down and caught one of them as it fell. <em style="font-style: italic">If they¡¯re falling then they must be ripe, right?

    Beth took a bite and closed her eyes with pleasure. <em style="font-style: italic">Lempo¡¯s left tit, that¡¯s good.

    ¡°Visitors,¡± the second cat-girl sang, ¡°messing with our pets? Let¡¯s have some¨C¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s this guy,¡± the first interrupted.

    ¡°Oh. He¡¯s back!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so excited.¡±

    Despite being under the little sphinxes protection, the hop bears didn¡¯t seem very excited to be around them. The quickly hopped away, content to look for a different fruit tree.

    Beth eyed the girls with curiosity. They were the source of the valley¡¯s deadly reputation. People said that they would pester visitors with riddles and then kill anyone who answered incorrectly.

    The valley also happened to be where Seth had grown up, so he¡¯d had an entire childhood to adapt to their ways. He claimed that the cat-girls wouldn¡¯t actually hurt anyone unless they answered a riddle incorrectly, so he¡¯d survived by staying quiet for days as he pondered their questions, only speaking once he¡¯d figured out a solution. Beth was pretty sure it had given him some kind of fear of speaking too.

    A third branch dipped as a third cat-girl arrived. This one had the same dark hair and eyes as the first two, but she wore a small tiara one her head. ¡°Him again. But he¡¯s brought a friend! We can totally ask her some questions.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Totally!¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°How about I ask you three a riddle first?¡± she challenged.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    ¡°Gross.¡±

    ¡°Lame.¡±

    They each turned their heads with disinterest, but Beth could see their tails quivering with excitement.

    Beth grinned wickedly. James had actually recognized the cat-girls from myths that he¡¯d heard in the Old World, and it seemed that they¡¯d had a weakness for riddles even there. He hadn¡¯t heard of them being on the receiving end of them until Seth shared some details, but James had provided her with plenty of riddles that had never before been heard in this world.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to look for a dagger that my sister dropped,¡± Beth explained, ¡°so how about I give you some riddles as we walk?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure your riddles are nothing special,¡± the first one replied haughtily.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re probably just the one about people walking with canes,¡± the second added.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give away our own riddles,¡± the third scolded.

    Beth¡¯s grin grew wider as she stuffed a few fruit into her travel bag.

    <em style="font-style: italic">The best thing about James¡¯ riddles is that they make no sense and take hours to explain.

    Beth cleared her throat. ¡°A king has a thousand bottles of wine. An assassin sneaks into his cellar and¨C¡±

    The first girl¡¯s nose wrinkled and she interrupted quickly. ¡°Bottles of what?¡±

    ¡°Wine. From grapes.¡±

    Beth started walking.

    The second girl flapped her wings and soared ahead, landing on another tree.

    ¡°What¡¯s a grape?¡± she asked from her new perch.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, this is perfect, Beth cackled to herself.

    <hr>

    ¡°What do you mean, entropy?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a measure of the information in a system,¡± Beth explained, copying what James had said about the English. Beth didn¡¯t understand it either, but she¡¯d memorized his words anyway.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like your riddle,¡± one of the cat girls moaned. ¡°Riddles are supposed to play with words, not numbers.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± another drawled, ¡°my head, it¡¯s like it¡¯s full of sand now. I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Beth ran her hand through the loose soil, but only came up with a slightly shiny rock. She sighed.

    ¡°I agree with my sisters. I don¡¯t think we can count that as a proper riddle.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give you a simple word riddle,¡± Beth agreed.

    ¡°Ugh, finally.¡±

    ¡°What do you get if you cross a <em style="font-style: italic">snowman and a <em style="font-style: italic">vampire?¡± she asked, speaking the strange foreign words in English.

    The cat girls looked at one another. Beth looked around and spotted another shiny object a few hundred strides away. She stood and walked towards it rapidly.

    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t just say gibberish and wander off,¡± one of the annoying girls called after her.

    ¡°They¡¯re real words,¡± she shouted back, ¡°it¡¯s just in another language.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, like, cheating.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°You have to translate it!¡±

    Beth rolled her eyes and glanced at Seth. He shrugged ¨C this apparently wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d had to deal with in the past.

    Beth reached her destination and bent down quickly. Her hand closed around her prize: her second favorite dagger, abandoned by Bel when she¡¯d run from the annoying cat girls. Bel hugged the beautiful stiletto to her chest before examining the long, gleaming blade for signs of weathering. The metal handle had a wave pattern running along its length and the cross guard had small, blue gems set in it. It wasn¡¯t the kind of thing she would pick out for herself, but it hadn¡¯t originally belonged to her.

    ¡°Hello Henry,¡± she whispered to the dagger before giving it a kiss.

    ¡°Gross,¡± one of the cat girls gagged.

    Beth scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you. Do you even have males? Do you know what love is?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, so typical.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s one of <em style="font-style: italic">those people.¡±

    Beth tucked the dagger back into its traditional place at her side. ¡°I guess you cat girls don¡¯t much care about human problems, huh?

    ¡°Nope, just riddles,¡± they replied in chorus.

    ¡°Now translate the one you told us,¡± one of them demanded.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Beth huffed, ¡°what¡¯s your word for fluffy bits of solid water that fall from the clouds?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    The cat girls shared a confused look before the one with a tiara sighed.

    ¡°That hardly ever happens,¡± she said with a dismissive tail flick. ¡°We don¡¯t have a word for it.¡±

    ¡°Well damn,¡± Beth replied. ¡°Feel like making one up? I¡¯ve got what I came for by the way, so I¡¯m heading out.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    ¡°Good riddance.¡±

    ¡°Finally.¡±

    The one with the tiara waved her paw dismissively. ¡°Just go. And, for next time, we¡¯ve decided that questions involving math don¡¯t count as riddles and foreign riddles need to be translated ahead of time. Do this again and we¡¯ll blast you.¡±

    She opened her maw threateningly. Or maybe she was yawning, Beth wasn¡¯t sure.

    ¡°Wow, so testy,¡± Beth muttered under her breath.

    The cat girls narrowed their eyes angrily and Beth decided to stop pushing them. She¡¯d seen the holes drilled into the mountainside from their powerful abilities; messing with them was fine, but pushing her luck too far would just be stupid.

    ¡°C¡¯mon Seth,¡± she beckoned.

    He lifted his hand and waved at the cat girls. ¡°Bye,¡± he murmured.

    ¡°Ugh, we didn¡¯t even get to ask him any riddles,¡± one of the girls moaned.

    ¡°He always gets them right anyway.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still fun though.¡±

    Beth shook her head as she strode away. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe James is right. Maybe this world really is strange.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 71 â€“ Parachute Pants

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel and Orseis tumbled through the air like unprepared birds shoved prematurely from the nest. Bel shrieked and squawked as her snakes and Orseis¡¯ tentacles wrapped around her face, but when she finally uncovered her eye and looked down the cold grip of terror wrapped firmly around her spine. She grasped Orseis tightly as they spun through the open air, momentarily paralyzed by the utter lack of anything except for the floor thousands of strides below them.

    Then, from the corner of her her wind-blurred vision, she saw the flash of color from her tattoo of Kjar. The goddess lounged across her right arm; her fierce eyes seemed to stare straight into Bel¡¯s soul. Bel was immediately ashamed: she couldn¡¯t imagine her aunt in whimpering like a coward.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least try something you pathetic girl, she castigated herself. <em style="font-style: italic">Try to fly, or fall better, or¡­

    Bel took stock of what she had: her armor, Orseis, and Orseis¡¯ bag. ¡°The parachute!¡± she gasped.

    The sudden idea swept her fear aside, and she frantically tried to get a grip on Oresis¡¯ pack without letting go of her friend. After a few aborted attempts she forced herself to stop, close her eye, and take a few deep breaths.

    She kept her eye closed ¨C the air was biting at her face too strongly to do more than squint anyway ¨C and wrapped her legs around Orseis to free her arms. <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, she told herself, <em style="font-style: italic">better to die suddenly while doing my best than the die frantic and screaming, right?

    She sighed with relief when her searching hands finally found a grip on Orseis¡¯ backpack. She pulled on all of its straps, making sure that it was tight around the girl¡¯s slender figure, and then felt for the flaps. Behind the outer flap, secured with a thick leather buckle, was a second flap that was held closed with a tied cord. Bel cursed whoever made that design decision as her fingers picked at it, and the eventually gave up and used <em style="font-style: italic">liquify to rip the little cord to shreds. She reached into the pouch and pulled out the parachute.

    The parachute bloomed above them like the most perfect flower. <em style="font-style: italic">Well, a flower with a lot of holes and some torn strings, but as long as it¡¯s still working I won¡¯t care.

    The fabric snapped full as it trapped the air beneath it, and Orseis jerked upwards. Bel yelped in panic as the girl slid through her legs, and Bel desperately clutched at her clothes as Orseis was quickly jerked from her grasp. Her hand closed around Orseis¡¯ pants and she held tight. Orseis pants slipped dangerously low on her waist, but Bel twisted the fabric with her hands, wrapping it tightly above Orseis¡¯ knees.

    Bel looked down and grimaced. <em style="font-style: italic">If I have to hold myself like this the entire time¡­

    She blinked as she looked at her clenched fists. <em style="font-style: italic">Actually, holding on isn¡¯t that hard. I know I¡¯ve gotten stronger, and I¡¯d gotten pretty good at climbing trees, but I feel like I should be struggling.

    <em style="font-style: italic">In fact, if my ribs weren¡¯t sore from Crystal beating the shit out of me, this would be easy.

    ¡°Hey Ori? You there?¡±

    Bel sighed when Orseis remained limp, her tentacles waving around in the wind.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, I¡¯ll just look around for¨Coh, you have got to be kidding me!

    Bel stared open-mouthed. Technis¡¯ Barrier extended all the way through the fifth layer, although she could finally see the bottom of it curving slightly.

    ¡°Bite me,¡± she cursed at it. ¡°Suck a bag of¨C¡±

    Her earring buzzed, interrupting the rush of curses. Both of her hands were busy clutching onto Orseis¡¯ pants, but she was desperate for a distraction. She shrugged her shoulder up to her ear until she managed to squeeze the earring between her shoulder and jaw and initiate the connection.

    ¡°Hey James,¡± she greeted quickly. ¡°How are things with you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act so happy all of a sudden, it¡¯s suspicious,¡± James rejoined. ¡°What interrupted us? Were you attacked again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a little.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®a little¡¯?¡±

    Bel laughed as some of the tension left her body. ¡°Just a little. We¡¯re still fine. I don¡¯t want to waste time with boring stuff, so we don¡¯t have to talk about it.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t¨C¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t,¡± she interrupted. ¡°So tell me how you are. How¡¯s Beth?¡±

    She heard her brother sigh, a long and frustrated puff of air like a bellows slowly deflating.

    ¡°Well, Beth just got back from taking a break from politics.¡±

    ¡°She took a break?¡± Bel exclaimed. ¡°How did you get her to do that?¡±

    ¡°I convinced her that you weren¡¯t listening to anything we said anyway, and Hanti is just going to keep micromanaging everyone to death. Beth went to go get that dagger you dropped.¡±

    Bel was confused for a few heartbeats until she remembered Beth¡¯s second-favorite dagger. She¡¯d dropped it when she was running for her life from the cat girls ¨C the ones that shot mountain piercing beams of light from their mouths.

    ¡°Is she okay? Those cat girls were no joke, James.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine,¡± he replied. ¡°She took Seth with her. Did you know that he grew up around there?¡±

    ¡°Really? Cool, I guess.¡±

    Bel looked down. ¡°Hey, do you remember how I told you that Orseis and I have gotten really strong?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You were bragging about it kind of nonstop, talking about how good your are at tree climbing and throwing rocks now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that. I¡¯m wondering if we weren¡¯t as good as we thought. Is it possible that gravity is going down instead?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± James trailed off uncertainly before eventually replying. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re using the parachute to go down again.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s really slow. Like¡­ less than half what I expect?¡±

    James hesitated. ¡°That¡¯s bizarre. You¡¯re going through the fifth layer? How many strides do you think you¡¯ve gone down in total?¡±

    ¡°James, how would I know?¡±

    He clicked his tongue. ¡°Well, if you could get a glass teapot and fill it with water, I think you can make some kind of barometer.¡±

    ¡°James, where the hell do you think I am? I¡¯m falling towards¨C¡±

    Bel looked down. ¡°I¡¯m falling towards some kind of snow covered plains, where am I going to get a teapot?¡±

    ¡°Geez, don¡¯t bite my head off. You should have brought better gear.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already lost all of my stuff!¡± Bel exploded. ¡°All I have is my armor, Ventas¡¯ necklace, and my earrings! Do you think I could have made it down here with a glass teapot?¡±

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    ¡°Well, you could have turned back¨C¡±

    ¡°For a teapot!¡± she shrieked incredulously.

    ¡°Urm, Bel, what¡¯s happening? What are you doing with my pants?¡±

    Bel glanced up sheepishly, and saw a very confused, very embarrassed Orseis. She was busy trying to wrap her tentacles around her exposed midsection.

    ¡°Look, James, we can talk about teapots later. Orseis just woke up, so I¡¯ve gotta go.¡±

    ¡°Woke up? I thought you were falling?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she got knocked out. Anyway, talk to you later!¡± Bel lifted her head from her shoulder and rolled her neck. ¡°Ugh, that made me too stiff.¡±

    ¡°Bel, what¡¯s happening?¡± Orseis repeated insistently.

    ¡°Well, you got knocked out and I had to run away.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? Wait, why are we in this absurd situation?¡±

    ¡°Well, Nebamon ¨C he¡¯s one of those cultists ¨C he cut out the bridge from underneath us.¡±

    ¡°What bridge?¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll back up.¡±

    Bel rushed through the story, repeating bits until Orseis seemed to get it. Worryingly, Orseis didn¡¯t actually remember the point where she was knocked out. Her memories seemed to stop right around when they found the boulder.

    ¡°Are you okay, Orseis? I feel like I had to repeat things a lot, and your memory is a little short.¡±

    ¡°I dunno. I think I¡¯m fine? My head is ringing like crazy though.¡±

    ¡°From getting thrown into the tree?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember that part. Maybe? Or maybe being half-suffocated by these straps isn¡¯t good for me.¡±

    Bel looked up with concern. ¡°Don¡¯t loosen them. We¡¯re still falling.¡±

    Orseis weakly waved a tentacle. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±

    Bel chewed on her lip with worry. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t hanging from your pants I¡¯d check your head for bleeding, I think. I remember James saying that bleeding in the head is bad.¡±

    ¡°In the head? Can you see that?¡±

    Bel winced. ¡°Oh, maybe not. He¡¯s got some diagnostic abilities that I didn¡¯t bother with.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ve just gotta land.¡±

    Bel glanced down. The structure of the fifth layer was becoming more clear as they slowly drew nearer to the bottom. Not that there was a lot to it: it was mostly a giant plane of uninterrupted white, with large jutting rocks sticking out of the snowy expanse. <em style="font-style: italic">How can it be so cold down here when it was so warm up there?

    Bel looked up at the ceiling and was surprised to see a few areas where the stone was actually glowing faintly with heat. <em style="font-style: italic">We found a couple of hot springs up there¡­ I guess that¡¯s why they were hot. But why those spots?

    Bel took advantage of their slow descent to study the floor above her and was able to discern a pattern. <em style="font-style: italic">Wherever there¡¯s a hot spot, there are a bunch of silver roots that converge. And those roots come from the Pillar.

    ¡°I think that the Pillar is pumping magma to the different layers and keeping them warm,¡± she told Orseis.

    Orseis didn¡¯t respond, so Bel looked at her companion only to see that Orseis had fallen unconscious again. Bel worried on her lower lip with her teeth, fretful that something was wrong with the young girl.

    ¡°Ori? Hey, are you okay? Ori?¡±

    Orseis didn¡¯t stir, and a gnawing dread formed in the pit of Bel¡¯s stomach. <em style="font-style: italic">She gets hit on the head a lot, but she usually recovers. Ah, James would have probably found her a helmet or something. He was always the thoughtful one.

    Bel glanced anxiously towards the ground. There wasn¡¯t much she could to do make them fall faster, so she tried to inspect the floor of the layer for anything useful. It was mostly just snow-covered plain, but there were large boulders ¨C some possibly large enough to consider hills ¨C that stuck out of the otherwise featureless expanse. A moment of inspection revealed that they¡¯d fallen from the layer above from areas that had melted through, like the hole that she had just jumped through.

    The Pillar that supported the world only shone upon the fifth layer with a dim light, barely brighter than the blue glow of Technis¡¯ Barrier, but it was still enough to leave the Pillar-facing sides of the rocks snow-free. Those sides of the rocks supported some hardy plant life. Bel hoped that they also had some food ¨C she would head to a large one once they landed.

    The increasing bite of the cold against her skin was already making her miss the fourth layer, deadly tree rats and all.

    ¡°The closest rock is only a few thousand strides away, I think¡± she announced to her unresponsive friend, ¡°so we¡¯ll just have a quick walk.¡± Bel was having trouble gauging distances across the mostly featureless expanse with only one eye, but she thought she was about right.

    ¡°Despite what James said, I think that gravity must be going down, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be easy to carry,¡± she announced with confidence.

    Bel stuck out her legs, bracing for a landing, and prepared to catch Orseis so the limp girl wouldn¡¯t slam into the ground. Her feet touched down ¨C and then went straight through the loosely packed snow. Bel sank several body lengths before compressing a solid layer of snow beneath her body.

    ¡°Stupid, gods-cursed, crow eating shit of a layer!¡±

    Bel would have kept cursing, but snow began to fill her open mouth and she ended up sputtering with impotent rage instead. Her snakes curled around her head, and she felt a strong sense of dismay from both her little magma snake, Sparky, and her plant-based companion. <em style="font-style: italic">Yeah, I¡¯ll get right on it, she thought, shivering from the cold that was invading her skin.

    Bel kicked and struggled, but all she accomplished was a slow sinking. She was encased in a loose prison of snow, the faint light from above turning dim and blue blue in her tight quarters. After a bit more struggle she managed to clear a small area around her, which allowed Orseis to sink to her level. Bel quickly checked her friend for breath and a pulse, and, after finding both, she breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled the parachute down and wrapped it around Orseis, making her a cocoon that just had a small opening around her face. <em style="font-style: italic">Hopefully that keeps her warm enough.

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± she asked her snakes. ¡°Should I try to compact some stairs and lift myself out? Or should I just tunnel forward and hope that I find some solid ground? I think I remember the direction of the nearest rock.¡±

    Her snakes didn¡¯t respond, so Bel thought things through in silence. <em style="font-style: italic">My real problem will be continually falling through the snow. There¡¯s got to be something solid in the layer, right? It can¡¯t just be snow and ice all the way to the center of Olympos, right?

    Bel decided to attempt to climb to the surface first. She would look around to get her bearings, and then she would burrow a tunnel towards the nearest rock. Hopefully it would have shelter, if not something edible.

    Bel got to work, doing what amounted to repeated pull-ups to lift her body and compress the snow around her. Then she would sink and repeat the process, waving her arms like a bird desperately trying to fly. Bel was shivering from the cold when she started moving snow, but after an hour shoving and compacting the powdery flakes she was feeling warm, mostly. Unlike the rest of her, her fingers were about ready to fall off. <em style="font-style: italic">Stars above, if the first humans had to live through this I can understand why they¡¯d breed with some fluffy foxes. Freezing is the worst.

    In a fit of desperation, Bel used <em style="font-style: italic">thermal regulation to shift some heat from her magma snake into her stiff fingers. Sparky hissed, outraged at the theft.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Sorry Sparky, but I don¡¯t feel like losing my fingers to frostbite.

    Bel ignored the betrayed hissing as she poked her head over the surface. She shoved her hands under her armpits to conserve their fleeting warmth as she looked around.

    ¡°I w-w-wish I s-still had m-my c-c-clothes,¡± she chattered to herself. A quick look around the bleak landscape revealed that she¡¯d been going in the wrong direction. On the positive side, she was much closer to the nearest rocky hill than she¡¯d thought, only a hundred strides or so.

    Bel glanced at the small ramp that she¡¯d made and scowled. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯ll probably take me most of a day to get there, she thought bitterly.

    Bel raised her arms, prepared to smash more snow into her lengthening path. <em style="font-style: italic">Other than these rocks, there nothing ¨C oh, there¡¯s something. And it¡¯s coming right for me.

    She squinted, but it was difficult to make anything out against the sparkling snow. Bel reached for her weapon as she waited for whatever it was to draw near, but of course she was once again defenseless. <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar, please grant me an ability that will stop me from losing all of my stuff, she prayed. <em style="font-style: italic">Or grant me a weapon that comes back to my hands like that birdman¡¯s spear.

    The source of the movement finally drew near enough for her to identify its source. A strange, large-footed, long-necked fuzzy fox-worm thing writhed over the loose snow, its beady eyes locked onto her. Once again, her lack of depth perception and the absence of any object for reference played tricks with her mind, and she realized with alarm that the thing she¡¯d at first thought to be smaller than a riding lizard soon turned out to be several times as large with five legs on either side of it¡¯s long, worm-like body and a long, dart-shaped muzzled jutting out from below its beady little eyes.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Nope.

    Bel held out her hand as it drew near. She waited for it to pounce before she blasted it with a <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave. The suddenly headless creature slumped into the snow, staining the white surface red with its blood. Bel carefully tapped the nearest part of the corpse, pulling out its essence.

    The flow of energy always made her feel slightly better, and she was in such a miserable state that the sensation almost brought her to tears. For just a moment she was tempted to huddle up against the cooling corpse to steal some of its fading warmth as well, but then she realized how gross that would be.

    <em style="font-style: italic">And it¡¯s probably going to attract scavengers, right?

    Instead, Bel struggled her way over to one of its front paws and used <em style="font-style: italic">liquify to pull a claw out of the body and reshape the base into a gross approximation of a handle. Then she cut as much of its shaggy, white fur loose as would fit into Orseis bag, and then stuffed the parachute cocoon full as well. Orseis hadn¡¯t so much as stirred since they¡¯d landed, and Bel was worried that the cold would get to her if she didn¡¯t start moving around.

    ¡°Maybe I can make a fire,¡± Bel muttered, examining the trees that dotted the rocky hill.

    She glanced at the creature¡¯s corpse. ¡°Maybe I can make a fire and then cook some of this.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 72 â€“ Islands in the Snow

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel winced with pain as she straightened out. She¡¯d been burrowing a tunnel through the snow for an hour or so, and the dull ache in her damaged ribs was making her regret her plan. She didn¡¯t have a lot of experience trying to survive in the snow, but she knew that staying under the snow would risk her being buried by a blizzard or an avalanche, or whatever other disasters happened on the fifth layer.

    Back when she and James were staying with Ventas in Satrap, she¡¯d gotten the kindly uncle to tell her a few stories of his time travelling the land and curing diseases. At some point he had ended up stranded in some snow-covered mountains. He¡¯d gone up one of the peaks in the Spine to eradicate the bone-dissolving disease from its last holdout in some remote mining encampments.

    The miners didn¡¯t publish where they worked ¨C each group had their own favorite spots that they refused to share ¨C so Ventas had been forced to stay in the frigid conditions for months as he traversed the mountainside in search of any signs of the disease. He told her that he¡¯d made a base camp in a cave, and from that relative safety he¡¯d gradually explored the area. His story had plenty of near misses: deadly avalanches, deep crevasses through the sides of mountainous glaciers that would be impossible to escape, blizzards that would last for days.

    James had piled on with his own scary stories from the Old World, stories about people becoming trapped in mountain passes and eating one another while they waited for rescue. Bel had promised them that she wouldn¡¯t go wandering around any frozen mountains, but, well, fate ¨C or her mother ¨C had other plans.

    For the moment, the only relevant bit of information that she¡¯d taken from their stories was that she should find a nice cave where she could hunker down. Some place with enough wood to fuel a fire would be ideal. Her current plan was to make it to the nearest rocky hill and hope that it had a suitable cave.

    ¡°Or we could just give up and sleep here, buried under a bunch of snow that could collapse at any time.¡±

    Bel turned to Orseis, but she didn¡¯t get a response. Her eye locked onto her nearest snake instead.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d feel safer with some nice, solid rock around me,¡± she explained to the small serpent. It barely moved in response, lethargic from the cold. Sparky writhed into her field of view and hissed loudly, eager to voice her complaints about their current environment.

    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t trust the snow either, I get it.¡±

    Bel¡¯s forehead wrinkled in thought. ¡°Hey, what about my new friend?¡± She reached up and felt around her head for the plant-based spirit snake she¡¯d acquired while breaking out of the Pillar. She pulled the snake from her head so she could see it. ¡°How about you, Flora?¡±

    The green snake hung limply in her hand, its foliage slightly wilted. Bel¡¯s eye widened at the sight. ¡°Oh no, are you cold? Or is it too dark down here?¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Can my spirit snakes die? Is that something I have to worry about? Ah, James always said that I should have come with an instruction manual.

    ¡°I guess that I¡¯d better get back to work.¡±

    Bel clenched her teeth and crawled back to the end of her tunnel. The task was more compacting than digging, shoving her hands into the snow and pushing it to the ground with a satisfying crunch. She was worried about the whole thing collapsing, but it hadn¡¯t happened so far so maybe she would be okay. It wasn¡¯t like she had another option ¨C it would take her days to fully clear a path to the rock rather than burrow under the snow.

    Luckily, the deeper snow was more dense and stable than the stuff above it, which was how she was crawling on it without sinking. A bit of the stuff falling on her wouldn¡¯t be too deadly ¨C at least that¡¯s what she hoped.

    After every few strides of progress, Bel rolled over, and took a brief break. Then she grabbed one of the parachute cables and dragged Orseis and a few hunks of now-frozen meat forward. She was still hoping for a cooking fire and warm food when she made it to the rock, although her need for sleep was beginning to overpower her other desires.

    She turned over to give another pull and froze; <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s Sight revealed a snout quickly rushing down her tunnel.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Crows, it¡¯s another one of those worm foxes.

    Seeing it racing down her tunnel made it obvious that their tube-like bodies were optimized for burrowing through the snow as well as travelling on top of it. Bel cursed her inattention to detail as she curled her body in an attempt to turn around quickly. The pressure on her ribs elicited a hiss of pain, but within a few seconds she was crawling back to Orseis. Once she was crouching over her comatose friend she raised her hand and got ready to release a <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Wait, won¡¯t that collapse the tunnel on us? she realized.

    Bel hesitated, an overwhelming sense of panic coursing through her body as she saw the creature halve the distance between them. She reached down to Orseis¡¯ pack, fumbling for a pair of claws that she¡¯d taken from the last tube-fox. Her searching hands found the weapons, but her cold-numbed fingers didn¡¯t have the strength to grip their makeshift handles. Bel pulled her hands to her face and breathed on them. <em style="font-style: italic">That¡¯s too slow, she realized.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    She transferred warmth to her right hand with <em style="font-style: italic">thermal regulation until her digits were tingling painfully. She reached down and pulled out one of the claws just as the creature lunged.

    Bel yelled in anger and swung her weapon forward to threaten the beast. Instead of coming after her, the creature¡¯s jaws snapped shut a good stride short of her, closing around the meat that she¡¯d been saving instead of her own body.

    ¡°Kjar-damned cannibal,¡± she cursed at it with disgust.

    It twisted its head and pulled backwards, taking all of the meat with it. A moment later Orseis followed, her parachute cocoon pulled out from under Bel.

    Bel¡¯s eye widened. <em style="font-style: italic">Shit, the parachute cord!

    She¡¯d been using it as a convenient way to tie everything together, but it was attached to the parachute, which was wrapped around Orseis. The monster was going to slurp her like a noodle.

    Bel crouched on all fours and galloped after Orseis, her back scraping against the ceiling of the tunnel. ¡°Get back here with my friend, you ten-legged freak!¡±

    Bel galloped over Orseis, grabbed the double-strand of thick cord, and sawed at it with her knife. The claw that formed her makeshift weapon was sharper than it had any right to be and made quick work of the cord. Bel slid to a halt and Orseis bumped into her from behind.

    The worm-fox gnawed on the cord still sticking out of its mouth, no longer interested in eating it when it wasn¡¯t attached to something it wanted. Bel swung her arm through the ceiling, knocking down large clumps of snow. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I can just seal up the tunnel, she hoped.

    Snow sprayed her in the face at the creature¡¯s snout poked through her ineffective barrier. Its head rotated to the side so that it could close around her midsection in the narrow tunnel, and its hot breath washed over Betl¡¯s body. She reflexively slashed at its nose, forcing it back. It flinched and yelped in pain before retreating, but almost immediately decided that she posed little threat; it snapped forward for a second attack. Bel lifted her arms and stepped into the bite, ensuring that the creature¡¯s teeth would only be closing around her armored midsection.

    She snarled in pain when it compressed her already injured ribs, but she kept her composure, <em style="font-style: italic">glaring at the beast the moment she could make eye contact. Its body locked up and Bel lifted her makeshift dagger high over her head. She slapped the top of its skull with one hand, forcing her <em style="font-style: italic">liquify ability into the top of its skull. Then she brought her weapon down, cutting through the softened bone with a sickening squelch and carving a path to the creature¡¯s brain. The body slumped and its teeth slid down her body.

    ¡°Ah, crow¡¯s crotches, that hurts! It¡¯s teeth are sharp!¡± Bel quickly forced the creature¡¯s jaws apart. She eased herself out of its maw, carefully to avoid touching its sharp teeth with her unprotected lower legs a second time. She¡¯d still gotten a few long gashes running down her legs, another set of scars to remind her of her failures.

    ¡°I guess I could have predicted that would happen,¡± she mumbled to herself.

    ¡°Well, whatever. I can replace the missing food it ate, and I can collect more essence for myself. Big win.¡±

    Bel poked the monster in the head, but hesitated. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s got any useful abilities?¡±

    She examined it again. ¡°Then again, even if it¡¯s got something useful for burrowing, I don¡¯t think that I¡¯d want it.¡±

    Instead of feeling around its core for something useful and risking all of its essence, she immediately cracked it, sucking out the essence like someone would slurp seasoned lobster from it shell. She smiled with pleasure as her own core swelled and pushed through another threshold. She puffed out her chest with pride, then immediately curled over in pain, clutching at her injured ribs.

    Embarrassed and tired, she looked at Orseis, then down her tunnel, then back at the worm fox¡¯s corpse. She sighed. There was no airflow in the tiny passage, especially not with the corpse clogging up one end of it, and the space was already filling with the smell of blood and fur.

    ¡°I guess that I¡¯d better get back to work,¡± she muttered unhappily.

    She glanced at the corpse one last time, and she could swear it was leering at her even in death, mocking her with its toothy grin.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Get a grip, Bel.

    She crawled back up the tunnel, dragging Orseis behind her, the sounds of the slick parachute sliding over the snow and her grunts of effort oddly muffled by their soft surroundings, making the experience feel even more lonely than it already was. She faced the dark end of her tunnel and got back to work, shoving her hands through the snow and compacting it down. To her surprise, her hands pushed into a hard rock instead of soft snow.

    Bel shook her hand out, cursing in pain after stubbing her fingers.

    ¡°Well, at least I made it to the rock. Now I can go up.¡±

    She tried to clear a shaft following the slope of the rock, but the snow just collapsed into her tunnel. She cursed when she realized that tunneling up would be just as arduous as burrowing sideways.

    She puffed warm air onto her hands as she worked herself up to the task, and then got to digging. As she went up, Bel was delighted to find that the snow became less dense and her progress sped up. In far less time than she¡¯d feared her hands abruptly burst through the last layer of snow and into the open air, allowing light and sound through the opening.

    Bel winced at the sudden brightness, but the welcoming sound of birdsong called her forward. She stuck her head out of the hole and looked around.

    She was at the base ¨C or at least the base of what was visible ¨C of the large rock that had been her target. It was taller than she¡¯d thought, and more sheer, rising out of the snow like an enormous shark¡¯s tooth. It was also covered in life, and had an earthy aroma, the first scents she¡¯d encountered in the fifth layer that weren¡¯t worm fox. Small bushes grew in the cracks of the stone. They provided hiding places and berries for the flock of puffy white songbirds whose trilling calls had lured Bel into the open. Some spots on the rock had been worn down and cracked open, creating small pits and crevices that were now occupied by hardy trees that grew twisted and gnarled in the harsh environment.

    Bel¡¯s head spun at a clopping sound. She turned to see a small herd of hoofed animals somehow making their way up the sheer side of the rock. The small quadrupeds ¨C a bizarre saber toothed deer ¨C snorted at her, but felt content to move slightly farther from her reach. Bel eyed their range warily, but after watching them scrape and eat lichen from the rock wall she decided that they weren¡¯t a threat.

    A smile bloomed on her face. ¡°This is perfect! Hopefully there¡¯s a cave too.¡±

    She tilted her head back, scanning up the length of the large rock. Her search stopped when she saw a line of winged shapes drifting through the sky. She squinted, forcing more mana through <em style="font-style: italic">eye of the huntress to enhance her vision. The shapes resolved into a group of people in dark cloaks hanging from wings made of cloth.

    ¡°Blood and offal,¡± she cursed, ¡°we¡¯ve got a ratty parachute but Nebamon¡¯s people have artificial wings? This sucks.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 73 â€“ Attention Grabbing Behavior

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel inspected Orseis as she pinched her earring. She couldn¡¯t help frowning as she digested the medical diagnosis from her brother.

    ¡°A concussion? How bad is that?¡± she asked.

    Her brother sighed, the sound of his breath just barely carried over the earring. ¡°Well, it was pretty common in some sports from my world, but I honestly don¡¯t have a clue how it¡¯ll affect a half squid¨C¡±

    ¡°Cuttlefish,¡± Bel corrected.

    ¡°Sure. Whatever. I don¡¯t know how it¡¯ll affect her, but she should avoid getting thrown head-first into things.¡±

    Bel squinted at Orseis and tried imagine the girl being more careful.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s possible,¡± she admitted. ¡°Couldn¡¯t she just wear a helmet? Or a really thick wig?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m right here you know,¡± Orseis complained. ¡°What¡¯s your brother saying? And why do I need something on my head?¡±

    ¡°He said to stop getting hit on your head so much,¡± Bel scolded.

    ¡°I¡¯m not <em style="font-style: italic">trying to get hit in the head,¡± Orseis snapped, ¡°it just happens.¡±

    ¡°Is she making excuses?¡± James asked. ¡°I¡¯ll bet she¡¯s making excuses. You two should practice more discretion; it¡¯s the better part of valor, you know.¡±

    Bel snorted with irritation. ¡°Both of you need to stop speaking at the same time.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t hear what he¡¯s saying,¡± Orseis complained. At the same time, James heckled her. ¡°People from my world held two conversation at once all the time.¡±

    Bel pointed at Orseis. ¡°I¡¯ll talk with you in minute, Ori.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like that nickname,¡± she complained.

    ¡°It¡¯s too late. Just lie there quietly and don¡¯t bump your head.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes narrowed in annoyance, but Bel whipped around to the other side of the cave to avoid her pouting.

    ¡°Okay James, I have a complaint.¡±

    ¡°About what? You realize that there¡¯s nothing I can do from up here, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure. This is just to make you feel bad. We found Nebamon and Rikja and some of the other survivors from the Dark Ravager¡¯s cult.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s bad! No wait, that¡¯s good! There must be a way to get through the Barrier around there.¡±

    He continued before Bel would respond. ¡°Wait, were they the ones who beat Orseis up?¡±

    ¡°No, not¨Cwell, kind of. Look, before that, they were wearing wings James! They were flying! All we have is a crappy oversized sheet that lets us fall slowly, but they built their own wings!¡±

    James scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t think you guys have the proper materials to make a real¡­ no, wait, if gravity really is lower down there then I guess you could.¡±

    He coughed with embarrassment. ¡°Damn, this isn¡¯t my fault Bel. I wasn¡¯t given proper information. How could I know that gravity would go down, it doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Where¡¯s gravity come from anyway?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, like, really complicated.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Well, it has something to do with stuff being attracted to other stuff.¡±

    ¡°Great. So anyway, Nebamon¡¯s people were there, but they were being hunted by Crystal. There was a scuffle between us and that birdguy, and Ori got knocked into a tree.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what do you mean that Crystal was hunting them?¡±

    Bel grimaced, remembering the sight of the stitched-together woman. ¡°One of Technis¡¯ priests turned her into one of their patchwork people. She¡¯s still got her wands, but they also attached Beth¡¯s arm to her. She was using some of our sister¡¯s abilities.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s messed up.¡± James paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°Wait, does that mean that she can use those dowsing rods? Bel, if she can track you that¡¯s super dangerous. You need to get out of there.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°Yeah, I know that. I¡¯m not stupid. That¡¯s why I jumped through a hole and dropped to the fifth layer.¡±

    ¡°I want to say that was reckless, but I guess you made it. It worked out this time, but I think you¡¯re learning bad lessons down there. You don¡¯t think the zombie will be able to follow you?¡±

    Bel¡¯s nose wrinkled. ¡°Beth doesn¡¯t like that word, James.¡±

    ¡°What, zombie? But that¡¯s¨C¡±

    ¡°Nevermind, I can hear the connection fading. Can you ask Beth or anyone else for advice? Crystal came from the Golden Plains, someone must be able to find out what abilities she had.¡±

    Bel paused for a second considering her worries, then added. ¡°Nebamon and Rikja and the rest of their group too, if that¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. Good luck, Bel. Love you.¡±

    ¡°Love you too. And Beth.¡±

    Bel removed her hands from her earring and took a deep, steadying breath.

    ¡°Uh, why were you talking like you were saying goodbye forever?¡±

    Bel glanced at her tentacled friend. ¡°Well, things are a bit rough.¡±

    She scowled. ¡°I didn¡¯t sound like I was saying goodbye forever though. Just for a bit, since we may get busy down here.¡±

    Orseis glanced at the cave opening. ¡°You want to tell me what¡¯s going on then? Maybe starting with why it¡¯s so cold?¡±

    Bel squinted at Orseis. ¡°Do you remember the parachute ride down from the fourth layer?¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes widened, her w-shaped pupils going round. ¡°We jumped? When did that happen?¡±

    Bel rubbed her face with her hand. ¡°Okay, just lie back down on that fur pile. Maybe you can sleep it off.¡±

    Orseis looked down at the fur pile that Bel had collected from the fox-worms. She seemed surprised at the sight, even though she¡¯d been lying on it the entire time. ¡°What¡¯s this from?¡±

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    She sniffed it suspiciously. ¡°It smells funny.¡±

    Bel rubbed her face harder. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you five times. Maybe you¡¯re interested in food instead of listening to me repeat myself?¡±

    Orseis nodded, but then held her head with a tentacle after the sudden movement. ¡°Maybe not,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you rest then?¡±

    Orseis looked like she would argue, but then she settled back into her bed. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m tired anyway,¡± she pronounced weakly.

    Bel sighed with relief, although her brow creased with concern. She¡¯d been relieved when Orseis had finally woken up, but even after a large meal of fox-worm meat the young girl hadn¡¯t recovered to her normal self. When James called she¡¯d practically screamed at him to give her something to do, although he hadn¡¯t been able to offer more than a diagnosis.

    Bel had been so distraught that it took her until the end of her call with James to remember about Crystal and Nebamon and the rest of the Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists. She chewed on her lower lip, her mind racing as she started thinking about their existential problems.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If Crystal is tracking me, then I can¡¯t stay in one place. I can¡¯t move Orseis either. I also need to figure out what Nebamon is up to, or he and Rikja could show up out of nowhere.

    Bel reached up and rubbed her snakes anxiously, receiving a few muted hisses in response. Something came loose in her hand and Bel quickly look at it, afraid something was wrong with her. She brought her hand in front of her face and saw a tiny, white flower with just a hint of pink at its edges.

    ¡°Oh no, did I hurt you, Flora?¡±

    Flora, her new nature snake, uncoiled into Bel¡¯s view. She flicked her tongue out, apparently unperturbed. As she moved, Bel realized that she was dropping several older flowers. Some new buds were already taking their place.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s normal then?¡± Bel asked, tentatively.

    Flora flicked out her tongue again and slithered back up Bel¡¯s scalp.

    Bel glanced at the flower. ¡°Are bees going to start landing on my head?¡± she murmured.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I should think more carefully about whatever spirit I take to replace my final snake, Bel thought. She didn¡¯t say it out loud because she was afraid that Sparky and Flora would take offense.

    ¡°So, best case scenario is that Crystal gets into a fight with Nebamon and his people. The worst that could happen is one kills the other one, and I wouldn¡¯t lose any sleep over that. But if Crystal finds me first¡­¡±

    Bel twisted her fingers together as she thought. ¡°Ah, I could lead Crystal to them if she finds me first. Good idea, Bel.¡±

    She glanced at Orseis. ¡°I should also spend as little time around here as possible, at least until Orseis is better. I¡¯ll just go out and see where Nebamon and the rest of his deranged friends landed.¡±

    Bel stepped to the mouth of the cave and hesitated. She reached up to her face and rubbed her fingers along the long scar that ran from her forehead, diagonally down through her left eye, and across her cheek. Her lips twitched into a frown as she remembered how quickly Nebamon had cut through the bridge with his sword.

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Bel looked at her snakes with concern. ¡°Maybe I should think about getting an ability that would stop someone from slicing us a loaf of bread.¡±

    Bel glanced out of the cave and looked over the barren expanse. A seemingly endless tundra that held, as far as she had seen, fox worms, some sabertoothed deer, and a few tiny birds. She could go feeling around their cores, but¡­

    Bel turned her attention inwards instead, casting her gaze to the constellation of abilities that remained forever in orbit around her own core. Except for the path of the gorgon, the abilities were gifts from her family, if she counted a couple of goddesses and a crazy spirit a family.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve looked at these a thousand times, but maybe inspiration will strike.

    Her gorgon abilities could be good. <em style="font-style: italic">I could strengthen my glare and send my enemies into seizures and convulsions. That would be nice.

    The gorgon path also had some stuff about metallic nails, claws, and tusks, and another ability to coat her body in scales, but Bel didn¡¯t seriously consider them. She was already using Lempo¡¯s <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification ability to do similar things, and it was more versatile as well.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Lempo¡¯s path offered some abilities that could be good, or could end up killing her. The best was an ability to shatter objects at her touch.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It would work on Nebamon¡¯s sword, probably, but then I would have to be touching his sword, which sounds not smart¡­

    <em style="font-style: italic">At that point it would be better if I hit him with a shockwave, wouldn¡¯t it?

    Bel tapped her chin. ¡°Actually, <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave is really powerful,¡± she mused aloud. ¡°Maybe I should be looking for something that would work with it. The best defense is a dagger through the other person¡¯s face, as Beth would say.¡±

    She didn¡¯t have many free strokes in Dutcha¡¯s path, and she wanted to leave them free anyway so she could use <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave more frequently. That left her unbound path. A quick count turned up 41 free strokes.

    Kjar¡¯s path was supposed to be about corporal punishment, but it had weird abilities to feel hearts or taste people¡¯s feelings. There were a couple that sounded kind of useful, like one that would form judgy claws on her hands and a silly ability that would improve her pouncing. Bel sighed.

    She rubbed her head with frustration, jostling her snakes. ¡°This is something James is good at, thanks to all his Oldworld games. No one¡¯s ever told me how to pick abilities. I could use a little divine advice.¡±

    Her parents didn¡¯t see fit to answer, so Bel tried to remember if anyone else had shared words of wisdom. Bel scowled as she tried to remember any advice from Flann or Beth, but all she could recall from her older sister was wrestling moves the proper angles for stabbing. Flann had told her a bunch of random stuff, but nothing about her abilities.

    ¡°Did Ventas ever tell me anything? Maybe something about practicing weak abilities because they could be more versatile than they appeared?¡±

    Bel thought about her current abilities. Most of them were straightforward, but something like <em style="font-style: italic">liquify she kept finding new uses for. She¡¯d used it to improve handholds on rocky cliffs with just the passive application, used it at full power to melt and reshape claws and teeth into weapons, she¡¯d used it to remove ropes when someone tied her up, and had put it to good use softening the bones of her enemies. She nodded; the ability was more versatile than her initial impression of it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">So, she wondered, <em style="font-style: italic">which of my potential abilities has more uses than I¡¯m seeing?

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe the pouncing one? She bobbed her head as she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">Pouncing is kind of important for hunting, isn¡¯t it? Whether it¡¯s knives or blasting something with shockwave, I need to get close.

    Bel pictured herself pouncing upon Rikja, how the annoying fire mage¡¯s eyes would open in shock just before she blasted her. The daydream felt good. But was the ability more versatile than that?

    She didn¡¯t <em style="font-style: italic">have to use it to attack though; Bel remembered Kjar leaping from the top of the pyramid. If the ability gave her super-powered pounces then it should also give her better landing too. And in a world with low gravity, maybe it could also give her a way to outspeed something that was struggling through the snow.

    ¡°And it¡¯s only fifteen strokes,¡± she rejoiced.

    Bel felt out the ability, spent a few moments daydreaming about it to make sure she liked the idea, and then traced its patterns upon her core. Warmth spread down her legs and down to her feet before doubling back and resting in the small of her back as energy travelled through the newly engraved strokes. She hopped up and down a few times, getting used to the passive effects of the ability. With the weakened gravity of the fifth layer she was bouncing nearly high enough to smash her head into the cave ceiling.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I¡¯d better go somewhere else to test this out.

    Bel stepped out of the cave, turned around, and packed snow into the entrance. She kept at it for a few minutes until the narrow slit in the side of the rock was mostly filled with snow.

    She clapped her hands together to knock off the loose snow as she admired her handiwork. ¡°That should discourage most random scavengers, hopefully.¡±

    Bel hopped a few more times and then looked at a small indentation in the cliff face above her. She crouched slightly, tensing her leg muscles, and then activated <em style="font-style: italic">pounce with its full stroke capacity. Bel found herself careening through the air, horribly off-target. Her lips skimmed back as she prepared for a painful collision with the rock wall, but then her ability twitched and wobbled and suddenly she landed neatly right where she¡¯d intended.

    She grinned. ¡°Awesome. Maybe I should have been more adventurous with these abilities.¡±

    Bel turned and searched for another landing point, higher up the mountain.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I may as well go up high so I can get a good look around, right?

    She zipped through the air, whooping with delight. With the low gravity and the strength of her ability, she though she could jump five or six times her own height. Bel <em style="font-style: italic">pounced again¨C

    ¨Cand something struck her like load of bricks. Bel tried to wriggle free of whatever had hit her, but found herself held tight by some kind of enormous, flying shrimp.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Why does this always happen to me? she thought angrily.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 74 â€“ Killer Sky Shrimp

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel¡¯s pushed back her panic. Yes, something had grabbed her in midair when she¡¯d been hopping around, enjoying her new ability and the fifth layer¡¯s weaker gravity. No, she hadn¡¯t seen it coming. She could beat herself up about it later, but right now she had to figure out what was going on.

    <em style="font-style: italic">First, what grabbed me?

    Bel was held in place by a pair of spindly forelimbs that were wrapped under her body. The owner of those limbs was a giant bug.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Typical. It¡¯s always bugs. Actually, this looks like a shrimp ¨C so a water bug, except it¡¯s in the sky.

    The shrimp was around twice Bel¡¯s size, with two bulbous eyes elevated on eye stalks over its head and a multicolored carapace of rocky gray shot through with veins of blue and gold. A pair of whiskers poked at her with eager anticipation as the flying shrimp pranced through the air. From her current perspective, she could see that it didn¡¯t have any wings or other means of locomotion other than the army of legs moving underneath it. She¡¯d seen enough.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I know how to deal with bugs, whether they swim in the ocean or run through the air, she thought vindictively.

    She looked it in the bulbous eyes and <em style="font-style: italic">glared.

    The creature froze. Bel expected to drop, but instead they remained hovering in the air.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Close enough, Bel smirked. She tried to wriggle free, but found, to her dismay, that she was still locked in the shrimp¡¯s embrace. It felt as if there was a heavy pressure squeezing her body, something entirely separate from the arms of her captor. She strained and wriggled until she was flushed with exertion.

    Then she realized that she was having trouble breathing; whatever pressure was pinning her in place was also compressing her chest. As she¡¯d puffed and gasped the air had been forced out of her lungs, leaving them empty and yearning for a freshly drawn breath. Bel channeled more energy through <em style="font-style: italic">lung capacity as her lungs strained, trying to get the most of out the shallow gasps that she could manage with the oppressive force squeezing her chest.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m not going to get killed by some random flying shrimp, she berated herself.

    Bel focused her attention onto her hand and directed a <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave at her assailant. The angle was bad, and it would likely only take off an arm, but Bel was fine with that. Her energy flowed through her core, tracing the strokes of the ability as usual. Then the energy dissipated into the air and¡­ and nothing happened. It fizzled out, stopping halfway through, and the rest of her unused energy dripped back into her core like a chastened pet meekly slinking back to its owner.

    Panic gripped her. <em style="font-style: italic">What happened? It¡¯s stunned, how could it stop my ability?

    Spots were beginning to swim through her vision as her exertion and lack of air took its toll. Her desire to draw breath was like a voice screaming in the back of her mind, but she couldn¡¯t do anything ¨C she didn¡¯t understand what was happening.

    Finally, with a twitch of its feelers, the shrimp came back to life. It resumed its through the air as if it had never been interrupted. Its legs pumped as it pranced in a circle, turning them back around to charge straight for the rocky cliffs where it had snatched her.

    Just before it collided with the sheer wall, it let her go, hurling her at the rocks. Bel greedily stole a breath in the heartbeat before her body was brought to a halt in a painful collision. Stars burst in her eyes and she staggered as she struggled to stay upright. The thought popped into her head that James would be disappointed that she wasn¡¯t taking his advice and avoiding head injuries.

    Bel barely managed to get her wobbling feet under her before the shrimp rushed forward again. She braced for its attack, expecting a slash from its legs or a bite from its mandibles, but instead it punched forward with its front legs. Bel didn¡¯t even have time to register the movement when they unfurled at the elbows with lightning speed and slammed into her chest with the concussive force of a whale.

    Bel was knocked into the rocky wall again, but now her chest ached and she coughed up a few drops of blood before her abilities could staunch her internal bleeding.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What the hell, this isn¡¯t fair! It¡¯s just some bug! Why is it kicking my ass?

    Before Bel could get her feet under her again, she found herself locked into place. The shrimp had activated its pressure ability again, rooting her to the spot so it could wind up for a second body breaking blow.

    Her feet were on the ground this time though, which meant that she could use her newest ability. She activated <em style="font-style: italic">pounce, and, unlike with her previous attempts, this time she wasn¡¯t completely stuck in place. She moved, just a small amount, a tiny hop really, but when her head poked out of the top of her invisible cage she immediately understood what the shrimp was doing. It was squeezing the air in a spot, making it so thick and heavy that it was like a solid object rather than air. She¡¯d jumped with enough force to get her head out of the solidified block, but the rest of her was still stuck in it, suspended like a creature trapped in ice.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It must have been using the same ability to walk through the air, she realized.

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    She watched with dread and frustration as it backed up slightly before winding up its legs for a killing blow.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Wait, Dutcha¡¯s path offered an ability like that. I took liquify instead, but maybe they¡¯re all similar. My ability may be able to cancel this one out.

    Bel focused on the air and tried to <em style="font-style: italic">liquify it; to her relief it worked. Her body sank back to the ground as the formerly solid block lost cohesion and drifted apart. Bel tensed her body as she readied her own ability. The shrimp stepped forward to hammer with its forelegs again, but Bel lifted her hand and blew off its face with a powerful <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave.

    Its legs kicked weakly, spasming in death, and the body slumped to the ground.

    ¡°Take that, you stupid sky shrimp,¡± she muttered angrily.

    As her life or death struggle ended and the adrenaline began to fade, Bel clutched at the pain deep in her chest. She could feel an ache that seemed to go nearly all the way through her and into her core.

    She bared her teeth at the corpse of the shrimp. <em style="font-style: italic">I want that ability.

    However the giant shrimp¡¯s ability had worked, Bel could tell that it was specialized to work on the air. Dutcha¡¯s version was probably more powerful, but Bel wouldn¡¯t be able to use it more than once or twice. The shrimp had been able to use its ability nearly continually to run on the air.

    Bel looked through the sky to be sure nothing else was sneaking up on her, before carefully shuffled over to the colorful arthropod. She carefully placed a hand upon its carapace and extended her senses into the creature¡¯s core. It was as alien as most of the creatures she¡¯d picked through, but she quickly recognized its air manipulation ability.

    She frowned; it was too large and complicated, and didn¡¯t feel at all similar to her <em style="font-style: italic">liquify ability. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to trace it onto her core on the first attempt.

    Bel clicked her tongue. Even with two or three attempts she would struggle to take the ability, and she could already feel the core weakening from her attention. She refused to get <em style="font-style: italic">nothing from her painful encounter.

    She cracked open the creature¡¯s core and pulled out as much essence as she could before it could go to waste. It was a satisfying feeling at least, and her own core blared triumphantly as two more thresholds bloomed. The shrimp¡¯s energy had even taken her part way to a third threshold.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least I know it was pretty strong. If this had just been something random like those tree rats in the previous layer I would die of shame right now, but the sky shrimp was a worthy opponent.

    ¡°Is that food?¡±

    Bel turned at Orseis¡¯ voice, surprised that the cuttlefish girl was outside despite her ongoing brain trauma. Then she realized that the fighting had been happening right next to the entrance to their hiding cave and that the noise had drawn her outside.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If I¡¯d died that would have been the worst. Orseis would¡¯ve had to let everyone know that I didn¡¯t make it three steps from shelter before being caught by a giant bug.

    Bel put on a brave face and gestured at the dead shrimp. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s food. It¡¯s probably as close to sea food as we¡¯ll get around here.¡±

    Orseis nodded eagerly and rushed over the to the dead arthropod. Her movements still looked a little wobbly to Bel, but she thought that the younger girl was getting better.

    ¡°Hey Ori,¡± Bel called.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like that nickname,¡± Ori griped.

    ¡°Sure. Is it possible to only use part of an ability?¡±

    Orseis pressed her lips together. Bel worried that the nickname was actually starting to bother her, but when the girl¡¯s tentacles began to roam towards the shrimp Bel realized that she was just hungry and cranky.

    ¡°Why would you want to use part of an ability?¡±

    Bel pointed at the shrimp. ¡°This thing was using an ability that I¡¯m pretty sure is just a weaker, but kind of specialized, version of something I could get from Dutcha. I¡¯d rather have the weaker, specialized version, because it¡¯s probably way cheaper. If I did have Dutcha¡¯s version though, could I use it at a weaker strength to get the same limited effect with less energy?¡±

    Orseis tilted her head, confused. ¡°That¡¯s a weird thing to want.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not weird. I just want to know if there¡¯s a way to use abilities at a level between the passive version of an ability, where I¡¯m not spending any essence, and the normal version, where I¡¯m sending enough energy to fill all the strokes in the ability,¡± Bel huffed.

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s such a you problem, Bel.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes hissed. ¡°I¡¯m tempted to give you another brain injury. Maybe enough of them will fix your snark.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles defensively. ¡°Whoah, I¡¯m serious. Most abilities are pretty weak, so using a weaker version wouldn¡¯t do anything. The gods don¡¯t like giving away their best abilities, you know.¡±

    Orseis gestured at the dead shrimp. ¡°And abilities that have evolved naturally, they¡¯re usually hyper-specific. A nice ability lets you push it a bit harder by pushing extra essence through, but that¡¯s it, none of this partial activation stuff.¡±

    Bel quirked an eyebrow. ¡°But something like <em style="font-style: italic">liquify does a ton of stuff. I mean, I just used it to liquify the air around me to escape this thing, but it also works to soften rock or weaken the bones of an enemy. That can¡¯t all be the same effect, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± Orseis pointed a tentacle at Bel. ¡°Some of your abilities are just too strong. That shockwave? That should start as a small ability, not have a base power level that can blow the face off of a powerful monster.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s great,¡± Bel agreed proudly, ¡°why would you say it¡¯s too strong?¡±

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s efficient for how powerful it is,¡± Orseis sighed, ¡°but mortals like us don¡¯t get nice things like that, and you can barely handle it. You run out of energy just using it a couple of times. That isn¡¯t a problem most of us have.¡±

    Bel pursed her lips. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t know if I could, for example, use a weaker version of my <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave because that just not a problem that anyone else has?¡±

    Orseis nodded. ¡°Yup. Like I keep saying, you¡¯re weird.¡± She shrugged. ¡°If you want my advice, try running energy through only some of the strokes, see if anything still happens.¡±

    ¡°The patterns are really complicated,¡± Bel complained.

    Orseis threw up her tentacles with frustration. ¡°Yeah, of course! Did you think messing with abilities was easy?¡±

    Bel fell into silent contemplation and Orseis shook her head with disgust before turning towards her meal. As Orseis used her tentacles to pull the shrimp¡¯s flesh away from its shell, Bel had an idea.

    ¡°Hey. I could make helmets out of this thing¡¯s shell.¡±

    Orseis gave her a dead-eyed look. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I can reshape things pretty easily with <em style="font-style: italic">liquify, and we can use some of the broken parachute cords as chin straps. It¡¯ll be great.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ face wrinkled with disgust. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to wear dead things on my head.¡±

    ¡°And I don¡¯t really want to put up with you when you get another concussion,¡± Bel snapped. ¡°So you¡¯re wearing dead things, whether you like it or not.¡±

    ¡°Besides,¡± Bel explained, ¡°this¡¯ll give me a reason to experiment with <em style="font-style: italic">liquify. Maybe I¡¯ll discover something good.¡±

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Orseis groaned and ripped out a hunk of shrimp, ¡°you can do whatever, I¡¯m too hungry to argue.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 75 â€“ Reconnaissance

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel¡¯s snakes shifted slightly as she tilted her head, watching the sky shrimp as it strode through the air above her. She had avoided fighting them after her first encounter with one of them, but after convalescing for several days she was finally breathing with hardly any discomfort in her ribs. It was time to go on the offensive. She wanted another opportunity to test out her understanding of her own abilities, and, if she was honest with herself, she wanted the confidence boost that would come with a little payback.

    Orseis had also been whining, loudly and incessantly, that she wanted to eat more shrimp, but Bel didn¡¯t let that influence her decisions.

    The shrimp touched down on a cliff a little more than a stone¡¯s throw away ¨C a stone¡¯s throw at regular gravity. Bel tensed her muscles and <em style="font-style: italic">pounced.

    She¡¯d been thinking about Orseis¡¯ evaluation of her abilities being ¡®too powerful¡¯ during her convalescence, and she had to admit that the tentacled girl was right. When Bel¡¯s feet pushed off of the ground they did so without any sound, and without tossing a stone or pebble. Her body moved through the air with the same eerie silence, as though the air were simply moving out of the way for her as she passed. Against any creature that lacked eyes on stalks that could simultaneously watch in every direction Bel was certain they would never know of her attack.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Too bad these sky shrimp have eyes on the top of their head, she thought ruefully. The shrimp twitched as Bel hurtled towards it, and a stride away from the monster she found herself once again encased in a solid block of air. Bel was ready for it this time.

    With a though, she pushed <em style="font-style: italic">liquify into the area around her, converting the nature of the air away from a solid. That would normally take six strokes, but Bel had managed to find some optional pathways that ¨C with a lot of concentration ¨C she could skip. It brought the cost down by about half a stroke, which she thought was a good beginning.

    She¡¯d been attacking the shrimp from its side, so it was busy turning to face her as she sank to the ground. Once her feet touched stone, Bel lashed out with a straight punch aimed at one of the joints on the shrimps hammer feet. She pushed out a passive <em style="font-style: italic">liquify into the armored joint as her fist connected, and when her fist bounced off she channeled a small <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave through her knuckles, quickly severing the dangerous limb.

    Bel smiled with satisfaction: the small <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave had only taken ten strokes rather than the full sixteen. It wasn¡¯t cheap, and with a potency of five she was actually blowing through a lot of energy, but it was the improvement that mattered.

    With the shrimp suddenly armless on its near side, Bel thrust out with her other hand. She used the same <em style="font-style: italic">liquify-shockwave technique with her follow-up, crumpling the side of the arthropod¡¯s head. It collapsed to the rocks, twitching feebly as the body caught up with the fact that the brain was dead.

    Bel poked it in the side, ripping the fresh essence out of its core. She sighed in satisfaction as her core bloomed with new energy, sending her up another two thresholds. Her snakes writhed with satisfaction as she looked down at her kill.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty badass, aren¡¯t I?¡± she asked her closest serpent. It flicked out its tongue as Bel grinned proudly.

    ¡°Now I just need to bring this back to Ori so she stops asking for more food.¡±

    Bel looked at the shrimp. She glanced back up the mountain, where she knew the concealed cave entrance and a hungry girl were waiting. She looked down at the large, bulky, and not easily carried shrimp.

    ¡°Ah, dammit. I¡¯m gonna get covered in shrimp bits, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    <hr>

    Orseis wrinkled her nose with disgust. ¡°You¡¯re covered in shrimp bits.¡±

    She pointed to the cave entrance. ¡°Go rub yourself off with some snow.¡±

    Bel sighed heavily, but marched out of the cave and threw herself into the cold snow. Bits of it melted and flowed under her armor, and she stomped the ground to keep herself from shrieking. She would have resisted if Orseis had been complaining for no reason, but after a few days of Bel attempting to make shrimp armor they¡¯d both learned the consequences of keeping uncleaned shrimp parts in their living space. Out in the freezing cold of the fifth layer things were fine, but in an enclosed space heated to body temperature it was a different story.

    She shivered as she got up and stomped back into the cave, rushing over to their small fire to warm her hands. Her snakes leaned forward too, eager to cast off the snow¡¯s lingering chill. Sparky did her best to get into the fire, so Bel leaned forward slightly so her magma snake could get more comfortable.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t drip on the fire,¡± Orseis complained. Bel ignored her, content to enjoy the small bit of warmth.

    ¡°Get your snake out of the fire, at least. I want to cook some of the shrimp.¡±

    Bel groaned in complaint, but she leaned back. Sparky hissed in Orseis¡¯ direction, but everyone was used to the magma spirit¡¯s over-the-top reactions by now.

    ¡°So we¡¯re going to hunt down the Dark Ravager¡¯s remaining cultists now?¡± Orseis asked.

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yeah. I think there¡¯s room for me to improve with my abilities, but we need to start making plans to deal with Nebamon and his goons.¡±

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    ¡°Did your brother ever find out anything about Crystal?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Her family didn¡¯t want to talk about her. James went into some long speech the fabric of a moral society and how people are no better than those who are worst off, but I didn¡¯t really follow it. The long story short was that she ran away from home and helped the Dark Ravager¡¯s cult because she didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Orseis paused. ¡°That¡¯s sad.¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Yeah, the world is sad. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve got to get to Satrap and stop Technis.¡±

    Orseis shoved a mouthful of shrimp into her face while nodding with determination.

    <hr>

    After eating, they buried the leftover shrimp deep in the snow to preserve it for their return. Then they set off on a search for the cultist¡¯s camp.

    Bel made good use of the time she spent recuperating by observing the world of the fifth layer. At first glance it was a barren world with a few rocky islands in the snow, but after observing the creatures she realized that there was more happening that was obvious at first glance. The first thing to grab her attention was the frequency with which stone slabs fell from the ceiling above. The loud boom of a nearby rock fall had woken her on several occasions, but the falls seemed more likely to occur where there hadn¡¯t been one for a while. This made them more likely to fill empty areas of snow, which in turn meant that no areas of the fifth layer were completely isolated or desolate.

    Of the life on the layer, the predators had been the first to grab Bel¡¯s attention. The eight-legged fox-worms and sky shrimp especially since she was the right size for them to consider eating her. However, it was actually the saber-toothed deer that seemed the most impactful to the other creatures.

    Herds of them wandered over the sides of the cliffs, scraping lichen and moss from the rocks and chewing up any reachable shrubs as they went. When their preferred food was out of reach they slammed their hooves into the rocks, using some ability to smash the rocks to bits and knock down their desired plants. They were busy reshaping the landscape, turning the rocks falling from the layers¡¯ ceiling from sheer, flat slabs into rounder hills. This, in turn, meant more usable space for the layers smaller inhabitants, and more usable ground for the small shrubs that thrived in the layer.

    The herds of thunderhooves ¨C Orseis had come up with the new name after watching them demolish a cliff ¨C didn¡¯t stick to a single mountain. They travelled from rock to rock, and where they went they left large, flattened pathways through the snow. Bel had been unlucky to miss them on her first day, but they formed highways that went from island to island. Larger rocks had more traffic and wider paths than the smaller, older rocks that were disappearing beneath the snow.

    The very largest highways were even worn deep enough to uncover small streams of melt water, filled with wide varieties of hardy water life. Orseis had been so excited at the thought of more fresh seafood that she¡¯d nearly jumped head-first into the near freezing water, but Bel had restrained her. It was good that she did, because a few moments later a large tracer, a super-sized version of the seal-like creature she¡¯d encountered with Beth and James in Satrap¡¯s Labyrinthos, swam by. After that, Orseis checked the water for threats before breaking through it and reaching through with her tentacles. She did manage to pull up a few fish, but she also pulled up an equal number of eels. The first one that she tried to eat swelled with pus, nearly gluing Orseis¡¯ face shut with slimy mucous. Her excitement for the water diminished after she was forced to spend half an hour rubbing the mucous from her face.

    The delay wasn¡¯t too much of an inconvenience. The variable sizes of the highways made it easy to tell what kind of rock would be at the end of any particular path, which allowed Bel and Orseis to follow a route that only stopped at the tallest rocks. They got their bearings with each one and were soon in the area where Bel had seen Nebamon¡¯s people descending from the layer above.

    Five large rocks from their original starting point and she found herself perched on a high cliff, overlooking the cultist¡¯s encampment. They had flattened a wide area in the snow, at least a hundred meters across, and ringed it with a wall made of sharped bones. A corner of their area covered a frozen lake. They had punched a hole in the thick ice and had set up multiple fishing lines to provide themselves with a constant stream of food, meaning that they would rarely need to leave their guarded compound to gather supplies.

    Despite the safety offered by their wall, the cultists didn¡¯t work alone within the compound. They operated in four groups of three. One group occupied a tall watchtower of stacked stone in the center of the camp while another trio were gathering fish. A third group was working on something, but Bel couldn¡¯t tell what. That group had Rikja in it, but all Bel could see was an occasional flash of flames. At first she¡¯d thought that they were cooking something, but a longer look revealed that they were repeatedly heating and working some small objects.

    The final group wasn¡¯t anywhere that Bel could see, so she assumed that they were in a large tent made of worm fox hide. After waiting and watching for a while that hunch was confirmed when the groups rotated. One group of three entered the tent and, a minute later, the final group exited. Bel¡¯s eyes narrowed when she spotted Nebamon¡¯s familiar figure; it would be impossible to miss his swagger.

    ¡°So, it looks like there are around a dozen of them?¡± Orseis asked, interrupting Bel¡¯s train of thoughts. ¡°Charging in there is suicide, you know.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°Then we won¡¯t charge in. There are other ways to do this.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ brows lifted. ¡°Oh? Are you gonna share? Any advice from your parents?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Just stories from Beth and James.¡±

    She considered that for a moment. ¡°Well, mostly James. Beth would just run in there stabbing, I think.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ w-shaped pupils narrowed. ¡°Stories from your brother? Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but he¡¯s not what I consider a fighter.¡±

    Beth shrugged. ¡°Yeah, Beth was never impressed with most of the stuff he talked about either. But she always listened when he talked about war.¡±

    Bel ran a hand through her snakes while she thought about James¡¯ meandering monologues. ¡°According to James, war in the Old World is so sophisticated that it isn¡¯t just fighting anymore. There¡¯s a complicated mess of money, information, and diplomacy that goes before any actual violence.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like they just weren¡¯t serious,¡± Orseis dismissed. ¡°And money and diplomacy have nothing to do with our problems.¡±

    ¡°Well, they were so good at destroying stuff that the powerful countries couldn¡¯t afford to fight each other,¡± Bel explained. ¡°Sometimes though, big armies would try to crush smaller ones. We can use some of the tactics that the little ones used in those situations.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Orseis asked, intrigued.

    ¡°Something called ¡®guerilla warfare¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Which is what? Stop using words that don¡¯t mean anything.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not ¨C no, nevermind, arguing with you is never worth it.¡±

    Bel pointed at the camp. ¡°We¡¯re going to start by filling their water with eels.¡±

    Orseis eyed her skeptically.

    ¡°And maybe we should go back and gather some of that itchy plant as well.¡±

    Orseis cringed. ¡°But it makes my skin itchy.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Bel replied with excitement. She balled her hands into fists and punched the air. ¡°Trust me Ori, this¡¯ll be great. They won¡¯t know what hit ¡¯em.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 76 â€“ Ambush

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel guessed that the dozen cultists left in Nebamon¡¯s group were skilled and experienced fighters. She know that Rikja and Nebamon were dangerous, and if the rest had survived being hunted by the stitched together monster that Crystal had become then they couldn¡¯t have been helpless. The only things Bel had going for her were the element of surprise, a willingness to do stupid things, and a muscle-headed girl with a bunch of tentacles.

    It was why she and Orseis had spent a day watching the cultists without doing anything. After that, they¡¯d asked James and the strategists of the Golden Plains for advice before spending weeks pulling what felt like stupid pranks.

    They started by gathering an itching vine that deterred predators with an irritating oily coating. Then they rubbed the vines into all of the wood near the encampment, ruining the cultist¡¯s closest supply of firewood.

    They chased away any herds of animals that came too close, ensuring that the cultists¡¯ hunting trips would take longer and be less bountiful.

    They dug pit traps ¨C obvious and easily avoided, and perhaps not even dangerous in the lower gravity, but still annoying.

    They caught the goo-producing eels that had almost choked Orseis to death and stored them in sleds they¡¯d carved from ice. Bel went upstream of the cultist¡¯s camp and dumped the eels into the water, ensuring that the cultist¡¯s would mostly be catching snot. Orseis waited downstream to catch the eels again, and they repeated the process every few days.

    The rotated between different things so they wouldn¡¯t be caught ¨C they weren¡¯t actually looking to start a fight, at least not yet. Instead they took advantage of the groups cautious nature to harass them without doing something so bad that it had to be dealt with. Nebamon¡¯s group certainly knew that someone was messing with them; Bel had overheard Rikja screaming and cursing after she¡¯d tripped into some of the itching vines. It brought a smile to Bel¡¯s face that didn¡¯t leave for days.

    Knowing that they were being harassed, the cultists became more paranoid. They made their wall more robust and started going around in groups of six instead of groups of three. They even spent time making new weapons, and Bel was interested to see that one of them was skilled enough to craft several crossbows from nothing but wood and rocks. Clearly their group was better prepared to survive in the wilderness than Bel and Orseis, but the constant harassment was making them testy and sleep-deprived.

    Testy and sleep-deprived was exactly what Bel was aiming for. James had been an endless fountain of ideas, and Beth had helped to refine them into a two phase plan: degrade the cultist¡¯s position, then ambush them when they were at their lowest. Beth had been really excited to offer advice, and it was the most fun Bel had with her sister in a long while.

    She shook her head to clear out the distracting thoughts. She was moments away from transitioning from harassment to pulling off an actual ambush. She knew herself well enough to recognize that thinking about random things was her way of coping with stress, but that didn¡¯t make it a good idea.

    Bel eased herself upwards and peered through a small peephole she had poked into a snowbank. Currently she was on top of a tall spire of rock, perched at the pinnacle of one of the snowy cliffs of the fifth layer. Below her was the only herd of thunderhooves that she and Orseis hadn¡¯t chased away from Nebamon¡¯s camp. A half dozen cultists had formed a hunting party and were on their way to Bel¡¯s position. They were sneaking through the snow to avoid the thunderhooves line of sight, but easily visible from Bel¡¯s vantage point.

    She pulled in a deep breath and held it while willing her heart to slow. The moments seemed to drip like tar as she watched the half dozen cloaked figures slowly creep towards her position. Bel had been spying on the group on and off for weeks, so she recognized each of them.

    There was Rikja, of course, the hateful fire mage who she had first met in Satrap. She was high in her second core, but Bel felt like she would be a terrible fighter up close. Beth had advised her to put a dagger through Rikja¡¯s vitals as quickly as possible.

    The leader of the group was probably more dangerous, although Bel was less certain of his abilities. He was a thick, scaled man with clawed hands and a heavy, thumping gate. The rest of his physique was conceal by a dark robe, but Bel had figured out that he was second in command to Nebamon. Bel had seen him use some kind of wind manipulation abilities and he had also displayed feats of strength that would shame a team of hauling lizards. Her brainstorming group had guessed that those abilities came from two different Paths, meaning that he was somewhere in his third core. Of the hunting party, he was the likely to be the most dangerous.

    Next came the artificer. Bel assumed that his abilities were similar to Crystal¡¯s: slow to get started, but eventually devastating. That made him what Beth had called priority target number three.

    She lumped the last three together as low priority targets. Two of them were scorpion relatives, so Bel had to be mindful of their tails and pincers. Their claws made them terrible shots with their crossbows, though, and she hadn¡¯t seen any impressive abilities from them.

    The last person was a kangaroo. Normally Bel would be worried about his agility and powerful kicks, but his body was unsuited to the slippery snow. She¡¯d seen him hopping incredibly high into the air only to end up head first in a snowdrift on more than one occasion. None of the last three had flashy abilities, so she assumed some basic body augmentations. She didn¡¯t write them off, but Bel would prefer to focus on eliminating the first three before bothering with the rest ¨C if she had a choice.

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    Bel watched them until they were directly below her spot.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s now or never, she told herself.

    Bel pushed her agitated snakes from her face and shoved her other hand under the snow. The ground thumped with the force of her <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave, and a moment later all of the snow on her rocky spire rushed to meet the ground. White flakes filled the air, blocking her vision. She waited a few moments for signs of movement, but everything had gone unnaturally still.

    Bel crept forward to peer over the edge of her perch so she could assess the results. As she moved, she grabbed her weapon: a short sword that she¡¯d fashioned from bone. Calling it a sword was maybe a bit too kind, but after going through an entire fox-worm skeleton and hours with her liquify ability she had finally ended up with a tool that could probably kill someone if she stabbed them hard enough.

    She peered over the edge¡­

    The hunters were peering back at her. They were fine. A quick glance showed a cone of debris around their leader and a hardened, waist high wall of ice around the artificer. Nebamon¡¯s people were simply waiting for their attacker to show themselves, and Bel had foolishly obliged.

    Before she could pull herself back, the bulky lizard leader hurled a blast of air at her precarious perch, blowing the snow and rock apart. She tumbled down the rocky slope, crossbow bolts and a whip of fire cutting through the air around her. Bel kicked off of a stable-looking rock buried herself in a snowdrift. It wasn¡¯t a real solution to her problem, but her avalanche was only supposed to be a distraction anyway ¨C Orseis was in the charge of the actual ambush.

    Obviously, two people ambushing a group of six was suicide, so they were enlisting help from the very same herd of thunderhooves that the cultists were hunting. The saber-toothed deer were easily startled and could be scared off easily, but when cornered they became more dangerous than any of the fifth layer¡¯s predators.

    From her hiding place, Bel heard the muffled sounds of hoof beats reverberating through the air. The herd had been sent into a stampede by Orseis, and now their route was blocked by an avalanche of snow and a group of dangerous looking cultists. Bel heard a chorus of angry belows and the simultaneous slamming of many hooves on stone and ice.

    The ground shook again, this time with far more force than Bel¡¯s lone <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave. The thunderhooves created a surge in the ground and sent a wave of ice, snow, and rock at the startled cultists.

    Bel sneaked a peek out of her hiding spot and grinned with delight as she saw a couple of the cultists flung through the air like worthless trash.

    Not all of them were caught flat-footed though. The leader braced his arms in front of his body and held his ground. One of the scorpions thrust a claw into the ground and a small barrier of dirt rose to protect her.

    The artificer also escaped. He frantically searched through his holster of metal rods before hoisting one into the air triumphantly. The inscriptions on the metal glowed and he rose into the air like a leaf in the wind.

    Three of the cultists were indisposed and the other two were focusing on the her, so when the artificer drifted directly in front of Bel¡¯s position she didn¡¯t hesitate for even a heartbeat to <em style="font-style: italic">pounce from her hiding place and slam her short sword under his ribs.

    His wand fell from his lifeless fingers, ending his levitation spell, and Bel and his fresh corpse fell through the air after it. She kicked his still twitching body away so she didn¡¯t become tangled in it and assessed her landing spot.

    The thunderhooves had decided that the best defense was a strong offense and were charging through the still-standing members of the hunting party. The scorpion who had resisted the ground assault regretted her momentary victory when one of the beasts, with a swipe of its wide antlers, gored her through the torso.

    The bulky man fared better, simply bracing himself and then leaping over the entire charging herd with help from a small burst of air.

    Bel landed in the relative calm after the charge, as if she had planned the entire thing.

    The leader was still drifting back to the ground ¨C nearly a hundred strides away and momentarily out of mind ¨C so Bel turned upon her next priority target.

    Rikja.

    Bel¡¯s thoughts flashed quickly to Jan¡¯s disappointed expression when they¡¯d talked about the fire mage turned cultist, but Bel quickly dismissed the distraction. This was a kill or be killed moment, and she was certain that the angry meerkat would be happy to roast her on a spit.

    When Rikja pulled herself from a pile of snow, the first thing she saw was Bel charging straight for her. Rikja¡¯s lips skimmed back in a feral snarl and the fire mage reacted just as Bel had predicted: a wall of fire erupted between them.

    Most animals didn¡¯t like to jump through fire, but Bel wasn¡¯t an animal. Most people would be singed ¨C or at least momentarily blinded ¨C after such a daring stunt, but Bel used <em style="font-style: italic">thermal regulation to shunt her warmth into her magma snake and dove straight through the fire.

    Rikja¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, but she was quick to throw several orbs of fire in Bel¡¯s direction. They both knew that the lesser attacks wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop Bel, so Rikja began gathering a more impressive orb of hissing flame in her palms.

    Rikja sneered at Bel, and her mouth quirked open to say something. Bel <em style="font-style: italic">glared at her, causing Rikja¡¯s eyes to go glassy for a moment. Bel saw her opportunity and <em style="font-style: italic">pounced.

    In the blink of an eye, Bel was there.

    Rikja tried to toss the hastily formed ball of fire at her, but Bel swiped with her weapon and sent Rikja stumbling back. Bel leaned to the side to dodge the hastily thrown flames, then bent back and kicked Rikja in the gut. The meerkat fell backwards with a snarl, and reached into her sleeve.

    ¡°No tricks,¡± Bel hissed. She plunged her bone sword into the woman¡¯s gut. The she pulled a bone dagger from a woven sash at her waist and stabbed Rikja through her eye.

    She stabbed her body again as it collapsed, a sudden fury wresting her body away from her rational mind¡¯s control.

    ¡°You wanted to feed me to your beetle-god,¡± she seethed as her weapons plunged into flesh. ¡°You thought I was nothing but livestock!¡±

    She kicked the corpse free from her sword.

    ¡°Well, now you¡¯re dead and so is your god,¡± Bel panted.

    A thump from behind her brought her back to reality. Bel whipped around, the energy for a <em style="font-style: italic">glare pooling behind her eyes. Before she could lock eyes with her attacker a heavy impact sent her flying through the air. She slammed into the rock wall and fell into the snow.

    Stars spun in her vision, but Bel didn¡¯t hesitate to throw herself to the side and away from the inevitable follow-up attack. She cursed internally; how could she forget that the group leader was still up and moving?

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 77 â€“ Fight or Flight

    <section>

    <section>

    The cliff behind Bel shattered from the force of the lizard man¡¯s invisible blows as she dove and rolled out of the way. Shrapnel buzzed through the air like a nest of angry wasps. Bel covered her face with her arms to shield herself from the spray, put her head down, and ran. She dodged from rock to rock, searching for an opportunity to catch her breath and face off with the cultists¡¯ second in command, but he seemed determined to finish her off before she got the chance.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I could just tank a hit from his wind blasts? she wondered, as she kicked off of a rock and spun into a cartwheel that landed her on a higher ledge. A head-sized rock shattered into a cloud of pebbles and dust in the spot she¡¯d just vacated.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, maybe not. Even if I catch his attack on Kjar¡¯s armor, the force of it would be something rough.

    She kept moving, jumping higher up the rock face and leading her pursuer away from the sight of the ambush.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If I can distract him for long enough, that¡¯ll give Orseis a chance to clean up the rest of their group.

    Bel flipped herself over a small ledge and paused to take a few deep breaths.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If it¡¯s two on one I think we can take him.

    The ledge burst to pieces underneath her; Bel surged her pouncing ability through her legs at the last moment, propelling herself onto another perch a hundred strides away. The cultist whipped around as he tracked her path, his tail smashing through more rocks in frustration.

    <em style="font-style: italic">He¡¯s gonna level the entire mountain if this keeps up. Maybe I should be talking. James always says that heroes in his world distract villains with chatter.

    She turned over her shoulder and tried to grin confidently at the pursuing lizard man. ¡°Your aim is so bad, you¨C¡±

    Bel swallowed the rest of her words when the cultist took advantage of her momentary distraction to attack. Rather than throwing another ball of wind at her, he used his powers to propel his body instead. He hurtled through the air like a missile made of scale of muscles, clawed hands outstretched to impale her.

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened and the man¡¯s lips skimmed back, revealing the toothy grin of a crocodile. She moved at the last moment, falling onto her back to duck under the attack. She kicked up at the same time, scoring her first hit and pushing him up, into the air, and off of the mountain.

    Before she could celebrate though, the wind caught him in midair and turned him around. He whipped around and his thick tail emerged from under his cloak to slap her across the face.

    <em style="font-style: italic">To hell with tails, Bel cursed, spitting out a wad of blood from her split lip.

    His clawed feet touched the ground and he charged.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Clearly he thinks beating me to death will be easier than throwing air.

    Bel took one look at his rippling muscles and scale-covered body and didn¡¯t like her chances. She looked at his eyes and <em style="font-style: italic">glared, tensing her hands around her makeshift sword as she prepared for an opening. The lizard man averted his gaze down to her feet at the last moment though, avoiding her gorgonic ability.

    Despite the lower gravity, she could feel the ground shuddered under the lizard man¡¯s feet as he leaped at her. His surprisingly stubby arms reached out, eager to tear the life from her. Bel¡¯s hands tensed around her weapon as she shifted her feet, hoping for an opportunity to get her sharped bone through his body ¨C that would hopefully kill him faster than he would kill her.

    She was so focused that when Orseis¡¯ thrown boulder caught the man in the midsection, bending him over and tossing him into the ground, Bel didn¡¯t react for several heartbeats. As soon as her mind caught up she launched herself at his prone form, her bone weapon lifted high. He looked up and she hit him with a <em style="font-style: italic">glare powerful enough to pin him in place long enough for her to deliver a powerful stab straight into his midsection.

    Bel shouted in triumph as she stabbed down with all her might, but the sword barely broke through his scaled skin before it snapped.

    Bel stumbled forward from the sudden lack of resistance, taking her straight into range of a powerful backhand. Her neck snapped to the side painfully as she spun through the air. His claws had left a few more cuts along her cheek, but Bel wasn¡¯t aware of anything other than a sudden sense of disorientation before she hit the ground.

    The lizard man pushed himself up to his feet. He eagerly licked his lips, but before he could get to Bel he was sent stumbling back from a small barrage of rocks from Orseis. Bel could see the girl putting her six tentacles to work, blindly grasping for stones and hurling as fast as she could find them. The cultist was forced back for a moment, but only for a few heartbeats.

    He snarled angrily and dug his clawed feet into the ground for purchase before executing a rapid flurry of strikes with his fists and tail. He obliterated the oncoming wave of rocks, breaking them apart like water dashing against a boats prow. Once the air of clear he punched, sending a blast of wind back towards Orseis. Bel couldn¡¯t see it, but when the blast of wind struck Orseis it crushed her into the ground with so much force that she bounced.

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    <em style="font-style: italic">Thank Kjar I made her a helmet before this fight, Bel thought as she forced her body upright.

    She didn¡¯t want to give her opponent any time to attack Orseis a second time, so she <em style="font-style: italic">pounced.

    <em style="font-style: italic">He¡¯s stronger than me and has too much power at a distance, so I¡¯ll just have to get close and hope I can surprise him.

    Bel flew through the air faster than he could react, an in an instant she grabbed onto the sleeve of his robe and jerked his body forward. As his body stumbled past her, Bel slipped her left arm behind his and placed it behind his neck, locking his left arm up and away from her. She slipped her right leg in front of his right foot and used his momentum to push him off balance. His clawed feet gripped the ground and his tail thrashed as he struggled to keep his footing, but Bel punched the back of his knee with her free hand, finally forcing him to the ground.

    He snarled with fury as they rolled over the sharp rocks, his right elbow snapping back as he attempted to hit her in the gut. When he pushed down with his free arm to get off the ground, Bel slipped her right arm under his armpit to complete her hold. A quick jerk of her arm pulled his arm out of position and he collapsed face-first into the rocks.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Now I¡¯ve got you, she rejoiced.

    Her satisfaction was short lived. Bel tried to squeeze her hands together and push down on his neck, but his body swelled with a surge of energy. His muscled visibly bulged, forcing her hands apart. He struggled to his knees, then to his feet, all while Bel squeezed and pushed against him. His arms strained forward and Bel felt like her own arms would be pulled from their sockets.

    The lizard man roared with his primal efforts, but his cry of victory of was cut short when Orseis wrapped a pair of tentacles around his snout and clamped it shut. Her other tentacles wrapped around his knees and she squeezed and jerked, pulling him off balance. The cultist staggered, but he remained upright. Worse, rather than tiring, Bel thought he was growing stronger by the moment.

    Bel hissed with frustration as her muscles strained, and her snakes snapped at his eyes with frustration.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Brute force isn¡¯t going to get this done.

    She caught Orseis¡¯ eye. ¡°Grab his arm,¡± she commanded.

    Orseis moved quickly to wrap his limb in half of her tentacles. Once his arm was pinned, she slipped on of her arms free and shoved her hand against his side, forcing <em style="font-style: italic">liquify into the patch of scales. His cores were strong, but Bel could feel a bit of the energy making its way through despite his resistance. She applied <em style="font-style: italic">liquify a second time to be sure, before reaching for the bone dagger at her side.

    Knowing the end was coming, grunted with fury. He spun his body like a dancer, slamming Bel and Orseis into the rocks around them. The wind whipped around them, and the lizard leaped from the cliff, sending them all hurtling towards the rocks below.

    Bel used that moment of weightlessness to pull her dagger free from her side. Her lips skimmed back with effort as she plunged it into his side. His scaled hide resisted for a moment, but with a grunt of effort Bel forced it through his tough scales and under his ribs. Once she¡¯d broken his hide once, she didn¡¯t stop. She stabbed him repeatedly, not letting go even as the three of them hit the ground.

    The force of the impact sent them all sprawling, but Bel dragged herself back to her feet and rushed to the cultist¡¯s side, ready to continue the fight.

    Relief flooded her body when she saw his glassy-eyed stare. She realized that at some point during the fall he¡¯d finally succumbed.

    Bel wobbled back on shaky legs and she collapsed to the ground.

    Orseis groaned. ¡°That sucked.¡±

    ¡°Did we get them all?¡± Bel asked weakly.

    ¡°Yeah, I verified the other ones. Sorry, that¡¯s why I was so late.¡± She gestured at the dead lizard man. ¡°I stopped to drain their cores, in case it would help. You should take his energy.¡±

    Bel nodded and reached down, grateful for the easy energy boost. ¡°Better safe than getting surprised.¡± She gestured to their defeated foe. ¡°Just look what happened to him.¡±

    Bel finger touched his limp arm and she cracked his core open with a sharp force of will. She gasped as his energy flowed into her, expanding her own core rapidly.

    ¡°Wow, he was definitely third core. Feels like he was pretty strong too ¨C with him and Rikja I went up five thresholds.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that was close. Too close, Bel,¡± Orseis said grimly as she looked over the fresh scrapes and bruised she¡¯d gotten.

    She pulled her helmet from her head, examining the surface that was now scratched and cracked. ¡°Thanks for this. I guess I would have gotten another one of those concussions without it.¡±

    She poked at a large hole in the outer layer and shuddered. ¡°Or maybe worse.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yeah. We need more preparation to take on Nebamon at their camp.¡±

    A loud shriek cut through the air, and Bel and Orseis quickly threw themselves behind a nearby rock.

    ¡°What in hells was that?¡± Bel wondered aloud.

    She looked up to see a small object gaining altitude above them until it finally burst into a puff of orange sparks.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about going after their camp,¡± a calm voice called out to them. ¡°Once they see that signal they¡¯ll come running.¡±

    Bel slowly leaned out from behind the rock.

    ¡°Crystal,¡± she said warily. ¡°So you can talk.¡±

    She grimaced when she saw that the patchwork Crystal was now wielding the bird man¡¯s god-gifted spear.

    The woman nodded. ¡°Sure, I can talk. I made some modifications. It¡¯s allowed.¡±

    Bels¡¯ eyebrows went up. ¡°Allowed? So you¡¯re just Technis¡¯ puppet now? That doesn¡¯t sound like the Crystal I knew.¡±

    Crystal snorted. ¡°Well yeah. I¡¯m not Crystal, I¡¯m just using her body.¡±

    ¡°Gross,¡± Orseis whispered. ¡°Did they suck out her brains?¡±

    ¡°The process is nothing so crude,¡± Crystal began.

    ¡°She¡¯s wasting our time,¡± Bel realized. ¡°She wants to get us all in one spot, but if start running she¡¯ll have to chase after us.¡±

    Crystal shook her finger. ¡°Not quite. I can track you just fine, so if you go running I¡¯ll just let you go.¡±

    She gestured to the dead cultist. ¡°These guys became way more troublesome once they started building weapons and set up a home base, so I¡¯ll be focusing on them for now.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°So you want us to let you finish off the only thing that¡¯s threatening you? You¡¯ll just hunt us down after that. We¡¯d be better off fighting you together.¡±

    The Crystal-like patchwork person grinned. ¡°Sure, you try that. This body¡¯s memories don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely that you¡¯ll be able to work together, but go for it.¡±

    Bel huffed, but she knew that Crystal was right.

    ¡°Hey Bel,¡± Orseis whispered, ¡°maybe we should make a break for it?¡±

    Bel glanced warily at Crystal¡¯s spear. If it still worked the way it had with the bird man ¨C and she had no reason to think that it wouldn¡¯t ¨C then it would return to Crystal¡¯s hands even if she threw it wildly. The woman was standing thirty or so strides distant, but Bel would have bet that she could easily hit them if they emerged from behind their rocky cover.

    ¡°Well?¡± the patchwork woman asked, ¡°what¡¯s it gonna be? Fight or flight?¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 78 â€“ Nearly Completely Uninhabited

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel chewed on her lip hard enough to draw blood. She could see Orseis¡¯ skin shifting colors from the stress.

    ¡°Well?¡± The not-Crystal waved a wand around in the air before sending up another signal flare. ¡°Nebamon¡¯s probably on his way. You want to try to convince him to work with you, or are you going to turn tails and run?¡±

    Orseis leaned close to Bel¡¯s ear. ¡°She¡¯s trying to get us to run. She must be worried.¡±

    Bel shook her head and her lips pulled down in a deep frown. ¡°No, I think she¡¯s just trying to get us to come out from behind this rock.¡±

    She clicked her tongue. ¡°Working with Nebamon would actually be our best chance if we had to fight her now, but time is on our side.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°How?¡±

    Bel flicked a hand towards the other side of their cover. ¡°Technis¡¯ priests aren¡¯t gods. Their patchwork creations start falling apart the moment they reanimate them. Just look at how many scales she¡¯s missing.¡±

    Orseis started moving to peek out from behind their rock, but Bel grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t actually <em style="font-style: italic">look,¡± she hissed, ¡°she¡¯s probably got a wand pointed right at us!¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t look, won¡¯t she just sneak up on us?¡±

    Bel tightened her grip around Orseis¡¯ shirt. ¡°I¡¯m sure she is. Hold tight.¡±

    Bel tensed her legs and <em style="font-style: italic">pounced. The ability was new, so the patchwork person wouldn¡¯t know about it.

    As always, the ability prevented any noise as Bel pushed against the ground. She held tight to Orseis as they sprang through the air. Bel could feel the beat of Orseis¡¯ heart, the thumping mirroring her own and forming a discordant beat of stress.

    She glanced over her shoulder and saw Crystal spinning in place, tracking them with a wand that was throwing visible sparks. Before Crystal could settle her aim, she and Orseis passed over a ridge and dropped to the other side.

    Orseis¡¯ tentacles relaxed. ¡°We made¨C¡±

    The ridge behind them exploded in a bolt of pure energy, releasing an explosion of rocks and superheated vapor. Bel had already jumped again the moment they¡¯d touched down though, so the explosion only managed to push them farther away from Crystal. Her feet touched down on the far side of the mountain and she ran, making full use of the weaker gravity to descend at a breakneck pace.

    ¡°You can put me down now,¡± Orseis complained.

    ¡°Your legs are too short,¡± Bel responded.

    <em style="font-style: italic">More like bounding, Bel thought to herself. She¡¯d reached one of the beaten down roadways left by the herds of thunderhooves and had opened up her stride. Under the weak gravity she felt like the additional weight from Orseis¡¯ actually helped her get a better grip on the hard-packed snow.

    ¡°My legs aren¡¯t short,¡± Orseis complained, ¡°you¡¯re just weirdly tall.¡±

    ¡°Can you see anyone following us, Ori?¡±

    Orseis shifted around so she could peer behind Bel.

    ¡°Looks clear,¡± she declared. ¡°I guess she¡¯s really staying back to ambush the Dark Ravager¡¯s people.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, she can track me wherever I go.¡±

    It took Bel several skidding bounces to finally come to a stop, after which she dropped Orseis.

    Orseis frowned at the bitter tone of Bel¡¯s voice. ¡°So what are we gonna do?¡±

    Bel rubbed at her snakes in frustration.

    ¡°I think we split up. I¡¯ll lead her around in circles while you gather up whatever weapons Nebamon and his people leave behind and set up an ambush back at our old campsite. I¡¯ll lead her back there after a while.¡±

    Orseis narrowed her eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to to die tragically, right? How long do I have to wait?¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°Nah, I¡¯d rather stay alive. I¡¯ll try to get a big head start and buy you lots of time though.¡±

    She glanced back at the large rock that they¡¯d just fled. It was eerily quiet, but she knew that Nebamon wouldn¡¯t be going down quietly. ¡°Maybe a couple of days? I don¡¯t think her body is that fast, so maybe a week? The longer we wait to confront her, the more degraded her patchwork pieces become.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really like splitting up,¡± Orseis grumbled. Her tentacles writhed as she looked backwards again. ¡°I guess this isn¡¯t a bad plan though, or at least I don¡¯t have a better idea.¡±

    She jabbed a tentacle into Bel¡¯s stomach. ¡°Just don¡¯t go getting killed, okay?¡±

    Bel flashed her a pair of thumbs up. ¡°Of course not! I haven¡¯t died yet, right?¡±

    ¡°Yet.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°Just have some kind of ambush ready. Get some, I dunno, explosives or something.¡±

    Orseis spun around. ¡°Where are we actually?¡±

    Bel thought aboue the route they¡¯d been taking. ¡°Up ahead there should be a smaller path to our left. That should take you to rock that¡¯s been rounded off to a wide hill. Go straight over it and you should find a wide path that¡¯ll take you to the really tall rock that was next to the one with our cave.¡±

    Orseis grimaced. ¡°I think you¡¯re better at mazes than I am. What if I get lost?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Ori. You can always retrace your steps and try again.¡±

    Orseis glanced back at the towering rock that they¡¯d just abandoned.

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Or just hunker down somewhere and wait a day for Crystal to start tracking me. Speaking of Crystal, we¡¯d better get moving.¡±

    ¡°But where are you going to run?¡±

    Bel flicked her fingers at a smaller path splitting off to their right. ¡°That should kind of take me in the direction of the cultist¡¯s camp. I¡¯ll head that way and then take whatever route goes away from you. We saw some of the tallest peaks over there, so I think it¡¯ll be easier to hide.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ lower lip wobbled and she wrapped Bel in a six-tentacle hug. ¡°Stay safe, Bel. I don¡¯t want to be stranded in this frozen desert all alone. Don¡¯t forgot that you¡¯re supposed to take me somewhere with a lot of eligible bachelors.¡±

    Bel laughed and hugged Orseis back. ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t forget.

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    Then they split up and set off at a light run. Bel glanced back right before she entered the side channel.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Be careful, kid, she thought.

    The route Bel had chosen was a narrow chasm a couple of body lengths wide and three or four body lengths deep. The footing was just snow compacted into lumpy ice and was too slippery for Bel to move quickly. She hadn¡¯t realized it before, but the creatures running from one rock island to the next tracked bits of rock with them, improving the traction of the major paths. The small, unpopular path that she¡¯d chosen collected snow faster than rocks and was almost as slippery as snow on a frozen lake.

    Bel was forced to spend so much concentration on her footsteps that it took her a few seconds to realize that the intense pain in her leg was coming from a crossbow bolt through her thigh.

    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± she screamed. She spun to see her attacker and slipped into the wall of the path, bringing down a large clump of snow and nearly burying her.

    ¡°I almost forgot about you! The boss won¡¯t mind tyin¡¯ up a loose end though.¡±

    Bel pushed her head free of the snow and saw that one of the cultists had been waiting in a hollowed out section of the path¡¯s wall. His face was covered in a thick, bristly beard and he had two tusks jutting out of his mouth. His face was meaty and cruel and Bel immediately came to the conclusion that if she was about to be captured by him, then she would rather die.

    She stood on her uninjured leg and reached down to her belt of woven plant fibers to pull out a makeshift bone dagger that had originally been an early attempt at a sword. Bel stared with open envy at the well-made crossbow the boar-man was resetting. To her surprise, he didn¡¯t immediately point the weapon at her once it was reloaded. Instead, he lifted a want from a pocket in his robe and pointed it to the sky.

    A spark of color burst from the tip and flew into the air before bursting into the same kind of signal that Crystal had been using to lure Nebamon.

    ¡°You should be careful announcing yourself like that,¡± Bel warned him.

    <em style="font-style: italic">The last thing I want is for Crystal to catch me again, she fretted. She looked down at her injured thigh with the pinky-thick bolt of metal running through it. It had hit just below the bottom of the plated skirt of Kjar¡¯s armor, just above the knee. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m in a really bad spot, aren¡¯t I?

    The boar-man laughed. ¡°Who¡¯s going to see it? We left that resurrected corpse back in the last layer and this one is nearly completely uninhabited. It¡¯s just you and me and the rest of my fellows.¡±

    As if summoned by his arrogant words, something moved near the top of the path, dislodging large clumps of snow from above.

    The man frowned, but he kept his crossbow trained on Bel.

    <em style="font-style: italic">C¡¯mon, look at me so I can glare at you, she thought with irritation. <em style="font-style: italic">My best bet now that someone else has shown up is to run.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Rikja? If you¡¯re playing a prank again, I¨C¡±

    His words were cut off when a fox-worm ¨C the largest one Bel had seen ¨C jumped to the bottom of the path. Its size wasn¡¯t what help Bel¡¯s attention though. Instead, she stared in wide-eyed surprise at a giant man who sat upon a saddle on the fox-worm¡¯s back.

    The boar-man, overwhelmed with the unexpected situation, decided to simplify things by shooting Bel. If his aim had been good he would have hit her divine armor and she would have been fine, but in his rush his bolt went slightly wide and passed through the fleshy part of her upper arm instead. The pain caused her to drop her dagger. Bel hissed in pain and stumbled back, cursing her distraction.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve got to go on the offensive, she scolded herself.

    She grasped the second bolt and <em style="font-style: italic">liquified it, quickly pulling from her arm and clotting her blood to prevent too much blood from escaping. Then she scooped up her dagger with her uninjured arm and prepared to rush the cultist.

    He was looking away from her again, pointing his weapon at the giant man and shouting angrily threats. Bel glanced at the giant again, hoping that he would be on her side; maybe a mysterious old warrior who had retreated from society to attain enlightenment, even though she knew that was nonsense from her brother¡¯s fantasy stories.

    He was obviously a warrior ¨C his smashed nose and scarred face made that much clear. His expression wasn¡¯t kindly though. In fact, it was closer to ¡°I¡¯m going to eat you¡± than ¡°hello, let¡¯s be friends.¡± He wore a helmet with two large, forward facing horns and the shield that hung on the side of his mount was lined in small, sharp teeth. His saddlebags were hung with multiple spears and nets, and dried blood smeared the front of his tunic. A couple of dead thunderhooves balanced over the back of his mount completed the look: he was a grizzled hunter.

    He was also a giant of a man, easily three times Bel¡¯s height. Tall enough to easily navigate the snow of the fifth layer.

    The boar-man didn¡¯t seem to be intimidated by the much larger hunter. He stepped forward, aiming his crossbow threateningly.

    ¡°You¡¯d better walk away stranger. The Dark Ravager has claimed this place and all of its resources as his own.¡±

    The giant man grinned, revealing a mouth full of pitted teeth. Bel felt a sudden urge to brush her own teeth. Unbidden, she remembered her brother and Beth.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If I survive this, I swear I¡¯ll appreciate my brother more.

    Bel tensed ready to run or fight, depending on what happened next.

    The boar-man once again beat her to it. He aimed his crossbow at the stranger and fired.

    A flurry of snow ripped itself from the wall and intercepted the missile, absorbing it mid-flight and carrying it away harmlessly.

    The giant grinned again. Then, with a wave of his massive hand, he sent a wave of snow and ice at Bel and the cultist.

    Bel¡¯s body was lifted into the air and she was churned violently, like a child caught in a riptide. The bolt still lodged in her leg twisted and pulled, and Bel clenched her teeth to keep from screaming and inhaling a mouth full of snow.

    She snow finally stilled after what felt like years, but Bel knew was less than a minute. She pushed herself to the surface and gasped a deep breath. Spots swam in her eyes as she stared up at the ceiling of the layer, so high above her that it disappeared in the white haze of the faintly swirling snow that now filled the air. The vastness of it made her feel small and irrelevant. Staying still was death, but she was so tired ¨C she¡¯d just been through a life or death battle, she wasn¡¯t ready for a second one so soon.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Would James and Beth know what to say to get me moving? she wondered dizzily.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What about Ventas? Or what would her divine parents say?

    Bel closed her eyes and pictured Nebamon stalking up to her prone form. His tail would wag in delight. Perhaps he would make some quip, maybe twist his mustache. Bel remembered how helpless she¡¯d been when she¡¯d lost three of her snakes and her left eye.

    She groaned as the disturbing thoughts played through her mind, but they eventually cleared her head. Her ears were still ringing from the giant¡¯s snowy assault, and she was dizzy and unsteady on her feet, but she was up.

    She quickly found the giant. He dropped the mangled body of the boar-man to the snow. The he spit at the man¡¯s corpse.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I think that I¡¯d like to run.

    One step told her that wouldn¡¯t be possible. The barbed bolt was still buried deep into her flesh, and her eye was seeing double. Bel reached down to <em style="font-style: italic">liquify the bolt, quickly pulling it free from her flesh.

    The blood loss was unavoidable this time, and she wobbled slightly as the snow around her was stained red.

    The giant sniffed the air.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is he smelling my blood?

    He turned to her, confirming her suspicions.

    <em style="font-style: italic">All right, I¡¯ll hit him with a glare and then I¡¯ll run away. Or hobble away. Whatever works.

    The giant looked away from her, immediately foiling her plans. He whistled and his mount bounded over.

    Bel stared, confused at the way the giant was suddenly ignoring her. He pulled his tooth-lined shield from the side of the fox-worm and flipped it around, revealing an interior that was polished to a mirror finish. The giant held up the shield and peered at Bel through the reflection.

    She frowned at his grinning face.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What the hell is this? I can¡¯t glare through reflections, can I? Does he know that?

    She hesitated. <em style="font-style: italic">I can¡¯t run, obviously. I don¡¯t think I can take him in a fight, not unless he gets close. And other than all that snow, he hasn¡¯t actually attacked me. She tilted her head, puzzled by the giant¡¯s actions. Her snakes coiled against her scalp, clearly distrusting the stranger. She could see his eyes flicking back to her from his reflection as he pulled something out from one of his saddlebags. It looked like a long rope with a few weights attached. It gave Bel a bad feeling.

    ¡°Hey, listen, how about I just leave? Maybe you should leave too, there are some bad people looking for me. I¡¯m more trouble than I¡¯m worth, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    If the giant understood her, he didn¡¯t show any sign of it. Instead, he lifted the bolas over his head and began spinning them through the air.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Right, I¡¯m gonna try to run.

    Bel tensed her injured muscles and <em style="font-style: italic">pounced on the snow above the compacted trail.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If I¡¯m lucky, maybe I¡¯ll be able to sink into a deep hole and he won¡¯t be able to find me.

    Bel whimpered in pain as she put weight on her injured leg, but a moment later she was ascending. Then the bolas struck her in the middle of her body. The weighted ends spun wrapped around her, binding her arms to her sides.

    Bel fell awkwardly into the snow, ending face first at the bottom of the trail. She could hear the giant man laughing as she stalked over to her, the ground shaking with increasing vigor as he drew closer. He reached into the snow and pulled her out. Then he placed a sack over her head and cinched it shut.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 79 â€“ Familiar Circumstances

    <section>

    <section>

    As soon as the giant squeezed the sack around her neck, Bel thrashed and kicked. Her resistance was completely ineffective, resulting in nothing better than some bruised toes.

    ¡°Son of a shit,¡± she screamed, ¡°let me go you overgrown excuse for an idiot!¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t tell if the man understood her, but her certainly didn¡¯t let her go. He didn¡¯t seem interested in finishing her off either. Instead, he shook her until she felt queasy before wrapping her up in a thick and heavy sheet of linked chains. Bel writhed a squirmed, but the giant pulled it tighter with her motions until she was struggling to pull breath.

    Once her struggled ceased, the bearded giant grunted with satisfaction and carried her back to his mount. He hung her on the side of his oversized fox-worm, leaving her to sway like some bizarre pupating moth. Her capture complete, he remounted his steed, sending Bel swinging from the jostling.

    Bel couldn¡¯t see well through the bag, but the movement suggested that the giant was prodding his steed in some direction.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Should I try to break free now that we¡¯re in motion? she wondered.

    Bel pondered her situation. <em style="font-style: italic">What would James say? Look on the bright side?

    She shook her head at her brother¡¯s irrational advice. <em style="font-style: italic">Beth would always say that a good weapon cuts both ways. I¡¯ve just got to look for a moment of opportunity.

    The giant wasn¡¯t trying to kill her immediately. He was also moving her quickly, probably away from Crystal. Taken together, her position was actually kind of good.

    In her current state ¨C injured, weak from blood loss, and exhausted from multiple fights ¨C Bel was certain that the patchwork Crystal would take care of her as easily as a child poking a beached jellyfish. Even <em style="font-style: italic">if she managed to break free and escape the giant, that would only leave her in a worse position.

    The giant shouted something and the fox-worm scuttled up a small pile of loose rocks and leaped forward upon the flat snow. Bel swayed gently as it moved smoothly over the loose surface with its large, padded feet.

    <em style="font-style: italic">So, what happens if I go along with this guy?

    Bel shifted her head as a few of her snakes decided to explore the confines of the bag.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, escape will get harder. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s got a camp or something. Maybe even friends.

    Bel tried to remember what she¡¯d seen of the towering person. Well kept armor implied a well-supplied group or settlement nearby. His whitish beard was large and bushy, but well kept, with a couple of braids twisted in. It was the look of someone who had to keep up appearances around others. She guessed that he was a hunter, which could explain why he was out on his own, but Bel couldn¡¯t guess what he would want with her.

    She tried to think about it, but her exhaustion got the better of her. She wound up drifting in and out of sleep until the fox-worm came to a halt.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, dammit, I didn¡¯t mean to sleep, she chastised herself as she twitched away.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least now I¡¯ll find out where we¡¯re going.

    Bel waited, but nothing happened. She shifted her body slightly, sending herself swinging until she¡¯d twisted enough to make out vague shapes through the fibers of her head covering. As far as she could tell, they¡¯d stopped in the middle of nowhere. She couldn¡¯t even see the giant, although his steed seemed content to wait for its master.

    A few minutes later, the giant returned with a large lump thrown over his shoulder. Bel squinted and moved her head around, but she couldn¡¯t make much out through the bag over her head.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she called out, ¡°are you riding around kidnapping people?¡±

    The giant smacked the side of her restraining blanket, sending her spinning. Then he chuckled to himself as he hung his burden next to her. From the small Bel guessed that it was a large, dead thunderhoof.

    <em style="font-style: italic">So, I guess he¡¯s still going out hunting before he brings me back to wherever we¡¯re going.

    They set out once again, but this time the smell and occasional bumping with the thunderhoof prevented Bel from dozing off. To her chagrin, they stopped several more times for the purpose of hunting. <em style="font-style: italic">I guess I¡¯m not even important enough to change his routine, she thought angrily.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Gods, I hope he isn¡¯t going to eat me. That would be the worst.

    <hr>

    <em style="font-style: italic">This wasn¡¯t the plan, was it Kjar? she silently asked hours later. She was supposed to be a bad-ass warrior of the gods who took down the evil Technis, not some dumb-ass who was constantly being captured. Not for the first time, the young gorgon cursed her luck.

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    Her only consolation was that they had finally returned to the giant¡¯s settlement. The giant had spoken for the first time since her capture, and a pair of voices had responded. If anyone was bothered by a living person swinging from the side of the fox-worm it didn¡¯t show in their voices. Instead it seemed like they were laughing about some shared joke.

    After the laughter died down she heard the grinding of something large and metal ¨C probably a gate or doorway ¨C and then the air warmed considerably. The portal slammed shut behind them, the heavy boom heralding the loss of her dreams of an easy escape.

    A few moments later, a second door opened and released a roar of sound from a large group of people. It sounds were accompanied by the thick and heavy scent of too many people squeezed into too small a space. Bel realized that she¡¯d been taken into some kind of cavern-town carved directly into the rock.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Please Lempo, please don¡¯t let them eat gorgon.

    Bel¡¯s snakes hissed angrily as she was tossed and shuffled around, but her captor only seemed to delight in her struggles. He was joined by several more voices, all belonging to people who enjoyed prodding her and seeing her twitch. Bel tried to struggle again, just to show that she could, but the weight of the chained blanket soon wore her out. She was tossed over someone¡¯s shoulder where she hung limply, placid as a bag of tubers.

    As she was carried further into the settlement, the sounds around her grew louder. There was a mix of happy and angry shouting that reminded Bel of a marketplace. That was followed by shouting and screaming that she associated with drunken competitions. From there they entered a building that only slightly muffled the drunken shouts, replacing them with the snaps and growls of wild animals. The roof of the building thumped and shook like it was being assaulted by a hailstorm.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Or maybe just a troupe of rooftop dancers, she joked to herself.

    Her captor shouted something and several voices shouted back. Bel soon found herself being passed around like some kind of fascinating insect. She shouted a complaint, but a stern poke to her solar plexus rendered her once again ashamed and helpless.

    The bag over her head was abruptly pulled free, but before Bel could even focus on her surroundings she was thrust up against the exterior of a metal cage. The cage¡¯s inhabitant ¨C another one of the long-necked, six-legged fox-worms ¨C didn¡¯t seem happy at her presence. It growled at her and took a warning swipe through the air with one of its clawed feet.

    Bel tried to push away from the cage with her uninjured arm, but her captor pushed her against it repeatedly while yelling insistently. Then they pulled her back and turned her towards another wall. Bel stared in horror, and the severed head of another gorgon stared back.

    A huge, meaty hand pointed at the severed head and a voice from behind her boomed into her ears.

    ¡°I can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying,¡± Bel shouted back. She tried to get herself into the right frame of mind to use her divine speech, but, before she found any success, the giant jerked her to the side and shoved her head into the bars again.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What do they want from me? she wailed.

    The caged animal finally lost its patience at her return. It lunged at her, clearly intending to take out its anger on her face. Her snakes formed a hissing halo around her head and she hit it with a powerful <em style="font-style: italic">glare. Its muscles tensed up and it clunked awkwardly into the bars of the cage.

    The giant whipped her away from the bars and the group cheered. Bel was being swung around enough to make her dizzy. From the bits of clarity that she could snatch though, she learned that she was in some kind of livestock room. Cells filled the space, each one a roughly square space dug out from the stone and blocked off with heavy, metal bars.

    The creature that she¡¯d stunned was rushed by several giants, who got busy strapping a harness to its body. As the creature began to twitch the wranglers struggled to hold it down. Her captor thrust her up against the bars of the cell once again, shouting loudly in her ear.

    Bel noticed that all of the giants in the cell kept their gazes somewhere other than her direction.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah. I get it. They want to use me to subdue the animals.

    Bel wondered if the struggling monster would be able to injure any of the giants if she held back. The thought was banished quickly; the continual slamming of her face against the metal bars convinced her that this wasn¡¯t the moment for her defiance. Bel <em style="font-style: italic">glared at the captured beast once again, stilling it long enough for the workers to finish buckling and tightening the leather harness.

    Then they all rushed out of the cell and closed it behind them. The beast stared at her with bloodlust and murder in its eyes, clearing blaming her for its circumstances.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Whatever, buddy. I¡¯m just a captive like you. You would¡¯ve attacked me without hesitation out in the wild, anyway. Bel stuck her tongue out at the angry beast as she was carried away.

    Her satisfied captor swung her through the air as he walked. The rough treatment slapped her snakes into several obstacles before he finally pulled open the door to an empty cage and spun her out of her restraints and onto the damp, rocky floor. The doors of her cell clanked shut, and then the giants threw a large sheet over the front of her cell to block her vision. She spent a few moments stretching and working out the kinks in her cramped body before she sat up and sighed.

    The cell was bleak ¨C burrowed straight out of the rock, with no decoration or neighbors. She couldn¡¯t help but see the parallel to her time in Technis¡¯ High Temple, before James had been thrown in the cell next to her, back when she¡¯d been completely alone.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s been four years since then, right?

    Bel slowly twisted her back and sighed with relief as a few of her vertebra popped.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Or is it closer to five years now? How long have I been down here?

    It felt to her that she¡¯d just left Flann a few weeks prior, but since she¡¯d left James had already become the father of some demi-human grubs.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Don¡¯t ants breed fast though? Or do humans¨C

    A thunk and splat drew her mind back to the present. She saw that someone had deposited a hard block of something and a bucket of something. Then an arm emerged from around the sheet and deposited a pile of hay.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t know what that¡¯s for, but the bucket may have food?

    She wriggled over to the bucket and peered into its mysterious depths. Not much light made it through the sheet, so she took a deep sniff and wrinkled her nose.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Slop, she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">The only proper word for that is slop.

    Bel grimaced. From her past experience as Technis¡¯ prisoner she knew that she would eventually give in and eat it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">For now though, I think I¡¯ll do a bit of exploration.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 80 â€“ Patience

    <section>

    <section>

    For reasons that Bel didn¡¯t understand, her captors didn¡¯t even seem to consider that she could have anything more threatening than her <em style="font-style: italic">glare. The giants either covered her face, looked at her through reflections, or just didn¡¯t look at her. Other than a long chain clamped around her ankle, they took no other precautions and didn¡¯t consider her a threat. Bel didn¡¯t disillusion them about her abilities ¨C it wasn¡¯t time for that, not yet.

    Now on her third day as their prisoner, she was being dragged around their menagerie and shoved against different cages to stun the animals inside. The giants didn¡¯t speak to her and didn¡¯t listen if she spoke to them, even in the divine voice that she got from her parents. It was dehumanizing, but their casual dismissal gave her the opportunity to inspect the subterranean space as she was led around.

    She was, as she¡¯d guessed the first night, inside of a large cavity carved directly into one of mountain-sized rocks that littered the floor of Olympos¡¯ fifth layer. Everything was carved from the same single piece of solid rock in the same rough, uncaring style as the giants dressed. The edges of rooms weren¡¯t clear of debris and the walls were only as smooth as necessary to prevent injury. Some effort was taken to keep the floor smooth, but Bel guessed that was only because the giants didn¡¯t bother putting wheels on the cages that they dragged around. All in all, the only impressive thing about the giants and their underground town was their size.

    The giants weren¡¯t all as large as the one who had captured her, but all of them were at least two and a half times her height, with muscled limbs as thick as tree trunks and heavy footsteps that shook the ground beneath them. All of them ¨C both men and women ¨C had an obsession with teeth and horns and decorated their leather clothing with both to great excess. From tooth-studden boots to horn-peaked hats, every article of clothing was decorated. She assumed that they were advertising their own hunting prowess, but it reminded her of what James liked to call ¡°overcompensating.¡±

    Their taste in sport wasn¡¯t any better. The creatures they caught were used for three things: mounts, meals, and abilities. The creatures in the first group were kept alive, but the other two were destined for death. Bel hadn¡¯t hung around any butchers, but she was fairly sure that most people slaughtered their animals without any unnecessary cruelty. Not so for the giants though; instead, they made a sport of every animal¡¯s death.

    Every midday meal was an excuse to practice their axe throwing, every dinner a reason to release an animal into a caged arena and run it down to exhaustion. Even if they hadn¡¯t kidnapped her, Bel would have disliked them. The thing that pushed that dislike over into hate though, the thing that made them absolutely deserving of <em style="font-style: italic">punishment, was the severed head of a gorgon swinging casually from the belt of her guard.

    The woman, possibly a few years older than Bel, had been killed and turned into a tool. Symbols had been engraved across her face like she was one of Cyrstal¡¯s wands. Her head had been mounted upon a metal plate like a large, decorative cameo. When Bel tired too much to <em style="font-style: italic">glare they pulled out the head and sent energy through it and the dead gorgon¡¯s eyes would light up and have a similar effect to Bel¡¯s own ability. The unknown gorgon, the first sign of others of her kind that Bel had ever seen, had been murdered and turned into a tool for a society of sociopaths.

    They all deserved to be <em style="font-style: italic">punished. And Bel had to do it on her own.

    Escape was easy in comparison. She¡¯d already spotted several air shafts that she would fit through, and air shafts had to lead to a place with fresh air. Escaping her restraints would be easily with the help of <em style="font-style: italic">liquify, as would breaking through any grates at the ends of the shafts. She could escape if she wanted to, but she felt a burning need to bring down the entire mountain onto the heads of the giants who mistreated others so disdainfully.

    She did feel a bit guilty about Orseis; she¡¯d promised the younger girl that she would be back soon. Orseis would be lonely, but not in any danger if Crystal tracked Bel to the giants. Either in life or in death Crystal wasn¡¯t the most subtle person, so Bel was eagerly looking forward to the chaos that would break out when she arrived.

    Until then, Bel had to bide her time and prepare.

    After subduing a sky shrimp ¨C the giants bound it and loaded it onto a cart for transportation ¨C her guard lead her back towards her cell, dragging the caged creature with them. Halfway there he stopped to chat with a female guarding a door, and Bel was left chained but ignored in a new part of the cavern. The woman wore a hat full of small, pointy teeth and scowled at Bel¡¯s guard as he started talking. She swiftly opened the door behind her and shoved the caged sky shrimp through, but the male hung around and kept talking rather than continue on.

    Bel took advantage of the moment to look around, doing her best to act casually to avoid drawing attention to herself. The layout of the new area was similar to everything else that she¡¯d seen, although the guarded door was new. There was also small nook set into the wall that was just above her height. Bel quietly climbed onto some nearby stones to peer over the edge and saw that it was a small shrine. A couple of figures stalked through the darkness of the alcove, their stone eyes shining in the darkness. She guessed that they were gods of the hunt, or something similar, since each one was wielding a weapon and standing triumphant over their prey.

    The giants had also deposited the severed heads of several kills along the sides of the shrine, probably as offerings. Bel wrinkled her nose with distaste and climbed back down.

    A glance at her guard revealed that he was pushing his luck with the woman, but Bel could tell from her body language that things weren¡¯t going well for him. She smirked and looked into the nearest cage. Inside was a green, tentacled¡­ something.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Some kind of green, slimy, land octopus? she mused.

    Her foot scuffed the ground as she leaned closer, and the creature rolled in her direction. Bel gaped as it split in a horizontal line across its middle and a tooth-filled maw opened up. The rows of needle-like teeth reminded Bel of the female guard¡¯s hat, but she didn¡¯t want to get a closer look. She took a step back, just as a mess of tentacles reached towards her through the bars of the creature¡¯s cell. It wriggled at her, hungry for flesh, and the metal bars groaned under its weight.

    Bel frowned. <em style="font-style: italic">I hope these things aren¡¯t roaming around where Orseis is waiting.

    The giant tugged on Bel¡¯s ankle chain then, suddenly impatient to get on with his work. Bel glanced at his face and saw a large red mark on his cheek, just visible over his shaggy beard. She couldn¡¯t quite keep the smirk off her face, even as she rushed to keep up with the giant¡¯s long steps lest he simply drag her over the floor. A slap wasn¡¯t the punishment she was looking for, but she enjoyed every bit of unhappiness in her captors.

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    The giant hurried Bel back to her cell so he could blow off steam murdering some helpless animal, forcing Bel to run most of the way. Before slamming the cell shut, he tossed some slop and a bucket of water into the cell and turned away. Bel sniffed with disdain as he sauntered off. As usual, the giants had left her all unattended.

    There there were a pair of guards at the far end of her chamber, but they weren¡¯t close enough to keep an eye on her. Bel slipped out of their line of sight and immediately went into her nightly routine.

    First, she scaled the cell wall using the handholds that she¡¯d placed with <em style="font-style: italic">liquify. Next, she slipped out through the top of her cell via a crack that she¡¯d widened above the bars. After passing through, she paused for a few moments to watch the guards, but they were too busy playing a game that involved dice and drinking to notice her movements. Bel swiftly retraced her path to the newish area that she¡¯d passed through earlier in the day.

    Travelling through the giant¡¯s domain was nerve-wracking, but it had benefits. As she passed by a small storeroom, she retrieved a chunk of jerked meat for dinner and took a few gulps of their clean water. She hadn¡¯t been forced to eat even a single slurp of slop since she¡¯d arrived, and she didn¡¯t intend to.

    After sating herself, she fetched her spelunking tools. She tied a rope of leather around her waist to serve as a belt, passing it through a coil of thick rope and a needle the length of her forearm. The needle was the closest thing to a weapon she¡¯d been able to find that would fit in her hands, and ropes were just useful things to keep around. She also tied a makeshift speer to her back, its haft made from the smashed corner of a wooden storage box and the blade from a chipped weapon that she¡¯d found discarded in a rubbish heap. Armed and fed, she stalked through the nighttime corridors, alert for the loud voices and ground-shaking steps of the giants.

    Once she retraced her steps to the new hallway, Bel went far enough to see what had merited the female guard¡¯s attention. Most of the side passages were left unattended, and there were very few rooms with doors. The fact that this passage had both a door and a guard made Bel think that it was something important. A guard was still present when she arrived, but she saw with a mix of shock and satisfaction that they were asleep.

    <em style="font-style: italic">These giants are so bad at this. Why even bother posting a guard?

    Her mouth dropped open as she shook her head with astonishment at the sight of the giant sitting on the floor in front of the door. Incompetence aside, she couldn¡¯t just push past the armed warrior. Her bulky body leaned back against the door itself, preventing anyone from getting past without alerting her. Bel¡¯s lips twisted as she looked around for another way past, and her eye drifted up the door and settled on a peep hole a third of the way from the top.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Excellent! Now I just need to fly and my problems are solved!

    Bel chuckled at humor.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What have I got? A needle and some rope?

    She looked at the rough ceiling and shrugged. <em style="font-style: italic">With the weak-ass gravity in here, I should be able to get over top. Then I¡¯ll liquify the stone, stab in the needle, and come down on the rope. Easy.

    Bel hesitated for a few minutes before executing her plan. If anyone walked by when she was precariously dangling from the ceiling she¡¯d be done for. She waited to see if the guard was only sleeping lightly, or if there were any roaming patrols, but after she¡¯d waited long enough that <em style="font-style: italic">she was feeling sleepy, she decided to go for it.

    She quietly hummed to herself as she gripped the stones and swung her body across the ceiling.

    ¡°Spider-Bel, Spider-Bel, something something, Spider-Bel.¡±

    She reached the spot above the door and went silent. She wedged her feet onto the top of the door frame to give her arms a rest and waited to see if there were any changes in the guard or the rest of the room.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I should get James to tell me that story again, she thought idly. <em style="font-style: italic">He used to tell me all sorts of stories when I first learned English, but that mostly stopped once Beth rescued us.

    She tilted her head and examined one of her snakes quizzically. <em style="font-style: italic">Or maybe stories about spider people won¡¯t seem as fantastical now that he¡¯s having children with an ant-girl.

    Her snake flicked its tongue at her, clearly uninterested in stories from the Old World.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Enough rest. Back to work.

    With deliberate motions with one of her hands Bel untied her belt and slowly transferred the needle to her mouth, careful to not let anything fall onto the sleeping giant. She touched the wall above the stone door and softened it with a quick application of <em style="font-style: italic">liquify before quickly jabbing the needle deep into the stone. Then she pulled her rope free and passed an end through the eye of the needle. She threw an arm over the needle for balance and retied her belt around her body and then tied the rope to the belt.

    The rope around her belt went up and through the needle and she held the loose end in her hands. <em style="font-style: italic">I think this is a pulley, right? I remembered something! James would be proud.

    She hadn¡¯t talked to her brother since she¡¯d been captured. She guessed that being hidden inside of the stone mountain blocked contact from her brother, but in that moment she was glad. James had a bad habit of calling her at the worst possible times, and for this tricky maneuver she didn¡¯t want anything unexpected to distract her.

    Bel carefully lowered herself by letting more rope pass through her hands. Small bits of fiber were scraped free as it passed through the needle¡¯s eye, but nothing looked close to breaking. Bel¡¯s heart thumped as she approached the sleeping guard, but she made it to the level of the peephole without raising an alarm.

    She sighed with relief. <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, let¡¯s see what¡¯s so important.

    Bel put her good eye to the hole in the massive wooden door and peered through. The other side was surprisingly well-lit, and the walls were so smooth and polished that they practically glowed in the light. The perimeter of the room was curved to create a perfectly cylindrical space, with small nooks that held glowing orbs that ran on some unfamiliar magic. In the center of the room was a hole. Steps seemed to spiral down, but Bel could only see the first few of them.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is that a way down to the next level? she wondered. <em style="font-style: italic">If so, that really simplifies things.

    She pulled her eye away from the peephole and blinked at the sudden darkness. As her eye adjusted to the lower lighting, Bel chewed on her cheek and pondered what to do next.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If Orseis were here, we could make a run for it. The only way to get Orseis through this place is to wipe out the giants though.

    She sighed softly. <em style="font-style: italic">I guess that I¡¯ll just have to keep waiting here for Crystal to show up, and hope that she and the giants mostly wipe each other out.

    Just then a loud shrieking noise blasted through the cavern. Bel instinctively clapped her hands over her ears as pain erupted in her ears, but without anything holding the rope she fell. The giantess was just stirring from the loud noise when Bel fell onto her head and took a painful roll down her tooth-studded helmet and onto her lap. They stared at one another in mutual shock for several heartbeats.

    When giant woman opened her mouth to yell, so Bel <em style="font-style: italic">glared at her. The guard grit her teeth and her jaw strained as she she was trying to break the hold of Bel¡¯s gorgonic powers through sheer force of will.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Not today, Bel thought.

    She grabbed the makeshift spear from her back and <em style="font-style: italic">pounced, jabbing the shaft through the woman¡¯s neck. Bel pushed herself off to the side as the woman sputtered and coughed, watching with satisfaction as one of her captors collapsed in a growing puddle of blood.

    Then a thundering boom shook the floor beneath her, sending Bel staggering to the wall to remain upright. ¡°Aw, damn it. I sure hope that was Crystal blowing open their front doors. I don¡¯t think I can take any more surprises.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 81 â€“ Pandemonium

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel mercilessly ripped the essence from the dying giant. Her own core bloomed triumphantly with the addition, swelling an additional two thresholds.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If I survive this, I¡¯m going to be pretty strong, Bel thought.

    Shouts of alarm were sounding throughout stone passageway as the giants woke from slumber and realized that they were under attack. The sounds of hunting horns followed, rallying the giants to their defense.

    At the moment, they would be worrying around the ear-splitting noises that Bel assumed were Crystal¡¯s doing. She glanced at the giant¡¯s corpse and grimaced. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can hide that,¡± she sighed. ¡°And there¡¯s no way someone doesn¡¯t notice it.¡±

    Even worse than the body was the smell of blood that was permeating the air. The scent cast a spell upon every caged creature in the hallway, snapping them to attention. The prey animals, already on edge from the loud noises, bleated and hooted as they panicked in their cells. The carnivores yowled and gnashed their teeth, clearly preparing for a fight. Bel shook her head at the rapidly escalating disaster and looked around for a hiding place.

    <em style="font-style: italic">The shrine, she thought, <em style="font-style: italic">no one will look there now.

    She skittered like a skink over the stone floor and scrambled onto the same broken crate that she¡¯d previously used as a step. Her hands had just closed over the edge of the shrine¡¯s alcove when she heard a shout of alarm from her blind side. Her head pivoted to reveal another guard. He was half-dressed, grasping his unbuckled belt in his hands, and gawking at her with outrage.

    Bel¡¯s tongue clicked in irritation. <em style="font-style: italic">Why couldn¡¯t you stay in your room until you finished putting on your pants? she cursed.

    She dropped to the ground as he jumped forward, narrowly avoiding a swipe of his massive hand, before rolling backwards to get away from his stomping feet. Luckily for her, he let go of his pants in all of that motion and they fell down around his ankles, tripping him head-first into the alcove. Bel took a step forward to take advantage of his state, but quickly backpedalled when he pulled an ornamental trident and net from shrine¡¯s hunting scene.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Why couldn¡¯t he have fallen face first into that? she griped. Bel glanced at the weapons for a moment, wondering if they were actually functional. The flickering torchlight glinted from the menacing tips of the trident.

    Bel hopped backwards to gain some distance between herself and the giant while he took a moment to fumble with his belt. <em style="font-style: italic">Fight or flight? Or do something clever?

    She looked around quickly and her gaze fell on the row of animals that lined the passageway. While the giant buckled his belt, Bel ran to the nearest cage, thrust her hand into the lock, and <em style="font-style: italic">liquified it. Bel jumped onto the cage bars and kicked, swinging them open. The cage held a giant-sized rocky worm, as big across as she was tall and covered in sharp spines that ran from tip to tail.

    Bel grinned as it surged forward, wasting no time to escape the cell. The beast¡¯s muscles rippled as it moved past her, its spines jabbing vigorously to provide friction with the ground. She grinned in triumph when it turned towards the shouting giant.

    The grin fell from her face as the worm dove headfirst into the rocks and burrowed down through the stone, leaving nothing behind but an empty hole. A quick check revealed that its cage had a metal floor. <em style="font-style: italic">Poor guy just wanted to be free, I guess, she sighed.

    Bel ran to the next cage as the armed and properly clothed giant circled around the worm-hole. This time when she used <em style="font-style: italic">liquify on the lock she tried to remember to only send energy through the parts of the ability that were necessary. It was going to be a long night, and she couldn¡¯t wear herself out so early.

    The cage swung open and a large and wild specimen of the fox-worm creatures burst out. It snapped at her with its dart-shaped face as it escaped, but she was still on the other side of the swinging door so it quickly trotted past her. Unlike the worm, this animal did rush at the giant.

    The giant flicked his wrist and cast his net. She had been hoping that it would be an non-functional ornament of the shrine, but under some ability from the giant it stretched and rippled like an octopus¡¯ tentacles, quickly entangling the fox-worm and crushing it into a defenseless ball. An incredibly fast stab of the giant¡¯s trident finished off the beast.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Stupid abilities, she cursed.

    Anticipating the disappointing end to the fox, Bel had already run towards the dead guard. She¡¯d spotted a set of keys hanging from the giant woman¡¯s belt and, given her success so far, she was going to have to free more than a few more animals before one of them took down her pursuer. She quickly slipped the arm-length piece of iron from its ring and lugged it towards another cell. Inside was one of the mouthy slime balls that she¡¯d seen earlier, its tentacles writhing with agitation. It looked and smelled hideous, but since it was mostly mouth and teeth she hoped it would be dangerous.

    Bel leaped up to the lock, shoved in the key, and turned it without a second thought. She pulled the gate open and watched with anticipation from behind the bars of the door as the odd creature rolled out.

    The giant was only a few of his enormous strides behind her and quickly stabbed out with his trident to catch the beast before it could exit the cell. Bel clicked her tongue in frustration as the trident pierced the squishy body of the ball-like creature, but gasped in surprise at the result. To her surprise, the tentacled terror simply flowed around the attack. It parted like water and flowed up the trident¡¯s tines, recombining into a single ball as it rolled up the haft of the weapon, up the giant¡¯s arm, and straight to his face.

    The results weren¡¯t pretty. Bel had seen plenty of death, but this made her throw up; the tentacle ball digested its victims by extruding a stomach from inside of its bulb-like body and quickly engulfing the giant¡¯s head. Blood and gore leaked down as the creature dissolved the giant, and Bel emptied the contents of her stomach.

    Bel stumbled back, putting more space between her and the green tentacle monster as it did its thing. She averted her gaze as she moved to the body of the fox-worm to drain it of essence and gain another threshold. Unless she¡¯d lost count, that put her at the forty-eighth threshold, twelve short of reaching her third core.

    She turned and contemplated the tentacle-ball and its victim. The way that it had flowed around the giant¡¯s weapon¡­

    Something about it had felt like her own <em style="font-style: italic">liquify ability. Bel wondered if it had done something similar to Dutcha¡¯s ability that would turn her body into a liquid, but with a second part that would put it back together.

    ¡°I really want that ability,¡± Bel muttered forcefully. ¡°I really want it.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s probably big, and complicated, but I probably already understand it pretty well, right? I just have to kill it and then I can take it from the monster¡¯s core.

    Bel licked her lips with anticipation, but she hesitated. The ball was probably more dangerous than she gave it credit for and had dispatched the giant with relative ease. <em style="font-style: italic">On the other hand¡­

    ¡°No risk, no reward,¡± she muttered to herself, ¡°and it¡¯s distracted right now anyway. This is probably my best chance.¡±

    Bel strode resolutely to the corpse of the first guard and tugged her makeshift spear free of the giant¡¯s neck. She grimaced at the blood and did her best to rub the haft of the spear dry on a clean corner of the guard¡¯s shirt so that it wouldn¡¯t slip through her hands at a critical moment. She couldn¡¯t help but think with longing of the bird man¡¯s divine spear ¨C now wielded by Crystal ¨C that would have magically returned to her hands, clean and perfect.

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    ¡°One wish at a time, Bel. Don¡¯t get too greedy.¡±

    She stalked towards the green tentacle monster, slowly spiraling around it as she looked for an opening. As far as she could see, it was a slimy ball with tentacles and a mouth, with no particular weak points. When some of the tentacles paused their aimless writhing to track her movements, Bel realized that some of the tentacles ended in eyeballs. Disgusting, but it offered her an opportunity.

    Bel <em style="font-style: italic">pounced and the eyestalks fixed on her sudden movement. The slimy ball slurped its stomach back to its insides as Bel attacked, revealing the naked skeleton of the guard as it shifted it attention to her. Its tentacles reached forward with anticipation and it toothy maw yawned wide as she sailed close, but just before she entered its grasping range Bel <em style="font-style: italic">glared.

    She could feel her ability straining against the energy in the monster¡¯s core, so she pushed harder, expending more energy to strengthen her opening attack. Bel could tell that it wouldn¡¯t quite be enough to immobilize the creature: the best she could hope for was a slightly distraction. That was fine.

    Bel spun her body and hurled her spear with all her might. As expected, the slimeball¡¯s body turned to a liquid as it flowed around Bel¡¯s weapon.

    A moment later, Bel struck the side of the creature as it was still reconstituting itself. She forced her hand into the gelatinous flesh and forced <em style="font-style: italic">liquify into its body. The slimy mass under her hand quivered and strained, but she had momentarily trapped it in its liquid form. It tried to open its mouth and bite, but its teeth weren¡¯t solid enough to penetrate her skin. It tentacles grasped at her limbs, but she shredded them as she tore her way through the beast.

    Finally, she found a small, slightly firmer blob that looked important. She grasped it firmly and tore it in half before ripping it from the from the creature¡¯s still-liquid body. Bel could feel its immediate death, and quickly pushed her senses into the creature¡¯s core.

    She couldn¡¯t help but rush like an impatient child to a surprise gift. <em style="font-style: italic">This ability was so good, I have to get it!

    And she was certain that she would be able to understand it too, even if it was complicated. <em style="font-style: italic">It has to be similar to liquify, she thought.

    Bel felt around the slimeball¡¯s core and quickly found the pattern; it was large and complicated, but she still thought she could handle it. She bit her tongue as she concentrated¡­

    Some parts were familiar, but some parts¡­

    Bel grit her teeth as she tried to trace all of the unfamiliar patterns of the ability simultaneously. Her face pinched with effort as she moved through it, but she kept making tiny mistakes as her attention wavered. The mistakes lead to larger errors, which and soon she found herself retracing other parts of the ability to make corrections. There were parts that were familiar as she¡¯d hoped ¨C some patterns were a little bit like <em style="font-style: italic">liquify and others a little bit like <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification ¨C but a great deal of it was made of unfamiliar patterns that made tracing them difficult.

    Bel whined with frustration as she felt the beginnings of the core breaking up under her clumsy attention. Rather than trying to rush through the rest of the ability, Bel instead focused on looking it over and understanding it as well as she could with the few seconds she had remaining.

    Then the core broke. She pulled at the dissipating essence, but was barely able to scrape a single threshold from the powerful monster. Bel almost broke down screaming and yelling, but the sibilant sounds of her agitated snakes and the occasional rumble coming through the rocky walls reminded her of the current situation.

    <em style="font-style: italic">No use crying over the ones that get away, she told herself. She shook off her frustration and the green globs of mucus sticking to her hands as she once again trotted over to the cages.

    Her mind stayed with her failure though. <em style="font-style: italic">I rushed too much, she thought regretfully, <em style="font-style: italic">the liquify part of it was familiar, but I was rushing the rest of it too much. Maybe if I get another chance¡­

    Bel clicked her fingers when she had a flash of inspiration. <em style="font-style: italic">Dutcha¡¯s path has that terrible self-liquify ability. I¡¯ve never taken it because it¡¯s stupid, but I bet it¡¯s pretty similar to whatever the slimeball is doing. If I start from there, I bet my next attempt will be easy.

    Bel closed her eyes and quickly found the small ability in the constellation of abilities from the divine spirit of chaos. She traced the minor ability onto her core without a second thought. As she¡¯d expected, it was similar to what she¡¯d been tracing from the slimeball,.

    ¡°I¡¯ll study this later,¡± she promised herself. She couldn¡¯t keep some of her attention from drifting to the now almost-familiar ability patterns as she half-focused on the physical world.

    She pulled the key from the cell where she¡¯d left it and looked around at the rest of the cages. The giants outnumbered Crystal by a large margin and had the edge in a fight, even if Technis¡¯ patchwork people were unreasonably strong and Crystal had the element of surprise. Bel wanted the fight to be close though, so she needed to distract the giants so they couldn¡¯t fully organize. That meant causing more trouble.

    Luckily for her, there were still plenty of cells full of animals, which meant plenty of opportunity for more chaos.

    Bel began opening the cells that contained thunderhooves and the rock burrowing worms first, since they were less likely to attack her. She didn¡¯t really expect much from either, but she hoped that the more stuff she released the higher the chance of something surprising happening.

    Despite the menacing look of their spine-covered bodies, the worms were universally duds. They left their cages, hit the rock floor outside of their cells, and burrowed straight down. Bel snorted with displeasure.

    The thunderhooves were somehow even worse. They rushed out of their cages only to mil about with confusion, huffing and pawing at the ground.

    ¡°C¡¯mon you guys,¡± she complained with exasperation, ¡°when you¡¯re wild you rush anything you don¡¯t like.¡±

    Bel waved her arms at a group that was wandering around the passageway like a herd of lost children. ¡°Go on, stomp your hooves and blast some rock or something!¡±

    The nearest animals tossed their heads and clomped their hooves against the ground, but none of them used any of their dangerous abilities. Bel growled with frustration and increased the pace of cage opening. In just a few minutes she¡¯d released around twenty of the thunderhooves, five rock burrowing worms, a pair of small, fluffy creatures that flapped down the hallway, and a big snake the slithered straight through one of the holes left by the worms.

    She was contemplating a pair of sky shrimp when a loud snort from the herd of thunderhooves drew her attention. Bel spun around to see that the herd had organized itself into a line, with a particularly large individual with impressive horns standing in the center.

    The large buck stamped his feet on the ground and Bel¡¯s eyebrows rose when the rest of the herd stiffened to attention. She watched with rapt attention as the new leader organized a charge against the flat wall on the far side of the passageway.

    ¡°What in hells are you trying to do?¡± Bel wondered aloud.

    The herd struck the wall hoof first with perfect synchrony. The wall rippled like water and powerful reverberations spread out from the impact points. The ripples rose like waves and spread through the walls and ground, sweeping Bel off of her feet. The wall that had been the focus of the herd¡¯s ire disintegrated, revealing another row of cages from an adjacent passage. The cages were full of more thunderhooves, fox-worms, sky shrimp, and slimeballs, and all of their cages were now missing their back walls.

    The herd of thunderhooves saw that they were mere steps away from some of their natural predators, turned, and stampeded. Bel let out an undignified yelp as she dove out of their way and climbed up the bars of a cage for safety. After a few moments of disorientation, the predators instincts took over and they jumped into the fray. Some focused on the nearest prey while other simply ran to escape their captivity.

    More thunderhooves rushed past her, small groups breaking off together to blow holes in other parts of the wall. As more wall came down, more thunderhooves and other animals were released. It was a cascade of destruction that set the giant¡¯s building trembling with the power that Bel had released. Pandemonium broke out in mere moments, turning the underground city into a nightmare of braying, hissing, and screaming.

    Bel watched with shock as wall after wall was blown away by the herd. With the twisting turns of the giant¡¯s home suddenly missing, Bel realised that the size of the space had been much smaller than she¡¯d thought. Only a hundred strides away from their starting hallway, the thunderhooves blew through a particularly thick wall to open Bel¡¯s line of sight to a large, open cavern. On the other side of the cavern, Bel could see a massive set of doors, easily twice as tall as the giants, that marked the entrance to their domain.

    The metal doors had been blown inward by some massive force, curled up like paper, and tossed halfway across the cavern. The area in front of the entrance had been a battleground between the giants and Crystal with her incredible supply of versatile wands. The flat surface was littered with spikes of stone and smoldering holes blasted straight into the rock floor. The giants had formed a rough shield wall around the entrance, but the stampede of animals quickly ruined whatever equilibrium had been reached in the fight.

    Everything turned into a free-for-all brawl without any sense or structure. The giants, Crystal, and the crazed animals all fought to maintain control of a safe space around themselves as the scene devolved into a horrible fever dream.

    Bel hunched her shoulder guiltily as she watched the destruction unfold. <em style="font-style: italic">That was probably my mom¡¯s influence, right? I¡¯m not going to believe that was all my fault.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 82 â€“ Self-Improvement

    <section>

    <section>

    To her chagrin, Bel found that she wasn¡¯t immune to the cascading chaos that she¡¯d unleashed. As an increasing crowd of panicked beasts were freed from their cages it became increasingly difficult for her to find a spot safe from rampage. Her snakes hissed angrily as she backed up against a partially standing wall, edging away from the rush of frothing mouths, wild eyes, and whipping tentacles.

    Bel glanced towards the distant exit from the cavern. <em style="font-style: italic">I could make a break for it, but if Crystal sees me she would just follow me out. As long as she knows that I¡¯m hiding here she has to come inside.

    Bel turned back to what was left of the interior of the maze of hallways and quick ducked under the slashing paws of a passing fox-worm.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Not that staying here is completely safe, she grimaced. Bel tensed for a fight, but the creature snorted and continued running, its aggression more instinctive than purposeful.

    The sky shrimp that strode through the air above her though, looked more menacing. It glowered down at her, its head and eyestalks nearly skimming the giant-height roof. Bel wondered if it had something personal against her ¨C maybe she¡¯d stunned it while the giant¡¯s had been using her as a tool?

    Whatever the reason, the shrimp decided that nothing else mattered besides attacking her. It soundlessly dove at her with malice radiating from its twitching mouthparts. Bel tensed her legs to jump backwards, but her body was knocked over when one of the rock burrowing worms emerged from the ground behind her feet. The shrimp raised its pincers in triumph as it fell towards her prone body, but before it could reach her she was surrounded by a wild stampede of thunderhooves.

    Bel curled into a ball and hoped that Kjar¡¯s armor would protect her from the worst of it as the panicked creatures danced around the worm and Bel. The worm curled over and dug into the ground again, but the angry shrimp kept chasing Bel, which push it directly in the path of the panicking herd. The shrimp lifted its legs aggressively as it stood in their way, but the herd fearlessly blasted a wave of rocks at the crustacean. The shrimp easily blocked the attack with a solid wall of air, affirming its place as an apex predator.

    The lead thunderhoof was uncowed though. The large male reared up and slammed his forehoof into the shrimp¡¯s face, sending it flying off to the side.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Too much chaos, Bel though, <em style="font-style: italic">good for Dutcha, not so great for me.

    She cast around for any remaining bastions of sanity, but saw that any fortifiable positions were filling with the rapidly organizing giants. With a grunt of effort, she instead hauled herself towards the burrowing worm¡¯s hole and tipped herself over the edge. Bel had lost her spear somewhere along the way, so the moment she hit the bottom she grabbed onto her most reliable weapon: a head-sized rock. When the shrimp jumped in after her she was ready to bash its brains into a paste.

    The thunderhoof had already done a good job on the insect, breaking one of its antenna and leaving cracks in its carapace, but the shrimp wasn¡¯t down yet. The damage did give her a good point to aim for, though.

    Bel¡¯s rock hit the monster in the side before it could orient itself, slamming it up against the side of the burrow. She didn¡¯t hesitate to perform James¡¯ recommended double-tap, slamming her stone into the shrimp¡¯s head until she could feel the energy of its core leaking out. Bel greedily soaked up the essence and her core expanded past the fiftieth threshold.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If I¡¯m clever and just pick off weakened monsters and giants, maybe I can just outgrow Crystal, Bel mused. <em style="font-style: italic">I won¡¯t even have to put myself in danger if I stay out of sight.

    Her fantasy was immediately crushed by the sound of shifting stones moving down the burrow hole. Bel pumped a small amount of extra energy through <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s sight just in time to see a mouth full of teeth close around her left arm. She screamed, more in shock than the pain that hadn¡¯t yet reached her brain, and a twitch of her core blasted a <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave from her engulfed hand. Bits of tentacle and slime exploded, filling the tunnel and completely covering Bel.

    As she cradled her arm ¨C punctured by dozens of tiny teeth ¨C her first thoughts were of disappointment that she¡¯d been forced to use some much energy on something that wasn¡¯t Crystal. As her heartbeat slowed, her mind finally caught up with the attack.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I guess now I know their natural habitat, she thought, glancing down the worm¡¯s tunnel. The tentacle-covered terrors were perfectly suited for moving quickly through tight burrows. She imagined that their powerful digestive abilities would also be useful to eat through the rocky exterior of the burrowing worms as well. Unfortunately for Bel, those same digestive powers were now causing a horrible burning sensation all over her body. She frantically brushed herself off, trying to remove as much of the monster¡¯s innards as she could.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    After stomping in circles for a minute to prevent herself from shouting in pain, the burning sensation finally faded. The moment that she was no longer afraid of losing vision in her only good eye, Bel centered herself with a deep breath and immediately set about digging through the bits of slime and tentacle, eager to find the creature¡¯s core. She poked at the pieces with an elongated rock, wary of getting more unnecessary slime on her fingers.

    <em style="font-style: italic">This time, she promised herself, <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m going to get that ability.

    She finally found a dense, smooth lump of jelly that she guessed was the central part of the creature¡¯s anatomy. She grabbed it and carried it away from the burrow opening ¨C she didn¡¯t want to be interrupted ¨C and took several deep breaths to calm herself. Then she sent her senses deep into the creature¡¯s core.

    Unlike her last attempt, this time she had the <em style="font-style: italic">self-liquify ability to compare to the <em style="font-style: italic">liquid-dodge from the slimeballs. Combined with the familiar patterns of <em style="font-style: italic">minor body modification and <em style="font-style: italic">liquify, she had the new ability¡¯s components completely hemmed in. Bel studied the patterns on her core and on the monster¡¯s carefully, noting similarities and differences between them.

    James had taught her the word ¡°epiphany,¡± but Bel had never once understood what it meant until that moment. It was as if she gained a sudden understanding that all houses were assembled from wood, stone, and nails: the pieces were the same, whether it was a one room shack or a two story mansion. Not only was she following the new ability this time, she was also gaining insight into her own abilities. She could see now that the patterns engraved onto her core for her different abilities were redundant. As fast as her thoughts, her core shifted the patterns merging them into a more perfect whole, like a painting whose foreground and background were finally united. Bel traced the pattern for <em style="font-style: italic">liquid dodge onto her core with an energetic flourish.

    She kept her eyes closest as she finished, getting a feel for the changes that she¡¯d made. The modifications and the new ability had all gone onto Dutcha¡¯s path, something she didn¡¯t know was possible, but had felt correct in the moment. The entire feel of her second core had changed; no longer a discordant blend of multiple meandering melodies, it now felt more united. Bel could also tell that her second core would have trouble accepting patterns that couldn¡¯t mesh with her liquid abilities: that was the price of her improvements.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Dutcha must be so unstable because she¡¯s balanced between so many different directions, Bel realized. <em style="font-style: italic">Her core, assuming spirits have cores like me, must be absolute chaos. No wonder she gets along with Lempo.

    Bel felt a pang of worry that she had lost out on something when she changed her core. A couple of her snakes even peered at her, concerned about her mental state. She gave them a quick pat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she reassured them. ¡°I think my core is better like this. Some chaos is okay, but maybe there¡¯s such a thing as too much.¡±

    She set her gaze on the far side of the burrow. ¡°And speaking of chaos, it¡¯s time for me to cause some more trouble. You girls want to go hunt some giants?¡±

    Her snakes flicked their tongues in affirmation. Sparky tossed a bit of magma in Bel¡¯s direction with her enthusiastic tongue flick, and Bel had to gently shove the snakes back on top of her head.

    Bel licked her lips as she padded down the burrow, unarmed but dangerous. She tried to settle her raw nerves by fantasizing about collecting another spirit snake as she approached the dim illumination that marked the far end of the burrow. <em style="font-style: italic">I should finally get my last snake once I survive with mess with the giants and Crystal. Something that would get along with Sparky and Flora.

    Bel paused at the end of the burrow for a full minute, listening closely before slowly poking her head out. She expected to emerge in an area closer to the original animal pens, but instead she found the area completely changed. Most of the walls had been reduced to rubble, which had destroyed the majority of the torches as well. Shadows consumed the space, and the terrible noises of just a few minutes prior had yielded to an unsettling quiet that was undercut with an occasional shout or screech.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Did somebody win?

    Bel looked around slowly, doing her best to avoid drawing attention to herself. She saw a few animals sneaking from shadow to shadow, but nothing bipedal. Some slow movement underneath a torch was a slimeball that had wrapped its stomach around some unfortunate victim. There was no sign of Crystal and, other than a few corpses, no sign of the giants.

    Her heart hammered in her chest as she realized that death could be waiting for her in any direction.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Where would the giants go? she wondered. <em style="font-style: italic">And is Crystal still fighting them? Or is she back to tracking me?

    Then she recalled the hole in the ground. <em style="font-style: italic">The giants must be running, or at least retreating to some place easier to defend. If I can get ahead of them, then Crystal will have to fight them to get to me, right?

    She looked around nervously. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m nowhere near strong enough to fight her, not unless the giants have already half killed her. Maybe I should try to get back to Orseis?

    Bel bit her lip as she remembered the state of the entranceway to the underground city. <em style="font-style: italic">No, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to get out.

    She glanced at the tattoo of Kjar that ran down her right arm. <em style="font-style: italic">If only I was strong like Kjar, she lamented.

    <em style="font-style: italic">How am I supposed to take down Technis if I can¡¯t even take down something that his servants made? <em style="font-style: italic">And speaking long-term goals, how am I supposed to get through Technis¡¯ Barrier? How am I supposed to kill Technis?

    She remembered the raw power on display when Kjar descended to Olympos and struck down the Dark Ravager. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m nowhere close to that¡­ Didn¡¯t Lempo promise me some help? Aren¡¯t I supposed to meet up with some gorgons?

    That thought reminded her of the severed gorgon head that the giants carried around. <em style="font-style: italic">I hope that wasn¡¯t what she meant.

    </section>

    <section>

    </section>

    </section>

 Interlude â€“ Crecerelle 2

    Crecerelle tapped her metallic nails again the wall as she waited. She wasn¡¯t nervous about the meeting, even though it was well outside the safety of the local settlement. Instead, Cress was distracted by the weird feeling of being watched.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It started a few weeks ago, right? she wondered to herself. <em style="font-style: italic">After my former group kicked me out.

    Her lips puckered at the sour thought. <em style="font-style: italic">I would almost believe that Agrafe got some god to curse me, but not even she would dare ask favors of a god.

    Still, just that morning Cress had been walking down a street when a priest had taken one look at her and skipped across an entire river to avoid walking past her. Something was happening, she just couldn¡¯t put a finger on what.

    ¡°Boss¡¯ll see you now,¡± grunted one of the two hired fists. Cress flipped him an irreverent nod as she brushed past his spiky carapace. Kappa were¡­ Well, they were kappa. Cress didn¡¯t usually have a problem with them.

    Giants though, they were another story.

    ¡°You can shut the door, snakes.¡±

    Cress smiled, but only just enough to be polite.

    Boss Krats ran a fairly busy shipping operation, bringing in exotic creatures from outer layers of Olympos back to the interior. Importantly for her, that meant he had a method to get past the naga in the first layer and the rule-loving asura of the second. Her tokens were supposed to grant her passage through the pillars, but the races that thought themselves closest to the divine saw it as their sacred duty to discriminate against the gorgons wherever they could, so even with the tokens she still needed to find a way around them.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Most people don¡¯t even remember the Old World, she silently fumed, <em style="font-style: italic">they just want an excuse to feel superior.

    Krats snorted at her and brought Cress back to the present. He looked at her through a polished mirror to the side of his desk, although his attention went back to his food after the briefest of glances.

    ¡°Good morning Boss Krats,¡± she said, bowing. The traditional gorgon greeting was a hug, and maybe even a kiss, but she would cut off her face before she rubbed it against the disgusting giant.

    ¡°Thank you for making the time to hear me out,¡± she greeted him with her business smile as she sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk.

    ¡°Eh,¡± he grunted. His mouth was full of a fatty meat, and he tore off another chunk and began to chew rather than reply to her. The sounds made her feel sick to her stomach even though she was looking away from his mouth. She was thinking about leaving when he finally swallowed a chunk of flesh so large that she could see the lump traveling down his massive throat. ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna bother, but I got a friend who told me that he just lost his previous gorgon. I thought it couldn¡¯t hurt to see if you¡¯ve got what it takes to replace ¡®er. What¡¯re you botherin¡¯ me for anyway?¡±

    Saying that, he shoved another large chunk of dead thing into his mouth. He waved at her impatiently to start talking while he chewed.

    ¡°Well, I have plans to lead a small expedition to the Overworld¨C¡±

    She stopped and frowned as Krats began to laugh. Bits of half-chewed flesh sprayed bits from his gaping orifice, making her gag with disgust. She leaned away from the unpleasant man and swallowed the bile filling her throat.

    He jabbed a finger thick with gleaming rings in her direction. ¡°A cursed creature like you? A gorgon? Goin¡¯ to the surface?¡±

    He waved his hand dismissively while he swallowed the food that he hadn¡¯t spit out. ¡°Waste of time to even talk about that nonsense. May as well talk about pants for a centaur. I¡¯ve got a better proposition.¡±

    He leaned forward eagerly, and Cress couldn¡¯t help but think of a spider ready to wrap a fly in silk. She quietly activated one of her abilities, taking control of the air in the room in preparation for the conversation¡¯s inevitable conclusion.

    ¡°See, like I said, I got a friend who¡¯s been puttin¡¯ your little gorgon eye trick to use. He¡¯s been breaking and training the beasts we¡¯ve been collecting three layers out, and it¡¯s convenient to subdue ¡¯em. Last gorgon had an accident though, so now he needs another one of you.¡±

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    He chuckled and an evil glint entered his eyes. Cress was confident that she could guess at the kind of accident that had befallen her sister. Her fists tightened unconsciously as her heart thumped angrily.

    Krats continued, uncaring of her response. ¡°What say you go with my next caravan. You¡¯ll get to see the sights, get some stories to tell, and come back in oh¡­¡±

    Boss Krats waved his hands as if he were doing a dramatic reveal. Or perhaps he was truly bad at math. ¡°¡­maybe five years or so. Long enough for you to pay off the debt you just got for wasting the time of your betters.¡±

    Cress raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is this why you invited me out here instead of meeting in town? You wanted to be somewhere out of sight of the local asura?¡±

    He grinned. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of thing most people would think of before they came out here.¡± He tapped his head. ¡°You folk really do have snakes going through the brain.¡±

    She tilted her head. ¡°So you think you can take me in a fight?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a bold little snake!¡± he guffawed.

    He jabbed one of his meaty fingers in her direction. ¡°But look, we all know that the Gorgons are cursed. No gods¡¯ll grant you abilities and you¡¯re all too poor to hire people like me to bring you anything with a core worth absorbing. Your people are dirt, your abilities are dirt, and your future is dirt.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± she huffed. ¡°And what are you? A pile of shit?¡±

    He snorted. ¡°Not much of a comeback, but it¡¯ll still cost you dearly. Guards!¡±

    There were several long moments of awkward silence as the sneer on Boss Krats¡¯ face slowly faded.

    ¡°Guards!¡± he yelled again, just a hint of alarm entering his voice.

    Cress grinned wickedly as her snakes began to rattle.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± she said with sickening sweetness, ¡°it seems they can¡¯t hear you. I must be using one of those abilities that I couldn¡¯t possibly afford.¡±

    She rose from her seat slowly, a wasp far too dangerous for this spider¡¯s web. Boss Krats leaped from his chair, scattering his rich cuts of meat over the floor as he reached for a weapon in one of his desk¡¯s drawers.

    Cress clenched her hand and the air in the room thickened, suppressing all sound and movement. The giant wasted several seconds struggling to breath before he wasted several more struggling through the thick air to reach for her throat.

    Cress waited until he was only an arm¡¯s length away before she loosened her hold upon a cone of air and <em style="font-style: italic">shrieked through it. The powerful blast of sound ¨C an ability that she¡¯d lifted from a siren ¨C was focused by her control of the air and ripped a hole straight through Boss Krats¡¯ skull.

    She smoothed her snakes as she waited for his body to go limp. Then she relinquished control over the air, allowing the air in the room to thin back to its normal pressure and release the corpse to the floor¡¯s embrace. Gorgons were cursed by the gods, sure, but that didn¡¯t stop her from spending years hunting down underworld beasts with strange and fantastic abilities.

    Cress rubbed her hands together with anticipation and she gingerly stepped around the mess. She had just wasted an entire morning on the idiot, so she hoped that he at least kept something valuable in his office. Perhaps a map to the smuggling passage he and the other giants were using.

    Cress frowned. If there was a group of giants that was actively exploiting gorgons, then she should do something about it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m only one gorgon though, what can I do? Besides, I¡¯ve got some big plans. What¡¯s the point of them if I get killed in some hole?

    The excuses felt hollow. Cress couldn¡¯t help but remember Agrafe¡¯s words; none of her sister gorgons had believed that Crecerelle had their safety in mind. If she walked away from this, wouldn¡¯t she just be proving them right?

    She grimaced as she idly poked through the dead man¡¯s drawers. She pulled out anything of worth and stuffed it into her travel bag, but the sudden windfall couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of guilt that clung to her like an itchy rash.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go get myself in trouble again, aren¡¯t I?¡± she asked herself rhetorically.

    She sighed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m finding a map here anyway, so there really isn¡¯t much I can do. I suppose that I¡¯ll just wander around feeling guilty for the rest of my life instead.¡±

    In her frustration, she swatted a figure of one of the giant¡¯s gods from his desk. The multi-headed statue of a woman with exaggerated breasts flew through the air and smashed against the decoratively tiled wall. One of the heads popped off and the lower half shattered upon impact, but one of the arms lodged into a small crack in the tile, which left the upper torso dangling. The maimed goddess stared at Cress with an expression that she would have sworn hadn¡¯t been there a moment ago.

    She shuddered. <em style="font-style: italic">Time to go, I think.

    Cress took a step forward, but couldn¡¯t help glancing at the goddess again. She looked at the arm that had lodged itself into the tile, and this time she noticed that the hand hadn¡¯t fallen into a crack. There was actually a concealed button, and the force of Cress¡¯ swat had gotten the hand wedged into the small space around it.

    She stared at it with a feeling of dread. ¡°There¡¯s no way that happened by accident,¡± she muttered.

    The goddess¡¯s statue wasn¡¯t moving though, and it was only so long before Boss Krats¡¯ guards decided to check on him.

    ¡°Oh, seven hells,¡± she cursed. Cress jumped to the dangling statue and carefully removed it from the wall.

    ¡°Sorry about smashing you,¡± she apologized. ¡°Not that any goddess has cared what we have to say.¡±

    She tossed the statue into a corner. It wasn¡¯t like the goddess would actually forgive her, so why bother trying to appease some fickle deity?

    Cress closed her eyes and gingerly pressed the button with a pen she¡¯d swiped from the desk.

    She jumped back, expecting a trap, but instead a small panel popped open to reveal a few precious gems, some expertly crafted wands, and a map.

    ¡°Ah, dammit. Now I <em style="font-style: italic">have to go.¡±

    She glared at the smashed goddess. ¡°Thanks a lot,¡± she bit out.

 Chapter 83 â€“ An Obvious Trap

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel shook off her sudden bout of nerves and began skulking around the remodelled cavern. What had previously been a mess of hallways was now a wide open space. It was now clear that the giants had simply walled off some of the areas to create structure in their mountain lair. With the majority of those was knocked down the space had reverted to its original state as a creepy, dimly lit cavern.

    The smears of blood and occasional dismembered body part were just decoration.

    Bel gingerly hopped over a giant¡¯s arm. It still clutched a knife, even though the arm¡¯s owner was still missing. She looked around the area, being sure to sweep the ceiling for hanging threats. Then she looked around for worm holes. The worms weren¡¯t a threat, not unless she ran into their spiky bodies, but she¡¯d seen several of the slimy tentacle balls and a sky shrimp lurking at the entrance holes waiting to snare unwary prey.

    She didn¡¯t see any immediate threats, so she quickly walked to the hand and pried its fingers from the giant¡¯s knife. It was a sword in her hands, and a long one at that, with a handle far too large for her smaller size. Bel quickly <em style="font-style: italic">liquified the handle and slicked off enough layers of the metal grip to turn the giant knife into a passable spear.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Probably the best weapon I¡¯ve cobbled together yet, she congratulated herself. <em style="font-style: italic">Way better than a rock.

    She was feeling good about herself after her sudden epiphany and the changes it brought to her core, but she wasn¡¯t going to pass on a nice, sharp blade. The solid feel of the metal under her hands bolstered her confidence as she slipped away from the giant¡¯s arm. The feeling lasted until she turned the corner, when she locked eyes with Crystal.

    The patchwork woman was nearly a hundred strides away, but even at that distance Bel could feel the frustration radiating from the patchwork woman. Crystal¡¯s mouth split in a feral grin as she lifted a wand. Bel blasted her with a powerful glare and turned to run.

    Crystal¡¯s arm locked up for an instant before the air between them was split by a forked bolt of lighting. The incandescent attack moved eagerly down the open space, guided by Crystal¡¯s wand. Small fingers reached out from the main bolt as it travelled, striking the remaining metal torch brackets that still protruded from the walls and giving them one final, violent moment of light. The bolt lost some of its power on the way, but the main body closed the distance before Bel could finish feeling alarmed.

    At the last moment the blinding arc reared up like a snake and bit Bel¡¯s new weapon. Energy travelled up the metal body of the spear and slammed into her body, tossing her back against the rock wall. When her senses returned to could see Crystal rushing down the passageway, the divine spear that she¡¯d taken from the Garuda held up for a killing blow.

    Ten strides distant, close enough to see the whites of her eyes, a net whipped out and tangled around Crystal¡¯s body. A giant ¨C who Bel blearily noticed was missing and arm ¨C leaped from hiding and swung Crystal around in his net. With a mighty roar, he slammed her body into the opposite wall and two more giants emerged from hiding, weapons at the ready.

    Bel forced herself to her knees and leaped in the opposite direction.

    <em style="font-style: italic">No way in hell am I going to sit around and see who wins that one, she thought. Thanks to the lower gravity she recklessly bounded away, her prior caution discarded in her hasty retreat. She was almost immediately punished for her negligence when a sky shrimp jumped out from a nearby crevice and attempted to imprison her with a cage of air.

    Startled, Bel shrieked in fear before reflexively calling upon her new mastery to pull the air around her into a dense, liquid ball before exploding it in a shockwave aimed at the shrimp. The crustacean was pulped, its legs flying off in different directions as Bel crashed through its remains.

    Bel quickly snatched the rapidly dissipating essence, barely noticing when she ascending another threshold, and bounded forward. She grabbed the corner of a rocky column and swung herself around a corner, out of sight of the fight she¡¯d left behind.

    Bel leaned over and gasped for breath. Sweat poured from her face and she swiped it away with her hand to prevent it dripping into her eye.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What the hell did Technis¡¯ priests do to her? The giants haven¡¯t slowed Crystal down at down at all! Bel complained bitterly.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Most of them must have cut and run too quickly, she realized. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ll have to get them to fight somehow.

    Bel looked around quickly. She was still breathing heavily, but she was ready to move. But move where?

    <em style="font-style: italic">They must have retreated to those stairs I saw.

    Bel spun in place and stifled a curse. <em style="font-style: italic">I have no idea where I am.

    She crept to the edge of the remaining wall that she¡¯d been using as shelter and peaked around its edges.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Nothing.

    She clenched her jaw painfully as she looked into an open space with several partial corridors leading in different directions. <em style="font-style: italic">The destruction started by the stairs, so I guess that I want to go where it¡¯s worst.

    Her lips twisted as she considered her options, and she took a few steps towards the different passageways to see if any clues leaped out.

    <em style="font-style: italic">The right looks the worst, I think.

    Her snakes flicked their tongues in agitation, prompting Bel to sniff the air. <em style="font-style: italic">It reeks of death too. Seems right.

    She hesitated before entering the foreboding corridor. There were only a couple of lonely torches still burning along the walls. Their meager light only served to strengthen the shadows that lurked along the rest of the space.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I miss Flann¡¯s fire.

    She looked at a broken piece of one of the metal torch brackets at her feet, lying cold and broken on the stone floor. It was a large chunk of a broken shaft of metal nearly as tall as she was, and she guessed that it had to weigh at least as much as she did. Bel bent down and lifted it.

    She staggered under the heavy mass, but the lower gravity meant she could lift the otherwise impossibly heavy shaft of metal. The momentum was unchanged though, and she found herself stumbling after the metal in unexpected ways. After a few minutes of walking in circles like a drunk she grew used to the sensation. <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, new weapon procured. As long as I avoid lightning bolts, this should be fine.

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    Bel nodded to herself and started down the dark passageway. She moved carefully, checking the ceiling for sky shrimp, the holes in the floor for tentacle slimes, and the openings in the walls for ambushing giants. The thing that jumped out at her was none of those things, of course.

    A large fox worm pounced from the shadows, surprisingly quiet on its large, padded feet. Bel strained to whip her club at it, but the inertia of the heavy metal resisted her and her timing was completely wrong. The fox worm raked its claws over her, spraying sparks as they scraped over the metal plates of Kjar¡¯s divine gift. Once its claws reached the bottom of her skirt though, they tore through the soft flesh of her leg.

    Bel screamed in pain and effort as her blood watered the ground around her feet. Her club accelerated as she continued her swing, until it finally made contact with the fox worm¡¯s muzzle. The metal barely slowed as it struck, throwing off a wake of blood, bone, and teeth like a ship cutting through the sea.

    Bel¡¯s body was lifted from the ground from the force of her swing, her body pulled through the air behind her metal club. As she spun full circle Bel tensed her arms and tried to push the club downward for a second hit on the stunned monster when she completed her rotation. Her body lifted into the air as she extended her arms and forced the club downwards, but the fox worm¡¯s skull was right where she wanted it.

    A loud, wet splat announced the end of the ten-legged creature. Bel¡¯s chest heaved as she waited for the adrenaline to fade. She held her club at the ready as she waited for a second ambush, but nothing emerged after a hundred heartbeats. She prodded the corpse with her foot, ripping the dead creature¡¯s essence from its body.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Not even enough for a threshold, she lamented. <em style="font-style: italic">Not that a couple of thresholds would make a difference with Crystal.

    Then she looked down at her bleeding leg. Her abilities had quickly staunched most of the bloodflow, but it was still going to slow her down. She prodded it carefully while chewing on her lip. <em style="font-style: italic">After working so hard to get that dodging ability from the tentacle slimes I should have remembered to use it, she berated herself.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Still, it¡¯s a clean cut. I wonder if I can just put myself back together.

    Bel ran her hand over her leg to get an idea of the extent of her wounds before shifting her weight to her other leg. Then she took advantage of her core insights to shift her injured leg into a liquid state. Like magic, detritus and clotted blood was forced out of her leg as the surface tension of her slightly rippling limb pulled itself back together. She stopped feeding energy to the ability a few moments later and flexed her leg.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Perfect, she thought, pleased with herself. It had eaten up some of her energy, but it was worth it to have her leg fully working.

    Bel shook her head and continued her exploration, now keeping her senses ready for the fox-worms as well as the other threats. The tension clung to her as a thick sheen of sweat that beaded and fell down her back as more time went by without any surprises. She licked her dried teeth to stop them from sticking to the insides of her cheeks and waved her hands in the air to dry them, worried that the sweat would allow her club to go flying the next time she swung it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">How did Beth sneak through so many places without losing her daggers, she wondered. <em style="font-style: italic">Or am I just too nervous?

    Try as she might, Bel couldn¡¯t settle her nerves. Knowing that around each corner she could be attacked by anything from a flying shrimp to the body of a killed-and-resurrected woman who lived only to follow her god¡¯s twisted will was too unsettling.

    Bel eased around another corner and nearly tripped over the body of a dead giant. Their upper half had been half digested, leaving a gruesome mix of half-melted bones and bloodless limbs. She looked around the space for the threat before realizing that the corpse looked familiar.

    A glance up at the dim glow of a torch in the back of an alcove set into the wall confirmed her suspicion. <em style="font-style: italic">That alcove has the giants¡¯ shrine, which means that the door is right over there.

    Bel sighed with relief as she quickly moved towards the door. Then she froze. The body of the first guard that she had killed was gone.

    The door slightly ajar and about as welcoming as a spider¡¯s web to a moth. Bel scowled at the sight of the obvious trap. The area around it had been battered, and there was some loose rubble lying in large piles to either side of it, but the area around the door was suspiciously clean. She approached it slowly, her snakes glancing in every direction as she focused on the door itself.

    Bel knelt in front of the door and inspected the rocks. They were still slick with blood, even though the guard¡¯s body was gone. She ran her hands along the ground, searching for a trail. When she found it, she wasn¡¯t pleased. Someone had dragged the body through the door before closing it partway behind them.

    <em style="font-style: italic">So I¡¯m not the first person here. Would the giants have set an ambush on the other side? Did all of them escape, or was it just a few?

    She pondered for a few moments before giving it up. <em style="font-style: italic">If I stay here, Crystal is eventually going to find me. The only thing that¡¯s been delaying her is whatever is left of the giants, and I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to last long.

    Bel pushed her back up against the wall and tried to peer through the gap, but she couldn¡¯t see anything on the other side ¨C or at least anything suspicious. The area was lit by a few evercandles burning in small alcoves, their light reflecting cheerfully from the smooth, polished rocks. The lack of death and dismembered body parts set Bel on edge and she paused an arm¡¯s length away from the opening.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s too neat, she thought, <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t trust it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar help me, I sound just as paranoid as Beth.

    She looked nervously at the chaos on her side of the door. <em style="font-style: italic">I can¡¯t really stay here though, can I?

    Bel pulled in a deep breath and slowly released it. <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, here I come.

    She backed up a couple of steps and took a running leap through the opening in an attempt to leap over any ground level traps. When she hit the ground she rolled before popping back to her feet. In an instant she had her back to the wall. She brandished her club in front of her, ready to ward off any attack.

    Nothing came.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, now I feel silly.

    She glanced around the flat top of the room and saw nothing. Her eyes moved carefully over the walls. Other than a few dirty hand prints, there was nothing amiss. She glanced up at the ceiling and saw nothing but shadows.

    Bel took a step forward and threw herself away from the wall, barely avoiding a spike of stone that rose suddenly from the ground.

    ¡°Hiding in the shadows is one of my sister¡¯s favorite tricks, Crystal,¡± she taunted, ¡°you¡¯re nowhere near as good as her.¡±

    A dark shape detached itself from the ceiling and dropped to the floor. Crystal looked worse for wear: half of her scales were missing, one side of her was covered in cuts and another side in burns, and her quiver of wands looked mostly empty. Bel wasn¡¯t fooled for a moment. Technis¡¯ patchwork people were unshakable. She had seen many of them perform their given task until exhaustion stopped their hearts, even if the task was as pointless as fanning a priest during the summer.

    Crystal still had some of her wands, and the third arm fused onto her right elbow somehow granted her access to at least some of Beth¡¯s powers. The blue shell embedded into her chest allowed her to call upon Technis¡¯ Barrier, and the priest¡¯s had enhanced her body with their typically detestable modifications. She gripped the divine spear in her left hand and her right hands wielded a dagger and a wand. She was a monster wearing the body of someone Bel used to know who would kill her the moment she could.

    ¡°You used to be a much more interesting person,¡± Bel muttered.

    To her surprise Crystal tilted her head and responded. ¡°And why do you think that?¡±

    ¡°The Crystal I know would have been curious about all of this stuff. Instead you¡¯re just going around killing everyone.¡±

    Crystal shrugged and pointed her wand at her head. ¡°The priests put a mission into my head. Gotta get it done.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Why is she bothering to talk? Bel wondered.

    Aloud she said, ¡°so you know they messed with your head? And that doesn¡¯t bother you?¡±

    She laughed, a quick manic cackle. ¡°Of course not, stupid! They messed with my head so that I wouldn¡¯t care. Why would you make a miserable servant?¡±

    Bel looked at the wand. She didn¡¯t know much about them, but the living Crystal had required a large amount of time to prepare them. The patchwork version of her had been launching attack seemingly nonstop, but Bel wondered if there was some limit to it. If she had a bunch of mana batteries shoved into her somewhere they would eventually run out.

    Bel¡¯s eyes narrowed. Maybe Crystal was in worse shape than she¡¯d thought.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Then I have a chance, she thought hopefully.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 84 â€“ Belemental

    <section>

    <section>

    If Bel¡¯s guess was right, then Crystal was running low on essence. It made sense since she¡¯d just blown through the doors to a giant fortress and battled an entire group of giants in her single-minded pursuit of Bel. <em style="font-style: italic">Hopefully that takes her most powerful weapons off the table.

    Crystal still had her less powerful abilities and the divine spear, but Bel preferred those odds.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re being so talkative, mind telling me what¡¯s going on in Satrap?¡± Bel asked with a smile.

    Crystal shrugged. ¡°How would I know? Inquisitor Clark put me back together and sent me after anyone who threatened Technis¡¯ domain.¡±

    ¡°Put you back together?¡± Bel scoffed. ¡°More like messed you up ¨C whose arm do you think that is that¡¯s sticking out of your elbow?¡±

    Crystal glanced at the extra limb. ¡°Well, it¡¯s mine now.¡±

    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t bother you? That Technis¡¯ priests desecrated your body, sucked every bit of you out of your brain, and turned you into an abomination?¡±

    Crystal grinned. ¡°Technis is great!¡± she replied with immediate enthusiasm.

    Bel decided that she¡¯d had enough of the patchwork person¡¯s nonsense. <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar, Lempo, don¡¯t ever let that happen to me, she prayed.

    She <em style="font-style: italic">pounced, hoping that at close range her abilities would be better than Crystal¡¯s slow-charging wands. When she saw the gleam in Crystal¡¯s eyes she realized that perhaps Crystal had been baiting her.

    The patchwork woman spun in place and whipped her artificially lengthened tail at Bel fast enough to make sound as it cut through the air. Bel had no chance to dodge, so she pivoted her overweight metal club about its center, lifting one end of it high enough to intercept the attack. Crystal¡¯s tail struck the club with a thunderous clang that sent shivers through Bel¡¯s straining arms. The momentum of the strike forced her to one knee on the ground and there was enough force left over that she slid back a full stride along polished stone floor.

    Crystal continued the spin from her tail attack and used the momentum to fuel a powerful throw of her stolen spear. Bel attempted to repeat her parry, but the spear flew as fast as a rock from James¡¯ sling. It zipped past her guard on its way to her chest, the spotless blade gleaming with an eager light.

    The individual plates of Kjar¡¯s divine gift lit with a glowing filigree as the spear neared. The armor had never failed her, but when the divine spear struck it forced itself into a small gap between two of the plates. The scales of her lamellar armor glowed as they pulled tightly together, preventing the spear from biting deeply, but the shallow wound still burned with a throbbing agony that ached with every breath.

    ¡°Soon my task will be complete,¡± Crystal cackled. She recalled the spear with a gesture, causing it to burst into a cloud of reddish dust that rushed back to her waiting hand.

    Bel stumbled backwards from the intense and unexpected agony, still reeling from her rapid failure and injury. In her head she knew it was a shallow wound, no deeper than her pinky nail, but it hurt as though she¡¯d been stabbed through. Her overconfidence burned just as much as the injury.

    <em style="font-style: italic">How am I so weak and stupid? she moaned internally.

    Crystal stepped forward and Bel hastily raised her weapon to guard against another attack from the spear. With a flourish and a flick of her wrist, Crystal instead pointed her wand at the ground, once again surprising Bel. The gorgon could feel a pressure building beneath her feet, an ominous rumble that presaged an assault from the rock beneath her feet.

    Bel slammed her foot into the ground and <em style="font-style: italic">liquified the section in front of her before driving a <em style="font-style: italic">shockwave into the viscous material to counter¡¯s Crystal¡¯s attack. A shudder rolled through the ground as the forces rushed to meet one another, sending Bel and Crystal stumbling. When the attacks collided a spray of shattered rock erupted from the ground between them, blocking Bel¡¯s sight.

    Anticipating an attack, Bel flipped into the air. She spun as she leaped and used the momentum to swing her club in Crystal¡¯s direction. When the club was in the right spot, Bel hit it with a pulse of <em style="font-style: italic">liquify, converting the upper third of the hunk of metal into a viscous fluid. It stretched like taffy, straining forward through the force of its inertia until it snapped from the end of the club. The now solidifying band of metal spun through the air on a collision course with Crystal¡¯s last location.

    The area below Bel¡¯s height erupted in a blinding flash as Crystal flooded the area with lightning. Bel reflexively tucked her legs to maximize her distance from the force below her, but she kept her eye trained on Crystal, hoping to see the result of her own attack. The crackle of lightning faded and Bel heard a heavy thud through the cloud of rock and dust.

    The moment her feet touched the ground, Bel rushed forward, eager to put Crystal on the back foot. Instead of attacking though, she skid to a halt when she saw the familiar blue glow of Technis¡¯ barrier. A quick glance showed a hunk of metal lying on the outside of the smaller barrier. Bel clicked her tongue with frustration.

    Crystal eyed her mockingly from the other side when she saw Bel¡¯s look of dismay. The patchwork woman dropped her protection as she pointed another wand at Bel. This time a plume of flame leaped at her, quickly engulfing the gorgon.

    Bel instinctively crossed her arms over her face while she used <em style="font-style: italic">thermal regulation to channel the heat into Sparky, her little magma snake. It was enough to stop her from instantly cooking, but the volume of fire and heat disoriented Bel and she found herself stumbling back towards the far wall of the room. Crystal stalked forward, fueling her wand with enough energy to bathe Bel in a continuous deluge of fire. Bel grit her teeth and whimpered with frustration as she was forced up against the smoothed rocks.

    Her skin tightened and strained until she felt like she would burst like a potato.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Hell no, I¡¯m not getting cooked, she thought angrily. <em style="font-style: italic">Dutcha¡¯s would never let a little thing like being set on fire slow her down.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Bel reached for her new, untested <em style="font-style: italic">mix spirits ability, determined to grasp at any straws available. Energy traced the patterns in her core and flooded through her body and into her magma snake. The small spirit¡¯s essence became less distinct from Bel¡¯s own as it melted into her body.

    Bel howled as Sparky¡¯s outrage at Crystal¡¯s feeble flames bled into her own fear and anger. Her skin grew thick and dark like volcanic rock and crackled like a rockslide as she moved. Crystal¡¯s fiery assault continued, but now Bel greedily drank it in. As she absorbed more heat from the flames her skin cracked to reveal veins of heated rock underneath.

    Bel surged forward, awkward under her sudden weight but propelled by a deep, burning rage. Crystal¡¯s wand finally sputtered out and she stared at surprise at the burning creature barrelling towards her.

    Bel roared when she saw Crystal¡¯s face. The patchwork woman tapped her chest to once again summon her protective barrier. Bel snarled is disdain at the cowardly response.

    Bel whipped her metal club at Crystal, smashing it against the hateful blue barrier without any effect. The elemental acted on pure instinct, melting her weapon into a cord of liquid iron as she swung it around Crystal¡¯s spherical barrier. The molten metal formed a band most of the way around the sphere, which Bel used to pull Crystal forward.

    Crystal dug her heels into the ground, but Bel had gained the weight of a person-sized pile of stone.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can keep that going for long,¡± Crystal threatened, even as she was dragged towards the edge of the room¡¯s spiral stairs.

    Bel grunted as she leaped over the edge of hole that held the spiral stairs, taking Crystal with her. Once they were both in the air, Bel hauled on the handle of her metal band and used her increased weight to hurl Crystal at the opposite wall.

    Bel landed on the stairs coming from the closer wall and collapsed after the exertion. As she lay gasping for breath her body separated from her magma snake¡¯s essence and the small snake reclaimed its normal perch on her head. The layer of stone covering her skin crackled and broke free from her body, leaving behind a healthy and untarnished layer of her regular skin. The twin tattoos of Kjar and Dutcha going down her arms faintly glowed.

    Bel groaned as she pulled herself to her feet. She was flesh and blood once again, and she couldn¡¯t have felt more tired.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t have time to sit here groaning, she scolded herself.

    Bel pushed herself towards the edge of the stairway ¨C which didn¡¯t have railings, she noticed. <em style="font-style: italic">James would be screaming about safety.

    She¡¯d thrown Crystal down to the next turn, leaving a crater in the opposite wall and a very angry Crystal staring up at her.

    ¡°Eat crow,¡± she cursed at the persistent patchwork woman.

    Crystal worked her jaw as she tried to speak, but something had gone wrong with her chest. The blue device that had been generating her personal barrier had cracked and blood oozed freely down her front side. Crystal looked down at the mess and paused, momentarily confused.

    Then she looked back at Bel and bared her teeth in a feral threat.

    Bel reached down for¡­

    <em style="font-style: italic">Nope, no weapons again. Gods, now I understand why Beth keeps so many damn daggers.

    Crystal pulled out a wand, sending Bel scrambling back from the edge of the steps. When she waved the small metal rod nothing came out; instead Crystal lifted into the air and hovered a few hand spans above the ground. Bel was underwhelmed by the effect until Crystal launched herself through the air. She was going straight towards Bel, spear and dagger held wide like the jaws of a hunting spider.

    Bel danced back and lifted her arms into a fighting stance. Most of her abilities still had a use left, but she held back since she had no idea how much more energy Crystal had for her own abilities. <em style="font-style: italic">Am I seriously going to fight her with my fists, though?

    Crystal landed on the edge of the step and jabbed forward with her spear. Bel spun out of the way, but Crystal was persistent, jabbing with every step, continually forcing Bel back. The stairs seemed to go down forever, so Bel thought about retreating until Crystal grew tired.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s just as likely that I¡¯ll trip. Maybe more likely. I¡¯m just going to have to go for it, Bel realized.

    She waited for Crystal¡¯s next jab to make her move. Bel jumped back in time with the attack and then rushed forward with the retreating tip of the spear. The air around her hand compressed and she emptied most of her second core to throw forward a powerful shockwave.

    Crystal whipped her wand up and the air around them was suddenly gone, taking the shockwave with it. The void pulled at Bel¡¯s lungs, hungrily trying to claim the air in them even as the air around them rushing into the void with a ear-splitting shriek. Knowing that this was her last chance, Bel barely broke stride, even with Crystal thrust her spear forward again.

    They were too close for the long weapon, and Crystal had been paying more attention to her wand arm. Bel leaned to the side and caught the spear between her arm and her body. She held the wooden haft of the weapon in place with her right hand as she body slammed into Crystal.

    She¡¯d been hoping to wrench the weapon away from her, but Crystal managed to hold on as she staggered back a step. Crystal dropped the wand from the lower hand in her awkward double-arm and used it to grapple with Bel¡¯s left arm. That left her third arm clear to slash at Bel¡¯s neck. Crystal grinned triumphantly as her knife bit into Bel¡¯s throat, easily tearing a wide gash straight through.

    The flesh of Bel¡¯s neck rippled after the knife¡¯s passage before joining back together, like a pond after a skipping stone passed over it. <em style="font-style: italic">I knew that ability would be awesome, Bel self-congratulated.

    Bel freed her right hand and pushed on the hilt of Crystal¡¯s knife, co-opting its momentum to aim the point straight at Crystal¡¯s face. Crystal tried to take a step back, but Bel slipped a foot behind her heel and pushed forward. Crystal tripped, but her other right arm was still gripped onto Bel¡¯s left hand and they both went tumbling to the ground.

    As they fell, Bel pushed her weight down on the dagger, hoping to score a killing blow. When they hit the ground Crystal¡¯s warped dual-arm wasn¡¯t strong enough to hold the blade away, and it stabbed through her eye.

    Crystal¡¯s body twitched and kicked, still moving despite what should have been a fatal wound. Bel had seen plenty of patchwork people in the bowels of Technis¡¯ temple, so she knew exactly where to strike next. She pulled her arm back and thrust it into the cracked shell on Crystal¡¯s chest, burrowing straight into her chest cavity.

    She was up to her elbow in gore by the time she found what she was looking for: Crystal¡¯s power source. There were seven of the solidified sources of essence, batteries that had enough energy to power all of Crystal¡¯s abilities. Bel ran her hand over them to pull out their essence. Even mostly empty, the power they held was incredible; Bel gained a threshold for each, putting her two thresholds away from being able to form her third core.

    She was exhausted, but Bel still grabbed the spear possessively.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least I got something out of it, she though tiredly as she leaned back with a loud sigh of relief.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least that¡¯s over. I hope Orseis has been okay. James is gonna give me an earful too.

    She idly rubbed the earring between her fingers. The mountain overhead seemed to have blocked his regular calls, so she was looking forward to getting out.

    A grinding sound of stone rubbing stone made her look up. Up and down the stairs hidden alcoves are opening up to reveal the giants who had been hiding behind them. <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, they¡¯ve just been waiting for one of us to kill the other. Fantastic.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Why does this always happen to me?

    Bel tapped the steps in front of her, using her last dregs of energy to <em style="font-style: italic">liquify the rock. A large section of rock slumped and fell, taking two of the giants with it. Another one leaped to avoid falling, but the large gap in the stairs cut off the giant¡¯s approach from that side.

    Bel turned to face the other direction, hoping fervently that none of the giants were carrying any ranged weapons.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 85 â€“ Unexpected Ally

    <section>

    <section>

    Bel clenched her hand around the wooden haft of her newly procured spear and put her back to the gap she¡¯d created in the spiral stairs.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯ve come this far only for these losers take me down in an ambush.

    Bel glanced to the side, wondering if she could simply jump. To her dismay she saw another cluster of giants waiting below her, clearly anticipating that approach. Or maybe they¡¯d just gotten lucky ¨C Bel couldn¡¯t tell if their hiding places actually allowed for any movement.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Although, now that I think about it, a giant spiral staircase without any support or guardrails is pretty suspicious. How would they get those cages full of animals down the steps? Maybe the actual passage is inside the stone, and this was just a decoy.

    The lead giant, the same one who had captured her in the first place, stepped to the front of the group nearest her. He looked a little more frazzled from the disastrous night, but that didn¡¯t have any effect on his confident swagger. The giant looked at her through a mirror while he pointed one of his huge fingers in her direction and began barking orders that she didn¡¯t understand.

    Bel decided that she¡¯d had enough of the casual disrespect. She took a deep breath and felt for the connection that she had with her mother, Lempo. Her mouth opened and words in the divine tongue built up in her throat, a revelation from her divine mother. At the last moment she felt Lempo¡¯s presence step aside and Kjar¡¯s fiery temperament took its place.

    ¡°Pathetic mortals! You dare interfere with this divine champion! Your bodies will burn and your souls will be cast into the darkness for an eternity!¡±

    Bel cringed at the words leaving her own mouth. <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar, why can¡¯t you be more subtle? I wanted to buy time, but I think this will just rile them up.

    The giants looked at her for a couple heartbeats and then burst into laughter. The leader patted the severed gorgon¡¯s head swinging at his belt a few time before pointing at her and saying something threatening. It didn¡¯t take a lot of imagination to guess what he was suggesting.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, maybe I¡¯ll just jump down the entire shaft. I wish I had my parachute though.

    She glanced over the edge and was startled to see someone flying up the center of the shaft.

    <em style="font-style: italic">They don¡¯t have people who can fly, do they?

    The newcomer blurred past before snapping her wings wide to bring herself to a quick halt. She touched down a half turn higher than Bel and surveyed the scene below her. She was dressed for war, with well-worn leather armor with a metal breastplate and gorget protecting her heart and a neck and wielded a maul with a brutal-looking spike on one side. Bel¡¯s eyes were drawn to her hands, which sported long, sharp nails made of reflective metal.

    At first Bel had expected another garuda, but this woman had a human face ¨C currently pulled down into a disapproving frown. Bel''s pulse quickened when she saw the newcomer''s braids twitch and come to life. It wasn¡¯t human hair at all; instead it was a nest of snakes.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Another gorgon, Bel realized.

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened with delight as the newcomer¡¯s snakes fanned out angrily around her head. Their tails shook, creating a threatening rattling sound that seemed impossibly loud. The lead giant turned to look at the newcomer and froze, a look of surprise and horror on his face.

    Bel heard him grunt in effort, but it seemed like he was unable to turn away. One of his companions reached out to help him, so Bel threw her new spear as a distraction. She¡¯d expected her throw to go wide, but the spear seemed to guide her arm as she threw it, turning a shaky toss into a lethal throw. It neatly pierced through the giant¡¯s chest and burst from the other side.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Divine gifts are awesome, Bel thought. She could feel satisfaction and hunger from the weapon even after it left her hands. She pulled at it mentally and felt it pull back a chunk of her free essence before it dissolved into a red dust and returned to her.

    Bel grinned and looked back to the giants¡¯ boss. He was still frozen, but now something strange was happening with his skin. It had turned a sickly gray, radiating out from his dull-looking eyes. His lips twisted one last time before freezing in place, his arms and fingers twitched before growing unnaturally still, and the gray sheen spread to his extremities.

    <em style="font-style: italic">A statue, Bel realized. <em style="font-style: italic">She turned him to stone, just like James said gorgons could.

    Bel looked up at the new gorgon with admiration. <em style="font-style: italic">So that¡¯s why nobody wanted to look at me.

    <hr>

    A few moments earlier, Crecerelle had been working her way up stairs.

    She paused for just a moment, looking at the seemingly endless distance spiraling upwards. She wasn¡¯t tired, but all the walking was getting tedious and her misgivings were only growing. She had been prepared for a quick fight, not an entire journey, and the scale of the operation behind the stairs was unsettling. She didn¡¯t want to admit it to herself, but she was also scared of what she would find up at the top of the illegal passage.

    What if gorgons really were being exploited by this band of animal and ability traders? And what if the traders were too powerful for her to be able to help? Cress groaned as she thought about it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ll probably have to go crawling to some local vigilante group and pay some exorbitant fee. Then they won¡¯t even do anything about the giants ¨C they¡¯ll probably just buy any gorgons away, leaving the root of the problem behind.

    Cress swung her maul at the stone wall, gouging out a small chunk and a spray of smaller pieces. Then she lifted a chip to her shoulder and let it go, carefully counting the time until it struck the ground near her feet. A bit of math derived the rate of acceleration and told her that she¡¯d had gone through nearly two complete layers. She couldn¡¯t help but whistle in admiration.

    <em style="font-style: italic">They must have payed a lot of bribes for the naga and asura to overlook this.

    Cress¡¯ snakes rattled with her displeasure.

    The giants¡¯ operation was well-funded and they had powerful allies. The hole and the stairs clinging to its outer edge were clear enough proof of that. The trade in rare beasts from a different layer also meant that Cress wouldn¡¯t be receiving any support for a campaign of retribution.

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    <em style="font-style: italic">Nothing ever changes, she thought angrily. <em style="font-style: italic">The powerful crush the weak under their heel.

    She grit her teeth and determined to take care of things, whatever that took. She had just set her foot on the next step when a flash of light from above made her pause again.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What was that?

    She peered upwards, holding her hand in front of her face to form a lens from the air. It didn¡¯t really help because there was nothing to see, save for some flickering lights. The burning red was probably fire and there was a blue glow that she thought came from some kind of insect.

    There was a long pause without movement, and then something tumbled down the shaft. Cress watched in surprise as some of the stairs and a pair of giants plummeted past her.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, no more time for dawdling. If the giants are having a problem, this is my chance to strike.

    Cress spread her wings and filled them with air, burning away essence to speed her arrival. Tears fell from her eyes from the rush of wind against her face and she pushed out a bubble to push away the air resistance. There was a balance to strike between getting to the fight in time to capitalize upon whatever was happening and burning away so much essence that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything when she got there. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have enough information to make a good decision, so she was left with just her instincts guide her.

    Crecerelle came upon the scene of the fight so abruptly that she nearly flew past it, but with a quick snap of her wings she brought herself down to a graceful landing directly above the belligerents. A quick glance showed a mass of giants surrounding a lone gorgon. A look at the best-armed giant ¨C their leader she presumed ¨C revealed the severed head of one of her sisters swinging from her belt.

    A fiery rage suffused her body. Her snakes shook with fury and she amplified the sound, calling the giant¡¯s attention to her. And then she <em style="font-style: italic">glared with the intent to kill.

    She didn¡¯t get the attention of every giant ¨C she saw one start to move before the other gorgon quickly dispatched him with her spear ¨C but she¡¯d locked eyes with the leader. She pushed her powers into him and quickly turned his body to stone. She sighed with satisfaction at the sight while her snakes hissed their approval.

    Cress turned to a giant who¡¯d been trying to sneak up behind her and opened her mouth. She unleashed a powerful <em style="font-style: italic">shriek that tossed him to the ground, where she quickly tore out his throat with a swipe of her sharp claws. Then she leaped at the nearest giant. A flap of her wings accelerated her inside the thrust of his spear and she smashed his head in with her maul.

    The giants weren¡¯t weak, but whatever had happened to bring them to the stairs had left them disorganized. Many were already wounded and tired and now, with their leader turned to stone, they were disorganized and panicked.

    There were only two gorgons, and plenty of giants, but the momentum was on her side. Cress quickly checked the progress of her sister gorgon and was pleased to the girl laying about her with a glowing spear.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least I don¡¯t have to baby-sit.

    Cress frowned at her uncharitable thought as she smashed through a giant¡¯s shield with the pick side of her weapon to impale his shield arm. Another swing collapsed his chest and a quick flick of the claws verified his death before she moved on to the next.

    A buzzing sound alerted Cress to an incoming projectile, which she slowed down with a burst of the air around her. She spun and saw a giant on a higher level hastily looking away into a mirror. Cress scolded herself and flew to reach the relative genius who had found a bow and arrows.

    Another glance showed the other gorgon still holding her own, although she wasn¡¯t doing much more than that. <em style="font-style: italic">She¡¯s probably already been through seven hells tonight. I need to learn to be more charitable, Cress rebuked herself.

    A solidified shield of air blocked two more arrows before she caved in the archer¡¯s skull.

    Cress turned to find her next enemy and watched with amusement as the other gorgon leaped onto the final giant¡¯s back. Her eyebrows went up in surprise as the unknown gorgon snapped the giant¡¯s neck with a powerful twist of her arms.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Wow, she¡¯s strong.

    Cress jumped over the edge and glided to meet her unknown sister. She kept her eyes open for any more surprises, but all she saw was dead giants. The statue of their leader stood in horror over the scene, a fitting warning for any who would cross her kind.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Good riddance, she cheered.

    Cress put her maul down as she shifted her attention to the other gorgon, opening her arms wide for a traditional greeting. The other girl peered at her with open admiration and curiosity, but she left her arms hanging awkwardly. Crecerelle twitched her hands with agitation, but the other gorgon didn¡¯t budge.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is she really rude or something? Did someone hit her on the head?

    Cress looked at the girl, inspecting her for the first time. She was odd.

    Her head did, in fact, look injured. She was clearly missing a snake, and two of her snakes were¡­ strange? They were either decorated with flowers and paint or something was seriously wrong with them. One glowed with a dull red and hung limply off to the side, like it was worn out just from being there. The flowery one lazed around her scalp like a circlet of flowers. Cress had met plenty of other gorgons with plenty of snakes, but she¡¯d never seen any so unusual.

    Cress had also never seen a gorgon who wore such garish tattoos on her arms. The names of their closest sisters, certainly, but of other powerful beings? Cress wondered if she was an indebted to some high-flying aspiring ascendants.

    Wherever she¡¯d come from, the other gorgon looked like she had some crazy stories to tell. The same injury that took her snake had also left a scar running down her face and through an eye, ruining it. Her legs and arms were streaked with small scars and she was naked save for a gleaming set of lamellar armor that covered her shoulders and torso and continued into a skirt of metal plates that hung close to her knees. She didn¡¯t even have shoes, although she had a couple of earrings and a crude necklace.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Damn, this girl has seen some shit, Cress thought.

    Cress finally lowered her arms, hug rejected, and coughed to clear her throat. ¡°Hello sister, I am Crecerelle, currently of no den.¡±

    The other gorgon nodded and pointed to herself before babbling in some unknown language.

    Cress¡¯s brow crinkled in consternation.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Why isn¡¯t she using our native tongue?

    Cress interrupted the stranger and repeated her greeting, wondering again if the other gorgon had received some head trauma.

    The girl shrugged and rattled off greetings in a couple more languages, neither of which Cress understood. If she wasn¡¯t just making up languages on the spot it was an impressive accomplishment considering that Cress spoke ten languages fluently and knew basic greetings in twenty more.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Olympos is vast and surprises abound. Maybe she¡¯s from one of the floating isles? Or perhaps she survived a ship wrecked in the polar storms and was tossed to the other side of the world.

    The stranger finally sighed and twisted her lips like she was about to do something unpleasant. Then she opened her mouth and spoke.

    This time Cress understood her; not because she knew the language, but because the stranger spoke in the divine tongue. It was impossible to <em style="font-style: italic">not understand words in the divine tongue, so plenty of traders learned abilities to do so. Gorgons didn¡¯t ¨C their grudge against the gods ran strong.

    The girl wasn¡¯t using an ability though. Crecerelle could tell. Her words didn¡¯t sound like her own, taking on the distant haughty tone that Cress recognized from priests and zealots in towns across Olympos. Her message was also insane, another hallmark of the gods.

    ¡°Greetings,¡± the girl began in a smooth, dulcet voice. ¡°I am the Beloved child of Lempo, goddess of change and upheaval, and Dutcha, the divine spirit of chaos.¡±

    Cress was struck dumb at the proclamation, but the girl didn''t stop there.

    ¡°I am on a mission to kill the false god, Technis. Divine providence commands your assistance.¡±

    The girl immediately slapped her hands over her mouth before waving her limbs around and apologizing in her foreign words.

    Cress stared, numbness nipping at the tips of her fingers.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Daughter of who? What? The gods haven¡¯t used a gorgon as their divine instrument in thousands of years ¨C they¡¯ve never forgiven us for refusing to leave the Old World when commanded. What is going on?

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 86 â€“ Parental Advice

    <section>

    <section>

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, Lempo, why did you make me say that? Now I sound like a jerk. I just wanted to say thanks.

    Bel tried to wave her arms as though she could clear the misunderstanding like a puff of smoke. She laughed nervously and gave a small bow, and then clapped her hands together.

    ¡°Thanks for coming to my rescue,¡± she smiled. She spoke in English this time. Apparently, none of her languages would work so she went with the one she felt was most flexible.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she apologized again. ¡°I can¡¯t really control what Lempo says through me. I think she wanted me to ask some gorgons for help though.¡±

    Bel wrinkled her nose. ¡°Maybe I should try talking with her.¡±

    The gorgon was standing stock still, like she¡¯d been hit by lightning and had forgotten how to move. Bel was beginning to think that she¡¯d said something really shocking.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I hope she isn¡¯t too insulted.

    ¡°Um, I love your wings,¡± she said, lamely. They were a magnificent golden color, with deep brown tips, and immediately filled Bel with a feeling foolishness.

    Could I have been flying around all this time? Is that something that gorgons do?

    Bel squinted her eyes and felt around at the constellation of her abilities. There was a small body modification ability there that would grow some little wing nubs, but Bel felt like the gorgon¡¯s wings were too magnificent to be such a minor ability. Her nails though¡­

    Bel stared enviously at the other woman¡¯s gleaming metallic nails. They were a deep bronze and contrasted wonderfully with her lightly tanned skin.

    Bel inspected her own nails ¨C chipped and pitted from her constant fighting ¨C and immediately reached into her possible abilities. <em style="font-style: italic">Fourteen strokes, not too bad. Maybe we¡¯ll get along better if we match, she thought hopefully.

    Bel closed her eyes as she engraved the pattern upon her core. Then she looked down at her nails, but they were unchanged. She frowned and shook them around, but they didn¡¯t improve.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± she complained.

    The other gorgon laughed. She help up a hand and pointed to one of her sharp nails. She said something and shook her head. Then she reached down to a small satchel at her waist and pulled out a small lump of metal, which she offered to Bel.

    Bel accepted it gratefully.

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    Bel tapped the metal against her hands, but nothing happened. The other gorgon laughed at her confused expression.

    Bel¡¯s lip quivered. <em style="font-style: italic">Is she teasing me?

    The other gorgon wiped a tear from her eye and shook her head. She reached out and reclaimed the metal and took a bite out of it.

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened as she watched the lump of metal go down with a large gulp. Then the stranger held up her hands. Bel watched with surprise as her nail grew slightly longer.

    ¡°Oh!¡± she exclaimed. The stranger nodded and handed the lump of metal back. Bel bit into it carefully, but found it to be as hard as she expected. Not wanting to break a tooth, Bel <em style="font-style: italic">liquified a chunk and quickly swallowed it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">There¡¯s something weird about this, but I guess I can¡¯t ask about it. I hope I don¡¯t get sick.

    Bel felt an ability take hold as the metal travelled towards her stomach. Her stomach gurgled for a few seconds before settling down. She watched as her fingernails grew out, a shiny sheet of metal pushing away her mundane nails.

    Bel quickly grabbed her spear and used its incredible blade to trim them.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Bel looked up at the stranger¡¯s expression of alarm. She was pointing at the spear and looked, to Bel at least, like she was freaking out.

    Bel held up the spear. ¡°It¡¯s from some god. Or goddess. Anyway, it¡¯s had a few owners but it¡¯s mine now,¡± Bel bragged.

    ¡°Check this out,¡± she said, before throwing it at a nearby wall. The spear embedded itself deep into the rock. Bel could feel its disappointment that it hadn¡¯t bitten into flesh.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Next time, buddy, she apologized. A quick sacrifice of energy to the spear recalled it back to her hand.

    ¡°Cool, huh?¡±

    Instead of being impressed, the other gorgon seemed alarmed. Bel shrugged. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe spears are like, taboo or something. Damn, I wish I could ask James for more of his Old World gorgon facts.

    Bel looked up and pursed her lips. Then she looked at her new friend and pointed. ¡°Crecer¡­ um, what was your name?

    ¡°Cress,¡± the stranger replied. Then she pointed at Bel and raised her eyebrows.

    Bel tapped her chest and said, ¡°Bel.¡±

    Then she pointed up again and asked, ¡°want to go outside?¡±

    The other gorgon cocked her head and then shook it slowly. Bel¡¯s heart sank. Then Cress pointed at the severed gorgon head still held by the petrified giant.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, she¡¯s just worried about being a good person. I should work on that, Bel scolded herself.

    Bel trotted over to the severed head as Cress glided over on her wings.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m saving up for a pair of those, Bel promised herself.

    Cress gestured at the poor girl¡¯s head and asked something, but Bel could only shrug in response.

    ¡°I have no idea who she was or how she wanted to be buried.¡±

    Bel thought for a moment before clicking her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll just ask my mother. She¡¯s helped out with someone before, so I guess she can handle funerals.¡±

    Bel grimaced as she pulled the metal plate from the statue''s belt. The giant had turned completely odorless in his rocky state, but his clothes still stank. The severed head wasn¡¯t rotting, but the limp snakes and vacant eyes made Bel shudder. <em style="font-style: italic">Lempo, when I die, please disintegrate me, she prayed silently.

    Once she had freed the head she turned and gestured to Cress to follow her back up the stairs.

    They walked in an awkward silence as Bel did her best to simultaneously keep the head as far as possible from her body while also avoiding swinging it too much. After a quarter turn Cress scoffed and took it away from her.

    Bel flushed deeply. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m acting like such a loser. I hope she doesn¡¯t tell all the other gorgons that I¡¯m an idiot.

    Bel had a sudden and horrifying thought. <em style="font-style: italic">What if my breath is horrible? I haven¡¯t been brushing my teeth. What if they¡¯re all black?

    Bel desperately run her tongue over her teeth, searching for bits of grunk. <em style="font-style: italic">What am I even doing? Why am I so nervous?

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    As they passed by Crystal¡¯s body Bel came to a sudden halt. ¡°I¡¯m gonna loot the corpse,¡± she explained to Cress before she knelt down by the woman¡¯s body.

    She was still clutching a wand and a dagger, and a few wands were still in the quiver on her waist. Bel quickly pulled her belt and quiver free and affixed them to her own waist before dumping the dagger in with the wands. Then she examined the woman¡¯s corpse.

    She turned to Cress to explain. ¡°She was a weird person, and she worked with some bad people, but I don¡¯t think she was evil. Technis¡¯ priest did some stuff with her brain and body and whatnot and I had to kill her.¡±

    Cress tilted her head and a few of her sand-colored snakes flicked out their tongues with curiosity.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t think charades is going to work for this story.

    Bel sighed, reached down, and hauled Crystal onto her shoulder. She was heavy, but Bel decided that asking her mom for two funerals instead of one wouldn¡¯t be much additional effort. And it was probably the right thing to do.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Although I¡¯m not that happy that I¡¯m getting blood all over me. Wait, is this blood, or is this goop from Technis¡¯ devices? If I break out in a rash I¡¯ll be so embarrassed.

    Bel was feeling increasing self-conscious as the silence continued. After another few seconds she gave up and starting talking about one of James¡¯ crazy Old World stories.

    ¡°So,¡± she said suddenly, ¡°imagine a world where everyone¡¯s a horse. No, no, a pony. I don¡¯t know the difference, actually, I¡¯ve never seen either, but imagine ponies.¡±

    Bel turned to a confused Crecerelle. ¡°Have you ever seen a pony? No? Okay, so, anyway¡­¡±

    <hr>

    By the time they reached the top of the stairs and went through the open door, Bel wasn¡¯t feeling any less like a wreck. She was sure that her rambling hadn¡¯t actually endeared her to the other gorgon, but she didn¡¯t know what else to do.

    Bel pointed to the wall where she knew she would find the small altar. ¡°We¡¯re heading up there,¡± she explained to Cress.

    Hauling Crystal¡¯s corpse up the wall was a minor struggle, but some <em style="font-style: italic">liquified hand and foot holds combined with the low gravity made things easier.

    Bel heaved Crystal¡¯s body onto the ground once they¡¯d made it into the giant-sized alter. She looked around, wondering how she could go about getting her mother¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Why do you wish to contact us, Beloved of Lempo?¡±

    Bel¡¯s mouth split in a wide grin at Kjar¡¯s voice. She looked around and spotted a small wooden cat that had been carved into the designs along a wooden frame. The cat moved suddenly, leaping out of the frame and leaving a cat-shaped hole in its place.

    Bel gestured excitedly to an alarmed Cress. ¡°That¡¯s my aunt!¡±

    Bel beamed as she turned back to the most reasonable goddess she knew. ¡°I wanted Lempo¡¯s help with a funeral for these two,¡± she explained, gesturing to Crystal and the head of the unknown gorgon.

    Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. ¡°And some advice would be nice ¨C I don¡¯t know how to talk to this woman and using the divine voice didn¡¯t go well.¡±

    Bel glanced at Cress, who was slowly edging away from the approaching cat. Her snakes were flat against her head, and her eyes were wide with fright.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m not making a good impression on her.¡±

    Kjar sat back on her haunches and snickered. ¡°It is I who am making her uncomfortable, Beloved. The gorgon have no love of the pantheon, nor does the pantheon love them.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°But why?¡±

    Kjar flicked an ear. ¡°They refused to vacate the Old World upon our demand. We believed that our meddling with humans would bring about change that was too fast and too disruptive.¡±

    The goddess snickered. ¡°Your mother disagreed of course, but her complaints undermined her position. One would have to be crazy to take advice from the goddess of upheaval, you see. She has learned some subtlety since then, although a meteor is always possible.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°I¡¯d like to avoid that.¡±

    ¡°As would we all,¡± Kjar agreed.

    The goddess flicked her tail. ¡°You must make her an offering to grant her access to the mortal plane.¡±

    ¡°An offering?¡± Bel frowned. ¡°But I didn¡¯t have to offer anything for you to show up.¡±

    Kjar sniffed the air. ¡°You are soaked in the blood of the righteously punished. That is offering enough for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Then should I break something to summon my mom?¡±

    Kjar flopped down on her side. ¡°Have at it. I shall remain as unthreatening as possible to avoid upsetting your new companion.¡±

    Bel glanced at Cress and realized that the other gorgon was freaking out. ¡°Hey Cress,¡± she called out gently, ¡°I¡¯m going to break some stuff, but don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s all good.¡±

    Cress gave her a wild-eyed look and Bel blanched.

    Bel pointed at Kjar again. ¡°She¡¯s a nice goddess,¡± she explained.

    ¡°My mom¡­ okay, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s nice, but she¡¯s not mean. She¡¯s weird. Not in a bad way. I¡¯ll stop trying to explain, it¡¯s better to just show you.¡±

    Bel grimaced and turned towards one of the hunting figures. ¡°Who¡¯s this guy? Can I smash him?¡± she asked Kjar.

    Kjar flicked her nose at another figure. Bel looked and saw a man with a wide-brimmed hat and winged sandals. She tilted her head at the odd getup.

    ¡°That one is a nuisance,¡± Kjar explained. ¡°A protector of thieves and equivocators. The gorgons also bear a small grudge against him.¡±

    Bel shrugged and walked up to larger-than-Bel figure. She slapped a hand against it and melted it into a puddle.

    Cress gasped audibly and rushed to pull Bel away from the bubbling liquid.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay Cress, I¡¯m just trying to summon my mother.¡±

    An eerie laughter filled the space. Cress dropped Bel¡¯s arm and hefted her heavy maul, clearly prepared to fight the twisting mass of heads that was rising from the ooze.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a feisty one,¡± Lempo chortled with a hundred voices. ¡°But no one¡¯s going to punish you. That old god knows better than to cross me.¡±

    Bel grit her teeth and forced herself to speak up before her mother scared her new friend away. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of thing that sounds creepy. That and those heads. Can¡¯t you look like a regular goddess?¡±

    A hundred pairs of misshapen eyes turned to Bel. ¡°Daughter, Beloved, do you find my appearance disturbing?¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°No, but I¡¯m used to it at this point. You wanted me to get help from other gorgons, right? Then we should make a good impression.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± The head paused their writhing for a moment. ¡°Then call me mom.¡±

    Bel winced. ¡°Isn¡¯t that embarrassing?

    ¡°No.¡±

    Kjar padded closer and sat next to the other goddess. ¡°You call me aunt easily enough, child.¡±

    ¡°Uh, fine. Mom, can you please not embarrass me? I¡¯m trying to make a good impression, but when I tried to speak with your voice you acted really pushy.¡±

    ¡°I am a goddess. We are all pushy.¡±

    Bel opened her mouth to object, but Lempo¡¯s serpentine heads merged together into a stunning woman with long, blonde hair. She was similar to the Lempo of Satrap, although she was completely naked.

    ¡°Lem¨Cer, mom, why aren¡¯t you wearing clothes?¡±

    ¡°This other gorgon is afraid of the gods, Beloved. Who would be less threatening than a naked and unarmed woman? Now, let us talk about killing Technis.¡±

    ¡°Wait! I want to hear about that, but can you do something about¨C¡±

    Lempo waved her hand and both Crystal¡¯s body and the severed head dissolved into dust. ¡°I will guide their souls, Beloved, although they are both already on their way.¡±

    Cress gasped again before stepping forward and stammering something at the goddess.

    ¡°Yes, Crecerelle,¡± Lempo replied, ¡°even though she is a gorgon. I do not much care for the pantheon¡¯s rules.¡±

    Bel strained her ears as Cress spoke again, but she didn¡¯t recognize a single word. <em style="font-style: italic">I guess she must have been just as frustrated when I started talking to them, Bel realized.

    Lempo tilted her head and nodded. ¡°I suppose that I wouldn¡¯t mind being a patron to the gorgons,¡± the goddess replied.

    Kjar narrowed her golden eyes. ¡°Stheno and Euryale¨C¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Lempo replied airily. ¡°Not those two.¡± Lempo rolled her eyes. ¡°They have little need of outside help.¡±

    Kjar nodded with satisfaction.

    Then Lempo grinned mischievously. ¡°How about you Kjar? You are already the patron of my beloved daughter. Why not offer your gifts to the rest as well?¡±

    Kjar¡¯s ear flicked back and her tail thrashed against the ground. ¡°Your daughter is a special case. Technis will escape our grasp if¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on Kjar,¡± Lempo wheedled. ¡°How about if some more gorgons joined Bel? You know how they yearn for a little bit of acceptance.¡±

    Lempo leaned down to Kjar¡¯s wooden figure and opened her eyes wide. ¡°Besides, so many of them thirst for the punishment of their oppressors.¡±

    Bel could feel herself being pulled into Lempo''s eyes, her voice cradled Bel''s mind like a deep, dark lake. She was making a really good point.

    Kjar¡¯s whiskers twitched.

    Lempo leaned closer. ¡°Just look what these two have done here. Just imagine all the <em style="font-style: italic">justice. The righteous <em style="font-style: italic">retribution. All those people going <em style="font-style: italic">unpunished when they should be¨C¡±

    Kjar snorted. ¡°Not today, temptress. You may be right, but the pantheon already clings to my fur like fleas.¡±

    She stretched a paw in Crecerelle¡¯s direction. ¡°Let them show that they are worthy of the trouble, first. Until then, you may lead the way ¨C that is what you enjoy doing.¡±

    Lempo nodded and her hypnotic spell was suddenly broken. ¡°Later perhaps.¡±

    She turned back to Cress and smiled. ¡°There you go, little miss gorgon. One goddess already willing to offer her patronage for your people and another waiting for you to prove yourselves worthy. This change is a great stride forward, yes?¡±

    She winked and then reached out to grasp Bel¡¯s shoulders and spin her around. ¡°All I ask is that you lend my precious daughter, the spawn of my divine flesh, some help, okay?¡±

    Crecerelle stammered out a response and nodded eagerly.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Lempo breathed.

    The goddess spun Bel around again.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I feel like some child¡¯s doll, but I think I¡¯m getting what I wanted.

    ¡°Now, Beloved, you really must hurry up. Everything needs to come together just right.¡±

    Bel shrugged helplessly at her mother''s suddenly serious tone. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know that I¡¯ve been dealing with a lot of stuff.¡±

    Lempo patted her on the head. ¡°Daughter, I commend your efforts. In addition to praise, I feel that mortals should be motivated with frequent reminders of their responsibilities. Go faster.¡±

    Bel hefted her spear. ¡°You know, Kjar gave me this nice armor and some other god made this fancy spear. Why don¡¯t I have anything from you? A little help could speed things up.¡±

    Lempo laughed. ¡°Oh, you are far too young to bargain with the likes of me. Bellona¡¯s weapons are indeed mighty. What more could you want?¡±

    She glanced at the spear. ¡°Made from a branch of a tree that survived the forging of Olympos and a severed claw from an inner dragon. Very nice.¡±

    She patted Bel on the head again. ¡°But you are aware, daughter, that I have already given you something much more valuable.¡±

    Bel twisted her lips. ¡°Are you going to say you gave me¨C¡±

    ¡°Life, yes. Please use it well.¡±

    And with that, Lempo¡¯s body dissolved back into a puddle, the animated cat hardened back into wood, and Bel was alone with the other gorgon once again.

    </section>

    </section>

 Chapter 87 â€“ Loose Endings

    <section>

    <section>

    There was a pause after the goddesses left before Cress exploded into excited chatter. Bel nodded happily along with the words, but she didn¡¯t really understand the deal that had been struck.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It sounds like the gods weren¡¯t helping the gorgons out and now my mom is changing that? I kind of remember that Ishmael creature telling me something about that when I was picking my path.

    Bel scratched her jaw as she tried to remember any details, but she was too tired.

    <em style="font-style: italic">What would life be like without any of my moms¡¯ or Kjar¡¯s abilities though? The pantheon seem like jerks. And I¡¯m a little disappointed that Kjar didn¡¯t want to help out, too.

    Bel watched Cress¡¯ snakes as they rattled their strange tails with excitement.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Then again, if the gorgons did something crazy in the past and supporting them now would start a bigger conflict I can understand Kjar¡¯s reluctance to get involved.

    Bel sighed to herself. She still wasn¡¯t even sure how she felt about Beth provoking the people of the Golden Plains to attack Technis and that conflict just involved a single demigod.

    Bel was jerked out of her thoughts when Cress wrapped her hand around Bel¡¯s wrist and tugged her away from the shrine.

    ¡°Whoah, whoah, hold on, what¡¯s the hurry?¡± Bel sputtered.

    Cress turned and started to speak before opening her mouth, hesitating, and then sighing at their language barrier. She kept pulling on Bel¡¯s arm though, even pulling her over the edge of the alcove. They went a few more steps before Bel dug in her heels and firmly pulled her arm back.

    ¡°I can¡¯t go yet,¡± she explained, ¡°I¡¯ve got to get my friend.¡±

    Bel pointed to herself and then pointed¡­ well, she couldn¡¯t remember which direction would take her to the exit, so she pointed away from the stairs.

    ¡°Friend. Must find. Ugh, talking slower won¡¯t help.¡±

    Bel hugged herself. ¡°Friend.¡±

    Then she pointed again. ¡°Outside.¡±

    A hurt expression passed over the other gorgon¡¯s face and she unexpectedly opened her arms to Bel.

    ¡°Friend?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Oh, uh, yeah. Sure.¡±

    Bel stepped forward into an awkward hug, careful to keep her new spear away from her new friend. She gave Cress a couple of stiff pats on the back and tried to pull away, but one of her snakes had managed to get tangled with one from Cress¡¯ head.

    ¡°Oh, dammit, it¡¯s like that snake guy from the Golden Plains all over again.¡± Bel carefully tugged her snake free and began scolding it, which elicited a peal of laughter from the other gorgon.

    Once her laughter died down, Cress pointed to her head to get Bel¡¯s attention. She snapped her fingers and her snakes neatly coiled along her scalp, forming overlapping loops that gave the illusion of a close cropped haircut. She snapped her fingers again and they hung loose, like long, flowing hair. She snapped her fingers again and the snakes coiled around on another to form successively longer loops, turning themselves into something that Bel thought was very elegant.

    Bel clapped. ¡°That¡¯s so great!¡±

    She glanced up at her own snakes, and a couple of them peered at her from the edge of her vision. Bel put a hand over her own head and clicked her fingers at them, commanding their respect and attention. Flora slithered onto her hand and flicked out her tongue, but the rest didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Ugh, why are you girls embarrassing me?¡±

    Cress laughed again.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least we¡¯re getting along now, Bel thought.

    Bel pointed away from the stairs again and Cress hesitantly only a moment before nodding in response. Picking the direction that seemed the most likely to get them to the doors, Bel lead them through the destruction.

    She proceeded cautiously, not wanting to get this far only to be ambushed by some ball of tentacles and teeth. The moment that Cress realized that the area was dangerous ¨C the recently eaten corpse of a thunderhoof gave it away ¨C she sucked in a huge breath and unleashed an ear shattering shriek. Everything still living along their path leaped from their hiding places and scuttled, rolled, or galloped away.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s handy,¡± Bel marvelled.

    Cress held up her arms in a muscular pose and Bel grinned back.

    <hr>

    Orseis moved slowly into position, wedging herself into a crack in the rock wall. Her skin changed color and texture to match her surroundings, until only her eyes were visible.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, my eyes and these nice warm clothes I made from all the fur Bel was collecting. Gods above, they¡¯re so warm and cozy!

    Orseis couldn¡¯t help but wriggle happily in her fuzzy skirt, halter top, and felted moccasins lined with more fur. The movement caused her to momentarily break her camouflage, but she couldn¡¯t resist taking a moment to enjoy having nice things. She¡¯d twisted the hairs together herself before making her current clothing out of the incredibly strong, incredibly soft fur of the local fox worms. Of course she would have been even more stealthy going naked, but if Bel saw her like that then Orseis thought she would die of embarrassment.

    <em style="font-style: italic">On the topic of dying, I should be more serious. This is about life and death and dinner.

    She scanned her surroundings, looking for any signs of motion. If she was lucky one of the sky shrimp would wander past ¨C she would settle for just about anything, though.

    Orseis¡¯ lower lip pushed up in a frown when she saw the slight movement of a shadow cast by something moving silently along the rocks above her. It wasn¡¯t a surprise: the stalker had been quietly watching her for several days at that point. Every morning Orseis hoped that the mystery person would lose interest and leave, but so far she hadn¡¯t been so lucky.

    <em style="font-style: italic">They¡¯ve had plenty of opportunities to attack, so they¡¯re probably waiting for Bel, she repeated to herself. <em style="font-style: italic">That rules out Crystal, so I¡¯m guessing that it¡¯s one of the Dark Ravager¡¯s followers.

    She snorted quietly. Bel had hoped that Crystal would wipe out the entire lot of them, but at least one must have managed to avoid that fate.

    <em style="font-style: italic">But who would be stupid enough to come pick a fight when they¡¯ve already lost all of their companions?

    Orseis ground her beak with irritation. She squeezed out of her nice hiding place and wrapped her tentacles around her body as she braced for the freezing wind. Then she slowly, carefully crept along the mountainside, pretending that she was concentrating on the hunt. In reality, she was making her ways towards some of the traps that she¡¯d prepared for Crystal.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Calling them traps is probably being overly-charitable. More like tripping hazards for the careless, but what did Bel expect? I¡¯m all brawn, no brains here.

    Orseis flashed a frustrated red at the thought before quickly getting control of her visible emotions.

    Of course Orseis didn¡¯t plan on being dumb forever. When she¡¯d been a little cuttlegirl in the big, wide sea she¡¯d learned that surviving meant attaching herself to the biggest, baddest predator around and making herself useful. No brain required. When she left the shoreline around the Lip and travelled to the Central Plains things had gotten a little bit more complicated.

    As a demi-human of the sea, and one with an uncommon lineage, Orseis hadn¡¯t had much luck fitting in. It didn¡¯t help that everyone thought she was just a child ¨C which, she had to admit, was possible. She couldn¡¯t claim to know how cuttle-people aged.

    Orseis paused her slow skulking to surreptitiously pull on a couple cords from the parachute, making sure that they were still wedged securely under a heavy rock. She checked her instinct to nod, instead moving on without ever looking at the objects of interest. Instead, her head scanned the horizon as we walked carefully over the treacherous ground, although she wasn¡¯t really looking at anything.

    She had to assume that her stalker was a visual type of person, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t feel the need to keep her in sight every day. With any luck, they would watch Orseis¡¯ eyes rather than her tentacles. To be fair, she had far more tentacles than heads, so tracking her eyes was the easier task.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Now what was I thinking about? Oh yeah, survival.

    Beth had been a once in a hundred year chance to hitch her fortunes to something completely new. Orseis had jumped at the opportunity without hesitation. Then Bel, the daughter of the biggest, baddest fish to descend upon the Golden Plains in living memory? Yes, please.

    Glory and human boys awaited. That was the totality of her initial plan.

    After spending time with Bel though, Orseis had started to wonder if her dreams were a little¡­

    Well, she realized that she was acting simple. Not that her plans were bad, but she realized that her execution was lacking. She was drifting along the tides like a jelly rather than swimming against the currents to get where she needed to be.

    What jolted her out of her complacency wasn¡¯t just Bel¡¯s pursuit of some grand, divine plan, but that the gorgon was doing it without any real guidance. The instructions the Bel had gotten from her divine patrons basically amounted to ¡°go kill a demigod,¡± followed by ¡°oh, if his Barrier is in then try going under it.¡±

    Sure, Lempo had arranged for a group of walking root vegetables with teeth to guide them through the layer of fire, but other than that Bel had been making things up as she went. Orseis had always griped that her parents hadn¡¯t guided her enough, or that there weren¡¯t enough of her kind to show her a good path, or that the matchmakers at the Great Swap didn¡¯t have any useful advice for her. Orseis had spent her short life blaming other people for her problems, but Bel put her to shame when she forged into the unknown with nothing more than a shrug and a shake of her snakes.

    It inspired Orseis to do a better job choosing her own path. It was why she was sitting at the threshold of forming her third core rather than rushing over it. She was trying to decide what she wanted out of it.

    Her slightly younger self would have wanted to keep hitting things harder, but now an entire world of possibilities had opened up for her. It was so much to think about that she was nearly paralyzed with indecision.

    All that made it so unfair that this silent stalker was planning on ending all of those choices with a surprise attack. Orseis wasn¡¯t a stranger to death ¨C things died in her tentacles grasp all the time ¨C so a struggle to the death didn¡¯t seem unusual. The timing though, to be stalked and hunted by a dangerous predator just when she¡¯d just gained such life-altering revelation, felt terribly unfair.

    She tiptoed forward with a sense of foreboding, running through the speculations she put together in the last few days. If her stalker had survived the death of the rest of the Dark Ravager¡¯s cult, that probably meant that they were the strongest of them.

    So they were somewhere in their third core. Probably that swordsman that Bel hated, Nebamon. Orseis scowled at the thought of a sword slicing her to pieces.

    She much preferred a brawler or someone with slow, clunky abilities, something that she was used to fighting. Gigampas¡¯ Path had been perfect for hunting beasts on sea and land and she had never picked up the skills required to fight a properly trained warrior. Now though, she regretted never having learned how to use a shield.

    Things usually worked out, but she was usually faster and stronger than her prey. She thought back to the large fish that he thrown her against a tree in the second layer.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Things don¡¯t always work out, she thought with chagrin, <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve just had people around to help me.

    <em style="font-style: italic">At least I haven¡¯t turned around and tried to jump my stalker yet. My best advantage is that they don¡¯t know that I¡¯ve noticed them and the old from a few weeks ago Orseis would have given that up in a moment.

    Orseis tip-toed out into the edge of a flat vista and glanced over the edge of the mountain. As she moved away from the cliff face where she knew her stalker was waiting she flooded energy into her sense-enhancing abilities.

    <em style="font-style: italic">One of these days, they¡¯ll attack. When they do, I¡¯ll be ready.

    She frowned as she stared into the distance, wondering who would surprise the other more. Who would strike first? Who would better anticipate the other¡¯s moves? Who would taste the sweet flavors of tomorrow and who would be eaten?

    Orseis shook her head slightly and glanced into the cold, uninviting distance. Two moving dots on the horizon drew her attention. After a moment of intense squinting Orseis realized that one of the dots was Bel, finally back from whatever chase she¡¯d led Crystal on.

    Orseis smiled in relief.

    At that moment, when she had relaxed just a fraction, her stalker struck.

    <hr>

    ¡°But I¡¯m not dead,¡± Bel complained.

    ¡°Well, you could have fooled us,¡± James countered. ¡°You keep disappearing on us Bel, how are we to know?¡±

    ¡°I was stuck under a mountain,¡± she replied dryly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it was, I¡¯m just telling you that Hanti held a military funeral and thanked you for your service.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°And what did Beth do?¡±

    ¡°Well, she volunteered to go to Skotos and subdue the king of the elves. Their constant attacks on the coast are driving the otter- and seal-folk crazy. Beth is hoping to gain some new allies amongst their ranks, since Hanti has been too successful consolidating power over here.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like lame politics,¡± Bel replied, ¡°I¡¯ve got way more interesting stuff to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡± James replied with enthusiasm. ¡°Some of my students think that the world is hollow and Bel is starting to move on her own!¡±

    ¡°Your¨C, no, what? I¡¯m moving where?¡±

    ¡°Not you! My child! Didn¡¯t I tell you that Daran and I named her Bel?¡±

    Bel grinned. ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know Daran liked me that much.¡±

    ¡°Well, she thought were you probably going to die on this crazy mission from your mom,¡± he snarked. ¡°She didn¡¯t want me to feel too lonely when you got lost somewhere.¡±

    Bel glanced at Crecerelle, who was looking at Bel¡¯s earring with interest. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯ve practically already succeeded.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? Tell me about it,¡± he replied eagerly.

    Cress went still as she peered into the distance, so Bel went quiet and scanned a distant mountain. <em style="font-style: italic">Isn¡¯t that where I told Orseis to go?

    ¡°Bel? You still there?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s Orseis!¡± she exclaimed with delight.

    Bel raised her free hand to wave, but then she saw a small figure leap down upon Orseis from higher up the mountain. Bel¡¯s heart leaped into her throat.

    ¡°Ori!¡± She shouted a warning, but she was too far away to do any good.

    Bel immediately channeled her free energy into <em style="font-style: italic">pounce in a vain attempt to leap the entire distance. With the lessened gravity she manage to clear a couple hundred strides as she launched herself over the snow, but she didn¡¯t get anywhere close to her friend. Bel caught a flash of steel from Orseis¡¯ ambusher before she sank into the deep snow that was between her island of rock and Orseis.

    Bel¡¯s heart rattled in her chest as she sank below the surface. A surge of adrenaline coursed through her and she felt like she was burning up, even though she was practically encased in cold. The moment that the surface beneath her feet stopped giving way, Bel <em style="font-style: italic">pounced again. The poor footing meant that she barely cleared the snow before she started falling into it again.

    Her fall was arrested as Cress swooped in and grabbed her under the arms, hauling them both through the air with rapid beats of her wings. The other gorgon did something to the air and a breeze pushed them from behind while the air ahead of them split around their passage.

    Now that her sight wasn¡¯t blocked, Bel strained to see what had happened. The ground around Orseis¡¯ feet had crumbled away, and both she and her attacker had disappeared.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Did they fall into a sudden sinkhole? Did someone use an ability?

    Bel scanned the ground to see where they had gone and a flicker of movement caught her eye.

    Somehow Orseis had propelled herself high up on the cliff overlooking her original spot. She was taking advantage of the high ground to hurl boulders into the hole that she¡¯d left behind. Bel thought she saw blood in the snow around the cuttlegirl and clenched her teeth with frustration.

    <hr>

    <em style="font-style: italic">Cutting rocks with a sword is stupid, Orseis griped to herself as she thrust her injured tentacle ¨C cut short by just a few suckers ¨C into the snow to sooth the stinging.

    Her trap had almost worked ¨C a dropped boulder had pulled the parachute free of its light restraints, revealing a rocky chasm below it. She¡¯d been holding onto a cord taken from the parachute that was passed over a tree clinging to the side of the cliff and then tied to yet another boulder. When that boulder dropped she¡¯d been jerked upwards towards the tree, and she used that momentum to launch herself into the air.

    The goal of her mess of hide, cord, and rocks was to open up a pit and then launch herself away from it. Her attacker fouled up the launching part of her plan by slashing the air with his sword and projecting a cutting force that sliced straight through her cord before she¡¯d fully accelerated. He¡¯d tried to slice her in half too, but she¡¯d been holding onto a protective rock and had used it to block his attack, although she¡¯d lost the tip of one of her tentacles in the exchange.

    She would have considered it an even trade if he¡¯d then fallen to his death in the bottom of the rocky pit, but instead the uncooperative scum-sucker had spread his arms to reveal large swatches of fabric that allowed him to glide over the chasm.

    <em style="font-style: italic">God-cursed cultists, why do they have all the nice stuff? Our parachute wasn¡¯t even fit to be a blanket anymore!

    Orseis angrily hurled boulders at the persistent wolf-man, wincing in pain every time she grabbed something with her injured tentacle. To her immense frustration, he simply cut through them.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve got six tentacles, damn it, stop swinging your sword so quickly!

    Despite her best efforts, Orseis knew she was running out of energy and rocks, and the cultist was getting closer. Her pupils dialed as her hearts accelerated their pumping. Her mind raced to find of a way out of her mess.

    She had nothing though ¨C nothing but throwing more rocks.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I should have decided to get smarter weeks ago, she lamented, <em style="font-style: italic">maybe then I wouldn¡¯t be so¨C

    The swordsman leaned forward and his body warped through the air between them. Orseis shouted in surprise and launched several tentacles full of rocks at him, but a blur of metal reduced them all to pebbles. Her eyes widened at the sharp edge of his sword descended upon her defenseless body.

    And then his sword bit the air in front of her but stopped short ¨C a spear had rammed through his leg and pinned him in place. A wild woman followed, her hair full of hissing snakes as she slammed into him and forced him to the ground.

    Orseis watched in shock, horror, and then relief as the wolf-man¡¯s sword swung straight through the newcomer¡¯s arm but passed through without doing any damage. The wild woman ¨C Bel, Orseis realized belatedly ¨C laughed.

    ¡°Eat crow Nebamon!¡± she shouted, before punching him in the chest with a force that visibly warped his body. A second blow reduced his center of mass to a messy smear on the rocks.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Orseis marvelled, ¡°Bel, your timing was perfect!¡±

    Orseis recognized her friend, but something about Bel was looking <em style="font-style: italic">fierce. Even her snakes looked more serious than she remembered.

    <em style="font-style: italic">She¡¯s nothing at all like the confused girl that I first met back on the Golden Plains. And she¡¯s gotten Crystal¡¯s spear too. She must have taken care of things already.

    Orseis slumped back on the ground, weakness stealing over her body once she realized that she was safe. She barely mustered the energy to look up when a second person landed on the mountain. She squinted at the winged woman¡¯s snakes.

    ¡°Two of you?¡± she moaned. ¡°That means even more trouble, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    She grinned despite her complaint. Finding more gorgons was part of Lempo¡¯s plan, after all.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It looks like we¡¯re headed in the right direction, Orseis thought with satisfaction.

    </section>

    </section>

 Book 2 Epilogue â€“ Technis, Lord of Telepresence

    <section>

    <section>

    A priest stood at the front of a room in the inner sanctum of Satrap¡¯s Central Temple, elevated on a small dais so that he was visible to all ten rows of seats in front of him. He was giving an update on the practice war, which had been dragging on for several months by then. Technis himself was seated in a curtained area off to one side, just visible enough to exert his authority over the proceedings. That was the image the demigod projected at least.

    In reality, Technis barely listened to the daily update and only his remotely operated simulacrum was present. The war itself was a farce and the daily happenings were of little concern to him. He only allowed it to continue because it was proving useful to weed out the incompetent from his followers. Once he returned to the Old World and reclaimed the natural birthright of humanity, a time that was drawing tantalizingly near, he wouldn¡¯t spare a thought for the false world of Olympos and the pitiful humans who he left behind.

    His true body tensed with anticipation at the thought. Even the handful of ideas he had gleaned from the people summoned from Old World were nearly intoxicating in their creativity, incredible in both simplicity and effectiveness. Remote telepresence? He was using it right now, attending five different meetings with his simulacra. Performance measurement? Exponential growth? Spreadsheets? The ideas may as well have been magic to the people of Satrap, trapped in a world unsuited for them.

    It had taken him a millennia to discover a method of breaching the gulf between worlds, but it had been worth every moment of toil and sacrifice. A hundred years had been spent fine-tuning his devices so that humans would survive the crossing. More time was spent perfecting methods of interrogation to extract every last bit of information from them. A few years more patiently listening to conversations between the prisoners, gleaning wisdom, insights, and cultural knowledge that were difficult to describe with rote facts and figures.

    There was noise in with the treasures. Obviously, some information was obviously nationalistic propaganda: humans landing on a distant moon, flying saucers filled with aliens, and nuclear weapons were just a few of the wild stories he had discarded as nonsense. An incredible amount of time was spent talking about the best athletes and singers, or the richest noble families. The rare moments when he learned something new though, were more addicting than any drug.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Soon,¡± he Technis to himself, a smirk pulling up the corners of his mouth.

    The smirk dropped into a frown when a small light on his wall died. There were many more lights; one for every single automata crafted by his priests. They were sorted into regions and color-coded based upon their mission. That particular light represented an automata crafted by Inquisitor Clark to pursue the outsiders who had made it past Satrap¡¯s barrier.

    Technis directed his attention to another cluster of lights, a group of agents that he had sent to disrupt the actions of the Golden Plains. They were all functional.

    Technis leaned back and nodded slowly. ¡°So Lempo¡¯s creature still lives,¡± he mused. ¡°And she is apparently coming here.¡±

    Dealing with the goddess had been necessary to perfect his devices to cross between worlds. He had fully expected her to cause problems when he moved to cut her off from his work, but her response wasn¡¯t exactly what he had foreseen. Unsurprisingly, her priests had risen up against him across Satrap. However, the only other response he had seen to that point was a single mythological creature ¨C a gorgon ¨C wandering around aimlessly.

    Still, he would be a fool to underestimate a goddess.

    Technis glanced at a large gauge that glowed with a mind-warping light of uncertain color and texture. He had currently stored enough energy to transport slightly less than half of his people. He tapped his fingers together before nodding. With a thought, he took control of one of his simulacra.

    He announced his presence by interrupting the proceedings in the meeting room. ¡°Head priest,¡± he intoned solemnly, cutting off the man mid-word.

    The room erupted into a flurry of movement as everyone present prostrated themselves upon the floor. After the activity died down the head priest slowly raised his head.

    ¡°We await your words, my lord,¡± came his obedient response.

    ¡°I am displeased with the performance of our clergy and soldiers,¡± Technis announced.

    ¡°Reduce the acceptance rate to six in ten and increase the attrition rate of the conflict to produce additional essence.¡±

    ¡°Your words are our will,¡± the room replied.

    Technis nodded and released the simulacra to its default behavior.

    If he had to, Technis was prepared to leave his entire following behind. Having more of them present was convenient, but he could work with a smaller group. 60% would be more than enough. The gods had left the Old World ripe for the picking.

    </section>

    </section>

 Book 3 Interlude -- Beths Side Story Part 1 -- A Pleasant Cruise

    <section>

    <section>

    ¡°So that¡¯s Skotos?¡± Beth murmured as she leaned against the railing of the ship. There wasn¡¯t much to see beyond a dense forest that ended shortly before the rocky shoreline, but Beth stared at it anyway, just in case anything interesting showed up.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve always hated boats, she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">They make me feel like I¡¯m trapped.

    She fidgeted with her daggers, eager to get back on dry land. <em style="font-style: italic">Great Bargainer, this is driving me so crazy that I almost wish I¡¯d taken one of James¡¯ silly call earrings.

    She heaved a heavy sigh and turned to Seth.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out what¡¯s in there soon enough,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get my dagger into something.¡±

    Seth silently nodded.

    ¡°We are still some distance from our landing spot,¡± a loud voice interjected.

    Beth <em style="font-style: italic">suppressed emotion and turned Cleisthenes with her business smile. The large hippo stomped over to them while the floorboards of the ship groaned at the injustice of carrying his weight.

    Once he had intruded into her personal space ¨C a petty attempt at intimidation that was more amusing that effective ¨C he thumped his chest loudly. ¡°As you will recall, I have been placed in charge of the naval aspects of this mission.¡±

    Beth nodded amicably. ¡°Of course Clodthenes. You¡¯ll bring me to Skotos and I¡¯ll take care of the Elf king.¡±

    The large hippo-man frowned, making his thick lower lip protrude in a pout. Then his tiny ears twitched. ¡°My name is Cleisthenes.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Beth agreed, ¡°Clodthenes.¡±

    She pulled on <em style="font-style: italic">express emotion and batted her eyes innocently. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my human hearing, but I can¡¯t discern the difference. Would it be better if I called you Clod?¡±

    Cleisthenes¡¯ nostrils flared with agitation. ¡°No. It is not important.¡±

    He blinked furiously for a few moments, clearly struggling with his urge to launch into another pronunciation lesson. To Beth¡¯s disappointment he managed to suppress the impulse.

    ¡°The goal of this mission is to halt the incursions of the elves into the Golden Plains,¡± Cleisthenes lectured. ¡°As such, the death of the Elf king is not necessary. Diplomacy would be preferred.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Beth nodded seriously, ¡°which is why everyone agreed to send me.¡±

    The hippo opened and closed his mouth several times before speaking. ¡°You were chosen because some members of the council believed that the elves would respond better to another pure blooded being from the Old World.¡±

    Beth nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Yes. Exactly. That and my knack for diplomacy.¡±

    Beth barely repressed a giggle when Cleisthenes¡¯ eyes rolled back in his head. Clearly nearing his limit, the hippo stomped his foot and snorted before gesturing angrily at the shoreline.

    ¡°As a woman of the land you may be unaware of this, but the shore here is not suitable for us to approach in our vessel. We will travel around the island to a sheltered bay where we can set anchor and proceed on a smaller craft.¡±

    Sensing Beth¡¯s imminent interruption he barrelled with barely a gasp for breath. ¡°And then we will continue inland by river, which means that I will remain in command. Only once we reach their capital city will control of the mission revert to you.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He sucked in a large breath. ¡°And you will be perfectly positioned to attempt your diplomacy.¡±

    Beth smiled broadly. ¡°Sounds super!¡±

    Beth pursed her lips. ¡°Hey, are you sure they have a capital city? My brother was pretty shocked that you guys don¡¯t even have any maps of the island.¡±

    Cleisthenes clenched his hands. ¡°We are well aware of the structure of elven society.¡±

    ¡°Just not how or where they live?¡± Beth asked with a quirked eyebrow.

    ¡°Their sailing vessels are of inferior quality,¡± Cleisthenes responded lamely. ¡°It is reasonable to assume that the rest of their industry is similarly lacking.¡±

    Beth could almost hear James¡¯ objection to the idea of the Golden Plains¡¯ industry being superior to anything, but she covered up her eye roll with a large, dramatic yawn.

    She put her hand on her hips and stared up at the large hippo. ¡°Well, I¡¯m all worn out. Humans like to get lots of sleep you know, especially with all this gentle ocean swaying.¡±

    She waved her hand back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s so relaxing.¡±

    ¡°What¨C¡±

    Beth spun in place and grinned back at him as she strode off.

    ¡°Wake me when we get there,¡± she called over her shoulder as she quickly headed below decks. Her cabin was at the rear of the ship, close to Cleisthenes¡¯ cabin so he could more easily bother her. Seth followed behind her, his soft footfalls mirroring her own. Beth pushed her door open with a confident push. She beckoned the silent scorpion boy in after her before shutting the door behind them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be jumping out of the window and sneaking away,¡± she announced.

    If Seth was surprised, he didn¡¯t show it.

    ¡°Tell that idiot that I¡¯m hibernating or something. With a bit of luck I¡¯ll have this all wrapped up and rejoin you guys somewhere along the way.¡±

    Seth nodded.

    <em style="font-style: italic">He doesn¡¯t talk much, but he¡¯s just about the most reliable person in the Golden Plains. I¡¯m glad James talked me into working with him.

    Beth went through her things quickly, shoving them into a waterproof bag. Then she began to strip down to her undergarments. She looked up at a loud thump and saw that Seth had shoved his head into a corner.

    She laughed. ¡°Oh, come on Seth. I¡¯m not taking everything off, just the stuff I don¡¯t want to get soaked.¡±

    The embarrassed scorpion shook his head rapidly and Beth noticed that his ears had turned a bright red.

    <em style="font-style: italic">He¡¯s so silly, she thought.

    Beth strode to the small porthole and shoved it open. A quick check didn¡¯t reveal any watchers from the deck or any sea monsters below.

    ¡°Well,¡± she announced, ¡°I¡¯m off.¡±

    She tossed her bag through the small opening and began pulling herself through.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Seth mumbled quietly.

    She shot him a smile. ¡°Aw, thanks.¡±

    Then she pushed herself through the porthole and dove gracefully into the water. She quick kicked to get some distance from the boat¡¯s wake and to catch up to her bag, after which she spent a few moments using it as a floatation aid as she caught her breath. She looked up to see Seth closing the porthole behind her. She wanted to wave cheerfully, but her only arm was busy holding onto her bag.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Missing an arm is so annoying, she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">It almost makes me wish for James¡¯ magical Old World technology. What did he say they had there? Cyborgs?

    Beth snorted at her distraction. <em style="font-style: italic">Focus. Get to shore before some sea monster eats you. Then get to safety before some land monster eats you.

    Beth kicked at a steady pace, just slow enough that she wouldn¡¯t tire out before she got to land. The tide helped her when she got close, practically tossing her onto the shore. She wrung the water out of her braids as she paused to once again survey the dense forest.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Looks scary, she thought. Just then, a large, brightly colored butterfly flittered past.

    Beth couldn¡¯t help but grin. <em style="font-style: italic">On the bright side, they won¡¯t see me coming, and the walk will probably be scenic.

    She thought about the hour long argument she¡¯d gotten into with James one day when he had asserted some nonsense about walking being a leisure activity for the wealthy. She couldn¡¯t hold back a snort when she thought about the same person raising his little ant-child while trying to hold onto the norms of another world.

    ¡°No matter how dark and scary this forest looks, it¡¯s impossible that it could be any more bizarre than the world of James¡¯ stories,¡± Beth told herself. ¡°And the elves are bad at making boats, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be no problem. I could probably stab my way through the entire civilization.¡±

    Grinning at her own sarcastic wit, Beth strode into the dense underbrush. To anyone watching from the boat she would have disappeared in just a few steps, swallowed by the thick greenery of an endless forest.

    </section>

    <section>

    </section>

    </section>

 Book 3 â€“ Bethâ€™s Side Story Part 2 â€“ A Relaxing Stroll in the Woods

    <section>

    <section>

    Beth¡¯s lips twisted in indecision as she looked at a small trail that she¡¯d stumbled upon. A trail would be faster than going through the woods. It would also be much quieter. Despite her best efforts to move stealthily, even <em style="font-style: italic">consuming darkness just wasn¡¯t up to the task of consuming the sounds of a person smashing their way through the dense underbrush.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Who would have thought that I would be missing the sparse forests of Satrap?

    She shook her head at the thought, but she didn¡¯t set foot on the path yet. Instead, she began to chew on her lip as she considered the downside. There was only one, really: she would be more likely to encounter elves on the path. She could even be ambushed.

    Even since she¡¯d sworn vengeance and aligned herself with Durak she hadn¡¯t feared death. She figured that she would regret dying, sure, but only because she wouldn¡¯t see her vengeance on Technis come to fruition. After rescuing James and Bel she¡¯d worried over their safety, but now she was alone again, just like how things were in the beginning.

    <em style="font-style: italic">So why is my heart beating so heavily?

    Beth took a deep breath and plunged into her emotions. She¡¯d learned long ago that she had to address these things as soon as they showed up, before they could worm their way into her subconscious and trip her up when a clear head was her best weapon.

    <em style="font-style: italic">So why am I so stressed about this? Is it because I don¡¯t know anything about Skotos?

    She pulled a dagger loose and cut at the unfamiliar leaf of an unknown tree as she thought about it. On the tree¡¯s trunk, two strange insects tussled until they fell onto the forest floor where they continued their battle to the death. A deep breath brought in an extravaganza of unknown scents. The air was filled with the chitters and squawks of birds and arboreal animals. Was the unfamiliar stuff frightening?

    <em style="font-style: italic">No, she decided, the novelty is exciting. But maybe the fact that the threats are unknown is getting to me?

    She tapped her teeth as she thought about it, and couldn¡¯t help but recall the Dark Ravager¡¯s paladin. The moment that his sword had cleaved through her arm replayed in her head and she flinched at the remembered pain. She clenched at her stump and grimaced.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, maybe I¡¯m less fearless than I used to be.

    She turned back to the path and considered the choice. The idea that she was afraid of meeting some powerful elf on the trail rankled her. <em style="font-style: italic">Fine, she decided, <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m taking the path. If I meet any elves I¡¯ll stab ¡¯em.

    Decision made, she stepped out of the woods and continued her journey. Beth was making better time going through the cleared path than the dense jungle, but she over-energized her perceptive abilities and paused at even the slightest sound. Even with her increased vigilance, she still didn¡¯t detect the attack until a person-sized raptor nearly sliced her open with a slash of its oversized claws.

    Beth leaped backwards to avoid the tall bird-lizard, her eyes wide with surprise. Her abilities had given her enough warning to dodge by an arm length, but the second raptor waiting behind her nearly impaled her before she even knew it was there. It was only the rush of a small, furry thing moving away from the other raptor that alerted Beth to the possibility of a second ambusher before it was too late.

    She forced extra energy through <em style="font-style: italic">rapid reflexes and twisted under its grasping forelimbs. Beth stabbed back with her dagger, forcing the raptor back and giving her space to jump to the side and put her back to an enormous tree.

    ¡°Clever birds,¡± she muttered grudgingly. She cast a quick, nervous glance up to assure herself that there wasn¡¯t a third one waiting in the branches above her before concentrating on the two threats.

    The raptors didn¡¯t move in immediately, instead taking the time to examine her as they slowly circled. One of them hissed and the other chittered back in response.

    Beth frowned at the simple communication. <em style="font-style: italic">It would better if they were a little more mindless.

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    She examined the two of them in return, looking for any weaknesses. Raven-dark feathers lined their arms, backs, and tails, but Beth didn¡¯t think they could fly. Their tails were long and sinuous, made for upright runners rather than flyers. Their arms were also too muscular, clearly meant for grasping rather than flapping, she Beth decided that she didn¡¯t need to worry about more swooping in from above. Their muscled legs looked excellent for leaping and running though, and both their larger hind legs and shorter forelimbs sported wicked-looking claws that were easily as dangerous as any of her knives.

    Beth crouched low, her favorite dagger clutched in her tight fist. <em style="font-style: italic">If there was only one of them, then I would go on the offensive. I don¡¯t like the idea of the second one at my back though.

    But she didn¡¯t want to let them set the pace of their fight. Instead of attacking, Beth feinted towards the larger one, on her left, before jumping back and falling into her guard position. The larger raptor planted its feet in the soft soil and eagerly spread its claws, ready for an attack that wouldn¡¯t come. The smaller one struck instantly at her motion, it¡¯s body moving too fast for it to stop even when it saw her ruse.

    Beth prepared to face the smaller one, intent on killing it before the larger one could rush to its aid, but she felt a strange pull on her core. Trusting her instinct, Beth cloaked herself in darkness and tossed out a shadow clone as she ducked out of the way. Not an eyeblink later, the larger raptor appeared on top of her and its claws eviscerated the her shadowy visage.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, hell no, she rebuked it silently. <em style="font-style: italic">Shadows are my thing.

    Beth pivoted her body quickly, sending out her <em style="font-style: italic">unseen hand to strike a rapid <em style="font-style: italic">core punch on the raptor¡¯s exposed belly. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to Durak for the new ability as she stabbed the momentarily incapacitated creature through the thigh as she rolled past it.

    She left the larger one to bleed out as she <em style="font-style: italic">moved like fury to engage the smaller one. She threw her dagger, dealing it a glancing blow to the head, as she pulled her second favorite dagger free. The distracted raptor wasn¡¯t prepared to get a blade through its throat, although its flailing claws managed to dig long, bloody paths into her side.

    Beth hissed in pain as she stepped back to let the raptor bleed out and collapse from blood loss.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯d have been fine with two arms, she complained internally. <em style="font-style: italic">Stupid, damned paladin.

    Beth eyed the larger raptor. Her dagger had been poisoned ¨C of course ¨C but the larger creature was still stumbling around. Its abilities were momentarily disrupted, but Beth didn¡¯t want to wait to see if it had any way to fight poison when its core started fully working again.

    She rushed over to it, this time leaning away from the rush of its claws before jabbing her knife into its heart.

    Beth paused to catch her breath and waited to see if the fight had attracted anything else. Nothing showed up after a minute, so Beth took a quick look at her wounds. They weren¡¯t deep ¨C they had barely managed to get through her leather armor ¨C but the creature¡¯s claws had ruined her clothes.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t some goddess give <em style="font-style: italic">me a nice set of armor,¡± she complained aloud.

    James would probably whine about the risk of infection, but her blood was poisonous. That probably made her immune to whatever her adopted brother was complaining about, although she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if her cavalier attitude would catch up with her one day. With a resigned shrug, Beth knelt down and examined the dead raptor¡¯s core.

    ¡°I think you used some shadow ability, didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked the deceased creature. ¡°Something that let you move through shadows, maybe? Something that I deserve for defeating you, right?¡±

    Beth couldn¡¯t help but feel that she was stagnating. Bel ¨C assuming that the rebellious gorgon was still fine, which Beth didn¡¯t doubt ¨C had been rapidly catching up. Not that Beth was a competitive¡­ no, that was a lie. She was extremely competitive and she knew it.

    Beth eagerly searched through the core, but winced when she found the interesting shadow ability. <em style="font-style: italic">That¡¯s way too big and complicated, she lamented. She wistfully examined it with the lightest of touches before she finally broke the creature¡¯s core open to absorb its essence.

    As befitting of the dangerous beast, the shadows in her core wafted outwards with the influx of essence, completing her next threshold.

    ¡°Never enough though, is it,¡± she muttered. She quickly drained the second raptor¡¯s core as well, before moving on from the scene. A quick treatment of <em style="font-style: italic">consuming darkness and <em style="font-style: italic">scent erasure would ensure that she wasn¡¯t followed by any scent-trackers that stalked the forest. For all she knew, the raptors had friends.

    <em style="font-style: italic">It would have been nice to get more shadow abilities though. I still can¡¯t believe that the only shadow skills they knew of in the Golden Plains were to cool someone down.

    Beth snorted at the thought. <em style="font-style: italic">What a waste of space.

    The demi-humans <em style="font-style: italic">had told her some interesting rumors about achieving mastery by concentrating similar abilities in a person¡¯s core. Supposedly that would reduce the cost of a person¡¯s abilities by joining related pathways, and could also make abilities more potent. Beth hadn¡¯t heard anything about that in Satrap, but she imagined that all the best tricks would have been hidden by Technis¡¯ priests.

    <em style="font-style: italic">And speaking of Technis, why the hell am I in the middle of a forest on an entirely different landmass from Satrap? Some days I realize that nothing makes sense.

    </section>

    </section>

 Book 3 â€“ Bethâ€™s Side Story Part 3 â€“ Local Gossip

    <section>

    <section>

    Beth stared at the giant thing that blocked her path along the trail trail. She held her dagger in a loose, relaxed grip as she waited to see if her potential opponent would make a move. It didn''t look like a predator, but she knew well that appearances could be deceiving.

    The animal had a shell, like a turtle, but it was also hairy ¨C and huge.

    The of its shell was a few hands over her head and it was wider than she was tall.

    Beth was leaning strongly towards considering the slowly ambling creature harmless when she heard some scuffling from the trail on the other side of it.

    Beth reacted instantly, cloaking herself in darkness as she retreated to the shadow of the woods. She had encountered a few angry monkeys and several lone shadow raptors since her fight with the first pair, but she had also found tracks left by larger groups of the dangerous creatures and a few clawed footprints left by something many times her size and weight. She wasn¡¯t the apex predator in Skotos¡¯ forest, not by a wide margin.

    She stilled her breathing as she listened carefully. She grimaced as the babble of words reached her ears.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Did the elves find me?

    Beth listened for any words, but all she could pick out was the sound that gave the elves their name. As far as she and everyone else from the Golden Plains could tell, every third or fourth word was ¡°elf¡±.

    James had claimed that the short, hairy, long-eared creatures were some kind of proto-humans, or ¡°early hominids¡± as he liked to call them. He didn¡¯t actually know anything about them, but he speculated that they were probably not as smart as modern humans.

    Beth didn¡¯t know what to make of that ¨C if these were early humans were there late humans as well? Could they think better than Beth did? Or would they just look better? She had never grasped the evolution stuff that James went on about, other that the obvious fact that weak things got eaten.

    The distracting thoughts were cleared from her mind when a great clatter arose from the path. She risked a peek and saw that a group of elves had decided to launch an assault on the shelled creature, discarding their sharpened sticks and instead attacking with heavy clubs and stones. In response, it hunkered down on the ground and concealed its vulnerable parts. The rocks and soil around it crawled over its shell under the influence of some ability, reinforcing its protection.

    Beth waited for the elves to change tactics, but they continued with their mostly ineffective assault, their heavy clubs and large stones bouncing off the creature''s fortified shell.

    <em style="font-style: italic">You guys aren¡¯t even going to try to flip it over? How the hell did these people make boats?

    She had to admit that they didn¡¯t seem to tire, only taking breaks to get more weapons when their current club broke or stone crumbled. Eventually ¨C after so long a wait that Beth sneaked away for a quick food and rest break before coming back ¨C one of them managed to break through the creature¡¯s shell. They hooted with victory and pulled out their previously discarded wooden spears, which they jabbed into the creature¡¯s new weak point.

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    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, that¡¯s evolution I guess, since the elves won. And somehow the shadow raptors haven¡¯t eaten them all, so I guess that they¡¯re doing something right.

    Beth couldn¡¯t help but wonder if killing their king would actually stop the attacks on the Golden Plains. <em style="font-style: italic">Are these guys even organized? What if they¡¯re just getting bored of eating forest food and get on rafts to find something different?

    Beth watched with interest as the elves discussed what to do next, hoping to learn more about their organization. She was quickly disappointed.

    Their discussion was more squabble than talk, with too much gesticulation and too few words. A few of the elves even wandered off to shared some leaf-rolled snacks while the rest continued their game of charades. Once the small group of deciders finally came to a consensus, they shouted at the snackers and the gesturing began anew.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I almost want to teach them language just to hurry things up, Beth grumbled.

    After several additional minutes of energetic gestures, the elves finally rolled the creature onto its back and began to drag it away. Beth followed on the off-chance that they would take her somewhere useful, or that she gain a sudden insight into their ¡®elf elf elf¡¯ language. After half an hour of intense grunting, during which Beth learned nothing, the elves finally managed to shove the dead animal into a small stream. Beth watched with interest as the creature¡¯s giant shell served as a raft and the body began to float along the water.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Huh, I guess that¡¯s clever.

    Beth peeked at the water and saw that it was deeper than she had thought, and clear of any debris or overhanging branches. <em style="font-style: italic">I guess that they must maintain this. Maybe this king knows what he¡¯s doing.

    Beth watches as the elves prodded the shelled giant with their spears, keeping it centered in the water. And then she grew bored.

    It had taken them nearly an hour to kill the thing and another half an hour to get it into the water. How long would they walk with it?

    The group was also incredibly inefficient; Beth was sure that they could have prodded the floating corpse to move it faster, or tied some ropes to it and dragged it with the current. Instead they just meandered along, gesturing and talking to one another, and occasionally stopped to gather leaves or fruits and stuff them into the pouches that adorned their simple hide clothing. Occasionally one of them would mimic the sounds of the wildlife around them, and then another would respond with their own attempt, making some type of competition out of it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I guess they aren¡¯t in a rush.

    Beth could help a feeling that something was off as she watched them. She wanted to circle around the group and leave them behind, but that oddness kept drawing her eye.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I guess it¡¯s like James said: they¡¯re almost like me, but not.

    The group finally reached a large clearing alongside the river where they had a small settlement resting on a small hill that overlooked the stream. More elves descended from the hilltop when they saw the hunters return, and soon the air was filled with the sounds of ¡°elf elf elf.¡±

    She had thought James¡¯ fascination with studying the elves sounded dumb, but she had to admit that seeing them had made her curious. Was their language as limited as it sounded? Did their clothes look sloppy because they couldn¡¯t do better? Or was it because they expected them to be ruined while traipsing through the forest anyway? Were they actually organized under a king like the people of the Golden Plains claimed? Or were they all just wandering around the forest?

    <em style="font-style: italic">Questions for someone else, she shrugged. Beth made a wide circle around the hill and rejoined the river on the far side.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If they¡¯re just following this thing the I can do the same, she reasoned. <em style="font-style: italic">No need to watch them taking the next hour or three to butcher that thing..

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    </section>

 Book 3 â€“ Bethâ€™s Side Story Part 4 â€“ The Tallest Hat

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    <section>

    <em style="font-style: italic">I think the people of the Golden Plains are completely wrong about these elves, Beth mused as she stared at her reflection in the smooth water of a canal.

    Beth had left the initial group of elves behind and followed the original canal until it met up with another, larger one. That one had combined once again into the current waterway, which was wider than any human could leap without an ability. The channel was wide and deep, and clearly well-maintained. It was also old, and the rocky path that ran alongside it had a deep furrow dug by the passage of many feet.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Judging from the ones who were rafting into the Golden Plains I was expecting a bunch of disorganized wild people, but this is too organized for that to be true, right?

    Or maybe it wasn¡¯t. Beth had to admit to herself that, as much as she knew about politics back in Satrap, she didn¡¯t understand civilization in general.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be so annoyed if this trip turns out to be all diplomacy and no violence,¡± she huffed. ¡°How am I supposed to get stronger?¡±

    She saw movement down the path, but this time Beth decided to stay still rather than conceal herself. For all she knew, some of these people were incredible hunters or woodsmen and she was making a fool out of herself with her feeble attempts at stealth. Beth pushed down her nerves and waited, doing her best to hold her body in a relaxed, non aggressive stance. She kept her hand well away from her daggers ¨C the obvious ones at least.

    On the other side of the canal a pair of elves were approaching her. They were slightly shorter than she was, the man coming up to her shoulder and the woman¡¯s head just reaching his now. The man was armed with a wooden sword that looked as though it could barely slay a blade of grass much less one of the forest¡¯s shadow raptors. He wore misshapen woven sandals and had pants and a long tunic that were dyed a mottled green. Beth couldn¡¯t decide if that was their original coloration or if fighting grass was the elf¡¯s calling and his clothes were soaked with the blood of his enemies.

    The woman¡¯s clothes were, Beth thought, better. There was some proper skill behind the crafting of her white blouse and long overtunic, although its vivid pink color made Beth was to scratch out her eyes. The woman also had long, flowing hair with flowers intentionally placed throughout.

    Beth decided to address the woman rather than the man.

    ¡°Hi there,¡± she called out.

    She wasn¡¯t hiding, so her speaking didn¡¯t catch them by surprise. Still, she was expecting more than just the idle glances sent her way.

    ¡°Can you understand me?¡± she asked in the language of the Golden Plains. There was no response.

    ¡°How about Satrapian? Or Mycenaean, whatever you want to call it.¡±

    To Beth¡¯s surprise, that got a slight response from the woman. She narrowed her eyes in Beth¡¯s direction before shrugging and turning away.

    ¡°Can you point me to your king at least?¡± Beth grumbled.

    The woman looked up and shrugged before pointing back down the canal.

    ¡°Elf bar elf bar bar,¡± she said.

    ¡°Great, thanks,¡± Beth snorted. ¡°If you understand Mycenaean, then why don¡¯t you speak it?¡±

    The man decided to take exception at her tone and swept the woman behind him protectively. He said something sharp ¨C probably ¡°let¡¯s not talk to this crazy woman¡± although it was just more elf noises to Beth ¨C and the two of them wandered away.

    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± Beth muttered. ¡°I guess that I¡¯ll just go see the king.¡±

    Beth set out down the path at a fast, angry walk. She passed by several more elves, but unless she blocked their path or made a lot of noise at them she was mostly ignored. <em style="font-style: italic">Either outsiders are common here or these people don¡¯t care about them.

    The surging sound of water heralded her arrival at the water¡¯s source long before she could see it. Beth climbed up a small embankment to get a better view and was awestruck by the raging torrent of water that spilled down into a massive lake. It was like a hundred waterfalls put together, roaring in competition to see which could be the most magnificent. The sun was lowering in the western sky, creating a brilliant rainbow from the mist that fought against gravity¡¯s pull, creating a scene of power and beauty that left her dumbstruck.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Why didn¡¯t the desert people just move here? Beth wondered. <em style="font-style: italic">Fighting the elves must have been easier than fighting the Dark Ravager, right?

    She stared in wonder at the sparkling lake that was filled by a constant flow of water. The falls dropped over several steps along several different routes to the lake, forming a cascade of water interspersed with several islands thick with green life. The sight was so grand and vast that it took her a minute to notice the construction that clung like a tick to the rocks between two of the falls. From her vantage point she could see the outline of what could have maybe been a palace.

    ¡°Or maybe the pieces of one,¡± she breathed, unimpressed. ¡°Still, every palace has a king, right?¡±

    She didn¡¯t actually know for sure. Satrap had stories of the palaces built by rival kings during the period of infighting before Technis ¨C supposedly ¨C led the humans into the safety of his Barrier. The people of the Golden Plains had all manners of strange buildings and Outpost 3 was certainly large and grand, but she had never seen a real palace. She¡¯d never seen a king either.

    Beth shrugged and made her way along a path that she could see lead into a notch carved behind the waterfalls. The moment she went behind the falls the light dimmed and the noise of the water drowned out everything else. The path¡¯s footing was water-slicked and treacherous, but she hadn¡¯t seen any other way to approach the palace, unless she wanted to swim through the violent water.

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    <em style="font-style: italic">If there was going to be an ambush, this is the spot, she thought nervously. Beth couldn¡¯t help but keep her hand gripped around the pommel of a throwing dagger that she wouldn¡¯t mind losing in a wild throw, although she didn¡¯t draw it. She proceeded like that for several minutes without passing a single elf on her way.

    <em style="font-style: italic">This is too suspicious, she thought. <em style="font-style: italic">If this is the only path, then where is everyone?

    Beth slowed down, taking her time to examine the wall for hidden passages or spy holes as she moved.

    Nothing.

    Her forehead creased with worry. The curve of the rock wall concealed the way forward, but she was fairly certain that the palace was nearby. Yet she had seen no one so far.

    Beth huffed with frustration and spun around, trying to figure out what she was missing. She stuck her head dangerously close to the falling water as she leaned out over the edge of the path. The water was topped with a thick froth that made it impossible for her to see beneath the surface.

    Suddenly, a dark shape plummeted past her. It was immediately forced under the surface and was followed by several more dark blurs. Beth jumped back from the edge and relied upon her abilities to keep herself from slipping as she drew her dagger.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Are those people jumping? Isn¡¯t that dangerous?

    Her question was immediately answered when one of them struck a glancing blow to the rock above her. She heard a brief cry before the body plunged into the water. The force of the falls immediately shoved the person down.

    Beth thought about jumping in, but with one arm any attempt at a rescue would be pointless. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s not like I owe these people or anything.

    She tilted her head. <em style="font-style: italic">Or would rescuing one of them buy me some gratitude? That sounds like one of James¡¯ parables.

    Before she finished the though, a pair of young boys leaped from the water like dolphins. They hauled up the injured one between them, dumping him unceremoniously on the rock path.

    ¡°Hi there¨C¡± Beth shouted, but the boys dove back into the water without even sparing her a glance.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± she snarked. To be fair, she couldn¡¯t even hear herself talk so a conversation would have been impossible even if they spoke the same language.

    Beth knelt down to examine the injured child. He was an elf, probably, although it seemed that their ears became more pointed as they aged so his was fairly round. She stared at him for a few moments, waiting to see if he was breathing.

    He wasn¡¯t, a blood was flowing freely from his skull.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything I can¨C¡±

    She stopped midword when the boy¡¯s blood paused and rushed back into his body. He shuddered and gasped. Then he turned over and began to cough up water.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Interesting, Beth thought. <em style="font-style: italic">Enhanced healing. I guess that explains why Hanti always insisted that we remove their heads or stake them through their hearts.

    She tapped her teeth as she pondered the possibilities. <em style="font-style: italic">They¡¯re probably a pain to hunt if they can all attack recklessly. No wonder the wildlife leaves them alone.

    Beth decided to move on. The children were fine, probably, even if they were throwing themselves off of a cliff and down a waterfall.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m supposed to be preventing more fighting between our peoples, she told herself. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s an urgent mission that may or may not involve stabbing. I can¡¯t hang out with these kids.

    Beth hurried along, her mind whirling without thoughts of how she would fight someone who could heal from fatal wounds. It depended a lot upon their healing speed she decided.

    She rounded a bend and the palace finally came into sight. It was¡­very unfinished. Beth scowled when she saw that the bridge that would connect her path to the temple was also half-finished. She glanced around and saw an entrance to a tunnel at the end of her path, but no way to get to the palace directly.

    She clicked her tongue as she examined the disappointing building. The area was perfect, with a large outcropping of stone pushing the waterfalls out far enough that there was a peaceful area of water in front of the building¡¯s courtyard. The building, though, was barely more than an idea chipped into the wall of the cliff. There were loose stones that she presumed were meant as building materials, but some of them were covered in layers of moss so thick that she guessed the work was barely progressing. The elves and stones were both lying around in disorganized clusters, although there was slightly less moss on the elves.

    Some of the locals were napping and some were fishing and some were doing both.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I take it back, she thought, <em style="font-style: italic">there¡¯s no way a king would be okay with this. Technis¡¯ priests would lose their shit if their workers were this lazy.

    Beth¡¯s lips twisted as she considered the dark hole that lead into the tunnel at the end of the path. She¡¯d walked an entire day and was tired. Walking into a foreign fortress was perhaps pushing things too far.

    As she considered her next move, an elf with a tall hat emerged from a tunnel near to the unfinished palace. He looked like any other elf Beth had seen with the exception of his hat: it was easily as tall as he was. It wobbled precariously as he walked, forcing him to walk with a stiff, awkward gait. For all its height, it was just a tall, cloth head covered in dark feathers.

    Beth snickered at the sight.

    Unlike Beth, the rest of the elves stiffened when they saw the one with the tall hat. One even tried to run, but the newcomer moved like the crack of a whip and cut off the runner. Keeping on hand on his hat to maintain its balance, he reached out with his other arm and grabbed the frightened elf by the wrist.

    Then he spun and launched him into the rock wall. Beth couldn¡¯t hear a sound over the water, but she wince with sympathy as she imagined the bone-crunching noise that his impact must have made.

    The tall-hatted one didn¡¯t pause for a moment, immediately laying about with a voice so loud that it almost drowned out the waterfalls. He screamed and yelled at the other elves, kicking their fishing poles into the water and tossing them about until he corralled them into an area in front of the unfinished palace. Then he screamed more, pointing at the stones and the palace until he was red in the face.

    Beth clicked her tongue. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve seen some bad-tempered taskmasters in Satrap, but this guy has got to be the worst.

    The rest of the elves moved slowly to some of the large blocks and began to lethargically push them towards their intended destinations. The hatted-one yelled some more and some of the elves lifted a few tools to speed things up. With a bit more cajoling from their angry leader the elves had placed wooden rollers under the stones and moved them quickly to the unfinished palace wall.

    Then the screaming began anew as the lead elf pointed angrily. The rest of the elves moved the stone a few steps to the right, then back to the left, then to the right again. The process went on until the yelling elf was so red in the face that Beth though his blood vessels would burst from his face. He finally stormed off with a series of un-elflike words that Beth presumed were curses.

    The rest of the elves pretended to push their stones as he stalked away, but they all relaxed the moment he passed into the tunnel. In another minute they were back to their previous activities, with only a single properly placed stone to show for their efforts. Beth shook her head with disbelief.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Was that the king?

    Beth¡¯s curiosity won out and she decided to enter the tunnel nearest her.

    <em style="font-style: italic">He looked tough, but he didn¡¯t seem all that smart. Even if I can¡¯t beat him, I bet that I ca get away if he attacks.

    </section>

    </section>

 Book 3 â€“ Bethâ€™s Side Story Part 5 â€“ What Lies in Darkness

    <section>

    <section>

    Beth paused at the entrance to the tunnel to give her eyes time to adjust to the near darkness. There weren¡¯t any torches placed along the wall, but a strange, dimly glowing moss covered the moist rocks. The weak glow highlighted the uneven ground in an eerie green glow.

    The center of the tunnel was bare of moss, a sure sign of frequent travel. Not seeing any other options, Beth followed the obvious path. The tunnel twisted and turned in a disorienting maze; Beth soon found herself almost bumping into a group of elves coming in the opposite direction.

    She couldn¡¯t see any colors in the monochromatic light, but their clothing looked festive and was covered in designs of leaves and water. They were also festooned with jewelry, from heavy necklaces strung with stones to intricate metal studs that were holding their enormous ears straight.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Long ears means that they¡¯re old, right?

    Beth glanced at their faces for signs of age, but she only saw a couple of wrinkles around the eyes. <em style="font-style: italic">They look like someone in their late forties, maybe. I get the feeling that they¡¯re way older and stronger though.

    Beth realized that she¡¯d been staring for a while and both she and the elder elves were waiting on the other to do something.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted them cheerfully. ¡°I hope you speak Mycenaean. I was wondering¨C¡±

    One of the elves turned to another a whispered loudly in Mycenaean, ¡°is she going to move?¡± Beth decided to think of him as Mr. Rude. She grit her teeth for a moment, but forced herself to relax and appear friendly.

    His conversation partner, Miss. Gaudy Necklace, shrugged back and rolled her eyes. ¡°Children are always rude, Deru. They are capable of learning. Just be patient.¡±

    Beth glared daggers at the group, but they seemed content to wait for her to move out of their way. She steeled her resolve. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ll be happy to wait here for hours before I¨C

    ¡°Is that you, Beth?¡± a sleepy voice asked.

    Beth whirled in surprise, her hand pulling a dagger free from its sheath. She stared at the yawning face that was emerging from the stone wall, her eyes wide with surprise and confusion.

    The upper half of a woman pushed through the stone ¨C or maybe it was more accurate to say that the stone formed into the upper half of a woman.

    ¡°Who¨C¡± Beth began.

    The stone woman laughed. ¡°It¡¯s, me, Dutcha. Bel told you all about me. She <em style="font-style: italic">did tell you all about me, right?¡±

    Beth resisted the urge to retreat a step. Consorting with a creature powerful enough to melt the Dark Ravager¡¯s pyramid and populate the Golden Plains with a variety of spirits wasn¡¯t on Beth¡¯s list of smart things to do.

    Beth bowed briefly. ¡°Of course. Greetings, Dutcha, spirit of chaos. I wasn¡¯t aware that I was in your illustrious presence.¡±

    The stone woman grinned and leaned forwards. ¡°I¡¯m in hiding,¡± she announced in a loud, conspiratorial whisper. ¡°I don¡¯t want the pantheon to drag me back while I¡¯m still working on stuff.¡±

    ¡°Spirit,¡± interrupted Miss. Gaudy Necklace. ¡°Spirit, we must speak with you at once.¡±

    Dutcha rolled her eyes and her head in clear disdain. With a flick of her hand she slammed a stone wall across the tunnel, blocking out the elf¡¯s protests.

    Beth took an involuntary step back when Dutcha turned back to her with an unnaturally wide grin.

    ¡°So, Beth, it¡¯s great to meet my daughter¡¯s big sister. You taught her some good moves.¡±

    The crazed spirit punched at the air a few times, managing to also knock some holes in the rocks, showering the tunnel with small sprays of debris. ¡°I¡¯m super pleased with her progress, by the way.¡±

    Beth leaned upon Plenty¡¯s abilities to smile casually, as a good merchant had to do. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful to hear. I¡¯m quite proud of her as well. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know when she¡¯ll be back, would you?¡±

    Dutcha tilted her head. ¡°Soonish? I¡¯ve been losing track of time in here.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The spirit gestured, but all Beth could see was the tunnel.

    ¡°Doing what, exactly?¡± Beth asked. ¡°If it¡¯s not rude of me to ask.¡±

    The spirit laughed. ¡°Oh, I need to gather some strength and extra mass. I¡¯ve been busy eating these rocks.¡±

    Dutcha gestured at everything around her. <em style="font-style: italic">I should be thankful that she didn¡¯t decide to destroy the Golden Plains while I was still there, Beth thought.

    Aloud she asked, ¡°all of it? Is this all going to collapse? Should I get out?¡±

    The spirit laughed, an oddly high-pitched sound for a creature made of rock. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just hollowing it out. You¡¯ll hardly notice. It¡¯s just super stubborn so it takes forever to convince it that it should come with me to have some fun.¡±

    Beth nodded as if she understood.

    Dutcha continued to ramble. ¡°I would <em style="font-style: italic">love to go out an smash some things up ¨C that¡¯s why you¡¯re here, right? But I¡¯ve got to keep at this. Lempo has all these plans, you know?¡±

    The spirit sighed dramatically. ¡°There¡¯s not much going on here anyway, I¡¯ve already taken care of Technis¡¯ people.¡±

    ¡°Technis¡¯ people?¡± Beth repeated, alarmed. Her pulse thrummed at the sudden presence of danger.

    The spirit gestured and the wall beside her opened up. The bottom halves of three people emerged, kicking helplessly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like to let their faces out,¡± Dutcha explained. ¡°They¡¯re so noisy.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re Technis¡¯ people?¡±

    Dutcha nodded. ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t kill them or Technis would know.¡±

    The spirit gnashed her stone teeth. ¡°So annoying. I just want to let loose, you know? But Lempo is really strict about her plans.¡±

    Beth cleared her throat. ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t do anything yourself maybe you could offer me some help? I¡¯m here to stop the elves from sending people to attack the Golden Plains.¡±

    Dutcha nodded as she sent the struggling people back into the rock. ¡°What are elves?¡±

    Beth glanced at the barrier that separated them from the elder elves. ¡°Uh, short people with pointy ears.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh. I think I¡¯ve seen some. I don¡¯t know much about them. They like trees, right?¡±

    Beth glanced at rock wall again and shrugged. It probably wasn¡¯t worth the time explaining things to Dutcha.

    ¡°Maybe you could give me some kind of weapon?¡± Beth asked hopefully.

    ¡°A weapon¡­¡± Dutcha looked at her hands and flexed them, like she didn¡¯t understand the concept of fighting with something that wasn¡¯t part of her own body.

    ¡°Uh, or maybe some insights into abilities. The people in the Golden Plains told me that they first learned how improve their elemental manipulation by watching the spirits.¡±

    Dutcha¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, I know all about that!¡±

    She squinted at Beth. ¡°You like shadows, right? I can totally help.¡±

    Dutcha patted the wall and burned away the moss in the shape of her hand. The darkness in the hand print swelled like a overripe fruit before it fell to the ground and rolled around like a living thing. Once it turned itself upright, the fingers in the patch of darkness uncurled like the piston legs of some insect. In moments, it rose from the ground, the fingers distended into tall stilts. Two red eyes glared out of the central body and a patch of terrible darkness marked its mouth. It hissed in Beth¡¯s directly and she stumbled backwards quickly, a feeling of terror constricting around her throat.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Dutcha said, disappointed. ¡°That¡¯s not quite right. You like subtle things.¡±

    A powerful swat of the spirit¡¯s hand ended the nightmare, dispersing it into several clouds of darkness that drifted towards the exit.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Those¡¯ll probably cause someone trouble later, Beth thought.

    Dutcha paused to think for a moment before nodding happily. She poked the ground by Beth¡¯s feet and grinned. ¡°Okay, that one is perfect!¡±

    Beth looked down, disconcerted by the spirit¡¯s quite movement, but she couldn¡¯t find anything. ¡°What¡¯s perfect?¡±

    ¡°Your new shadow! It¡¯s super subtle! You¡¯ll learn a lot from it!¡±

    Dutcha nodded, pleased with herself, before yawning mightily. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got to be back to eating all this stuff so I¡¯ll be ready later. You have a good time fighting with the short people.¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Beth said to the darkness. The spirit has retracted into the rocks faster than Beth could open her mouth.

    A moment later the summoned rock wall crumbled and several frustrated elder elves poured through the gap.

    ¡°You there, child,¡± demanded an elf so old that he wore an ornate apparatus on his head to hold his ears aloft. ¡°What is that spirit doing here?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just having a snack and taking a nap,¡± Beth replied.

    ¡°A snack?¡± one responded angrily.

    ¡°A nap?¡± another harrumphed.

    Beth shrugged.

    ¡°You will have to go and fetch one of your elders,¡± scolded the elf with the ornate ear supports. ¡°Loosing a spirit like this is very unproper.¡±

    ¡°My elders?¡± Beth asked.

    The old elf nodded vigorously, sending his ears flopping about. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re only, what, fifty? You can hardly be expected to understand the repercussions of such a creature. Fetch Durabok or John or even that big beetle.¡±

    Beth blinked blankly at the old elf. ¡°Durabok? Do you mean Durak?¡±

    ¡°I think that may be right,¡± one of the other elves responded. ¡°But I¡¯ve never been one for your strange names.¡±

    ¡°Durak ascended,¡± Beth replied. ¡°He¡¯s my patron.¡±

    ¡°He ascended?¡± The old elf stroked his chin and nodded, his wide ears flopping with the movement. ¡°He was always an ambitious one. Well, if you¡¯re his follower then I guess you¡¯re here to kill the boy for all the trouble he¡¯s causing.¡±

    ¡°Boy?¡±

    An old woman, this one with ears long enough to be slipped into the hair of her bun, snorted. ¡°The one who calls himself king. I can never remember his name. He¡¯s, what, ten years old?¡±

    ¡°Twenty I think. Far too noisy. Things¡¯ll quiet down once he¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°No one like that reaches adulthood,¡± another elf with droopy eyelids declared gravely.

    The elf with the elaborate ear supports nodded. ¡°Well, when you are done playing your children¡¯s games go home and tell whatever elders are around that they must deal with this spirit. She came from the Golden Plains and must be returned.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay,¡± Beth offered.

    The group of old elves nodded and fell back into whispered conversation.

    Beth decided to simply step aside so they could walk past.

    ¡°See?¡± Miss. Gaudy Necklace said to Mr. Rude. ¡°The young always learn, eventually. If they don¡¯t end up dying first.¡±

    </section>

    </section>

 Book 3 â€“ Bethâ€™s Side Story Part 6 â€“ A Royal Challenge

    <section>

    Beth pushed the strange elves from her mind as she stalked down the tunnel. She felt a surprising sense of relief after Dutcha confirmed that Bel was okay. It didn¡¯t fully relieve Beth¡¯s sense of guilt at letting her little sister go off on her own, but it did make her feel a tiny bit better.

    Beth sighed smoothed some of her hair away from her face. In retrospect, she was probably more stressed out about Bel¡¯s well being than she wanted to admit. She¡¯d justified staying in the Golden Plains by saying that she would be the one to organize an attack on Technis¡¯ people, but it seemed like Hanti¡¯s thirst for conquest was more than sufficient.

    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta be a big girl and admit that I was wrong about a couple of things,¡± she whispered to herself.

    She still wanted to make the trip worthwhile, so she was either going to convince the king to stop sending people to the Golden Plains or she would stab him in the face.

    Or, she admitted to herself, she would discover that he was too tough and run away. She clenched her jaw. She wouldn¡¯t <em style="font-style: italic">like that outcome, but this wasn¡¯t where she wanted to die. Not while Technis was still ruining lives back in Satrap.

    Beth set her jaw and strode forward, filled with purpose and resolve.

    Finding the king wound up being less complicated than she had expected: she simply followed the sound of his shouting. At first she thought the sounds were from a crowd, but then she realized that there was only a single voice. She went through several branching tunnels, pausing at the intersections to listen for the loudest direction, before finally ending up in a large cavern lit from above by multiple skylights. A quick glance told her that the sun would be setting soon, which redoubled her resolve to wrap things up quickly.

    In the middle of the wide cavern, the large-hatted king was berating a group of young elves sitting in what looked like indoor sculpture garden. There were statues of trees and mountains and of creatures in a wide variety of poses, and there were even a few statues of elves. Vines wove their way through the stones, filling the space with greenery that complemented the dark stone. With the light filtering in from above it would have been a breathtaking sight ¨C if the king wasn¡¯t ruining it.

    Beth took a quick inventory of the statues and noticed that there were none of the supposed king. <em style="font-style: italic">I guess that¡¯s what he¡¯s trying to fix. I wonder if Technis was like this when he first started getting regular people to make statues of him?

    The elf waved a small, very poorly done figurine of himself under the faces of his fellow elves, desperate for their attention. Most of them ignored him and continued working on their own projects, clearly uninterested in him and his tall hat. When Beth was halfway across the cavern he began to throw a fit and smashed one of the statues, an exquisitely carved block of stone twice Beth¡¯s height that was being shaped into a waterfall, complete with little stone fish jumping from the water. The maker frowned and held out her hands, summoning the pieces back together.

    When the king smashed it a second time, the artist threw up her hands and stalked out of the room. Several of her colleagues followed afterwards, clearly unable to work under those conditions. The king yelled after them with such incredible volume that Beth used a bit of <em style="font-style: italic">consuming darkness in her ears to dampen the noise.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Beth shouted back, ¡°I¡¯m here to talk to you.¡±

    The king continued to rant in the elven tongue, his petulant cries of ¡®elf elf elf¡¯ echoing throughout the chamber.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Beth screamed into his face. ¡°Listen to me.¡±

    The elf took a step back and waved his hand in front of his nose.

    ¡°Are you saying my breath stinks?¡±

    The elf sniffed at her with disdain. He pulled a leaf from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. ¡°How can you not notice?¡±

    He stared up his nose at her for a few moments as Beth took deep, calming breaths.

    ¡°Well?¡± he asked eagerly. ¡°Has Technis sent more gifts?¡±

    Beth¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing my part,¡± he said excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ve convinced many of my fellow youth to leave for the desert, just as your messengers begged of me.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, that explains why they seem so unprepared. They probably left just to get away from him. I wonder what he told them about the Golden Plains?

    The king tilted his chin upwards and grinned smugly. ¡°Of course they¡¯re not the best I could offer, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯re dealing untold destruction to the disgusting desert people.¡±

    Beth blinked back at him, waiting to see if he would offer up more details. He didn¡¯t disappoint. He leaned forward with a feral grin.

    ¡°I could do more,¡± he said, hunger in his voice. ¡°If you made me powerful enough to challenge the elders I could force the adults to invade. The long-ears won¡¯t take me seriously now, but we don¡¯t need to wait another fifty years for me to be an adult. Give me the strength to strike down a member of the council¨C¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯ve already given you so much,¡± Beth interrupted hesitantly.

    ¡°So much? So much!¡± he screamed.

    He touched his hat a summoned a familiar blue barrier around his body. ¡°This is only useful when someone tries to challenge me! Now they just walk away!¡±

    He kicked at another half-finished sculpture. The masterfully carved stone raptor tipped over, shattering into a hundred pieces. Its open mouth, filled with carefully carved teeth, rolled past Beth.

    The elf king walked up to Beth and hissed into her face. ¡°I need what your people <em style="font-style: italic">promised. Give me the power to reshape my body.¡±

    He reached up and rubbed one of his short ears between his fingers. ¡°Make me an adult and I will conquer the Golden Plains.¡±

    Beth nodded. ¡°Of course, of course. Can I see the hat for a moment?¡±

    The elf pulled off his hat and clutched it to his chest.

    ¡°What do you want with it?¡± he asked suspiciously.

    Beth laughed lightly. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. We put more than just the barrier into it. I¡¯m just going to unlock more features.¡±

    ¡°Really? Here!¡± The elf eagerly thrust the hat at her.

    Beth smiled as she took it from him. She turned it over so she could look inside. Most of the interior was filled with a giant, dead bug. A wasp of some kind.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Makes as much sense as anything else I suppose.

    Beth put the hat on the ground and knelt over it. ¡°I¡¯m just going to make some adjustments,¡± she said, smiling.

    Then she drew her favorite dagger and repeatedly plunged the dark blade into the hat, not stopping until the material was more hole than hat and the elf king had kicked her off.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Beth rolled once and pushed herself back to her feet.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he screamed accusingly. He held his ruined headpiece like a mother mourning a dead child.

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m here to kill you kid,¡± she replied with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯re pretty slow.¡±

    The elf¡¯s mouth opened wide enough to swallow a fist and he screamed.

    Beth had guessed that he had some type of sonic powers so her ears were already stopped up with <em style="font-style: italic">consuming darkness. What she didn¡¯t expect was a force powerful enough to blow her off her feet. She slammed into the opposite wall of the room and fell, but she managed to land on her feet. Dazed, but not down.

    A swipe of her dagger across her arm coated it with blood-turned-venom from <em style="font-style: italic">heart of revenge. Hoping to finish things quickly, she rushed at the elf while he was busy drawing in an enormous breath. Before she could get the dagger to his throat though, he stomped his foot into the ground and worked another ability. A tangled pillar of roots and leaves rose up underneath him, lifting him well above Beth¡¯s height. Beth cast a quick glance to the ground and saw that one of the vines that crossed the floor had been kick-started into furious growth.

    He screamed at her again, but Beth ducked around the pillar, staying just ahead of the spray of debris that marked the cone of violence from his vociferous shout. The moment his power ebbed she stabbed her dagger into the viney pillar, forcing <em style="font-style: italic">gnaw like loathing into the stems. One attack wasn¡¯t enough ¨C she was forced to dodge around another one of his outbursts before plunging her dagger into it a second time.

    The tangle of stems finally dessicated and shattered, toppling the pillar. Before he fell, the elf jumped from the top of the pillar to put more distance between himself and Beth. Her shadow clones leaped from her while an obscuring <em style="font-style: italic">cloak of darkness clung to her real body. Beth and her two clones charged at him before his feet even touched the ground. Beth stayed to the left to best use her right arm, guessing that the king would be too frustrated to notice. She was lucky that her guess was right.

    The king held up a hand and the air in front of him <em style="font-style: italic">shrieked like it was being tortured. The center shadow clone dissipated in a wave of force that sent Beth¡¯s braid whipping into her face even though she was several strides away from the attack. She grit her teeth and continued her charge ¨C she was too committed to turn back now.

    Beth reached the king slightly before the right clone but then telegraphed a hopelessly awkward stab. The king took the bait; he mistook her for the clone and spun towards the second clone instead. He obliterated it with the same needlessly overpowered ability, leaving his side exposed to her attack. Beth¡¯s lips skimmed back in anticipation as her dagger stabbed upwards towards his kidneys.

    The dark blade of her pointed misericorde struck with a heavy, hollow thud rather than a wet squelch. A shock travelled up her arm as the blade was stopped early and Beth knew that she had made a mistake.

    The elf turned and pointed his hand in her direction, his face twisted with anger and contempt. Beth tried her <em style="font-style: italic">unseen hand immediately, attempting to deliver a <em style="font-style: italic">core punch to the elf king¡¯s midsection, but it met the same wooden resistance as her knife. The air around the elf¡¯s hand thickened as he readied his attack.

    Then her shadow copied the action, delivering a weak punch to the elf¡¯s leg. The strength of it was completely ineffective, but the unexpected strike caught the elf off-guard. He stumbled from the unseen blow and Beth exploited his imbalance to duck under his arm.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Thanks Dutcha, she thought as she hit the ground and came face to face with subtle shadow spirit.

    The air above her screamed as the elf¡¯s powerful ability was unleashed. Before he could redirect it, Beth kicked his legs out from under him. The elf¡¯s eyes widened as he found himself toppling through the air. He hit the ground with a heavy sound and Beth hit him with a stab enhanced with <em style="font-style: italic">cut like hatred.

    He screamed in outrage as the dagger penetrated his midsection, but it caught fast in his bark-like skin. When he reached for her Beth pushed herself backwards, slipping out of his grasp but leaving her favorite dagger behind.

    She quickly drew her second favorite dagger as she retreated to a safe distance. The heft of the stiletto¡¯s solid metal construction was reassuring in her hand. The blue gems on its cross guard twinkled in the fading light as she circled around the elf, attempting to <em style="font-style: italic">discern flaws in his protection. <em style="font-style: italic">Probably just his eyes, she grumbled as she inspected his bark-like protection.

    The elf awkwardly rose and Beth carefully watched his movements to glean his current health. His skin had turned dark and cracked, like the bark of a thick tree, and slowed his movements slightly. It was nice to see that the defensive ability had a drawback, but the protection it offered was impressive. Landing a lethal blow through the heavy bark would be next to impossible without the full force of her abilities.

    Her poison usually meant that a close hit was close enough, but this time it didn¡¯t seem to be having its usual effects. She could see a bit of discoloration in the exposed bark around her embedded weapon, but his elven healing seemed to be stronger than her toxins. <em style="font-style: italic">Gonna have to complain to Durak about that later, she thought.

    Beth chewed on her lip as she considered her options. Running¡­she hadn¡¯t ruled it out yet, but the thought of being struck from behind by his air-shrieking attack made the idea seem unpleasant. She had also seen the elf moving incredibly quickly and she had no reason to believe he wouldn¡¯t be able to cancel his bark skin and regain his mobility.

    Beth stopped her circling and clenched the stiletto in her hand. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯d rather finish this anyway.

    The elf took her momentary pause as an invitation to attack and began inhaling for another shouting attack. Beth relaxed slightly, relieved that it was something she already recognized. She crouched and prepared to outrun his attack.

    Before he shouted though, the elf held his arms wide. When he swung them together, Beth was alarmed to see two large masses of leaves and vines swinging towards her. She took a step away from the elf and his plants, but before she could go far he opened his mouth and screamed.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Lempo¡¯s tits, Beth cursed. She <em style="font-style: italic">moved like fury, angrily tossing her body into one of the oncoming masses of vegetation. She sank into it for a moment before being stopped by the thick growth, but by then she had successfully trapped herself into the tangled mass. When the king¡¯s scream struck, it first had to burrow through a thick mass of protective plants.

    Leaves turned into green mush as the sonic attack struck, quickly chewing through the plants. The remaining force struck Beth like an old blacksmith and his team of strikers beating her against an anvil. Beth coughed up blood after the repeated hammer blows, slumping against the ropey vines in exhaustion. From her half-lidded eyes she could see the elf closing the distance between them with a tremendous leap.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I don¡¯t know how I would explain things to Bel if I die now.

    Beth pushed her body forward, slipping free of the entangling vines with a violent jerk. She held her stiletto in a death grip and awkwardly stabbed at the elf¡¯s face. He easily caught the attack on his arm, trapping a second one of her weapons.

    His other arm lifted and his fingers pointed forward. Beth could feel the air pulling towards his hand in preparation for this powerful attack. He grinned; he knew that he¡¯d won.

    Then Beth¡¯s third favorite dagger ¨C a plain parrying dagger with a short, practical blade that she¡¯d taken from her first kill ¨C stabbed into the elf¡¯s eye, propelled by her <em style="font-style: italic">unseen hand. The elf staggered backwards, but to Beth¡¯s frustration he didn¡¯t immediately die. She fixed that by yanking her stiletto free of his arm and plunging it through his other eye. Then she reached out with her senses and grasped onto his core. She could feel it pulsing in turmoil as his body passed mortal injury, but the elf was still somehow hanging on. Beth put an end to that: with a mighty metaphysical yank she cracked his core open and ripped the essence free.

    Beth could feel a large, satisfying influx of essence accumulating into her own core from the elf¡¯s death. A small amount went towards Durak, as was usual, but Beth felt it turned back at the last moment.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m being rewarded, huh? That¡¯s nice.

    Beth slumped to the ground exhausted. It took her nearly a minute to wrest her favorite dagger free of the supposed elf king¡¯s wooden body and another minute to wipe her weapons clean. By the time she was done she could barely muster the strength to slide herself away from the body and collapse against the wall.

    When she heard footsteps entering the large cavern Beth managed to pull out her dagger and stare suspiciously at the interloper. She tried to put on a tough front, but in reality she could barely keep her eyes open.

    The elf who entered the room was none other than the artist who the king had chased away. She looked around at the destruction in the room and frowned. Beth could even imagine her ears drooping slightly with disappointment at the mess.

    Then the elf girl saw Beth. Her brows knit together in confusion until she saw the body of the elf king nearby. Her eyebrows went up in surprise and she walked over to the him with small, rapid steps.

    She looked down at the body for a few long moments and then clapped her hands with delight. With a smile as broad as the open sky, she rushed back to her work in progress. A quick wave of her hand recalled all the pieces back together and she immediately resumed her work. She hummed a cheerful melody as she focused on adding a few tiny turtles to the scene and the notes of her song reverberated throughout the now peaceful space.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I guess these elves aren¡¯t so bad after all, Beth though tiredly. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I¡¯ll even check some stuff out before I meet up with Seth.

    She drifted for a moment before popping awake with a sudden thought. <em style="font-style: italic">Should I find souvenirs? I bet that James would like that. Bel would go crazy for something cute.

    </section>

 Chapter 88 â€“ A Fresh Start

    <section>

    Bel relaxed and stretched out to embrace the dim light of Olympos¡¯ fifth layer. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s good to pause like this sometimes, she decided.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Everything has been crazy: I was captured by giants, channeled my little magma snake to temporarily turn into some kind of spirit, barely survived a fight with patchwork Crystal, took her fantastic spear, finally met another gorgon, and splattered my nemesis, Nebamon, across the mountain. I was so exhausted that I went to sleep after introducing Cress and Orseis.

    Bel frowned slightly at the thought. <em style="font-style: italic">Was I being rude? I was so tired though. Cress seems nice, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll understand.

    Someone thumped a rock into Bel¡¯s wooden belly, demanding her attention. Bel opened her eyes to see Orseis picking up a larger rock.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked incredulously. ¡°Do you hit people with rocks whenever you aren¡¯t getting enough attention?¡±

    The shameless cuttle-girl dropped the rock and rolled her eyes. ¡°You weren¡¯t responding to shouting, so I thought that I should turn to violence.¡±

    She turned and gestured a tentacle at Cress. The other gorgon was doing some kind of swinging exercise with her hammer. ¡°Even she thinks swinging her hammer around is more fun than waiting for you to come back to normal. How long are you planning to stay in your tree form?¡±

    Bel shook her leaves at the immature girl. ¡°You asked me to try out my Flora form after I told you what happened with I mixed with Sparky.¡±

    ¡°Gods in the heavens, I didn¡¯t think that you would turn into a tree and just sit there,¡± Orseis grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s been hours.¡±

    Bel sighed and ended her ability. Flora¡¯s essence slowly separated from Bel¡¯s and in a few moments her flower-laden serpent was back on her head with the rest of her snakes.

    ¡°Was it really hours?¡± Bel asked. ¡°It was shorter with Sparky.¡±

    ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t doing much moving around as a tree,¡± Orseis pointed out. ¡°Maybe that has something to do with it.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Maybe. I was just enjoying the light.¡±

    She turned to inspect the distant pillar that provided sterile illumination for the snowy layer of Olympos. ¡°I wonder if the light feels even better somewhere brighter and warmer.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, just don¡¯t test it when I¡¯m around. I¡¯ll die of boredom.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a child, Ori,¡± Bel teased. ¡°You need one of those things that James always talks about, an Internet.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Ori,¡± Orseis whined.

    Crecerelle cleared her throat, and Bel suddenly remembered that her group was now three instead of two.

    ¡°Sorry Cress! Ori can be pretty distracting.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not my name!¡±

    Cress smiled and said something that sounded cheerful and encouraging, but of course Bel and Orseis couldn¡¯t understand it.

    Bel smiled back since expressions were the only things that didn¡¯t require words. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to learn each other¡¯s languages,¡± Bel mused aloud.

    ¡°Oh, oh,¡± Orseis squirmed with excitement. ¡°Teach us both James¡¯ Old World language.¡±

    ¡°English?¡± Bel asked, perplexed. ¡°Why would you want to learn that?¡±

    ¡°Because you said that your mother promised that I could go to the Old World,¡± Orseis huffed. ¡°She promised that at the same time she told you to find more gorgons to help fight Technis, right?¡±

    Orseis gestured at Cress¡¯ snakes. ¡°There¡¯s a gorgon, so I guess your mom wasn¡¯t messing around. If I go to the Old World, I want to be prepared.¡±

    Bel groaned. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand the words that James uses though.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">And I don¡¯t know how safe it is to trust my mother, she thought silently. <em style="font-style: italic">What if the humans use her for her ink?

    Her brother had told Bel plenty of stories about how the old world humans extracted everything they could from the world around them. She didn¡¯t have the heart to say those things to Orseis, though.

    Orseis shrugged at Bel¡¯s spoken objection, a ripple travelling down her six tentacles. ¡°Just do your best to teach us, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be good enough. Anyway, my body will be doing most of the talking when I meet the humans there.¡±

    The cuttle girl struck what Bel guessed was supposed to be a tough or attractive pose, but in her matching fluffy halter top, skirt, and moccasins Bel thought that she looked more childlike than ever.

    Bel pushed her face into her palms, stifling a groan. ¡°You¡¯re too young to talk about stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°But cuttlefish¨C¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re at least half human, Ori. And your human parts look like a child.¡±

    Orseis pouted. Her cheeks puffed out dramatically while her skin flashed an angry white and red pattern.

    Cress asked something, her concern clear from the tone of her voice.

    ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Bel assured her. ¡°But I guess we should start learning how to speak together.¡±

    Bel looked around, wondering where to start. She pointed to the snow that covered the floor of the layer. ¡°Snow,¡± she said in English.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    <hr>

    It turned out that teaching a language by pointing at things didn¡¯t work well in a world smothered in snow. It was great for drawing pictures ¨C the only way that she¡¯d been able to explain her plan to sneak under Technis¡¯ Barrier and reenter Satrap ¨C but the moment her group began walking back to the downward staircase she had run out of things to point at. Everyone knew the words for ¡°snow,¡± ¡°rock,¡± and ¡°footprint,¡± but after that Bel had struggled.

    She could explain things to Orseis of course, but then Cress would be left out, so now she was making a fool of herself by miming different actions.

    ¡°What in the hells are you doing, Bel?¡± Orseis asked, bewildered.

    ¡°I¡¯m winking,¡± Bel explained.

    Unlike Orseis, Cress was happily copying the one-eyed blink. ¡°Wink,¡± she repeated cheerfully.

    ¡°It looks like you two have something in your eye. Why would humans do that?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Orseis smacked two of her tentacles together, a sure sign that Bel knew meant the cuttle girl had just come to a wrong conclusion.

    ¡°Do humans have a special eye abilities like you gorgons?¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just move on to something else. Did I tell you that James is teaching the young people back in the Golden Plains? Maybe you should just learn English from him once we get back there.¡±

    Orseis rolled her eyes dramatically. ¡°I don¡¯t want to learn all the stuff he¡¯s teaching though. Doesn¡¯t it involve a bunch of weird things about dividing people into tiny pieces?¡±

    ¡°Do you mean cells? That¡¯s biology.¡±

    Bel looked at Orseis skeptical expression. ¡°It¡¯s interesting,¡± she insisted.

    ¡°Did you know that some of his students think that the world is hollow?¡±

    Orseis barked out a sudden laugh. It startled Cress, and Bel saw her hand twitch towards her hammer before she relaxed.

    ¡°They think that¡¯s why the gravity is going down the farther we go.¡±

    ¡°Why would a hollow world do that?¡±

    Bel scrunched her nose. ¡°Math?¡±

    She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the mountain housing the giants¡¯ cave appear in the distance.

    ¡°Hey, look,¡± she pointed, ¡°we¡¯re almost there.¡±

    Bel <em style="font-style: italic">pounced ahead, forcing Orseis to rush to catch up. Cress easily covered the distance with the powerful flaps of her wings, but unlike Bel and Orseis she kept a vigilant gaze on the landscape around them.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder if we¡¯ve gotten complacent after being here for so long? Bel wondered. <em style="font-style: italic">Would my mother mind if we took a break? Yeah, I bet she would.

    While Bel put her hands on her hips and sighed, Orseis inspected the entrance to the now trashed town. She leaned back to look at the large double-doors, built tall enough for a giant mounted on a large fox worm. The two doors were hanging at an angle, barely attached to the metal frame after Crystal¡¯s assault, and past them she could see the inner doors that were blackened and twisted from a powerful impact.

    ¡°Uh, what happened here?¡±

    ¡°Crystal came after me, remember? I was hoping that the giants would get her on the way in, but she was tougher than I thought. If you think it¡¯s bad out here, just wait until we go inside.¡±

    ¡°And you took her out? By yourself?¡± Orseis said with wide eyes.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Bel nodded proudly. She reached up to give Sparky an appreciative scratch. ¡°With my snake¡¯s help, of course.¡± Then she made a muscle to show off.

    Orseis patted her muscular arm. ¡°Damn Bel, you¡¯ve really grown.¡±

    Bel beamed. ¡°Thanks!¡±

    She took a step towards the yawning opening and hesitated and glanced back at Orseis. ¡°There¡¯s some strong stuff in there, by the way.¡±

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Bel remembered the sinking feeling she¡¯d felt when it looked like Nebamon was going to kill Orseis right in front of her. Then she looked down at her spear.

    According to Lempo, it was a divine weapon crafted by a goddess named Bellona. It looked like a spear with a long blade and a simple wooden haft, but it could stab through just about anything, including the armor that Kjar had gifted to her, and would return to her hand after she threw it. For Bel, who kept losing her weapons, it was perfect. She could feel it almost like another person, bored and sleepy but eager for battle.

    Bel sighed with regret and held out the spear to Orseis.

    ¡°Ori, you should take this.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes widened. She reached a tentacle forward but hesitated before touching the smooth haft of the weapon. ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t it powerful?¡±

    Bel nodded sadly. ¡°It is. It¡¯s perfect. But that fight with Nebamon was really close.¡±

    Bel thrust the spear into her friend¡¯s tentacles. ¡°My mother made me strong and I¡¯ve got some powerful abilities now. But none of those will help if someone stabs you when I¡¯m not looking.¡±

    Orseis took the spear eagerly but she frowned at Bel¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m not a burden, you know.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Of course not. But I¡¯ve already got a divine gift from Kjar.¡±

    She patted one of the plates of her lamellar armor with a metal nail, making a soft of metal on metal. ¡°Giving you the spear makes things fair.¡±

    Orseis tilted her head as she considered that. ¡°I guess it¡¯s okay then,¡± she finally agreed.

    Then she glanced at Crecerelle, who had been silently listening to their exchange, clearly trying to guess what they were discussing. ¡°What about her?¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Cress is pretty tough.¡±

    She pointed to the hammer hanging from Cress¡¯ back. ¡°She¡¯s got a hammer and some awesome claws and I saw her turn a giant into stone! It was fantastic!¡±

    Bel pointed to Cress¡¯ hammer and claws and eyes in order like she was a merchant showing off her wares. She pointed to her wings last. ¡°And she can <em style="font-style: italic">fly! Flying is amazing!¡±

    Cress figured out that Bel was bragging on her behalf and spread her wings, preening at the praise.

    Bel giggled. ¡°It must be a gorgon thing. I¡¯m absolutely going to save up my spare strokes to grow my own wings.¡±

    Orseis rolled her eyes. ¡°As long as you¡¯re not clinging to me because you¡¯ve lost your parachute again.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°That was one time. And you got yourself knocked out, what else was I supposed to do?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of doing things,¡± Orseis said, stepping forward and entering the mountain, ¡°when are you going to choose your next path? Killing Nebamon and breaking his core filled yours up, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    Bel rushed forward a few steps so she could scout ahead of Orseis, much to the younger girl¡¯s annoyance. Cress drew her hammer and stepped to the side, giving herself room to swing it without fear of hitting her two companions.

    ¡°I¡¯ll choose my next path when we stop for the night,¡± Bel explained as she glanced around the dimly lit interior of the mountain. Some of the escaped rock worms had tunneled through the ceiling on their way out, giving the area several new skylights.

    ¡°Last time I made an impulse decision after I heard about spirits blowing up the moon¨C¡± Bel began.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Orseis interrupted.

    ¡°¨Cbut this time around I think that I should really embrace whatever Kjar or Lempo have to offer,¡± Bel finished. ¡°Not that Dutcha¡¯s powers aren¡¯t amazing, but I think I may need something stronger to fight Technis.¡±

    Bel squeezed her hands into fists and clenched her jaw. ¡°I was barely strong enough to take down patchwork Crystal, and she was only made by one of Technis¡¯ inquisitors. How could I actually fight Technis himself?¡±

    Orseis hurried forward so she wouldn¡¯t be behind Bel. ¡°But you said that Lempo¡¯s abilities were weird, right?¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m guessing that Lempo must be offering me weird stuff for a reason.¡±

    She reached up to rub Ventas¡¯ necklace, remembering what the old man had told her about Lempo offering her followers a path to achieve their goals. ¡°I think my mother must be offering me strange abilities because I¡¯ll need something weird to fight Technis. Brute force won¡¯t work, not unless I become literally strong enough to blow up a moon.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°And I definitely don¡¯t have time for that.¡±

    There was a sound of metal striking shell. Bel turned to see Cress¡¯ hammer separating a sky shrimp into two halves through overwhelming force. The other gorgon followed up her attack by screaming into the hole where the shrimp had emerged, scaring away whatever else was lurking within.

    By the time she turned back to Orseis, the other girl had already grabbed part of the shrimp and was ripping the flesh out of its carapace. Bel¡¯s mouth opened wide in disbelief.

    ¡°What?¡± Orseis snapped. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, okay? Learning all those English words was tough.¡±

    </section>

 Chapter 89 â€“ The Path Forward

    <section>

    Bel peered into the shrine where her mother and Kjar had previously manifested and was surprised to find it strangely empty. Only the puddle that had been Lempo and the wooden cat that Kjar had possessed remained. Cress quickly fluttered over to the two remaining objects, examining them carefully.

    ¡°I guess that Hermeis guy got angry,¡± she told Orseis. ¡°He and whoever else this shrine belonged to must have taken their stuff and left.¡±

    ¡°Angry about what?¡± Orseis asked.

    ¡°Oh, just my mother encouraging me to smash some stuff.¡±

    Orseis blanched, her skin turning a fearful shade of purple as she glanced with worry around the now barren nook.

    Bel was surprised to see Crecerelle kneeling in a position of prayer near the puddle. <em style="font-style: italic">I guess my mom offering to be a patron to the gorgons was a big deal to her.

    She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that ¨C her mother was a patron to humans as well as scrattes. Would she call in the favor in the future and make the gorgons help the little hairy green people conquer a kingdom somewhere?

    <em style="font-style: italic">And who else calls my mother their patron?

    Bel sighed. <em style="font-style: italic">Well, at least my mom isn¡¯t as bad as Beth¡¯s family, she consoled herself. <em style="font-style: italic">They¡¯re all Technis worshippers, and he¡¯s the worst.

    She turned to Orseis and offered the younger girl a reassuring smile. ¡°Everything seems safe, so I¡¯m just going to lie down and see about getting my new path.¡±

    Orseis raised a tentacle. ¡°Oh, while you¡¯re there, can you see if there are any good patrons for me?¡±

    Bel¡¯s forehead creased as she squinted at her friend. ¡°Good patrons for what? And how would I be able to ask?¡±

    Orseis shyly prodded the ground with her foot. ¡°I want a patron that can help me be both pretty and strong ¨C you know, for when I go to the human world.¡±

    Bel paused with her mouth hanging open. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m really not prepared to handle things like this, she thought in a panic. <em style="font-style: italic">Where the hell is this girl¡¯s mother? Wait, is this something my mother was supposed to prepare me for?

    Orseis looked at Bel, her eyes wide and pleading.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you ask Lempo about it?¡±

    Bel swallowed nervously. ¡°You know I just see Ishmael there like everyone else, right?¡±

    Orseis nodded and shyly toed the ground with her foot. ¡°But once you choose your patron you negotiate with them for how much essence you¡¯ll share. If you¡¯re going to take Lempo¡¯s path can¡¯t you ask her about it then?¡±

    Bel tilted her head. She hadn¡¯t negotiated with Dutcha about any essence sharing ¨C the spirit didn¡¯t take anything. <em style="font-style: italic">Perk of being her daughter I guess.

    Bel shrugged. ¡°If I meet her there then I¡¯ll ask. My mom doesn¡¯t do things normally though. And maybe I¡¯ll go with Kjar¡¯s powers, who knows?¡±

    Orseis smacked the butt of her spear into the ground and frowned. ¡°Whatever! Ask either one of them, okay?¡±

    Bel held up her hands helplessly. ¡°Yeah, sure, I¡¯ll ask.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Orseis beamed.

    Bel looked at Cress and glanced at Orseis, silently asking the other gorgon to look after her friend.

    Cress nodded seriously and Bel felt a small amount of relief.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m doing the thing. You two don¡¯t get into too much trouble without me.¡±

    Orseis nodded. ¡°Of course not! If you take too long though, I may have to go get some food.¡±

    Bel grimaced. ¡°I¡¯d better make this quick.¡±

    <hr>

    Once again, entering the spiritual realm to select her path was an intuitive experience. Following the faint tugging on her soul lead her spiritual self to the same empty space that she had enountered during her first path selection.

    ¡°Call me Ishmael!¡± said a familiar voice.

    Bel turned and smiled at the odd creature who oversaw path selection for the pantheon. The front pair of stubby legs on his furry body were waving cheerfully in her direction.

    ¡°Hello Ishmael,¡± Bel greeted back.

    ¡°Welcome to your Path selection,¡± crooned the caterwhatsit, ¡°I¡¯ll be your guide!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already met,¡± Bel replied.

    ¡°Sorry! I don¡¯t have any memories, but I¡¯ll try to remember you next time ¨C or maybe not!¡±

    Bel felt a pang of sadness for the poor creature who was trapped in this endless task, repeating the same jokes for an eternity.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I already explained this, but I¡¯m here as an impartial assistant in your path selection. Before I came along, sentient beings kept picking whoever they¡¯d already heard of ¨C that really upset some of the lesser known deities!¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Thanks for the explanation,¡± she said politely, ¡°but I know the background.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Ishmael gestured with a wing at a large, wooden placard that was hanging next to its perch.

    ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t have very many options! Typical for a gorgon, I suppose.¡±

    The little creature tilted its head as it read over the placard. Ishmael paused, clearly confused about something. ¡°You¡¯re all cursed, right?¡±

    It shrugged, a ripple that spread down from one pair of legs to the next. ¡°Well, whatever. I get the feeling that you can read, right?¡±

    Bel experienced a strange sensation of the past repeating. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe it¡¯s better that he doesn¡¯t remember anything. If he actually had to remember saying the same thing over and over every day he would go mad.

    Bel skimmed over the top part of the placard that listed her current condition. Her total number of gained strokes would double again to six per threshold while building her third core. That had sounded great to her, but she¡¯d been warned that the essence required to advance thresholds would also increase. She skimmed down to the bottom of the placard where her possible patrons were listed.

    Kjar¡¯s Path of Judgement and Punishment. Potency: 4.

    Dutcha¡¯s Path of Disorder. Potency: 5.

    Lempo¡¯s Path of Upheaval. Potency: 7.

    ¡°I think my potency with Kjar went up,¡± Bel remarked, pleased.

    Ishmael waved his antenna around. ¡°Is that so? You must have done something she favors then.¡±

    He paused briefly before continuing. ¡°Which is strange, because I thought that the gods didn¡¯t like any gorgons.¡±

    Bel laughed nervously at Ishmael¡¯s observation. ¡°Yeah. Kjar used me to kill a demigod. I feel like I should still go with my mother¡¯s path though.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± the little caterwhatsit asked.

    ¡°Lempo,¡± Bel answered.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    She got an odd look back before Ishmael replied. ¡°<em style="font-style: italic">Lempo¡¯s Path of Upheaval is¡­ holy pantheon, who allowed this stuff!¡± The little guide gave Bel a strong side eye. She shuddered as she remembered the guide¡¯s next words before he said them.

    ¡°Well, if you take this one you¡¯d better be careful. It starts off with your standard mutations, some abilities to ruin things, some ways to destroy souls, disintegrate stuff, put things back together the wrong way, and then moves up to bending reality and removing stuff from existence. Pretty heavy. Risks getting the attention of the gods, if you ask me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bel agreed. ¡°Last time I was too scared by it, so I took Dutcha¡¯s Path. This time I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± the fuzzy guide questioned. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Bel paused. The power to destroy a moon¡­ wasn¡¯t that why she¡¯d been tempted by Dutcha¡¯s Path?

    The thought was suddenly very attractive, even though she knew it was a distraction. There was no way she would grow that powerful quickly enough to matter against Technis.

    ¡°Who cares about moons anyway? Why would I want to blow up a moon?¡± she muttered to herself.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± a voice whispered in her mind.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Dutcha?¡±

    A pink snake slithered into view. It definitely wasn¡¯t one of Bel¡¯s regulars.

    ¡°Yes?¡± it hissed.

    ¡°How are you here? No, forget that, are you messing with my head?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± the spirit paused. ¡°But I made your head, some of it. Isn¡¯t messing with it what a mother is supposed to do?¡±

    Dutcha flicked out her tongue. ¡°I¡¯ve spied on plenty of mothers, you know,¡± she declared proudly.

    Bel almost swatted the snake, but then she remembered that it was both her mother and an extremely powerful spirit.

    ¡°No,¡± Bel huffed. ¡°A mother is not supposed to mess with their child¡¯s head. You must have been spying on the wrong people.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the snake exclaimed, ¡°my misssstake!¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Are you messing with me?¡±

    Ishmael, who had been growing increasingly flustered during the conversation, waved his antenna angrily. ¡°Spirits shouldn¡¯t be here, Miss! I¡¯m going to have to ask you to leave!¡±

    Dutcha rolled her serpentine eyes and then winked at Bel. ¡°Luckily we already know a trick to deal with situations like this, don¡¯t we?¡±

    Bel frowned. A bad feeling settled into her stomach like an anchor weighing down her soul. ¡°We do?¡±

    Dutcha nodded quickly. Then she darted forward and bit Bel on her arm.

    ¡°Ow, Dutcha, what the¨C¡±

    Dutcha didn¡¯t pause at Bel¡¯s protest. She whipped her head around and spat out the extracted glob of blood. It spun in the air for a few moments, turning darker as it moved. Bel could feel it becoming more heavy, until it seemed to drag upon the ethereal space around it. Time ground to a halt before the blood exploded outwards into a sinister shadow.

    Two glowing green eyes opened in the darkness.

    ¡°Hello Beloved,¡± Lempo purred.

    Ishmael¡¯s antenna vibrated with enough energy to make his furry body quiver.

    ¡°You¨Cyou can¡¯t be here!¡± he sputtered.

    Lempo turned her glowing green gaze to him. ¡°But I <em style="font-style: italic">am here.¡±

    ¡°B-but, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Ishmael moaned. ¡°This is very not allowed.¡±

    Lempo¡¯s form slowly congealed out of the darkness, the space only begrudgingly lending her a shape.

    The goddess took on an appearance similar to what Bel had seen in Ventas¡¯ office: a woman wearing a long, practical skirt and a shirt with wide sleeves. Her look was finished off with an green beret that was far too cute for someone as powerful as a goddess. She appeared old enough to be wise without losing some of her youthful beauty, but the body she wore couldn¡¯t conceal her true nature. Bel could feel a <em style="font-style: italic">presence to the goddess, something heavy and powerful, and the room seemed to bend around her form. In comparison, Bel felt that she was less substantial, like a wisp of cloud yielding to a mountain peak.

    Lempo smiled at Ishmael. The guide quaked with terror.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him,¡± Bel squeaked.

    Lempo waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Nonsense.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t help noticing that each of the goddess¡¯ nails were painted a different color, each reflecting a polychromatic light despite the lack of light in the room. It was the wrong moment for it, but she suddenly wanted to know if she could get a similar look with her own metallic nails.

    ¡°Ishmael,¡± the goddess intoned in a sultry voice, ¡°you have been trapped here for quite some time. Suffering to atone for a crime that you cannot remember. Serving a pantheon that does not even recognize your endless toil.¡±

    The insect eyes on Ishmael¡¯s caterpillar body couldn¡¯t widen, but Bel was sure they would have popped from his head if that were possible.

    ¡°You help so many choose their divine patrons and yet you will never have that opportunity yourself,¡± Lempo said sadly.

    She held out her hand to the small creature, her long fingers elegant yet powerful. The light glinted from her multicolored nails, creating a rainbow of color at her gesture. ¡°What if I offered that to you? What if I gave you the power to be free?¡±

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s so good,¡± Dutcha whispered into Bel¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Free?¡± Ishmael repeated quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. ¡°But I must atone for¡­ for something.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± The goddess put a finger on her chin. ¡°And you don¡¯t think that you¡¯ve already atoned? You know neither how long you¡¯ve been here nor what you are atoning for. Is the word of a goddess not enough to convince you that your time here is complete?¡±

    ¡°Complete? I¡¯m done?¡± he whispered.

    Lempo smiled. ¡°Yes,¡± she joyfully proclaimed. ¡°Finished.¡±

    She twirled her fingers. ¡°And it¡¯s not just me who is saying that; there have been whispers from some of the others as well.¡±

    Her mouth split in a broad, friendly smile that showed off her perfect teeth. ¡°It wasn¡¯t even my idea, actually. Someone else saw the opportunity with my daughter coming to visit you and asked if could work some of my magic to set you free.¡±

    ¡°Free?¡± Ishmael repeated, apparently too shocked to process anything more than the word.

    Bel looked back and forth between the two of them, not completely trusting her mother¡¯s offer. <em style="font-style: italic">Does that make me a bad daughter? But my mother deals with just about anyone ¨C including scrattes. Who asked her to set Ishmael free?

    ¡°Who asked¨C¡± Bel began.

    Lempo shifted suddenly, abruptly appearing in front of Ishmael. Bel squeaked in surprise, her words dying in her throat.

    ¡°Do you wish to be free, Ishmael?¡± Lempo whispered, her seductive words filling the now eerily quiet space.

    The small world seemed to pause, waiting for his trembling response.

    ¡°Y¨Cyes.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± A beam of light shot from Lempo¡¯s finger and engulfed Ishmael¡¯s small body. It hardened into a cocoon a crackling colors that lasted only an instant before shattering. Ishmael emerged, but his body had been transformed. If before he had been something akin to a fuzzy caterpillar, but now he was a man. Four pairs of wide, beautiful wings sprung from his back, and his plump, fuzzy body had been replaced by that of a young man with dark skin covered in golden lines.

    ¡°I¡¯m free!¡± he shouted jubilantly in a surprisingly youthful voice.

    He spread his wings and took his first few awkward flaps, bobbing and darting through the air like a butterfly crossed with a dragonfly. ¡°Finally free!¡±

    Bel watched, wide-eyed, as he fluttered into the distance. It only took moments for his jubilant voice to fade to nothing as he disappeared from her sight.

    Lempo clapped her hands together with delight, startling Bel so much that she jumped into the air.

    ¡°Great!¡± the goddess proclaimed. She turned to Bel with a smile. ¡°You see? Your mother isn¡¯t so scary, is she?¡±

    Lempo frowned at her daughter¡¯s suspicious expression. ¡°That was a compassionate gesture,¡± she insisted. ¡°I was expecting a more positive response from you.¡±

    Bel blanched at the goddess¡¯ displeasure, but she held her ground. ¡°I thought that he was a vital part of this process. I¡¯m pretty sure that he said he was here so that people weren¡¯t unfairly influenced when they choose a patron.¡±

    Lempo lazily waved her hand. ¡°Of course, of course. We used to do ancestors, you know, but they would always tell their relatives to go with the same deities over and over. We¡¯ll try out some type of bidding process next.¡±

    The goddess chuckled. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t pass up this chance for some quick change, and you have no idea how long that poor soul has been trapped here.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true¡­¡±

    Bel sighed with frustration. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get into trouble for that? Didn¡¯t you break some rules?¡±

    Lempo made a pulling motion with her hands. ¡°Bending. A bit of stretching. No breaking.¡±

    Bel massaged her scalp. ¡°Change doesn¡¯t have to be so chaotic though, does it?¡±

    Lempo shrugged. ¡°I find it more fun and effective if it is unexpected. That it why I so dislike providing too much guidance too mortals; it makes them more predictable.¡±

    Dutcha dove into Bel¡¯s line of sight and nodded aggressively. ¡°It¡¯s why we get along so well.¡±

    Lempo laughed, a playful chuckle filled with amusement. Her dark eyes twinkled with an inner fire. ¡°Now then, will you be choosing my path this time, daughter?¡±

    Bel pointed at the goddess. ¡°See? That¡¯s intimidation. I liked the old way.¡±

    Lempo turned and gazed into the distance. ¡°So you want me to catch and imprison Ishmael again?¡±

    ¡°I¨Cno, of course not.¡± Bel glowered at her mother. ¡°Okay, fine, yes, I want to follow your Path for my third core.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Lempo nodded. Then she spread her arms wide. ¡°Now come, give your mother a hug and I will grant you my blessing.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">A hug isn¡¯t so bad.

    Bel stepped forward and gave her mother an awkward hug. It was returned with a wide and creepy variety of arms that Bel did her best to avoid seeing.

    ¡°Now call me mother,¡± the goddess demanded into her ear.

    ¡°Uh, thanks, mom,¡± Bel said awkwardly. <em style="font-style: italic">Now she¡¯s just embarrassing me.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Lempo said with satisfaction.

    Lempo ran a hand through Bel¡¯s snakes, jostling them fondly before plucking Dutcha out of her hair. She pulled the mischievous spirit away and slung her around her neck. Dutcha flicked her tongue in Bel¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Dutcha hissed, ¡°don¡¯t cut me out completely. How about one stroke on my path for every two along Lempo¡¯s.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows went up. ¡°You can do that?¡±

    Lempo shrugged. ¡°Most deities are not as malleable as I am. I suppose that Dutcha can also claim motherhood over you. Do you wish to continue walking her path, Beloved?¡±

    Bel hesitated. ¡°Will I still become powerful enough to kill Technis?¡±

    ¡°There are many routes to power, daughter,¡± Lempo answered cryptically.

    Bel sighed. ¡°Yeah, I guess I want to keep growing Dutcha¡¯s Path too. I just figured out how to do some cool stuff with my snakes.¡±

    Dutcha nodded her serpentine head excitedly.

    ¡°This won¡¯t have any weird side-effects, will it?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°You are so suspicious of me, my beloved daughter,¡± Lempo said with a disapproving click of her tongue.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized quickly.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel exclaimed, ¡°I almost forgot! My friend, Orseis ¨C she wanted a recommendation for a patron.¡±

    ¡°Bidding,¡± Lempo replied, ¡°is already complete. Tell her to stand up for herself and remember her goals. If she doesn¡¯t, the Old World will gobble her up.¡±

    Then the goddess disappeared from Bel¡¯s grasp, leaving her arms empty and her head full of misgivings.

    </section>

 Chapter 90 â€“ Breaking the Law

    <section>

    Bel awoke in her body, groaning from her encounter with Lempo. ¡°Well, that was weird,¡± she said as she sat upright.

    She paused, surprised by the scene in front of her. Orseis and Crecerelle wore tense expressions as they faced off against a small group of four strangers. Bel couldn¡¯t understand what they were shouting, but from everyone¡¯s angry voices she guessed that both sides were furious about something.

    She hopped to her feet and grasped for her spear, only to remember that she¡¯d gifted it to Orseis. <em style="font-style: italic">Right, she remembered with a pang of loss, <em style="font-style: italic">I wanted to keep her safe.

    Bel pressed her lips together and quickly assessed the four strangers, preparing herself for a fight. Three of them stood together silently, apparently content to let the fourth one argue. They weren¡¯t the same types of people, or at least Bel didn¡¯t think they were, but she didn¡¯t recognize their species. The fourth man, the one currently in a yelling match with Cress, was another one of the two-faced men that she had sneaked past in the pillar.

    The largest and most imposing of them looked like a tall, hairy man with the head and tail of some other creature. His large, hairy head sported a long snout and an imposing pair of wide, curved horns. Bel tried to remember any creature that looked like that.

    A steak? Steakhouse? Hornitaur? James had probably babbled about that particular horned creature at some point, but Bel couldn¡¯t recall enough details while her heart was busy slamming adrenaline through her veins.

    Whatever he was, he looked intimidating. He was decorated with golden rings pierced through his flat snout and long ears, but was otherwise naked except for a long loin cloth. That lack of clothes exposed his unbelievable physique; his muscles bulged to ridiculous proportions as he shifted a massive warhammer across his shoulders.

    Bel tried to look at his eyes, but they were shaded by a pair of round, transparent stones held in place with a small metal frame.

    She shrugged and looked at the other two. One was riding upon the other¡¯s back. In another situation, Bel would have thought it comical.

    The rider was a squat person with leathery green skin and a spiky shell on his back. His head was strangely flat and indented at the top and he sported the same shading eyepieces as the horned man. He saw Bel looking at him and grinned at her, revealing a mouth full of long, curved teeth.

    The man he was mounted upon was another half-human, four-legged hoofed animal. His top half was human, with flowing brown hair and a dark, tangled beard. The coarse hair of his tail matched the hair on his head perfectly, catching her eye as he flicked it with irritation. His lower body was one of the horselike animals that James talked about, although Bel couldn¡¯t tell the difference between a horse and a camel since she¡¯d never laid eyes upon either. He looked larger and powerful though, and the ground shook with every stomp of his feet.

    The continual shouting brought Bel¡¯s attention back to the two-faced rule-enforcer. His skin was a bright crimson, although his face was turning an even darker shade from all of his shouting. As she began to pay attention to his words, Bel realized that he was speaking in the same version as the one she¡¯d previously encountered. A quick glance at Orseis¡¯ confused but guarded expression showed that the cuttle-girl still couldn¡¯t follow the words.

    ¡°The evidence is quite overwhelming,¡± the man was saying. ¡°You must come back for questioning.¡±

    Cress snorted something in response and the crimson man lifted his lips in a sneer.

    ¡°Our divine justice follows all proper practices,¡± he huffed. ¡°You gorgons are just guilty more often than not. And who else would have such a strong incentive to smuggle creatures for their abilities?¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is he blaming us for whatever the giants were doing up here? Bel wondered.

    She walked forward to join Cress and inspected the man. Unlike the rest of them, he wasn¡¯t wearing something to cover his eyes and didn¡¯t seem worried about Bel or Crecerelle¡¯s gorgonic gaze. Now that she was closer to him though, Bel realized something.

    His red glow wasn¡¯t just from his skin ¨C he was practically a beacon in <em style="font-style: italic">Kjar¡¯s sight. The goddess didn¡¯t like that two-faced man.

    She didn¡¯t like him at all.

    Bel felt Kjar¡¯s outrage coursing through her. Her mouth opened without a conscious thought and she pointed an accusing finger at him.

    ¡°Your justice is a perversion of the word,¡± she proclaimed in Kjar¡¯s voice, ¡°and your claim of divine right is a blaspheme against any primordial or ascended being.¡±

    The man spun ¨C literally turning around so his other face could see her ¨C and his face compressed with anger. ¡°How dare you question our divine right to¨C¡±

    ¡°How dare you interrupt me!¡± Bel shouted back. She could feel Kjar¡¯s wrath coursing through her. The heat and pressure of it made her hands tremble, but the force of the goddess¡¯ rage made her take a step forward.

    ¡°The goddess Kjar curses you for your false claims of divine right! She curses you for your false justice! She curses you for abusing the powers and responsibilities entrusted to your people!¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes widened and he spun to face the other three. ¡°Bounty hunters! These three are guilty and the sentence is immediate execution! Kill them!¡±

    The horse-man immediately sprung towards Cress while the scaled man on his back hefted a spear.

    Cress pointed to Bel and gestured towards the horned man, clearly indicating that she could handle the pair.

    Bel froze for a moment, wondering if a two on one fight would be too much for the other gorgon, but in that moment of hesitation the horned man¡¯s warhammer smashed through her head.

    Orseis screamed her name, but Bel¡¯s face was too busy squeezing around the hammer for her to hear anything properly. <em style="font-style: italic">Liquid body saved her from losing her face, but having a heavy hunk of metal in her head left her disoriented.

    Her attacker seemed surprised for a moment as her head squeezed back together, but he quickly swung his hammer again. Bel stumbled back from the powerful swings of the blunt hammer, desperately hoping that he would tire himself out.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If I could just get a moment I could mix with Sparky, she cursed.

    The animal-headed man huffed with each swing of his warhammer, but his breaths weren¡¯t growing the slightest bit ragged. Bel was sure that he would be able to keep swinging far longer than she could keep dodging.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I need to disengage to break his momentum, she realized.

    Almost as though he could see her thoughts through her eyes, the horned man tossed his head up and bellowed. The ground around her rippled and cracked. Bel braced for an attack, but instead of something coming straight for her the ground rose up in multiple sheets of stone. As the walls formed Bel finally realized that she¡¯d been enclosed in some kind of large maze.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°What the hell¡¯s the point of¨C¡±

    The wall behind her parted and the master of the labyrinth rushed through head first, his horns ready to impale her. She jumped to the side and barely dodged his sharp horns, but she slammed into another wall that suddenly appeared in her path. A flurry of arms erupted from the stony surface, restraining her tightly as the labyrinth master swiftly pivoted on his hoofed feet. Bel snarled at her restraints and <em style="font-style: italic">liquified the wall just before he could reach her.

    The charging man passed straight through the hole in the wall that Bel had opened up and she seized the opportunity to mix spirits with her magma snake.

    Heat roiled through her blood and her skin cracked and swelled as molten rock squeezed from her pores. The metal plates of Kjar¡¯s armor glowed with heat and the bands connecting the plates loosened, allowing the plates to expand along with her swelling form. Bel¡¯s eye burned with fury as her body erupted in a wave of heat. Her transformation complete, Bel roared in challenge.

    The labyrinth master answered, bellowing in outrage as he charged through another sudden opening in the wall at Bel¡¯s back. Bel turned and slammed her leg into the ground. The rocks beneath her feet shattered and she forced a shockwave into the ground that emerged as a spray of molted rock aimed in a cone around her attacker.

    He spun his hammer in response and a large slab of stone thrust up from the ground. It tipped over to create a ramp that mostly shielded him from Bel¡¯s attack, although she was pleased to see some small patches of his tail catch fire. He roared with fury and leaped into a violent spin. He made a full circle and threw his warhammer at her.

    Bel was caught flatfooted by the sudden assault, only managing to activate <em style="font-style: italic">liquid body before the heavy weapon smashed into her. The weapon passed through her mostly without harm, although it caused a painful contraction of her internal organs, but the inertia of it pulled her backwards. Bel¡¯s body struggled to keep up with the impact and she found herself toppling backwards onto the ground.

    The stone ramp beneath the muscular man¡¯s feet flexed, lifted him up and then launching him straight at Bel. He opened his hand as he was launched and the stone beneath him leaped into his grasp, forming a mace with a ball of rock as large as Bel¡¯s head. He swung it down at her with enough force to splatter her, whether or not she tried to liquify herself.

    Instead of dodging, Bel thrust her hands forward an concentrated a <em style="font-style: italic">liquid shockwave on the mass of stone. The mace didn¡¯t stop, but the head erupted in a spray of superheated rock that went in every direction.

    Bel was already a creature of rock and heat so the bits of molten stone didn¡¯t bother her, but labyrinth master roared in pain. Bel rocked back and planted a powerful two-legged kick on his stomach. He staggered back, desperately wiping the burning rocks from his face.

    Bel hopped to her feet and squeezed her molten hands into fists. She took a step forward to press her attack, but her adversary summoned a slab of stone in her path. Bel growled at the impediment before quickly <em style="font-style: italic">liquifying it and smashed through. She snarled when she found a second wall waiting behind the first.

    The labyrinth master forced her to slam through a second and then a third wall before she found the coward. He had recovered from her earlier attack and stood ready with his heavy warhammer, swinging it at her the moment she stepped through the wall.

    Bel caught the attack with her enhanced body, unwilling to let her attacker force her back again. The maul slammed against the scales of Kjar¡¯s armor and the force of the strike rippled through Bel¡¯s molten form, but she refused to let it go. She staggered to the side, but she trapped the weapon between her arm and her body.

    The man snorted in anger and pulled. Bel¡¯s feet slid over the ground, but she refused to return the weapon. The two of them bared their teeth snarled at one another. They locked gazes and Bel could see the fury in his red-rimmed, eyes.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Oh, he lost his little eye protectors.

    She <em style="font-style: italic">glared, hard, shoving as much extra energy through the ability¡¯s channels as she could. The man¡¯s eyes widened and then froze as his muscles seized up from her attack. As she rushed forward, Bel concentrated on her <em style="font-style: italic">brazen nails, pushing more heat in her metallic talons. They glowed white hot as she slashed with her claws. The flesh of the labyrinth master¡¯s throat hissed and popped as her glowing hot metal nails tore through. The smell of cooked flesh quickly filled the air.

    Bel sidestepped most of the spray of blood as it was freed from his body. His paralysis broke a moment later and his body collapsed to the ground. Bel stooped to crack open his core, taking a fresh surge of vitality from his remaining essence. Her three cores swelled with the influx of essence and she was momentarily distracted by the unfamiliar feeling of her third core; it sloshed and surged like a barely restrained ocean.

    She shook off the sensation as the walls of the labyrinth crumbled. Her opponent was down, but Cress and Orseis were still fighting the other two mercenaries. The shelled rider was keeping Cress at bay with a long-chained flail while the horse man tried to get a lucky shot on either of the girls with his bow.

    As she watched, the horseman launched an arrow. It moved strangely through the air, bending and twisting in impossible ways, and a strange smoke clung to the shaft, making it impossible to track. Crecerelle waved her hand and a powerful gust of air removed the smoke. Then the other gorgon clenched her fist the arrow paused in midair.

    Bel yelped with alarm when the arrow vibrated angrily and exploded, but Cress had stopped it too far away to do any damage. She was momentarily distracted though, so the horseman charged after the arrow and the shelled rider swung his flail, aiming for the defenseless gorgon. Before they could reach her, Orseis¡¯ threw her spear. The horseman reared up at the sudden attack and the rider was forced abandon his attack and cling to his saddle to avoid being thrown.

    The horseman¡¯s hooves clattered angrily across the stones as he dodged the spear. He pulled another arrow from his quiver, but Cress jumped in front of Orseis before he could loose it.

    A moment later the spear was back in Orseis¡¯ hands and the adversaries had reset to the same position as when Bel first saw them.

    Bel noticed that the horse man had only a few arrows left in his quiver. She glanced at Orseis and Cress ¨C other than Orseis¡¯ already shortened tentacle she didn¡¯t see anything amiss.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I guess they¡¯ve reached a stand-off.

    Bel was behind the mercenaries, but Cress and Orseis could see her. She had the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack. Bel reached down for her slain foe¡¯s enormous warhammer and hauled it from the ground.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Let¡¯s see if I can provide a distraction.

    She could feel her time with Sparky drawing to a close, but with the last dregs of her enhanced body she lifted the huge hunk of metal in her arms. Then she spun in place, gradually gathering up momentum, and then she released.

    Her aim was terrible, but the extreme grunt of effort she made attracted the rider¡¯s attention. His legs twitched as he saw a piece of metal the size of a tree flying vaguely in his direction and his knees jerked involuntarily. That sent the horse man prancing to the side, slightly closer to the weapon¡¯s trajectory.

    It still didn¡¯t strike them ¨C Bel¡¯s aim had been terrible ¨C but it smashed into the wall to their side, sending out a spray of shattered rock. The loud noise sent the horse man spinning in place as he searched for the unseen assailant.

    Orseis took that moment to throw her divine spear. The weapon flew unerringly at the horse man and rider, but the shelled rider saw the attack. He tried to warn his companion, but Bel watched with confusion as the man opened his mouth without sound. He tried to twist in the saddle, but he was abruptly caught in the air. Bel finally recognized the work of Cress¡¯ air manipulation.

    The spear pierced straight through the horseman¡¯s human torso. He yowled in agony as the weapon burst into blood-red dust and returned to Orseis¡¯ grasp, loosing a gout of blood from the hole in his midsection. In desperation, he fired an arrow back at Orseis. Crecerelle quickly leaped in missile¡¯s path.

    She <em style="font-style: italic">shrieked at the arrow and it shattered into a small cloud of wood dust a good ten paces away from its target.

    Cress bent her knees and launched herself at the shelled man. She caught him in mid jump as leaped from the saddle. A swing of her maul smashed his body to the ground where another ear-splitting <em style="font-style: italic">shriek splattered his head like an overripe fruit.

    Cress¡¯ snakes rattled with triumph. She spread her wings and lifted her weapon in victory.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Wow, she¡¯s so cool, Bel thought, giving her fellow gorgon a quick round of applause.

    Cress looked at her in surprise before laughing and bowing at the unexpected praise.

    Then Bel¡¯s transformation ended. Her body deflated, the rock chipping away from her skin as she cooled. Returning to her natural body left her feeling more exhausted than triumphant, and she fell onto her butt before heaving a heavy sigh of relief.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯m glad I gave that spear to Orseis. It turned out that I didn¡¯t need it.

    That reminded her of the two-faced man. Bel twisted her body, searching for him, but man had cut and run after Kjar had cursed him.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Well, if being cursed is a big deal then I¡¯m sure he¡¯s having a bad time. That¡¯s good enough for me.

    </section>

 Chapter 91 â€“ Consequences

    <section>

    Orseis proudly strode over to their slain foes, her new most favorite spear clutched tightly in her tentacles.

    ¡°So, do you think¨C¡± she began.

    ¡°No, you can¡¯t eat them,¡± Bel responded quickly in a frazzled voice. ¡°They¡¯re half human and so are you. That¡¯s cannibalism. Cannibalism is bad.¡±

    Orseis resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Bel¡¯s stern tone. After a brief pause, she grinned with mischief instead. ¡°But let¡¯s say we only found half a body in the woods and we didn¡¯t know where the other half came from. What if we roasted it up, but later learned that it came from a half-shrimp, half-human person. How would we know?¡±

    Bel groaned and forced herself to her feet again so she could stomp over to the shorter girl. She waved her finger angrily as she went, quickly launching into a lecture.

    ¡°We don¡¯t eat random halves of bodies that we find in the woods, okay?¡± She aggressively prodded Orseis¡¯s stomach. ¡°And You just ate,¡± she finished.

    Orseis waved her tentacles and flashed a submissive pattern over her color-shifting skin. ¡°Okay, okay.¡±

    Orseis did her best to suppress a grin. It was just too funny when Bel became serious and tried to act like an older sister. It made Orseis feel like she was part of Bel¡¯s weird, adopted family. On the other sucker, Bel¡¯s new friend was more inscrutable.

    Orseis risk a glance at the winged beauty, assuming that Cress would be staring at Bel in rapt fascination as usual. She couldn¡¯t help a small feeling of panic when she found the other woman looking at her instead. For a moment Orseis almost looked away, but she resisted the urge.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Nope, stay tough. If I look weak she may try to get rid of me.

    Orseis grinned back at the woman before gesturing to the strange half-man creature that she¡¯d managed to spear. Crecerelle looked back with a curious expression, but that was it. The other gorgon clearly thought Bel was something special, but she didn¡¯t seem to understand why Orseis was hanging around.

    Orseis pointed at the corpse again and gestured to her chest. The gorgon¡¯s eyebrows went up slightly before she stepped away, clearly making room for Orseis to crack open the man¡¯s core for his delicious essence. Her second core was already full of course, but now that this latest round of action was over with she was anxious to form her third core.

    ¡°Hey Bel,¡± she called out over her shoulder, ¡°did you have a chance to ask your mom about a good patron for me?¡±

    A big frown spread over Bel¡¯s face like a oncoming storm. A pit formed in Orseis¡¯ gut at her response. <em style="font-style: italic">That looks like bad news.

    ¡°Lempo said to stand up for yourself and your goals, or people in the Old World will eat you,¡± Bel said gravely.

    Orseis almost laughed. ¡°Did she really say that? Are you sure?¡± She strode over to the body while she decided whether or not Bel was overreacting. Overreacting to things was a typical Bel response. ¡°I thought your stance on cannibalism came from James? Is cannibalism actually really popular in the Old World?¡±

    Bel¡¯s forehead creased with frustration. ¡°Of course they don¡¯t eat people there. I¡¯m just worried that they may not think of you as people.¡±

    Orseis looked down at her tentacles as they writhed across the dead man¡¯s body.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted a patron who could help me look good,¡± Orseis responded defensively.

    Bel¡¯s mouth twisted with concern. ¡°Survival is more important than looking good, Ori.¡±

    Orseis scowled. <em style="font-style: italic">She¡¯s not taking me seriously. I¡¯m not a little kid! I survived in the ocean all by myself!

    She pointed an accusing tentacle at Bel. ¡°You don¡¯t get it,¡± Orseis insisted. ¡°And stop calling me Ori.¡±

    Orseis cracked open the man¡¯s core and pulled out a healthy dose of essence, but she hardly appreciated the usually satisfying feeling.

    She gave Bel an angry look instead to make sure the older woman would understand how upset she was. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to help out I guess that I¡¯ll just dive in there and ask Ishmael for whatever he would recommend.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, wait, Ishmael isn¡¯t there!¡±

    Orseis pouted and flopped to the ground, ignoring Bel¡¯s protests. ¡°I¡¯ll be quick,¡± she called out.

    As the dark space folded around her, Orseis started thinking about Bel¡¯s words.

    <em style="font-style: italic">She¡¯s just worried about me. It¡¯s why she gave me the spear, even though I could tell she really, really wanted to keep it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Ah, maybe I do act like a child sometimes.

    Orseis¡¯ tentacle twitched and she was surprised to find the weapon still in her grasp, even in the spiritual plane. Her gaze fell on her shortened tentacle, a good chunk missing after Nebamon¡¯s attack. She¡¯d survived, sure, but only because Bel and Crecerelle had saved her.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Now I feel guilty for yelling at her when she was just worried about me.

    Orseis sighed.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Wait, what did she mean when she said that Ishmael is gone?

    The thought had barely formed in her head when she heard the faint sound of someone shifting behind her. The soft, sibilant sound sent a shudder up Orseis¡¯ back. She whirled around and found a cold, haughty gaze examining her with apparent disdain.

    Orseis scanned the woman ¨C the goddess ¨C from top to bottom. She wore a heavy helmet topped with the plumes of multiple birds. It was tipped up, but it still shaded enough of her face to leave her face covered in shadow.

    A long war horn was slung over her shoulder and she was casually leaning on a long, thin spear with a wicked point. As if one weapon wasn¡¯t enough, a long whip hung from one hip and a sword hung from the other. Her body was covered in an armor made of bones and scales that left her lower legs bare, and a patchwork leather cape swirled against her body. When Orseis looked at its details she realized that the cape was woven together from the skin of multiple faces.

    Orseis blanched and she struggled to keep her body from flashing a terrified color. Her eyes travelled back to the woman¡¯s armor and she realized that the bones came from many sources, but some of them were human skulls. She set her teeth to stop them from chattering and forced herself to look back up and meet the goddess¡¯ heavy gaze.

    The goddess snorted and began to slowly circle around Orseis.

    ¡°Who¨C¡± Orseis tried to speak, but her voice cracked.

    She cleared her throat and tried again. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    The goddess stepped too quickly for Orseis to follow. She whirled around to find the goddess at her back, but another step once again took her out of Orseis¡¯ view.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I feel like I¡¯m being hunted, Orseis thought with a shudder.

    ¡°Me?¡± the goddess replied. ¡°I am the creator of that weapon you carry.¡±

    The goddess kept moving and Orseis couldn¡¯t do better than just barely keeping her flapping cape in view, no matter how fast she spun.

    ¡°I wonder if you are worthy of such a divine weapon,¡± the goddess mused.

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    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°What happened to Ishmael?¡±

    The goddess laughed. ¡°Perhaps you should have listened to your friend,¡± she said harshly. ¡°A lack of planning is hardly the trait of a good soldier.¡±

    The deity came to an abrupt halt and Orseis nearly tripped on her feet as desperately tried to keep up with the goddess¡¯ circling.

    ¡°I am Bellona,¡± the goddess finally introduced herself. Her fingers toyed with the whip at her waist as she looked Orseis up and down, like a butcher considering the slaughter of their herd animals.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I think she¡¯s one of those gods that everyone in the Golden Plains warned me about, Orseis lamented internally. <em style="font-style: italic">This is why I wanted Bel to ask for someone safe!

    Bel had managed to give her a bit of advice, at least. <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ve gotta stand up for myself.

    Orseis straightened her back and gripped her spear for support. ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± she declared in a loud voice. ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone who can help with my image.¡±

    The goddess laughed derisively. Orseis couldn¡¯t help noticing the unnaturally sharp and pointed teeth that filled the goddess¡¯ mouth and her composure crumbled.

    ¡°And here I thought that you wanted to be strong, little half-human. You would rather be gobbled up?¡± Bellona licked her lips. ¡°Sea food is considered a delicacy by many, and there¡¯s quite a bit of meat on you.¡±

    The goddess grinned hungrily in Orseis¡¯ direction, and the cuttle-girl shivered at the sight.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m n-not going to be g-gobbled up,¡± she quavered.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Get a hold of yourself, she screamed internally. <em style="font-style: italic">This goddess will absolutely eat the weak.

    Bellona rubbed her thumb over one of the skulls that made up her breastplate, clearly enjoying Orseis¡¯ discomfort.

    ¡°You¡¯re a cute little morsel, aren¡¯t you? Not worth my time though,¡± she said mockingly. ¡°Someone as weak as you is beneath my notice, but the events that have swept you up are rather interesting.¡±

    The goddess¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Still, you aren¡¯t really my type of follower.¡±

    Orseis felt a small sense of relief. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe she¡¯ll leave me alone?

    Bellona had other ideas. The goddess drew a small knife that Orseis hadn¡¯t noticed before and examined her reflection in its polished surface. ¡°I have other things to attend to, but before I leave I am going to give you a proposal. I think that you are unworthy, but¡­¡±

    The goddess sighed in an exaggerated matter. ¡°I do show favor to my followers, even if their ventures merely entertainment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m n-not interested in your proposal,¡± Orseis managed to stammer out.

    Bellona laughed. ¡°You have a bit of backbone. That¡¯s good. But refusing something when you haven¡¯t even heard the details?¡± The goddess clicked her tongue as she sheathed her knife. ¡°That¡¯s not very smart. Maybe you should reconsider?¡±

    The goddess ran her hand along the edge of her shield and Orseis noticed that it was made of overlapping vertebra.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Just go away! Orseis screamed in her head. <em style="font-style: italic">Why are the gods so damn creepy?

    Bellona tapped her regalia slowly, drawing out the moments and delighting in Orseis¡¯ discomfort. Then she chuckled.

    ¡°Do not fret, little Orseis. It is not an offer from me. I have a former disciple who is interested in you.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Orseis asked suspiciously.

    ¡°The new rules gave me an advantage in the bidding,¡± the goddess explained. She gestured to Orseis¡¯ spear. ¡°You are wielding my divine gift.¡±

    Orseis glanced at her wonderful weapon. ¡°Oh.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">I guess that things that seem too good come with hidden consequences. People are always warning me about that.

    ¡°Well?¡± the goddess asked impatiently. ¡°Will you accept my disciples¡¯ patronage?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I get to meet her first?¡±

    The goddess grinned triumphantly. ¡°I shall interpret that as interest!¡±

    ¡°No, wait ¨C oh, hells,¡± Orseis cursed. The goddess had whipped her creepy cape around her shoulders and disappeared in a burst of what looked like blood.

    In her place was a large, beautiful flower. Orseis took a step back. She trusted it even less than she trusted the bloodthirsty goddess.

    A soft, feminine voice filled the space. ¡°Hello, Orseis.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Orseis regarded the flower. It was twice as tall as Orseis and she guessed that it was probably quite colorful, although Orseis lacked the color perception to know for certain. The petals were large and soft, with an exotic spiky pattern that reminded Orseis of some of the plants she¡¯d seen in the hot, humid environment of the second layer. There wasn¡¯t much plant to the flower, just a narrow stem with a pair of serrated leaves.

    ¡°Hello flower,¡± she greeted it hesitantly.

    The voice tittered. ¡°You want to be beautiful, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The flower swayed as the voice spoke, but Orseis couldn¡¯t see any visible mouth. She hesitated, feeling foolish speaking to the plant.

    ¡°Well, sure, I want to be pretty. But I need to survive too. I don¡¯t know if a flower is the best patron for that.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Can a flower even be a patron?

    She quickly waved her tentacles as if to ward off the odd deity¡¯s anger. ¡°I mean, no offense, but I¡¯m not a plant.¡±

    The voice chuckled, full of mirth. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come closer and see what this plant has to offer?¡±

    Orseis frowned. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re scared of a flower? But you were just thinking that I looked weak, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    The flower shifted, its petals tilting away from the center of the flower and Orseis took another uneasy step away from it.

    ¡°So your mouth says one thing but your heart tells you the truth?¡± The flower goddess tittered. ¡°That¡¯s smart. If you were foolish you would be a better candidate for a meal than for a disciple.¡±

    The flower folded over and the illusion broke; the stem and leaves were a pair of hind legs and the petals were an insect¡¯s body and forelegs. The center of the flower was just a colorful spot on a large insect¡¯s head, with its antenna serving as two stamen. A head with powerful jaws emerged from hiding as the insect spread out its body, flexing her muscles after holding the deceptive pose. Its front legs had looked harmless as petals, but Orseis could now see that they were lined with spines.

    One of the insect¡¯s legs rubbed against its wing, creating the illusion of speech. ¡°Deception can be beautiful as well as dangerous, little morsel, and Deception is who I am.¡±

    Deception spread her wings and leaped towards Orseis, landing close enough that Orseis could have reached out and touched her. The cuttle-girl did her best to hold her ground, but she still stumbled back a step when she saw the serrated jaws on the goddess¡¯ triangular head. Orseis¡¯ spine weakened as the goddess¡¯ large, unblinking eyes stared into her soul. She took another unconscious step back.

    The mantis pointed one of her hooked forelegs at Orseis¡¯, lightly tapping her chest. ¡°Deception could be your strength as well¡­ <em style="font-style: italic">If you can past your reliance upon brute strength.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ tentacles tightened around her spear, its solidity giving her strength. <em style="font-style: italic">This sounds like a goddess making a sales pitch. I can handle this.

    Orseis carefully cleared her throat as she organized her mind. ¡°Sure,¡± she agreed, ¡°I may be interested. Maybe you could you tell me more about what you have to offer?¡±

    The mantis rubbed her leg against her wing again, responding with voice that had turned dry and raspy. ¡°Before then, little one, let us talk about what <em style="font-style: italic">you have to offer <em style="font-style: italic">me.¡±

    Orseis grimaced. <em style="font-style: italic">Okay, maybe I¡¯m not that good at negotiating. This sucks. I bet that Bel didn¡¯t have to negotiate with her mom.

    <hr>

    Bel watched over Orseis¡¯ prone body, her face stretched with worry. She tensed up when the little cuttle-girl¡¯s eyes shot open: her normally w-shaped pupils were dialated to their fullest and her skin turned a startled white. Before Bel could even ask what had gone wrong, Orseis wrapped a tentacle around Bel and pulled herself close for a shuddering hug.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t stop to listen to you, Bel,¡± she apologized timidly, ¡°that was really scary.¡±

    Concern gave way to exasperation and a reprimand built up on Bel¡¯s lips. She opened her mouth, ready to scold the younger girl, but she looked at the fear and relief evident on Orseis¡¯ face and she sighed instead. She gave Orseis a quick pat on the head.

    ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯re okay. Did some god bully you?¡±

    Orseis¡¯ jaw set and she flashed an indignant purple. ¡°Yeah! Who wears clothing made of people¡¯s faces?¡±

    ¡°Some death god?¡± Bel guessed.

    ¡°War,¡± Orseis corrected. ¡°And she didn¡¯t even want me as a follower! She was just breaking me down before she foisted me off on a former disciple who recently ascended.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°And how did that go?¡±

    Orseis wave a tentacle dismissively, ¡°oh, that was fine. Deception offered me a lot of interesting abilities.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°Deception? I thought you wanted to be pretty? Wait, you made a deal with a goddess of deception?¡±

    ¡°Why not both?¡± Orseis grinned widely, completely ignoring Bel¡¯s concern. ¡°That¡¯s what Deception offered.¡± She leaned in closer to Bel and whispered, ¡°look, she kind of made an offer that I couldn¡¯t really refuse.¡±

    Orseis curled a tentacle and braced it against her chin, thinking. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot ¨C I¡¯m getting something out of the deal. Honestly, her abilities may be really suited to my biology.¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, I want to show you something!¡±

    The rapid bouncing between emotions was starting to give Bel whiplash, so she glanced at Crecerelle for support. The other gorgon shrugged, clearly clueless about what was happening.

    Meanwhile, Orseis shuffled back a few steps and pointed her tentacles at herself, making sure that Bel and Cress were paying attention. ¡°Okay, watch this.¡±

    Orseis wrapped her tentacles around her body, ducked down, and¡­

    ¡°You can disappear?¡± Bel wondered. She squinted at the spot. Her eyes could pick up telltale signs of motion, but she couldn¡¯t see any details of Orseis, despite knowing that the girl was still there. ¡°I can still kind of see you, but that¡¯s way better than what you could do before.¡±

    The ability ended and Orseis was visible again, crouched on the ground. ¡°Yup! It¡¯s a good start.¡±

    She pointed a tentacle at Bel. ¡°How about you? Did you take any cool abilities from your mom¡¯s path?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Bel¡¯s snakes writhed with discomfort. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ they¡¯re kind of scary. And weird.¡±

    Orseis nodded. ¡°Yeah. That sounds like your mom.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Bel started defensively. Then she sighed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s basically what she does.¡±

    Orseis looked around the empty space. Bel had <em style="font-style: italic">liquified some rock to bury the dead and the cavern was back to its formerly empty state.

    ¡°So what have you two been up to?¡±

    Bel pointed to a large drawing that she¡¯d etched into the wall.

    ¡°Planning,¡± she declared proudly. ¡°With Crystal and the last of the Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists gone, there¡¯s nothing between me and Technis.¡±

    Orseis laughed. ¡°Yeah, sure. Do you actually believe that?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°James says that positive thinking is good, okay?¡±

    </section>

 Chapter 92 â€“ A Plan

    <section>

    ¡°Forget the plan,¡± Orseis said flippantly, ¡°I want to hear about Lempo¡¯s abilities.¡±

    Bel snorted with frustration at Orseis¡¯ impatience, but she humored her younger friend. ¡°You know how you can feel your abilities hanging around your core like stars in the sky?¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s really poetic! I just think think of them like shrimp in the sea.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eye narrowed as she stared at Orseis for a few moments. Then she reached up to rearrange her snakes to cover up the long pause. <em style="font-style: italic">I should have asked my mother how to make Orseis think about anything besides food for more than a minute.

    Out loud she said, ¡°well, I only half understand some of my mom¡¯s abilities, so I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe to take them.¡±

    Bel closed her eyes and felt for the constellation of strangeness that were her mother¡¯s gifts. ¡°So there¡¯s the weird disease abilities, and some strange stuff to break things down: rust metals, decompose living things, shatter metal, make fires burn faster and hotter ¨C stuff like that. Then there are things that mess with me: grow larger, grow smaller, become heavier, become lighter, become more¡­ magnetic I think. I don¡¯t understand all of them.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles around. ¡°So what? Just grow bigger. Bigger fish are better fish,¡± she declared.

    ¡°Sure. But I¡¯m not sure that I¡¯ll get stronger if I grow bigger,¡± Bel explained. ¡°Same thing with growing heavier. Imagine being ten times larger and heavier but have your same strength.¡±

    Orseis looked down at her tentacles and flexed them experimentally. ¡°Sounds fine to me, I think?¡±

    Bel turned to Cress and muttered in English. ¡°Orseis is crazy.¡± Cress smiled and nodded, but Bel could tell that the other gorgon couldn¡¯t follow Bel¡¯s words at all.

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Gods, I wish I could talk to James in here, he usually has good ideas about these things.¡±

    Orseis didn¡¯t understand the words but guessed at their meaning. She threw a rock at Bel¡¯s head in reponse.

    Bel lifted a hand to deflect the harmless attack, but Sparky beat her to it, catching it in midair and gulping it down. Bel frowned as she watched the lump slowly travelling down the snakes body, wondering what exactly would happen to it.

    <em style="font-style: italic">More stuff I don¡¯t understand about myself, she thought with a sigh. Bel glanced at Cress, hoping for a reassuring look from the other gorgon, but she was staring at Bel¡¯s snakes with obvious fascination.

    Bel clicked her fingers at Orseis. ¡°Okay, no more distractions. Let¡¯s talk about my plan.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want James to double-check that too?¡± Orseis snapped.

    ¡°Please pay attention for a minute,¡± Bel pleaded. ¡°Cress and I discussed this while you were in the divine space.¡±

    Orseis quirked her tentacles. ¡°Discussed? How?¡±

    Bel proudly gestured at the drawings that they had etched into the walls. ¡°With pictures!¡±

    She pointed to a large letter ¡°T¡±. ¡°That¡¯s Technis.¡± Bel tapped the dome that she had drawn around the letter. ¡°And where is this, Cress?¡±

    Cress nodded seriously. ¡°Satrap.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± Bel beamed. She traced the line of the dome with her hand. ¡°Technis¡¯ Barrier is in our way, but Kjar told me that we could go under it. That hasn¡¯t worked out so far, but Cress is certain that the Barrier doesn¡¯t extend all the way down to where she lives. We should be able to do down there and climb up one of the Pillars that enter Satrap.¡±

    Bel traced a path that descended from the Golden Plains down through seven horizontal lines that represented the seven layers of Olympos. Cress has added one more line underneath those ones, indicating that the world had one last layer that hadn¡¯t been included in the stories from the Golden Plains. Bel¡¯s path ducked under that line and then joined up with a large, straight path that represented the pillar.

    Orseis tapped her chin. ¡°But the last time we tried to go into a pillar we got chased out.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yes! But Cress has a solution!¡± She pointed at the pillar and then at Crecerelle. ¡°Show us the coins, Cress!¡±

    Crecerelle nodded at Bel¡¯s words. ¡°Coin,¡± she repeated happily. She opened up her bag and pulled out a palm-sized disk of a bright metal. It was stamped with an intricate design of a winged beast on one side. Cress spun it around to reveal that the other side was covered in tiny script. ¡°For Pillar,¡± she said helpfully as she showed it to Orseis.

    Bel nodded. ¡°See Orseis? She¡¯s got eight.¡±

    Orseis squinted at the shiny token. ¡°Why would we need eight? Does she collect them?¡±

    Bel pursed her lips. ¡°I tried asking, but I couldn¡¯t understand what she was trying to say. At first I thought she was going on a vacation with her friends, but she¡¯s alone so that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Bel rubbed her forehead with her hand in frustration, jostling some of her snakes. ¡°You would think being able to speak that divine tongue would be useful, but whenever I channel the voices of Lempo or Kjar I just end up embarrassing myself.¡±

    Orseis leaned closer to Bel and whispered, ¡°can we really trust her? What if she¡¯s, you know, some crazy person?¡±

    Bel quickly shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that! My mother specifically planned for me to meet up with some gorgons.¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle angrily. ¡°Yeah. She also planned for you to meet up with those scrattes.¡±

    ¡°That¨C maybe they were okay people. They didn¡¯t try to attack us, right? We got where we needed to go, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    Orseis gave Bel a wide-eyed stare. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t remember how they layed eggs in the corpses of their enemies, but I do.¡±

    ¡°But we got where we needed to go, right?¡± Bel said defensively. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m crazy. Let¡¯s get back to the plan.¡± Bel turned back to her wall scratches, flustered by Orseis¡¯ accusations. A couple of her snakes flicked their tongues at Orseis with contempt.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Bel rushed, ¡°we climb down the stairs here, go over to the pillar, and climb up.¡± She traced the wide line with her finger all the way up to the first layer. ¡°Then go up to the first layer and find a way to open up the Barrier and let in Beth and Hanti and whatever army the Golden Plains has put together.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have some kind of device for that?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°Wait, did you lose it?¡±

    Bel pressed her lips together with frustration. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are more of those. The Dark Ravager¡¯s people were going in and out, right?¡±

    ¡°I think¨C¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Bel insisted. ¡°If it¡¯s really important I¡¯m sure Lempo can help.¡± She looked at Orseis with a serious face. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that she¡¯s willing to just destroy all of Satrap if I¡¯m not progressing quickly enough. I¡¯m sure she can find a way to open up the Barrier if it¡¯s that important.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ tentacles waved through the air as she thought about that. ¡°Is saving Satrap required before your mom will help me get to the human world?¡±

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    ¡°Yes,¡± Bel replied instantly.

    ¡°Ugh. Okay, I guess that we have to hope for the best. So what¡¯s next?¡±

    Bel nodded, pleased. ¡°After we get the army, we storm Technis¡¯ High Temple. I assume he¡¯s like the Dark Ravager and is hanging out somewhere big and imposing. The High Temple is the largest, tallest temple in Satrap.¡±

    She opened her hands to Orseis, inviting any comments. ¡°Well?¡±

    The cuttle-girl shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not really great at planning. What does Cress think? Does she even know what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Bel nodded happily. ¡°Yup, I explained it to her multiple times.¡± She pointed at Cress and then at the wall.

    The other gorgon stepped forward and cleared her throat. ¡°Technis in Satrap,¡± she declared at she pointed at the large T. ¡°Inside Barrier. Bel go down. Meet Cress.¡±

    She thumped her chest with a closed fist in some sort of martial gesture before pointing back at the wall. ¡°Take tokens, meet people, go up.¡± She tapped the pillar that ascended through Technis¡¯ Barrier. ¡°Meet people, fight people, fight Technis.¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Bel said brightly. ¡°She¡¯s got it. And her English is getting pretty good too.¡±

    ¡°I dunno about that,¡± Orseis said skeptically, ¡°and I¡¯m not sure about this plan either. What people are we meeting down here?¡±

    ¡°The people in the pillar? I¡¯m not really sure.¡± Bel leaned close to Orseis and lowered her voice. ¡°She¡¯s a terrible artist, and I haven¡¯t been able to tell what in all hells she¡¯s trying to draw,¡± she confided quietly. Bel pointed to a series of blobs etched into the rock with Cress¡¯ hammer. They were placed along the line to imply they would encounter them somewhere around the pillar. ¡°Can you figure those out?¡±

    Orseis squinted at the roundish shapes. ¡°Are those legs coming out of them? Maybe¡­ shrimp?¡±

    Bel swatted the younger girl. ¡°Gah, let¡¯s just go. You¡¯re too hungry to take this seriously.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes lit up. ¡°Hey, speaking of food, do you think one of your mom¡¯s abilities could let you make a little amount of food into a large amount of food?¡±

    Bel¡¯s mouth dropped open in confusion. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You know, because you have an ability to grow larger.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not wasting space in my core to get you more food. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Bel walked to the edge of the alcove and jumped off quickly, before Orseis could come up with another absurd suggestion. <em style="font-style: italic">I hope they have as much extra food in the human world as James always claims, Bel thought, <em style="font-style: italic">otherwise she¡¯s going to have a hard time there.

    She turned and waved her companions forward, although they were already following without her prompting. Cress paused for a moment to bow to the puddle of liquid that had once been inhabited by Lempo before gliding over the edge of the alcove.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I am absolutely getting wings, Bel promised herself. A powerful yearning pulled at her as she admired Crecerelle¡¯s bright, beautifully feathers. <em style="font-style: italic">Those are my top priority.

    Bel skipped behind Cress as the alert warrior carefully stalked ahead. With each jump and slow fall in the low gravity, Bel imagined flapping along with her own pair of wings.

    ¡°What are you grinning for?¡± Orseis asked.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Bel turned bright red while her snakes squirmed atop her head. ¡°Just, uh, looking forward to getting on with things.¡±

    Orseis gave her an incredulous look.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Bel admitted, ¡°I really want a pair of wings. How cool are they?¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± Orseis huffed, ¡°they¡¯re just like flippers of the air. I think I¡¯ve had enough flying with your brother¡¯s parachutes.¡±

    ¡°That was falling, Orseis. Flying is different.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Have you done it?¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have a good time flying. I hope you like walking, because I¡¯m not going to be carrying you anywhere with that attitude.¡±

    A loud thock from ahead of them interrupted their conversation, and they turned to see Cress smashing through a suddenly violent rock worm. When she was done reducing the creature¡¯s face to rubble, the other gorgon looked back at them with a look of disbelief. Her snakes¡¯ tails shook gently, creating a quiet rattling noise.

    ¡°Sorry, Cress,¡± Bel said sheepishly. ¡°We¡¯ll pay more attention.¡±

    Cress snorted, but Bel saw a slight smile tug on her lips as she turned around.

    The proceeded in silence until they advanced through the door to the giant staircase. Once they entered the room, the stale scent of partially decomposed ¨C and partially eaten ¨C giants assaulted their senses.

    ¡°Ugh, it smells like a poison tide washed up a dead whale in here,¡± Orseis complained.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty bad,¡± Bel agreed.

    Seeing the disgust on their expressions, Cress waved a hand and conjured a breeze that pulled in fresher air from somewhere else. They could still smell the faint odor of death, but it was better than before.

    Bel gave the other gorgon a thumbs up, to which she responded with a confused tilt of her head. <em style="font-style: italic">She¡¯ll figure it out if I do it a few more times, Bel assured herself.

    The three of them walked up to the edge of the seemingly endless staircase and peered into its depths.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bet you wish you had wings now,¡± Bel said smugly.

    Orseis harrumphed and leaped into the gaping maw. She twisted in midair and caught the ledge with a pair of tentacles. Her powerful suckers held on long enough to swing herself down to the lower level.

    ¡°Overrated!¡± she shouted up at Bel.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Two can play that game, Bel thought as she <em style="font-style: italic">pounced to the lower level on the opposite side of the staircase. The two of them engaged in a wild race down the stairs while Crecerelle slowly drifted down in wide, lazy circles.

    About an hour later Bel and Orseis collapsed: sweaty, gasping, and exhausted. ¡°How long does this go on?¡± Bel moaned.

    ¡°We may starve here,¡± Orseis added. ¡°What a horrible way to go.¡±

    Crecerelle landed gracefully next to them and snickered. ¡°Wings good,¡± she declared in awkward English. She spread her wings and preened, smiling broadly at Bel¡¯s obvious admiration.

    Then she held out her hands to her exhausted companions. ¡°Go down?¡± she asked.

    Orseis grimaced and looked at Bel. ¡°Her English is getting better than mine.¡±

    Bel reached up and Cress squeezed her fingers around Bel¡¯s arm in a firm grip. Bel returned the grip just above Cress¡¯ wrist, completing a strong hand-clasp for the flight. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re always distracted, Ori.¡±

    Orseis wrapped a tentacle around Cress¡¯ other arm. ¡°That¡¯s not¨Cwell, I mean, I guess it¡¯s true,¡± she admitted sheepishly.

    Cress hauled the two of them to their feet and pulled them over the edge of the staircase. Bel¡¯s stomach lurched into her heart for a moment, but then Cress spread her wings and their plummet quickly slowed. The air was caught under a cushion of Cress¡¯ feathers and the three of them gracefully spiralled downwards. Once she confirmed that their grips were secure, Cress accelerated. They quickly passed a speed where Bel and Orseis felt safe, but Bel trusted that the other gorgon knew what she was doing.

    Bel opened her mouth to say something, but when she looked up at Cress¡¯ face she realized that the woman was concentrating on their descent. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I shouldn¡¯t distract the person who¡¯s both flying and manipulating the wind. She glanced at the stairs as they zipped by, thinking that it would probably hurt if they smacked into them. Orseis had turned a pale, frightened shade, so Bel decided that she could use a distraction.

    ¡°So what did Deception want from you?¡±

    ¡°Want?¡± Orseis looked up, obviuosly startled by the question. ¡°Who said she wanted anything?¡±

    Bel quirked an eyebrow. ¡°You know that I¡¯ve met a few goddesses, right? They want plenty of things.¡±

    Orseis wriggled her tentacles, squirming with discomfort. ¡°I think I¡¯m an okay negotiator,¡± she began.

    Bel waited quietly, worry growing in her stomach.

    Orseis cleared her throat. ¡°She said that she would help me become, you know, appealing, so that I can have children. In return she wants to be my firstborn¡¯s first patron.¡±

    Bel¡¯s lips squeezed like she¡¯d bitten something sour. ¡°Getting her hands¨C¡±

    ¡°Claws,¡± Orseis corrected.

    ¡°¨Cclaws into your child before they even exist seems bad.¡±

    Orseis gave a helpless wave of her tentacles. ¡°At least she has an incentive to help me out, right?¡± She pointed a tentacle at Bel. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like the deals you¡¯ve made have been any better.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°I disagree. I mean, Kjar¡¯s deal was a bit rough on me, but I made it through okay.¡±

    Bel reached up her free hand to run in along the thick scar that ran from her head down her ruined eye. ¡°My mom isn¡¯t actually forcing me to go after Technis though.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± Orseis said, surprised. ¡°I thought she kept rushing you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but she¡¯s also said that she could just wipe everything out with a meteor. If I didn¡¯t care about saving the people in Satrap, and probably the Golden Plains, then I could just hide somewhere until it¡¯s over.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Orseis sized her up. ¡°So you¡¯re doing it out of compassion?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Bel chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d like to say that. But I also really want to smash Technis¡¯ face down his throat.¡± She gestured upwards, towards the surface. ¡°He broke some deal with my mom, locked me in a dungeon, kidnapped my brother, killed someone important to Beth, oppresses an entire country, sent people to kill Ventas, it just goes on and on. But <em style="font-style: italic">he didn¡¯t actually do those things, it was his people. If my mother wipes everyone out then no one learns anything.¡±

    Bel clenched her hand into a tight fist. ¡°If it¡¯s people from inside of Satrap who do something about Technis rather than some outside power though, then other people may realize it¡¯s up to them to change stuff for the better. The people fighting a war against Technis¡¯ rule already know it, but the rest of the country is still deluded. James told me plenty of stories about how outside influences can mess up a country, but they can¡¯t fix its problems.¡±

    Orseis rubbed her chin with the back of her tentacle as she pondered that. ¡°But we¡¯re trying to bring an outside army into the country, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Bel said, embarrassed, ¡°we would lose otherwise.¡± She clicked her tongue with frustration. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not good at this philosophy stuff, I¡¯m just copying what James said. It sounds nice though.¡±

    Orseis nodded. ¡°Sure. It sounds nice.¡±

    Bel turned her eyes back to the endless spiral of steps, tracking each level with her eye as they fell. Maybe I should figure this stuff out before we get back to Satrap, she thought to herself.

    </section>

 Chapter 93 â€“ The Heart of Olympos

    <section>

    Orseis¡¯ questions about Bel¡¯s motivations were troubling the young gorgon, but she wasn¡¯t going to gain any sudden insights while falling through an endless tunnel. She was too on edge for deep philosophical thoughts.

    Bel looked around for any sign of progress, but there was nothing to see other than an endless spiral of steps and smoothed stones. She reached up and smoothed down her mischievous snakes ¨C she could feel some of them growing restless. The last thing she needed was for one of them to start bothering Crecerelle and cause the more experienced gorgon to drop her. <em style="font-style: italic">Her snakes are so well behaved compared to mine, Bel thought as she inspected Cress¡¯ neatly coiled serpents. <em style="font-style: italic">I must be doing something wrong.

    Bel¡¯s sigh was eaten by the passing wind. She waited as patiently as she could, silently mulling over her conversation with Orseis. <em style="font-style: italic">Doing something about Technis before my mom flattens the country is clearly the right thing to do. I¡¯m sure that Ventas would have done it.

    Bel remembered all of her kind uncle¡¯s description of hunting down the bone melting disease, following people back to their remote mountain camps so he could finally eradicate the plague. She knew in her bones that Ventas would have kept pushing to save the people in Satrap, even if they didn¡¯t want to be saved.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Is that really who am I though? Or am I more like Beth, only doing these things for revenge? Or could I just be doing this because my mom implied that it was my purpose?

    Bel didn¡¯t like that last thought, but she couldn¡¯t be sure it wasn¡¯t true. <em style="font-style: italic">I spent years wondering who I was and what I was meant to do ¨C maybe I was eager to be given a task. She frowned as she tried to dissect her own emotions, but found that were more confounding than a barrel of eels, twisting and writing together.

    She huffed in frustration and turned her attention back to the real world, staring at the bottomless pit as the floors rushed past. She stared angrily into the distance, willing the world to give her something to simple to do ¨C smashing something would probably make her feel better. Eventually her challenge was answered with a pinprick of light at the center of the empty hole. Her heart thrummed with excitement as they approached it, but, rather than speeding up, she could feel that they were actually slowing down.

    Bel began paying attention to the things around her once again. The air was growing thick and heavy with moisture as they fell, different from the thin, dry air on the fifth layer. Bel could see traces of Cress working her abilities on their air, droplets fleeing before them as she cleaved a path ahead of them to reduce their drag, but the air-master¡¯s efforts decreased in effectiveness as they descended. She and Orseis had been dangling from Cress¡¯ arms, but as they slowed the two of them rose up to be roughly eye-level with Crecerelle. Bel looked at the other gorgon with surprise when she realized that Cress had folded her wings and they were simply falling slowly.

    ¡°Is this safe?¡± Orseis shouted with a slightly quaver. ¡°And why is the air turning into water?¡±

    Bel opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when she couldn¡¯t think of a response. She glanced at Cress, but their local expert didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about. ¡°James said that some of his students think that the world is hollow,¡± Bel said tentatively.

    ¡°And?¡± Orseis prompted, impatient for a better answer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Bel shouted. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy with other things, so I haven¡¯t really thought about it. Maybe the world is filled with water?¡±

    Orseis looked like she wanted to throw something at Bel, but she was clearly too scared to try it while they were falling. Cress seemed unconcerned by the experience, but she said something in a soothing tone.

    Bel looked down at the pinprick of light and saw that it had grown to be a rectangular opening. The heavy fog hanging over it made any details impossible to see, but Bel guessed that there was water at the bottom. ¡°I think we¡¯re just going to fall into that pond,¡± she shouted at Orseis. The other girl seemed relieved at the thought, although her expression still said that she was blaming Bel for not knowing what they were doing.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I should have gotten James to make another talking earring for her, Bel thought. Then she remembered how much teasing the other girl had done with the original talking stones and reconsidered. <em style="font-style: italic">It doesn¡¯t really matter, he said that making this one required a bunch of rare stuff that they found in the Dark Ravager¡¯s melted pyramid. A second one would have been impossible.

    Cress tightened her grip on Bel¡¯s arm, dragging her attention back to reality. Bel looked down again and saw that the misty pool was growing larger as they approached, although the thick, moist air dragged at them, as if refusing them entry to the water at the bottom. Mere mist couldn¡¯t stop their momentum though, especially once Cress reoriented them face first and flapped her wings to gain speed for a sudden dive. She pulled up at the last moment so they would hit the water with their feet, but Bel was disoriented by the rapid changes in momentum.

    Her stomach flipped when Cress jerked them upright, and then they plunged through the surface of the cold water. The water moved more lethargically than she expected, meandering back to fill the void they created rather than rushing inwards and crashing into her ears. She prepared to kick her legs to get back to the surface, but to her surprise she abruptly found her legs out of the water. Her body soon followed, and Bel felt an incredible sense of disorientation when she found herself falling upwards feet first.

    Despite the clinging mist, her surroundings were suddenly bright and warm. Cress flapped her wings and pulled Bel and Orseis away from the pool and Bel opened her eye. Bel looked down and was surprised to see that the water had changed ¨C before it had been a rectangular slit, but now it was a circular pond. When her feet touched the grassy ground Bel was surprised again, this time by the pull of gravity that was slightly stronger than she expected. Then she looked up, trying to get her bearings.

    She shook her head at the dizzying sight and tilted her hear farther, bending backwards until she nearly fell over.

    ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± she asked aloud.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Orseis agreed quietly. ¡°Where are we?¡±

    A small valley around the lake was filled in a thin mist and dewy grass. The ground rose up around it ¨C and kept rising, climbing into the sky until is disappeared in the distance as if the land was wrapping in upon itself. She spun around and the sight and was astonished to see the same view in every direction: the land rose unbroken into the sky until it was swallowed by clouds and distance. The sheer scale of it made her mind struggle.

    Bel fell backwards onto the soft ground so she could stare upwards without straining her neck. Huge blobs of clouds so dense that they were practically floating lakes drifted through the sky, skimming along the tops of tall, thin trees. The weather thickened into an impenetrable haze as she looked closer to straight up, turning the sky into a near uniform gray that was broken by the occasional glistening spike of metal ¨C the Pillars that ran through the world. Even those enormous constructs shrank to tiny pins as that extended into the distant sky, at a scale that made Bel¡¯s imagination break down. From her current perspective she could see tens ¨C no, hundreds, maybe even thousands ¨C of them, stabbing into the heavens.

    Bel followed the lines traced by the Pillars to the center of the sky, where a great orb of light hung like the shrouded ruler of the mind-blowing new world. It wasn¡¯t the sun ¨C Bel knew that for certain. It was wider and more diffuse than the light she was used to on the surface, but she couldn¡¯t begin to guess at its true nature.

    The glowing orb was pincered by two great funnels of darkness that extended from opposite edges of the horizon. The funnels narrowed into narrow tendrils that just barely touched the bright glow at the center of the sky. Pinning it in place? Or were they caused by the orb itself? Bel couldn¡¯t guess.

    The rest of the sky was filled with storms of dust and water. Small clusters of stone drifted higher in the sky, although the small stones may have been great mountains loosed from the control of gravity for all she could tell. The incredible distances robbed Bel of her sense of scale.

    ¡°We must be in the center of the world,¡± she whispered, awestruck at the sight. Tears actually formed in her eyes as she looked around a space more vast and incredible than she could have dreamed.

    ¡°Cress,¡± Bel said suddenly as she pointed to the bright globe in the center of the world, ¡°what is that?¡±

    The other gorgon tilted her head as she slowly digested Bel¡¯s words. Then her snakes flicked their tails with irritation as her vocabulary came up short. She thumped her fingers against her chest and gave Bel a questioning look.

    ¡°Heart?¡± Bel guessed.

    ¡°Heart,¡± Cress repeated. She pointed to the glowing center of the world. ¡°Heart of Olympos,¡± she proclaimed.

    Bel looked up at all of the pillars that grew from the surface down to the Heart ¨C or maybe they grew out of the Heart and into the world. ¡°Maybe they really do support the world,¡± she mused.

    </section>

 Chapter 94 â€“ The Underworld

    <section>

    ¡°What in Olympos is that?¡± Orseis yelped with alarm.

    Bel turned her head to see what had spooked Orseis and was shocked to see the head of an enormous man bobbing above the tree line. She had been so caught up with the sights that she hadn¡¯t been keeping an eye on their surroundings.

    ¡°Is that a giant?¡± she wondered aloud.

    ¡°Not giant,¡± Cress refuted. ¡°Titan.¡±

    ¡°Are titans better than giants?¡± Bel asked quickly. Whatever this titan was, he looked even larger than the giants that she¡¯d fought. He walked through the trees like a man through tall grass and the ground shook slightly with every one of his steps, although he was distant enough that Bel didn¡¯t hear a sound.

    Cress tilted her head again before shrugging. ¡°What is betterthan?¡±

    Orseis laughed. ¡°I think our language troubles are gonna be a problem down here.¡±

    Bel¡¯s sucked on her lip. ¡°Yeah,¡± she agreed.

    Cress shrugged, giving up on whatever Bel had been saying to her. She pointed towards the titan took a few steps before waving for Bel and Orseis to follow after her. Bel was surprised that they weren¡¯t flying, but Cress seemed to prefer that they proceed on foot. The other gorgon beamed back at them, clearly excited to be going wherever she was leading them, and Bel couldn¡¯t help but smile back.

    Cress did draw her maul, so Bel knew that the path through the forest of tall, spindly trees wasn¡¯t completely safe. Cress scanned each trunk they passed, alert for any threats, but there was a happy spring to her steps.

    Bel and Orseis did the same as they followed quickly behind her, even though they didn¡¯t know what threats were lurking around them. They¡¯d walked for less than a minute when Orseis jerked on Bel¡¯s armed and whispered a hushed, ¡°look,¡± while pointing with her spear.

    Bel immediately stopped and fell into a fighting stance. A large, hairy creature had been lurking quietly in the woods near their path, watching them with large, brown eyes. It stood a little taller than Bel on four straight legs that ended in strange, rounded feet that had claws pointing in every direction. Its large ears were repeatedly folded upon themselves like the lung of a bellows and flopped against the side of its long face. The animal¡¯s top lip drooped halfway to the ground, giving it a grouchy appearance. Bel¡¯s snakes hissed a warning as it continued to stare at her.

    ¡°What?¡± Cress asked from a few steps ahead. She looked at the creature and then the surrounding woods with concern. When she realized that there wasn¡¯t anything other then the hairy beast she laughed.

    ¡°It is hugag,¡± she said. ¡°Hugag is¡­ hm¡­¡± She scratched at her head as she search for words, but eventually shrugged. Instead of speaking, she jumped up and sliced through a low-hanging branch with her metallic nails. Then she gathered up the cut limb and walked over to the grumpy creature.

    It eyed her with distrust as she approached, but Cress cooed at it quietly. When she shook the branch, the thin, needle-like leaves the creature forget all about the gorgon. It happily opened its mouth and wrapped a long, grasping tongue around a branch. With a swift motion it stripped the needles and went quickly to the next branch, working its way over Cress¡¯ offering until it was completely bare. Cress gave it a few pats on its leathery back as it searched for any remaining needles, which it tolerated with a snort.

    Cress laughed at it walked back to Bel and Orseis with a wide, cheerful grin. ¡°Hugag,¡± she repeated.

    Bel nodded. ¡°Hugag. Peaceful.¡±

    ¡°Peaceful,¡± Cress repeated quietly. ¡°Hugag peaceful.¡± She started walking again, still alert for any actual threats.

    Bel quickly poked Orseis in her stomach when she saw the girl sending lingering glances back at the hugag. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    Orseis snorted. ¡°I prefer seafood anyway. It¡¯s less hairy.¡± Despite her assertion, Bel was amused to see the cuttle-girl¡¯s gaze still drifting to the Hugag again as they walked away.

    Orseis flushed with embarrassment when she realized that Bel saw her. ¡°You know how hungry I get,¡± she said defensively. She rubbed her stomach and gave Bel a sad expression. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten in forever, you know.¡±

    Cress paused and looked back at them. ¡°Problem?¡± she asked.

    Orseis immediately put on a tough face. Bel rolled her eye at her friend¡¯s distrust.

    ¡°She¡¯s hungry,¡± Bel explained. She pointed to her stomach and made a sad face. ¡°Hungry.¡±

    ¡°Ah, hungry¡± Cress said. She thought for a moment before nodding quickly. Their guide gorgon turned slightly and began walking again.

    Orseis perked up immediately. ¡°Are we going to find some food?¡±

    ¡°I guess so,¡± Bel answered. ¡°At least I know that gorgons eat the same stuff as humans so she won¡¯t lead us to a pile of delicious leaves or something weird.¡±

    Orseis made a disgusted noise at the thought. ¡°You know, some of the people back in the Golden Plains eat nothing but plants. Luckily, there aren¡¯t many leafy things in the desert. I think all of those types of people left or died out after Technis raised his Barrier and dried everything out.¡±

    Bel frowned at the though of Technis wiping out a people by accident. She wondered if he even thought about them; did he enjoy the influence he had on their lives or did he consider them beneath his notice? <em style="font-style: italic">Probably the second, she thought, <em style="font-style: italic">the Dark Ravager lived right next to the semi-humans of the Golden Plains and didn¡¯t seem to care about them at all, even when his cultists fought with them.

    She came to an abrupt halt when she bumped into Cress¡¯ arm. The other gorgon quickly held up a hand to her lips, urging Bel and Orseis to remain silent and wait. Bel looked around and saw that they were close to a wide river that flowed through a deep channel in the forest floor. The area around the river was clear and the plant life was squashed flat and singed. Bel guessed that it had to be a high-traffic area, or perhaps a campsite, but she didn¡¯t see anything larger than a twittering bird near the water.

    They waited for several minutes, until Orseis grew restless enough to speak, but Cress had done something to the air to suppress any noise. Orseis waved her tentacles around angrily and Bel couldn¡¯t help but laugh silently at her frustration. Then the cuttle-girl¡¯s eyes widened and she quickly knelt down to the forest floor and use her new ability to turn invisible.

    Bel turned to see what had startled the girl and felt a chill run down her back at the sight. A four-legged creature with impossibly thin, stick-like legs had landed beside the river. Its hooves glowed with a dusky orange hue and its large, shaggy head had two twisting pairs of horns that were stained red at the tips. Cress stepped forward to confront the monster, but instead of wielding her maul she flicked a small stone into the river. The monster spread its bat wings and hissed angrily. It tossed its head, threatening them with its horns, but, before it could attack, the surface of the water surged upwards as something burst from its depths.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Bel gasped in surprise at the fearsome crocodylian that now loomed over the hoofed monster. The smaller monster bleated with surprise and terror. It spread its wings, but before it could move the larger predator slammed it with its massive tail. The horned beast cracked and splintered like a rotten log, and bits of flesh and bone went flying in every direction like chipped wood. The crocodylian wasn¡¯t satisfied yet, and continued to bash away as the rapidly disintegrating corpse with its large tail. As it worked, the tail went faster and faster and began to glow with an inner heat, hammering away like an ability-fueled blacksmith. The mashed monster soon heated and boiled, filling the air with the scent of burnt flesh and bone.

    Then the ground combusted, turning in to a thick, dark cloud. The crocodylian turned around to face its reduced foe and snorted the gas through a pair of large nostrils. Now that she could see its face, Bel realized that it didn¡¯t actually have a mouth, just three pairs of eyes and a pair of nostrils large enough for Bel to stick her head inside ¨C not that she wanted to. The creature continued to snort its vaporized prey until there was nothing left.

    It heaved a heavy sigh of contentment and flopped down on the ground, too lazy, apparently, to return to the water.

    Cress waited a few moments before confidently striding forward. She turned and gave Bel and Orseis a wide smile, beckoning them forward as she traced a wide path around the slumbering creature. With the dangerous predator otherwise distracted, she walked fearlessly to the water¡¯s edge where she bent down and began to collect something.

    Bel and Orseis followed after her, but with a lot more caution towards the ambush predator. Orseis¡¯ skin shifted frequently in an attempt to make her blend in with the background and Bel¡¯s snakes curled up against her scalp. When they finally reached river Cress presented them with their prize.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Bel said, realizing Cress¡¯ goal. ¡°She got the big guy to jump out of the water and bring a bunch of fish with him.¡±

    ¡°Those can¡¯t be fish, Bel,¡± Orseis said sickly.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re hairy!¡± Orseis hissed. ¡°Who would want a hairy fish?¡±

    Bel didn¡¯t miss a beat before responding. ¡°You would. You¡¯re hungry, right?¡±

    Orseis scowled, but a growl from her stomach soon proved Bel right. Orseis grabbed a fish from the ground, crushed its skull, and began messily pulling off its fur. She muttered angrily the entire time.

    Cress was more organized; she had pulled a small knife from her belt and was expertly cleaning several of the furry fish. The other gorgon happily explained something about the fish as she worked; Bel couldn¡¯t understand her words, but it seemed like Cress was happy to show off her survival skills. Even Orseis stopped her messy fish deconstruction to watch, and they were soon waiting for several of them to cook over a small fire.

    Cress didn¡¯t seem at all worried that the large crocodile would wake up and try to eat them, so Bel did her best to relax as well, but her snakes twisted around to keep their eyes on the potential threat. The taste of the fatty fish helped her mood, although she couldn¡¯t help the occasional nervous glance at slumbering creature whenever one of them made a loud noise.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Orseis said, after she had stuffed her belly with fish, ¡°where are we going again?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Some place with more people, I think.¡± She smiled brightly. ¡°Maybe more gorgons!¡±

    ¡°Oh boy,¡± Orseis replied with fake enthusiasm, ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡± She looked at her tentacles and then at Bel. ¡°Are you sure they¡¯re going to welcome us? That last guy, the one who got those others to attack us, he wasn¡¯t very friendly.¡±

    Bel looked at Cress and shrugged. ¡°Cress seemed to think it would be okay. Besides, Kjar cursed that guy so everything¡¯s probably fine now. And we¡¯ve got a plan now.¡±

    Orseis groaned. ¡°Bel, you¡¯re a wonderful person, but every time you say something like that something goes wrong. Maybe your mom is listening and wants to mess with you.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°I¡¯m sure my mom wouldn¡¯t intentionally make things harder.¡±

    Orseis rubbed her cheeks with a tentacle. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that makes me feel better or worse.¡±

    She waved the bones of one of the hairy fish at Bel. ¡°Speaking of your mother, you should pick an ability.¡±

    Bel groaned. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand what they do. They¡¯re all weird.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to mess around to find out,¡± Orseis insisted. ¡°Besides, I want to see something awesome and scary.¡±

    Bel cringed at the thought. ¡°Some things may be too scary.¡±

    Orseis snorted at Bel¡¯s hesitation, while Cress looked between the two of them as she tried to guess their topic of conversation.

    Orseis tossed the skeleton into the water. ¡°Lempo¡¯s abilities are scary for other people, but you should be fine with them. Don¡¯t take an ability that would mess with your body if you¡¯re worried.¡± She waved her tentacles eagerly. ¡°What else is there?¡±

    Bel closed her eyes and concentrated on the confusing constellation of abilities that her mother offered. ¡°Too many,¡± she complained. ¡°There¡¯s one that shifts my body, but there¡¯s another similar to it that could mess up someone else¡¯s body.¡±

    Orseis nodded. ¡°Sounds great!¡±

    ¡°I would rather shockwave them,¡± Bel asserted with finality. ¡°There¡¯s an ability to mutate the little creatures that live in things.¡±

    Bel thought back to the first time she¡¯d seen Ventas. ¡°I¡¯ve seen someone use something similar to deal with pests on crops. I guess I could make someone sick? Feels slow though.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have to take something, you know, I could just wait.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles angrily, eliciting a warning rattle from Cress¡¯ snakes when her tentacles got too close. ¡°But what if we get into another fight? I don¡¯t know about you, but those three guys that attacked us were kind of dangerous.¡±

    Bel¡¯s resolve wavered. <em style="font-style: italic">Orseis isn¡¯t wrong. What if everyone here is as strong as Cress? She glanced at Crecerelle, who had given up on their conversation and was busy using a small bone to pick bits of fish from between her teeth. The other gorgon smiled and waved happily, clearly fine not being part of the conversation. Bel smiled and waved back.

    She turned back to Orseis. ¡°How about an ability that breaks nonliving things? There¡¯s one that shatters metals and rocks and another, more expensive one that breaks down the things that hold objects together.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes shifted restlessly. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand how the second one works, but it feels like it works on anything. Maybe it¡¯s like ripping the nails out of a boat and letting it fall apart.¡±

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not impressed. How would that be useful? And isn¡¯t that <em style="font-style: italic">liquify already does?¡±

    ¡°Liquify turns things into a liquid. This would unmake the thing, which could be useful when summons walls or throws hammers at me,¡± she huffed. ¡°You know, like that last guy. And my ability to liquify things doesn¡¯t work when someone¡¯s too tough. I may be able to combine the two to get through someone with stronger defenses.¡±

    Bel chewed on her lip as she watched Cress dig a small hole and begin burying their trash. ¡°Besides, I need to find a way to get through Technis¡¯ barrier. Maybe one of these will work on that.¡±

    Orseis nodded. ¡°Sure, sounds fun. Not the first one though, breaking a rock sounds dumb.¡±

    ¡°Obviously,¡± Bel agreed. ¡°But maybe the second one could do it. If my mother¡¯s later abilities are similar to the early ones, then I should learn how some of them work.¡±

    She only hesitated for a moment before feeling out the ability and tracing its strokes upon her core. <em style="font-style: italic">What¡¯s the worst that happens? I¡¯ll just have to go hunt some things to grow my core to get more strokes. And maybe the ability will be awesome.

    Once she engraved the ability she opened her eyes and grabbed a fist-sized rock that Cress had dug up. The other gorgon tilted her head with curiosity as Bel stared at the stone, exercising her control to slowly trickle her new ability into it. Bel was disappointed by the result: nothing. The stone absorbed her energy and settled down soon after.

    Bel pursed her lips and ramped up the energy she was putting into the stone. She could feel a moment where something happened in the stone, and rather than settling down it seemed to vibrate with activity that filled her with a sudden sense of dread. She didn''t hesitate to throw the stone with all of her might, sending it hurtling through the woods.

    A moment later it exploded. The stone disappeared in a blinding flash of light and the blast shredded the trees in a ten stride radius. Bits of bark and leaves filled the air, and everyone ducked for cover. The large crocodylian groaned loudly and rolled over and one of its eyes slowly opened. Cress¡¯ snakes rattled with alarm as the other gorgon grabbed Bel and Orseis. She hauled them to their feet and dragged them away from the slowly awakening beast at a hasty sprint.

    Once they came to a panting stop, Orseis turned to Bel. Her eyes were wide with excitement. ¡°That was awesome! And it works with rocks too! Those are your favorite!¡±

    She emphatically waved her tentacles. ¡°Do it again!¡±

    </section>

 Chapter 95 â€“ The Road Ahead

    <section>

    ¡°Blow up something else,¡± Orseis urged.

    ¡°No,¡± Bel replied firmly. Then she pursed her lips and reconsidered. ¡°Not unless we¡¯re someplace safe.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Cress agreed, ¡°no loud¡­¡± She gestured with her hands, clearly searching for a word. Her snakes rattled their tails with soft frustration.

    ¡°Explosion,¡± Bel supplied.

    ¡°Fun,¡± Orseis said simultaneously.

    Bel turned to her shorter companion and shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You need to work on your survival instincts, Ori,¡± she scolded. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you didn¡¯t get eaten when you were little.¡±

    Orseis shrugged and flicked her tentacles. ¡°Survival when you¡¯re small is all about luck.¡± She tilted her head and squinted at some distant memory. ¡°Luck and hanging out with a bigger fish. Living on land is easy in comparison. Now blow something up.¡±

    Bel flicked her in the head. ¡°If you want to pretend to be grown up, at least try to act like it. Cress says no more explosions, so I¡¯m not doing another one out here.¡±

    Orseis trilled her lips, but when she saw the stern look on Cress¡¯ face she decided to keep quiet. Cress was quickly pulling them away, clearly eager to get away from whatever would investigate the loud noise. She kept pulling until they emerged onto a wide, flat path that something had mowed through the forest.

    The area had been covered in the same tall, spindly trees as the rest of the area, but they had been recently cut a few strides from the ground. The air was heavy with the scent of sap and shattered wood, and the ground was a flurry of activity as small scavengers ran through the mess of newly felled timber in search of an easy meal. Bel observed the strange creatures with interest; they were a mix of monkeys, birds, and monkey-sized wasps that were picking through the disaster. Cress didn¡¯t seem overly concerned about the activity, although she made sure to guide the group around any area that looked too busy.

    ¡°What do you think knocked all these trees down?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Probably that titan, right?¡±

    Bel followed Orseis¡¯ pointing tentacle. The Titan was several thousand strides ahead of them, mowing through the forest with a large axe. A large, blue creature followed after him, munching on the grass and shrubs that where freshly exposed. Bel looked around and realized that all of the softer vegetation in the path had been picked clean. She looked around and saw a footprint too, although it was so wide and long that she hadn¡¯t realized what it was at first.

    ¡°The perspective of this place is crazy, right? Wouldn¡¯t he normally be below the horizon?¡± Orseis marvelled.

    Bel tore her gaze away from the enormous footprint. ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± Instead of descending below the horizon, the Titan had moved upwards with the inside curve of Olympos. ¡°I have no idea how large he is, other than by comparing him with the trees,¡± Bel said, glancing from the giant to some of the felled trees around her. She took a step forward to get a closer look at one of them, but Cress grabbed her by the shoulder.

    ¡°Wait,¡± the other gorgon instructed.

    Bel watched with interest as the other gorgon pulled a strange metal device out of her pack. It consisted of a small, metal looking tube that was attached via a straight rod to an arc of metal with several gradations marked on its surface. Cress pointed it at the Heart of Olympos and then began adjusting a few different knobs. She scratched something into the ground and then pulled out a large, rolled up map.

    ¡°What on ¨C er, what <em style="font-style: italic">in Olympos is she doing?¡± Orseis wondered.

    ¡°I think she¡¯s navigating. James mentioned that ancient humans from his home navigated the open ocean by measuring angles to the stars.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone doing it though. It¡¯s worthless in Satrap where Technis¡¯ Barrier doesn¡¯t really let you get far away from land.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Orseis rubbed her chin, pondering that information. ¡°In the Golden Plains, we would ask a bird person. Seems simpler.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but the Golden Plains doesn¡¯t have much forest to get in your way,¡± Bel pointed out. ¡°James says that in the modern world their phones tell them where to go, so they can travel to places that they¡¯ve never been.¡± She tapped her earring. ¡°Maybe he can figure out how to build something like that here in Olympos.¡±

    One of the large wasps flew at Orseis, but she waved her spear at it threateningly unly is buzzed away.

    ¡°Speaking of James,¡± Orseis said once the wasp had lost interest, ¡°why isn¡¯t he calling you?¡±

    Bel rubbed her earring. She chewed on her lip as she remembered how long it had been since she¡¯d spoken to her brother. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said, suddenly worried. ¡°Maybe his signal doesn¡¯t work down here? It¡¯s only been a little longer than a day though.¡±

    ¡°But he said he was going to call twice a day after how long you disappeared in the mountain, right?¡±

    Bel glanced at all of the Pillars poking towards the Heart. ¡°He used that one Pillar to carry the signal, maybe it doesn¡¯t make it through to the underworld.¡±

    Bel sucked on her cheeks. ¡°I hope nothing¡¯s gone wrong up there.¡±

    Orseis offered her a reassuring pat on the back. ¡°Well, we¡¯re already in a hurry. Nothing more we can do, right?¡±

    ¡°I suppose,¡± Bel agreed without any conviction.

    Another one of the oversized wasps flew past them and turned back to circle them aggressively, so Bel <em style="font-style: italic">glared at it. Once it hit the ground and monkey from a nearby branch leaped from a fallen branch and eagerly ran to the disabled insect. A moment before the monkey reached it, another wasp landed upon its back and the two went rolling along the ground.

    The monkey flailed and writhed in panic, but the wasp had wrapped its legs around the monkey¡¯s arms, securely latching onto its back. Bel grimaced as the wasp inserted a finger-length stinger into the monkey¡¯s back. The monkey arched its back in silent agony, but its struggles came to a slow halt over the next few seconds.Stolen story; please report.

    Bel looked away with discomfort as the first wasp recovered from its paralysis and worked with the second wasp to chew the monkey in half. In a few seconds they were flying off, each carrying away half a monkey.

    ¡°This place seems rough,¡± she said, watching the creatures around them with more concern than before seeing the brutal scene.

    Orseis nodded. ¡°Yeah, maybe it was just the desert in the Golden Plains that was easy. Other than being too dry, and the threat of Spearheads from above, there wasn¡¯t much going on.¡±

    ¡°And the cat girls,¡± Bel remembered.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Orseis grimaced, ¡°but who would go there?¡±

    Bel suddenly found her vision blocked by her little flower snake. She pushed it aside with irritation. ¡°Stop it, Flora. I need to pay attention.¡±

    The little snake flicked out her tongue at Bel, but continued to squirm. Bel looked at what had drawn the spirit snake¡¯s attention, but all she saw was another downed tree. Although¡­ something about it was strange.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many creatures scavenging around that tree, are there?¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes narrowed as she looked it over. ¡°Yeah. Seems suspicious.¡±

    Cress put her tools away and looked up at Bel and Orseis. ¡°There,¡± she said, confidently pointing in a direction.

    Bel glanced at Cress¡¯ path and then back at the fallen tree. ¡°Ah!¡± she yelped with delight, ¡°I get it! It¡¯s a spirit! It¡¯s pretending to be a tree!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Orseis cried, intrigued. ¡°How can you tell?¡±

    Bel rolled her eye and pointed to it. ¡°Because it bent like leather instead of breaking. Also, that monkey on it has three arms instead of two.¡±

    Cress reached out, but she was too late to stop Bel from rushing off to the tree. Orseis patted her arm smugly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Bel is just doing Bel stuff.¡±

    She proudly pointed her tentacles at herself. ¡°I¡¯m used to this stuff, though. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Cress shook her head and hurried after Bel as Orseis skipped along beside her.

    ¡°No, no,¡± Bel lectured the monkey. ¡°You should have two arms ¨C here, let me show you.¡±

    Bel grabbed the fake monkey and slightly liquified the extra limb, shoving it back into the spirit¡¯s body. ¡°See? That¡¯s correct.¡± She glanced at the face. ¡°Well, more correct. Go play.¡±

    The monkey opened its mouth, squawked like a bird, and ran after a group of real monkeys.

    Orseis stepped aside to avoid the little spirit as it passed. ¡°Uh, so what are you doing Bel?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re trying to play, I think,¡± Bel responded with a smile. ¡°At least I think so. They aren¡¯t actively destroying anything.¡±

    Orseis looked at the misshapen tree and remembered her new patron. ¡°What if they¡¯re waiting to eat anything that comes close? That¡¯s what a predator would do.¡±

    Bel patted the tree. ¡°Not every spirit is like Dutcha. Spirits can¡¯t really die, they just break apart and come together, so they don¡¯t think like we do.¡±

    Cress reached forward and pulled Bel¡¯s hand off the tree. ¡°Danger,¡± she said seriously.

    Bel laughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°I kind of agree with Cress on this one, Bel,¡± Orseis said. ¡°Maybe we should leave these ones alone? Or did you want to grab one to stick on your head?¡±

    Bel reached up and rubbed the bald area where she was still missing a snake. Then she looked at the tree. ¡°No,¡± she said hesitantly.

    ¡°Sparky messed with my head a bit and he was tiny. I don¡¯t want to mess with a strong spirit unless I understand their nature. The last thing I want is to stand around soaking up sunlight when I should be dealing with my quest.¡±

    Bel stared at the tree for another moment and her eyebrows shot up. ¡°Oh, I think this one is breaking up.¡±

    She stepped back quickly, and pulled Orseis and Cress with her. They both readied their weapons, but Bel pushed their arms down. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she reassured them.

    Cress gave her an uncertain look, but she lowered her heavy maul to the ground.

    With a loud crack, the tree snapped into segments. Some of the larger limbs twisted their branches into legs and began crawling like large insects, and then a few of the leaves fell from the branches and warped into slightly misshapen birds. More copied them until an entire flock of slightly lumpy sparrows sat on the bare branches. With a flurry of wings, they took off. Then the trunk of the tree uprooted itself and began walking on its short roots.

    Cress tapped on Bel¡¯s shoulder and pointed back into the woods. ¡°Go now?¡± she asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s so impatient,¡± Orseis complained.

    ¡°I think she¡¯s just excited,¡± Bel admonished. ¡°Besides, we don¡¯t know what shows up at night.¡± She glanced up at the glowing or that dominated the center of the sky. ¡°If there is a night.¡±

    She allowed Cress to lead them away, although her snakes peered behind her at the dispersing spirits. There was a loud clatter as they entered the unbroken woods, and the three of them looked back to see that several of the spirits were crawling after them. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Bel assured her companions. ¡°I¡¯m sure that something else will distract them soon enough.¡±

    She looked at her companions and was disappointed to see the distrust on their expressions. ¡°Okay, I know that Cress doesn¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying, but c¡¯mon Ori, don¡¯t you trust me?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Orseis hesitated. ¡°Trust you about what?¡±

    Bel snorted and stomped forward. A moment later she came to an abrupt halt when Cress grabbed her arm and hauled her backwards.

    ¡°Danger,¡± the other gorgon warned. She pointed at wasp patrolling the ground in front of them. ¡°Danger,¡± she repeated.

    ¡°The wasp?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Wasp,¡± Cress repeated. ¡°Many wasp.¡±

    Bel looked again and noticed that the first wasp wasn¡¯t alone: there were several of them patrolling the ground. ¡°Is there a nest?¡± she asked, but Crecerelle only shrugged in response.

    Bel looked past the wasps on patrol and saw a translucent dome sticking out of the ground. It glowed with a familiar blue light. As she watched, a wasp carrying the corpse of some fresh kill landed on it. A moment later, the barrier warped to allow the wasp entry.

    ¡°It¡¯s Technis Barrier,¡± she hissed angrily. ¡°But it¡¯s not even his ability. It¡¯s just some trash he took from an insect.¡±

    Bel shook off Cress¡¯ hand and stepped forward angrily. The nearest wasp didn¡¯t hesitate to lunge at her. Its wings buzzed angrily as it reoriented to jab its stinger through her abdomen.

    With a flick of her fingers, Bel compressed the air in front of her and blew the insect apart with a <em style="font-style: italic">liquid shockwave. The rest of the guards buzzed in unison, riled up by the sudden attack.

    Orseis quickly jumped in front of Bel and tried to drag her back. ¡°Whoa, Bel, are you okay? What are you so worked up about?¡±

    ¡°Even his ¡®Great Barrier¡¯ was a lie,¡± Bel spat. The words were like acid on her tongue. ¡°He trapped everyone with the power of an insect. An insect!¡±

    Bel blasted another pair of the angry wasps apart, but more spilled from inside of the barrier like froth boiling over a too-small pot.

    ¡°He¡¯s just a lowly thief that steals from bugs,¡± she screamed. ¡°Even the Dark Ravager was more honest!¡±

    It made her angry. Furious. More enraged than she felt she could handle. Bel shoved Orseis back with one hand and reached up to rub Sparky¡¯s fiery scales with the other. <em style="font-style: italic">You know how to get angry, don¡¯t you? she thought to her magma snake.

    ¡°Bel, you¡¯re getting a little hot and glowy,¡± Orseis shouted desperately. ¡°Maybe you should calm down?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be calm once I¡¯ve burned this reminder of Technis into ash.¡±

    Orseis blanched at Bel¡¯s harsh, manic voice. ¡°The wasps don¡¯t really have anything to do with Technis¨C¡±

    Bel growled as her body swelled with heat. Her claws burned the fire of her fury and the grass around her blackened and burned. Her skin swelled and broke apart, revealing a body of glowing magma.

    The spirits that had been trailing after them responded to Bel¡¯s angry shouts. Their wooden bodies burst into flames as they copied her, and soon Bel was joined by a pack of burning spirits all howling for revenge.

    Cress stared in surprise and wonder, fascinated by the spirits¡¯ reaction to Bel. Orseis had seen Bel interacting with spirits before though; she had a more practical response. She reached out several tentacles and grabbed Cress around the waist, desperately hauling the other gorgon away from Bel as the air in the area began to shimmer with heat. ¡°Let¡¯s just let Bel work this out of her system, okay? She¡¯s got something against blue, glowing things, and she¡¯s not thinking rationally at the moment.¡±

    </section>

 Chapter 96 â€“ A Fiery Temper

    <section>

    A small part of Bel knew that she was throwing a tantrum. The wasps weren¡¯t supporting Technis; he had clearly taken an ability from them that he found useful, but it wasn¡¯t as though they were conspiring together. But when Bel saw the wasps dragging their prey inside of their nest¡¯s barrier she couldn¡¯t help but see Technis dragging the humans into Satrap. The humans weren¡¯t chewed to pieces first, but they were no better off than fodder for Technis¡¯ schemes.

    Bel could see the differences, but she was too angry to care. She slammed her leg into the dirt, channeling her power into the stone beneath it and sending a shockwave of superheated rock through the ground. It emerged as a spray of glowing rock and lava that killed any insects in its path before crashing into the barrier. The blue shield warped and flickered, but quickly came back at full strength.

    Bel howled in fury. Her body burned hot enough to glow and she recklessly threw herself against the barrier with wild abandon, but with no result. She took a step back, her rational mind asserting itself when her anger came up short.

    Beside her there was another impact from one of the flaming remnants of the tree spirit; it had joined in with her fury and was aimlessly slashing at the barrier with its flaming limbs. Bel instinctively reached out to the other spirit. Her fingers brushed against its burning trunk and its form became liquid. It flowed into her and she could feel its disorganized thoughts swirling against her own. It needed a form and a purpose, something to anchor it to the physical world.

    So Bel imagined the horned magma bear that she had met on the third layer. As the thought solidified she felt it resonate with the spirit. It¡¯s body warped around her and her arms became heavy as her hands swelled into massive paws.

    The other spirits, still wandering aimlessly after their tree form had split apart, were eager to reform around a solid idea. They swarmed to her, pulling and melting stones as they went, piling into her growing form. Bel felt her body borne into the air on the body of a hastily formed creature of heat and magma. Her ideas fused with the spirits as their thoughts mixed. Her form grew more solid and defined. She soon floated in the chest of a bear five times her height, with horns as long as she was tall and paws large enough to smash a giant.

    They became an entity of one thought and purpose: to burn the insects and consume their sweet essence. The Bel-bear reared back on their hind legs, standing nearly half as tall as the barrier around the nest, opened their mouth, and roared. As they came crashing down to all fours, the spirit beast swiped a massive paw down onto the barrier.

    The Bel-bear¡¯s heart sang as the barrier shattered in a burst of light.

    Inside was a multi-layered structure, narrowing towards the top like a decadent tiered cake, stacked high with creatures full of essence. They licked their chops as they surveyed the defenders.

    Each layer was a papery disk joined to the adjacent layers by small pillars of the same material, and every bit of space was filled with furious wasps. Hundreds took flight, but their presence barely slowed the spirit bear. It was made of heat and rock and impervious to stings and bites ¨C and even if it wasn¡¯t, the wasps fared poorly once they were on fire.

    They roared in delight as they crashed through the press of insects, tossing their buzzing bodies aside before tearing into the hive and consuming the sweet stores of essence and larva. The air was filled with the scent of smoke and burning hive, filling the Bel-bear with a sense of pride and accomplishment. <em style="font-style: italic">This is what fire does! they thought triumphantly.

    In the face of an unstoppable threat, the wasps burst into frenetic motion, grabbing the contents of their storage cells and making into the air ahead of the Bel-bear¡¯s rampaging form. The bear reared up and bellowed in anger.

    <em style="font-style: italic">How dare these things run! They need to burn! I need to eat them!

    The spear bear expelled a large blast of living fire, a host of small spirits that leaped from target to target leaving destruction in their wake. The bear, slightly diminished from expelling its own spirit-body, sat back on its haunches and observed the flames¡¯ progress with satisfaction. It reached forward with a massive paw and shoved more of the hive into its maw, quickly burning the material into essence to grow its form.

    Another creature ¨C also winged, but not one of the wasps ¨C flew up to its face. The Bel-bear stared in idle curiosity and faint recognition, but wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the winged snake lady who was hovering around. The creature was making rhythmic mouth noises that were tantalizingly familiar, but it couldn¡¯t quite remember the purpose they served. Another creature ¨C some little, multi-limbed person ¨C made some noises at the flying one. The spirit bear looked back at the flying person just in time to see her cup her hands in front of her face and shriek.

    Bel was blasted from the middle of the giant bear, her body ripped away from the spirits by the force of Cress¡¯ attack. She slammed into the ground hard enough to shatter the stones beneath her, but she was in such a daze that she didn¡¯t notice. <em style="font-style: italic">Did I turn into a giant magma bear? she wondered dazedly. <em style="font-style: italic">Did I just eat a bunch of paper and goop? Am I going to throw up?

    Bel looked up at the towering creature of flame of liquid stone ¨C now with a large hole in its middle ¨C and watched as it teetered unsteadily on its massive paws. Without her providing the spirits with a cohesive sense or self and a form to take, it began breaking apart. Strange approximations of burning wasps took off into the woods while some other spirits took on the forms of molten rocks and sank into the soil. After a minute of confusing form shifting, the spirit had mostly dispersed, although a few burning bushes and pools of lava lingered in the charred field.

    The hive stood empty, partially smashed, mostly burned, and wholly abandoned. The only thing left piles of crisped wasps. Orseis strolled up to one and cracked it open, happy to help herself to the cooked meals.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°So,¡± she said, waving half a wasp around at the destruction, ¡°are you going to help dig through all these cores and figure out how their barrier works? Or are you just going to lie there?¡±

    Bel grimaced. Her head hurt and her core felt raw and empty. ¡°I can¡¯t get up,¡± she moaned.

    The charred ground crunched under Orseis¡¯ feet as she walked over. ¡°That magma bear was great, by the way. I didn¡¯t know you could do that. Did you?¡±

    Bel weakly shook her her head. The expression came out as little more than a twitch, but she was too tired to use words.

    ¡°Well, even if you didn¡¯t,¡± Orseis continued cheerily, ¡°I thought it was great. I think you really impressed your gorgon friend too.¡±

    Bel mustered the energy to glance at Cress and was mortified to find the woman staring back with wide eyes. The other gorgon¡¯s sand-colored snakes fanned out around her head, standing at high alert.

    ¡°It was all Sparky¡¯s fault,¡± Bel cringed, ¡°I would never throw that kind of tantrum.¡±

    Cress tilted her head, obviously not following Bel¡¯s words. Her little magma snake, though, slithered into view and flicked its tongue out indignantly. Bel grimaced. Sparky was right, she had wanted to embrace the excitable snake¡¯s temperament. Bel closed her eyes and hoped that if she couldn¡¯t see the real world then it wouldn¡¯t be able to find her. <em style="font-style: italic">Why did I have to turn into a giant, rampaging bear? And why did things have to end up with Cress knocking me out of it? I must have looked like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

    There was blessed silence for a minute, long enough for Bel¡¯s pounding headache to recede to a dull throb, before Orseis spoke again. ¡°Seriously though,¡± she said as she surveyed the bounty of insects, ¡°there are actually too many for me to eat. You¡¯re going to have to help look through their cores, okay Bel?¡±

    Bel groaned and squeezed her eye tightly shut. ¡°Make someone else do it.¡±

    ¡°Like who?¡± Orseis said, incredulous. ¡°Your little flower snake? She seems eager.¡±

    ¡°Flora?¡± Bel cracked her eye open and saw that her calmer, better behaved snake was staring into the Heart of Olympos. ¡°That¡¯s probably bad for your eyes, Flora,¡± Bel scolded her. The snake gave her a side-eyed glance like she was an idiot.

    Orseis prodded her with a large wasp mandible. ¡°Come on, the scavengers are going to eat everything.¡±

    Flora slithered down Bel¡¯s face and clamped onto the severed jaw. She gave Bel a significant look.

    ¡°Do you think you can help, Flora?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think turning into a tree will help, Bel. Aren¡¯t you all drained of essence anyway?¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t hurt, Ori. And I ate so much, my core is bigger and halfway full. My snake probably has an idea.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles angrily. ¡°I swear to, uh, Deception I guess, that if you turn into a tree just so you can ignore me better, I¡¯m going to chop you down with my spear.¡±

    Bel ignored Orseis and hauled herself to her feet. She felt a little dizzy, and her body was sore, but nothing seemed terribly wrong. ¡°I¡¯ll pay attention, I promise.¡±

    Bel stretched her arms up into the sky and <em style="font-style: italic">mixed spirits with Flora. Bark grew over her head and spread down her body, stiffening her in place. Leaves sprung from her hands, reaching up to the sky and drinking in the light. When the transformation reached her bare feet, Bel could feel small roots growing into the ground.

    <em style="font-style: italic">The idea is creepy, but the soil feels nice and warm.

    Bel basked in the rays of the Heart as her roots dug through the tasty soil. When she encountered the first wasp, her roots burst from the soil and punctured its exoskeleton. They slowly dug through the flesh until they found the core. It was squeezed into essence and transported back to her through her tube-like root system.

    Bel was worried that she¡¯d lost all of the abilities during the process, but as the energy arrived she realized that some bits of the pattern remained. She let her roots keep growing outwards, pulling in bits of essence and fragments of the wasp¡¯s abilities as they went. Orseis sprinted past the radius of her search, desperate to claim a few more insects for her stomach.

    Bel smiled at her friend¡¯s antics, but then noticed Cress¡¯ intense gaze. Bel quickly looked away, pretending to be fascinated by her searching roots. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe turning into bears and trees isn¡¯t weird in the underworld, she tried to console herself.

    <hr>

    Cress marvelled at Bel¡¯s tree form as it efficiently gathered up the wasps¡¯ resources. She had to hold herself back from clapping or she would embarrass herself; it was just so refreshing to see a gorgon willing to be so quirky and impulsive. <em style="font-style: italic">The rest of us are truly stuck in the mud, she lamented.

    When Bel had first attacked the hive Cress had been worried that she was going into some kind of fit, but now it was obvious that she needed to extract information about the wasps¡¯ abilities. It made perfect sense. Cress even wondered if the wasp¡¯s barrier was somehow similar to the one that Bel was attempting to slip underneath.

    Her snakes rattled with excitement at the thought of their journey to the surface, and Cress was forced to calm herself before her snakes got too silly. Getting to the surface had always been her goal, but now it was so close! And not only that, she also had the aid of a goddess and her divine avatar!

    Cress grinned unconsciously at the thought of Lempo¡¯s offer. <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder if the other gorgons know about it yet?

    She would be a disappointed if she missed their initial surprise, but she suspected that would last a while. They would reach the Free City of Walls in less than a day¡¯s travel. If she went right to the gorgons¡¯ part of the city she couldn¡¯t imagine that the surprise would have died down.

    Cress tapped her chin in thought. <em style="font-style: italic">We¡¯ll need to recruit some of the gorgons to come with us, of course. None of them were interested when I went there by myself, but I¡¯m sure that they¡¯ll be convinced once they meet Bel.

    She nodded to herself as she watched the divine avatar for a few moments. Then her eyes strayed to the tentacled one, Orseis, as she crammed burned wasps into her face. Cress¡¯ brow crinkled as she once again tried to figure out what the strange girl had to do with either the gorgons or Bel¡¯s sacred mission. Once again she came up with a blank.

    <em style="font-style: italic">I¡¯ll need to practice Bel¡¯s language as we walk. Pointing at things could only take them so far, and eventually Cress would need to understand all of Bel¡¯s plans. She also wanted to know a bit more than whichever gorgons she could convince to join them. Not that she wouldn¡¯t welcome more of her sisters, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little worry worming its way into her head. Cress hadn¡¯t thought that she wanted to be special ¨C if she found a way to improve every gorgon¡¯s life, then wasn¡¯t that good enough? But the thought of one of the risk-averse hideaway gorgons taking charge of the group got her snakes rattling.

    She wanted to find young, idealistic gorgons to go to the surface. If they were going to start a new community far away from the prejudices of the underworlders, then they should start it without any of the gorgons that held them back for so long.

    She tapped her chin again. That was what she wanted at least ¨C she couldn¡¯t be sure about Bel¡¯s plans. She could only hope that the other gorgon¡¯s love of change and progress was just as strong, or stronger, than her own.

    </section>

 Interlude â€“ Stion, Disciple of Stability

    <section>

    ¡°Are you excited for the day, sir? Perhaps a little nervous?¡±

    Stion¡¯s tail twitched at the question. ¡°Not at all, Hulp. I¡¯ve been preparing for my turn as magistrate for over twenty thousand days, what would I be nervous for?¡±

    Stion flexed his neck ridges and appreciated their colors in the room¡¯s polished mirror. ¡°Now, help me into my magisterial robes so that I can begin my first day on time.¡±

    Hulp bowed obediently and scurried off to pull the robe from its hanging place. It was a rather bland bit of clothing ¨C Stion would much rather go without it to better display the colorful sheen of his scales ¨C but the robe was a tradition that dated back to the founding of the Free City of Walls.

    He almost snorted aloud at the name. <em style="font-style: italic">Just as bland as the robe, he thought. Still, for any city to exist for so long without oversight from the Asura <em style="font-style: italic">or the Naga meant that the founders had done something right, even if the system of democratically elected rotating dictatorial magistrates wasn¡¯t very intuitive.

    Stion tucked in his claws as Hulp threw the robe over his shoulders and wrapped it around his thin body. The helper began chatting as he busied himself cinching the appropriate sets of ties to get the robe to fit comfortably around Stion¡¯s body. Stion ignored him and began thinking about the day¡¯s tasks, until something caught his ear.

    ¡°What was that, Hulp?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Just that the old foxes must also believe you are ready sir, since they¡¯ve all gone on a retreat to the hot springs.¡±

    Hulp¡¯s nostrils twitched. ¡°All of them?¡±

    Hulp nodded enthusiastically as he tied an ornate knot. ¡°Yes magistrate, all of them.¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">That¡­ that sounds ominous, he thought. <em style="font-style: italic">They¡¯ve never particularly liked me.

    ¡°Are there any changes to the schedule, Hulp? Any unexpected meetings?¡±

    ¡°No sir, just the usual inspections. Oh, and today is a petition day, so there are a few of those.¡±

    Stion tapped the floor with one of his clawed feet. If anything out of the ordinary was going to happen, it would be during the petitions. ¡°Let us start with the petitions then. I¡¯m sure that our citizens are eager to meet their newest magistrate, eh?¡±

    Hulp nodded absently as he stepped back to inspect his work. ¡°Of course sir, I am certain that they are all quite excited. Do you want to wear the hat as well?¡±

    Stion hissed quietly while vibrating his throat to make a threatening rumble. The tassel on the little round hat jiggled in the wind from his breath, almost as if the object feared his wrath.

    Hulp wisely reached past the headwear and instead handed Stion a bulbous stone club with a head made from a solid block of diamond. ¡°The scepter is mandatory, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Stion huffed. Scepter in hand he set off, his clawed feet clicking through the hallways as he went. Some magistrates frowned upon haste, but Stion would never give up the predatory feel of sprinting down the wide stone hallways, his tail whipping behind him to stabilize his stride. He rushed all the way to the audience chamber, leaping from the floor to the raised dais in a single athletic bound. His forceful landing rattled the furniture, but everything remained in place. A quick check of his robe showed nothing in disarray; Hulp was good at what he did, after all.

    Stion waved his diamond scepter to one of the retainers waiting about the room. ¡°Are there any unusual petitions today?¡±

    The Jor¨­gumo woman bowed briefly, her silk robe shifting to briefly expose her black and yellow legs, before she straightened. ¡°There are two interesting petitions, magistrate. The first involves a gorgon who reports that a trickster has fooled one of their young into thinking she has been patronized by a goddess. The second involves a group of the goddess Kjar¡¯s followers who have captured an Asura who they claim has been marked as guilty by their patron¡¯s worldly avatar.¡±

    Stion snorted at the second one. <em style="font-style: italic">This sounds bothersome ¨C but bad enough for those annoying kitsune to take a break from the city?

    The woman plucked a piece of parchment from the wall where she had anchored it with a bit of silk. She scanned through the contents quickly and added, ¡°there are also an unusually large number of young people seeking guidance on their patronage.¡±

    ¡°The gorgon case sounds straightforward,¡± Stion declared. ¡°Show them in first. Someone else fetch one of the oracles ¨C if a goddess of retribution has an avatar running loose then we must proceed carefully.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The woman bowed and went to the door while Stion pondered where to stand. There was a couch on the dais, but couches were for weak, tailless creatures. If he stood though, he would be slightly off-center. <em style="font-style: italic">Maybe I could stand in front of it, but slip my tail underneath?

    For some reason, he had never thought about the problem until that moment. <em style="font-style: italic">Too worried about more important things, I suppose.

    ¡°Your first supplicants, Magistrate Stion.¡± The retainer bowed and moved back to her place at the side of the room.

    Stion looked up at the supplicants and restrained his tail from twitching. A stern-faced gorgon entered the room, leading a younger child behind her. He had an irrational urge to watch them in the polished stone floor rather than meet their gaze directly, but he controlled himself. Not only would looking away make him look weak, it would also send a terrible message to the people who made up nearly one in ten of the local population.

    ¡°Ladies,¡± he greeted them warmly. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±

    ¡°This child,¡± the adult began, forcing the young girl forward, ¡°she has been made a fool by some trickster god.¡±

    The young girl¡¯s snakes were curled with shame as her guardian prodded her forward. She opened her mouth to say something for herself, but the older gorgon kept talking. ¡°The old kitsune have burned many tricksters out. Can you do the same?¡±

    Stion skimmed his lips back in an approximation of a smile. <em style="font-style: italic">The old foxes may have run off, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t deal with little things like this.

    ¡°As a magistrate I have a great many abilities,¡± he replied warmly. ¡°First, bring her closer so that I may inspect her.¡±

    Stion set down his scepter on top of a small side table to free his hands and jumped down from the dais. A pair of attendants struggled to carry over a large stone basin that was used for rituals of balance and stability, the domains of Stion¡¯s patron. As they filled it with multiple jugs of water he gestured the young gorgon closer.

    ¡°Hello little one,¡± he said warmly. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Hoyle,¡± she replied shyly.

    ¡°That is not your name,¡± the stern gorgon responded.

    ¡°But I want it to be!¡±

    Stion¡¯s tail flicked with impatience. ¡°Well, Hoyle will do for now.¡± He tapped the edge of the basin. ¡°If you place your hands into the water we can use it as a medium to connect with <em style="font-style: italic">my patron. He¡¯ll have a talk with whatever trickster is in your core, okay?¡±

    The little girl stomped her foot. ¡°But she¡¯s not playing tricks! She said she would be my patron! And she said I could change my name, too!¡±

    <em style="font-style: italic">Yes, I am very glad that all of my hatchlings have long-since left the nest, Stion thought to himself. Aloud he said, ¡°well, it¡¯s my job to check that. If it¡¯s true, then I¡¯ll be able to meet her as well, okay? I promise that if she is who she claims then there won¡¯t be any problems.¡±

    The girl looked at him with obvious mistrust, her little snakes writhing about and flicking their tongues. Then her guardian pinched her ear and she quickly capitulated, rushing to the water-filled basin to avoid more ear twisting.

    Stion leaned low over the basin so his arms could reach the water, his tail extending to balance his long body. The little gorgon¡¯s lips quivered with fright ¨C probably at the size Stion¡¯s teeth as much as anything else. <em style="font-style: italic">I wonder if that stupid hat would make me look more friendly? he wondered. There had to be some reason that the founders had worn such a stupid thing.

    His claws dipped into the water and it turned a light, milky color at the touch of his essence. After a moment to let the water still, he began his prayer.

    ¡°Oh, holy lord of stability, hear my prayer! Reveal the force that inhabits this young one and seeks to destabilize her soul.¡±

    ¡°Greetings Stion,¡± a divine voice intruded into his head. ¡°This is an uncomfortably sudden turn of events, but the gorgons have been once again offered a place under our pantheon. The being in this girl¡¯s core is an agent of change and chaos¨C¡±

    ¡°Progress,¡± a new voice interrupted. ¡°Agent of progress, dear Stabilis.¡±

    The water beneath the little gorgon¡¯s hands frothed and turned into an eye-searing prism of colors. It pushed against the calm, milky white of the water under Stion¡¯s hands until the two forces reached a shaky equilibrium. The clashing patterns intruded upon each other¡¯s territories, like two cats curled together.

    ¡°Lempo,¡± Stabilis responded, his voice guarded. ¡°Why are you interfering with events in the underworld? You lead us to believe that your designs lie elsewhere.¡±

    Stion cringed, but he did he best to keep his tail from waving anxiously. An argument between gods was <em style="font-style: italic">not what he wanted to be involved in, especially not first thing on his first day as magistrate.

    Lempo¡¯s laugh reverberated through Stion¡¯s skull. ¡°Oh, come now Stabilis,¡± she chided, ¡°I¡¯ve hardly interfered. My avatar is just passing through, she¡¯ll be out of your disciples hair in hardly a moment.¡±

    ¡°Why change the gorgons now, Lempo?¡± Stabilis demanded. ¡°There was no pressing need.¡±

    ¡°I was asked!¡± Lempo laughed. ¡°How could I turn away someone who yearned so strongly for change?¡±

    There was a long pause where Stion could almost imagine his god sighing.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lempo began again in her cheerful voice, ¡°that reminds me. I set Ishmael free. He¡¯s been wasting away for far too long.¡±

    ¡°You what?¡± Stion cried in alarm, his worries about decorum instantly forgotten. ¡°The guide is gone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the poor guy was sealed away for way too long. Do you disagree, Stabilis?¡±

    ¡°While I do not fault your compassion, Lempo, we do have a process for these things.¡±

    Stion decided that he had more urgent things to than listen to the gods bicker. He withdrew his claws from the water and looked over the two gorgons.

    ¡°Everything seems fine with Hoyle,¡± he said quickly.

    The older gorgon frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not her name. And what about the trickster?¡±

    Stion waved the Jor¨­gumo attendant over while he shook his head. ¡°No trickster, totally aboveboard. If her goddess wants to call her Hoyle, that¡¯s fine with me.¡±

    He quickly turned from the flabbergasted gorgon and hissed to his attendant, ¡°where is the oracle?¡±

    Her eight eyes shifted around in discomfort. ¡°They¡¯ve all, uh, they are all sick magistrate. I¡¯ve been told that they¡¯ve gone to the mountains for some fresh air.¡±

    Stion¡¯s eye twitched uncontrollably and his neck frills stood out in alarm. ¡°Seal the city,¡± he commanded. ¡°Only citizens may pass through. No new visitors.¡±

    ¡°But¨C¡±

    ¡°No buts!¡± he interrupted with a gnash of his teeth, ¡°just do it!¡±

    </section>

 Chapter 97 â€“ The Free City of Walls

    <section>

    When Bel finally dismissed her tree form, Cress sprang to her feet. Bel cringed as she remembered her temper tantrum, but Cress was full of smiles and eagerness without any sign of a negative thought.

    ¡°I wonder what she¡¯s so excited about,¡± Bel mused aloud.

    ¡°Probably glad to finally get out of here,¡± Orseis griped. The cuttle girl was currently splayed out over a large rock, taking full advantage of the unwavering light from the Heart of Olympos.

    Bel narrowed her eye at girl. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can still move after eating all those wasps, Ori. Should we just roll you along with us?¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just give me a minute.¡±

    With seemingly enormous effort Orseis rolled herself off of the rock. She grimaced as she slowly stood, looking slightly sick to her stomach.

    Cress quickly moved towards Orseis, clearly worried that the girl was sick. Orseis waved her away with an embarrassed flush.

    ¡°I thought your abilities would let you keep eating forever,¡± Bel joked. ¡°There are still a couple of wasps left, if you want to keep going.¡±

    Orseis blanched. ¡°No.¡± She slowly rubbed her distended stomach. ¡°No, there are apparently limits to everything.¡±

    Bel grinned. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you learned something.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ face puckered like she was eating something sour. ¡°I hope you learned something too. Can we get through Technis¡¯ Barrier now?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± She glanced at Cress, who had transitioned from concerned back to overeager. ¡°Let¡¯s start walking first, or Cress may explode.¡±

    She gestured to Cress that they were ready and the excited gorgon hop-fluttered fifty strides ahead before turning around and waving for them to hurry up.

    Orseis turned green watching Cress¡¯ athletic movements. ¡°Maybe we should go slow,¡± she mumbled. ¡°You know, in case something attacks us.¡±

    Cress bounded back and put her hands on her hips as she inspected the overstuffed Orseis.

    ¡°Well,¡± Bel said brightly, ¡°this is an opportunity to learn some new English words.¡±

    She pointed at Orseis and made a pathetic face. ¡°Sick,¡± she said.

    <hr>

    It took Orseis less than an hour to recover to her usual self and their pace had advanced from a slow walk to a rapid bound through the Underworld¡¯s vibrant forest. Unfortunately for Orseis, Bel had used that time to teach them the English words for every type of sick feeling, followed by words for eating, gluttony, and juvenile behavior. Orseis had been too helpless to protest.

    ¡°Do you want to hear about the Barrier abilities now, Ori?¡±

    Orseis snorted but didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°They¡¯re really interesting,¡± Bel teased.

    ¡°Whatever.¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Okay, well, Flora¡¯s form was really cool. I was liquifying those wasps and converting their bodies and cores into some kind of essence sap so I could absorb them more rapidly. You know, I actually ate even more wasps than you, but my stomach is fine.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m so sorry for not absorbing them with my feet,¡± Orseis grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s too bad we can¡¯t all be the beloved daughter of a goddess and a spirit with plans for lunar domination.¡±

    Bel pursed her lips. ¡°Am I being mean?¡±

    ¡°Yes, obviously,¡± Orseis responded.

    ¡°Huh. I think I want a second opinion.¡± Bel glanced at Cress.

    ¡°Just tell me about the Barrier,¡± Orseis pleaded, ¡°before you teach her more words to make fun of me.¡±

    Bel smiled. ¡°Oh, okay. If you insist.¡±

    Bel silently gloated as they bounced through the trees. Travelling through the forest had grown far more enjoyable once the trees had gotten larger and stronger than the spindly ones they had first encountered. Cress showed them that they could take advantage of the low gravity by simply jumping from limb to limb. The trees swayed precariously as they did so, but travelling through them bypassed all of the thick undergrowth and ambush predators that waited on the forest floor.

    She would have liked to take some time to examine the forest ¨C it was full of interesting plants with large, ornate flowers and wildlife that she caught brief glimpses of as she passed overhead. Maybe if she had been alone, but she wasn¡¯t. She was supposed to be on a quest, and getting curious about the local wildlife probably wasn¡¯t what Lempo had in mind for her.

    Bel cleared her throat as she refocused her thoughts back to the wasps¡¯ abilities. ¡°The barrier abilities were really complicated, actually. Not because any one of them was really difficult, but because there were so many of them.¡±

    Bel rubbed her earring as she thought of her brother. ¡°James had a theory: creatures that evolved abilities would have lots of small, simple abilities that worked together to make a complex effect. The wasps¡¯ abilities were a little bit useful alone, but were better working together.¡±

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Orseis groaned, ¡°you sound like Flann dragging out one of his old stories.¡± She waved one of her tentacles impatiently as she used another pair to swing from a tree limb. ¡°Just skip to the end; can we get through barriers now?¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe. If Technis is just stealing the ability from some wasps, then his Barrier is made of lots of tiny tiles that are linked, layered, and fused together.¡± Bel paused momentarily to make a twisting motion with her hands. ¡°Like someone braiding and twisting rope. It¡¯s stronger than the pieces. I took abilities to warp and unlink barriers, but if they¡¯re too thick I may have a problem.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°So you can¡¯t get through it? What was the point of all that rampaging then?¡± Orseis derided.

    Bel sighed. ¡°Someone ¨C or something ¨C is creating the Barrier. It was clear from the abilities that they can¡¯t make a sphere of them, only a dome. The force of anything hitting a barrier is sent to the other side of the wasp making it. Tunneling underneath will work, and so will eliminating the source.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eye brightened and she grinned. ¡°I actually think I figured out something really interesting!¡±

    She turned to make sure Orseis was paying attention before launching into a lecture. ¡°I think the ability may have actually started as something to reduce air resistance while they¡¯re flying. They can conjure a barrier in front of them to transfer the force of the air to a spot behind them. If they conjured barriers on both sides they would destabilize each other by bouncing the force back and forth until they ran out of essence.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting, I guess,¡± Orseis admitted with far less enthusiasm than Bel had wanted. ¡°Sounds like something James would go crazy about.¡±

    Bel pictured her brother and laughed. ¡°Yeah, he would. Hopefully he and Daran are doing okay.¡± She lost herself in worry for a few moments before shaking it off.

    ¡°Anyway, I took two abilities: one to unlink the barrier tiles and one to warp them.¡±

    ¡°Not one to make a barrier?¡± Orseis asked.

    Bel shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s too expensive. I still want gorgon wings.¡± She lifted her chin at Cress, who was excitedly fluttering ahead and smashing anything dangerous with her maul. Bel felt a little bit guilty about leaving all the work to Cress, but the other gorgon seemed excited to rush ahead.

    <em style="font-style: italic">If I had wings, maybe I would want to rush ahead too, Bel lamented. The two abilities had set her back by forty strokes and delayed her ability to fly by an unknown amount of time. She was tempted to go out and hunt things for essence, but that sounded like something Orseis would do.

    Cress shouted from a tree ahead of them, breaking up their conversation. ¡°Here, look,¡± she instructed, pointing at a spot on the tree¡¯s large trunk.

    The tree bent under their weight as Bel and Orseis joined Cress on the large limb. It groaned in protest, but it held their weight. Once she was no longer worried about being dropped to the ground, Bel leaned over to inspect whatever had gotten Cress¡¯ attention.

    It was a series of pictures: an animal with a broken leash, some lines that were either a mountain or a wall, and a pair of people under a hut. Beneath the pictures were a complicated set of scratches that Bel didn¡¯t understand. Cress had once again pulled out her navigation tool and comparing its readings to the scratches, so Bel guessed that they were directions of some kind.

    Cress tapped the picture. ¡°Is close.¡± Then she tapped the unfamiliar marks and tilted her head. ¡°Is six, uh, six somethings far.¡±

    Orseis snorted. ¡°That clears things up, great.¡± Orseis looked at Bel. ¡°Hey, if she¡¯s already been to this place why is getting there so complicated?¡±

    Bel tried to prod the girl¡¯s unprotected stomach, but she quickly hoisted herself to a higher limb with a free tentacle. Orseis stuck out her tongue afterwards.

    ¡°It¡¯s close,¡± Bel repeated. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Cress nodded so vigorously that her snakes slipped from their positions. ¡°Close, yes!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the name of the place?¡±

    ¡°Name,¡± Crecerelle repeated. She pursed her lips and tapped on the symbols.

    ¡°Untethered wall town?¡± Bel guessed.

    Cress shrugged, accepting Bel¡¯s translation as good enough.

    Orseis snorted. ¡°We¡¯re going to get there and find out that it¡¯s a group of people who keep losing their livestock and don¡¯t know how to make buildings with more than one wall.¡±

    ¡°Oh, stop,¡± Bel shushed her. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s how they got started and now it¡¯s a big place with, you know, lots of walls. We¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Orseis replied with sarcastic cheer, ¡°it¡¯s only six somethings away.¡±

    <hr>

    Six somethings turned out to be less than half an hour. Bel stashed that bit of information away for future use and took a moment to marvel at her first Underworld city.

    Cress was eager to go straight to their destination, but Bel and Orseis needed some time to take in the sights. The forest came to an end at a vast depression beaten into the ground. It stretched as far as they could see, like an ocean of compacted soil filled with colorful grasses and wildflowers. The ground was rough and uneven, shaped by the footprints of creatures tall enough that their heads were lost in the clouds. A few of those footprints were deep enough to hold water, so the landscape was dotted with small, shallow lakes.

    Bel had thought that the Titan was tall, but around these creatures he would have been on the small side. There were turtles that moved like mountains, enormous lizards with footsteps that could have flattened a village in Satrap, and snails as massive as a stack of whales. The only way Bel could tell that the last were living creatures was the obvious trail of stripped ground behind them.

    The rest of the creatures were faster than the snails, but not by much. Bel watched in wonder as one of the lizards circled an equally impressive ape with fiery-red fur. The lizard had been sweeping its tail at the ape when she had first caught sight of it. A minute later and the attack was finally connecting. The ape slowly rolled backwards from the blow and began to fall.

    ¡°Are they moving in slow motion?¡± Orseis asked, perplexed.

    Bel shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s falling slower because gravity here isn¡¯t strong, but it¡¯s also really high up. That tail swing covered the distance we would walk in an hour, I think.¡±

    ¡°How tall is it?¡± Orseis wondered.

    Bel shrugged. ¡°James could figure out the height of things using some trick with shadows and triangles, but I never learned it. I wonder if they can¡¯t move too quickly without breaking. The force on their bones must be crazy.¡±

    Orseis shook her head. ¡°Not as crazy as the people who built that city in the middle of this.¡±

    Bel inspected the city again, struggling to make sense of it. ¡°City¡± made it sound like there was something planned and organized about it about it, which was wrong. There were walls, sure; huge sheets of snail and turtle shells were joined together to form the jumbled hodgepodge layers of the city, all joined together to form a long, narrow living space. Large, near-flat sections were used as the floors of each layer, and smaller pieces were fit together to create interior walls and bridges that spanned the open walking spaces. Underneath all that, the city had legs.

    The legs were made of bones joined together, forming limbs foreign to any living creature. The straight bones were assembled into flexible triangles and parallelograms that bent as the creature walked, churning over the ground like a stiff-legged sideways centipede. A crank hung underneath the living space to provide power to the legs, and was in turn powered by a long, undulating sail that ran along the city¡¯s length. It wasn¡¯t moving quickly, but its steady, inexorable pace was easily enough to outrun any of the equally gigantic beasts that shared the endless basin.

    Bel guessed that it was a feature of the design; she could see a large snail hoisted onto one side of the city. The catch was a swarm of activity, both of the denizens and of scavenging birds that filled the air around it. From their slightly raised vantage point, Bel could look down the main thoroughfare and see a steady stream of traffic hauling away meat and sections of shell for use through the rest of the city.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Orseis said as she stared in slack-jawed wonder. ¡°I take back all of my complaining. Any people who hunt food <em style="font-style: italic">that big are my kinds of people.¡±

    Bel thought about rolling her eyes or teasing, but the city had left her speechless. ¡°Yeah, whoever made that has got to be doing something right.¡±

    Cress gripped them by the shoulders. ¡°Great, right?¡± She gestured towards it. ¡°We go now?¡±

    Bel and Orseis nodded enthusiastically. Bel lifted a fist into the air and pumped it to show her enthusiasm. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    </section>

 Chapter 98 â€“ Unwelcome Attention

    Crecerelle lead to them to a trail that overlooked a steep escarpment that separated the cleared lowlands from the forest plateau. From there, they had an unobstructed view of the city and the mountain-sized creatures roaming the endless plains. At the edge of the plateau a thousand strides away a thin stone pier poked out like a needle. The end of the needle held a large, elongated balloon tethered by a thick cable. The distance was once again deceiving her, as the small pier managed to hold a large crown of people ¨C at least a hundred from her quick estimate ¨C which meant that the balloon was many times larger than James¡¯ creations.

    Bel pointed to the crowded pier. ¡°Is there a party or something, Cress?¡±

    Cress tilted her head and shrugged, either not knowing why they were gathered or lacking the words to answer in English. Bel didn¡¯t see any worry on her face though, so she continued without concern. Orseis, though, began to drag her feet.

    Bel slowed her steps and glanced back at her young companion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ori?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about meeting a bunch of Underworlders all at once,¡± the girl admitted hesitantly. ¡°The last time we did that, we got into a fight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­¡± Bel began, but then her face scrunched with worry. ¡°Hey, Cress, are those people friendly?¡±

    She pointed at the crowd and made and smiled. ¡°Friendly?¡± Then she scowled. ¡°Or unfriendly?¡±

    Cress paused and held up her hand in front of her face, performing a trick where she bent the air into the lens to see long distances. ¡°Friendly and unfriendly,¡± she after a brief inspection. ¡°But many gorgon,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°so it is safe.¡±

    Orseis waved her spear around to get Cress¡¯ attention and then pointed to herself. ¡°Not a gorgon,¡± she reminded the winged warrior.

    Cress frowned. ¡°What god made you?¡±

    Orseis rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m human and Cuttlefish. The Bargainer¡­¡±

    Orseis turned to Bel and switched back to the language of the Golden Plains. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain it in English, you do it.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t taught you two enough words for that,¡± Bel sighed.

    ¡°Then use you divine tongue thing.¡±

    Bel grimaced. Every time she tried to speak with her mother¡¯s or Kjar¡¯s voice things went wrong.

    Orseis prodded her with a tentacle. ¡°Just try it.¡±

    Bel reluctantly nodded and put a hand on Orseis¡¯ shoulder. She cleared her mind and thought about what she wanted to say: the Bargainer made a deal with the gods that allowed humans to reproduce with the creatures of Olympos.

    She opened her mouth and sought out her mother¡¯s divine voice. ¡°Humans are promiscuous,¡± she declared. ¡°This one constantly speaks of reproduction.¡±

    Cress burst out laughing while Orseis flushed an embarrassed red. Then the cuttle-girl¡¯s skin rippled with angry white bands and she slapped Bel with several of her tentacles.

    ¡°It¡¯s what Lempo said!¡± Bel yelped, warding off the blows, ¡°they¡¯re not my words!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the worst,¡± Orseis cried as she stomped away.

    Bel hurried after her, fearful of the outcome if she encountered someone in her current state. Cress trailed after them, wiping tears from her eyes as she barely suppressed more laughter.

    Orseis continued to sulk until they neared the pier, at which point she grudgingly allowed Bel and Cress to catch up.

    ¡°Is that really what a goddess thinks of me?¡± Orseis asked quietly.

    Bel lifted a hand to pat her consolingly, but Orseis slipped back a step. ¡°Lempo is more than a little mischievous,¡± Bel answered. ¡°She enjoys hanging out with Dutcha. You know, the one who proudly proclaims that she¡¯s a spirit of chaos.¡±

    While Orseis thought that over, Crecerelle stepped forward and waved into the crowd, getting the attention of several nearby gorgons. Now that they were closer, Bel could see that around a quarter of the people on the pier were gorgons, with the rest being a strange mix of humanoids that she didn¡¯t recognize. From their carts filled with felled trees and large, clay containers, it looked as if they had been gathering resources in the forest. Bel glanced up at the enormous, walking city; something that size would certainly require a steady supply of constant materials. She wondered if they had their own farms somewhere in the massive structure, or if they hunted and gathered for food as well.

    Cress called her name and Bel remembered that she was in the middle of meeting a whole new group of gorgons. She brushed some dirt and leaves from her armor as she rushed forward, eager to meet more of her kind. Then the first gorgon ¨C a tall woman with long, dark snakes hanging from her head ¨C turned from Cress and faced Bel. ¡°Porfit,¡± she said, introducing herself. Then she opened her arms for a hug.

    Bel could feel the sweat beading on her back in real time; she wanted nothing more in that moment than to turn down the friendly gesture. Dealing with that kind of close social interaction was like throwing a landlubber onto a deep ocean ship: the best case for Bel was embarrassment and the worst case was disaster. She couldn¡¯t see a way to avoid the other gorgon without causing offense though.

    ¡°Bel,¡± she weakly replied as she desperately tried to wipe the sweat from her palms before awkwardly opening her arms.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    As expected, the moment Porfit¡¯s head drew near Bel¡¯s snakes became entangled with the other gorgon¡¯s neat nest of serpents. The stranger gave her an incredulous look as she slowly extricated herself from Bel¡¯s disastrous social manners ¨C and was immediately accosted by Orseis. The tentacled girl had decided that the best way to fit in was by joining in, so she immediately approached the offended gorgon with a smile and a wide array of tentacles.

    The same expressions that had just passed over Bel¡¯s countenance now repeated across Porfit¡¯s. She obviously didn¡¯t want to hug the strange tentacle girl, but just as obviously she couldn¡¯t think of a polite way to avoid it. After a moment of hesitation she leaned down and gave Orseis a quick hug.

    And then the next gorgon turned from Cress to Bel. She had obviously seen the disaster that had just unfolded, but she also obviously felt that the hug was a required social gesture. The same act repeated seven more times: a gorgon approached Bel, introduced herself, they got their snakes tangled, and then Orseis gave them an awkward many-tentacled hug. The final hug ended with an entire group of perturbed gorgons murmuring to themselves while Cress desperately maintained her cheerful facade and continued introductions.

    All this social stuff is going to kill me, Bel thought. I could really use a fight to break things up.

    She moved her hand to her mouth to cover her shocked expression. Oh no, I¡¯m turning into Beth! She kept her hand over her face as she snickered, and turned away from the group so she didn¡¯t make an even bigger fool of herself. As she spun around, she caught sight of another group of gorgons who were making their way over. Bel¡¯s heart sank as she took in the newcomers¡¯ clothes. The first group had been dressed in practical, scuffed leather clothing and looked like merchants or traders. The new group gave off a different, more dangerous vibe.

    The least threatening was a full-figured gorgon who stood a palm shorter than Bel. She seemed important, because she looked abnormally well fed and was walking in the center of an escorting group of four other gorgons. She wasn¡¯t swelled to excess the way the aristocrats and clergy of Satrap had been, but, compared to the just adequately nourished people of the Golden Plains and the warriors and laborers on the pier, she stood out. The out-of-place look was only emphasized by her ornate silk robes, which accentuated her healthy figure but were impractical for strenuous work or travel. A placid group of snakes with glossy bands of black and brown scales rested on her head, calmly flicking their tongues at random intervals. When one of them peeked up curiously Bel could see a creamy yellow underbelly, giving it a friendly, pudding-like appearance.

    The woman had no visible weapons, but her arms were wrapped around an egg-shaped clay vessel large enough to fit a small child. She hugged it protectively to her chest, obscuring a colorful scene painted around the outside of the container.

    When she saw Bel¡¯s attention, the other gorgon smiled at Bel. Her dark eyes sparkled like the stars shining over the open ocean as she sashayed closer. Her retinue followed along, casting their gazes in every direction as if they expected an ambush at any moment. While the woman in the center looked out of place for being too soft, her four companions looked out of place for being too hard. The one who walked in front of her wielded a block of metal that masqueraded as a spiked shield in her left hand and a long, jagged saw playing at a sword in her right. She was covered in a dark, foreboding armor that covered everything except for the nest of thick-bodied vipers that emerged from her head. The woman¡¯s eyes were shrouded by a metal visor, but her vipers scanned the area vigilantly, tongues flicking constantly from their wide, muscular heads.

    The central gorgon was flanked by another pair of warriors, although those gorgons¡¯ weren¡¯t completely covered in armor. The one on the left practically swelled with muscles, looking like a smooth-skinned and slightly more dressed version of Ken from Nebamon¡¯s group. Her face bore a no-nonsense scowl and her dark wings flicked through the air with obvious irritation. She wore spiked knuckles on both of her fists and Bel could see a dozen pila poking over her shoulder, their long shafts ending with pyramid shaped tips that gleamed with menacing intent. A nest of snakes with dark red scales writhed angrily over her head. A pair of them flared warning hoods in Bel¡¯s direction when she looked at them for too long.

    The flanking gorgon on the right looked less threatening at first glance, with her sleepy black and white striped snakes draped lazily over her shoulders. A long sling hung from her hand and Bel could see several pouches hanging from her belt, which she guessed was a large supply of ammunition for her weapon. She peered into the distance with a relaxed, confident gaze, but Bel noticed that her off-hand held several stones ready to feed to her sling at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Trailing the group was a tall gorgon completely wrapped in a dark cloak and cowl. Clusters of wands hung in quivers on both sides of her waist and Bel wondered what other weapons were obscured by the shadows that clung to the folds of her clothing. Bel wouldn¡¯t have even been sure that the last figure belonged to a gorgon if not for the thin snakes with midnight-black scales that poked out from the darkness under her cowl to peer around haughtily, daring anyone to make trouble.

    The central gorgon walked with a lack of concern that Bel guessed was due to the strength of the four guardians around her. As she neared Bel, the lead protector with the jagged armaments and heavy armor somehow gave Bel an intimidating look before stepping to the side to allow her charge to move closer. She smiled at Bel but made no move to hug her: Bel felt a weight lift from her shoulders when she realized that she wouldn¡¯t be risking immediate death for tangling the woman¡¯s glossy snakes.

    The woman opened her mouth and said something as she gently swirled her clay egg. Bel smiled back, but internally she was screaming. Cress, help me out!

    Bel looked around for her companion, but for some reason Cress had gotten into an argument with a multi-eyed woman dressed in a short silk robe that showed off a multitude of thin black and yellow legs. Orseis was looking back and forth between the Cress and the spider woman, clearly interested in the argument even if she couldn¡¯t follow it. With her best apologetic smile, Bel looked back at the nicely-dressed gorgon and held up her hands in a gesture of helplessness. ¡°Sorry,¡± she interrupted, ¡°but I have no idea what you¡¯re saying.¡±

    The woman tilted her head in a brief moment of confusion and began going through greetings in different languages, obviously expecting Bel to pick up on one of them. From her earlier experiences with Cress, Bel expected the awkward interaction to go on for some time before ultimately ending in failure. She smiled uncomfortably the whole way through, sweat building up and dripping down her body as she awkwardly watched confusion yield to frustration in the woman¡¯s expression. Once the nicely-dressed woman ran out of languages she pursed her lips and squinted her eyes, a combination of frustration and intrigue vying for supremacy across her face.

    Then she held up her hands as if asking Bel to wait for a moment and took a few steps back to confer with her guards.

    Bel sighed with relief and waved her hands in the air in an effort to dry off the sweat. I really need underclothes, she thought to herself. I can¡¯t keep running around in nothing but Kjar¡¯s armor.

    She turned to see if Cress was having any luck when a pair of footfalls behind her announced the arrival of yet another stranger. I hope you don¡¯t want to run through all the same languages again, Bel silently implored.

    Then a blade cut straight through her neck. Bel¡¯s eyes widened as her suddenly numb body collapsed like a jellyfish.

 Chapter 98 â€“ Losing Her Head

    <section>

    After having her neck sliced clean through, Bel¡¯s body collapsed beneath her. Luckily for her, her head followed as her <em style="font-style: italic">liquid body struggled to rejoin the separated parts back together.

    The fall was brief, but it was long enough for Bel to wonder why this attack felt so different from her previous experiences. The near-instant speed and complete lack of forewarning probably had something to do with it, she decided.

    Her nerves reconnected just before she hit the ground and the jolt of pain and renewed control sent spasms through her body. She hit the ground with a thump and lay twitching, helplessly staring up at the weapon that had recently cut through her. Her mind latched onto the sword¡¯s blade longer than necessary, and the ogled the delicate pattern of waves formed by repeated folds of metal during the blade¡¯s forging. After far too long, the practical part of her mind told her to look at her assailant. Bel¡¯s gaze shifted up to the handle and the person holding it: a bulky woman with two small horns and a body made of a white, powdery stone. The stone woman stared back with contempt.

    The woman ¨C <em style="font-style: italic">probably some friend of the Asura, Bel thought ¨C pushed Bel to the ground with the heel of her boot. As she lifted her sword, Bel used <em style="font-style: italic">destabilize bonds on the footwear, relying on her armor to handle the blast that would remove the woman¡¯s foot. Instead of an explosion though, the woman¡¯s expression flickered and Bel felt her ability disperse.

    Bel was already <em style="font-style: italic">mixing spirits with Sparky though, so she just needed a moment¨C

    With a tap of her foot the woman sent a neutralizing pulse through Bel¡¯s body; like a wave clearing a sand castle, Bel¡¯s power was washed away. When Bel¡¯s snakes collapsed she stared at her assailant in shock, wide-eyed and helpless. The stone woman¡¯s mouth opened in arrogant sneer that revealed her pointed fangs.

    And then a large block of spiked metal slammed into her face, throwing her off of Bel as she staggered back several steps. The armored gorgon who had been guarding the silk-clothed woman followed just behind the reprisal, the spiked metal recoiling into her blocky shield as she leaped over Bel¡¯s prone form. The warrior swung her saw blade down at the stone woman, but the attack was intercepted by a heavy bracer on the woman¡¯s left wrist, although the force of the attack forced the stone woman back another step.

    A ball of light formed around the woman¡¯s right fist as she swung it at the armored gorgon, but the gorgon moved her shield and intercepted the attack with a casual shift of her stance. Light and metal met with the sound of a thunderclap as the stone woman¡¯s attack was easily halted, but before she could withdraw her hand the shield warped into a wide mouth that snapped shut around the woman¡¯s wrist.

    The stone woman howled in pain, but the armored gorgon didn¡¯t hesitate, immediately kicking the woman in the leg to knock her onto one knee. Then she drew her saw blade down, tearing through the metal bracer and into the woman¡¯s stone body beneath it, sending out a spray of fine dust that filled the air with the smell of powdered stone.

    Bel blinked the dust from her eyes and looked again ¨C the armored gorgon wasn¡¯t actually moving the saw, she was manipulating the metal so its teeth spun around the blade, continually cutting into her opponent one tooth after the other. The stone woman struggled, but with her right hand caught in the gorgon¡¯s shield and her body pinned back against the ground she had nowhere to go. The gorgon pressed her blade forward until it went through the woman¡¯s stony arm and continued into her body. After a few protracted screams from the woman and the high-pitched whine of stone yielding to metal, the woman was cleanly bisected. The gorgon shoved the two halves apart, unfazed by the gruesome scene, before catching an exploding arrow on her shield. Several more non-exploding missiles bounced harmlessly from her armor.

    Bel pushed herself up with her still numb limbs and realized that an entire battle had broken out; she had simply been too absorbed with her imminent danger for it to register. A force of around twenty more people had shown up with the stone woman, but they were being held back by a self-organized group of gorgons. Two of the fancy woman¡¯s guards had closed around her to protect her from any attacks, while the one with the sling was sending missiles at the attackers at an incredible rate. There was a crack with each fling of her sling, as if the air was protesting the abuse, and when the missiles struck a shield or limb they exploded with bursts of blue fire.

    The other gorgons, who Bel had been thinking of as common laborers, had all drawn weapons of one form or another and stood their ground. The attackers were all either made of stone or wore the strange tinted stones over their eyes, but even without their signature powers the gorgons were able to force the attackers back with a constant stream of arrows and stones as some of them fetched shields. As an impromptu shield wall formed, more gorgons ran forward to slot their spears over the heads of their sisters in the front line, and in less than a minute they formed a cohesive defensive force.

    The armored woman who had just saved Bel rushed forward and literally smashed another stone person into dust before leaping back to Bel. She flicked her hand and the metal of her shield unrolled. The metal turned into a loop that wrapped around Bel, and the woman pulled her back behind the front line. The armored warrior didn¡¯t stick around to see if Bel was alright; she leaped right over the front line to take a spot at the lead before shouting directions at the other gorgons.

    Bel tried to get her feet back under her, but her body was still having a bad reaction from her recent decapitation and she only managed to lean up slightly. <em style="font-style: italic">Well, better this than dead, she consoled herself.

    She inspected the state of the fight and was surprised to see that, other than Orseis, none of the non-gorgons had come to help. In fact, they had all moved farther down the pier as if they wanted nothing to do with whatever was happening. Orseis, though, was stealthing herself and peeking from behind the shield wall, looking for opportunities to throw her spear. Bel saw her put the weapon to good use, catching a hairy giant in plate mail in the knee, which brought him low enough for Cress to splatter his head with a swing from her maul.

    Bel grunted in satisfaction at the sight.

    She heard a calm, familiar voice coming from her blind side on her left, and Bel turned to see the silk-clothed woman from earlier. Two of her guards remained with her, but they didn¡¯t spare Bel a second glance as they ¨C and their snakes ¨C scanned the area for threats. The woman, though, remained solely focused on Bel.

    She reached down with a finger and rubbed Bel¡¯s neck, and Bel was surprised to see her finger come back covered in blood. The gorgon licked it and pursed her lips, like a person deciding if a particular spirit was to their taste.

    <em style="font-style: italic">Gorgons don¡¯t eat other gorgons, right? Bel tried to assure herself. <em style="font-style: italic">It¡¯s not like I¡¯m dead!

    Bel opened her mouth and explained as much. ¡°I¡¯m not dead you know,¡± she said defensively. ¡°It¡¯s just a small flesh wound. I¡¯ll get better.¡±

    The other gorgon tilted her head, clearly unable to understand Bel¡¯s words. She straightened slightly and pointed to the egg-shaped container that she had rested on the ground next to them. She patted it proudly and swirled it suggestively at Bel.

    ¡°Is it a healing thing?¡± Bel wondered aloud. The woman¡¯s eyebrows went up, but she didn¡¯t say anything in response. Bel glanced back at the fighting; while the stalemate was still holding, there were now several gorgons with missing limbs, screaming in agony behind the shield wall where they¡¯d been dragged. There were some stilled bodies as well, which Bel desperately hoped were people who had been knocked unconscious rather than killed. The woman followed Bel¡¯s gaze, and her looked turned serious. She turned back, and Bel thought that she detected some urgency in her gaze.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Oh, crows,¡± Bel cursed. ¡°Okay, sure, I¡¯ll try the egg. I should be helping.¡±

    The woman smiled at Bel¡¯s awkward nod. She deftly twisted the top of her egg, revealing that the top of the container was a bowl that had been expertly fitted to the vessel. She flipped it around and held it to Bel¡¯s neck and¡­

    ¡°Are you bleeding me out?¡± Bel asked, incredulously. The silken-clothed gorgon patted Bel on the head, but her gaze remained fixed on the bowl.

    Bel glanced at the egg, wondering if she could intuit its function from simple observation. A mural was painted across its surface, and although Bel could only see one side of the container, she was blown away by the detail and artistry. It seemed to depict a many headed creature fighting an angry bearded man. The bearded man wielded swords of lightning and cut all the heads from the creature, but that didn¡¯t kill it. Instead, the heads swam into the sea and grew new bodies with more heads. They swam out of the sea again, but that¡¯s where her view of the story ended.

    <em style="font-style: italic">They¡¯re probably going back to mess that lightning guy up though, Bel thought with satisfaction. She could sympathize with creatures: they were obviously up against some kind of god. Even though they were easily beaten, they had the audacity to go back for another round.

    The other gorgon finally finished with her bowl. She lifted it carefully up to the top of the egg and gently tipped it over, spilling Bel¡¯s blood into the vessel. Then she placed the bowl back on top, stood, and hurried over to the other wounded gorgons. Her two guards followed quickly, not sparing Bel a second glance.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Bel croaked, ¡°was I just robbed?¡± Bel watched with shock as the fancy woman knelt next to one of the stilled gorgons, pulled out a knife, started to sway and chant, and began carving off her snakes.

    <em style="font-style: italic">By Technis¡¯ shriveled manhood, what the hell is going on?

    Bel watched the gory ritual with wide-eyed disbelief. Her mind felt like a piece of driftwood caught in a gyre, spinning in circles, never to escape. Then a small metal ball with legs crawled onto her chest.

    ¡°Oh, what now,¡± she growled aloud. She¡¯d just been cursing Technis, so she spoke in the Satrapian language.

    ¡°Oh, you speak Mycenaean?¡± the ball asked in a friendly male voice that didn¡¯t suit the current situation. ¡°This should be fun! I hardly ever get to use this one.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bel sighed. ¡°What¡¯s happening now?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± the metal ball replied, ¡°I¡¯ll be your translator. The undersecretary of discipline is going to be speaking.¡±

    ¡°The under¨C¡± Bel started, but then she felt a force squeeze around her body. She tensed in response, but whatever had caught her was as thin as thread but as strong as Technis¡¯ Barrier: Bel had been completely immobilized. She looked up in a panic and saw that the entire battle was frozen in place, with some people stuck in midair.

    ¡°It¡¯s policy for us to translate everything we hear, and to allow anyone the chance to challenge the record of this event. The record will be stored in the city archives, which any citizen can access between the eighth and fourteenth rotations of the timing leg.¡±

    The woman in silk was splattered with blood and was stuck with her hands half-submerged in her egg. After a metal ball climbed up to her shoulder, she began to complain loudly.

    After a brief pause, the translation commenced. ¡°The gorgon¡­ hmm, there¡¯s no good word in Mycenaean, do you know of one? Nevermind, you know who she is, so I¡¯ll just call her the egg-woman. I¡¯ll follow up with you later for an updated vocabulary.¡±

    The voice cleared its throat ¨C an odd thing to do for a metal ball, which made Bel realize that it was just a speaking device like her earring. ¡°The gorgon asks that she be released to continue her sacred duty.¡±

    A loud voice that emanated from everywhere around her responded. ¡°You may proceed,¡± the ball translated. A moment later, the egg-woman was freed.

    ¡°Was she talking through the things that are binding us?¡± Bel asked. She was pleased when the ball answered.

    ¡°Yes, the undersecretary of discipline is a Jor¨­gumo of great skill and a master of her silk. You must not be from around here if you don¡¯t know that. Maybe I should have guessed from you language.¡±

    The undersecretary herself descended on a strand of silk, her eight thin, delicate legs of alternating black and yellow dancing over the nearly invisible wire. ¡°Why has this conflict arisen on the Free City¡¯s pier? You know that our citizens are protected within the lands we claim.¡±

    One of the attackers, a person with a body of a milky, nearly slightly transparent stone, responded in an outraged voice. ¡°Your city has violated its treaty and blocks the free travel of my patron¡¯s people! That alone is an act of aggression that we demand you halt immediately!¡±

    The undersecretary rolled her eight eyes. ¡°Ah, yes, the god of tradition. I can understand why she would throw fit if anything changes. We haven¡¯t blocked any travel though, we are simply increasing the amount of time that we give ourselves to verify¨C¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡± the stone man replied.

    The undersecretary¡¯s eyes narrowed and her legs twitched. The stone man fell into several neat slices of stone a few heartbeats later.

    ¡°Next,¡± she declared. ¡°And no more interruptions. As all of <em style="font-style: italic">you have invaded <em style="font-style: italic">our territory, I shall be treating you as uncooperative combatants. Discipline will be dispensed accordingly.¡±

    ¡°Undersecretary Hattattatti¨C¡± a woman made of a dark blue stone began.

    ¡°Is that supposed to be my name?¡± the spider-woman interrupted.

    The translator spoke quickly, providing a bit of commentary to Bel. ¡°She totally botched it, by the way. To be fair, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s pronounceable without multiple strings.¡±

    ¡°Hattattada¡­ Hatta¡­ Madam Undersecretary,¡± the struggling woman forged onward, ¡°we never attacked one of your citizens. We only bear ill-will towards one who is antithetical to our most cherished beliefs.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± the undersecretary said, a note of curiosity in her voice. ¡°Then let me ask the gorgons, why are you fighting these people?¡±

    The gorgon in the spiky armor responded with a deep, reverberating voice. ¡°These people attacked a gorgon while the egg-woman was speaking with her. Violence near the egg-woman is unacceptable.¡±

    The undersecretary nodded. ¡°I see, I see.¡± She turned back to the blue woman. ¡°Well? Everyone knows that the egg-woman is sacred to the gorgons. Why would you attack?¡±

    ¡°Pardon me, madam undersecretary, but the woman was not a gorgon, and the attack was clean and instant. The egg-woman was never in danger.¡±

    ¡°Then your target is dead? You have no reason to remain?¡± The undersecretary gestured with her legs. ¡°And yet you are still here.¡±

    The blue woman scowled. ¡°Well, no, the person in question yet lives.¡±

    ¡°I sense that you are dissembling.¡± A sour note had entered the undersecretary¡¯s vibrations. ¡°A clean and instant attack that does not cleanly and instantly kill its target sounds like the beginning of a brawl to me.¡±

    ¡°But she is not a gorgon, madam,¡± the stone woman replied hastily, ¡°the egg-woman had no reason to remain near her, and we waited until they had finished conversing.¡±

    ¡°And who is this not-gorgon?¡± the undersecretary asked, scanning the crowd.

    Bel timidly raised her hand, attracting the undersecretary¡¯s intense scrutiny.

    ¡°She appears to be a gorgon to me.¡±

    ¡°I hope you will not take offense, undersecretary, but her appearance is a deception designed by the goddess of change and upheaval. She is not a product of the same gods who birthed the gorgon race.¡±

    The undersecretary tilted her head and Bel could feel the silk around her waist tighten by a fraction. ¡°So this is the child of Lempo, then? Are you not a gorgon, child?¡±

    ¡°W¨Cwhat else would I be?¡± Bel stammered back.

    The spider-woman turned her gaze back to the woman of blue stone, who was surreptitiously casting hateful glances in Bel¡¯s direction. ¡°Are you saying that a goddess cannot creature a creature of whatever race she desires?¡±

    ¡°Well, no madam, but she is more spirit than gorgon.¡±

    The blue woman twitched as the silk around her tightened. ¡°So she is <em style="font-style: italic">some gorgon then? Do the gorgons not claim all with their blood as sisters?¡±

    The stone woman¡¯s fingers trembled nervously as she stammered her response. ¡°But she is the offspring of the goddess of change and upheaval. Magistrate Stion is a disciple of the god of stability, is he not? Surely he would not¨C¡±

    The woman¡¯s words ended in a strangled choke as the undersecretary pulled on her silk. ¡°Change is not anathema to stability.¡±

    She flicked a leg in the city¡¯s direction. ¡°Magistrate Stion himself often reminds us as such. Does the city not roam these plains in a cycle of continual change? Have we not spend our entire existence seeking to improve ourselves and our city?¡±

    The undersecretary waved a hand dismissively. ¡°No, change is required for stability, for stagnation is the rot that leads to collapse. Your arguments are rejected.¡±

    She paused and tilted her head towards a small metal ball that rested upon her shoulder. Then she cut her hand through the air in a rapid chop. ¡°Discipline has been approved by the magistrate. It is now complete.¡±

    The attacking group was sliced into pieces before they could open their mouths to cry out. Stone people shattered into tiny shards while people of flesh and bone were reduced to thin slabs of meat. The ground ran thick with blood as the soil struggled to contain the sudden deluge.

    A moment later, Bel felt the silken restraint around her go slack. All of the gorgons stepped back from the carnage, looks of both relief and disgust on their faces.

    Some rushed to the injured, but the rest turned, one by one, to stare at Bel as she struggled back to her feet.

    ¡°Oh, um, h¨Chello,¡± she greeted them nervously.

    </section>

 Chapter 99 â€“ Thread of the Conversation pt 1

    Bel wilted under the gazes of the unfamiliar gorgons. Her feet shuffled awkwardly as she turned to look for Cress and Orseis and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that they were both unharmed. Orseis was shouting at the air, but, after a moment of consideration, Bel decided that it was more likely she was yelling at her translator than she had actually gone mad. Cress grabbed her by a pair of tentacles and began dragging the stubborn cuttle-girl along behind her.

    Bel took a step towards them, anxious to be surrounded by familiar faces. Before they were close enough to call out, the undersecretary of discipline made an announcement through her webs that caused everyone to stop and look up at her.

    ¡°The air ship to the city will be departing in a single rotation. Citizens should board quickly. Non-citizens must apply for access at the processing station near the sky anchor.¡±

    The undersecretary plucked a strand of her silken web, sending a shimmer of colors along its length to guide listeners to the processing station. ¡°The processing time for applications is currently thirty cycles.¡±

    ¡°Madam Undersecretary,¡± the silk-dressed gorgon called out. She pointed directly at Bel. ¡°She has recently donated blood. Has the rule allowing visitation rights been suspended?¡±

    The spider woman laughed, first by emitting a chattering noise from her mouth and then by plucking her web to produce a more human sound. ¡°You have taken her blood already? I thought that the egg-women were supposed to be careful and discerning.¡±

    ¡°We are also quick-witted, Madam Undersecretary,¡± the gorgon replied with a smile.

    The Undersecretary waved her legs carelessly. ¡°The daughter of Lempo was already going to be admitted into the city. Stion does not want to tempt her mother into any calamitous acts in our vicinity, but turning her away will only lead to unwanted surprises. He has decided that it will be safest for us to keep an eye on her and send her on her way quickly.¡±

    The gorgon bowed. ¡°Magistrate Stion is already showing his wisdom.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, and he¡¯ll appreciate your vote when ballots are next collected.¡± The undersecretary turned her eyes onto Bel. ¡°You¡¯ll be riding with me, lest you cause even more trouble,¡± she said sternly.

    Bel quickly held up her hands to hold the woman off. ¡°What about my companions? Can they come too?¡± Bel pointed at Cress and Orseis.

    The undersecretary glanced at them. ¡°Yes, I suppose that I had better take them as well. Who knows what kinds of trouble you are bringing along for the ride.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not causing any trouble,¡± Bel quickly rebutted.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The undersecretary gestured to the gory remains of the people who had come to kill Bel. Bel shrugged helplessly. ¡°They started it.¡±

    The spider woman snorted before gracefully lowering herself to the ground. ¡°The three of you, please follow me,¡± she declared, waving them along. ¡°We need to talk.¡±

    ¡°I would like¨C¡± the silk-robed gorgon began, but the undersecretary quickly cut her off.

    ¡°You will be able to find her in the city center later, after Magistrate Stion is done with them,¡± she said, not allowing room for disagreement.

    Cress fluttered to Bel¡¯s side, but Orseis zipped past her to address the undersecretary. ¡°I¡¯m glad to finally meet someone with a respectable number of limbs,¡± she cheerfully greeted the dangerous woman. ¡°How do your people say hello? Hug? Bow? Shake limbs?¡± Orseis¡¯ tentacled rippled through the air expectantly.

    The spider-woman looked Orseis up and down. ¡°Not immediately attacking and devouring someone is considered friendly enough for my people.¡± She gestured to the airship. ¡°We¡¯ll be riding in a cabin at the top, safely separated from the rest of the excitable passengers.¡±

    Bel gave Orseis a consoling pat on the back and frowned at the undersecretary. ¡°I¡¯m really not here to cause trouble,¡± she insisted.

    The undersecretary shrugged slightly. ¡°Who would say otherwise?¡±

    While Bel pondered that, Cress clapped her hands with exuberance and said something in her native tongue.

    After a brief pause, the translate came out of the metal sphere: ¡°We can finally talk about all the plans Lempo has for us gorgons!¡±

    ¡°The plans,¡± Bel repeated, ¡°you know, my mother doesn¡¯t actually tell me much.¡±

    Cress¡¯ face creased with concern, but before she could respond the undersecretary tossed loops of silk around Bel and her companions. With a quick tug from her eight legs, Bel was quickly jerked into the air by a silken line that was anchored at a flat area on the top of the ship with a small, box-like cabin. Cress flared her wings before they touched down on the deck, but Orseis and Bel needed a few stumbling steps to dissipate their momentum. By the time Bel had her feet under her, the undersecretary had already yanked the cabin door open and was gesturing them inside.

    ¡°Come one, come on, before some sky sharks get a whiff of all that blood on you,¡± she hurried them impatiently.

    ¡°Sky¨C¡± Bel began, but Orseis tugged her into the cabin.

    ¡°If it has shark in its name,¡± the cuttle-girl hissed, ¡°then I don¡¯t want to meet it.¡±

    Bel found herself in a small, but nicely appointed space. There were plush chairs of different sizes, a pen filled with sand, and a small pond with something flowering at its edges.

    The undersecretary made a noise like a deflating bellows and tossed herself into a long, narrow day bed. She hung one arm over the back of the furniture and waved at them with the other. Her legs plucked at a few threads that ran across the cabin to generate her speaking voice. ¡°Make yourselves comfortable. There are drinks in the bar, but Stion said he wanted to dine with you Bel, so don¡¯t load up too much.¡±

    While Bel hesitated over the woman¡¯s sudden change in demeanor, Cress skipped to the bar and Orseis rushed over to the pool. She dipped a tentacle into the still surface and grinned. ¡°Is this for lounging too?¡±

    The spider woman nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Then her eyes narrowed. ¡°But don¡¯t drip on my carpet when you get out.¡±

    Orseis turned a pale white at the suddenly threatening tone, but she still shamelessly kicked off her fuzzy clothes and slipped into the water. A moment later she slipped under the surface.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden change?¡± Bel asked, her courage and curiosity finally restoring her voice.

    The undersecretary pointed at them. ¡°You three aren¡¯t citizens. That means you can¡¯t vote. And that means that I don¡¯t have to keep up appearances.¡±

 Chapter 99 â€“ The Thread of the Conversation pt 2

    The undersecretary reached up to her head to tug out several pointed sticks from her hair, freeing a cascade of dark locks that rushed over her shoulders. Bel hadn¡¯t noticed it during the fighting, but the undersecretary was wrapped in colorful red and gold silks that complemented her black and yellow legs. Some powders and ash had been applied to her face to highlight her lips, cheek bones, and eyes.

    Bel turned to the reflective surface of a large metal seat and self-consciously examined her reflection. Her snakes were in a lazy tangle spilling over her head and her skin was covered in grime and blood. Bel glanced at Cress, with her well-behaved snakes and gleaming wings, and sighed. Then she leaned closer to the reflection and examined her neck. That¡¯s another scar; I thought I was done with those, she thought regretfully.

    Bel shook off her own worries. She needed a way to restore contact with her brother, and she was pretty sure that the people here could help. She considered the shifting demeanor of her host and said, ¡°I guess things would be different if you had to worry about Hot Mike.¡±

    The undersecretary tilted her head with confusion as a translation flowed through a small metal ball perched on her shoulder. ¡°Hot Mike?¡± she repeated.

    Bel nodded. ¡°He¡¯s someone in the Old World who watches over what you do. If you¡¯re bad, he¡¯ll send a recording of it to everyone who hates you.¡±

    The undersecretary strummed her threads, creating a discordant tone. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in Old World fairy tails. This is the real world.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but my Old World stories are true,¡± Bel said coyly. ¡°My brother is from there.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± came the undersecretary¡¯s terse reply.

    ¡°But it¡¯s true,¡± Bel grinned, ¡°and I can talk to him through this earring.¡± She frowned sadly, trying her best to remember how Lempo convinced people to do things. ¡°Unfortunately, it hasn¡¯t been working since I¡¯ve gotten to the underworld. But, hey, I think that your little translation balls must use similar technology ¨C maybe you could help?¡±

    The undersecretary¡¯s eight eyes narrowed as she looked at Bel. ¡°You¡¯re too young to try to pull one over on me, little gorgon.¡±

    Bel grit her teeth. ¡°Fine, but he really does come from the Old World. A bad guy named Technis has been kidnapping people from there.¡±

    The spider woman shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not¨C¡±

    She paused, laying her fingers on the small translator sphere on her shoulder. ¡°Well,¡± she finally continued, ¡°I suppose that we could humor the thought. Whether this brother of yours speaks the truth should become clear quickly enough.¡±

    Bel nodded with satisfaction. Orseis had resurfaced, but was too busy enjoying her first soak in a pool in forever, so Bel turned to Cress hoping for someone to acknowledge her victory.

    Cress had a look of consternation on her face though. ¡°Brother?¡± she asked. ¡°I thought I misunderstood when we didn¡¯t have a translator. Is Lempo making¨C¡±

    Bel waved her hands to interrupt the other gorgon. ¡°No, no, he¡¯s adopted. Like I said, Technis kidnapped him from the Old World.¡±

    Cress breathed an audible sigh of relief. ¡°I like change,¡± she explained, ¡°but some change is too much.¡±

    The undersecretary snorted. ¡°We¡¯ve had reports of you riling gorgons up wherever you go, Crecerelle. You even made it into some of our watch lists.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Cress exclaimed, full of innocence. ¡°I¡¯m only trying to find a better life for my sisters.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The undersecretary waved her hand. ¡°Yes, yes, and anyone who wants to go with you is free to do so. They¡¯re watch lists, not arrest warrants.¡± She turned to Bel and explained. ¡°It¡¯s like a release valve, letting the most energetic and problematic members of our society vent their issues somewhere else. We see it from time to time, but it never amounts to anything.¡±

    Cress waved her hands in Bel¡¯s direction. ¡°Never amounts to anything?¡±

    The undersecretary smiled. ¡°Well, it looks like you got lucky! Let¡¯s hope that luck doesn¡¯t end up wiping all of you out, okay? The goddess of change and upheaval isn¡¯t everyone¡¯s favorite deity, you know?¡±

    A spindly black and yellow leg pointed at the small pond where Orseis was bobbing up and down. ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with her? Is she something some sea god put together? Or another one of Lempo¡¯s creations?¡±

    Bel glanced at the bubbling water. ¡°No, she¡¯s part human and part cuttlefish. Probably some other parts as well.¡±

    The undersecretary frowned at the mention of humans, and she glanced at the pool distrustfully. ¡°Human? You aren¡¯t bringing a bunch of humans down here, are you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Bel denied, ¡°just her. And we¡¯re not planning on staying.¡±

    ¡°Thank the Heart. Humans have barely been around for few millennia, but they¡¯re in my top eight worst disasters to deal with. One of them actually propositioned me once.¡± She shook her head and shuddered. ¡°Unbelievable.¡±

    Cress leaned over a chair with interest, her snakes flicking their tongues eagerly. ¡°Who¡¯s the worst then? Gorgons aren¡¯t on your list, are they?¡±

    The undersecretary laughed. ¡°Of course not! They¡¯re one of my most reliable voting blocks. Dragons on the other hand¡­¡±

    Cress and the undersecretary chuckled together, obviously sharing some joke. Then Cress leaned closer to Bel, speaking fluently in her own language. The translator rushed to capture all of her words.

    ¡°Hey, now that we have access to some translators, can you give me all the details of Lempo¡¯s quest? She wants us to gather gorgons together, but I¡¯ve never really understood what kind of place we¡¯re going to on the outerworld.¡±

    She mimed punching someone. ¡°Like, are we taking it from that Technis guy, or are we joining another group as mercenaries and getting land as a reward?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Bel hesitated, but the undersecretary interrupted quickly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on your divine quest for a moment, okay? Stion is going to want to ask a ton of questions. No offense to your gorgon friend, but he has far more experience deducing the motivations of the gods.¡±

    She turned towards Cress. ¡°Like I said, if you can convince some citizen to join you we won¡¯t interfere, but if you¡¯re leading them all to their deaths then I¡¯m going to have to object.¡± She proudly tapped herself on the chest. ¡°The gorgons are one of my favorite voting blocks. I don¡¯t want them disappearing for nothing.¡±

    ¡°So let¡¯s talk about something else,¡± she said abruptly. ¡°Do you ladies have any questions? About the city? I apologize for the rush, but Stion made it clear that he didn¡¯t want to risk¨C¡± Her voice changed to something deep and husky, and Bel realized that she was impersonating her boss. ¡°¨Cany annoying delays, wars, or god-created cataclysms.¡±

    She winked with half of her eyes. ¡°Looks like I stopped a small war, so now we just have to avoid any cataclysms and we should be fine. Your mom isn¡¯t planning on coming down here, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Bel quickly denied. ¡°She would destroy things from a distance, I think. Kjar is the one who would get personal with a problem.¡±

    The woman¡¯s face creased as she frowned. ¡°The goddess of corporal punishment? What do you have to do with her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my aunt,¡± Bel answered happily. She tugged on her armor. ¡°She gave me this after she, uh, finished some business on Olympos.¡±

    The undersecretary¡¯s face twitched like she was attempting to smile but had forgotten the mechanics. ¡°Does that happen often?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Bel rushed to reply, ¡°just the once.¡± She channeled extra energy through Kjar¡¯s sight and examined the undersecretary.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t glowing evil when I look at you with her ability, so I can¡¯t imagine her wanting to come down here.¡±

    The undersecretary slowly relaxed back into her seat. She gestured to Cress. ¡°You think you¡¯re going to convince other gorgons to travel with this walking volcano? Good luck.¡±

    Bel¡¯s hand went subconsciously to Sparky, but the little snake wasn¡¯t doing anything bad.

    Cress nodded quickly, clearly determined to overpower the undersecretary¡¯s pessimism with pure positivity. ¡°Yes! Lempo has already agreed to be a patron to the gorgons, and Kjar said she would consider it in the future. These are wonderful changes for our people.¡± She pumped her fists energetically. ¡°I¡¯m sure the other gorgons will see this as a great opportunity.¡±

    The undersecretary shrugged. ¡°Well, those are changes, that¡¯s for certain. We had a caretaker the other day who thought that a trickster spirit had gotten into a young gorgon¡¯s soul.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Next time, you could think about giving everyone a warning first. I¡¯ve been fielding complaints nearly non-stop.¡±

    She clapped her hands. ¡°But now that you¡¯re here, I can just blame you! That¡¯s politics at its finest!¡±

 Chapter 100 â€“ Negotiating Change

    The undersecretary¡¯s flippant comment set Crecerelle off like a spark to kindling. The gorgon¡¯s eyes widened, her snakes rattled their tails, and she began stalked to the lounging spider-woman like a warrior going into battle. ¡°Blaming a gorgon is the oldest trick of you people at the top! You sit around all day, pointing your fingers at us, blaming us for all of our problems, while it¡¯s you who keeps us down!¡± Cress punctuated her arguments with jabs of her finger as she drew closer.

    The undersecretary smirked and strummed her web with her many legs. ¡°It¡¯s just inertia ¨C something that starts at the bottom tends to settle there. She leaned forward slightly.¡±There are plenty of gorgons who succeed though ¨C you just need to work within the system.¡±

    She leaned back and sighed dramatically. ¡°Unfortunately, someone like you doesn¡¯t seem to be able to understand that much.¡±

    Even Bel could see that Cress was being goaded into a confrontation, but by the time the words had left the undersecretary¡¯s mouth Cress was no longer thinking rationally. The two of them engaged in a frantic shouting match, as if they were vying to spit out words faster than louder than the other. Orseis quietly pulled herself out of the pool and slunk over to Bel, and by mutual consent they retreated to the far side of the room. Their translators were frantically converting words and phrases, but they reached their limits as they simultaneously attempted to translate two people yelling over one another while also explaining the intricacies and nuance of some of their turns of phrase.

    The end result was Orseis immediately searching the area for food, her tentacles pulling open drawers and reaching into cabinets in rapid succession, feeling around for anything interesting. She pulled out and discarded several items before passing around a small, off-white puff from sucker to sucker. She considered it seriously for a few moments before popping it into her mouth.

    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t eat random things,¡± Bel chastised her.

    Orseis gave Bel a side-eyed look before pulling out a small bucket of the bite-sized puffs and shoveling a tentacleful into her mouth. ¡°Why not?¡± she munched at Bel, ¡°they¡¯re delicious.¡±

    Bel sighed, turned back to the argument, sighed again, and then took one of the puffs. Her eyes widened with surprise as she bit down. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s like someone trapped something light and fluffy and covered it in salt! It¡¯s nice!¡±

    Orseis rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I said.¡± She turned back to the argument. ¡°Any idea what all this is about?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I think that people may look down on gorgons down here. That was the impression I got from the giants. I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s antagonizing Cress though, it seems unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s setting us up?¡± Orseis ventured.

    Bel popped another few puffs into her mouth. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense ¨C why would she rescue us then?¡±

    Orseis crammed a mouthful of puffs into her face, determined to eat more than Bel. ¡°Dunno,¡± she said before chews. ¡°Maybe she was acting on orders?¡±

    The loud blast of a horn finally brought an end to the argument. The undersecretary quickly picked herself up and began fixing her hair, deftly putting it back up with her long hair ornaments. ¡°Well, that was a lovely discussion, but Stion has asked me to rush you straight to him,¡± she declared.

    The undersecretary brushed past the still-seething Cress and pushed the cabin door open. She gestured for them to follow as she ambled out.

    Cress stomped after her. Bel and Orseis shared concerned looks before they also followed through the door and into the stiff breeze that permanently blew through the open plains. From the cabin¡¯s perch on top of the airship they had an unrestricted view of the free city of walls. That perspective revealed to Bel the origin of the ¡°walls¡± part of the city¡¯s name. She had previously seen how the city was divided into layers, but from the top she could now see that walls cut through the layers as well, further slicing the city into small compartments. For anyone living or passing through the interior of the space, walls were all they would see.

    The city was unique, or at least Bel had never seen anything like it. Waste was tossed behind the city, to be recycled back into the soil by whatever passed by. She could actually see a herd of house-sized beetles streaming along in the city¡¯s wake, picking through the refuse produced by the population. If she peered into the distance, she could make out the discarded bits of the giant creatures captured by the city: shards of enormous snail shells, piles of offal, and the occasional bone stuck up from the otherwise flat expanse.

    The city itself was lively, even chaotic. Every space seemed to be filled with people; walking, running, or flying, they were all in motion, like the city itself. Bel looked up and inspected the horizontal sails that pushed the city ever forwards. ¡°I wonder if James would be impressed, or if his world has stuff like this.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± a reedy voice piped up from beside her, ¡°I¡¯m sure he would be impressed!¡±

    Bel jumped in surprise; she hadn¡¯t heard the small, bearded man approach. Even with his tall, pointed hat he only came to her waist, and his eyes were covered in a pair of spectacles that carried multiple lenses on rotating gears. Currently, one of his eyes bulged through a thick piece of glass while the other one was dulled by a gray-tinted lens. Bel held back her laughter when she was several tools caught in his long, gray beard. Her initial surprise was quickly dispelled by his harmless appearance.

    ¡°Who are you? And how do you know who I was talking about?¡± she inquired.

    ¡°Oh,¡± he peeped, ¡°my apologies! I¡¯m Martinus!¡± He laughed as he tugged on his beard. ¡°My parents wanted me to grow up big and strong, but living in a city like this one how could I resist being an engineer!¡± He gestured to the sails and the gears of the legs below them and then flicked his hand towards new construction on the end of the spine. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t want to be involved in all of that!¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Bel nodded. ¡°It¡¯s great. But, uh¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, by the builders, I¡¯m sorry! I happened to be looking at some of our ongoing transcripts when I saw you complaining about your communication device!¡± He pulled his spectacles from his face and rubbed at them with a cloth that he pulled from one of the many pouches hanging from his waist. ¡°I would love to take a look at it. And if you wouldn¡¯t mind, I¡¯d love to talk to your brother too!¡±

    He squinted up at her. ¡°You were telling the truth about him, right? It wouldn¡¯t be the first time someone tried to pull a fast one on me.¡±

    Bel waved her hands quickly. ¡°No, no, James is a real person and he¡¯s really from the Old World.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Martinus exclaimed.

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± the undersecretary cut in, ¡°she is in a rush.¡±

    ¡°But¨C¡± Martinus began, but his voice faded from her hearing as Bel was suddenly ripped through the air by one of the undersecretary¡¯s strands of silk. She glanced to the side to see Orseis in a similar situation. Behind them, Cress was pumping her wings to keep up, her face as dark and angry as an oncoming storm.

    A moment later Bel and Orseis were unceremoniously spilled onto the polished marbled floor of a luxurious palace. The undersecretary pulled on her webs and darted off into the sky before Cress could touch down.

    ¡°Are you two okay?¡± she called out with concern. ¡°When I find whoever asked for this treatment, they¡¯re going to get a piece of my mind.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± a deep voice replied. It¡¯s owner stalked into the courtyard, revealing a body more than twice Bel¡¯s height and longer than five or six of her stretched out, counting the long tail that counterbalanced his muscular upper body. His arms looked strong enough to tear her apart, but were comically small compared to his powerful skull and long, sharp teeth. He was wrapped in an ornate robe of shimmering colors and on his head he wore a small red cap with a golden tassel that was completely out of place on his enormous skull.

    ¡°The undersecretary was enjoying a bit of autonomy, I¡¯m afraid,¡± he rumbled. ¡°Delegation is the bane of all centralized governments.¡±

    He waved a short hand, drawing Bel¡¯s attention to a small, ornate club held in his claws. ¡°I am Magistrate Stion, the democratically elected dictator of the city for the next few thousand days.¡±

    ¡°So she was being a jerk on her own?¡± Cress asked.

    ¡°Is that why she ran away?¡± Orseis added.

    Stion waved the club in what Bel realized was his version of a shrug. ¡°On her own? I think not. But it is certainly part of why she ran away.¡±

    ¡°Now¨C¡± he began.

    ¡°There you are!¡± Martinus cried. He circled overhead, supported by a pair of wings that stuck out of a large pack on his back. He pulled a lever, which caused the wings to tuck in an propel him into the ground at a dangerous speed.

    With a deftness and delicacy that belied his bulk, Stion plucked him from the air before he could hit the ground. ¡°Martinus, you always seem to appear at both the best and the worst possible times. Since you are here though, I¡¯m giving you a command to stay with us. I may have need of your expertise.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Martinus said distractedly as he stuffed the wings back into his pack, ¡°oh sure, stick around, okay.¡±

    The moment he crammed the last wingtip into his pack, he hopped over to Bel. ¡°Give me your communication device, quickly, before something else pops up. I want to get working on it right away.¡±

    Bel frowned. She did want him to fix it, but she didn¡¯t want to risk losing her only link to her brother.

    Stion''s nostrils flared as he snorted. ¡°His appearance leaves many things to be desired, but he is quite good with his hands. He is on our board of continual improvements, actually.¡±

    Bel shrugged and began unscrewing her earring so she could hand it over to him. I suppose it isn¡¯t much use if I can¡¯t actually talk to James, she consoled herself.

    ¡°For a disciple of Stabilis, you¡¯re quite accommodating of change, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cress asked, skeptically.

    He waved his club again before turning towards a large doorway. He gestured for them to follow as he replied. ¡°Stagnation leads to collapse. My aim is to achieve a perpetual state of improvements that prevent the wild oscillations that come from reckless improvements¨C¡±

    He paused to gesture at Martinus, who had eagerly accepted Bel¡¯s earring and was examining it under the magnification of his spectacles. He reached into a pocket of his shirt and pulled out a small tangle of wires, which he proceeded to tap against Bel¡¯s earring.

    ¡°¨Cand to also prevent the decline and collapse that come from those who refuse to change.¡±

    ¡°That sounds smart,¡± Bel said quickly, before Cress could start picking another fight. ¡°So why did you want to see us?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± he began, ¡°it is sometimes safer at the eye of the storm than in the thick of it. I would also be interested in hearing of the Old World. One never knows where you can learn something interesting.¡±

    He turned to them twirled his club. ¡°I¡¯ve found that it¡¯s always best to go into stressful conversation on a full stomach, so I hope you won¡¯t mind dining with me this evening. There will be another guest as well.¡±

    He glanced at Martinus. ¡°Two guests, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°We would love to,¡± Orseis shouted gleefully.

    Cress and Bel rolled their eyes at the younger girl¡¯s enthusiasm.

    ¡°Is a conversation really going to be that stressful?¡± Bel wondered.

    Stion huffed, a loud snorting rumble that made Bel¡¯s bones shake. ¡°Unfortunately, these things have a way of growing messy.¡±

    ¡°These things?¡± Bel prompted.

    ¡°Anything involving the pantheon,¡± Stion replied. ¡°Nobody wants to touch it, and the more you know the worse you are sometimes.¡±

    He thrashed his tail with agitation. ¡°First, all the old folks go on vacation so that I¡¯ll take the blame for any bad outcomes, then my subordinates try to sell me out, and now I¡¯ve got emissaries from more nations than there are pillars in the sky.¡±

    Martinus¡¯ yelp of joy cut through the sudden tension. ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± he squealed.

    He waved Bel¡¯s earring at her, only it was now joined to a small golden clasp by a finger-length chain of shimmering material. ¡°This¡¯ll increase the frequencies supported while also improving the signal quality and battery lifetime! It wasn¡¯t a bad bit of innovation, if I¡¯m being honest, but the execution of the original was downright shoddy. Whoever made this was a complete amateur.¡±

    ¡°Uh, it was a rush job,¡± she explained lamely, not adding that the original rush job had taken multiple prototypes and a few months of work. Bel accepted the earring back and quickly attached it to her ear.

    Stion shook, his large, toothy muzzle as he glanced at Martinus, who was completely immune to the mood around him. ¡°What a growing mess,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Sell you out?¡± Bel asked with concern, her mind replaying Stion¡¯s earlier words.

    ¡°My undersecretary was trying to get some juicy bits added into your transcripts, you see. It doesn¡¯t capture the tone of your voice, just your words, and she is rather adept at making the other party sound exactly as she wishes. She¡¯ll be running around the city now, convincing our native gorgons that you¡¯re all extremists who are here to corrupt the youth and convert them to a dangerous, evil goddess.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes twitched at the implication. ¡°Hey! My mom is maybe a bit dangerous, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s evil.¡±

    Stion laughed, the sound menacing enough that Orseis turned white as a cloud and began fading into the background. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the local gorgons will eventually come around to her, I¡¯m sure. Too late to help you, though.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Cress jumped in. ¡°If you want our help with something, you should let us go out there and talk to the local gorgons first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want much from you,¡± he stressed, ¡°but there are others who are obsessed. And they would like a word with you.¡± He turned to them, his large eyes glancing at each of them in turn. ¡°Over dinner.¡±

 Chapter 101 â€“ Surprise Dinner Guest

    James looked over the marks scratched onto the rolled-out strip of clay. ¡°This is completely wrong, Scaglia,¡± he told his student. ¡°Not only is it wrong, but you tried to copy the answer from your seatmate.¡±

    ¡°But, but,¡± the young beetle-boy stammered. Other than an extra pair of arms and his large mandibles, his pale, nearly translucent skin, and he his bald, orange head, the boy looked far more human than his beetle parents. The mandibles growing from the sides of his mouth made James want to look away in discomfort, but he forced himself to stay calm as the young boy¡¯s mouth parts waggled around.

    ¡°But I copied it perfectly,¡± the boy finally asserted with self-righteous indignation. ¡°The answers are right!¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± James agreed, ¡°but not for your questions. If you copy things then you won¡¯t learn anything.¡± James sighed. ¡°At least learn to copy from someone doing the same questions, this is just sad.¡±

    The boy crossed his two pairs of arms. ¡°Why would I need this math stuff anyway? Once I pupate, I¡¯ll be big and strong like my father.¡± His voice took on a tone of awe as he clearly thought about turning into the same large, powerful stag-beetle-person as his father. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just go and fight the Satrapians, like everyone else.¡±

    James sighed. Scaglia¡¯s father had already told James that the matchmakers thought it likely that the child would end up being much smaller than him, with strength only slightly greater than a typical human¡¯s. It was a success from a matchmaking point of view ¨C he was much closer to a human than to a beetle after all ¨C but for a young boy who obviously idolized his father it wasn¡¯t what he wanted to hear.

    ¡°And what if you see a group of people approaching and you need to report back how many there are?¡± James reasoned. ¡°There are times when numbers become more powerful than the swinging of any sword.¡±

    The boy paused to think for a moment before he held his hand close together. ¡°A few.¡±

    He spread his hands apart. ¡°A bunch.¡±

    His arms moved as far as he could spread them. ¡°A lot. That¡¯s all you need.¡±

    James ran his head through his hair as he resisted the urge to scream. He was saved by the sweet sound of his wife¡¯s voice from the entranceway.

    ¡°Husband?¡± Daran called to him. ¡°Are you almost finished?¡±

    He looked up with relief, gazing into her eyes with longing. His gaze dropped to their child, who she was carrying on a strap across her chest. ¡°Almost. I¡¯m just trying to convince Scaglia here that numbers aren¡¯t his enemy.¡±

    Daran laughed, showing off her pretty smile. ¡°Yes, we have enough to fight since Technis lowered his Barrier. We do not want to add numbers to our list of enemies. They are¡­ hm, what is it you say? Numbers are infinite?¡±

    James grinned at his wife and she smiled back.

    Then she gave Scaglia a stern glare while her antennae beat the air with mock-agitation. ¡°I can help with this grub ¨C managing a growing hive full of the young and injured has taught me the values of your numbers and record-keeping.¡±

    She pointed at James. ¡°You should return home, though. Your device is beeping; that means that Bel is reachable again, yes?¡±

    James clapped his hands with excitement and whooped with delight. ¡°Yes! Thank god ¨C or gods, or Lempo or Kjar or whoever,¡± he finished awkwardly.

    He pushed himself to his feet and rushed forward, pausing to give his wive a kiss before leaving the room. ¡°And make sure that Scaglia knows that copying work is wrong!¡± he shouted as he ran down the hallway.

    At a full sprint, he covered the five minute walk in less than a minute, before bursting breathlessly into his laboratory and record-keeping room. Realizing that calling his sister without being able to breathe would be pointless, so he paused to take a few deep breaths, his hands clenched around his knees as he bent over and sucked in deep breaths. Then he nearly leaped out of his skin when Beth silently slipped into the room behind him and prodded him in the back.

    ¡°Holy shit, Beth, don¡¯t do that.¡± He waved his hands at her, shooing her back with irritation as sweat trickled down his face. ¡°Go practice your shadow skills somewhere else.¡±

    She smiled brightly as she took in his discomfort. ¡°Perfection takes practice,¡± she laughed, ¡°and I¡¯ve got to train you to be on your guard.¡± Her lips tightened and her eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on being careless, are you? You have a family to protect, don¡¯t you?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    James grit his teeth. On the one hand, Beth was absolutely making fun of him. On the other hand, she wasn¡¯t wrong. He really did want to keep his family safe.

    ¡°Look,¡± he said, as calmly as he could muster, ¡°Bel¡¯s speaking stone is back online. Let me call her while I still have signal.¡±

    Beth¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Oh? Is that what¡¯s been making the annoying beeping?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± James shouted, exasperated. ¡°If you¡¯d ever stop to listen to my explanations, then you would already know that!¡±

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so on edge. Fatherhood must be really stressful.¡±

    She stared at him for a few moments. ¡°Well? Are you going to call her?¡±

    ¡°I was hoping for some privacy,¡± he grumbled. ¡°If you¡¯re here, you¡¯re going to waste her battery stressing her out about how Technis¡¯ priests are kicking our asses.¡±

    Beth shrugged. ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of important, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Maybe if you hadn¡¯t gone around hunting down all of his agents¨C¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Beth cut him off, clearly angry at the implication. ¡°That was Hanti.¡± She hooked a thumb into her chest. ¡°I brought back the warning from Dutcha. It¡¯s not my fault that Hanti ignored it.¡±

    James tiredly waved his hands, tired of rehashing the same thing. Instead of responding, he went to his communication setup and started connecting the different wires that would initiate contact with his sister. Beth came closer and leaned over his shoulder as he moved things into position.

    ¡°Bel?¡± he spoke into a diaphragm of stretched hide. ¡°Bel, can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Wow, it works!¡± Bel shouted back. Her voice was far louder than it had been in the past, and was much clearer as well.

    ¡°Bel, where are you? You sound really clear?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in the underworld. Some engineer improved you¨C¡±

    She paused for a moment, clearly talking to someone else.

    ¡°Sorry, an engineer named Martinus fixed it. He wants me to tell you that your work is shoddy and that you should really be using a cipher code. Or something like that.¡±

    James¡¯ eyebrows went up. ¡°Do you mean encryption?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Sure. I don¡¯t know, nobody else speaks English so I¡¯m going through a few other languages.¡± She sighed and James could picture her snakes flicking out their tongues as her faced scrunched with displeasure. ¡°Really, I¡¯m amazed that we¡¯re talking at all.¡±

    ¡°Bel, we probably don¡¯t have that long to talk, so let¡¯s focus on getting anything important across before we chitchat.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± she replied with a bright, cheerful voice. ¡°Martinus also improved the battery. We should be good for three or four times as long. I think his changes also make the earring look better too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Bel. People here don¡¯t even know how to make wire.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, sounds like more excuses. Anyway, I¡¯ll give you a quick summary of stuff down here. Let¡¯s see¡­¡±

    She paused for a moment. ¡°Well, the world is hollow and there¡¯s a big glowing ball called the Heart of Olympos at the center. We¡¯re currently in a gigantic walking city headed by some kind of democratically elected dictator who also happens to be a t-rex I think, at least based upon your descriptions of dinosaurs. He¡¯s making us go to dinner with someone who may have a problem with our being here.¡±

    ¡°Hey Bel,¡± James interrupted the moment she paused for a breath. ¡°Let me update you on our side first.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, kid,¡± Beth cut in, ¡°things have gotten really serious down here.¡±

    ¡°Hey Beth!¡± Bel shouted.

    ¡°No, stop interrupting,¡± James hissed.

    ¡°Guess what, kid?¡± Beth continued.

    ¡°Uh, what?¡±

    ¡°Your mom gave me my own personal spirit that follows me around! He¡¯s hiding in my shadow right now!¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­ why? And where did you find here?¡±

    ¡°So I could learn more about shadow stuff,¡± Beth answered. ¡°She was busy eating a mountain or something strange, so we didn¡¯t talk much.¡±

    ¡°Get to the point, Beth,¡± James seethed.

    ¡°Yeah, so, Dutcha warned me that Technis has spies outside of Satrap. She also said that Technis has a way of knowing when they die, but guess what?¡±

    Beth paused and waited for Bel to answer.

    ¡°People didn¡¯t listen to your warning?¡±

    ¡°You got it,¡± Beth shouted with sarcastic glee. ¡°So they went crazy sniffing them out and poof! Down goes the Barrier and out come his inquisitors and patchwork people.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel breathed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s really terrible.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± James butted in, ¡°at first everyone in the Golden Plains was excited to meet the humans, but the delvers and the people from the Points have mostly retreated into the Labyrinthos. We¡¯ve only been able to talk to a few stragglers, but from what they¡¯ve told us it seems like Technis was messing around until recently.¡±

    ¡°Messing around?¡± Bel asked.

    Beth snorted. ¡°Yeah, he was sending out his ¨C what does James call it? His B team.¡±

    ¡°More like his C team,¡± James continued. ¡°When he got serious he wiped out the opposition in a day. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s even serious now, or just keeping us out of his hair.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Bel cursed. ¡°It sounds like I really need to speed things up down here. And right now I¡¯m stuck going to dinner with a dinosaur.¡±

    There was a muffled noise and then Bel spoke to someone else. ¡°What¡¯s a dinosaur? I don¡¯t know, actually. What are¡­ okay, but it isn¡¯t that important. Ow! Let me finish talking, and then I¡¯ll pay attention, I promise.¡±

    ¡°Look, Bel,¡± Beth said seriously, ¡°do whatever you need to do down there, shake people¡¯s hands, lick their faces, whatever weird shit is the custom down there, but you need to figure out Lempo¡¯s plans fast. Things are going up in smoke up here, and we don¡¯t know where all of his inquisitors have gone. Some of them could be surrounding us, or going to other islands to gather strength there, or they could even be going after you.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel said, her voice dropping.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she repeated her voice barely louder than a whisper. ¡°I just found one. An inquisitor. He¡¯s who I¡¯m meeting for dinner.¡±

    Beth and James looked at one another, their expressions grim.

    ¡°It¡¯s Clark,¡± Bel whispered. ¡°The same one we knew in Technis¡¯ prison. He says to send his regards.¡±

    There was a long pause as James and Beth exchanged nervous glances.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna disconnect,¡± Bel said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to pay attention.¡±

 Chapter 102 â€“ Balancing Act

    ¡°Damn,¡± Bel cursed. Her mind wandered to Flann and Jan. Had the old men been pulled into the fighting? She hoped not. ¡°It sounds like I really need to speed things up down here,¡± she said, angry with herself. ¡°And right now I¡¯m stuck going to dinner with a dinosaur.¡±

    Stion craned his neck around as he continued walking down the incredibly wide hallways of his palace. The thick slab of polished stone that served as the building¡¯s floor shuddered with the force of his steps, even in the low gravity of the Underworld. ¡°I¡¯m a what? That word didn¡¯t translate.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes recoiled and she feared that the massive magistrate thought she was insulting him. ¡°What¡¯s a dinosaur?¡± she repeated weakly. She really wanted Stion liking her, especially if the surprise dinner guest was going to be trouble. ¡°I don¡¯t know, actually,¡± she said with what she hoped was an innocent smile. ¡°What are¨C¡±

    ¡°We prefer to be called ¡®walking serpents¡¯,¡± he growled, ¡°although some people have called us dragonets.¡± He flicked his tail a few times. ¡°Is dinosaur and Old World term? You¡¯ll have to tell me more about it.¡±

    Bel withered at the thought of explaining her second-hand knowledge of James¡¯ world. She had a vague memory of James saying that Dinosaurs were Greek, but she didn¡¯t know what those were either. Embarrassed, she meekly replied, ¡°okay, but it isn¡¯t that important.¡±

    Cress elbowed her in the ribs. ¡°This is a serious situation, Bel,¡± she whispered, ¡°we need be on our best behavior.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snake flicked their tongues in irritation. ¡°Let me finish talking, and then I¡¯ll pay attention, I promise,¡± she pleaded.

    ¡°Look, Bel,¡± Beth said seriously, clearly tired of only hearing one side of a conversation, ¡°do whatever you need to do down there, shake people¡¯s hands, lick their faces, whatever weird shit is the custom down there, but you need to figure out Lempo¡¯s plans fast. Things are going up in smoke up here, and we don¡¯t know where all of his inquisitors have gone. Some of them could be surrounding us, or going to other islands to gather strength there, or they could even be going after you.¡±

    As Beth spoke, a spider woman pulled a massive door upwards with a set of webs anchored to the ceiling. The door neatly lifted into a space in the ceiling above it, creating a seamless corridor that lead to a room with a long, stone dining table laden with food ¨C mostly sizzling meat. As the aroma wafted out, it pulled Orseis forward like a fish on a line. Stion watched her pass with amusement before waving his ornamental club, urging Bel and Cress ¨C and the engineer, Martinus ¨C forward.

    Bel stepped into the room and scanned along the table, taking in the Stion-sized throne on one side and long bench with human-compatible plates and utensils set at evenly spaced intervals. Everything was incredibly luxurious ¨C the stone was a deep red with natural speckling of a darker vein, the utensils were a shining silver, and the plates were carved from a deep green stone and had detailed designs inlaid along their edges. She was so distracted by the setting that it took Bel a few moments to look to the far side of the table where setting had been made for the other dinner guest. She looked up, met the person¡¯s eyes, and then her heart plummeted a thousand feet into an abyss.

    She blinked, desperately hoping that she had been mistaken, while her mind spun so quickly that it shattered her thoughts into a million pieces.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel breathed.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she repeated weakly as ice spread through her veins and wrapped around her intestines. Her feet scuffed forward and stopped as her body refused to take another step. ¡°I just found one,¡± she whispered to her siblings. ¡°An inquisitor. He¡¯s who I¡¯m meeting for dinner.¡±

    She recognized the man: he was dressed in the deep blue robes of Technis¡¯ inquisitors, with golden filigree that traced the hems of his clothes and marked his high rank. More than recognizing his clothes though, she knew him. The sight of his face filled her mind with unbidden sensations: the skin being flayed from her back, James¡¯ screams as he was whipped when Bel didn¡¯t cooperate, the days of constant bloodletting. The memories rattles around in her head, setting her snakes to hissing as they picked up on her agitation.

    ¡°Ah,¡± the inquisitor said. He smiled like a submerged crocodile and slowly took a sip from a crystal glass. ¡°If it isn¡¯t Lempo¡¯s beloved daughter. Are you talking with Bethany and that red-haired boy through your little earring? Do send them my regards.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Clark,¡± Bel whispered. ¡°The same one we knew in Technis¡¯ prison.¡±

    She swallowed with difficulty, her throat suddenly dry. ¡°He says to send his regards.¡±

    Clark grinned at her and leaned back in his seat while Cress examined Bel with concern. Stion stalked forward to his throne and crouched over the padded rests sculpted for his large body, unconcerned with the animosity between his guests. Orseis finally tore herself away from the food and retreated back to Bel.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna disconnect,¡± Bel said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to pay attention.¡±

    ¡°You know him?¡± Orseis asked, her tentacles nervously passing her divine spear from sucker to sucker. ¡°Is he a problem?¡±

    ¡°He is a human,¡± Cress said darkly. ¡°They¡¯re always trouble.¡±

    ¡°Ladies, don¡¯t judge me so quickly,¡± Clark responded. He used the same underworld tongue as Cress, shocking Bel. ¡°Bel and I spent many of her formative years together.¡±

    Bel found a seething anger boiling up from her chest and melting the terror in her veins. She uncurled her spine, squared her back, and stared straight into Clark¡¯s eyes. ¡°Where did you pick up that language, Clark? Was there a helpless child wandering around? Did you rip it straight from their vocal chords?¡±

    She turned to Stion and pointed angrily at the inquisitor. ¡°Magistrate, you should know that this man is a killer and a monster.¡±

    Stion laughed, a loud, deep rumble like a rolling thunderstorm. His reaction only incensed Bel further and she hissed along with her snakes. ¡°He may be,¡± Stion replied, ¡°but so are you, little gorgon!¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Do not think that we don¡¯t know of your little escapade with the giants. Every survivor is a killer in this world, unless you stay safe behind the walls of a city like ours.¡±

    He gestured to the bench along the table. ¡°Now sit,¡± he commanded. He gestured between Clark and Bel¡¯s group. ¡°This is exactly how things should be ¨C he hates you, you hate him, and each of you cannot act without the other acting in opposition.¡± Stion closed his eyes in contentment. ¡°Trapped in a perfect balance.¡±

    His eyelids opened slowly and his eyes darted from one of them to the other. ¡°But perhaps you could convince me that events should tip one way or the other, hm?¡±

    Bel gaped at the powerful walking serpent. ¡°What?¡±

    Clark laughed and banged his staff against the floor several times before speaking in Mycenaean so Bel could understand him. ¡°He¡¯s asking for bribes and favors, you naive thing,¡± he mocked. He clicked his tongue loudly. ¡°If only you had learned more about politics, perhaps things would have gone better in the Golden Plains. Then maybe you would have gotten here without so many difficulties.¡±

    Bel grit her teeth, staring daggers at the hateful man. He glowed a deep, insulting red in Kjar¡¯s sight, as if she didn¡¯t need more confirmation that he was evil.

    ¡°Magistrate, there is no gain to keeping such a creature around,¡± Clark said, his tone light and jovial. ¡°Let us dispose of it ¨C we would be doing you a favor, really. They aren¡¯t even citizens of your fine city.¡±

    Cress slammed her fists into the table. Bel winced as her knuckles met the hard stone, but Cress was unflinching in her outrage. ¡°What gives you the right! As if a human like yourself could be a citizen!¡±

    Stion thumped the table a few times with his ceremonial mace, demanding quiet. Then he bent his neck down and tore a huge hunk of meat from one of the steaming carcasses laid out across the table. Bel recognized the act as a demonstration of control and her eye twitched in frustration. She looked away, fearing she would be tempted to say something that would injure her position, and noticed that Orseis had camouflaged herself to blend in with the mottled stone of the table. The cuttle-girl was slowly making her way over the surface, her tentacles snaking out to sample everything she passed.

    What an opportunist, Bel thought proudly. Seeing her companion boldly striking filled her heart with resolve.

    Stion either didn¡¯t notice Orseis¡¯ antics or didn¡¯t care, addressing the room and leaving Orseis to her harvest. ¡°While it is true that Clark is not a citizen, he is the guest of one.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Clark smiled. ¡°The great Technis travelled through here in his youth, before he gained the power of a god. He spent many years in the city, adding his knowledge to the archives.¡± The inquisitor leaned towards Stion. ¡°Surely you can see that Technis has learned much since then ¨C perhaps a small sampling of his new knowledge would be proper recompense for releasing these troublemakers into my custody?¡±

    ¡°Knowledge that you¡¯ve tortured out of people,¡± Bel hissed. ¡°My brother would be happy to share any of his Old World knowledge with you, Stion, and could give you better guidance than this thief.¡±

    Stion flicked his tail as he picked a bit of flesh from between his teeth with a metal spike as long as Bel¡¯s arm. ¡°There¡¯s no need for name-calling. I dislike both of you for all the trouble you are causing anyway, so there¡¯s no point in trying to further lower my opinions of you.¡±

    He turned his head towards Clark. ¡°It¡¯s been many years since Durak, Technis, and Gweniffer set out on their journey. Simply hearing the tale may be worth all of this trouble, although I fear that you wouldn¡¯t give me a true account.¡±

    ¡°Technis has nothing to hide,¡± Clark boasted.

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Bel challenged. ¡°Then why did Durak ascend while he¡¯s sitting around enslaving people? And who¡¯s Gweniffer?¡±

    Stion leaned closer and Bel could smell the bloody meat on his hot breath. ¡°That is an interesting point,¡± he rumbled. ¡°Clark, why has Technis not yet ascended?¡±

    Clark lifted his hands and made a ¡°T¡± shape on his chest. ¡°He wishes to remain in the mortal realm and guide the humans to further glory. If he ascended, then he would be forced by the pantheon to watch us from afar.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°You mean he¡¯s planning on breaking the pantheon¡¯s rules and he doesn¡¯t want to give them the chance to interfere.¡± Dutcha was doing the same thing, of course, but Bel couldn¡¯t blame her mother spirit for wanting to be free. It wasn¡¯t as if she was enslaving people either.

    Clark scowled at Bel and she knew that her guess was correct.

    ¡°So,¡± Stion grumbled, ¡°you won¡¯t be revealing Technis¡¯ plans.¡± He turned his long neck, shifting his gaze from Clark and back to Bel. ¡°And what does Lempo, great goddess of change and upheaval, want?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel faltered. ¡°She wants me to gather help down here and then go back to Satrap.¡±

    Stion brought his face closer to Bel and she resisted the urge to take a few steps back. ¡°To do what, exactly?¡±

    ¡°Stop him?¡± she squeaked. ¡°If I don¡¯t, she threatened to drop a mountain on Satrap and wipe it all out.¡±

    Bel was thankful for Clark¡¯s bark of laughter because it caused Stion to shift his attention back to the inquisitor.

    ¡°An empty threat,¡± Clark proclaimed. ¡°Lempo may be able to play with probabilities and people, but she cannot conjure a mountain from nothing.¡±

    Bel wondered if that applied to Dutcha as well. But maybe he doesn¡¯t know about the spirit. I¡¯m certainly not going to be the one to tell him.

    ¡°So you do not know what Lempo plans,¡± Stion hummed. He opened his mouth and bit down onto the cooked skull of some large, beaked creature. Its skull shattered under the force of his bite, and for an awkward minute there was no talking that could be heard over the loud crunching of bone. At last, Stion threw back his head and swallowed.

    ¡°It matters little to me or the city either way,¡± he declared. ¡°If your country and Technis are annihilated it would have no impact on us down here, except, I suppose, that there would be fewer humans making it through from the surface.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°The thought of it is pleasing, actually.¡± He turned his head to Bel. ¡°And you say that all I need to do is to keep you here? And Lempo will wipe the humans from the surface of Olympos?¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­ bad?¡± Bel squeaked, suddenly realizing that her ideas of morality weren¡¯t matching up with those of the magistrate.

    He waved his small hands in an approximation of a shrug. ¡°Technis is a citizen, I suppose, but I can have him removed from our census so that he won¡¯t die as one. No one would object to a mountain falling upon a former citizen.¡±

    ¡°The mountain thing is nonsense,¡± Clark snarled, ¡°she is overestimating Lempo¡¯s abilities. Technis tricked her easily enough, after all.¡±

    ¡°More like Technis was tricked and doesn¡¯t know it yet,¡± Bel growled. ¡°My mom has more plans than you¡¯ve got stolen hairs on your head.¡±

    Stion stood waving his mace to cut off Clark¡¯s response. ¡°So what if Lempo cannot deliver? Then nothing happens.¡± He casually flipped his mace through the air. ¡°And things remain in balance down here. Just how I like it.¡±

    Clark stood and slammed the butt of his staff into the floor. ¡°Magistrate, I protest! If you release the girl to me now, then Technis will grant you favor beyond your¨C¡±

    Stion turned and stepped towards the door, which rose at his approach. ¡°Not interested,¡± he called over his shoulder. He gestured to some unseen servants as he passed the doorway. ¡°Keep the two groups separated for now.¡±

    Several robed strangers with a variety of features ¨C a spider woman, two thin, willowy creatures with yellow scales, and a burly man with a furry body and the head of a cat ¨C streamed into the dining room. Bel belatedly realized that she hadn¡¯t eaten anything and reflexively reached out to grab a loaf of bread and a hunk of some unknown meat before she could be dragged away.

    Martinus, the curious engineer, stepped forward to block the three servants making their way to Bel and her companions. ¡°I¡¯ll show them out, if that¡¯s okay with you. I wanted to ask the gorgon some more questions about the Old World.¡±

    The servants hesitated for a moment. They looked back, but Stion was long gone, his thundering footsteps already fading into the distance. They shrugged and all converged on Clark instead, who sat sullenly in his seat while staring death and murder at Bel.

    Martinus patted Bel on the arm. ¡°Come, take a walk with me.¡±

    Bel glanced at Cress, but her friend had an uncertain expression. Martinus prodded her forward until she started moving to the exit, and Cress and Orseis were forced to follow.

    ¡°I hope you two got enough to eat,¡± Orseis said, happily patting her stomach as she trailed along behind Bel and Martinus.

    Cress looked at the shorter girl and laughed. ¡°If not, you seem to have taken enough for all of us.¡± Her gaze travelled up and down Orseis¡¯ spear, which she had turned into a skewer for a wide assortment of meats.

    Orseis hugged the weapon closely. ¡°These are for me, lady. You should have thought of yourself when you had the chance.¡±

    Cress laughed, clearly more amused by the girl¡¯s antics than offended.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you start doing things for your new patron?¡± Bel asked. ¡°Do you really need to keep eating so much?¡±

    Orseis triumphantly lifted her spear. ¡°I took this food deceptively. My new patron is pleased, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°It¡¯s nice that we¡¯ve got translators,¡± she giggled. ¡°We can finally have a proper conversation.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Martinus shouted, ¡°the translators!¡± He looked up at Bel and reached his hand forward. The fingers of his glove sprung out like snakes from a burrow and grappled the small metal ball that had been translating for her. He freed the sphere with a twist before the fingers on his glove retracted, taking it away from Bel. The engineer glanced at the miraculous orb with contempt before shoving the translator into a pouch at his side. He then quickly repeated the attack on Orseis and Cress¡¯ spheres.

    Once he was done he clapped his gloves together with satisfaction.

    Bel stared dumfounded. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± she moaned. ¡°I have so many questions for Cress.¡±

    Martinus grinned, showing off a full set of metal teeth. ¡°Because they¡¯re all spies, of course!¡±

    ¡°Spies?¡± Orseis fretted, holding her meat-laden spear close. ¡°Spies for Stion? Does he know how much food I took?¡±

    Martinus guffawed. ¡°He eats more meat than you in a single bite, child, I wouldn¡¯t worry about that.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ mouth twisted. ¡°Okay, but I also took this nice knife,¡± she said, brandishing a shining blade the length of Bel¡¯s hand that she had somehow concealed with her tentacles. ¡°Is he going to come after this?¡±

    ¡°You really are working on your deception,¡± Bel gasped.

    Martinus squinted at the knife, clearly unable to grasp why she had taken it. He pulled on his long beard before he opened his mouth to explain things. ¡°They¡¯re political spies, for all sorts of factions. None of them will care much for some tableware.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Magistrate Stion really doesn¡¯t care much about you, you know, and would rather be rid of you than have to keep track of you and that other guy.¡±

    ¡°Why did he save us then?¡± Orseis asked quickly. ¡°Bel almost got killed where the airship was hitched, but the undersecretary saved her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, it¡¯s the factions, like I said,¡± Martinus replied. ¡°Kjar¡¯s followers were adamant that an avatar of their goddess couldn¡¯t be killed within city territory, and the other justice-aligned groups lined up behind them. They¡¯re big supporters of any free city, so Stion can¡¯t very well ignore their requests.¡±

    ¡°But why demand that we stay?¡± Bel asked, bewildered. ¡°Why not banish us? He¡¯s some kind of dictator, right? Can¡¯t he do whatever he wants?¡±

    The old engineer gestured around himself with wide open arms. ¡°The Free City of Walls has a rotating dictatorship. He was elected into the rotation, but if he messes up then someone else may be able to take some of his slots.¡±

    Cress fluttered her wings with agitation and spoke her own language, her irritation plain. Martinus scratched his head as he looked between them. ¡°This¡¯d be easier if you all shared a common tongue, you know.¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°We aren¡¯t always lucky.¡±

    ¡°Right, well, to summarize, politics here are complicated. Stion doesn¡¯t want Lempo angry at the city or the citizens angry at him. He didn¡¯t want you dying in the Free City¡¯s territory, and he doesn¡¯t want to waste resources helping you either. Luckily for you, not all of the factions are so ambivalent.¡± He pointed to Cress. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to explain the same thing to her,¡± he said testily.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Bel cried out, reaching out to grab his shoulder. She recoiled when she realized that his shirt was smeared with grease and dust. ¡°Uh, what about Technis?¡± she asked as she mournfully tried to shake the gunk from her hand. She grabbed a nearby leaf from a large, potted tree and got to scrubbing.

    ¡°What about Technis?¡± he replied, confused.

    Martinus had just lead them outside, and she once again marvelled at the enormity of the devices that powered the city. ¡°I get that you¡¯re really powerful, but aren¡¯t you worried that Technis would do something bad to the city?¡±

    Martinus laughed. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not a concern. It seems pretty obviuos that he¡¯s planning to leave, right?¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Leave? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Leave to the Old World. Why else would he be messing around with so many portals?¡± The engineer grinned, his earlier irritation instantly forgotten. ¡°Oh, that reminds me! I forgot to mention that I was talking with your brother ¨C great fellow, crazy ideas, can¡¯t wait to talk more ¨C while you were at dinner. He gave me enough details on Technis to figure out the rest.¡±

    He nodded exuberantly, bits of dust and lint shaking free of his beard. ¡°Yup, Technis always was a clever one. Must have spent a few lifetimes to get the portals right ¨C and squished quite a few people too I should think ¨C but he¡¯d think it worth it once he got them working.¡±

    Bel¡¯s pace slowed. ¡°So Technis is planning to leave Olympos and invade the Old World?¡±

    Martinus nodded. ¡°Exciting, isn¡¯t? The war will be spectacular! Just imagine ¨C Old World technology against our abilities and Technis¡¯ grafts!¡± He rubbed his hands together and the friction on his gloves released a thick and cloying scent of oil and burnt metal. ¡°Of course,¡± he added sadly, ¡°Technis has already been studying Old World technology and tactics, and he¡¯ll catch them by surprise too. It may not be that fair a fight.¡±

 Chapter 103 â€“ Flight?

    Bel¡¯s blood turned icy as Martinus casually discussed Technis conquering her brother¡¯s homeworld. ¡°You don¡¯t seem too upset by it,¡± Bel observed.

    The old engineer shrugged. ¡°Well, it happens, you know?¡±

    He pointed in a vaguely upward direction, which, with the way the underworld wrapped in on itself, was at a distant part of the inner shell of Olympos. ¡°There used to be a powerful and enlightened kingdom over that way.¡±

    Bel glanced in the direction that he¡¯d pointed, but she couldn¡¯t see much through the web of city the spanned the air above them, although if she squinted she fancied that she could see a few drifting clouds.

    Martinus continued, clearly unbothered by Bel¡¯s lack of geographical knowledge. ¡°They were strong enough to send flights to nearly every spot on the interior, and they were known for being just and fair. They created works of artistic beauty so moving that even their imitations bring viewers to tears hundreds of years after their making.¡±

    ¡°Then bam!¡± He clapped his hands together suddenly, sending Bel¡¯s snakes wriggling with alarm. She hurried to smooth them back, glancing with embarrassment at Cress¡¯ well-behaved hair-snakes.

    ¡°Just like that, they got involved in something over their heads and they were gone,¡± Martinus continued, ignoring Bel¡¯s distress. ¡°So we¡¯ve learned to mind our own business,¡± he concluded.

    ¡°I get it,¡± Orseis said quietly, ¡°when you¡¯re in the ocean, you¡¯re never the biggest predator. But, you know, I¡¯ll bet that Technis is a predator like me: he¡¯ll never eat enough to be satisfied.¡± She bit off a mouthful from one of her purloined foods and chewed angrily in the engineer¡¯s direction. Her eyes narrowed as she rudely chewed, clearly trying to prove her point through intimidation. Bel thought that the engineer looked more disquieted by her manners than any implication about Technis though.

    Orseis swallowed and continued. ¡°If he knows how to go one way, what¡¯s to say he can¡¯t come back?¡± She whipped a tentacle through the air, adding force to her words. ¡°But next time he¡¯ll be back with a bigger army ¨C and more technology. James always talks about how primitive we are.¡±

    Martinus snorted and gestured to the sails that propelled the Free City of Walls, and the suspended bridges that filled so much of the air that they could scarcely see the sky. ¡°Our technology aside, the pantheon wouldn¡¯t never let some upstart invade the entire world. If he started getting close to dangerous, then I¡¯m sure they¡¯d do something.¡±

    Orseis pointed several of her tentacles at Bel and gave the engineer and meaningful look. He scratched his chin and looked Bel up and down.

    ¡°Well¡­ maybe. I guess the gods do work in mysterious ways.¡± He held up his hands to forestall Orseis¡¯ next words. ¡°Look, I¡¯m helping you anyway, whether or not I believe in Bel¡¯s destiny, so there¡¯s no need to argue about this.¡±

    Her turned to Bel and explained. ¡°I¡¯m friends with a lot of gorgons here. Your people are lousy fighters ¨C no offense ¨C since they don¡¯t have the backing of a patron.¡±

    Bel looked doubtfully at Cress, wondering how her friend would react if she understood the man¡¯s condescending words.

    ¡°Their minds work fine, even without a patron¡¯s abilities. I¡¯ve worked with plenty of gorgon engineers who¡¯re just as good, or better, than anyone else I¡¯ve met. Some of them asked me to help get you out of here.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Bel said, surprised. Then she narrowed her eye with suspicion and stopped in the middle of the street. They were on an uncrowded side passage, but she still received some sharp words from a pair of robed people carrying stacks of books who had to alter their paths to avoid a collision. They flicked their scaled tails with irritation as they brushed past her. Bel grabbed Cress and Orseis and dragged them to the side of the road and pointed at Martinus.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to know what¡¯s going on even if you explain it, and if I know one thing it¡¯s that I don¡¯t understand politics. Tell Cress what¡¯s happening, and I¡¯ll let her tell me if we should trust you.¡±

    She turned to Cress and pointed at the engineer. ¡°Can you tell me if his words are good?¡± she said in English.

    Cress chewed on her lip as she concentrated on the abrupt change in language, but then nodded to Bel. While Martinus spoke to Cress in some incomprehensible language, Bel leaned against a low stone fence and anxiously picked at her metallic nails. Then she glanced at Orseis and pondered the young girl¡¯s words.

    Would Technis really be able to conquer James¡¯ world? And would that give him the edge to come back and conquer Olympos?

    She pulled on her snakes as she fretted, but she didn¡¯t know enough to answer the questions. Well, at least I know that my mother and Kjar have a good reason for sending me on this quest. Dutcha¡­ well, who knows what she wants?

    Cress tapped Bel on the shoulder. ¡°Seems good,¡± she said, giving Bel and awkward thumbs up. ¡°The¡­ hm¡­¡±

    She turned back to Martinus and said some things to him. He turned back to Bel again and attempted to translate for Cress.

    ¡°She says that the, uh, the egg woman ¨C is there a word for that in this language?¡±

    He looked at Bel expectantly, but she could only shrug.

    ¡°Well, the egg woman has the gorgon¡¯s best interests at heart. Wait, did your goddess make you alone? Do you know what an egg woman is?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t.¡±

    Martinus slapped himself in the forehead, jostling his utility glasses halfway down his nose. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so strange and ill-mannered,¡± he muttered to himself.

    Bel growled low in her throat.

    The engineer quickly cleared his throat and held up threw up his hands with frustration. ¡°Well, I¡¯m bringing you to her, so I¡¯ll let her explain. We should be rushing anyway, we¡¯ve got to smuggle you out before someone figures out what¡¯s happening and goes to Stion to complain. We¡¯re lucky that he likes to nap after a big meal.¡±

    The engineer set off at a fast walk, his short legs moving at an incredible speed as he zipped ahead. Bel yelped with dismay and jogged after him. The moment she caught up, he increased his pace, leading them through an instantly forgotten maze of roads, alleys, and bridges.

    As Bel¡¯s mind adjusted to the pace and the strange cadence of the city, she began to take in her surroundings. The relatively empty area around Stion¡¯s palace quickly gave way to a more crowded residential area with tall buildings that stretched up and down several levels. The buildings were made from cut pieces of giant shells joined together with thick ropes so they swayed gently with the movements of the city. Bel realized that the entire city was made of suspended platforms, but the movement was so subtle that she hadn¡¯t picked up on it until they crossed the first bridge that spanned two different walls. James really would love this ¨C I wonder if he¡¯ll ever become strong enough to travel down here?

    Different buildings were decorated in different styles; some had intricate carvings and designs on their surface, some were coated in murals so thick that the underlying material was completely hidden, and others had a thin, shimmering coating to enhance the natural beauty of the building material.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    The people were as varied as the styles. People with snake bodies and human torsos slithered through the streets while two- and four-legged, cloven hoofed people clopped along side by side. Winged people flew through the air and some areas even had canals running through them to accommodate a few marine folk. There was every kind of person that Bel could imagine ¨C except for humans.

    Bel payed close attention to everyone they passed, and although some only showed a subtle sign of their non-humanity ¨C an extra eye, fangs or small, sharp claws, or an extra mouth hidden on the backs of their heads ¨C none were human. Although they were rare, Bel also saw several gorgons. She was afraid that she would have to go through another embarrassing round of hugging, but the working gorgons were far too busy for that. In fact, they barely glanced up as they rush about their chores with tired deformation on their smudged faces. Bel couldn¡¯t help but notice that, of all the citizens, the gorgons seemed the worst off. Even with her single piece of clothing, missing snake, damaged eye, and body covered in scars, Bel looked better than some of the other gorgons.

    She opened her mouth to ask Cress about it, but when she saw her companion¡¯s lips pressed together in a frustrated frown she realized that this was the situation that Cress wanted to change. If this city treats its gorgons better than other places, I can understand why she was so happy to agree to Lempo¡¯s terms, Bel thought sourly.

    Gradually the quality of clothing in the people they moved past dropped and a foul smell grew. When they crossed another large bridge they reached some type food processing district. It smelled as foul as the Baytown docks and slaughterhouses mixed together with the tannery, and was infested with little flying creatures that dove into crates of waste parts whenever they were left unattended. Martinus was forced to slow down lest he slip in a puddle of ichor and end up falling face-first into something even more disgusting.

    ¡°Ugh, I think we¡¯re on the wrong side of this place,¡± Orseis complained. ¡°I¡¯d much rather see the food coming out of here than the waste that¡¯s left behind.¡±

    Cress was squeezing the collar of her shirt over her mouth to keep from gagging, but Bel didn¡¯t have that option. The smell wasn¡¯t that bad, at least compared to the time she¡¯d spent plenty next to decaying corpses and rotting food back in Technis¡¯ prison. ¡°Is this place always like this?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It depends what we¡¯ve caught recently, but luckily I lost my sense of smell years ago,¡± he bragged. ¡°I had a small accident with some acid back in my reckless youth.¡±

    Bel ignored the engineer and looked at the people as they passed. As they entered the new section, the proportion of the population that was gorgon gradually began to climb. ¡°There are a lot of gorgons here,¡± she commented.

    Martinus gave her a disappointed look like he had wanted to talk more about himself, but he quickly grinned as he looked around. ¡°Yup, this is the perfect place to find some dissidents.¡±

    ¡°Dissidents?¡± Bel asked. ¡°Why are we looking for dissidents?¡±

    ¡°Who else would embrace change?¡± he asked.

    Bel saw him give a slight nod to a group of gorgons as they passed. Two of the women stood up, dropped their meat hooks, removed their bloody gloves and aprons, and fell in behind Bel¡¯s group. She began to turn to ask what was happening, but Martinus quickly dropped back to her side.

    ¡°Just keep walking,¡± he whispered. ¡°It¡¯s inevitable that we attract attention from here on in, so our best chance is to just go quickly and not stir things up too much.¡±

    Bel glanced at Cress, and the other gorgon gave her a brief, affirming nod. They kept walking and more gorgons put down their work tools, shucked their work clothes, and fell in behind the group. Their numbers swelled to at least thirty other gorgons before Martinus lead them to a stop at a large gate made of huge bones lashed together. A group of hooded figures stood in front of the bone gate, giving the space a foreboding atmosphere.

    ¡°There¡¯s your ticket out of here. It should be fast enough to give Technis¡¯ lackey the slip, or at least get a head start on him.¡± He gestured to the closed gate of bone, which distracted Bel for a few heartbeats until she realized that he was pointing at the thing behind the gate. It was a disk of fired clay, with knee high lip that curled up from the edges. Several small wings protruded from the sides, making it look like some bottom-dwelling fish that had washed ashore and stiffened.

    Despite their hoods, Bel immediately recognized the figures standing in front of the gate. Five of them were the egg-woman and her four guards from the airship dock. Two more egg-women stood nearby, their own egg-shaped pottery clutched tightly in their arms. At Bel¡¯s approach the group threw back their hoods as one, revealing a plethora of hair snakes that immediately flicked their tongues suspiciously.

    As the lead woman said something sharp to Martinus, another egg-woman stepped to Bel¡¯s side. ¡°She accuses him of being late,¡± she said in a thickly accented Mycenaean.

    Bel looked the new woman up and down, noting that she was nearly identical to the first egg-woman, down to her glossy snakes with black and brown bands and an underbelly the color of milk pudding. Her clothes were completely different though, a set of rough leather instead of impractical silks. ¡°I will be travelling with you,¡± the woman added.

    ¡°Great,¡± Bel replied, ¡°I¡¯m¨C¡±

    The woman cut her off. ¡°We will do introductions later,¡± said whispered. Seeing Bel¡¯s hurt expression, she added, ¡°so many will soon die, so it is easier to learn names afterwards. We will remember the fallen through their blood.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eye widened. She opened her mouth to ask what the woman meant, but Martinus spoke before she could make a sound.

    ¡°Right, so, the esteemed woman has asked me to quickly explain this contraption.¡± He straightened his back and spun in place, gesturing to fish-like clay thing with a grin. ¡°This is a waste disposal pod! It¡¯s light and aerodynamic, and can glide with an entire load of garbage. We generally use them to dispose of waste that would attract unwanted attention, but they should be fine for a group of people.¡±

    He made a flinging motion with his hands. ¡°The sling tosses it far away from the city with enough force to clear bow range in under a second.¡± He patted the bottom of the ramp affectionately. ¡°It¡¯s meant for waste, but the accuracy isn¡¯t so bad. With this, we¡¯ll be able to get you to the bottom of the Pillar that leads up to that human kingdom that you¡¯re so worried about.¡±

    As he spoke, the third egg-woman went around to the gorgons who had followed Bel. She handed each one a knife and held out a small bowl to collect a sample of their blood, which she periodically emptied into her egg-shaped pottery. Bel tried to ignore the strange ritual and pay attention to Martinus, but she found her eye drifting back to the bizarre bloodletting despite her attempts.

    When Orseis¡¯ incredulous objections inevitably began, Bel turned to her translator.

    ¡°What do you people do with the blood?¡± she asked quietly.

    ¡°Are there no people like us where you came from?¡± the egg-woman at her side asked.

    Martinus frowned at the interruption, but Orseis didn¡¯t care about his feelings. For once, Bel was happy for the distraction ¨C she was desperate for an explanation.

    ¡°No,¡± she replied, ¡°I was the only gorgon there. What are they doing?¡±

    The woman¡¯s snakes eyed her curiously, calmly flicking their tongues. ¡°My younger sister collects their blood so that they may be born anew in the next generation.¡± She tapped her own egg, gesturing to the story-like drawing on the front. ¡°When a gorgon dies, we add her vital parts to our sacred eggs so that a new brood may be born from the blood of the fallen. With no gods to make more of us we have had to create our own ceremonies ¨C but we have persisted,¡± she declared proudly.

    Bel glanced at the vivid depiction of the cut serpent heads emerging whole-bodied from the sea that covered part of the egg.

    ¡°But why are you doing it now? Is someone dying?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Many of us will be dying,¡± the woman replied confidently. Her eyebrows went up and she smiled reassuringly at Bel¡¯s look of surprise. ¡°Following you and challenging our fates will be the same as courting death. And any who succeed will stay where you have gone, so their blood should be collected as well, lest they be lost to us. You have already given to my sister¡¯s egg, but you should give again, so that part of Lempo¡¯s favor remains with us.¡±

    She licked her lips as she looked Bel up and down, giving Bel the shivers. ¡°Your blood is unique. Having more here would be good for our local dens.¡±

    ¡°You want me to give you my blood?¡± Bel squirmed at the thought of little baby Bel¡¯s running around without her knowledge.

    The woman shook her head. ¡°No, give it to my younger sister. I will be accompanying you. Crecerelle has been trying to convince the gorgons to make a new kingdom upon the surface of Olympos.¡± She tilted her head and inspected Bel again. ¡°Your presence is as clear a sign from the gods as any that the time is now right.¡±

    If she was the same person as she had been on the surface of Olympos, Bel would have shrunk back from that heavy burden of responsibility. I guess I¡¯m getting used to all this heavy destiny stuff.

    James did always warn me that great power would bring great responsibility, she lamented.

    ¡°So wait,¡± Orseis yelled, her tentacles eagerly gripping the engineer around his shoulders, ¡°we¡¯ll be launched through the air like a pile of garbage? And then we¡¯ll skip across an ocean and crash into the pillar?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Martinus began.

    ¡°And that¡¯ll skip a week of walking?¡± Orseis continued.

    ¡°Yes, as I¨C¡±

    ¡°That sounds awesome!¡± Orseis yelled triumphantly. She turned to Bel with a wide, happy grin. ¡°Bel, this is going to be fantastic! Tell James to make one of these instead of his lame hot air balloons!¡±

 Chapter 104 â€“ Out with the Garbage

    Bel stared at her tentacled friend. ¡°You¡¯re looking forward to being flung into the sky in a garbage pot?¡± Bel waved her hands to forestall Orseis¡¯ response. ¡°No, of course you are. James¡¯ hot air balloons were safe ¨C this is obviously more exciting. Who knows what we¡¯ll smash into.¡±

    Martinus cleared his throat. ¡°The aim is really quite reliable.¡± He leaned in closer and whispered to Bel. ¡°But, speaking of your brother, he said that he wouldn¡¯t talk to me again until after you tell him that you¡¯ve escaped the city safely.¡±

    Is my brother blackmailing him? He¡¯s so clever. Bel struggled to contain her grin.

    ¡°So you decided that you want some of his otherworldly knowledge?¡± she replied smugly.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Martinus said slyly, ¡°I¡¯m interested to hear about some of his strange theories. Just out of curiosity, mind you. I think he¡¯s probably crazy, but on the off-chance that the iced cream he mentioned is real, I want to be the first one down here to get the recipe, okay?¡±

    Bel¡¯s smug smile froze on her face. She¡¯d heard of the otherwordly treat ¨C on the really bad days, James wouldn¡¯t stop talking about food ¨C but was that really the best bribe? ¡°Are there cows down here?¡± she blurted out, her mouth fixating on pointless details while her mind pondered her place in the world.

    ¡°Big, fat ones,¡± Martinus declared proudly.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m missing out on a lot of things by leaving so soon,¡± Bel lamented.

    ¡°This is why I try to avoid getting involved with the gods. Or angering the unascended immortals who stalk the mortal realm.¡± He shrugged. ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, if you stayed too long then I¡¯m sure Technis¡¯ servant would just find a way to kill you. Technis was known as a clever one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Bel sighed.

    Martinus clapped her on the back with a cheerful grin. ¡°Well, best of luck to you! I¡¯ve got to get back to my machines before one of my assistants breaks something.¡± He took several steps before half turning back to shout, ¡°be sure to tell James how helpful I¡¯ve been!¡± Then his legs blurred like bee¡¯s wings and he was off.

    The moment he turned the corner, the armored egg-woman turned to Bel. ¡°We will not be taking this disposal device,¡± she declared.

    Orseis groaned with disappointment, but then the egg-woman pointed to a second clay glider. This was already filled with a very large, very dead eel-like creature. ¡°We will be taking this one to its regularly planned destination. We suspect that Martinus¡¯ plan was compromised nearly as soon as he spoke it aloud.¡±

    Bel watched with confusion as two dozen of the gorgons filed into the first glider, in spite of the egg-woman¡¯s words. ¡°What are they doing?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Decoys,¡± the woman explained. ¡°They will lead our pursuers astray as long as possible, and, if their stars align, we will meet again inside the pillar.¡±

    Bel watched the stony faced gorgons take seats along the inside of the glider and realized that they were all expecting to die. She locked eyes with one of them ¨C a woman her own age with colorful snakes that had bands of red, yellow, and black. Bel recognized the woman from the pier although she couldn¡¯t remember her name ¨C something with a ¡®p¡¯ maybe? Bel felt shame that she didn¡¯t bother remembering the woman¡¯s name, and yet there she was, face full of determination and resolve and a white-knuckled grip on the glider¡¯s edge as she risked her life to improve Bel¡¯s chances at success. Bel blinked, searching for words, but she came up empty. Instead she nodded silently to the other gorgon. The woman nodded back.

    Then, with a tremendous thump that rattled Bel¡¯s feet against the ground, someone released the locking mechanism of the catapult and the glider was tossed into the sky. True to Martinus¡¯ words, it easily cleared arrow range in a second, soaring like a leaf in the wind as it darted into the distance. From the corner of her eye Bel saw a shadowy mass drop from the sails above the city. Her eyes flicked over to it, and she realized that it was a large flock of birds flying off in the same direction as the gorgons. By the time she looked for the clay glider again, it had disappeared into the distance.

    The remaining gorgons spent no time sentimentally staring into the distance. The ones operating the machine immediately began winching the ropes back into place. A few more dragged the full glider along rollers to put it into position, while another pair of gorgons worked another pair of winches to turn the catapult to a new position.

    ¡°But they ¨C and you ¨C don¡¯t even know me,¡± Bel protested in a quiet voice. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about my quest, or about Lempo or Kjar or Dutcha, or about the fight with Technis.¡±

    The egg-woman shrugged. ¡°You and your mother are change.¡± She gestured to the gorgons as they labored in their ragged clothing. ¡°Change is what we need. We have turned people like your friend, Crecerelle, away in the past because we did not believe change possible. Now, with the goddess of change and upheaval behind you?¡±

    She smiled sadly. ¡°Now some of us have decided that we are tired of waiting with no results.¡± She lifted her egg in Bel¡¯s direction, showing off the story painted onto the side. She tapped the serpent heads as they disappeared into the sea, only to return fully formed again. ¡°This is our story, Bel. Suffering and death are inevitable, but we bear the blood of our sisters forward so that none of us die in vain. So long as some of us make it to a better place, then it is as if all of us have made it.¡±

    Bel had never felt more humble.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    The egg-woman lifted her chin at the waiting clay glider. ¡°Come. Climb into the conger¡¯s mouth and hide in its belly, so that we may leave unobserved.¡±

    Bel wanted to object, but after hearing how much the other gorgon were willing to sacrifice she wouldn¡¯t have been able to stand herself if she hesitated. She moved resolutely into the large eel¡¯s gaping mouth and clambered into the humid, rotting interior, and Cress and Orseis quickly followed. The silk-wrapped egg-woman remained behind, but two of her guards followed them into the interior, along with another dozen working gorgons.

    From the light coming in from the eel¡¯s gaping mouth, Bel could see the two guards ¨C the armored one and the one with the sling ¨C take up positions on either side of the egg-woman. The armored guard anchored her sword into the eel¡¯s flesh and wrapped her flexible shield around the egg-woman, leaving her arms free to cradle her precious clay egg.

    ¡°Why is this being tossed out?¡± Orseis asked, her loud voice suddenly spoiling the serious moment as everyone else braced for sudden flight. She poked at the inner wall of the eel¡¯s throat with her tentacles. ¡°It seems edible to me.¡±

    ¡°Because the smell of it attracts a certain flying pest that we do not want in the city,¡± the egg-woman answered. ¡°This one is also full of parasites. Avoid touching the flesh with your bare skin if you can.¡±

    Orseis yelped with dismay and braced herself with the butt of her spear instead of her tentacles.

    ¡°Good,¡± the egg-woman cheered, ¡°we don¡¯t want you to accidentally stab one of us with your weapon.¡±

    A moment later the catapult launched them into the air and the sudden force shoved them up against the lining of the eels throat and stomach, despite their preparations. The sudden force was replaced by a stomach-churning sense of weightlessness a few moments later.

    Bel realized that she¡¯d neglected to ask for an important detail before then. ¡°How do we land?¡± she shouted.

    ¡°With luck,¡± came the egg-woman¡¯s reply.

    ¡°What?¡± Bel shrieked with dismay.

    The woman laughed loudly, and Bel heard a quiet hissing that she thought must have been the woman¡¯s snakes. ¡°I am joking,¡± she finally said. ¡°We will lightly skim the trees, like an insect sliding across the water¡¯s surface.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel replied with relief. ¡°Grea¨C¡±

    She nearly bit her tongue off as the glider shook violently. A constant barrage of small impacts rocked the glider from side to side as it ¡°lightly skimmed¡± its way over a group of unfortunate trees. It only took a few heartbeats for the force of the impacts to drag the glider down underneath the tree line, at which point the small impacts grew heavy. Bel lurched from side to side, bumping into her companions until they all ended up in a pile, sliding up and down the eel¡¯s throat. All around her, the rest of the gorgons were in the same hapless state, save for the two guards and the egg-woman. Bel caught an occasional glimpse of the trio as she spun around, amazed that they still stood upright and steadfast despite the chaos around them.

    Then the glider struck what must have been a particularly large tree, and, with a sound like crunching bone, it shattered. Light exploded through the eel¡¯s gills and mouth, just in time for Bel to see the ground rushing up to meet them. There was another heavy thud, announcing the end of the eel. It burst open like an overripe fruit, spilling its passengers into a thick, muddy swamp below.

    Bel braced her arms in front of her face as she fell, protecting herself from the thin tree limbs that whipped at her body as she plummeted past. She grunted in pain as her body bounced off of one last limb, and then the wind was knocked out of her when she splashed into a shallow puddle. Her snakes shook with displeasure as the water closed around her head, but with a panicky surge of strength Bel pushed her face back into the air. Bel shook the water from her ears as she tried to get her bearings.

    ¡°I thank the Bargainer that I don¡¯t have any arms to break,¡± Orseis groused from a tree above Bel¡¯s head. Bel looked up to see that her companion had wrapped her tentacles around the trunk to arrest her fall. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Orseis asked as she picked bits of eels from her body with a spare tentacle.

    Bel spat mud out of her mouth as she struggled to her feet. Her snakes hissed at an errant chunk of eel that was lodged between their serpentine bodies. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied, wiping her hands over her body to thin out the grime.

    Bel took a second look at Orseis and saw Cress sitting in the same tree, her wings having once again proven themselves useful. A few other gorgon perched in the trees as well and were busy scanning the area for threats, but most of them had ended up in the mud with Bel. She glanced around and saw one of her fellow gorgons struggling to rise with an obviously broken arm; Bel struggled through the mud to get to her side and help her up. Orseis jumped to a closer tree and lowered one of her tentacles, giving Bel something to hold on to for leverage as she pulled on the other gorgon¡¯s good arm. She emerged from the thick mud with a loud sucking noise and nodded her thanks to Bel.

    Cress shouted from above them, and Bel looked up to see what was the problem.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s those things,¡± she said with dismay. When the egg-woman mentioned that something was attracted to the eel, Bel hadn¡¯t realized that it would be the same creature with bat wings that she had seen at the river with the hair fish. Its stick-like legs were perfectly suited for the muddy environment, easily slipping into and out of the mud without getting stuck. Their wings allowed them to flit from one place to another, bypassing the worst of the mud as they picked through the bounty left by the destruction of the garbage glider.

    They seemed to prefer the eel, but that didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t try to eat a gorgon as well. One of them landed in front of Bel and dipped its heads, threatening her with its horns. Orseis didn¡¯t hesitate to throw her spear at the beast, but it tossed its horns, entangling the weapon and deflecting it to the side. Cress lifted her maul to help, but a second creature dove from her side, forcing her to block its attack instead.

    Lucky for me that I can look after myself. Bel stepped forward, moving protectively in front of the injured gorgon, and attempted to glare at the threatening creature.

    Predictably, it shook off her attack and lunged with its horns. Bel allowed the attack to strike her divine armor, trusting its impervious protection. The force of the blow slid her backwards, deeper into the mud, but she took the opportunity to wrap her hands around the creatures red-tipped horns. She heaved with effort as she used her high-gravity physique to force the creature¡¯s tooth-filled mouth down towards the mud. It hissed with anger, and with her face pressed up against it Bel could smell the rot on its breath and the heavy scent of musk and death that clung to the beast. Bel grit her teeth, corrected her footing, and forced liquify into the struggling creature¡¯s spine so she could snap its neck. Its core resisted her for a moment, but Bel pushed its face into the mud, breaking its concentration and then the vertebra in its neck.

    She ripped the essence from its core as she pushed its limp body aside, more worried about keeping her strength than any etiquette around essence sharing. There was a loud shriek from above her head, and Cress¡¯ opponent fell into the mud with a hole blasted straight through its skull. Bel look around, ready to rush to another gorgon¡¯s help.

    The scene was pure pandemonium, as an entire flock of the flying menaces had descended upon the burst eel and disorganized gorgons.

 Chapter 105 â€“ Return of the Not Birds

    Bel looked for the closest knot of trouble, worried that her slow reaction would cost the lives of her new allies. It didn¡¯t take more than a breath for her to find a pair of gorgons desperately fending off a trio of the horned devils with nothing but a pair of long sticks. She took a single squelching step in their direction, but then the devils¡¯ heads were perforated by tight clusters of small holes. Bel looked around, confused, and saw the same scene repeating around the muddy swamp. Wherever a gorgon was struggling, their opponent would suddenly end up dead.

    Bel¡¯s snakes fanned out as she whipped her head around, searching for their unseen benefactor. When she heard a familiar buzzing noise, Bel looked up into the trees to see the sling-wielding guard gripping a tree trunk with one hand and wielding her sling with the other. Her black and white striped snakes hung lazily over her shoulders as she looked around the battlefield with an almost sleepy expression. From time to time, she whipped her sling forward, launching tight clusters of small missiles to create attacks that the devils couldn¡¯t simply bat aside. After each assault she spun her sling up to speed again, having filled it in a motion so fast that Bel couldn¡¯t even seen it happen.

    The egg-woman stood in the roots of the tree, beneath her sling-wielding guard and sheltered behind the implacable force of the armored gorgon. She clutched her clay vessel closely as she calmly surveyed the situation, apparently content to stay still while waiting for the fighting to come to an end.

    Bel was pleased to see that the tougher gorgons were helping, and that the injured gorgons were gradually pulling themselves together, but the winged creatures continued to arrive and didn¡¯t show any sign of stopping. Two more of them fell into the mud nearby, one turned to stone by Crecerelle¡¯s glare and the other neatly speared by Orseis, but another three were churning their way towards Bel¡¯s position. Their nostrils flared dramatically as their eyes locked onto her, and long, serpentine tongues slipped from their tooth-filled mouths when they hissed angrily in her direction.

    Bel took another step away from gorgon that she¡¯d saved and prepared herself for battle.

    This is the wrong place for Sparky, she thought, but maybe Flora¡¯s roots would be able to drag them into the mud.

    She began to gather the energy to mix spirits, but her newest gorgon companion stepped forward and extended her unbroken arm to brush her hand against the water. A layer of frost rushed outwards from her touch, like a winter¡¯s night playing out in a single breath. The frost gripped the stick-like limbs of their attackers, slowing them down and eliciting loud hisses of outrage. Cress and Orseis dropped to the now frozen mud, its firm footing now sufficient for battle.

    Everyone else seemed to appreciate the new terrain, but Bel pouted at being denied her tree-form. I guess we should really discuss our different abilities, she thought.

    The three creatures spread their wings to take flight, giving up on the frozen ground, but Bel¡¯s companions struck before they could gain an advantage in the air. The injured gorgon glared at the leftmost creature, momentarily paralyzing it and sending it face-first into a frozen puddle. When its face touched the surface, she brushed her hand against the ice and caused it to erupt in a small layer of icicles that clung to the creature¡¯s face, suffocating the life from it.

    Orseis threw her divine weapon through the wing of the right-most creature, tearing a deep gash through the tough membrane. It shrieked in rage, spittle flying from its face as Orseis launched herself onto its back. In a moment she had it wrapped in her tentacles, and squeezed it until its bones cracked and broke.

    Crecerelle launched herself at the center creature, her magnificent wings making her the more agile flyer by far. Bel felt useless as Cress smashed the creature¡¯s face repeatedly with her hammer. Her companions hadn¡¯t even needed her help. She almost felt relief when she saw another pair descending through the trees.

    Bel grabbed a nearby rock, started its breakdown with destabilize bonds, and pounced. She threw the rock at the farther creature. The rock exploded with a spectacular burst of flames, launching her target into the dirt and stunning the second one just before she struck it. She didn¡¯t waste any time pulping its skull with a liquid shockwave, no longer worrying about saving her energy now that she knew the organized gorgons had the upper hand. She ripped the essence from the dead creature¡¯s body as she kicked off of it, pouncing upon her fallen foe before it could regain its feet.

    She crushed its neck with a powerful kick and pulled its essence free, reveling in the chaotic expansion of her cores.

    Bel looked around for her next fight, but saw that the stream of bat-like hoofed devils was finally slowing ¨C not because their numbers were decreasing, but because other, larger creatures had shown up to feast upon them. The gorgons pulled away from the large, rock-colored creatures that carried huge, curved tusks. The ground shook as they trotted after the flying devils, and they whipped out long, snakelike trunks to pull their chosen prey from the sky like a person plucking ripe fruit from a tree.

    Bel began to retreat with the rest of the gorgons, but froze when she saw a familiar sight sitting in a tree above them. It watched the events around it with eager eyes but otherwise didn¡¯t move, a voyeur rather than a participant.

    ¡°Orseis,¡± she commanded, ¡°kill that bird.¡±

    Orseis reached up to a low tree limb, flinging herself forward with her rubber-like appendages. The creature Bel had pointed to spread its wings to take flight, but before it could leave its branch Orseis launched her spear. The bird flapped its wings once, but the divine weapon flew gracefully through the air and speared it through the breast before it could take off, pinning it to the thick trunk.

    Orseis arrived a moment later and plucked her spear and the dead thing before leaping back to Bel. She waved the feathered creature in Bel¡¯s direction. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like a very tasty bird,¡± she complained.

    The gorgon with the broken arm had been sticking close to Bel since the fight, and she looked at the strangely formed creature with clear distaste, its wrongness clear even at first glance.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Bel said with a sinking feeling. ¡°And it¡¯s not a bird ¨C it¡¯s one of Technis¡¯ creations. Clark must have figured out that we weren¡¯t in the other garbage glider.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Cress¡¯ wings fluttered as she landed by the pair. ¡°We go,¡± she said urgently, before taking a second look at the not-bird. ¡°What is that?¡±

    Bel pulled the misshapen patchwork creature from Orseis¡¯ spear. Its deteriorating pathcwork body quickly became a mess of feathers and ooze in her hands, and Bel grimaced with disgust. ¡°It¡¯s one of Technis¡¯ eyes,¡± she replied. ¡°Clark knows where we are.¡±

    Cress¡¯ lips pressed firmly together as she nodded. ¡°Okay. Run now, talk later.¡±

    <hr>

    Cress tucked her wings as she dove through a thick bundle of branches, busting through to catch one of the not-birds by surprise. She didn¡¯t bother with a siren¡¯s shriek, simply solidifying the air around the feathery mess and squeezing its small power source until it shattered. She grinned as she deftly snatched the bundly of feathers from the air and pirouetted, returning to the group with a few flaps of her wings.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not losing them,¡± she said, holding up the artificial creature. The rest of the gorgons returned looks of concern. Most of them, at least.

    Honored Fortuit maintained an emotionless expression as she translated for Bel and Orseis. Her two guards ¨C the eternally sleepy slinger Sangfroid and the inscrutable armored Escalope ¨C only showed emotion when something approached Fortuit.

    And Bel herself appeared more furious than concerned. Cress hadn¡¯t understood the full story, but it seemed like the birds were brought by Clark, one of Technis¡¯ adherents who had been personally responsible for some of Bel¡¯s injuries. The divinely created gorgon clearly yearned for revenge.

    She examined her enigmatic companion, the scarred gorgon with the missing eye and snake. Bel certainly looked like she¡¯d been through a lot of suffering; Cress worried that the isolated gorgon was carrying around too many repressed feelings. She had already seen Bel take her anger out on some mindless insects. Could the pressures from her divine parents push her to a breaking point?

    And what about the other gorgons, many of whom had never expected to leave the Free City?

    Well, luckily for all of them that I¡¯m here to keep our spirits up!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said confidently as she tossed the not-bird to the ground. ¡°We already knew that a new life wouldn¡¯t come for free. This just means that we¡¯ll get to test ourselves against our foes earlier, while we¡¯re still feeling fresh and strong.¡±

    She flexed her arms and rattled her snakes, showing off her cheerful vitality.

    The other gorgons ¨C mostly butchers and freezers who had worked in the food processing district ¨C looked back blankly.

    Oh dammit, who am I kidding? My last group abandoned me! I¡¯m obviously terrible at this.

    She looked at Bel, desperate for help, but Orseis drifted between them and blocked her gaze. A moment later, Bel was distracted by the gorgon with the broken arm, who seemed content to constantly bother Bel with silly questions.

    The tentacled girl tilted her head and stuck out her tongue at Cress.

    Cress made a rude gesture back. ¡°You child,¡± she scolded her in English.

    ¡°You, ah¡­¡± She hesitated, struggling to remember a good word.

    ¡°Brat?¡± Orseis suggested.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Cress nodded, ¡°you are a brat.¡±

    Orseis grinned. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Orseis drawled as she looked around, ¡°are you gonna do something about this atmosphere? It¡¯s worse than a funeral here.¡±

    Cress sighed. ¡°I had hoped that Bel would do something. She¡¯s the one with the divine quest.¡±

    She turned her head and was surprised to see Fortuit approaching her. ¡°Maybe you can say something to keep everyone¡¯s spirits up?¡± she asked hopefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s your responsibility,¡± the woman chastised with a light tone. Fortuit stepped closer to Crecerelle, and her two guards took flanking positions on either side.

    ¡°Honored Fortuit,¡± Cress intoned, bowing shallowly, slightly ashamed that she had tried to foist her responsibilities onto another.

    Fortuit lifted a hand from her birthing vessel, waving off the deferential attitude. She turned and said something to Orseis, finally convincing the child to leave them for a private conversation by offering her some paper wrapped treat.

    ¡°Bel can neither speak their tongue nor understand their struggles,¡± Fortuit explained. ¡°Her worries are larger than this small group of gorgons.¡±

    The honored gorgon¡¯s water cobras coolly flicked their tongues in her direction. ¡°You, on the other hand, are well known for your zealous pursuit of a ¨C what do you call it? A better world?¡±

    Cress flushed at the praise. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not so well known,¡± she beamed.

    Fortuit shook her head. ¡°Your former companion, Agrafe, has spread many stories about you.¡±

    Cress¡¯ face fell at the mention of the hateful woman¡¯s name. ¡°Whatever she said¨C¡±

    Fortuit chuckled and held up a restraining hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, her stories were so wild that no one could believe them. They had the opposite effect really. Our dens have been echoing with arguments about whether or not gorgons should be doing more than just surviving in the back alleys of civilization.¡±

    Cress smiled weakly. ¡°How do you feel about it, honored Fortuit?¡±

    ¡°Oh no,¡± the woman replied, mock aghast, ¡°my sisters and I have other responsibilities.¡± She tapped her clay vessel. ¡°Although I should think that my being here lends you enough legitimacy, does it not?¡±

    Cress nodded eagerly. ¡°Of course! If we didn¡¯t have a chance of success then why would you come with us?¡±

    Fortuit waved her finger at Cress. ¡°Exactly.¡± She pointed to the huddle of gorgon who were nervously glancing around the shadowy forest. ¡°Now go tell that to them. Get them focused on the goal and that little chance of success, before they decide to go hide under a rock somewhere. They are not warriors Crecerelle, not like you ¨C but they are hard workers.¡±

    Cress clenched her jaw and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Fortuit praised her.

    <hr>

    ¡°Looks like she¡¯s finally done with her pep talk,¡± Orseis declared with mock enthusiasm. ¡°Maybe now we can start moving again.¡±

    Bel tried to keep the frown off of her face. The over-friendly gorgon with the broken arm ¨C her name was apparently Manipule, a fact that she had told to Bel at least ten times ¨C was making her cups of ice and filling them with a sweet tasting alcohol.

    At first Bel had thought that they were a medicinal potion since the gorgons distributed drinks to most of the injured, but it was apparently just a simple method of pain management. Bel wasn¡¯t really interested, and James had told her a thousand times to avoid the stuff, but Manipule was eager to show off every parlor trick possible with her icy manipulation abilities. Bel didn¡¯t have the heart to turn down the fantastically shaped containers that the gorgon topped off with the weak alcoholic drink. She tried to wave off the offering of a third tiny container ¨C this one in the shape of a coiled serpent with delicate wings ¨C by pointing to Cress as the woman resolutely strode back to the rest of the group.

    Manipule hesitated, but when Cress began speaking she still thrust the drink at Bel, refusing to go and listen until Bel grasped it firmly in her hands.

    ¡°I could always take care of that for you,¡± Orseis slyly offered.

    ¡°Lempo help me if you get drunk,¡± Bel groaned. ¡°Lempo help me if I get drunk too,¡± she muttered, wondering how she could politely refuse any future drinks.

    ¡°Lempo,¡± she whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that I can just offer stuff like this to you, can I?¡± She stared at the drink hopefully, but nothing happened.

    ¡°Did you just try to get your mom drunk?¡± Orseis asked.

    Bel smiled with resignation and began to slowly nurse the drink as Cress displayed her oratory skill; or at least Bel assumed that¡¯s what Cress was doing, it wasn¡¯t like she could understand anything. She glanced at the faintly amused expression on the egg-lady¡¯s face and assumed things were going well.

    Bel, on the other hand, was uncomfortable with them spending so long in one place. The new gorgons from the Free City were clearly in over their heads.

    At least Fortuit¡¯s guards filled her with a small sense of safety. The sling-wielding guard looked as though she was barely awake and the armored one had everything but her angry eyes hidden behind a heavy helmet, but Bel had seen the seasoned warriors react instantly to multiple threats as they moved through the Underworld. With their support, and the help of an entire group of the determined but unprepared gorgons, Bel could almost believe that she could defeat Clark and return to the surface.

    Almost.

 Chapter 105 â€“ A Hill to Die On

    Everything was quiet in the mist-filled forest, save for the muted thumping of feet on the mossy ground. Conversation had been choked off by a few days of stressful travel ¨C the constant pursuit from Clark¡¯s not-birds had seen to that. The gorgon with the broken arm that Bel had aided ¨C Manipule, she reminded herself ¨C was testing the ground in front of them with a long stick. A few more broken bones and a missing hand had taught them to not trust their footing for fear of pitfalls and ambush predators.

    The chill in the moist air settled uncomfortably against her skin, so Bel quietly warmed her hands by slowly destabilizing the bonds in the air around them. She¡¯d been practicing her ability as she tried to better understand the other abilities that Lempo had to offer, and perhaps gain some insights into her divine mother¡¯s thinking.

    Bel sighed as she thought of events she¡¯d gotten swept up in. Everyone called Lempo the goddess of change and upheaval, which made it sound like she was a rip-things-apart-and-smash-them kind of goddess. From the way she pushed Bel in different directions but still left the details to her, Bel thought that Lempo was far more subtle than most people thought.

    Bel lifted her hand to observe the subtle heat ripples that were barely visible ¨C the only indication that she was using an ability. The ability didn¡¯t work through brute force, like Flann¡¯s fiery abilities. Instead, she thought it was slightly altering chances that something in the air fell apart, which somehow resulted in the release of heat.

    Bel thought back to her encounter with the scrattes on the magma-filled third layer; they obviously had a tendency towards creating havoc and invading things even without Lempo¡¯s presence. She had simply found a way to point that tendency in a way that aligned with Bel¡¯s next obstacle ¨C and perhaps she had pointed Bel in the same direction as the Scrattes as well. The goddess found things that were at an inflection point and gave them a tiny nudge. Then: boom! Change.

    Of course, some of Lempo¡¯s other abilities are more direct. Bel was once again tempted to take the disintegration ray, the star of the enticing ability twinkling enticingly in her mind¡¯s eye. No. Bad gorgon. If you think that¡¯s powerful, just wait and see what else she¡¯ll give you.

    Bel lifted her hand and produced more heat, beating back the chill of the misty forest that they hoped would baffle Clark¡¯s not-birds.

    Another hand reached out and grabbed Bel¡¯s, and she looked up to see a grinning Manipule.

    ¡°Warm,¡± she explained, using one of the few English words that she¡¯d learned. She squeezed Bel¡¯s fingers and smiled again. Bel smiled awkwardly back, not really sure how to react to the other gorgon. She had a tendency to get overly friendly, especially when Cress wasn¡¯t around.

    Sure, she had come to her rescue after their rough landing, but with Sangfroid slinging stones at everything Manipule had never been in an real danger. Despite that, the other gorgon constantly showered Bel with thanks and attention, giving her the first cut of cooked meat, making her tea from scavenged plants, and just generally always being around. Maybe this is normal for her. James would call her clingy.

    Bel frowned at the word. She¡¯d heard James use it when talking about people from his homeland, but she had never personally met a clingy person.

    ¡°Whatcha brooding about?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°Is it because Cress and everyone else with wings is always out scouting while you¡¯re stuck walking with the rest of us?¡±

    Bel turned towards her companion, but Manipule kept walking hand in hand, uncaring that Bel wasn¡¯t responding to her. Can I let go of her hand? Or would that be rude?

    ¡°Well, I do still want my wings, but I was thinking about James,¡± Bel deflected.

    Orseis nodded knowingly. ¡°Still mad that he won¡¯t talk to you until we get away from Clark, huh? Because of that signal strangulation stuff?¡±

    ¡°Signal triangulation,¡± Bel corrected. ¡°And no, don¡¯t ask, I don¡¯t know how it works. But he thinks that if Martinus could tap into our communications then Clark can do it too.¡±

    Orseis waved her spear through the air. ¡°I say we just figure out where he is and go fight. Better than having the not-birds stir up every sleeping beast we come across.¡±

    Bel¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°He has been getting more aggravating. Clark probably wants to wear us down before he attacks, so we¡¯re all too tired to fight.¡±

    She glanced around at the other gorgons who were carefully picking their way through the forest, arduously poking the thick carpet of moss with walking sticks to be sure it was safe. All of the gorgons moved without complaint, but Bel could see fatigue wearing on them: the drooping eyes, the lack of conversation, the occasional stumble. All of them except for Fortuit¡¯s guards, Escalope and Sangfroid.

    Cress had explained that, in order to become a guard for someone like Fortuit, they had to advance far enough as a gorgon to gain an ability that made their body immortal. Not unkillable, apparently, but no longer subject to mortal problems, like the need to sleep or breathe. It was almost enough to make Bel decide to skip growing wings and save her core capacity for that instead. Not that those long term plans had anything to do with their current problems.

    ¡°I wish he¡¯d just show himself,¡± she grumbled. ¡°We don¡¯t even know how strong he is.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been advancing your core, right?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°Any chance you¡¯ve gotten something good that can kill that guy instantly?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Bel sighed. ¡°I have abilities that I¡¯m sure could kill him, but I think he¡¯s been around for a long time. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t just walk into an attack.¡±

    Bel felt at all of the free strokes in her cores. The way her essence rushed around made her feel strong and invigorated. She clamped down on that feeling, reminding herself that, whatever she had, Clark had more.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been saving my strokes so I can better use the abilities that I¡¯ve got,¡± she finally replied. ¡°The only new ability I¡¯ve taken is the one to kill pathogens, and I only took that because everyone got sick.¡± She shuddered at the thought of half the gorgons clutching at their stomachs, their snakes drooping sadly over their shoulders as their puked out their guts.

    Orseis snorted. ¡°What a waste. You¡¯d think they hadn¡¯t travelled before.¡±

    ¡°They haven¡¯t,¡± Bel insisted. ¡°Most of them worked in food processing ¨C you know, freezing and preserving meat, cleaning and maintaining equipment ¨C I would have thought that you could appreciate that.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Orseis retorted, ¡°but why didn¡¯t they learn to clean food?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Cress said that wasn¡¯t their job.¡±

    She glanced at Manipule, so instantly grinned back. Bel smiled awkwardly and looked away again.

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re the people who volunteered to help. Beggars can¡¯t be choosers, you know. Unless you want to walk back to the city and see if that big walking lizard would like to come instead?¡± Bel scolded.

    ¡°No, no, I guess these gorgons are fine,¡± Orseis relented. ¡°Fortuit¡¯s guards are pretty tough at least.¡±

    Bel opened her mouth to respond, but the soft flutter of wings announced the scouting group¡¯s return.

    Cress landed in the middle of their group and another pair of gorgons landed to her side. The moment she touched down Manipule quickly dropped Bel¡¯s hand and quickly poked at the ground, suddenly absorbed in her task. Cress¡¯ eyebrows pinched together when she glanced in their direction, but she quickly refocused on her job as group leader, explaining her findings to the rest of the gorgons in their underworld tongue.

    Bel tapped her foot and Orseis passed her spear along her suckers as they waited for Cress to explain things to them. She looked to Fortuit, hoping that the egg-mother would offer a faster translation, but instead she was going to the gorgons and collecting their blood again. There was always a ritual soaking of her clay vessel any time they were about to do something dangerous, so Bel could tell that Cress¡¯ news was gloomy.

    ¡°There is a huge cloud of the not-birds,¡± Cress finally explained, her arms held wide. ¡°We can see the Pillar from the edge of the forest, but Clark but be standing between us and our goal.¡±

    ¡°Finally,¡± Orseis declared, stabbing the air with her spear, ¡°time to teach that guy a lesson.¡±

    ¡°He made Crystal,¡± Bel reminded her tentacled companion for the hundredth time. ¡°And he¡¯s been wearing us down the same as I did to Nebamon¡¯s group. He¡¯s clever ¨C we shouldn¡¯t underestimate him.¡±

    Cress shrugged and pulled the heavy maul from her back. ¡°But what else can we do? We aim to take Technis¡¯ land from him, right? Defeating Clark will be our first step along that path.¡±

    Bel glanced at the rest of the gorgons. ¡°And everyone is willing to die for that?¡±

    Cress nodded. ¡°So long as Honored Fortuit survives, we will survive through the next generation.¡± She brightened suddenly, energetically swinging her maul through the air. ¡°And that¡¯s why we gorgons should take risks! We¡¯ll beat down our foes with endless tides of determination! This is our way!¡±

    Bel¡¯s lips twitch at the answer. Well, I guess that I can¡¯t say she¡¯s wrong.

    ¡°Technis is supposed to be leaving Olympos though, at least according to Martinus. You could just wait.¡±

    Cress snorted. ¡°Do you really believe he would abandon his land here? No, I know how greedy, self-styled godlings like him think: he¡¯ll want it all.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that may be true.¡±

    Cress nodded. ¡°Okay then. You¡¯ve told us everything you know about Technis¡¯ servants, so we¡¯re as ready as we can be. Let¡¯s head out.¡±

    The magnificently-winged gorgon turned towards the group, said a few words, heft her maul into the air, and led them forward.

    Forward ¨C but slowly. The gorgons poked at the ground with renewed vigor, even more wary of traps, and Cress and the other two flyers stayed below the treetops so they wouldn¡¯t give the group¡¯s movements away too early. It took them nearly an hour to make it the couple thousand steps to the end of the treeline. Bel was a sweaty mess from the tension by then, and, with how moist her hands had gotten, she was glad that she wouldn¡¯t have to wield any weapon more complicated than a rock.

    Cress beckoned everyone forward ¨C except for Fortuit and her guards, who always lingered behind the ground ¨C and lead them up a small hill. She pointed to a dark cloud of not-birds in the distance. As she opened her mouth to speak, the hill rumbled, spilling gorgons down its sides. What had appeared to be rocks hinged upwards and toothy, lamprey-like creatures emerged from underneath, suckering their flexible mouths onto several gorgons. They tore through flesh with a sick, squelching noise and dragged their victims, kicking and screaming, back under the surface of the hill.

    Cress and the two other winged gorgons took to the air to avoid falling, but the trees around them came alive and swatted at the flyers with their limbs. Bel felt her guts freeze in terror when she saw an explosion of feathers, followed by a wave of ashamed relief when she saw that Cress was still in the air and it had been one of the other gorgons who had been reduced to a pitiful, broken thing and dragged under by one of the voracious lampreys.

    Bel was helpless to help as she struggled against the shaking ground, angrily scratching with her metallic nails at the hard surface under a thin layer of damp soil. Orseis plunged her divine spear through the surprisingly tough rock and whipped out her tentacles, latching onto Bel, Manipule, and another nearby gorgon. The young girl strained and pulled the three of them back to her anchored position.

    The person-sized lampreys, perhaps sensing their resistance, burst out of every nearby rock, whipping their blind, tooth filled faces in Orseis¡¯ direction.

    Manipule and the other gorgon let Orseis wrap tentacles around their waists, leaving their hands free to freeze the creatures before they could latch their tooth-filled maws onto any exposed flesh. Bel reduced to first lamprey to goop with a reflexive liquid shockwave, but when she tried to drive an attack through the ground itself to blow the rocks away she felt an enormous resistance pushing back.

    ¡°The ground,¡± she shouted, ¡°it¡¯s alive!¡±

    Her words were wasted ¨C Orseis couldn¡¯t do anything but hold on and Cress was too far away and too busy dodging tree limbs to hear. Bel craned her head around to locate Fortuit and her powerful guards, but they were being assaulted by a slow, steady stream of not-birds that were clearly only meant to delay their aid.

    Bel scowled and turned her focus to her snakes. The rock felt tough, maybe even too much for her to melt through with Sparky. Roots, though, were made to find a way through rock. Bel mixed spirits with Flora and the flowery plant serpent melted into Bel¡¯s body.

    Her feet grew tendril-like roots that dug into the soft soil beneath her feet and immediately spread out to find a way through the tough, rocky layer. Her body became thick and her skin bark-like, impervious to the small, sharp teeth of the lampreys. She idly swatted a pair that tried to latch on to her, ripping out their essence as she dug deeper with her roots. Bel poured more energy into her assault as she saw several more gorgons dragged away or mauled on the spot. Her multi-pronged search grew angry and frantic as her roots massed against the hard, outer shell of the hill, and she shouted with angry exultation when she finally penetrated the exterior and reached the soft flesh underneath.

    The entire hill rocked precariously at her intrusion, and a large head at the end of a serpentine body as thick around as two people with extended arms rose into view. Its beaked mouth opened and the creature roared ¨C and then a second head rose into view from the other side of the hill.

    Bel realized that they weren¡¯t standing on a hill at all; they were on a giant, two-headed turtle.

    And it was out to kill them.

 Chapter 106 â€“ Turtle Hill

    Both of the giant turtle¡¯s heads turned to face Bel with their angry, red eyes. Bel forced down the uneasy feeling of being looked down upon and flicked her gaze between them as she braced for their reprisal. They took longer than she expected to strike, making her wonder if the small jumbles of wires that sat upon their snouts and slid under their eyelids were messing with their reflexes.

    The precise yet utilitarian work was familiar to Bel from her time in Technis¡¯ temple: a brute force co-opting of a creature¡¯s mind and senses that whose result was always worse than the original.

    Bel¡¯s eyes flicked to lampreys that emerged from the knobs on turtle¡¯s shell that she had earlier mistaken for rocks. Their sickeningly moist bodies were swimming under the turtle¡¯s shell to get from one ambush to the next. There was no way in any hell that they were natural.

    ¡°It¡¯s all artificial,¡± she spat. ¡°Just another one of Technis¡¯ patchwork monstrosities.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Orseis grunted as she pulled Manipule out of reach of a lamprey¡¯s eager mouth. She stabbed her stolen dinner knife through the lamprey¡¯s body to hold it in place while another tentacle whipped forward and struck it with a resounding slap, tearing off its head and spraying ichor like rain. ¡°Does that help you kill it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Bel cried. ¡°But I¡¯ll think of something.¡±

    Bel¡¯s wooden body creaked with frustration as she waved her branches in a futile attempt to disperse some not-birds that were aiming for her eyes. A volley of stones from Sangfroid¡¯s sling arrived a moment later, clearing the area above Bel¡¯s head. Bel nodded thanks to the gorgon guard, but the woman had already moved on to her next attack, her eyes calmly scanning back and forth over the battle.

    The turtle¡¯s heads decided that they had seen enough: one of them plunged down at Bel, beak open wide, ready to deliver a killing bite. Bel slapped out with a long, wooden arm to intercept the strike. A surge of essence flowed through the strokes of her core as she condensed the air into a near liquid and released a liquid shockwave that exploded with enough force to make her ears ring.

    The turtle¡¯s strike was partially redirected, and its beak scraped against it own shell rather than cutting Bel in half. She didn¡¯t get a reprieve though, as the second beaked head immediately followed the first. Bel repeated her attack, condensing the air and releasing a liquid shockwave just in time to deflect the fatal blow.

    To her surprise and dismay, the turtle¡¯s head slowed and dipped at the last moment, diving under her shockwave. It opened its jaws and Bel saw her death in its sharp, angled beak.

    Then one of its eyes exploded as Cress swooped low to delivery a powerful shriek. A swarm of not-birds followed hot on her heels, but the other flying gorgon batted them aside with a long spear.

    The turtle reared its heads back and let loose a deep, bone-rattling bellow of outrage. The injury triggered something in the turtle, and it lost any semblance of self-control as it descended into a frenzy, beating its heads against it body, crushing gorgons and lampreys alike.

    ¡°Down,¡± Cress yelled, pointing to the ground around the turtle with her maul. She and the other flying gorgon grabbed the two gorgons in Orseis¡¯ tentacles and leaped from the turtle¡¯s back, carrying them to the safety of the forest floor.

    Orseis paused a moment as she struggled to rip her spear from the turtle shell before she remembered that she could just resummon it as a cloud of dust. ¡°Are you coming?¡± she shrieked.

    ¡°I¡¯m stuck,¡± Bel snapped. ¡°My roots are deep into this thing trying to find its heart.¡± She tilted her head, briefly considering giving up her attack. ¡°You go, I¡¯ll take care of the turtle.¡±

    Orseis was about to object, but then her w-shaped pupils dilated into full moons. Bel could see the oncoming turtle¡¯s neck from its reflection in the girl¡¯s eyes. She swept her arms upwards and deflected it with another liquid shockwave, just barely forcing it to the side before it could mash her into a pulp.

    I¡¯ve only got a couple of shockwaves left, Bel cursed.

    Orseis¡¯ tentacles curled with fear and she turned nearly invisible, but she moved nearer to Bel. ¡°I¡¯ll stick with you,¡± she stammered. ¡°But only because you¡¯re my ticket to the Old World.¡±

    Bel turned her head at a sudden surge of hisses. She saw that Cress and the other gorgons had managed to get off of the turtle, but something equally horrible awaited them on the ground. Clark had gotten to the decoy gorgons who had left in the original clay glider, killed them, and reanimated them as his puppets. A dozen mutilated gorgons shambled from the forest, surrounding the living. Each was modified in a different way: some with lampreys for arms, others with insect stingers on their heads in place of their snakes. Each modification was unnecessary and cruel, and completely in keeping with everything she remembered about Clark. They were obviously meant to provoke the surviving gorgons.

    More birds joined the battle, perching on the surrounding trees. They opened their mouths and spoke in unison, but in a variety of languages, creating a cheap imitation of Lempo¡¯s voice. Bel kept a focus on her burrowing roots, refusing to be distracted by Clark¡¯s threats.

    ¡°You gorgons have made the wrong choice,¡± he mocked. ¡°Why not surrender? I would love to preserve a few of your bodies in a more complete state for further study.¡±

    Bel snorted at the cheap attempt at intimidation, but frowned when she saw some of the gorgons trembling with fright. She prepared to speak with Kjar¡¯s voice, intending to demonstrate how true power sounded, but another body slam from one of the berserk turtle heads drew her focus. Bel once again deflected the attack, draining her core dangerously close to empty.

    Orseis took the opportunity to jump upon the turtle¡¯s head. She wrapped her tentacles around it, suckering herself in place as she repeatedly jabbed her spear and knife into its thick neck. A dark blob of birds dropped from the trees like rotten fruit, opening their wings at the last moment to glide to Orseis at full speed. Stones shot like lightning from Sangfroid¡¯s sling and the birds burst into clouds of feathers and wire before they could reach their target.

    The rest of the birds shrieked with outrage, plunging from their perches to dive at Sangfroid. Escalope stepped in front of Fortuit, pushing the honored gorgon a few steps further away from the focus of the attacks. The patchwork gorgon wailed with unnatural voices and rushed at the living, and Cress answered their noises with a bold battle cry.

    Bel grit her teeth and forced herself to look away from the shouts and screams, focusing instead on the unburdened turtle head and the progress of her roots towards something vital. The second head was momentarily distracted, doing its best to scrape Orseis from the first head¡¯s neck. The cuttle-girl danced around the beast, swinging around the wide neck on her strong tentacles, but she came close enough to losing a limb enough times that Bel could barely watch. Frantic urgency surged through Bel¡¯s heart as she stabbed and pierced with her roots, until she finally felt the thick pulse of a major artery.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    She didn¡¯t hesitate to unleash her final liquid shockwave. The massive creature resisted her attack, and, instead of reducing its innards to goop, she only accomplished what she guessed was the equivalent of swallowing a sharp stone. She wasn¡¯t done though; the small area of bruising had forced back the creature¡¯s essence, clearing an uncontested area for her to initiate Lempo¡¯s ability to destabilize bonds.

    In her experience, the chain reaction usually caused an explosion, blowing a material apart before it could spread too far. Inside the body of the turtle though, its muscle and organs served as fuel for a growing fire that erupted from the holes in the shell like cannon fire from a ship. The lampreys died as one, their bodies cooked in the boiling innards of the turtle, and the turtle itself shrieked in agony: mortally wounded but not yet dead. Orseis whooped fearlessly as she rode the writhing creature, shielding herself from the explosion with the bulk of the turtle¡¯s thick neck.

    Bel herself wilted from the damage she¡¯d just caused: her roots were burned away to her feet and her canopy was withering from the rain of still-burning turtle chunks. She used thermal regulation to redirect most of the heat into Sparky¡¯s body, but it was still overwhelming. She felt Flora pull away, separating from Bel¡¯s body and retreating, exhausted, to the snake¡¯s regular place on Bel¡¯s head. Bel slumped against the shell, holding on with shaking hands as the turtle collapsed beneath her. Essence began to roll in from its death and the mass death of the lampreys. The surge in strength was like a spring rain and Bel began to recover, but her weak, quivering body was in no state to help the rest of the fight.

    She looked over at the other gorgons, hoping that they were also doing well. They weren¡¯t ¨C several of them had been run through with sharped stakes or savaged by the lamprey hands of their patchwork sisters. Sangfroid was launching volleys of exploding missiles at the unending cloud of not-birds, but as Bel watched a thick clump of them descended to her side.

    Another gorgon stepped into their path, brandishing a pair of heavy knives, but when she thrust a weapon into the clot of birds a hand emerged and grasped her around her wrist. Before she could make a noise, Clark¡¯s other arm swung his staff through her head, instantly killing her.

    Bel watched helplessly as the rest of Clark emerged from the concealing avian cloak and pointed his staff at Sangfroid. A light bloomed on the tip of his staff as Sangfroid spun to face him. Her normally sleepy express was replaced by one of shock as a cone of light erupted from Clark¡¯s weapon, consuming the gorgon from the waist up. Clark cackled with delight as what remained of Sangfroid¡¯s lower body collapsed into the ground.

    Escalope was upon him before Bel had fully drawn a gasp of horror. The warrior¡¯s coiling shield whipped out, but was deflected by Clark¡¯s staff. Then her sword swung towards his throat, but a knot of birds mobbed her arm, slowing the attack enough that he ducked beneath it.

    Bel could see Clark¡¯s grin even from a hundred strides away. She desperately pushed herself down the turtle¡¯s shell, but it was too late. Clark spun in place, and a tail of sharpened metal cut straight through Escalope¡¯s neck, beheading her.

    Bel screamed with impotent rage. Clark pivoted on his heel and flicked some dirt from his robe.

    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t¨C¡± he began, but his words were cut short when Escalope¡¯s body kicked him in the back of the knees. He stumbled forwards, whipping blinding backwards with his tail.

    A swipe of the headless gorgon¡¯s sword tore it from his body, and it was Clark¡¯s turn to yell with wordless fury. Bel doubted that he had felt a thing ¨C ripping his nerves and feelings from his body seemed like the first thing a younger Clark would have done ¨C but he clearly hadn¡¯t expected Escalope to keep fighting without her head.

    Clark caught the next swing of the armored warrior¡¯s sword with his staff, but her other arm whipped her shield forward. The metal uncoiled and whipped around one of Clark¡¯s legs. With a twist of her hand the metal clenched, tearing through his limb with a horrific snap, leaving behind a stump of wire and flesh that leaked oil and blood. The tines of her sword spun, eating into his staff as she forced the one-legged man backwards.

    The remaining patchwork gorgons abandoned their fighting, mindlessly rushing to Clark¡¯s rescue. Most were cut down on the way as they tried to rush past the living gorgons, but a couple managed to ram into Escalope with their dying inertia. Clark released his mostly broken staff and fell backwards into a cloud of not-birds. With a chorus of angry cawing, the birds took flight, Clark¡¯s body somehow concealed among them.

    Escalope¡¯s headless body flicked her sword with frustration. She stomped back to her severed head, grabbed it by the ornamented helmet, and lifted it back to her neck. With a snap of bone and squelch of flesh it reattached. She immediately turned her head and spat into the ground. She waved her sword and briefly cursed in the fleeing Clark¡¯s direction before stomping back to Fortuit, who had waited out the battle in the hollow of a nearby tree.

    Bel slumped to the ground, filled with an overwhelming sense of shame. I¡¯m supposed to be better than this, right?

    She looked around for her friends. She was worried that something had happened to them while she wasn¡¯t looking, but also worried that they would be blaming her for their failure. Orseis was collecting small bits of cooked turtle and nibbling on them with an empty expression. It looked like she was moving reflexively to refill her depleted stores, but her mind was somewhere else. Bel tried to catch her eye, but the small cuttle-girl was staring at the ground as she shuffled forward, her tentacles wrapped protectively around her body.

    Bel couldn¡¯t muster the strength to go to Orseis, and instead looked for Cress. She found the other gorgon among a cluster of corpses, tiredly checking each one of them for vital signs. She wasn¡¯t even glancing in Bel¡¯s direction.

    But why should she be? This isn¡¯t just about me anymore.

    Bel dug down deep into her resolve and forced herself up on shaking legs. She stumbled towards the closest gorgons with injuries ¨C really, any gorgon would do since they all had injuries. She laid her hands upon a tall woman with long, dark snakes trailing down her back. The other gorgon tensed and looked up at Bel¡¯s touch, but quickly relaxed. She had a wide, circular gash going around her arm that she had been squeezing shut, but Bel was able to easily seal it with her coagulation abilities. The woman nodded her thanks while Bel checked her over for additional injures.

    After fixing what she could, Bel moved on to the next gorgon. It didn¡¯t take long ¨C only six gorgons were left, not counting Cress, Fortuit, and Escalope. Cress had pressed Manipule into service setting a few broken limbs, but there wasn¡¯t much any of them could do for one gorgon who had lost most of an arm or the other gorgon whose leg looked so damage that Bel feared she would lose it.

    A deep, rhythmic chanting sent a shiver up Bel¡¯s spine. She looked up, expecting more trouble, but it was just Fortuit going about her grisly task. The honored gorgon went from body to body, selecting pieces of the dead to add into her rapidly filling clay egg. Escalope hovered protectively over her, glaring angrily into the forest around them.

    ¡°You look rough, Bel,¡± Cress¡¯ voice asked suddenly, ¡°are you well?¡±

    Bel blinked, surprised that Cress had somehow sneaked up on her.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she mumbled, ¡°I guess I was spacing out.¡±

    Cress nodded knowingly, and reached out to put a reassuring arm on Bel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Here in the Underworld these things happen. That is why we gorgons must be tough.

    Cress thumped her maul into the ground, obviously trying to convince herself and Bel of her words. ¡°Clark has learned that we are a dangerous people to fight.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he learned that at all. I don¡¯t think he was even here.¡±

    Cress tilted her head. ¡°I am maybe misunderstanding your words. Clark ¨C that man ¨C he was right here.¡± She tapped the ground with her foot.

    Bel shook her head more emphatically. ¡°No. Whatever was here, it didn¡¯t glow in Kjar¡¯s Sight like I know the real Clark would. That was just a puppet or something.¡±

    Cress¡¯ lips pressed together. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more of that after we rest,¡± she finally said. Bel could see Cress¡¯ disappointment, like dust layered thick over her friend¡¯s heart.

    Bel remembered the last time she¡¯d brought trouble upon her friends: she¡¯d been travelling with Beth and James and Daran across the Golden Plains when the Dark Ravager¡¯s cultists had attacked. She ran to lead them away, was captured, and then Kjar used her to get to the Dark Ravager himself. If I¡¯d had faith in my divine parents and their plans, maybe I could have finished things there without so much trouble.

    She rubbed the scar that went across her face, a reminder of her own failures. I wonder if Kjar and Lempo have a plan this time?

    Bel looked down at her hands. They were crusted with blood and dirt, but there were still places where her sharp, metallic nails shone with a brilliant sheen.

    ¡°Me,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°I¡¯m the plan.¡±

    Bel hadn¡¯t wanted to take on Kjar¡¯s mantle. She didn¡¯t want to constantly judge things for being right or wrong, or be consumed by a constant need for retribution. In that moment though, she had a bunch of free strokes and wanted nothing more than to burn the wicked.

    She cleared her throat. ¡°Hey Cress, Clark or not, I¡¯m gonna go hunt that thing down.¡±

 Chapter 107 â€“ Face Off

    Cress¡¯ eyes widened after Bel declared her intention to hunt Clark down. She gestured to the rest of the gorgons and sputtered unintelligibly, clearly struggling to understand Bel¡¯s sudden desire to abandon them.

    ¡°I have to go after him,¡± Bel insisted. ¡°Otherwise he¡¯ll just attack again.¡±

    ¡°But alone¨C¡± Cress began.

    ¡°He¡¯s weak,¡± Bel interrupted. ¡°Or at least that body is.¡±

    She gestured at the giant turtle¡¯s corpse. ¡°Come on Cress, he ambushed us and he still had to run away. He¡¯s taken on more than he can handle. And besides, hunting the wicked is probably the kind of thing Lempo and Kjar had in mind for me anyway.¡±

    Cress looked like she had more arguments left in her, but one of the other gorgons called out to her with some urgent need. She clicked her tongue and poked one of her metallic nails into Bel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If things look bad, just come back,¡± she insisted. Then she gave Bel a quick hug and rushed off to help the rest of the gorgons.

    Orseis flopped onto the ground next to Bel. ¡°You running off again?¡± she asked wearily.

    Bel nodded. Then she looked her friend up and down. Her previously bright white fur clothes was darkened to a muddy brown with rusty highlights and matted into a tangled mess, but Bel didn¡¯t see any obvious injuries. ¡°Are you hurt, Ori? Did the turtles get you somewhere that I can¡¯t see?¡±

    Orseis rubbed her tentacles against her side. ¡°Just a little squished.¡±

    She flexed a couple of tentacles. ¡°I was practicing my deception during the fight ¨C you know, acting like everything was fine.¡± She slumped. ¡°But it hurts. I don¡¯t think I can help, although you probably want to leave me behind again anyway.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s my fight.¡±

    ¡°Want your spear back?¡± Orseis help up the divine weapon.

    Bel grinned. She bent down and patted Orseis on the head. ¡°Nah, you¡¯ll need that if some scavengers show up. Remember how Kjar and Dutcha saved me from the Dark Ravager?¡±

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°I mean, I wasn¡¯t there, but sure. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever talked about it though.¡±

    Bel remembered the bodies and the smell of burned flesh as Dutcha carried her through the melting pyramid. Her snakes curled at the vivid memory. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t really wanted to talk about it. Maybe I should have though ¨C I¡¯m wondering if they were showing off some of the abilities that they think I should be using.¡±

    Bel flexed her hands, gradually altering her metallic nails to be sharper. ¡°Dutcha dragged me around so I could see her fight. Kjar made it pretty obvious what she was up to. She also recommended claws ¨C that could have been a personal preference though, since she¡¯s a cat.¡±

    Bel closed her eyes and sent her senses to the abilities that her divine relatives had granted to her. She scanned through the fiery stars that made up Kjar¡¯s constellation, snorting when she figured out what one of them did. ¡°She totally does have an ability that could give me claws.¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle in mock-excitement.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to take it, though,¡± Bel added.

    Orseis tilted her head. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s better than that? Breathing fire?¡±

    ¡°Well, I want that too, but it would fill up my unbound core and leave me defenseless. Beth would find a way to come down here and murder me if I did that.¡± Bel shook her head. ¡°No, instead I¡¯m taking some cheap abilities that¡¯ll let me track this guy down.¡±

    Bel closed her eyes and traced the patterns for smell lawlessness and track hearts onto her core. When her nose began to itch and her head spun from the sounds of a hundred tiny drums she regretted doing them both at the same time.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Orseis repeated. Bel realized that she had hunched over as she struggled with her new senses, and Orseis had been growing increasingly alarmed.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Bel replied.

    She sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose at all smells. The corpses that Clark had modified had a lingering scent of transgression. When the wind blew from the direction that he¡¯d fled, she also picked up a whiff of blasphemy. The closest, most annoying scent was one of inhospitality that was coming from her side.

    ¡°Give me that,¡± Bel demanded, pointing at Orseis¡¯ stolen dinner knife.

    Orseis offered it up. ¡°Do you need to cut something?¡±

    ¡°No. You shouldn¡¯t be using stolen goods. Stealing is wrong, especially from your host ¨C you could be punished.¡±

    ¡°What god crawled up your abyss?¡± Orseis whined at Bel liquified the knife and swallowed it, swiftly incorporating the metal into her nails. ¡°It¡¯s not like eating it will unsteal it!¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll ask James to give Martinus some technology or a story as payment, and Martinus can replace it.¡±

    She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. With the knife dealt with, the nearest scent of wrongdoing faded, making the odor of Clark¡¯s misbehavior much more clear.

    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Bel reached up and undid her earring. ¡°Here, you can tell James to make things right if he calls.¡±

    Orseis hesitantly took the earring. ¡°Um, Bel, why don¡¯t you tell him?¡±

    ¡°I would, but maybe I shouldn¡¯t be carrying this around. James was worried that Clark was using it against us somehow. If he knows I¡¯m coming, he may set another trap.¡±

    Orseis looked at the earring skeptically. ¡°Is it safe for me to have it?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°If they are tracking it, then he won¡¯t know that I¡¯ve left the group so I¡¯ll catch him by surprise. If they aren¡¯t tracking it, then it¡¯s fine. Either way we win, right?¡±

    Orseis frowned. ¡°That sounds like something your brother would say.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t¡­ never mind. So all you wanted was to sniff better?¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°That¡¯s not it. There¡¯s also one of Dutcha¡¯s abilities that I¡¯m putting into my disorder core, but I don¡¯t want to talk about it in case he¡¯s still got something listening nearby.¡±

    Bel could actually feel all of the beating hearts around them, but she wasn¡¯t confident that Clark¡¯s patchwork creatures had hearts. She would have to find some that were living to be sure.

    ¡°Nothing from your mom?¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a mature gorgon and wait for an ability that will work on Technis. The most expensive abilities that I see can alter the flow of time, so I¡¯m already seeing some amazing things, but none of them will take Technis down. The ability to blow things up is pretty good already, and if I leave more open strokes I can use it more times.¡±

    <hr>

    Bel walked through the woods, sniffing out the faint whiff of wrongdoing that Clark¡¯s creations left behind. Now that she was alone, the regular inhabitants of the ecosystem emerged from hiding: scurrying rodents picked through the leaf litter, searching for insects or seeds while gliding lizards and birds chased insects through the air. She marvelled at the strange diversity of creatures; without the strong pull of gravity on Olympos¡¯ surface, even snakes could make a decent attempt at flight.

    There were larger creatures too, of course. Bel jumped back, out of the clutches of a bulky, cat-like creature with long, knife-like fangs. A heavy mist clung to the beast¡¯s body, which Bel guessed was the result of some type of concealing ability, but the rapid change in the rhythm of its heartbeat had made the ambush predator¡¯s attack obvious to her. For a few moments, she locked eyes with the cat, ready to do battle.

    Then, with a disgruntled flick of its tail, it decided that she wasn¡¯t worth the trouble. It bounded back into the heavy underbrush, disappearing from Bel¡¯s sight ¨C but not her senses ¨C in moments.

    I kind of feel like a dummy for not getting this ability earlier, Bel thought. Although it is pretty distracting. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to sleep.

    Most abilities could be turned off, but some of Kjar¡¯s abilities had a peculiar sense of self-righteousness that Bel knew would cause her trouble. If she hadn¡¯t taken Orseis¡¯ knife away, the scent of the crime would have driven her crazy.

    Bel paused and tapped her slightly longer, sharper nails together. ¡°I hope I can still live around people after this,¡± she muttered. ¡°If every little thing drives me crazy, then I¡¯ll have to go live in the woods.¡±

    Bel looked at her surroundings. ¡°Well, that¡¯s basically the same as how things used to be. I guess I¡¯m fine with that.¡±

    She lifted her nose and sniffed, once again picking up the trail of her quarry.

    <hr>

    Clark¡¯s offensive stench increased as she drew nearer. The smell drew her into a narrow path that ran between a cliff and a quickly flowing river. The banks seemed low, revealing a thick plane of mud between the path and the river. Bel paused for a few moments, wondering what caused the tides when there was no moon. As she narrowed her eye in thought and stared blankly into the river, she realized that something was peering back at her.

    A long, scaly creature ¨C something like a crocodile, she assumed ¨C was staring at her. She could feel the patient heart of the enormous creature, slowly beating away. Bel took a few steps away from the water, deciding that the cliff face would be more safe, but she stopped short when she detected a few hearts in that direction as well.

    Closer inspection revealed several holes along the cliff, and Bel remembered the rock worms from the frozen layer. This feels like a good place for an ambush, she grumbled internally. If it is, then at least I won¡¯t have to keep walking for much longer.

    Bel proceeded cautiously, sniffing the air before every blind turn and pausing the identify the owners of any hearts. When she finally crested a small rise and saw Clark ¨C or the thing that looked like Clark ¨C waiting for her on the other side, she was momentarily caught off guard by the lack of attacks.

    The hateful man spread his mouth wide and grinned back at her stupefied expression. ¡°How interesting! What made you decide to face me alone, I wonder?¡±

    Bel frowned. Rather than reply, she looked around the area, searching for traps.

    There were a few obvious ones that leaped out. A few bits of crocodile were spread around Clark¡¯s body. Some of them had obviously been harvested to repair his legs, but the rest of the bodies were likely up to no good. Then there were stone worms, no doubt preparing to¡­ block her retreat? Collapse the cliff?

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you left the other gorgons behind.¡± Clark stroked his chin. ¡°Did they lose faith in you so quickly?¡±

    Bel scowled. ¡°Cut the act. I know that you¡¯re not really here.¡±

    His eyebrows went up. ¡°Oh, really? And here I thought you would recognize me. We spent so many wonderful years together, after all.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes hissed. ¡°Your words reek of deception and cruelty. Do you kiss Technis¡¯ crotch with that mouth?¡±

    A scowl quickly passed over Clark¡¯s face, bringing Bel a small bit of satisfaction.

    ¡°Such a blasphemous tongue,¡± he tutted. ¡°And here I may as well be your uncle.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°And how do you figure that? And what are you stalling for, exactly? More worms? Your new leg isn¡¯t connected yet?¡±

    He smiled. ¡°I just want to talk! I was quite impressed with the mess you made of that creature I sent to hunt you down. As I mentioned, I hand a hand in your creation, so I find myself eager to evaluate your progress.¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Are you trying to say something so absurd that I choke myself to death? What is this nonsense?¡±

    He shook his head in an over-earnest imitation of sorrow. ¡°How sharper than a serpent¡¯s tooth it is to have a thankless child. That is a saying from James¡¯ world, correct? Well you are quite thankless.¡±

    Bel considered simply pouncing upon him, but then she wondered if he was trying to goad her into a reckless attack. While she was pondering that, he rambled on.

    ¡°You see, some gorgons have made it to the surface ¨C with Technis¡¯ help at least.¡± Clark paused for just a moment to grin at Bel, but she had moved on to counting the hearts in the vicinity. ¡°Who do you think planted the rumor that the surface will be a utopia for gorgons?¡±

    Clark sighed dramatically. ¡°In retrospect, we should have left a viable population alive, but we were confident that more of you would keep showing up. I turns out that we overestimated the abilities of the typical gorgon.¡±

    ¡°What did¨C¡±

    Bel stopped herself after just a couple of words, but it was too late. Clark could tell that he¡¯d captured her interest.

    ¡°Well,¡± he said gleefully, ¡°you see, Technis is the pinnacle of what a human can achieve.¡±

    ¡°You mean he¡¯s the biggest turd a human can be?¡± Bel slipped in.

    Clark barely faltered in his story. ¡°He shares his discoveries with his faithful, but the gods are less generous and stymie his efforts at every turn. Because of that, we must work tirelessly to uncover the secrets of the world for ourselves. We had hoped to study the gorgons¡¯ ritual of rebirth, which holds the key to unlocking the art of crafting new cores.¡±

    He waved his staff angrily. ¡°Yet the gods refused us those secrets, striking down our experiments before they could fully develop. To this day, every human is born with the cursed ability to dilute their blood with lesser beings rather than inheriting something befitting our place as the undisputed rulers of the Old World.¡±

    Bel blinked. ¡°Sorry, what? Are you complaining about the semi-humans of the Golden Plains?¡±

    ¡°Filth,¡± Clark spat. ¡°A human is superior because of their mind. Trading that away for mere adaptations is beneath us. The Bargainer was a fool for taking the god¡¯s deal, and even more the fool for trapping us here when we belong in the Old World.¡±

    He lifted his finger and began to rant in earnest. ¡°The gods did not make us! We evolved!¡±

    He slammed his staff into the ground, emphasising his zeal with a loud and powerful strike. ¡°Yes, evolved, through the great and righteous process of natural selection!¡±

    Bel noticed that several of the hearts around her moved whenever when the staff struck.

    He pointed his finger in Bel¡¯s direction as his face screwed up in angry, wrinkled lines. ¡°Creatures like you are a mockery of the natural order! A natural being corrupted by the outside influences of the gods, who continue to exert their power to preserve things that should be dead, to grant succor to the weak and pitiful creatures who belong beneath the humans¡¯ feet!¡±

    ¡°Wow,¡± Bel breathed, ¡°you¡¯re crazy! If you¡¯re so great, why are you running away to the Old World, then?¡±

    ¡°Because it is ours!¡± Clark declared as he emphatically slammed his staff in to the ground again. ¡°We will reclaim it! Improve it! And then we shall return!¡±

    As the last word left his lips, the water surged and the ground churned. Clark had launched his attack.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna knock your face off,¡± Bel declared.

 Chapter 108 â€“ Heartbeats

    Bel adroitly leaped away from the surge of water, prepared for whatever crocodile was coming for her. She expected it, but the size of the creature still sent a jolt of fear down her spine. Its yawning mouth was lined with thick, conical teeth that looked suited for holding onto prey much larger than her. Bel momentarily imagined herself being trapped between its jaws, her legs below her knees sticking out of its mouth as she flailed in desperation.

    Thank Kjar that I already knew it was coming, she thought.

    Bel¡¯s leap took her near to the cliff face and a ready supply of stones. She reached out to grab one, intending to explode it in the monster¡¯s gaping mouth, but the wave of water that accompanied it shoved her back, pinning her against the rocks. Bel¡¯s improved lung capacity meant that she wasn¡¯t gasping for air, but she was pinned against the rocks and blinded by the brackish water. Three heartbeats surged towards her from within the cliff, the second prong of Clark¡¯s ambush.

    He¡¯s good at this, Bel begrudgingly admitted. Had he always intended to lure her away? Or had he made this ambush on the spot? Had he improvised an attack to take advantage of her immobility in tree form or douse her magma form while running away on one leg?

    Bel¡¯s heart hammered in her chest, but she didn¡¯t panic. Clark wasn¡¯t the only one who could plan ahead.

    She thrust her arm into the crack of the cliff and released a powerful shockwave just before the rock worms arrived. Water had penetrated the porous rocks, filling the open cavities and providing the perfect medium for her attack. She blasted energy into the cliff ¨C one, two, three times ¨C pulping her ambushers until their hearts stopped and their essence and pulverized bodies filled the bloody water.

    As the surge receded, Bel grabbed two fist-sized rocks and turned to face the enormous crocodile. Its squat legs dug into the muddy ground as it galloped towards her with single-minded purpose. Every nerve in Bel¡¯s body quivered with natural fear as the heavy, scaly terror shook the ground with every bound. When it was only a few strides away it opened its mouth. Bel destabilized a stone and threw it inside before pouncing over its top jaw.

    She landed upon its scaled back just in time to feel its body thrum beneath her from the exploding stone. The source of the blast was concentrated somewhere in its throat, shattering its spine and quickly killing the giant creature. Bel pivoted towards Clark, using her momentum to whip her arm forward and launch a second destabilized rock towards his hateful face.

    He batted the rock aside with his staff, but the explosion that followed a moment later shattered his weapon into splinters, singing half his body and tossing him into the mud.

    Bel grinned with delight as she pulled the thick store of essence from the crocodiles core, but an instant later she was mobbed by Clark¡¯s flock of not-birds. Dozens of the feathered fiends pecked and clawed at her, forcing Bel to cover her eyes and curl into a ball to protect her sensitive organs. Her snakes hissed and lashed out at the avian attackers, but they were particularly exposed to the flying threats.

    Of all the things Clark had at his disposal, the not-birds were the worst. Individually they didn¡¯t amount to much, but as an unending swarm they were overwhelming. Even a gorgon as strong as Sangfroid hadn¡¯t been able to stop them.

    Bel tried to stay calm as she used her new senses to track the chaotic swirl of hearts around her. Her targets pinpointed, she sent energy through her latest, untested ability. It was the largest pattern in her core, more complex and confusing than even Lempo¡¯s ability to destabilize materials. Luckily for her, she¡¯d had a front row seat when Dutcha demonstrated it in the Dark Ravager¡¯s temple. Ability ready, Bel threw her arms wide and liberated the essence of every lesser creature in her vicinity, ripping it straight from their feeble cores and delivering it directly to her own ¨C just as Dutcha had done to any living Cultist she came across.

    Bel had once observed a fisherman cruelly pulling his swallowed hook from the belly of an unfortunate fish. The feeling of ripping the essence directly from the cores of the not-birds reminded her of the gruesome sucking sound as the fish¡¯s guts were pulled out through its throat. A moment later, every not-bird in the sky fell lifelessly to the ground.

    Bel breathed a sigh of relief as she straightened. ¡°Thanks Dutcha. That was satisfying.¡±

    She stood tall upon the back of the defeated alligator and looked down at Clark. She grinned when she saw that his second leg hadn¡¯t been fully repaired yet, delighting as he struggled to get back on his feet.

    ¡°No barrier?¡± she mocked. ¡°Didn¡¯t find any wasps on your way down?¡±

    He looked at her with a frustratingly calm face. ¡°Well, if what you say is true and this body is merely a puppet, then there was little need for protection.¡±

    He tilted his head. ¡°Or perhaps you are incorrect? Maybe you should try to finish me off?¡± He spread his arms wide, inviting her attack. ¡°Maybe you should try that attack again? Or does it only work on the weak?¡±

    Bel¡¯s feet shifted over the pebble-textured skin of the dead crocodile. She tensed and then relaxed several times as she hesitated.

    ¡°Such a clear sign of your inferiority,¡± Clark mocked. ¡°Victory is within grasp, and yet you cannot seize it. Or perhaps victory is beyond your meagre ability?¡±

    He gestured towards the slain alligator. ¡°Do you remember the stories of the Old World? An entire globe, conquered by men and women with no special powers, just the strength of their minds. My ancestors would not hesitate.¡±

    He dusted the mud from his robes. ¡°Lempo¡¯s creation clearly lacks the resolve to be a real threat.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Bel responded lamely. ¡°Well, then why did you come here after me?¡± She slammed her fist into her armored chest in challenge.

    ¡°You are nothing more than a minor diversion,¡± Clark dissembled. ¡°Crushing the rebellion and the lesser people of the Golden Plains is proceeding without interruption, so I became curious about Lempo¡¯s plans in the Underworld.¡±

    He gestured towards her. ¡°I have found nothing of concern. It is no bother to me if we wait here for a few days. Would that be long enough for you to find your resolve?¡±

    Bel¡¯s jaw clenched so hard that it hurt. Her snakes hissed threateningly over her head as her anger boiled over. ¡°Really?¡± she snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you for a moment. Why did you bother meeting with Stion in the Free City if you weren¡¯t worried?¡±

    Clark sighed dramatically. ¡°A gnat, though insignificant, is still a nuisance. I had already planned to obtain additional gorgon samples before leaving this world. Since you were nearby, it was no additional trouble to have you¡­¡±

    He squeezed his thumb and forefinger together. ¡°¡­squashed.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°And things have turned out well! I am quite pleased that you decided to provide ample samples for my research. Perhaps I should collect the rest of the living ones that you left behind?¡±

    Bel frowned and Clark continued.

    ¡°After all, you suspect that this is not my real body. Maybe I am merely a distraction, keeping you here while I harvest the rest of your kind.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    He rubbed his thin thoughtfully. ¡°The unkillable one should be quite a boon ¨C imagine how many organs I could extract if she is capable of regeneration?¡±

    Bel jumped down from the alligator, ready to tear Clark¡¯s throat out with her sharp nails. Then she stopped, still a dozen strides away.

    Clark¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly. ¡°Oh? Not coming for me after all?¡±

    She narrowed her gaze. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re planning something ¨C maybe you¡¯re going to explode when I get close.¡±

    He laughed. ¡°Well, your imagination is active even if your spine is weak. But, if you have no intentions of finishing this fight, I will be on my way.¡±

    Bel snarled as he turned in place. She bent down to pick up a nearby rock, intending to blow his body to bits, but as she stood she saw him charging straight for her.

    Bel thought about jumping, but instantly dismissed the idea. That would be the obvious thing.

    Instead she reached for her magma snake, mixing the small spirit¡¯s body with her own as Clark closed the distance with his two fully functional legs. The blood in her arteries pumped hotter and hotter, turning into liquid fire as her skin hardened and cracked into a semi-liquid stone. Her form began to swell from her inner heat just as Clark¡¯s body shed its outer layer of skin.

    What was revealed was an angry mess inflamed muscle run through with wires and tubes. His chest was filled with several glass flasks that bubbled with a dangerously vibrant liquid. Bel only had a moment to observe his innards before the liquids were released into a large mixing chamber in his stomach.

    She swept her arms over her face as the puppet exploded in a blinding flash of light and heat.

    <hr>

    Orseis was feeling sick to her stomach. She was pretty sure ¨C no, totally certain ¨C that Bel would be okay. She was made by the gods, so she had to be.

    So why do I feel so uneasy?

    Orseis wrapped her tentacles around her body, hugging herself for comfort as she methodically stabbed her spear into a rock, slowly reducing it to a pile of pebbles. She glanced at the tentacle that had been cut short by Nebamon. At least Bel left me with my badass spear this time.

    She wasn¡¯t alone this time either. Orseis looked at the gorgons, squinting as she tried to figure out their strange rituals. The one with the clay egg had finished cutting up the dead and throwing pieces into her container, and now the living were putting their hands on the egg and chanting. The low drone of their song made Orseis¡¯ head hurt. When they finally stopped, she breathed a sigh of relief.

    Most of them, with the exception Fortuit, her remaining guard, and Crecerelle, pulled food and drinks from their packs and began some kind of sombre ceremony. Within half an hour it had turned in a loud sobbing party, with frequent wailing. There was an occasional bout of silence as a gorgon would tell some story. Some ended in laughter, but even those were inevitably followed by more crying. So weird, Orseis thought as she watched a gorgon practically soak her loaf of bread with the liquid poring from her face.

    Unbidden, a little corner of her mind wondered if anyone would cry if she were killed. She ground her spear into the rock, needing something to relieve the stress from the unwelcome thought.

    Cress saw her discomfort, but misinterpreted it when she walked over. The well-meaning gorgon offered her an awkward hug before asking, ¡°Ori, is your body healthy?¡±

    Orseis turned an embarrassing shade at the gorgons¡¯ too-intimate gestures. ¡°Oh, um, yeah, I¡¯m good,¡± she said immediately. She straightened up and squeezed out of the hug, trying her best to look healthy despite the deep ache in her ribs. ¡°Do you need help with anything?¡±

    Cress shook her head. ¡°I will keep watch with Escarole until Bel returns.¡± She gestured towards the other gorgons. ¡°Although you did not know those who died, we are travelling companions. If you like, you can join the others.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m full of turtle anyway,¡± she lied.

    Crecerelle gave her an incredulous look, but decided to not press the point. With a small nod, Cress went to speak with Fortuit.

    Orseis closed her eyes and relaxed after that, but only a few minutes later someone nudged her in the foot.

    ¡°Ori,¡± the gorgon greeted her. Manipule smiled at her confidently, but from the nervous clench of her fingers around a small, icy glass Orseis guessed that the gorgon was a little bit nervous.

    ¡°Hi Manipule,¡± Orseis returned her greeting. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    They didn¡¯t actually speak the same language, so Orseis wasn¡¯t sure what the strange gorgon wanted. She usually clung to Bel, but Orseis didn¡¯t think that was a transferable behavior. At least, she hoped that it wasn¡¯t. She pulled her tentacles close to her body, just in case.

    Manipule thrust her icy glass forward as she smiled brightly. Her red on yellow snakes flicked their tongues eagerly as she waved the glass in Orseis¡¯ face. ¡°Drink!¡±

    Orseis¡¯ nose wrinkled at the strong smell. ¡°Isn¡¯t this that stuff that Bel is telling me to not drink?¡±

    Manipule nodded. ¡°Bel! Drink!¡±

    Orseis rolled her eyes. Her instinct was the shoo the gorgon away, but from watching Bel¡¯s interactions with Manipule she knew that getting rid of her was nearly impossible. It¡¯s amazing that someone without any suckers can be so sticky. She is like honey ¨C too sweet and impossible to get off oneself.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll drink one, but if it¡¯s horrible I¡¯m going to climb a tree,¡± she threatened.

    Orseis took the cup and upended it into her mouth. A harsh, caustic liquid spilled down her throat, making her grimace, gag, and cough.

    Manipule clapped her on the back, jostling her painful ribs. ¡°Drink!¡±

    Orseis clamped her mouth closed and regretted the last minute of her life. After a few moments though, a strange numbness followed vile liquid.

    Bel did say that they were using this drink for pain management, she remembered. Maybe it¡¯s not so bad.

    <hr>

    Bel dragged herself back to the gorgons¡¯ camp. She was singed, dirty, and exhausted. She had resisted the instinct to lie down and sleep somewhere, but keeping vigilant for more predators had taxed her to the limit. Luckily for her, the gorgons had made themselves easy to find.

    Unluckily for her, the reason for that was a large bonfire that was burning something with a horrible odor. As she approached the camp, she was overwhelmed by a smell like rot mixed with acid.

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± she gagged up at Cress when she saw the other gorgon keeping lookout.

    Cress fluttered down from her perch. ¡°Stinky bush,¡± she answered. She looked at Bel¡¯s expression and laughed. ¡°Drives away many things,¡± she added with and apologetic expression.

    Bel wrinkled her nose. ¡°Great.¡±

    Cress laughed and leaned forward to hug Bel.

    For once, Bel¡¯s snakes were too tired to bother entangling with the other gorgon¡¯s snakes and Bel managed to end the hug gracefully.

    Cress pulled back and looked Bel up and down, brushing away a few leaves that were sticking to her. ¡°Is Clark dead?¡±

    Bel could feel the heartbeat of the other gorgon speed up slightly as she asked the question. The threat of another attack clearly stressed her out, even if she asked the question calmly.

    ¡°It was just a puppet; a fake Clark. But he¡¯s dead.¡± Bel glanced down at her arms. They were turning black and blue, and she imagined that her entire body would be just one enormous bruise in the morning. ¡°He blew himself up and embedded me ten strides into a cliff. I had to burrow my way out. That¡¯s why it took so long to return.¡±

    Cress shrugged, but Bel could feel her heart relaxing into a smoother rhythm. ¡°Waiting here is okay. We were honoring the dead.¡±

    Bel looked over Cress¡¯ shoulder at the ragged circle of gorgons. Despite the smell, they were gathered around the fire¡¯s warmth and light. Most of them had worn themselves out and their hearts beat slowly in repose. Fortuit was sitting near the fire, crafting what looked like a second vessel from the clay in the soil, her heart beats steady and calm. She had handed off the original egg to Manipule, who was awkwardly cradling it.

    When Manipule saw Bel her heartbeat fluttered, but when she tried to stand Escalope put a steadying hand on her shoulder. Reminded of the responsibility in her arms, the clingy gorgon settled for an awkward smile before she meekly sat back down. Escalope glanced Bel¡¯s way, her expression hidden within the recesses of her helmet.

    Bel frowned. The heart of the enigmatic gorgon was also somehow hidden from her, but Bel couldn¡¯t feel surprised.

    Orseis was with them too, her head nodding. Her heart was beating so slowly that Bel thought she was asleep, but once the cuttlegirl saw Bel and she jumped to her feet¡­

    And then stumbled into a tree.

    Bel watched with concern as Orseis made her way over with exaggerated concentration required for each step.

    ¡°Are you okay, Ori?¡± she asked with concern.

    ¡°I ish good,¡± Orseis answered.

    Bel¡¯s gaze narrowed as she inspected her younger companion. ¡°Are you drunk?¡±

    Orseis¡¯ tentacles writhed in every direction as she tried ¨C and failed ¨C to stand up straight without teetering. ¡°No? Me? No,¡± she denied.

    ¡°You¡¯re drunk,¡± Bel repeated.

    Orseis tried to jab her tentacles in Bel¡¯s direction, but she wound up stumbling into Bel instead. Bel wrapped her arms around the small girl to stabilize her and was shocked when Orseis burst into tears.

    ¡°I want a real mother!¡± the cuttlegirl announced loudly, sounding in that moment like the child she was.

    Bel patted her back consolingly as she looked at Cress, utterly bewildered.

    ¡°I want a real home too,¡± Orseis wailed.

    Cress shrank back, clearly ashamed by the state of things. ¡°I was busy keeping watch,¡± the proud gorgon said defensively. ¡°It was Manipule who got her drunk.¡±

    At the sound of her name, the other gorgon looked up from the clay egg in her arms. She locked eyes with Bel, glanced at Orseis, and then turned back to her egg, pretending that she wasn¡¯t involved.

    Orseis hiccuped loudly in Bel¡¯s ear.

 Chapter 109 â€“ Reconnecting

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe?¡± Beth asked. She was hanging over James¡¯ shoulder and poking at his communication transceiver.

    He batted her hand away. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine,¡± he insisted. ¡°Martinus and I have been over the design multiple times.¡±

    Beth¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°But can you trust him?¡±

    ¡°Gods, Beth, you¡¯ve asked that every minute for the past week.¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been a week,¡± she insisted. ¡°You¡¯ve been taking too long to get this thing working.¡±

    James pushed her back a step. ¡°Then stop breaking it with your poking!¡± He waved his hands at the loose wires pooling across the table. His device had started as a gold-wrapped core that had been carefully extracted from a pack hunting creature that communicated silently with it brethren and grown into a jumble of parts from no less than seven different magical beasts. ¡°All the work I¡¯ve done with Martinus is very delicate.¡±

    The one-armed assassin pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. ¡°You¡¯ve been chatting with that untrustworthy guy too much. I¡¯m sure you could have devised more tools to stave off Technis¡¯ forces and fixed your talking stone¡¯s security on your own without his constant yammering. It¡¯s been taking up so much time that even Daran is complaining that you¡¯ve been neglecting her.¡±

    ¡°I¨Cwhat?¡± James spluttered. He looked over Beth¡¯s shoulder to where his wife was waiting across the room.

    Her antennae whirled with agitation as she lifted herself up and waved her hands in denial. ¡°Your sister exaggerates! I only complained once! Only when our daughter was being particularly troublesome!¡±

    James gave Daran his best serious, responsible husband expression. ¡°If I¡¯m doing something that bothers you, please tell me Daran. Communication is an important¨C¡±

    Beth gagged. ¡°Oh, Durak¡¯s spit, please stop when I¡¯m in the room,¡± she complained. ¡°I¡¯ll leave if you two want to make loud forgiveness love. But before that, can we please call Bel?¡±

    James spun to the aggravating woman. ¡°You¡¯re the one who was delaying ¨C no, you¡¯re just messing with me now.¡±

    He reached over to his calling apparatus. It had been growing increasingly complicated as he made the additions necessary to upgrade its security, so now he had to spin a few knobs and click several levers into place before speaking into a small grid of stones.

    ¡°Bel?¡± he said. ¡°Bel, can you hear me?¡±

    A few moments passed. Daran scuttled closer as the tension in the room built up. With a faint crackle, Bel¡¯s voice finally answered.

    ¡°James! Finally! When we get back, you need to make it so I can call from my side.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he agreed. ¡°There are a lot of things that I should add. I¡¯ve been working with Martinus to obscure your location, but I can¡¯t do anything to stop someone from listening in, so don¡¯t tell me anything important.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that why your voice sounds like you¡¯re at the bottom of a hole?¡±

    James shrugged. ¡°Maybe. Martinus launched a bunch of signal repeaters into the area, and we¡¯re using those to disguise the source of the signal. He¡¯ll have to keep launching new ones if we want to keep your location secret though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Martinus,¡± Bel repeated with delight, ¡°you need to give him something nice in return for him buying Stion a new knife.¡±

    James looked at Beth and Daran, wondering if he¡¯d forgotten something important. The two of them shrugged. ¡°A new knife? For what?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Because Ori stole one,¡± Bel quickly responded. ¡°It¡¯s important that it be replaced.¡±

    After a tiny pause Bel responded to someone on her side of the call. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re talking about you. I¡¯m telling everyone what a bad girl you¡¯ve been.¡±

    James rolled his eyes and touched a small stone. ¡°I really need to put a mute on her side too.¡±

    Beth nodded in agreement, but Daran reached forward and removed James finger from his own mute.

    ¡°Bel, it is Daran. Has Orseis done something bad?¡±

    ¡°Oh, hi Daran! She¡¯s fine, just some mischief. I hope James has been good.¡±

    Daran clapped her hands together. ¡°Oh, your brother has been great! His school has gained much respect among the¨C¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Beth interrupted. ¡°We are not spending this entire conversation gossiping about James. Bel, what¡¯s the situation down there?¡±

    ¡°Aw,¡± Bel complained. ¡°But you just told me to avoid discussing anything important.¡±

    She sighed dramatically. ¡°Well, I killed Clark, but I¡¯m certain that he was just a puppet of the real Clark.¡±

    James opened his mouth, but Beth spoke first. ¡°That sounds right. We¡¯ve seen plenty of fake people up here too. Technis is a many-headed snake.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Bel replied irritably. ¡°Snakes are great. I¡¯ve got a lot of friends with snakes.¡±

    ¡°You know what I meant,¡± Beth snorted.

    ¡°And you know what you said wrong,¡± Bel replied. ¡°Anyway, do you have any clue how close Technis is to opening a portal to the Old World?¡±

    James threw up his arms. ¡°How would we figure that out? We¡¯re doing our best just holding our ground up here.¡±

    ¡°Too bad,¡± Bel sighed. ¡°I wish I knew how much time I have to get up there.¡±

    ¡°Not as much as you want,¡± Beth said darkly. ¡°You¡¯d better hurry.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± Bel replied glumly.

    Then her tone brightened. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s everything that I think is safe to discuss, so let¡¯s get back to gossiping. How¡¯s little baby Bel doing?¡±

    James and Daran beamed as they prepared to flood the conversation with every detail of their daughter. Beth leaned away with exaggerated disgust.

    <hr>

    Bel removed her hand from her earring, finally ending the much anticipated call. A content smile spread across her face and she felt a small knot of tension uncurl in her stomach.

    ¡°So is everything fine up there?¡± Orseis asked. ¡°You weren¡¯t secretly talking about me, right?¡±

    Bel grinned back. ¡°Yup,¡± she replied.

    ¡°To which one?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Bel repeated.

    Orseis¡¯ cheeks puffed as she pouted. She crossed her tentacles and huffed angrily, but from the playful crinkling of her eyes Bel knew that Orseis wasn¡¯t actually upset. Bel took a moment to examine her young companion¡¯s face and was pleased to notice a fullness to her cheeks that had been missing. The young semi-human was looking happier and healthier than she had at the start of their journey together.

    A lot of that came from Manipule, who had been pampering the immature cuttlegirl after her drinking incident. As an apology, she made Orseis a set of clothing from the skin of an ambush creature that blended in with the trees. Now, with careful control of her tentacle colors and texture, Orseis could do a halfway decent impression of a bare tree. She loved it.

    Manipule was also showing Oresis and Bel how to process the local forage into food. This mostly ended up with the gorgon feeding the results to Orseis, since both Bel and Orseis lacked Manipule¡¯s abilities. Bel worried that they were being a nuisance, but Cress explained that Manipule had nothing else to do. Once Fortuit handed the egg to her and began working on a new one, Manipule had no choice but to continue carrying it until Fortuit took it back. The other gorgons, Escarole in particular, frowned upon Manipule doing any task that could endanger the egg, so she had to find something to do while the others went hunting and gathering.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Bel had expected the gorgons to spend more time mourning their dead, but to her surprise they seemed to get over Clark¡¯s ambush after the accelerated bout of mourning that had included Orseis¡¯ ill-fated experiment with heavy drinking. Most of the gorgons had returned to their previous nature, laughing and joking and squeezing her muscles while they tried to get Bel drunk at the ends of their days, in spite of Cress¡¯ scolding.

    Cress was one of the few who seemed changed by their losses. The serious gorgon looked like she was unravelling bit by bit from the responsibilities of leading the group, but despite the twitchy rattles on her snakes she was developing a firm, upright bearing that the other gorgons could lean upon. Whenever Bel had a chance to talk with her, she seemed excited and hopeful about their chances of making it to the Outerworld. Every day of walking brought the Pillar closer, until the faintly glowing cylinder filled a large swath of sky. Cress pointed to it with excitement and rallied the other gorgons with some words of encouragement at the start of each day and again before they slept for the night.

    Bel wished she shared the other gorgon¡¯s optimism.

    It wasn¡¯t that Bel didn¡¯t have faith in her mother¡¯s plans, it was that she knew Lempo probably didn¡¯t view death with the same aversion as a living mortal would. At least James and Beth are doing well, she consoled herself.

    Bel looked up at the sprawling, curving Underworld, marvelling at the incredible sights that were visible in the distance. Once she climbed the pillar and returned to Olympos she might never return. The thought filled her with an unexpected sense of regret. The Underworld was so big, and she had seen so little of it ¨C what other fascinating sights and people was she missing out on?

    Bel nudged Orseis. ¡°Do you regret leaving when there¡¯s so much more to see?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Orseis replied instantly. ¡°The ocean is huge, but you don¡¯t see me swimming with the sharks. Weren¡¯t you listening to Cress¡¯ story about some of the things that happen down here?¡± She waved her tentacles. ¡°Floating monsters so large that people become trapped on them? Areas turned into wastelands by battles between creatures that go on for hundreds of years? Evil spawn of dark gods that want to destroy anything living?¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°And here I thought you were adventurous. Once we reach the Pillar, it will be a straight shot back to Satrap and whatever nightmare is happening up there. We could be back in a week.¡±

    Orseis laughed. ¡°Bel, if you believe that going through Pillar is going to be fast and easy, then I¡¯m worried about your memory.¡±

    Bel frowned and pointed ahead. ¡°Come on, the Pillar is right there. We¡¯ll reach it in a minute. Cress promised that those tokens will give us access straight through to the top. What could go wrong?¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Forgeries,¡± the prim clerk said curtly as she shoved the pile of discs back through a slot in her window.

    ¡°All of them?¡± Bel asked, incredulous. If they weren¡¯t speaking the divine tongue, Bel would have asked her repeat herself.

    Half of the clerk ¨C a person who looked like a man and a woman sewed together, back to back ¨C gave Bel a look that would have withered a tree in full bloom. ¡°Most of them.¡±

    Bel wondered if being two people at once allowed her to be twice as frustrating as a regular person.

    The rest of the gorgons had decided that Bel should talk to the secretary that guarded the Pillar. Their reasoning had made sense at the time, but now Bel suspected that they didn¡¯t want to deal with this. Now though, Bel was stuck in the cramped room inside the Pillar, arguing with a petty bureaucrat who sat smugly on the other side of some kind of unbreakable glass window. The fact that all of the gorgons had placed their faith ¨C and futures ¨C in her hands injected resolve into her spine.

    ¡°Well, can you at least tell me which ones are real?¡± Bel demanded.

    ¡°Are you sure you want me to send these for official inspection? There¡¯s a hefty fine for carrying forgeries,¡± the woman responded.

    ¡°Right, Karl?¡± she called over her shoulder.

    ¡°You got it,¡± the male half of her replied. He was busy flipping through the papers in a tall cabinet and only seemed to pay attention to his female half when she dragged them back towards the window and away from his work. Bel thought that their biology looked like a nightmare, but maybe it worked better when they were alone.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of all this anyway?¡± Bel groaned, gesturing to their messy office. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just climb this Pillar? They¡¯re overrun with scrattes and stuff near the surface anyway.¡±

    The woman gained an evil glint in her eyes as she dragged herself closer to the window. Her male half threw up his arms in disgust when the sudden movement scattered a folder¡¯s worth of papers across the ground.

    ¡°The gods created Olympos to preserve the diversity of life from the Old World, both natural and mythical,¡± she lectured. ¡°The Asura and their allies,¡± she proclaimed proudly, tapping her fingers to her chest, ¡°have taken up the divine mission of regulating passage between the layers of Olympos to preserve the integrity of those ecosystems.¡±

    She slammed her hands onto the small shelf on her side of the window. ¡°Now, you may wonder why that¡¯s important, and the answer is that we need to protect the gods¡¯ work from people like you, who will simply hunt the tastiest things to extinction, or adopt some awful creature as a pet and bring it where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡±

    The woman made a shooing motion with her hands. ¡°So scram. We don¡¯t want your problems.¡±

    Bel didn¡¯t move. ¡°Look, I¡¯m kind of on a divine quest. Does that make a difference? Since, like you said, you¡¯re doing this for the gods.¡±

    The woman narrow her eyes and pointed at a small metal plate above her glass window. From what Bel could see, it was covered with some gibberish that may have been writing.

    ¡°You¡¯re in the wrong line,¡± she scolded. ¡°The line for divine problems is over there.¡±

    She pointed to another window adjacent to her own before rolling her eyes. ¡°Karl,¡± she muttered, ¡°you would not believe the things that some people do.¡±

    Bel waited for her anger to slowly settle slow down, letting the tension in her body pass before she made her second attempt. She knew from experience that climbing up on her own wouldn¡¯t be easy, even if she would rather fight an army of monsters than deal with self-important impediments. She had to get back quickly and stop Technis; what was a small battle with bureaucracy compared to that?

    Once Bel felt that she was mostly calm, she scooped the possibly worthless tokens back into her bag and walked to the adjacent window. There was a small bell in front of it, which she picked up and rang. The pleasant jingle was immediately followed by the woman¡¯s cursing as the man spun in place, this time spilling her papers around their small room.

    He proceeded to the window and looked her up and down while his female half desperately clutched at a few papers that were still drifting through the air.

    ¡°This is the line for divine problems,¡± he declared in a stern monotone. ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯re in the correct line?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bel replied, suppressing her irritation.

    ¡°There is a heavy fine for misfiling,¡± he added.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m here for a divine problem,¡± Bel insisted.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    The man reached out and plucked a small sheet of paper and a quill from an alcove in his side of the wall. ¡°What is the nature of your divine quest?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ to go to Satrap, I suppose? And kill a guy named Technis. Oh, and bring along some, uh, disciples.¡±

    He made some notes on the paper with a few efficient slashes of the quill and dipped it in an inkwell. ¡°Is your uncertainty due to the confusing nature of communication with your sponsoring deity, or is it from the unreliability of the deity itself?¡±

    Bel blinked a few times. ¡°Huh?¡±

    The man sighed. ¡°Does your method of divine communication involve drug-induced visions? Those tend to be unreliable. Alternatively, if your sponsoring deity is a trickster, or one that may be a trickster while claiming otherwise, all of the information you tell us is suspect.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel said, relieved, ¡°neither of those. My mother is reliable, she just prefers to hold some information back. She wants me to make my own decisions rather than just doing what she tells me.¡±

    The man¡¯s bushy eyebrows rose. ¡°Your mother?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Sorry, my mother is the goddess who sent me on my quest.¡±

    The man crumpled up the paper and grumbled under his breath. ¡°That¡¯s a different form, miss.¡±

    He snatched a fresh piece of paper and glared at her. The tips of his glossy mustache practically quivered. ¡°Let¡¯s begin again. The name of the deity that spawned you is¡­?¡±

    ¡°Lempo,¡± Bel answered confidently.

    ¡°Well,¡± she hesitated, ¡°Lempo made my body, I think. Kjar had to fix some parts. She breathed on my core, so I guess some of her is in here somewhere.¡±

    Bel gestured to herself. ¡°And Dutcha added something too.¡±

    Bel grabbed one of her snakes. ¡°She gets into my mind through these girls sometimes.¡±

    The man rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles like he was preparing for battle. Then his hand flew across the paper as he marked down a series of notes at blinding speed. Bel watched with a growing sense of awe as the marks multiplied and the ink overwhelmed the paper, turning it from a yellow sheet with a few black marks to a black sheet with a few empty spaces.

    He cleared his throat as he examined his work. ¡°Just to double-check,¡± he said, ¡°Lempo is the goddess of change and upheaval, Kjar is a goddess of retribution, and Dutcha is a spirit of chaos who was forced to ascend because of¡­¡±

    He glanced over at something pinned to the wall. ¡°Due to some mischief. She is currently confined to the divine realm.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not right,¡± Bel said. ¡°Dutcha is hiding on an island, terrorizing some elves.¡±

    Bel wondered if she had just gotten her mother into trouble when the man¡¯s pen began flying over a second sheet of paper.

    ¡°I mean,¡± Bel frantically added, ¡°that¡¯s the last that I heard. I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯s up to now.¡±

    ¡°Yes, noted,¡± the man muttered. He joined the two sheets of paper together with a small, metal clip, pulled open the cover to a small chute, and tossed them inside.

    Bel was just about to ask what came next when a second chuted opened on its own and disgorged a neatly folded paper. The woman deftly caught it as it flew through the air. She took a quick glance a clicked her tongue loudly. ¡°Looks like trouble,¡± she lilted as she handed it over.

    The man looked down at the paper and shrugged. ¡°Sure, it looks like your story checks out. You¡¯ve got five challengers who pre-filed objection to your passage. They¡¯ve all asked for a fight to the death.¡±

    He clapped his hands. ¡°So once that¡¯s dealt with you can either pass through or you¡¯ll be dead.¡±

    He nodded and gave her a businesslike smile. ¡°Shall we get started?¡±

 Chapter 110 â€“ The Challengers and the Arena

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Bel said. She drummed her fingers angrily against the window¡¯s counter top. ¡°Challengers? Fights to the death?¡±

    The man nodded. ¡°Yes ¨C it¡¯s much better to get them over with here in the Pillar where you can¡¯t do any real harm. We don¡¯t want you boiling any seas or freezing some heirloom forest, do we?¡±

    ¡°Or summoning down one of the less-desirable gods,¡± his woman half shouted over their shoulders.

    The man nodded emphatically. ¡°Oh yes, that wouldn¡¯t do. We want to preserve the god-crafted ecosystems of Olympos, so that would be a real failure on our part.¡±

    He made a noise of disgust. ¡°Cleaning up after an event like that has gotta be heartbreaking.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes curled around her head, flicking their tongues with agitation. ¡°You don¡¯t believe in, I don¡¯t know¡­ mediation?¡± Bel asked, dumbfounded.

    The man ¨C and his woman half ¨C both scoffed. ¡°If Lempo told you to do something, you¡¯d do it right? And if someone else asked you to stop, who would you listen to?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes curled in frustration. ¡°Okay, I see your point.¡±

    Bel heard the sound of hurried footsteps and the sudden presence of a heartbeat when previously there had been none. She spun to see that a featureless section of wall had split open, revealing a stern woman in martial attire. She wore a stern expression as she strode through the entrance, her boots making a loud, hollow sound against the metal floor. Her closely cropped silver hair streamed in the wind of her passage.

    Like nearly everyone in the Underworld, she was prepared for any of Bel¡¯s gorgonic powers with a pair of tinted glasses.

    I¡¯m getting pretty tired of everyone hiding their eyes from me, Bel sighed. I can understand why Cress wants to get out of here.

    The woman paused to inspect Bel from a few strides away. Bel tried to resist the feeling of intimidation, but it was difficult when confronted with a woman who was three strides tall. The woman¡¯s imposing countenance was accentuated by skin as deep blue as the early morning sky and a pair of sharp yellow horns curling from her skull. She turned to the man-woman and raised her silver eyebrows.

    ¡°Is this her?¡± she asked.

    The pair nodded and the blue woman turned back to Bel. She smiled warmly and gestured for Bel to follow back through the new opening. ¡°Greetings,¡± she said cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯m Tracy from the divine relations department. I understand that you are on an expedited quest to pass through the Pillar, is that right?¡±

    Bel gawked at woman for a moment before nodding. ¡°Uh, yes. My name is Bel.¡±

    Tracy smiled. ¡°Good. We¡¯ve been waiting for you. Are you ready to face the objectors?¡±

    Bel scowled. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really feel like fighting people for no reason. Couldn¡¯t I just go around them?¡±

    The woman paused and frowned in Bel¡¯s direction. ¡°Settling these things as early as possible is in all of our best interests. We are going to have to insist that you resolve the situation now.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eye narrowed when she saw the woman¡¯s hand drift towards whatever weapons were strapped to her waist.

    ¡°Sounds like I don¡¯t really have a choice,¡± Bel remarked bitterly.

    The woman shrugged. ¡°Such is the fate of those who are caught up in the games of the gods.¡±

    She gestured Bel forward and continued. She kept her stride slow so that Bel could keep up.

    Bel snorted as she hurried after the imposing woman. ¡°It¡¯s not really a game though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it doesn¡¯t feel that way to you. For any outsiders, though, the machinations of the divine rarely have any impacts.¡±

    She waved her hand through the air. ¡°You are like birds migrating through. Not that some people don¡¯t pay attention.¡±

    She smiled apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to admit that some of my colleagues will be pumping me for information about you so they know which way to place their bets.¡±

    Bel stopped short. ¡°You¡¯re betting on whether I live or die?¡± she hissed through clenched teeth.

    The woman neatly pivoted on her heel. ¡°Oh, no. I wouldn¡¯t ¨C I¡¯m a professional. But other people do.¡±

    She pointed to a brightly lit room that branched off of the hallway. ¡°Wait in there, please. I will fetch the objectors.¡±

    Bel snapped her fingers. ¡°Hey, wait a second. Can I bet on myself?¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyebrows quirked. ¡°Bet what?¡±

    Bel hefted her bag. ¡°A bunch of tokens that may or may not be counterfeit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, interesting.¡±

    The woman considered it for a moment, rubbing a finger along one of her horns like she was testing its edge. ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

    Bel handed over her bag, went into the large, empty room and looked around. Aside from the door she¡¯d come through, the walls were bare and perfectly smooth. The room was round as well, so there weren¡¯t even any corners. As far as Bel could see, she was in a featureless cylinder a few hundred strides across and a hundred strides tall, constructed completely from the Pillar¡¯s impervious metal.

    She scanned the floor, wondering if she would see bloodstains or any other hint to the chamber¡¯s purpose. There was nothing.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s impervious to dirt and blood too,¡± she muttered to herself.

    Bel paced around the chamber, trailing her hand along the wall as she searched for any features in the featureless space. She cast a glower towards the entranceway from time to time, but her mind quickly wandered.

    This is really stupid, she thought, her snakes writhing with agitation. Why do I have to fight people to the death just to climb the Pillar?

    She thought about simply sneaking out, but then she remembered how long it had taken for her to descend through the layers of Olympos.

    Climbing would be so much harder, she admitted to herself. Maybe if we all had wings¡­

    That reminded Bel¡¯s wandering mind that she had spare capacity in her cores. If I knew who I was going to fight, I could pick an ability to counter them.

    Cress had been explaining their gorgonic abilities as they travelled. The gorgons considered flight secondary to gaze, but Bel had seen too many people prepared for that method of attack. Maybe against wildlife it would be useful, but Bel would rather have wings. She even had enough space in her core to begin the process by growing a pair of small training wings. They wouldn¡¯t be likely to help her in a fight though, especially if she wasn¡¯t used to flying yet.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    She also wanted to leave strokes free to provide resistance to attacks from other people¡¯s abilities. After ripping the essence straight out of Clark¡¯s birds, Bel had a new appreciation for the importance of free strokes as a defensive measure.

    Luckily for her, and unlike other gorgons, she had plenty of abilities to choose from.

    Her Disorder Core had some interesting options: an ability to create lightning, something to move like the wind ¨C more specifically, the ability to turn into wind and then move ¨C and another ability to swim through soil and rock. Lightning was interesting, but she wasn¡¯t sure that the ability would allow her to control it. She couldn¡¯t see it being better than her current methods of attack anyway.

    That left her Upheaval Core, which Bel really didn¡¯t want to fill up. She was sure that Lempo would offer her abilities to counteract Technis¡¯ strengths, but she hadn¡¯t figured out which ability would be best, or if she needed more capacity to find a good one. Her problem was that Lempo was offering Bel too many abilities. She closed her eyes and felt out the constellation of abilities that hung over the shifting, restless core. They felt endless.

    It was a real problem because she knew too little about her nemesis. Was becoming magnetic useful? Would it do something to Technis?

    What about corrupting the essence that permeated Olympos? Essence was the power source flowing through every core, so the ability could be powerful. But essence was also managed by the gods. From what Bel understood, divine beings depended upon essence just as much as any mortal. Would messing with it anger the pantheon?

    Maybe hastening or slowing time in an area would be a safer choice? Bel imagined swinging a sling, taking out an army of people who seemed to be moving in slow-motion. If she used a ranged weapon, hastening herself could be good.

    But if she was trading blows with another person at close range, the ability would accelerate both of their movements. Unfortunately, that was how Bel was used to fighting. Beth had attempted to train her to throw daggers, but at the time Bel¡¯s coordination and eyesight had been lacking. The only target she had ever hit was her brother, and he¡¯d been standing behind her at the time.

    Bel clenched her jaw. I guess that messing with a new ability at the last moment isn¡¯t a good idea. I¡¯ll just have to trust that I¡¯m good enough as I am now.

    Her decision made, Bel continued to trail around the chamber. Her thoughts wandered until she was wondering if she could make her nails indestructible by eating some of the Pillar¡¯s metal. She was pondering how to try to bite the wall when Tracy returned.

    A new opening appeared in the chamber, and Bel instantly became aware of the tall woman and several newcomers. Five figures trailed behind her. Once they were all in the room, Tracy gestured and the walls sealed, blocking off any chance to escape.

    One of the figures immediately stepped forward and began ranting in a slightly crazed voice. Bel was around thirty strides away, but she could still see the veil he wore over his face puffing in an out with his frenzied shouting. He wore clawed knuckles on each hand and slashed the air violently as he raged, giving him an unstable, will-explode-at-any-moment vibe.

    Tracy waited for ranting to slowly lose steam before interrupting. ¡°She doesn¡¯t speak that language. Unless you can speak with the divine tongue, there won¡¯t be any opportunity for any of you to express your grievances through anything but violence.¡±

    Tracy looked over the five objectors before turning back to Bel. ¡°Let me explain how this works. We will simulate an environment that should allow all participants to use their abilities to the fullest. The exact details are randomized for fairness.¡±

    She raised her silver eyebrows. ¡°Any questions?¡±

    Bel glanced at the five people who wanted to kill her. Other than the man who had driven himself apoplectic, they all stood calm and emotionless. The angry man with the veil appeared humanoid, but his ears were longer than a typical human. Maybe an elf? Bel thought. If what James and Beth had told her was true, then he would probably be able to manipulate dirt and plants and would have an incredible ability to heal himself.

    The person next to him was one of the dhvaras that Bel had seen on the third level, easily recognized by her tall, stick-like build and the dark armor that covered her body. Bel guessed at her gender from the contours of the metal plates that concealed her form, but for all she knew they fire-loving cannibals reproduced by spitting or ripping off their limbs or some other nonsense. The dhvaras wielded a long, wicked spear, but Bel counted herself lucky that the woman didn¡¯t have any giant spirit beast in tow.

    Next to her was a person who was wrapped in a dark cloak that may as well have been made of shadows. From the bulging outline, Bel guessed that they weren¡¯t human. Anything more than that was hidden from her sight, but Bel could also feel a multitude of heartbeats coming from what looked like a single person: one large, heavy beat and a few tens of small, rapid thumps.

    The next to last person had the upper body of a man and the lower body of some hairy, cloven hoofed creature. He was fit and proud of it, showing off his physique with only a short leather kilt for clothes. Bel guessed that he fought with swords since the hoofed man carried a sword and dagger at opposite sides of his waist. Another short sword was strapped to the back of his waist, its hilt and the tip of its sheath just sticking out from behind him. A small dagger on his right calf and a larger sword slung over his back completed his visible armament, although Bel supposed that he could be hiding something small under his kilt.

    Far more interesting was the fact that his eyes were unguarded. When Bel looked at his bearded face he blinked in surprise before looking back and forth to the other objectors. His eyes danced nervously as he refused to meet Bel¡¯s gaze.

    Well, I guess he didn¡¯t know who he would be up against. That¡¯s refreshing.

    The final person was an unremarkable old man with a band of brilliant red cloth wrapped around his eyes. His back was mostly straight, although Bel could detect a small bend to his spine, the unavoidable mark of time upon his skeleton. Baggy black pants extended to his ankles, but his feet were as bare and wrinkled as his bald head. A bright red shirt of a glossy, silken material with golden filigree around its wooden buttons completed his outfit, but the formless shirt was tight enough that it couldn¡¯t disguise the lack of muscles upon his body. He had a dagger strapped to his side, and that was it. Bel guessed that his age was somewhere in the late fifties. That obviously didn¡¯t mean much with all of the possible abilities in Olympos, but Bel couldn¡¯t identify anything in particular about the old man.

    So, she thought, an angry elf, a dhvaras with a spear, a shadowy person with extra heartbeats, a swordsman who didn¡¯t know that I was a gorgon, and an old, blind guy. Given my luck, he¡¯s probably some ancient master of incredible skill.

    ¡°Do I fight them all at once?¡± Bel asked.

    Tracy smiled. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. I can guarantee that none of you will begin in the same place, but that¡¯s it.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes flicked their tails with frustration at the vague answer. ¡°So how does this work?¡±

    Tracy lifted her hands to the ceiling. ¡°Like this,¡± she declared, clicking her fingers.

    Bel stumbled as the metal floor buckled and writhed like a living thing. The previously smooth walls opened up, admitting streams of water, sand, and lava into the room. Bel looked up, wary of her opponents taking advantage of her momentary distraction, but she saw that their side of the room was going through the same changes as her own.

    Most of the combatants seemed off-balance from the shifting terrain, although Bel noted that the old man moved in rhythm with the changing surface, sliding his feet over it like a performer over a dance floor. The person with the veil simply¡­ dissolved in the mist.

    The other three had more difficulty, but quickly found their footing. The robed person and the dhvaras were content to wait the changes out, but the moment he wasn¡¯t at risk of falling over the kilted man charged. His athleticism kept him upright as he began a blind dash towards Bel¡¯s position.

    Walls rose up from the floor and jutted from the walls, first dividing Bel¡¯s opposition from one another and then sectioning the space into chambers. Bel caught glimpses of rooms filling with lava or snow, and twisting passageways that formed from the warping metal of the Pillar. Steam clouded the air as the elements met and clashed, and the air rumbled with the mass of materials being transported into the forming arena.

    Bel looked back and forth, admiring the efficiency of the process. Then her eye widened as the kilted man leaped over a large wave of metal; he had crossed nearly half the space between them in a few heartbeats. As he fell towards the floor Bel saw a dome of metal rise above him. She breathed a sigh of relief as the partition put an end to his rapid progress.

    Then the ceiling drooped to the rising floor around her and Bel found herself sealed off. Water welled up through a crack in the floor, creating a small puddle in the corner. Sand slipped in through a small opening on the opposite side, creating an instant approximation of the sandy dunes of the Golden Plains. The water met the sand bound herself standing next to a small beach, complete with very confused fish.

    Their small heartbeats reminded Bel that she had some advantages. The Pillar¡¯s substance blocked her abilities, but as long as she didn¡¯t squeeze herself into too small a space she wasn¡¯t going to be surprised by any of her opponents.

    Fighting them all together would be a problem though, so seeking them out first would be to her advantage. She looked around, evaluating her options. A rocky cave yawned wide to her left and the water flowed into a narrow channel to her right. She hadn¡¯t seen anyone who looked like an expert in controlling water, but Bel wasn¡¯t going to take any chances. She turned towards the more terrestrial option and proceeded at a light jog.

 Chapter 111 â€“ A Swordsmanâ€™s Skills

    According to James, mazes were an important part of the myths of the Old World. As they fantasized their escape from Technis¡¯ prison, James had even explained several strategies to navigate them, although none of his suggestions seemed useful in her current situation. She didn¡¯t have a ball of yarn or have anything small or breakable to scatter on the floor to create a trail ¨C and she didn¡¯t want anyone following her anyway. She also couldn¡¯t stick to the right- or left-most wall to explore because the maze was arranged in three dimensions. All she could do was wander aimlessly, straining her senses for any sign of her objectors. It was what she¡¯d been doing for the past hour, and given her results thus far, it was what she expected to keep doing for hours more.

    This went from an adrenaline blasting danger to a test of focus and endurance pretty quickly. I wonder if they planned it this way.

    Bel was currently passing through a narrow passage ¨C the best option she had left after ending up in several dead ends. She could see light coming from farther along the path, and with it came the promise of a larger space and more options. Bel paused before the entrance, sniffing for lawlessness and listening for heartbeats.

    She didn¡¯t detect anything, so she cautiously ducked out of the tunnel and into a wide cavern. The ceiling glowed with a dim, yellow light, and the rocks on the ground were warm. Mist swirled up from the warm rocks, filling the space and limiting visibility. The oppressive humidity pressed down upon her like a yoke. Bel wondered how they had managed to create such unpleasant weather indoors.

    Bel observed water dripping from the ceiling and realized that magma had been piped into the room before it was drenched to create an instant rocky surface. That had created the uneven flooring and the mist at the same time. ¡°These guys really go all out, don¡¯t they?¡±

    Bel spun slowly, scanning the room and prodding the rocks with her feet. They were hot, but not dangerous.

    The wide cavern had signs of life, just like her starting room. Small heartbeats at the edge of her perception zipped through the area, and there were a few pockets with louder activity. Bel peeked over a wide basin and saw a bowl-like depression filled with small fish. Insects scuttled along the rocks at the edge of the pool, still adjusting to their surroundings.

    If one of my opponents needed to eat as often as Orseis, then providing food would be necessary, she supposed.

    Bel turned and paused. She sniffed the air, picking out a faint whiff of lawlessness: crimes against nature. How Bel could tell that from a smell, she didn¡¯t know. She snorted the abrasive scent from her nose and wandered past a few openings that dotted the cavern. She tested the air from each of them to see if any had a stronger scent before moving to the next one. After walking back and forth for a minute she was forced to admit that every option was the same amount of unpleasant.

    ¡°Things aren¡¯t easy, are they?¡± she lamented.

    She went back and looked down each exit, hoping to find a useful clue.

    In terms of terrain, there were three cramped passages that went straight for a few steps before turning abruptly. The walls glowed dimly, but there were also areas of darkness. Those looked like good places for a trap, and weren¡¯t at all where she wanted to wander.

    The other two options were a steeply ascending incline in a well-lit tunnel and a narrow path along the edge of the cliff that overlooked a small artificial pond in a brightly-lit room. The view from the narrow path would be interesting, and Bel was curious to see if there were larger fish for the larger pond, but it would also leave her exposed to anyone who had brought a bow or sling. With no other information, Bel opted for the steeply inclined path instead.

    As she ascended, the unpleasant odor of the challenger who had annoyed Kjar grew stronger. Bel also began to detect a growing number of small hearts darting along the dimly lit cavern walls. I wonder if they put any dangerous wildlife in here? Or is it all harmless, like the fish they poured into the pond?

    Bel looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that was tickling her heart sense. Although there was only one path for her to follow, the rapidly formed walls were shot through with cracks that formed as they cooled. Whatever creatures were surrounding her, they didn¡¯t want to be caught out in the open.

    She was about to continue on her way when she felt the heavy beating of a powerful heart, thudding with the anticipation of a stalking predator. Bel carefully managed her own racing heart, urging her snakes to remain calm as she intentionally turned away from the newcomer. The other heartbeat paused ¨C probably as its owner spotted her ¨C and then it moved towards her with incredible speed.

    Bel scanned the area for any advantages, but it was the same mostly empty upwards slope, with a slight rightward curve. The ceiling was a few strides above her head, and the walls would be well behind her fingertips if she lifted both arms. Her unknown attacker¡¯s heart was approaching too quickly for Bel to come up with a foolproof ambush, so she simply waited until the last moment before she turned her step into a back flip, launching herself to the ceiling.

    As her body flipped upwards, she glanced back and saw the hairy-legged swordsman cut through her recently vacated spot. He wielded the longsword from his back and struck with his eyes closed, more worried about her gaze than his aim. She saw his stance as he prepared to swing his sword, and then she saw his stance afterwards. His attack had been so fast that it was invisible, and a shimmer was left in its wake, as though the air itself was disturbed by his sword¡¯s speed.

    A moment later she heard the sound of gust of wind, the first sound that the swordsman left. Even his hoofed feet had been silent upon the rocky ground.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    As Bel¡¯s feet touched the ceiling, he opened his eyes and glanced into the flat of his blade, inspecting the area through its mirror surface. Bel tensed; she would have one chance to surprise him after his failed ambush. She used her sharpened nails to gouge a rock from the ceiling and kicked off, pouncing back towards him.

    The sound of her movement alerted him, and a subtle tilt of his sword brought her into his view ¨C but too late for him to do more than raise the flat of his blade to block her attack. Bel tried to push the blade aside by slamming through with Kjar¡¯s invulnerable armor, but he resisted her momentum with his incredible physique. Instead, her ribs cracked and she wound up painfully curled around his sword. She didn¡¯t let that dissuade her though. She slashed at his eyes with metal nails and kicked with her feet. He leaned away from her hand, but when her foot connected she sent a shockwave through her touch.

    He grunted and stepped back and Bel wobbled from her precarious perch on his sword. The swordsman regained his footing in a step and then grunted with effort as he lifted his sword, launching Bel high into the air. She saw him twist his body and pull back his weapon as he prepared for another lightning fast strike.

    Bel was flying away from him again, but that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t attack. She destabilized the rock that she had grabbed, kicked her legs to pivot in midair, and launched it straight at the swordsman¡¯s face. Reliant as his sight was upon reflections, it took him a nearly fatal moment to see the projectile. He still managed to react at the last moment, moving his sword with the speed and precision of a hummingbird to intercept and cut through the rock.

    Unfortunately for him, cutting through the rock didn¡¯t stop it from exploding. Bel felt the heat of the blast even at her distance, but the moment her feet touched the ground she rushed back to the expanding cloud of shattered rock, desperate to capitalize upon her advantage.

    Before she could reach him, the swordsman whipped his weapon through the air, creating a short-lived whirlwind that lifted and dispersed the cloud of dust. Bel grit her teeth and continued her charge; his weapon was high and he still refused to look at her, so there was a chance that she could land another blow. She couldn¡¯t suppress the concern that the man was simply invulnerable. She¡¯d hit him with a liquid shockwave and an explosion, but he didn¡¯t seem phased. Luckily, he hadn¡¯t revealed any devastating abilities yet ¨C she need to keep him off-balance so things stayed that way.

    Her footsteps made her approach obvious as her bare feet slapped against the rocks, but the man still avoided her gaze. The swordsman lifted his weapon to catch her reflection, but he froze when he saw that his blade had been blackened by Bel¡¯s exploding rock. Bel¡¯s look of surprise was almost as pronounced as his when he yielded to a basic impulse and cast a nervous glance in her direction. She wouldn¡¯t have been more pleased if he had sent her a written invitation; she didn¡¯t hesitate to hit him with a ten-fold overpowered glare.

    His muscles tensed, a grimace of regret frozen on his face as he was momentarily paralyzed. Bel was going too fast to check her speed and was too busy glaring to prepare an attack, so she slammed into him like a runner hitting a tree. She didn¡¯t let getting the wind knocked out of her lung slow her down, quickly slipping to his backside and kicking a leg against the back of his knee to send them both rolling to the ground.

    He began to move then, her paralysis already wearing off, but Bel slipped her right arm under his sword arm and clenched her hand around his neck to restrain his weapon. With his sword arm pinned in place, she slipped her other hand to his waist and pulled one of his short swords free of its scabbard.

    The man¡¯s writhing and scrabbling in increased in vigor as he recovered, and he pitched his body, tossing Bel like a ship in a storm as his desperation gave him frantic strength. Her nails scrabbled for purchase on his neck, unable to break through his unexpectedly tough skin. Bel attempted to lock his legs, but despite her efforts the swordsman powered himself up to his knees, leaned up, and forced his sword arm down with an absurd amount of strength.

    Bel gasped with pain as her arm was painfully forced out of its socket, but she focused her anguish on her violent stabbing against his midsection, finally drawing blood with the swordsman¡¯s own weapon. He finally bucked her off with a shout of anger. Bel¡¯s breath was knocked from her body as she was slapped into the ground, and she hissed in pain as she rolled over her injured shoulder.

    She checked her momentum by stabbing the ground with her nails and looked up to see the swordsman pitching his tarnished long sword to the side and drawing his other short sword and dagger. He moved like an arrow; before Bel could blink, he was in front of her. His hoof crushed rock as he slammed it into the ground and pivoted, generating a powerful sword stroke aimed for her head.

    For a moment, the world stood still as Bel realized that she was about to be cut in two. She had a flashback of the time she¡¯d lost her eye and three of her snakes ¨C but she wasn¡¯t the same helpless gorgon now.

    Bel channeled additional energy through liquid body as she leaned away from the inevitable, but the swordsman watched her in the reflection on his dagger, adjusting the course of his cut to slice through her throat and spine. Bel¡¯s neck flowed like liquid around the sword, her preparation keeping her body fully viscous during his weapon¡¯s impact. The blade was so fine and the angle so perfect that it passed through her with barely a ripple.

    She took grim satisfaction as she saw his eyes widen in his reflection; then she stabbed her stolen sword up under his kilt, finally finding a soft entry point for the weapon.

    The man gaped down at her as she rammed the sword into his body cavity. Then she ripped the weapon free and leaped away, not wanting to be anywhere near him for fear of any possible last-ditch or self-sacrificing attacks. He fell to his knees, flailing his weapons through the air helplessly. Bel didn¡¯t relax until he collapsed into a deepening puddle of blood. She felt his heart grind to a halt as his last breath rattled from his throat.

    Bel released a sigh of relief as the injuries and pains of the fight caught up to her. Her shoulder hurt, and she felt like she¡¯d done something bad to her ankles. She rubbed her neck, finding a small amount of blood. Swallowing felt awkward and tight, but her head was moving properly.

    One of her snakes hissed in surprise, and Bel leaped away in a panic. A dark chill travelling down her leg, followed by a searing pain. Bel destabilized her newly acquired sword and blindly threw it over her shoulder, acting on desperate instincts. She landed with a manageable amount of pain and spun to see her attacker.

    The veiled man slowly coalesced from a heavy mist, blood dripping from the clawed knuckles on one of his hands.

    Then the sword exploded. His form hadn¡¯t finished solidifying, and the force of the blast ripped the veiled man¡¯s ethereal body apart. Bel felt a wave of essence roll through her as her second adversary was instantly killed.

    She released a shaky breath, and then a second one, before slowly collapsing to the ground.

    She knew that she was still at risk, especially after the loud fighting, but her body needed a moment of rest to continue. She had nearly died. Not after a difficult contest of wills or a hard-fought battle, but because someone came out of nowhere and nearly gutted her before she realized what was happening.

    She hadn¡¯t survived due to skill or perseverance or anything like that, she had survived due to sheer dumb luck. Her body shook uncontrollably as that realization grew.

 Chapter 112 â€“ The Rat-a-Gator

    Bel¡¯s body shook. First, from the lingering effects of battle and fear, but then from a growing sense of outrage.

    She groaned and forced herself to sit upright. Then she used her liquid body to gently reset her dislocated shoulder. It still hurt, but she was able to move things in a mostly normal way afterwards.

    After flexing her injured arm, she turned her face upwards towards the heavens. ¡°What the hell!¡± she shouted. Her snakes peered around, hesitantly hissing at the open air.

    ¡°Why am I stuck doing this! Lempo, you should just crush Satrap with a mountain, what do I care!¡±

    She hadn¡¯t let herself fall apart into a quivering mess since her time in Technis¡¯ prison, but she¡¯d been sleep deprived for months and the weight of everyone¡¯s expectations was crushing her like a bug. She had been a single snake¡¯s attention span away from being split down the middle without even knowing it was happening.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t someone else do this garbage? Why can¡¯t I just forget about all this and go live my own life?¡± she muttered.

    Bel grabbed a rock that the fight had dislodged and threw it at the wall. She felt a small amount of satisfaction when it shattered with a loud crack. She sent several more stones after it.

    ¡°Lempo should take care of her own problems, and Beth should have gotten her own revenge.¡±

    Another few rocks smashed into the wall.

    ¡°And James should¡­*

    Bel sucked on her lip. ¡°Okay, James is fine. But he should forget about Satrap and just go somewhere else to enjoy life with Daran and their new baby.¡±

    Bel paused, another rock cocked behind her head. ¡°Unless he¡¯s secretly hoping that I¡¯ll find a way for him to get back to the Old World.¡±

    That thought reminded Bel of Orseis, who was really just a kid. ¡°I guess that she just wants to fit in somewhere. I will absolutely bring her with me if I sneak off to some quiet corner of Olympos.¡±

    And the gorgons¡­

    Bel frowned. ¡°I guess that the gorgons really do need me,¡± she sighed.

    Cress was like an idealistic, happy version of Beth; she had all the determination and resentment, but none of the bitterness and aversion to personal attachments. And then there was Manipule, who was¡­ Well, the clingy gorgon would be upset if Bel was killed. And the rest of the gorgons were expecting her to lead them to a better world, one where they wouldn¡¯t be persecuted for simply being gorgons.

    Bel sighed and rubbed her aching body. She was scuffed up and bloody, once again, but she was fine. Manipule would probably fret over her like an overprotective mother bird, just because she¡¯d picked up a few more scars.

    The thought brought a glum smile to her face. I¡¯d be pretty embarrassed if everyone saw me looking like this, wouldn¡¯t I?

    Abandoning them would be wrong.

    She focused on her cores and tried to relax. The loose essence from the veiled man had pushed her over another pair of thresholds, and her cores sang a discordant symphony in her soul. Her unbound core bloomed like a beautiful flower, as always, but her Disorder Core and Upheaval Core were noisy and unsettling. Well, at least they¡¯re under my control.

    Bel glanced up at her snakes and she grinned. She reached up and rubbed the alert snake who had given her warning ¨C the large one running over the center of her head ¨C appreciatively. ¡°Good girl,¡± she murmured. It flicked its tongue back in response.

    ¡°And I never even gave you a name!¡±

    The snake retracted itself from Bel¡¯s sight in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°What the hell,¡± she deadpanned. ¡°I give great names. Right Sparky? Flora?¡±

    Bel glanced to her right, but her other snakes had curled around to the back of her head as well.

    ¡°Well, I think they¡¯re great,¡± she huffed. ¡°You girls are living on my head you know, you should give me some respect.¡±

    Bel chuckled to herself and slowly stood. She hissed with pain as she put weight upon her injured left leg. She looked down at the dark line that travelled from her lower thigh down to her calf, inspecting the extent of the wound. Her coagulating abilities had created a neat crust along the length of the wound that stopped her from bleeding out, but the injury was deep.

    Moving around was going to continually tear it open, but sitting around waiting to be attacked would also be foolish. She would much rather catch her enemies by surprise than let the opposite happen.

    Her toughened integument hadn¡¯t been enough to repel the veiled man¡¯s sneak attack, and it had happened too quickly for her to react with her liquid body. He really attacked without a trace, Bel thought, no scent, no heartbeat, no warning. I hope the rest are more like the swordsman.

    Bel turned to look at the swordsman¡¯s corpse. His hairy legs were matted with blood and his face was frozen in an angry scream, but he still had a perfectly serviceable dagger and short sword. Bel tapped her chest, remembering that he also had a core¡¯s worth of essence.

    Or I could try to pull an ability from him. It¡¯s pretty obvious that having a few surprising abilities can improve my changes of survival.

    That meant digging around through his core while she was being hunted. Any distraction would result in her breaking the core and losing out on his abilities and essence. And there wasn¡¯t any guarantee that she could even use or understand any of his abilities¡­

    She spent a few more precious moments considering her options, but finally decided that the chance at a rare ability from a powerful opponent was worth more than a few thresholds in her cores.

    Bel hobbled over to his corpse and pulled his weapons out of his cold, dead grasp. Then she set them aside and searched his body for anything else she could use. She was relieved when she found several cleaning cloths tied to his waist that hadn¡¯t been soaked in blood.

    Maybe I can take care of these weapons instead of fighting with rocks, she thought.

    Bel looked around, searching for any surprises. The faint whiff of crimes against nature was still in the air, but it wasn¡¯t growing stronger. She listened to the heartbeats of the small creatures that had been piped into the enclosure, but she didn¡¯t detect anything suspicious. After taking a deep breath, Bel touched her hands to the dead swordsman and closed her eyes so she could concentrate on his abilities.

    Her jaw clenched as she carefully worked through them.

    As she had feared, most of the patterns were incomprehensible to her, too different from her known abilities for her mind to intuit their meaning. They were either abilities granted by an unfamiliar deity or that required some insights into the swordsman¡¯s path that she didn¡¯t possess. She did find his ability to run silently, but Bel didn¡¯t think that was worth the trouble. Much more interesting were a few inexpensive abilities to improve flexibility, improve hearing, increase her general muscle strength, and to rapidly mend her muscles.

    Healing more quickly would be wonderful. Just rapidly recuperating from a hard day of hiking would be fantastic. Neither of those would keep her alive though.

    Being slightly stronger wasn¡¯t likely to make a large difference, but it could push her over the edge if her strength was closely matched with an opponent. Due to living on the surface with its higher gravity, her strength compared favorably to most Underworld dwellers, but once she returned to Satrap she was going to lose that edge. So Bel squeezed her eyes shut with concentration and slowly etched out the dead man¡¯s ability onto her own core.

    The force of her concentration cracked and shattered his core, and by the time she finished copying the eight-stroke ability only the last wisps of essence remained for her to absorb.

    Bel opened her eyes and was surprised to see a small, furry creature staring back at her. From the long snout and bald tail Bel tentatively identified it as a rat.

    ¡°What are you¨C¡± she began with a friendly tone, but then the rat opened its mouth and bit her in the hand. Bel swatted it instinctively and it furry body was sent spinning through the air with an indignant squeak.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Lempo curse this stupid place and the stupid people who decided to put stupid rats inside,¡± she yelled after it. She looked at the small gouges in her flesh and wondered how a simple creature had managed to break through her ability-enhanced skin. She clicked her tongue angrily and used degrade pathogen to clear out any diseases, just in case. James was always terrified of getting sick, and he would never let her hear the end of it if she came down with a disease when she had the means to prevent it.

    Angrily shaking her head, Bel stood and retrieved her opponent¡¯s weapons. Freshly armed with her new short sword and dagger, and strengthened from her new ability, Bel squared her back and took a step.

    She hissed with pain and stumbled as her injuries screamed for attention.

    Maybe going directly to the next fight would be stupid.

    Bel sucked on her lips and looked to her snakes for suggestions. They flicked their tongues back. Then her stomach gurgled.

    ¡°Yeah, maybe I¡¯ll go back to that nice pond and see if there are any tasty fish.¡±

    Bel turned around and took a careful step. She slipped the thumb of her right hand into her purloined sword belt to reduce the stress on her aching shoulder and took small, cautious steps to avoid jarring her ribs.

    As she walked, she realized that the scent of crimes against nature was waxing and waning. She didn¡¯t have enough experience with Kjar¡¯s ability to understand what that meant.

    Was someone actively committing crimes against nature? Would that make the caustic smell worse? Did it fade with time? Or was Bel actually getting closer to the perpetrator?

    She inspected the nearby rock walls with suspicious. What if another one of the objectors is wandering around on the other side?

    She tapped her metallic nails together with irritation as she thought about it. Then she felt heart drop from the ceiling above her.

    Bel quickly stepped to the side, her pain of her injuries drowned out by a surge of adrenaline. She snapped her arm up to intercept her attacker, reflexively forcing a liquid shockwave into them the moment her fingers made contact.

    A small, furry creature burst into a spray of blood and liquified innards. Bel blinked, trying to figure out what had happened.

    Oh, wait, that was another rat. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t notice it until it attacked, it¡¯s just another one of the small hearts scuttling around here.

    Bel pulled out a cleaning cloth and wiped her finger. Two rats in a row though? Whoever designed this really didn¡¯t want us taking naps.

    <hr>

    Bel glared at the rat, stopping it before it could charge her. She huffed angrily as she strode up to it and stabbed it through the skull with her sharpened nails.

    She turned it around, examining the creature for signs of unnatural alteration. It wouldn¡¯t surprise her if Clark had modified a forest full of creatures to hunt her down, but she didn¡¯t see any obvious signs of his meddling.

    Bel clicked her tongue after a thorough investigation. ¡°No little wires, no bits of metal, no pieces of other creatures.¡±

    She shook it and watched some of its blood drip down her hand. It was so dark as to be nearly black. It looked unnatural, but Bel had seen strangely colored blood from different sea creatures. For all she knew, this was natural for Underworld rats.

    She sighed and flicked the dead creature away from her.

    She¡¯d encountered more than a dozen of the spiteful things on her way back to the large pond, and with each one the caustic tang of lawlessness grew more offensive. There was no way that the rats were normal, but if they weren¡¯t from Clark then Bel couldn¡¯t guess who was sending them after her.

    And if she couldn¡¯t guess when the instigator would attack, she decided that she would rather deal with them on a full stomach.

    Bel paused before the opening into the room with the lake, checking for suspicious heartbeats. Then she stepped onto the ledge that overlooked the pond and liquified handholds into the rock so she could descend into the water. The pond went up to her knees, but the rocky floor was rippled from the flow of cooling lava and the water was clear and pristine as rainwater. The current emptied through a large, vertical crack on the opposite side of the room from Bel, and entered through several pipes near the ceiling. Occasionally a fish would flow through with the water, a colorful blur that quickly disappeared when it hit the surface of the pond.

    Bel licked her lips with anticipation as she watched the fish swimming through the water. With practiced ease, she stilled her motions and waited for a potential meal to swim her way. A particularly fat specimen soon obliged, and Bel thrust her hands into the water to grab it.

    She realized two things from the exercise. First, her body still her, and the rapid motion didn¡¯t help. Second, the stupid fish has an ability that let it zip away through the water faster than Bel¡¯s hands could close around it.

    Bel hissed with frustration, then doubled her volume when she saw another rat swimming towards her, full of angry determination. She waited for it to get close before she plucked it from the water¡¯s surface. It gnashed it teeth at her, but was powerless to do anything.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your master?¡± she demanded of the small beast. Its only response was the angry clacking of its sharp teeth.

    Bel was about to snap its neck when she sensed the swarm of tiny hearts massing around her. She looked up to see a thick crowd of the small creatures along the banks of pond. Her snakes¡¯ agitation drew her eyes upwards to the ridge above them where more scurried from the passage where Bel had entered the room. Even more rats spilled from the water pipes, until she was surrounded by what felt like a thousand pairs of angry little eyes.

    The rat pack paused like a drawn breath, filled with hunger and expectation. Even the one in a Bel¡¯s hand ceased its wriggling, instead staring at her with its hateful little eyes. Then, as one, they gnashed their teeth and charged into the water.

    Individually, they were weak. As a mass of flesh and teeth, they were a threat. But as a mass of essence? Weak.

    Bel reached out to the swarm and liberated their essence. The entire swarm dropped dead. She dropped the one in her hand and it sank with a plop, like all the rest.

    The room was eerily quiet, until a shadow dropped from one of the water pipes and disappeared, with barely a splash, into the water below.

    Bel was too hungry and irritated to feel fear. Instead, she was annoyed that her opponent wasn¡¯t facing her directly.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not a bigger, fatter rat,¡± Bel called out.

    Silence answered. Then the water turned a dark, inky black. The colorful fish bobbed to the surface, one by one, belly-up and obviously dead.

    Bel ran some extra energy through her ability to degrade pathogens, just in case.

    After a long, frustrating minute wherein Bel realized that she wouldn¡¯t get to eat any time soon, her attacker finally revealed herself. A large, lumpy cloaked figure stood and water dripped down from her clothing. She reached up with a short, stubby hand and ripped her cloak from her body. After discarding their clothing, the stranger splashed back onto all-fours in the water, but kept their snout above the water line.

    Bel shook her head at the pointless waste of a perfectly good set of clothes and examined the figure. They were probably some kind of lizard, although their scaled skin was bumpy rather than smooth. Different blues mixed together across their body: a pale underbelly and lips and a vibrant cerulean ran along the top of their snout and trailed down their back. Even more eye catching than the lizard¡¯s color was its muscular form: every muscle swelled with hard edges, as though the creature had been made of bricks.

    Bel clicked her tongue with frustration when she saw that the lizard wore a small pair of shaded stones over her eyes, already prepared for Bel¡¯s gaze.

    The lizard¡¯s jaws parted, and Bel was surprised when it spoke in the language of the Golden Plains. ¡°Although rats are the traditional heralds of Pestilence, my venerable patron has determined that I am more suited for removing you from Olympos.¡±

    Her short, powerful tail smashed into the water, spraying a cloud of dark liquid into the air. ¡°I shall rot the marrow of your bones, spoil the blood in your veins, and putrefy the air in your breath. I will destroy your disgusting form as punishment for destroying a plague of incredible beauty.¡±

    The voice was rough and gravelly, but distinctly feminine. It also oozed with crazy.

    Bel rolled her eyes, but decided that she could stand to gather more information. ¡°So you¡¯re a follower of some deity named Pestilence? That can¡¯t be very popular, right? And what plague are you even talking about?¡±

    The lizard-woman yawned her mouth wide, showing off the impressive set of jagged teeth that protruded from her scaled lips. She exhaled and a dark fog billowed forth, like smoke from a fire. ¡°A disease that eats bones themselves! How wonderful! How exquisite!¡±

    The woman clapped her hands together with excitement, but then her yellow eyes narrowed angrily. ¡°Technis could not contain the clever disease, and he unwittingly unleashed the beautiful pandemic into Olympos! But alas! Your mother¡¯s priests destroyed it before it could wipe the foul humans from our world.¡±

    Bel fanned her hand in front of her face, doing her best to dissipate the woman¡¯s foul breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t really have anything to do with that, though. Just my mother¡¯s priests.¡±

    The woman reared up on her back legs and stared down her long snout at Bel. She pointed a clawed hand accusingly in her direction. ¡°Your mother has offended Pestilence, and now she shall pay with the loss of her mortal child! I will¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Bel interrupted. ¡°What¡¯s all this talk for anyway? Are you hoping that I¡¯ll die of boredom?¡±

    The lizard clacked her jaws together loudly. ¡°I see you are using the same unnatural ability that allowed your people to clear the bone melting disease in the first place.¡±

    Bel¡¯s lips twitched and she looked down at the black-stained water and the foul cloud spreading from the lizard. Then she glanced at the bodies of the rats, still lining the shore. Has she been trying to infect me with something me this whole time? I wonder if my mom made me immune to that? Or maybe this little ability to degrade pathogens is actually really good.

    The woman reached down to a flask that hung at her waist. She pulled it from her belt and crushed it between her paws, spilling a green and black sludge into the water.

    She¡¯s even rougher on her belongings than I am, Bel marvelled.

    The lizard laughed deeply as she pointed in Bel¡¯s direction. ¡°Kill her,¡± she commanded.

    The sludge spun in place, then formed into a spiny eel and thrashed in Bel¡¯s direction. Bel caught it before it could do whatever it intended, using her liquid body to flow her flesh around the impaling spines that lined its spiny body.

    ¡°You¡¯re a spirit, aren¡¯t you?¡± Bel mused. ¡°If she¡¯s using you to attack, then you must be something powerful, right?¡±

    Bel focused her energy through her ability to mix spirits. As her ability flowed into the spiny spirit, its form melted like butter left in the desert sun. It thrashed and struggled, obviously unwilling to be subsumed, but Bel doubled the energy in her ability and it finally succumbed.

    Bel scooped up the limp spirit and pushed it onto the last remaining open space on her head. She felt an odd sensation as the creature unwillingly conformed to her demands, slowly forming into a bright green and black snake as it replaced her final missing serpent. It hissed angrily and opened it mouth wide to bite her, but Bel¡¯s other snakes wrapped around it, pinning the unwilling snake into a braid that draped down Bel¡¯s back.

    ¡°That was another really bad move,¡± Bel mocked. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back to the rats?¡±

    Bel tensed, ready for the woman¡¯s next attack, but then the water in the room pulled back, lifting the lizard woman in an enormous pillar of water. She stared murder at Bel from her lofty position, and Bel¡¯s innards tensed as she saw the raw power the woman possessed.

    So she¡¯s actually a water manipulator? What was with all the diseased stuff then? Was she just playing with me?

 Chapter 113 â€“ Discretion

    Bel hesitated as she watched for the plague-bringer¡¯s next move. Bel¡¯s opponent had abandoned her rats and disease-based attacks in a fit of rage, and had taken control of all of the water in the room instead. The woman was still visible at the top of her pillar of swirling water, and if her gaze could kill then Bel would have been eviscerated. Bel hoped that her control of water was as clumsy as she looked, but she assumed the opposite would probably be true.

    The lizard woman¡¯s first move wasn¡¯t to attack Bel, however. Instead, dark tendrils shot from her swirling vortex and pierced the bodies of the nearest fish. The helpless creatures had been flopping pathetically in a few tiny puddles, but when the dark tendrils pierced their bodies they went stiff. Their scales darkened and stood on end before splitting until they branched into small, hairlike threads. Some of their fins swelled and distended before flattening into small feet, and their jaws elongated horrifically as they filled with teeth like needles. The body changes were accompanied by horrible sounds of flesh and bone twisting and stretching. After the agonizing transformation, a new rat stared at Bel with its hateful, pain-filled eyes.

    Bel¡¯s nose itched as the abrasive aroma of crimes against nature filled the air. She couldn¡¯t keep a growl from emerging low in her throat. ¡°What the hell is your problem,¡± Bel cursed at the rat-summoning woman.

    The lizard laughed, a deep, sickly gurgle. ¡°The Plague is endless! The Plague is unbeatable!¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll just kill those ones too, you know.¡±

    ¡°Never!¡± the woman howled. The surface of her pillar wriggled, and then a disc of water flew out of the center in Bel¡¯s direction.

    Bel planted her feet and agilely leaped over it. She turned slightly to watch the disc as it sliced into the wall behind her, sending rocks flying in every direction. The water had taken a deep bite out of the rocks, all the way down to the indestructible material of the Pillar itself.

    Her snakes recoiled in alarm and Bel quickly turned her attention back to the water-wielder. The pillar wriggled again, and this time three discs shot towards Bel. She leaped upwards and flattened her body. Her lips compressed in a grimace as she passed between two of the deadly discs, just a handspan away from being chopped to pieces.

    The moment she landed, she repeated the maneuver to dodge the next attack. Then the discs came out with different angles, and Bel leaped and dove to pass through increasingly narrow safe spots between the attacks. After a particularly impressive spinning jump, Bel landed, neatly scooped up a hunk of rubble, destabilized it, and threw it at the woman in one neat motion.

    As she dodged the next set of spinning discs, she watched with anticipation as her counterattack neared it destination. Before it reached the plague-bringer, a tendril of water flicked it away. The rock exploded, destroying the watery limb but not coming close to harming the woman.

    Crows eat her entrails, she¡¯s barely losing any water like this. I¡¯m going to pass out before she runs out.

    Bel grit her teeth and charged over the rippled surface of the dried pond. Now, instead of jumping between cutting discs, Bel sped up, slowed down, and swerved from side to side to avoid them. She cleared a hundred strides and had twenty more to go to reach the lizard when the cerulean woman¡¯s scaled skin flushed a deep, angry red.

    Her water pillar flexed, and a wide tentacle of water emerged. Bel leaped over the liquid appendage as it smashed the ground beneath her feet, but a second appendage swung behind it, slamming Bel to the ground. The two tentacles beat the ground like a drum, pounding away with rock-shattering force as Bel desperately rolled, leaped, and dodged away from them.

    Leap by leap, the ferocity of the attacks forced her back, and in just a few moments she had given back all of the ground that she¡¯d gained.

    The tentacles became tenuous as they stretched to their limits, and finally broke apart with one more titanic crash against the wall. Bel glanced at the destruction they¡¯d wrought, and saw that the lizard woman¡¯s attacks had broken through most of the freshly formed rocks in the room, leaving behind a field of loose rubble and the bare walls of the Pillar. The draining crack where the water had previous emptied was revealed to be another pipe that emptied to a lower room in the maze.

    Bel shifted her attention back to the lizard. The pillar of water rippled, but Bel couldn¡¯t tell what it was doing. She heard a high-pitched buzz though, so she quickly dodged to the side.

    Her quick movement saved her life ¨C a small stone behind her shattered from the force of the small bullet of water that slammed into it. Bel grimaced as she looked into the crazed smirk of her attacker.

    When is she going to run out of energy? Bel wondered helplessly.

    The water rippled and a barrage of water bullets followed.

    Bel dodged as best as she could, moving frantically from one location to the next as she kept her head tucked low and used Kjar¡¯s armor to absorb as many hits as she could. Her liquid body let some of the bullets pass through her, but each one sent painful shockwave through her body before pulling out small chunks of her as they exited. After a minute, Bel¡¯s breathing was ragged and her limbs trembled from exertion. She was soaked with sweat that mixed with blood as it dripped down her body. Bel leaped behind another large chunk of rock for cover and waited for it to be blown to pieces.

    Instead, the lizard woman paused her assault. Bel peaked behind her cover and saw that the lizard woman had paused with her arms open wide. Her pillar had dwindled to less than half of its original volume, so she had stopped her attack to refill it. Bel wondered if this was her chance to attack.

    Then the water that coated the rocks and lay in large pools trembled and flowed back to her, rushing to rejoin the rest of the water under the plague-bringer¡¯s control.

    Bel examined the woman¡¯s expression and breathing and was dismayed to see no signs of fatigue in the lizard woman¡¯s stance or behavior.

    I¡¯m losing, Bel recognized. And it¡¯s not even close.

    She tensed, preparing to use Sparky to activate her Belemental form, but hesitated. Magma Bel against a wall of water? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a winner.

    She could turn into a tree too, but her immobility would just make her an easier target.

    Bel bit down on her pride and turned to run. She dashed from behind her cover and made for the drainage pipe with a powerful pounce.

    The moment the woman realized Bel¡¯s intention to flee, she shrieked like a bird whose nest was raided. Bel felt the air in the chamber shift as a large mass of water moved. When she landed, she planted her feet to the ground and turned to face a wave of water that threatened to crush her against the walls. Just before it struck, she pivoted and thrust her good arm forward, dispersing the force of the water with a powerful shockwave. The mass of it broke around her, pooling around her legs in a chaotic swirl rather than sweeping her from her feet.

    Bel didn¡¯t pause to see how her opponent would react, instead taking a deep breath before she dove directly into the flooded drainage pipe. As her shoulders rubbed against it, Bel realized that it was slightly too small for her body. That was good though ¨C the lizard woman wouldn¡¯t be able to follow.

    Bel used her liquid body to squeeze herself through the tight passage. The current was fast enough that she didn¡¯t need to bother kicking, but she had to squeeze herself around several tight curves. When the pipe divided, Bel was forced to ditch her newly obtained sword, but with some extra applications of liquid body, and the buildup of water pressure behind her, Bel was able to squeeze herself through the larger of the two branches. The increasing feeling of breathless claustrophobia was beginning to make Bel¡¯s body itch when she finally popped into an open space and fell into a small, peaceful pond.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Bel felt the sand beneath her hands as she gasped for breath, and looked up to see that she had emerged back in her starting room.

    ¡°Well,¡± she coughed, ¡°I¡¯m alive and two of them are gone, so I guess I¡¯m winning.¡±

    She pushed herself out of the water and leaned against the nearest wall as she continued sucking in lung fulls of sweet, life-restoring air. A quick self-inspection showed that her body was a mess, with cuts, punctures, and bruises forming just about everywhere. Even her snakes were bedraggled and lethargic, especially Sparky, who¡¯s magmatic nature didn¡¯t agree with being soaked. Bel¡¯s new snake wriggled into her field of view and flicked her tongue excitedly at Bel¡¯s impending demise.

    ¡°Oh, hush,¡± Bel scolded it. ¡°Ask the other snakes, this is normal. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    The vivid green snake opened its mouth to reveal two glistening fangs, but Sparky and Flora twined around it before it could bite. ¡°Thanks guys,¡± Bel said as she watched her two loyal serpents weigh the new one down in a heavy braid.

    She looked up and examined the room. Other than the pipes, there was only one exit, and the ceiling was a solid, glowing slab of the Pillar¡¯s metal. Bel couldn¡¯t imagine the bulky lizard fitting through the pipe, which meant that she knew where the lizard would enter.

    Bel didn¡¯t doubt that the woman would find her quickly with her rats doing the searching. At the rate that she produced new ones from the maze¡¯s unfortunate creatures, it was a wonder that the entire place wasn¡¯t already swarming with them. Bel shuddered at the memory of the fish¡¯s flesh warping into another unnatural rat. I¡¯m lucky that I have an ability to deal with swarms of weak creatures, she thought.

    Actually, it¡¯s lucky that I¡¯m resistant to her plague abilities, too.

    Bel tilted her head and pondered the matchup. If it hadn¡¯t been for all the water, would the lizard woman have seemed so dangerous? Probably not ¨C which meant that the woman had chosen that room ahead of time, expecting to fall back upon her water powers.

    Bel clicked her tongue. She¡¯d been outmaneuvered once again.

    ¡°I really need to improve at this ambushing thing,¡± she sighed to her snakes. And here she was, sitting around in another room that was filled with water, her body badly beaten and her cores nearly empty, waiting for the woman to show up and finish the job. Flora¡¯s tree form could help her recover her essence, but she would still need to win in a fight.

    Bel looked around the room again. It did have water, but much less than the room with the large pond. It was also a far smaller room, perhaps twenty strides across. That would make it easier for Bel to grapple with the lizard woman.

    She spun around slowly, thinking of how she would fight in the space. Bel nodded to herself. ¡°Yeah, I can work with this.¡±

    <hr>

    The rats came first, sniffing around the entrance to the room but not entering. Bel waited patiently until the lizard-woman burst into the room.

    Bel guessed that her opponent meant to arrive with sudden force and take her by surprise. Bel was waiting in her tree form, though, and as a tree she seemed to have boundless patience.

    The moment that the lizard entered the room, roaring about the beauty of pestilence, Bel slammed her roots over the entrance, trapping them both inside. The rest of the room had been filled with roots, and she whipped them up and down in an attempt to knock the hasty woman to the ground.

    As expected, the lizard lifted her arms and pulled the water in the room to her body, lifting her over Bel¡¯s roots and away from the unsteady footing. Her momentary immobility made her an easy target for a trio of rocks that Bel destabilized with her rooty appendages, though.

    Bel had spent much of her time in the room practicing her aim. It wasn¡¯t perfect ¨C throwing through her roots was still awkward ¨C but the rocks all exploded near to her intended target. The water covering the woman was vaporized, and the lizard roared in pain and surprise as a wave of heat threw her back down to the ground where Bel¡¯s roots were waiting to entangle her.

    Bel squeezed with all of her planty might, but rather than a triumphant yielding of flesh and bone she felt a sudden blast of pain as the water-wielding woman chopped through her root with several discs of water.

    The lizard pulled water to her fists as she prepared another wave of attacks, but Bel struck first, jabbing another root into the woman¡¯s right knee and delivering a painful liquid shockwave.

    The woman¡¯s leg gave out and she fell onto her hands. From all fours her sinuous neck became more apparent and her serpentine nature asserted itself. She craned her head in Bel¡¯s direction and hissed angrily as she pulled more water into a defensive shell that covered her body.

    Then the water shook, and the room was pelted in a hail of water bullets. Bel moved the thick bark of her arms to shield her face, and Kjar¡¯s armor absorbed the blows to her body, but her hastily formed root system was blasted to a pulp. As the attack trailed off, Bel moved her branched to the side so she could see her attacker. The plague-bringer stared back with a look of crazed triumph.

    So Bel whipped one of her long arms forward and smashed the woman in the face. As a tree, Bel lost many of her regular, gorgon attributes ¨C her snakes became thick vines, her feet became roots that dug into the ground, her arms became branches several strides long, and her thick bark made moving more difficult. She still had access to liquid body though, and her new muscle intensifier still worked. She also still had her brazen nails, which showed up as a series of evenly spaced metal thorns at the ends of her long branches.

    She wasn¡¯t strong enough to pierce the lizard¡¯s tough skin, but her thorns caught onto the thick armored plates that covered the woman¡¯s back. Bel used her leverage to yank the woman towards her, like an angler dragging a stubborn fish over the sandy ground.

    She¡¯ll outlast me if I give her the chance, Bel thought, so I need to end things quickly.

    The woman thrashed and struggled, but her powerful shoulders didn¡¯t allow enough range of motion for her to reach around to the branch that had snagged her backside. Sand piled up around her ankles as she was dragged inexorably towards Bel. The woman gave up on her futile grasping and faced Bel instead. Her mouth opened wide, and she exhaled a thick, dark cloud.

    Bel wasn¡¯t worried about any toxins in the air, but the woman¡¯s struggling form was hidden behind the dense cover. Bel¡¯s instincts told her that the woman wouldn¡¯t do something pointless, so Bel tossed the woman with a sudden downward jerk of her arm, hoping to disrupt whatever attack she had planned.

    As the woman was pulled off-balance by the sudden shift in force and rolled to the side, she launched several arcs of water in Bel¡¯s direction. The motion had disoriented her so most of the attacks went wide, but Bel felt one of them bite into her leg just below her armored skirt. Bel had never been cut so deeply in her tree form before, so her eye widened in surprise when a downward glance revealed a large mass of sap oozing from the cut.

    She reacted quickly: first, she followed Beth¡¯s advice to always stay on the offensive by hurling her final destabilized rock towards the lizard woman. While the stone was still on its way, Bel ended her transformation so she could gain more control over her body. As her form reverted to its usual state, leaves and barks falling from her body, Bel channeled more energy through liquid body and squeezed the gaping cut in her leg together.

    Just then her destabilized missile exploded. The lizard woman, who had found her feet, was thrown back into the rocky wall. She tottered on all fours, momentarily stunned and disoriented from the sudden blow to the head.

    Bel¡¯s blood coagulation abilities helped to stitch her own wound together, an effect which Bel immediately undid when she pounced upon the disabled lizard woman. Bel landed a powerful blow of her fist to the lizard-woman¡¯s thick skull, rocketing her backwards with a liquid shockwave.

    Bel¡¯s injured leg gave out and she staggered into the lizard¡¯s wobbling form. The two of them staggered into one another¡¯s arms, like two boxers who had run out of strength and hand to cling to one another to remain upright. The lizard woman recovered first and firmly planted one of her clawed feet in the sand. She gripped her right claws around Bel¡¯s lower left arm, jerked Bel¡¯s arm to the side, and clamped her left claws around Bel¡¯s throat. With her new leverage, the plague-bringer throttled Bel as she pushed her backwards.

    Bel struggled to remain upright as her spine was bent backwards, but she managed to drop her right arm to her waist and find her stolen dagger before she was thrown to the sand. Before she could be thrown and choked under the larger woman¡¯s bulk, Bel smoothly jerked the dagger free from its sheath and stabbed it into the lizard¡¯s stomach.

    Both of their eyes widened in surprise as the dagger easily slid through the woman¡¯s tough scales.

    The plague-bringer stumbled to the side to evade the full length of the blade, but as she placed more weight upon her injured leg she stumbled and fell into the sand. Bel fell on her knees next to the opponent, and didn¡¯t hesitate to squeeze her hands together to deliver a hammer blow to the hilt of the dagger, driving it deeper through the woman¡¯s vitals.

    The woman opened her mouth in a pained yowl, but then clamped her jaws around Bel¡¯s left arm, tearing through her skin. Bel slammed her right fist into the woman¡¯s throat, hitting her with another liquid shockwave.

    As the plague-bringer choked and gasped for breath, Bel reached down and pulled on her dagger. With a wet squelch it pulled free, loosing a spurt of dark blood. Bel slammed the excelled weapon up through her opponents ribs, finally finding something vital enough to end her struggles.

    Bel ripped the woman¡¯s essence from her body, feeling a sudden exaltation at her painful victory.

    ¡°Finally,¡± she huffed, rubbing her sore throat. She examined the pristine blade of the dagger as she pulled it free from her dead opponent. ¡°This is a damn good dagger.¡±

    As she admired the blade, her new snake leaned around and bit her in the arm.

 Chapter 114 â€“ Waiting Games

    Crecerelle knocked politely on the exterior panel that covered a small window flap on the Pillar¡¯s exterior. She put her hands behind her back and waited patiently.

    Then she grit her teeth.

    After another minute, she began to fidget with her maul, wondering if hitting the window harder would help. Before she reached that level of violence, the flap popped open.

    ¡°Yes?¡± an irate voice asked.

    Cress cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯m checking on my companion again. She¡¯s been in side for quite some time.¡±

    ¡°Only one person in a group is allowed entry at a time,¡± the voice declared crisply.

    Cress shoved her hand through the tiny window, blocking the flap before the siren-mouthed woman could get it closed.

    ¡°You¡¯ve explained that before,¡± Cress hissed, ¡°but I want to know where my companion has gone. She¡¯s been inside for ages.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t disclose the whereabouts of any persons during negotiations for Pillar resources. We take privacy very seriously.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± a faint voice called from the background, ¡°you¡¯re missing some good bits! She¡¯s trying to suck out the poison!¡±

    The voice behind the window clicked her tongue. ¡°I really have more important¨C¡±

    ¡°Just tell me if she¡¯s still in there,¡± Cress interrupted. ¡°What in Olympos is taking so long? She has tokens for all of us, for Lempo¡¯s sake!¡±

    Cress¡¯ snakes rattled in anger as she finished yelling.

    ¡°Look, miss, I don¡¯t make the rules, I just¨C¡±

    ¡°Come on,¡± the background voice called, ¡°she¡¯s breaking out in hives all over! She¡¯s rolling around like a mad seal! You¡¯re missing it!¡±

    ¡°Ugh, fine. Look, gorgon, every avatar on a quest for their god is going to have some objectors. Your companion has to deal with them before we¡¯ll let you continue.¡±

    Cress¡¯ eyes narrowed and her snakes flicked their tongues with suspicion. ¡°Deal with them? How?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you should be happy I¡¯m telling you anything at all. She¡¯s already done with three of them. It shouldn¡¯t be too much longer before you¡¯ll find out if she¡¯s successful.¡±

    The woman on the other side of the window prodded her fingers. ¡°Now can you get your hand out of this thing?¡±

    ¡°One more question,¡± Cress insisted, ¡°how many more challengers?¡±

    The woman sighed. ¡°Two more.¡±

    Then her voice took on a mocking tone. ¡°And one of them is going to kick¡­ well, whatever, that¡¯s private information. Remove your hand or it¡¯s getting a lightning bolt.¡±

    Cress grumbled, but she pulled her hand back. The flap quickly slapped shut, and Cress knew that the Pillar custodians wouldn¡¯t be opening it for her again until Bel finished dealing with the objectors. The woman hadn¡¯t said it, but Cress would guess how Bel was expected to deal with them.

    Now she had to figure out a way to say it that wouldn¡¯t send Orseis and Manipule into a panic. Being the leader is hard, she moaned internally.

    Then she glanced back at the Pillar. I guess I shouldn¡¯t complain, she chastised herself. I could be the one trapped in there.

    <hr>

    Bel limped angrily through the maze of tunnels and passageways, suppressing the urge to itch. She didn¡¯t know what her new snake had been thinking when it bit her ¨C it wasn¡¯t like it could get away. Bel¡¯s other snakes hadn¡¯t been pleased either, and had quickly wrapped it up. Now, only its snout poked out from the mass of other snakes, it¡¯s lines of vivid green on dark black scales standing out from the other snakes like a bright warning sign.

    She looked at it with irritation and it responded with a muted his of triumph. The other snakes squeezed, and its hiss choked off.

    ¡°If you could learn to get along with everyone we would all be happier,¡± she lectured it. There was no remorse in dangerous snake¡¯s eyes. Bel snorted and turned her attention back to the maze.

    After her coughing and itching fit, Bel had finally taken a moment to eat. She had even fallen asleep, although not intentionally. When she awoke she¡¯d been terrified that someone had sneaked up on her, but, except for the growing stench of death coming from the lizard-woman, the sand-filled room was unchanged.

    She guessed that the last two objectors were settings ambushes somewhere. The Dhvaras would be waiting in a room with magma, assuming that such a room existed. The blind guy¡­

    Bel shrugged. She was just going to have to find him.

    ¡°Or I could go back to a room with food and just wait them out.¡± She glanced at her snakes. ¡°How long would it take for them to starve to death?¡±

    Her snakes, preoccupied with their newest member, didn¡¯t respond. Bel pursed her lips and considered her options. The Dhvaras should be easy for me to handle with my magma form, so maybe I¡¯ll look for her first.

    She tapped her metallic nails against the rocky wall. I have no idea where there would be magma though. Maybe the opposite side from the water?

    Bel sighed and slumped against the wall to rest. She inspected her injuries to make sure that they were healing properly: the cut on her leg, the lizard bite on her left arm, the snake bite on her right, her bruised throat, the many tiny punctures from the plague-bringer¡¯s water bullets¡­ There were too many to count, actually.

    <hr>

    Hours of wandering had confirmed that the maze was very large. Bel even wondered if the size of the initial chamber had been a trick mean to fool her and her opponents. She¡¯d wasted so much time that she was beginning to get nervous about her companions outside of the Pillar.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    What if Clark attacked? Would they be able to fight him off again?

    What if they thought she¡¯d left them? Would they give up and wander away?

    What would happen to Orseis then? Could she get along with a bunch of strangers? What if she did something childish and pissed them off?

    ¡°When I see those Pillar people again, I¡¯m going to¨C¡±

    She stopped her muttering abruptly when she heard a slight noise echoing from the cavern walls. She was passing through a wide room with a low ceiling. The room still smelled of recently cooled magma, but she didn¡¯t detect any odors of wrongdoing. Lavacicles ¨C bits of lava that hardened as they dripped from the ceiling ¨C lined the ceiling and floor like teeth waiting to snap shut. Some of the ones on the floor were large enough for Bel to hide behind, which she took advantage of as she carefully searched for the source of the sound.

    The room had a dull, gray appearance, with light only entering from a few shafts that broke through the ceiling. It was eerily silent and unnaturally still, so if anyone had chosen this spot for their ambush her approach would have been obvious from the moment her feet touched the ground. Bel peeked around her lavacicle cover and slowly scanned the room. Her gaze settled upon a spot of crimson.

    The old man. His bright red shirt and the cloth wrapped around his eyes made him stand out, even if his dark pants blended with the shadows. He was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and was leaning back against another lavacicle. If Bel was still her younger and more naive self, she would have thought that he was asleep, or perhaps that he had wandered into the Pillar by mistake.

    She wasn¡¯t so foolish, at least not anymore. Bel was certain that the old man with the wrinkled head would gut her with the dagger at his waist the moment he got the chance. He was probably crazy anyway ¨C for all she knew, he worshipped the god of bald people and hated her for having so many snakes.

    She thought it likely that he knew she was present, so she couldn¡¯t take him by surprise. On the other hand, the swordsman and the plague-bringer hadn¡¯t known all of her abilities, so she guessed that the blind man wouldn¡¯t know them either.

    Beth always lead with her strongest hit, going for an instant kill, so Bel decided to do the same. She carefully slipped her stolen belt and dagger from her waist and set them on the ground.

    Then she glanced at Sparky and nodded to the little magma snake before concentrating on her ability to mix spirits. The form of her snake melded into her own as the momentarily combined. Bel¡¯s skin became hard like rock before cracking from her inner heat. She grew taller and stronger as the magma spirit¡¯s form augmented her own, and as she swelled with strength the warm glow of her flowing magma illuminated the area around her.

    The blindfolded old man stood and tossed his shirt behind him before taking a few steps to the side. He took a wide stance and flexed his muscled torso, casually stretching like he was preparing for a sparring match.

    He little spirit snake¡¯s thoughts mixed with her own and a proud confidence in her abilities filled her mind. This guy wasn¡¯t taking her seriously, but she was going to show him what happened to anyone who underestimated her. With a ferocious roar, Bel charged.

    She smashed through the small lavacicles in her way, but she grabbed at a few of the larger ones and hurled them in the man¡¯s direction. Despite his covered eyes, he elegantly side-stepped the missiles. When Bel noticed that his movements began nearly before she even threw her attacks she snorted. Not really blind when you¡¯ve got some kind of perceptive ability, are you?

    Bel leaped towards him, but made sure to land far enough away that he wouldn¡¯t catch her by surprise. He stepped back and took up a defensive stance with his hands guarding his face, although his dagger was still sheathed at his side. As Bel¡¯s feet slammed into the floor, she channeled a liquid shockwave into the stone. It buckled and rippled as solid turned to liquid, and then exploded in a spray magma and stone.

    The old man spun behind the nearest lavacicle, just barely dodging the deadly spray. Instead of his body being blown apart, the squat spike of stone that he chose for cover was pelted by the blast and collapsed.

    Seeing his cover literally falling apart, Bel ripped a lavacicle free of the floor, destabilized it, and hurled it at her opponent. He once again reacted as she threw her attack, taking a step forward to push his feet against the remains of his cover and vaulting himself towards the ceiling with an impressive forward somersault. He grabbed onto one of the smaller spikes on the ceiling and pulled himself away just as the lavacicle exploded beneath him. Instead of slamming him into the ceiling, the old man had maneuvered so the force of the blast pushed him away from her.

    Bel hissed with frustration and gave chase. The ground cracked from her heavy footsteps as she raced to catch the old man in a vulnerable position. Before his feet could touch the ground, Bel slapped her foot against the stone and launched another liquid shockwave through the floor. She grinned with triumph: this time the spray of rock and magma was unavoidable.

    The old man spun on the balls of his feet, angling his body sideways to reduce his profile as he weaved between the spinning rocks. His hands were blurs as he knocked the incoming rocks together, deflecting the incoming globs of magma with some of the unmelted stone. Bel paused in stupefied disbelief as he managed to pass through the spray of debris completely unharmed. It defied belief.

    Bel gnashed her teeth. There had to be some ability at work. Dodging so much should have been impossible.

    But she and Sparky knew they were better than some old guy. Let¡¯s see him dodge me, she thought.

    Bel rushed the old man as his body finished spinning. She reached to grab him with her glowing hand, but he ducked under her grasping fingers and ¨C through some magic ¨C slipped between her legs. Bel spun around, hoping to catch the man with a powerful backhand, but he slipped just beyond her reach.

    Beth had been able to do things like that, but Beth also knew Bel¡¯s speed and dimensions from their constant sparring. For the old man to do it so easily¡­

    He has to be using some sensing abilities, right?

    Still, Bel¡¯s current size and strength gave her the advantage. She advanced slowly this time, trying to hem her opponent in with a flurry of fast punches.

    It wasn¡¯t working.

    He easily deflected her attacks with just the lightest touches and stepped just right to continually throw off Bel¡¯s stance, frustrating her with his casual movements. His fighting style didn¡¯t even feel that skillful to Bel, he just managed to end up in the worst places for her to deal with. She was doing her best to avoid overextending, but that meant that the man continued to slip away. He hadn¡¯t even drawn his knife.

    Worse yet, Bel could feel Sparky straining as her ability ran dry. She could try running more energy through the pattern, but she could tell that her little snake was running out of strength. Just before her fusion ended, Bel tapped the ground with her foot and sent another liquid shockwave through the floor. The blind man reacted even as her ability was still sinking into the stone, hopping backwards and dodging behind a thick lavacicle before her attack reached him.

    The attack didn¡¯t work, but it gave her a moment of protection as her body shed its outer layer of molten rock. In a few heavy heartbeats, Bel was reduced to her typical state. She was winded, and she had already spent a large chunk of the energy in her cores.

    As if sensing her weakness, the blind man emerged from behind the stone and drew his knife. It rasped hungrily as it emerged from its sheath, and the edge shone with a deep, abyssal blue. Bel knew for certain that it was another divine weapon.

    He advanced quickly, and Bel panicked. If he had woven between her attacks so easily before, what would he be capable of with a divine knife?

    Bel knelt to splay her hands over the ground, intending to simply destabilize a large area and create an explosion that would consume both of them, gambling that she was tougher and had a better chance of surviving. The old me bent his knees and leaped, grunting slightly as he pushed himself into the air¡­

    And sailed straight over Bel¡¯s head. He had dodged her attack ¨C but she hadn¡¯t even used her ability yet.

    Is he seeing the future? Bel thought hopelessly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you want to talk things out,¡± Bel asked.

    His lips twitched in a small, cruel smile.

    ¡°No point,¡± he rasped back at her with an old, disused voice. ¡°You won¡¯t last much longer.¡±

 Chapter 115 â€“ About Time

    Bel wasn¡¯t even surprised that the old man threatened her in Mycenaean. His face remained relaxed, almost sleepy, and wouldn¡¯t have been out of place on any harmless old man sitting down to rest his aching knees, but she doubted there was anything innocent or normal about him. He¡¯s probably some thousand-year old monster who hunts down people like me for fun, she thought bitterly. Maybe he¡¯s even old friends with Technis.

    The old man moved quickly, making good on his words that she wouldn¡¯t last much longer. He sliced his knife to the side and, in a flash of blue, it bisected a large lavacicle. Bel watched warily as he spun around the pointed rock, kicking it into the air as it tipped to the side. He juggled the spinning stone with a few more taps of his feet before abruptly launching it at her with a spinning kick. As Bel stepped to the side to avoid the seemingly harmless attack, he also launching his dagger at her before charging.

    Bel quickly shifted her weight, putting stress on the long cut and reopening it slightly, but she moved in between the two projectiles, the knife on her right and the rock on her left, and took a low stance to intercept the old man¡¯s charge. There was a loud crack to her left, on her blind side, as the rock hit another object. Bel reflexively turned to see what happened, but just then the old man put on a burst of speed. She turned back to him, and was hit in the side of the head by a chunk of rock.

    She staggered backwards, disoriented. A cloud of blue bubbles travelled in the other direction, the divine magic of the old man¡¯s dagger returning it to his hands. Without any other plan, Bel put her hand on the ground, once again threatening to cause an explosion that would injure or kill them both with her ability to destabilize bonds.

    The old man danced to the side, jogging around her rather than risking her self-destructive attack. She frowned.

    I thought he was just probing me, but all he wanted was to hit me in the head.

    She pivoted as she followed his movements, and from her peripheral vision she tried to figure out how he had hit her with a rock despite missing. It seemed like he had gotten his missile to ricochet off of some other lavacicles and bounce back to hit her. Or perhaps it had broken apart, and just a small, sharp shard of it had come back to strike her. Bel barred her teeth with pent up frustration.

    He¡¯s just going to wear me down until I mess up and give him the opportunity for a killing blow. How shrewd.

    Being able to predict how she would move and how a rock would bounce just so he could inflict a minor injury¡­ His abilities were truly frightening. No wonder she hadn¡¯t been able to land a hand upon him. Could she run? She doubted it.

    Right now, the only thing I¡¯ve got is the threat of blowing us both up. Maybe if I¡¯d spent some time going through my abilities I¡¯d be able to figure something out that would work against him, but not in the heat of battle.

    As Bel¡¯s mind raced for a new solution, she slowly backed away from the old man. She placed her bare feet cautiously upon the uneven floor, careful to avoid even a moment of instability, but her opponent moved casually over the ground, confident in his footing despite his blindfold.

    He took a sudden step forward and jerked his weapon arm, as good as announcing his attack. Bel planted her feet as she dropped into a defensive stance. As her weight shifted, the ground beneath her right foot crumbled and her foot fell into a hole. She cursed angrily as the man took a threatening stride forward, forcing Bel to jump backwards, wrenching her foot in the process. The man didn¡¯t attack, but a satisfied smile spread across his face as Bel limped backwards.

    Are you kidding me? Bel screamed internally. He¡¯s planning to trip me to death?

    Bel glanced down to see what had happened with the floor and saw that it was bubbled and uneven. Something must have gotten trapped under the lava as it formed the floor of the chamber, filling the space under the cooling stone with gas, like the bubbles on bread. The bubbles were invisible to her, especially since she was walking backwards.

    I¡¯ve got to try to run, Bel realized, he¡¯s just going to pick me apart like an old snapping turtle drowning a helpless duckling. Bel¡¯s mouth went dry as she considered her chances. Even if he can predict the future, I may still be able to outrun him, she tried to console herself.

    Bel tensed her legs and prepared to pounce, but the man moved before her thought had finished. He rushed forwards and hurled his dagger, clearly herding her in a desired direction.

    Bel refused to be manipulated like that, and instead of jumping away from the spinning dagger, she jumped towards it. Kjar¡¯s armor deflected the attack as Bel pounced a hundred strides away. She twisted her limbs to catch a glimpse of the old man as she moved, but instead of a look of surprise or dismay, his face was deadly calm as he recalled his dagger to his hand.

    Bel twisted back around and braced for her landing, but her feet passed through the ground instead. Her body fell through a thin crust of solidified magma and she dropped into a dark chamber formed by a large air bubble. She could see just well enough to get her feet into position before she landed, but her twisted ankle and injured leg both burned with pain as she stumbled upon her landing. As she stepped forward, she also banged her toes into a step in the floor, dragging a string of curses from her mouth.

    The air was stale and sulfurous, burning Bel¡¯s nose and making her cough and gag as she inhaled after her fit of cursing.

    I don¡¯t have time for this ¨C that old monster is going to drop in here at any moment.

    She turned to take in her surroundings in a panic, her hands shaking as she clenched them into fists. The bubble had formed over the bare surface of the Pillar itself, and Bel was standing upon the smooth, metallic floor. There were steps to the metal, each a stride long and half a stride high. Bel guessed that the magma was supposed to settle over them and form some kind of curved side to the larger chamber, but instead the steps must have trapped something before the magma arrived. The resulting gasses released when the magma rolled over the area had created a dark pit a stone¡¯s toss across and seven or eight strides deep at its highest.

    Bel was just considering whether or not it was safe to jump out when the old man dropped inside. He landed gracefully on the floor and paused to wait for her next move with a calm, unhurried expression.

    I need to threaten him before he can start pushing me around, Bel thought frantically. Threatening him with blowing us both up is good, but he¡¯ll figure out a way around that eventually.

    Bel sent a small amount of her attention into her core, searching for Kjar¡¯s ability to breath divine flames. The energy of her Disorder Core was mostly spent, and Lempo¡¯s abilities were too dangerous to mess with, but she understood Kjar¡¯s attack. As her spiritual senses wrapped around the pattern for Kjar¡¯s ability, the old man shuffled backwards slightly. His feet twisted as he prepared to run or jump.

    Which means that there must be enough space in here for him to just run around my attack until I run out of energy, Bel realized. The man relaxed as Bel had her realization and gave up on inscribing the ability onto her core. Then Bel smiled.

    It looks like I can threaten him with abilities before I even learn them. So what if Lempo¡¯s abilities are hard to understand? He¡¯ll let me know if I find one that¡¯s dangerous.

    Bel embraced the sudden feeling of reckless abandon as she reached for Lempo¡¯s constellation of abilities. First she would try the one that would make her larger. She reached for the pattern, intending to engrave the ability upon her Upheaval Core. The old man calmly stepped back and threw his dagger in response.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Bel was slightly distracted by messing around with her core. She moved away from the dagger too slowly and received another cut along her arm for her sloppiness. She hesitated over the first stroke of the pattern and gave it up. He could be feigning indifference, but if the ability had been really terrifying wouldn¡¯t it have elicited a stronger reaction? The chamber was only dimly lit from the hole in the ceiling, but she hadn¡¯t seen any sign of panic or concern on his face.

    As the blue bubbles of the returning dagger drifted past her, Bel reached for the ability to make herself smaller. The man scowled and immediately rushed towards her, but he seemed more annoyed that concerned. She abandoned the ability as the man plucked his dagger from the air.

    Magnetizing myself? Bel thought, reaching for one of the strange abilities. The man clicked his tongue and sheathed his dagger, but he didn¡¯t seem like he was backing down. Bel abandoned that ability too.

    He sighed loudly, and Bel could imagine him rolling his eyes if they weren¡¯t hidden behind a wide strip of cloth. ¡°Why persist in this juvenile behavior, child? I have defeated many powerful warriors; there is no shame in it.¡±

    Bel laughed, a deep angry barking that quickly devolved into maniacal laughter. ¡°So you want me to lie down and die? Really? Is this too chaotic for you?¡±

    She reached for another ability: the one to blast a disintegration ray at things. She grinned when the man broke into careful run that would give him the speed to dodge her attack. He didn¡¯t look worried as he ran a circle around her, just wary, so Bel gave up on that one. She would only get a single shot with it, and it didn¡¯t seem like he thought she could hit him.

    He halted his run even before she¡¯d realized her decision to move on, and tossed his dagger at her, scoring another shallow cut along her leg as she cast her attention back into the constellation of Lempo¡¯s abilities. Bel ignored the new line of fiery pain as she reached out to an ability that would mutate her body. She pulled back when she saw the man¡¯s face wrinkle in disgust.

    Disgust wasn¡¯t fear. Not good enough.

    He shook his head at her approach to the fight as his dagger returned to his hand. ¡°When you die, your divine parent will gather your soul back to their embrace. Do you really want to face them after dying such a worthless death?¡±

    He waved her forward. ¡°Come! Face me with honor!¡±

    Her body was shaking slightly with fear, but she forced herself to laugh so hard that she almost cried. ¡°Honor! Hah!¡±

    My mothers would love what I¡¯m doing, Bel consoled herself.

    She pulled her lips back and grinned crazily at him as she reached for an ability that would break the world around her, in some weird, fundamental way. She didn¡¯t actually understand it, but she wanted to see what he would do.

    The man¡¯s reaction didn¡¯t tell her much more about the ability, but he did back away. Bel hesitated, her mind just about to put the pattern onto her core.

    No, she thought, something like this is good, but I want to see some alarm on his face. Even if the ability doesn¡¯t end up being something I can control, if I can just get a good shot at him when he¡¯s off-balance, maybe I can win.

    Bel flicked her mind through some of the bizarre, incomprehensible abilities that her mother offered, quickly settling upon one of them that felt half backwards and inside out. She went over the first stroke of the ability, preparing to engrave it upon her Upheaval core.

    And the old man paused before moving towards the hole in the roof of the room. Bel pressed the first stroke onto her core and rushed onto the second.

    The old man sped up, his careful walk turning into a full-on sprint.

    Either he¡¯s trying to trick me, or this is going to be something crazy.

    Bel rushed after him, half of her attention still on the strange ability as she slashed the strokes of its pattern upon her core. She pounced as he leaped for the exit, and then, midair, something strange happened to her.

    It was as though her mind had tripped on the pattern, unable to get more than halfway through the ability. The strokes felt backwards, inside, upside down, and wrong ¨C her mind slipped on them like bare hands on smooth ice. An overwhelming sense of despair rose up in her, but was cut through by an alien presence.

    Four small minds ¨C her original snakes, Bel realized ¨C grasped onto the ability and etched the remaining strokes onto her core. Like they were made to do this, Bel realized.

    Then the ability activated, just before she slammed into the old man in a graceless midair collision. He awkwardly slashed with his dagger, completely missing her, and Bel gasped with debilitating pain as the ability did horrible things to her body.

    I think I¡¯m dying.

    Bel and her opponent tangled together, and her momentum bore them into the rocky wall. They slammed into it in a hopeless tangle before rolling back down to the exposed metal floor of the Pillar.

    The old man forced himself to his feet quickly, lashing out with his foot and catching Bel in the stomach. She groaned in pain and doubled over, barely noticing when the man ripped his blindfold from his head. He turned frantically from side to side, and he made a noise of relief when he spotted his dagger nearby.

    As he dove for it, Bel tried to force herself to her knees. Her body felt weak, as weak as she¡¯d ever been in Technis¡¯ temple, and none of her regular abilities were working. The new pattern that her snakes had helped her scratch onto her core was pulling in essence and putting out something strange. A new kind of energy that wasn¡¯t essence, but almost felt like it, was emanating from her and clogging up everything else. It got into the rest of her cores and sat where her energy should be, but didn¡¯t behave as it should, refusing to circulate through the patterns there.

    As the old man triumphantly lifted his dagger, Bel realized that the same thing must have been happening to him. He turned to her with a vicious grin, clearly intending to end her and her annoying ability with violence. Bel rose to a crouch as he charged, but her first awkward attempt at movement filled her with vertigo. Her attempt to ward off his blade instead earned her another deep cut through her forearm, but his first attack had been oddly weak so the cut was shallow.

    Without her blood coagulation abilities, the wound immediately flooded with deep, red blood.

    The man lifted his dagger for a second stab and Bel awkwardly fell onto her back. He corrected his downward slash to follow her, but his weapon bit into Kjar¡¯s armor rather than through her neck.

    The blade snapped with a loud, metallic ping.

    The man stared at the shattered weapon, his eyes wide. As the pieces melted into harmless water, Bel lifted her foot and kicked him between his legs and then kicked him again in the stomach for good measure.

    She wanted to laugh with triumph as he staggered backwards, his face red and his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. Instead, she rolled over and retched. Her new ability may have disabled her opponent¡¯s abilities as well as her own, but Bel felt as though she was dying.

    She grabbed onto the edge of the wide steps to pull herself upright, but the metal of the Pillar crumbled beneath her weight. Bel cried out in dismay as she fell onto the floor again, buried in a large pile of tiny, metallic cubes ¨C the concealed building blocks of the maze.

    The man recovered from his earlier shock, quickly striding towards her, but in the dim space he didn¡¯t see the growing pile of loose cubes, or didn¡¯t understand what they were. His foot landed on them and he slipped, joining Bel on the floor.

    Bel¡¯s arms flailed as she fought for balance in the increasing chaos spreading around her. Something red flashed before her eyes and she paused, worried that she¡¯d torn open yet another wound. Instead, when she lifted her hand to her face she realized that the old man¡¯s blindfold had gotten tangled around her arm.

    A weight hit her hard on the side as the old man took advantage of her distraction to tackle her. They rolled on the floor, and he pushed her back to rain awkward punches down upon her. His attacks were weak though, and he was hitting the ground just as often as he was striking her face.

    An old memory rose up in Bel¡¯s mind, a memory of the time before her core had been restored. Beth had been teaching her how to escape from larger assailants, in situations just like this one. As the man awkwardly leaned forward, Bel twisted her hips, lifting his body enough that she could squeeze her leg between them. With her foot on his abdomen, she heaved again, forcing his body up so that he spilled over her and landed heavily on his back.

    Bel desperately needed to catch her breath, but she forced herself to move anyway. Her limbs were going numb from pain and exertion, but she awkwardly stretched out her arms to wrap the blindfold around the man¡¯s neck. Then she rolled over him so that she was behind his body and leaned her weight into the long length of silk cloth, pulling it taut around his neck.

    The old man choked and sputtered, thrashing against her, but Bel refused to let go. She could see spots filling her vision, and her entire body was trembling. If she couldn¡¯t finish him now, she would die.

    The old man¡¯s hands grasped around his neck as he tried to loosen the cloth, then they dropped to his side as he searched his pockets. He pulled out something as long as a hand and stabbed it into Bel¡¯s side.

    She whimpered in pain, but she didn¡¯t think that the object hadn¡¯t pierced her body. He jabbed it into her repeatedly, and Bel wondered why Kjar¡¯s armor wasn¡¯t protecting him from the attacks. With horror, she realized that Kjar¡¯s armor was dissolving into ash, the divine energy that had sustained it driven from the material by Bel¡¯s ability.

    She leaned harder on the silk cloth as pain bloomed along her torso, and eventually the man¡¯s movements weakened. Bel didn¡¯t release her grip, even when the object he¡¯d grabbed ¨C a small, wooden dagger ¨C fell from his fingers. She mindlessly pulled on the silk longer than necessary, until she finally passed out from pain and exertion. As everything faded to black, Bel cut the energy flowing into her new, horrible ability.

 Chapter 116 â€“ The Princess of the Darkened Hearth

    ¡°Finally, we¡¯ve got it back!¡± A cheer went up from a crowd of workers in the divine relations department, distracting Tracy from her paperwork. She was doing her best to focus on the work in front of her, but since she had personally met Lempo¡¯s child she was having difficulty maintaining her usual emotional detachment. She never bet on the outcomes of these fights, but just this once she was tempted to watch the fights unfold.

    If it was not me throwing her into the dueling maze then it would have been someone else, she comforted herself, but the thought rang hollow. She could almost see her father¡¯s stern expression as he lectured her on personal responsibility.

    Tracy itched around one of her horns with frustration. I hate this work, she realized. Unable to resist any longer, she dropped her pen with a sigh and wandered over to the makeshift viewing area.

    Her coworkers were gathered around a series of tubes, the ends of a large network of light pipes that brought images from within the maze to their office. One of them was fiddling with the end of one of the reflective tubes, moving it around in front of a mirror to reflect the light onto a wide screen.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, they¡¯re in that hole over there,¡± one of the viewers groused, pointing. ¡°Bring the view over there.¡±

    The controller put his hand on the light pipe and scrunched his face. The other end moved, getting closer to the hole in the ground. ¡°This a pain in the ass. She broke all of the ones I put into the room.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what cursed ability was she using? That should be banned, right?¡± another one complained.

    Tracy strode up to them, her boots sounding sadly hollow as she strode across the carpet. ¡°If she used an ability banned by the Divine Treaty, then the pantheon would have taken action. You should avoid spreading rumors like that. There are many among the Asura and Naga who take those accusations very seriously.¡±

    A few of her co-workers gave Tracy dirty looks, but they didn¡¯t say anything out loud. It helped that she was twice any of their heights and could crack their skulls with her pinky.

    They would talk behind her back, she was sure, once she was too far to hear. She held in another sigh. For people who were tasked with upholding rules, many of those who operated the Pillars were, in her opinion, too lax when the rules applied to themselves.

    One of these days, I¡¯ll quit, she promised herself. Her parents would be disappointed, but they would get over it in a hundred years or so.

    Tracy turned her gaze to the screen. The Beloved child of Lempo was pulling herself out of a hole in the ground ¨C caused by a deficiency in the maze¡¯s formation that bothered Tracy to no end. She had asked the cleaning crews to investigate what impurities got into the system and caused the bubbles, but they had blown her off. One of them had even claimed that the imperfections added character to the maze, and that their unpredictable nature made the environment more realistic.

    Her co-workers had other thoughts on their minds. ¡°Seriously? It¡¯s over already?¡±

    ¡°We missed it! If her ability isn¡¯t already banned we should petition the gods!¡±

    One of the Minotaur whistled. ¡°By the Heart, forget about the fight, look at ¡¯er! She¡¯s naked as a Nymph in Spring!¡±

    One of these day, I will definitely quit, she repeated to herself.

    ¡°Are those the old man¡¯s pants?¡± one of the other watchers asked. ¡°Why¡¯d she turn ¡¯em into a bag?¡±

    ¡°Maybe she likes being naked,¡± repeated the Minotaur. His nostrils flared as he shoved his head closer to the screen, as if he could inhale her scent through the device.

    Tracy imagined cracking one of the idiot¡¯s horns off as she glanced at the screen. The gorgon had tied the pant legs closed and stuffed the pants full of something, turning them into an awkward bag. She was completely naked otherwise, her divine armor mysteriously missing. She hadn¡¯t looted the old man¡¯s divine dagger either.

    The gorgon staggered like a reanimated corpse at first, her stiff movements slowly loosening as she made her way through the cavern until she found the dagger that she¡¯d dropped before her transformation. Then she continued her wandering until she found the old man¡¯s shirt.

    Bel put on the shirt to a chorus of booing from Tracy¡¯s co-workers. Satisfied with her clothing, the gorgon picked up her pants-bag and continued her determined walking. The shirt was long enough on her that her sword belt turned it into a tunic, but that only prompted Tracy¡¯s co-workers to ask for different camera angles as the gorgon strode through the maze.

    Tracy growled, loud enough for the people nearest to her to look up in fear.

    Tracy didn¡¯t doubt for a moment that the gorgon would defeat the last objector, but she wasn¡¯t going to wait around listening to her co-workers. She turned away from the crowd and went back to her desk to work.

    The commotion died down over the next hour; no one was currently fighting and they eventually tired of gawking. Tracy was finally making good progress when a skittering set of footsteps dragged her out of her productive space.

    She looked up to see a familiar, unwelcome face. ¡°Doug,¡± she greeted him frostily.

    Doug was a man so greasy that she¡¯d be tempted to use him for cooking in the event of an apocalypse. He was some kind of wind-weasel, with emphasize on the weasel. Tall and nervous, he wore an untrustworthy grin that never left his face.

    ¡°Hi there Tracy! How¡¯re thing in divine relations? Any excitin¡¯ god on god action in the big Up There?¡±

    He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

    Tracy stared blankly at him, waiting for him to get to the point.

    ¡°Well,¡± he began, his eyes shifting around nervously, ¡°you remember that bet you placed? Five to nothing, clean sweep for the Beloved child of Lempo?¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Tracy¡¯s heart lifted and her eyes lit up like lightning bolts. ¡°You don¡¯t have the money, do you?¡± she breathed.

    The weasel waved his blade-hands. ¡°Whoa, whoa, keep it down, okay?¡± He glanced around nervously. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve got it, I just can¡¯t get it, uh, quickly. You know, liquidity this, long-term investment vehicles that¡­¡±

    He leaned over her desk. ¡°Look, I¡¯m the guy who sets the odds, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, by the pantheon,¡± Tracy beamed, ¡°you¡¯re on the line for it, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    His grin cracked slightly, like an old stone wall yielding to a heavy hammer. ¡°Look, the girl wagered so many Tokens! So many! And I thought I had all of Lempo¡¯s abilities mapped out, but¨C¡±

    Tracy laughed. ¡°The goddess of change and upheaval? All of her abilities? Mapped out?¡± She bent over her desk, laughing and beating its surface until she had to gasp for breath.

    Then she looked up at Doug¡¯s expression and laughed harder. ¡°Oh, sorry, sorry, I just, I just can¡¯t get enough of this. All mapped, out, wow!¡±

    The weasel scratched behind his head with irritation. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I learned my lesson. Dumb move on my part, I got it. Look, you¡¯ve met this girl ¨C what can I get away with giving her?¡±

    Tracy¡¯s eyebrows went up. She hated the bookie. Loathed him. He was a sign of all the corruption that was eating away at the administration of the Pillars like a terminal case of tooth decay.

    But that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t be useful.

    ¡°Information,¡± Tracy answered after a moment of thought. ¡°It¡¯s the one thing you can give away without losing anything, and it¡¯s something she needs.¡±

    Tracy tilted her head and glanced at her loathsome co-workers. ¡°That and a nice set of clothes.¡±

    <hr>

    Bel should have been satisfied that she had finally figured out how she was supposed to fight Technis, but all she could feel was a tired fury. Sure, she knew how to fight him now, but how many more things were going to get in her way? Would the Pillar people even let her go? She had the impression that they expected her to die in their stupid maze.

    Meanwhile, the people of Satrap ¨C or, more realistically, just Lempo¡¯s priests in Satrap ¨C were waiting for her to show up and save them. Bel understood why Lempo had wanted her to leave Satrap at first, and why Lempo didn¡¯t want to tell her what abilities to take right away. Clearly, she had to grow stronger and more experienced. She was ready now though, and she didn¡¯t want to waste any more time with other people¡¯s nonsense.

    Bel stalked through the hallways of the maze, determined to find this stupid Dhvaras and finish things.

    Her body ached, her injuries burned, and she¡¯d lost Kjar¡¯s gift, but she¡¯d gained things as well. She had finally replaced her last snake, even if this one was a jerk with unknown abilities. Bel felt along her braided nest of hair, verifying that the little miscreant was still imprisoned. It hissed feebly at her touch, and she nodded in satisfaction.

    She had also gained an entire pair of pants full of the material that made up the Pillars. Thanks to her ability, the Pillar had disassembled itself into tiny, easily swallowed cubes of metal. Bel spread her fingers, admiring her new, indestructible nails. Backed up by her gorgonic heritage and her ability to slightly alter her shape, she had gotten them sharp enough to scratch the surface of the Pillar itself.

    Finally, Bel smelled spicy. It was Kjar¡¯s ability letting her know that the essence mirroring ability from Lempo was pushing a fine line between allowed and heresy. The smell was almost enough to make her nose itch, but not quite. Bel liked it. It made her feel like she was rebelling against the system. The system needed some chaos and change, in her opinion.

    Bel grinned when she also caught a whiff of sulfur in the air; she was expecting the Dhvaras to be waiting in a room still filled with magma. Bel pressed farther into the largest room she¡¯d glanced into. Large stone pillars thrust out of a sea of magma, forming a treacherous walkway.

    The walkway split, leading to caves near the ceiling that Bel could just make out from the light of the incandescing stone. Farther along, Bel saw several pathways leading down towards a few flat arenas that were barely above the level of the slowly flowing magma. Her final opponent rested in the center of one of them, content to wait until Bel either starved to death or confronted her. The tall Dhvaras woman leaned upon her spear, glowing slightly in Kjar¡¯s Sight.

    Bel¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Good to know that Kjar doesn¡¯t like her either,¡± she muttered. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to wrap this up.¡±

    Bel made her way over the gaps between the stone pillars with deliberate movements, avoiding any reckless behavior that would overtax her injuries. Sweat dripped from her body, soaking her new shirt. The Dhvaras stood when Bel was still a good distance away, so Bel dropped her pants-bag before proceeding.

    Her opponent was tall and thin, and wore an angular suit of mail that covered her from head to toe. The armored plates had a dark, sooty appearance, making Bel think of an angry fire poker. The blade of the woman¡¯s spear glowed with an inner heat as she tilted it towards Bel.

    Once Bel reached the same platform as the other woman, the dhvaras lifted her visor and spoke. Her voice rang with the authority of the divine tongue as she declared, ¡°I am the princess of the Darkened Hearth, and I will claim your head for the¨C¡±

    Bel ignored the woman¡¯s nonsense and stalked forward with the easy confidence of a hunting animal. The snick of her dagger leaving its sheath cut the dhvaras woman¡¯s words short. She quickly lowered her visor and hefted her spear in response, pointing it in Bel¡¯s direction. The magma behind her trembled and rose into the air.

    Bel activated her mirror essence ability, gritting her teeth at the pain and discomfort. Her skin felt dry and tight from the heat, and the ground felt sharp and uncomfortable on her unprotected feet. Bel tensed as the woman manipulated a wave of magma, ready to leap away if her ability didn¡¯t work as she thought it would. The magma surged forward like an eager hand, but it lost cohesion and fell into a puddle halfway to her. Bel skirted around the dangerously hot substance and continued towards her prey.

    The interference is emanating from me, so the closer I get the worse it should be for her.

    The light on the dhvaras woman¡¯s spear dimmed after Bel closed another few steps. As she waved it in frustration, Bel continued her advance. The stalking gorgon could tell exactly when her ability began to interfere with the woman¡¯s cores: the dhvaras hissed with outrage, the sound echoing behind her heavy visor. She thrust her spear at Bel, but it was an angry strike made clumsy by her sudden loss of abilities.

    Bel was operating under the same restrictions, but she had lived most of her lifetime with a broken core, and she knew what was happening. She parried the spear thrust, catching the spear on her dagger¡¯s guard and redirecting her opponent¡¯s weapon as she stepped closer.

    With the advantage of her longer reach negated, the other woman quickly jumped backwards, out of the range of Bel¡¯s weapon.

    Then she shrieked with pain. Her heel had landed in the molten rock ¨C a minute prior it would have been fine, but without her abilities Bel assumed that it burned. She stumbled away from the unexpected pain, straight towards Bel.

    At the last moment, she attempted to point her spear in Bel¡¯s direction, but Bel swept the spear aside with an upward swing. Then she stepped forward and slammed the pommel of her dagger onto the woman¡¯s head.

    The clash of metal filled Bel¡¯s ears as the woman fell to her knees. Her helmet was dented, but she was only dazed.

    Bel reflexively kicked her to the ground, forgetting that her body wasn¡¯t as tough as she expected. She cursed her stupidity as she pressed her throbbing foot onto the woman¡¯s arm, immobilizing her weapon as she searching for a hole in the woman¡¯s armor. Her throat was protected by a plate that covered her face down to her chest. Her visor had only a small slit for the eyes, which is where Bel thrust her dagger.

    Bel felt a bit of shame killing the proud warrior so crudely, but she resisted the urge to look away as the woman thrashed her death throes. She had to learn to use the ability if she wanted to prepare for Technis, and she had to kill if she wanted to survive.

    Bel relaxed as she released her ability and strength flooded back into her body. Then she reached down to take the woman¡¯s essence. Just as she¡¯d encountered with the old man, the woman¡¯s core was in poor shape. The woman¡¯s ability patterns had broken as she died and there was less essence that Bel assumed should have been there.

    A small price to pay for an easy fight, Bel thought as she cleaned her dagger with her fingers, flicking away the blood and gore.

 Chapter 117 â€“ Joy

    Bel looked around expectantly, waiting for the maze to fall apart the after she had defeated her last opponent. Eventually, her leg began to hurt, and Bel found herself shifting her weight around in a vain search for a comfortable position. Her muscles had tightened after her endless walking and sudden exertion, so when she leaned to the side several of her joints popped loudly.

    She made a noise of disgust and reached down to take the dhvaras woman¡¯s spear before going back to retrieve her shirt and the pants stuffed full of magical Pillar metal. Then she awkwardly looked around the room, wondering if she was missing something.

    Do I need to return to my starting room? She fervently hoped not.

    Bel scowled. They aren¡¯t going to try to lock me up in here, are they?

    With a loud shudder, the floors around her fell away, and Bel sighed with relief. The magma slowly drained from the room, and the shifting walls cracked their rocky coating. The other platforms swung to the side as the walls closed in and the floors rose, leaving Bel alone on a small patch of rock. The walls closed in around her, folding up to form a small, rectangular room. A turning in her stomach let Bel know that she was descending. When the motion stopped, a large rectangle opened in the wall and Tracy ¨C the tall, horned woman with the crisp uniform who had initiated the maze fight ¨C strode into the room.

    Tracy raised her hand in greeting. ¡°I apologize for the delay, but whatever you were doing interfered with our observation. We had to restore it before I could verify that you had defeated your last objector.¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°I¡¯d like to lodge a complaint,¡± Bel she replied hotly. ¡°This wasn¡¯t about preventing fights or preserving any habitats. If you cared about that, then there wouldn¡¯t have been a bunch of giants poaching on the fifth layer. I think you just like seeing other people suffer.¡±

    Tracy¡¯s silver eyebrow lifted in surprise. Her lips turned into a slight grimace as she shrugged helplessly. ¡°I can¡¯t say your accusation doesn¡¯t have merit. Many of my co-workers have less than idealistic attitudes, which leads to a selective application of our regulations.¡±

    She sighed at Bel¡¯s scowl. ¡°Basically, we have less control over things that we would like to admit, and I have less influence that you seem to think. Some of the asura and naga are certainly aware of what was going on, but they would prefer to ignore your tokens rather than attempt to honor them.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Bel responded stupidly, thrown off by the lack of arguing.

    ¡°The truth is that the upper layers of the Pillar are not completely under the administration¡¯s control,¡± Tracy explained. ¡°It is an embarrassment, I agree, and it means that honoring the tokens is beyond our abilities. Rather than admit the problem and do something to fix it, many of my co-workers would rather find excuses to squirm out of our commitments.¡±

    Bel blinked a few times as she processed that. Then she shook her head, dismissing the problems of the local administration. ¡°So, on the topic of the tokens, am I going to get anything for wagering them? And will I actually be able to climb the Pillar?¡±

    Tracy smiled, showing off a set of perfect, sharp teeth. ¡°You will be ascending as a group on a quest, so you will not need them. However, you will have to fight whatever squatters are occupying the higher layers of the tower. Before that, I assume that you want your winnings?¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°Are you really going to honor that bet? You aren¡¯t going to try to wriggle out of it?¡±

    Tracy shrugged. ¡°You will have to judge for yourself if the rewards were worth the struggle.¡±

    The giant woman gestured and a small cart was lifted into the room. A few bundles of deep blue cloth caught Bel¡¯s eye, although the cart also had a large satchel and a small, dark wooden box with silver hinges sitting to the side.

    Tracy pointed to the cloth. ¡°New clothes. They are slightly magical, so cleaning them should be as simple as brushing them off. They¡¯re tough, but I wouldn¡¯t recommended transforming in them.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes lit up. Then she felt foolish for being excited over clothes.

    Tracy patted the satchel. ¡°Still, I got you a few sets. Just in case of destructive accidents.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes lit up again.

    Tracy moved on to the wooden box, tipping back the polished lid to reveal the spines a several volumes of books. She lifted the first one out and patted a cover that was intricately decorated in golden and silver thread. The woman tilted the title so Bel could read it.

    ¡°The history of Technis, part one, his first three-hundred years.¡± Bel¡¯s eyebrows shot up and she looked at Tracy with surprise. ¡°Really? Those books are all about Technis?¡±

    Tracy nodded. ¡°Yes. Will you accept this as suitable compensation for your wager?¡±

    She pointed to a small paper that Bel hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡°You¡¯ll have to sign this to accept delivery.¡±

    Bel squinted at the paper and looked back to the books. ¡°Am I getting a good deal?¡±

    ¡°Well, the information on Technis may not be worth a lot to someone else, but this all comes from our archives: every ability that he¡¯s been known to use, every patron, every fight¡­¡± Tracy patted the wooden box. ¡°These were written out by out fastest scribes in my department, all in Mycenaean, just for you. Each volume has a summary of important points, transcripts of interviews, information on his associations, and detailed analysis of any of his fights that we have observed.¡±

    She gestured behind her. ¡°My co-workers may be scum, but they literally will not survive with any outstanding debts. This represents an honest attempt by a reprehensible scoundrel to pay back your wager in full.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°Of course, you can ask for something more.¡±

    Bel thought about it. Clothes, a satchel with more clothes, books that had all of her main enemy¡¯s weaknesses¡­

    What else could I need?

    ¡°A could do with a bath, I think.¡±

    Tracy grinned. ¡°Have you ever bathed in the area between the inner and outer worlds? It is a unique experience. We also have a sauna where you can pull yourself up to your desired heat.¡±

    ¡°That sounds interesting, I guess.¡± It sounded complicated to Bel, which was maybe more than she wanted, but even a complicated bath was still a bath.

    Then she reached down to her stomach. ¡°I also want some food.¡±

    She grinned as she had a good idea. ¡°Enough for a celebration, for me and my companions.¡±

    Tracy tilted her head and shrugged. ¡°That should be fine.¡±

    Bel pointed her finger at the taller woman. ¡°There had better be a lot of food. One of my friends likes to eat.¡±

    Bel shook her finger for emphasis. ¡°She likes to eat a lot,¡± she repeated.

    <hr>

    ¡°You should relax more, Cress,¡± Orseis wheedled.

    Crecerelle arched an eyebrow at the cuttle-girl, instantly discerning her real motive. ¡°No, you can¡¯t go back to that pool alone. There are dangerous things in these woods.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m so hungry,¡± Orseis whined. ¡°Look how sunken my cheeks are. I may not last much longer.¡±

    Cress rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re just using some body-manipulation to make yourself look emaciated. That is disrespectful to anyone who has actually experienced deprivation.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles in disgust. ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, who here¨C¡±

    She stopped and looked around at the gorgons. Her gaze settled on Manipule. ¡°Hey, have you ever been starving?¡±

    Manipule tilted her head and pondered. ¡°A little. Maybe¡­ a week, I think?¡±

    ¡°A week? What, without eating?¡±

    Manipule nodded. ¡°Yes. A week. Not so bad.¡±

    She pointed to the other flying gorgon and her friend. The pair of them were busy grinding some massive root into a bland, slightly gritty flour. ¡°Oculaire and Crapaudine, they have lived worse.¡±

    Orseis quietly reinflated her cheeks. ¡°Okay, I guess that I¡¯m not starving,¡± she told Orseis sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m just hungry.¡±

    ¡°I have some nuts,¡± Manipule offered cheerfully, shaking a small sack.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep feeding her,¡± Cress huffed. ¡°She says that she¡¯s an adult.¡±

    Manipule shook her head. ¡°She is child! Look!¡±

    Manipule pointed at Orseis¡¯ face as if some truth were written on her forehead. Oresis wanted to insist that she was an adult, but she also really wanted the nuts.

    ¡°I¡¯m a child,¡± she declared forcefully as one of her tentacles nabbed the snack from Manipule¡¯s hand. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, before pouring the nuts into her open mouth.

    Cress rubbed her face with her hand. ¡°You¡¯ve got a real problem, kid.¡±

    Manipule smiled indulgently. ¡°She is cute, I think.¡±

    Orseis did her best to ignore the two, and to keep her skin an non-embarrassed shade.

    ¡°You should be working on the egg,¡± Cress said, switching back to her native language as she decided to ignore Orseis¡¯ rudeness.

    Manipule patted the large, clay vessel that never left her side. ¡°Fortuit has been showing me many things, but this one only needs watching. The little gorgons inside don¡¯t need any attention yet, not like our little tentacled friend here.¡±

    Orseis noisily crunched the nuts as she watched Cress¡¯ expression. I hope Bel gets back soon, she thought as she gulped down another mouthful. I think all of this helpless waiting is going to drive Cress mad.

    ¡°Hey, ladies,¡± a shrill voice intruded. ¡°I need to ¨C ack!¡±

    Everyone spun to the intruder, who had stopped talking when Escarole placed the tip of her sword against his throat. He was a tall, brown-furred creature, with short limbs, sharp teeth and strange, dagger-like paws.

    ¡°Whoa, whoa, lady, back up, I¡¯m here to take your orders for dinner, not to attack you!¡± The wind stirred around him as Escarole forced him back against a tree.

    ¡°Escarole,¡± Cress called out, ¡°that seems like a strange thing to say if he¡¯s planning an ambush. Let¡¯s hear him out, okay?¡±

    She turned to the weasel. ¡°Where did you come from?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m from the Pillar! I¡¯m just here because your friend said she wanted to throw a celebratory feast.¡±

    ¡°Our friend? Your mean Bel?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, the beloved child of Lempo. She¡¯s all done with fighting her objectors, and now you¡¯re having a feast.¡± His whiskers twitched indignantly. ¡°You could be more excited about it.¡±

    Cress gripped the handle of her maul. ¡°This sounds suspicious. Where is Bel getting the food? And who was she fighting?¡±

    The weasel groaned with irritation. ¡°It¡¯s because I messed up, okay? I gave her terrible odds, but she bet all of her tokens on herself and wound up coming out on top. How was I supposed to know that Lempo gave her some crazy abilities?¡±

    Cress stared at him, uncomprehending. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a bookie, you idi¨C¡± His voice cracked as Escarole leaned forward with the point of her blade.

    ¡°Uh, I mean, I organize bets on interesting events of world changing importance. Your friend won big, so now I¡¯m getting food for everyone! Yay!¡±

    He rolled his eyes when Escarole¡¯s sword didn¡¯t waver. ¡°Look, is meat okay with everyone? Lots of meat? No herbivores here?¡±

    Manipule pointed at Orseis. ¡°She likes seafood.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sea meat, land meat, sky meat, whatever.¡±

    Manipule raised her hand. ¡°Vegetables are important for proper digestion.¡±

    ¡°Great, yeah, I¡¯ll find some vegetables. You¡¯re mostly gorgons, so I know what you can eat. Come to the Pillar in, I dunno, an hour.¡± With that, the weasel¡¯s body dissolved into the air and drifted away.

    Escarole watched like a hunting bird as his ethereal form drifted away.

    ¡°Anyone feel like translating any of that?¡± Orseis asked.

    Cress shrugged. ¡°He said that Bel won some important fights, bet on herself, and won us all a feast.¡±

    Orseis threw up her tentacles with delight. ¡°A feast! What in the depths of the abyss are you all doing? Let¡¯s go!¡±

    <hr>

    Bel reclined on a long couch, enjoying the feeling of being clean for the first time in a long time. She munched contentedly on a bowl of tiny, round fruit as she watched the wind weasel and a couple of his helpers fill a long table with platters of food. Its was mostly meat, but James wasn¡¯t around to complain about it.

    She was happy at least ¨C she was clean, her new clothes were warm and soft, and the promise of food tickled her nose. She closed her eyes with contentment and nodded off before she realized it.

    The relative quiet was broken when Orseis burst into the room. ¡°Bel!¡± she shouted with delight. ¡°Food!¡± she added, with even more enthusiasm.

    Bel snapped awake but her mind followed along sluggishly as she smiled blankly at Orseis.

    The little cuttle-girl was dragging Cress forward as the gorgon tried to restrain her with a strong grip on one of her tentacles. When she abruptly let go, Orseis practically flew into Bel¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too, Orseis,¡± Bel said, fighting back a yaw.

    Orseis inspected her friend with delight. Then she looked her new clothes up and down and frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know about these, they make you look too formal. Where¡¯s your armor?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bel looked down at her new clothes, a comfortable coat and pants made of a deep blue material with golden accents. She also had a flowing white cape, but she¡¯d rolled it up to use a pillow. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s formal, it¡¯s just not falling apart?¡±

    ¡°What happened to your armor though?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Bel said, looking away with a flush of embarrassment. ¡°I broke it.¡±

    Orseis withdrew quickly and hugged her divine spear to her chest. ¡°You can break gifts from the gods? I¡¯m not giving you this spear back.¡±

    Bel was still laughing at Orseis¡¯ expression when Cress and the rest of the gorgons gathered around her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten another snake!¡± Cress exclaimed, pointing at the tangled braid of serpents that spilled over Bel¡¯s shoulder. The rest of the gorgons were equally enthusiastic, pointing and whooping with enthusiasm. Bel had gathered that, to the rest of the gorgons, growing new snakes was some kind religious thing. She hadn¡¯t quite wrapped her mind around the significance of it though.

    Cress clapped her on the shoulder and leaned in for the traditional gorgon hug. Bel still hadn¡¯t grown comfortable with the ritual, but she had grown used to it. She quickly angled her body to keep her snakes away from Crecerelle before her snakes could get up to their regular mischief.

    For once, her snakes were too busy holding back her newest serpent to get tangled in the other gorgons¡¯ hair and she managed to return the hug without any awkwardness. She could feel the bright-green serpent desperately straining for the freedom to bite. Its thoughts were filled with dreams of pus-filled wounds and bloated corpses, but Bel pushed those away to smile at her travelling companion.

    Then Cress stepped backward and another gorgon took her spot, to begin a round of awkward ¨C for Bel at least ¨C hugs. Each one clapped her on the back, presumably to congratulate her for the new snake and for surviving the nonsense in the Pillar. Manipule was the last, giving her a quick hug and then frowning as she looked Bel up and down. She kept a grip on Bel¡¯s should as though she were afraid that Bel would run off somewhere.

    ¡°I thought you would be more cheerful,¡± Bel remarked.

    Manipule¡¯s eyebrows knit together and she poked Bel in the neck. ¡°More scars,¡± the other gorgon said, prodding at a few of Bel¡¯s exposed injuries. ¡°Why are you not careful? Why these clothes instead of armor? Hm?¡±

    Bel wilted under the accusations from the normally gentle gorgon. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have taught her any of my language, Bel thought with regret.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Manipule exclaimed suddenly, ¡°your nails are different!¡±

    Manipule grasped one of Bel¡¯s hands and lifted it to her face, tilting it one way and then the other to improve her view. Each nail was now a brilliant silver than almost shimmered.

    ¡°That reminds me,¡± Bel said, gently tugging to get her hand back. ¡°I got presents for everyone.¡±

    She reached over to her pants-turned-bag and pulled out a few of the metal cubes she¡¯d stashed inside.

    Bel held them up for Manipule to inspect, but she found Escarole¡¯s helmeted face instead, leaning over to examine Bel¡¯s pillage.

    ¡°Is this from the Pillar?¡± the woman inquired. There was a hunger in her voice that broke through her usual apathy.

    Bel leaned closer to whisper, ¡°yes, but don¡¯t say it too loud. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay for me to take this stuff away.¡±

    She spread her other hand widely, showing off her nails. ¡°It¡¯s super durable though, and I got enough for all of us.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Escarole said, expressing more emotion in the single word than she had in the entire time Bel spent with her. She grabbed ten of the small cubes, tilted her head back, and tossed them into a slot in her visor. Then, after a thankful nod to Bel, she returned to her regular looming near Fortuit¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°You take some too, Manipule,¡± Bel offered. ¡°I¡¯ll hand out the rest later. Hopefully everyone is as pleased as Escarole.¡±

    She looked at the other gorgons and noticed Orseis messily stuffing something in her face. Manipule glanced over at Bel¡¯s expression of dismay. The sight of Orseis making a mess on her new clothes elicited a noise of frustration from the gorgon¡¯s mouth.

    She turned back to Bel, thanked her for the cubes, and then shook her finger at Bel. ¡°But be less hurt next time!¡± she scolded. Then she gave Bel a second, quick hug before storming to Orseis. She poked and prodded the cuttle-girl, chastising her in broken phrases until Orseis relented and agreed to rinse her tentacles in a nearby washbasin. Manipule grabbed a chair and some tableware and pointed to them with a stern expression.

    Bel was impressed at Manipule¡¯s power over the willful semi-human.

    Fortuit chuckled at the sight. The honored gorgon looked Bel up and down and nodded before giving a slight bow.

    ¡°So,¡± Fortuit began, ¡°have things gone well here? Is the group¡¯s passage to the surface secured?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Well, no one will stop us. There are probably monsters infesting the upper areas of the Pillar, though.¡±

    Fortuit nodded. ¡°Some risks are unavoidable. As long as we can reach a place where gorgons aren¡¯t stigmatized we will be satisfied.¡±

    Bel glanced at the rest of the gorgons, who were busy marvelling over the feast. Unlike Orseis, they had the decency to rinse their hands and take seats in the long benches that lined the table before they began to eat. Their habits were, for the most part, more dignified than Orseis¡¯ unrestrained eating.

    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that everything will be perfect,¡± Bel explained with a sigh, ¡°but the people of Satrap and the Golden Plains don¡¯t have anything against gorgons. The humans are probably already at their limit dealing with the war, but the people in the Golden Plains were pretty accepting of me.¡±

    Bel looked at her fellow gorgons, who were joking and laughing among themselves as they dug into the food. ¡°I still think it¡¯s crazy that people down here discriminate against gorgons so much.¡±

    Fortuit¡¯s mouth twisted wryly. ¡°Being excluded by the gods is considered ill-luck. Even with your mother¡¯s endorsement, I doubt things down here will change quickly. We hope that our people can begin anew with a group of strangers.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°James used to tell me that the people in his world still told stories about gorgons, and that some of the stories weren¡¯t bad. Maybe humans and gorgons got along in the past.¡±

    Fortuit smiled. ¡°We can only hope. While you were gone, we also discussed exploring the empty places of the surface, or carving out a space in the higher layers of the world, but there is safety in numbers and diversity.¡±

    Her expression turned sour. ¡°Creatures such as your enemy, Technis, have certainly been willing to exploit gorgons in the past. We would much rather enter an existing society, even with some restrictions, if that meant protection from such predators.¡±

    Bel examined Fortuit¡¯s egg. ¡°Maybe you could bargain with the people of the Golden Plains? They¡¯re hoping that the humans will be a lifeline, but they may be interested in your method of making new gorgons, too. Do you think your, uh, whatever it is you¡¯re doing in there could work on them?¡±

    Fortuit shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned their birth problems before, but I do not know enough about them to guess. To be honest, the secrets of this method are known only to Stheno and Euryale, the greatest of the old mothers. The things I know and what I¡¯ve been teaching to Manipule are merely mimicry of their arts.¡±

    Bel glanced at the named gorgon, who was busy showing Orseis how to wield a fork.¡±

    Bel chuckled at the sight, and Fortuit grinned.

    ¡°She has good parental instincts,¡± Fortuit said with satisfaction, ¡°picking her to carry that egg was a good choice. All of us may die, but if the next generation survives then we are not truly gone.¡±

    Bel frowned at that. ¡°That¡¯s a little bleak, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Fortuit shrugged and smiled ruefully. ¡°That¡¯s life, isn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 118 - Book 3 Epilogue

    ¡°Hey Kate.¡±

    Kate pulled her earphones off of one ear and looked up from her computer screen to see Matt¡¯s goofy grin. He used his elbows to clear a space for a pair of paper plates overflowing with pizza. ¡°You ran off before you got some food,¡± he admonished her. ¡°Even grad students have to eat.¡±

    She smiled and glanced at the time. Already seven. Well, that¡¯s not too late.

    ¡°I thought we lived on caffeine and a bit of light,¡± she quipped, but she couldn¡¯t help her stomach from rumbling as she looked at the pizza. ¡°Oh, I am hungry.¡±

    Matt scoffed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll bet. You¡¯ve been working nonstop to get that presentation ready for Mr. Highland.¡±

    He grabbed a slice and took a large bite. ¡°Rookie mistake though, leaving before you reaped the rewards of your labor.¡±

    Kate had already stuffed her mouth with a slice of her own, so she shrugged helplessly back at her labmate. Then she attacked the pizza like a starving woman ¨C to be fair, she really hadn¡¯t been eating well the past week, and being free always made food taste better.

    Kate felt her stress drain away as the much-needed calories finally made their way into her bloodstream, but a minute of eating in silence was too much for Matt. The moment he nibbled the last bit of sauce from his crust he used it to point at her screen. ¡°Is that signal live? You¡¯re still scanning?¡±

    ¡°Never stop,¡± Kate replied through her food.

    She swallowed, and then cleared her throat with a gulp of cold coffee from a paper cup on her desk. ¡°The system¡¯s always online. I¡¯ve started listening to the noise, too. For inspiration.¡±

    She tapped her headphones.

    ¡°What¡¯s it sound like?¡± Matt asked.

    Kate grinned and rotated one of the ears of her headphones towards him. ¡°Here, lean closer and give it a listen.¡±

    She could have taken her heaphones off, or turned on her laptop¡¯s speaker, but this way Matt would have to stick his head close to her own. She suppressed her grin as he grew flustered and finally worked up the nerve to get within kissing distance. If he doesn¡¯t work up the nerve to ask me out before one of us defends, I¡¯ll have to do it myself.

    ¡°Wow,¡± he said, ¡°so that¡¯s what music from another world sound like.¡±

    Kate laughed. In truth, she could barely hear the noise coming from her headphones over the thumping of her heart, but it wasn¡¯t like she was going to get a signal anyway. The thought made her sigh, ruining the perfect moment.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Matt leaned back to look at her with concern.

    ¡°Everything okay?¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Not really.¡±

    She flicked her hand at the displays on her laptop. ¡°I mean, my research is an absolute dead-end.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s being funded, at least. I¡¯m back to being a TA this semester. I wouldn¡¯t mind if some rich guy decided to throw a bunch of money my way.¡±

    ¡°A rich, crazy guy,¡± Kate replied. ¡°Signals from another dimension? Who spends their money on that?¡±

    She clenched her fist with frustration and tore a chunk from his pizza crust. ¡°Come on, Matt. I may have funding now, but what the hell am I going to do when I graduate? What, you think someone is going to try to sell 6G to interdimensional aliens or something?¡±

    Matt blanched. ¡°Uh, well, Mr. Highland seems pretty sure about it at least. Maybe he¡¯s got friends somewhere.¡±

    Kate rolled her eyes. ¡°Bruce is an okay guy, I guess, once you get past how creepy he is. But c¡¯mon Matt, his entire family and everyone he knew died in the Cascadia Disaster. He probably thinks he¡¯s going to find messages from his dead wife in here somehow.¡±

    Kate grit her teeth as she stared at the graphs that sprawled across her screen, their lines twitching like the legs of a thousand drugged centipedes. She snorted with frustration when she saw a background window flashing for her attention. She moved her hand to the mouse to see what nonsense had made it past her noise thresholding. ¡°I mean, the best shot I¡¯ve got is that I¡¯ll come up with a really interesting way to filter noise from a channel, but¨C¡±

    She stopped mid-sentence, mouth agape. The new graph was totally different. She flicked back and forth between her windows, trying to figure out what had changed.

    Then she realized that what she was watching was live. Something, somewhere, was doing something new and different. Kate dove into the terminal in a panic, desperate to make sure the data was being logged properly.

    It was.

    She breathed a sigh of relief.

    She looked at the signal information, muttering as she went. ¡°Channel, channel, channel¡­¡±

    She dashed her fingers against the keyboard, changing her audio over to her headphones. Then she plunged her hand to the volume key to save her eardrums. Her eyes widened as she listened to the confusing orchestra of noise that came out. It was noise, yes, but not the gentle hiss of anything Gaussian. There were patterns to this, signals that she could carefully pull apart, like a person teasing the threads from a knot.

    ¡°¡­music?¡± Matt asked.

    She looked up, surprised that Matt was there. ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°So is this alien music?¡± he repeated.

    Kate realized that he¡¯d been there the entire time. She looked at her clock and saw that half an hour had passed.

    ¡°Oh, sorry. Geez, this thing happened, and, uh, yeah.¡± She laughed. ¡°Yeah, I guess this is alien music.¡±

    She leaned back and smiled at him. ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m just picking up something totally different from what Mr. Highland predicted ¨C the inter-planar dark matter CMB or something. Either way, I¡¯ll definitely be able to publish something good out of this after all.¡±

    She tapped her computer. ¡°Now I¡¯ve just got to make sure that someone didn¡¯t mess with my data collection. The last thing I want to do is to publish data from some kids getting high and making out in my antenna array and call it aliens.¡±

    Matt shrugged but couldn¡¯t suppress a grin at her sudden giddiness. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m sure some people have published worse,¡± he joked.

    ¡°Anyway, forget about publishing for a minute. Are those noises saying anything interesting?¡±

    He twitched his eyebrows suggestively. ¡°Maybe they¡¯d like to come visit?¡±

 Chapter 119 - Book 4 Prologue

    ¡°What¡¯d I say? Adventure and excitement!¡±

    Flann waved his arm, gesturing expansively as he illuminated a narrow cavern with the small flame that hovered over his hand. The fire illuminated his faded red fur, and the amused waving of his bushy tail sent shadows dancing over the ground behind him. He leaned on his cane as he glanced behind him, clearly expecting some kind of response from his travelling companions.

    Jan leaned forward and swatted Flann¡¯s tail, to which the fox-kin yelped with mock outrage.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gone crazy from your ears to your tail, ya old fox! I¡¯m grindin¡¯ my whiskers down to my cheeks burrowing through all this stone! How is that exciting?¡±

    Flann spun around, carefully lifting his flame to avoid burning his old friend. The meerkat¡¯s eyelids drooped from age, but his eyes were bright and teasing. Flann waved his cane in Jan¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Yer just tryin¡¯ to get away with another snack break! I¡¯m not fooled by your¨C¡±

    ¡°By all that is just and good,¡± a loud voice boomed, ¡°stop your flirting and get on with this! You¡¯ve made the ceiling too low again!

    The two old men sighed in unison as they turned to examine the rest of their group.

    Cleisthenes, the large hippo-kin who Hanti liked to send out on missions ¨C the farther away the better ¨C had brought his entire group of misfits. There was Pelagius, the fish-folk woman who didn¡¯t belong anywhere on land. She was currently holding a small ever-burning candle as she gaped around her with a wide open mouth. Simon, the thin, snake-kin leaned lethargically against a wall behind her, lethargically flicking his tongue as he peered down Jan¡¯ newly opened passage. Behind him, Johan, their final feathery companion, was idly scratching at the rocky wall with his talons.

    Cleisthenes brought up the rear. He was stooped over so far that Flann thought the massive hippo would have been better off on all fours. Too much pride for that, Flann thought.

    The hippo¡¯s hippo-sized poleaxe waved precariously through the air, alternatively scraping against the ceiling and threatening to remove one of Johan¡¯s eyes.

    Flann pointed his staff towards the new cavern. ¡°There¡¯s standin¡¯ room up ahead.¡±

    ¡°Then move,¡± Cleisthenes commanded.

    Jan sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a bit narrow right now. Just give me a minute to widen this.¡±

    ¡°Hold up,¡± Flann said, ¡°we should check the cavern out first. It¡¯d be bad if somethin¡¯ leaped out at you when you were focused on burrowing, right?¡±

    ¡°Then go check it!¡± Cleisthenes demanded.

    Flann almost laughed when he saw the small ears on the man¡¯s massive head flapping like birds trying to take flight.

    A quiet clicking marked the tapping language used by their speechless members. It was slower than Simon¡¯s usual tapping, but the cold was practically putting him into torpor. As his tapping words finally finished, Flann realized that the snake was offering to head into the room first since his senses were sharper.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish,¡± Cleisthenes responded, ¡°the fox would have to go anyway since he¡¯s the one with the light.¡±

    Jan glanced at the flickering candle that Pelagius carried and then rolled his eyes at Flann. The fox-kin shrugged back with a flick of his tail. The two of them were veterans of plenty of campaigns, and Cleisthenes¡¯ group was the worst that they¡¯d met. The only thing the youngsters had in common with their elders was that Hanti considered them all expendable; Flann and Jan because they were so old and Cleisthenes¡¯ group because they had managed to embarrass her in back to back missions with Bel and Beth. Of course, Jan and Flann both spoke Mycenaean, which meant that they were actually useful for the mission to contact Satrap¡¯s humans, while Cleisthenes¡¯ group was utterly useless.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    While Simon struggled to decide what he would do ¨C or perhaps he¡¯d fallen asleep while Cleisthenes talked ¨C Flann took things into his own paws and squeezed into the newly opened room.

    ¡°Don¡¯t smother yourself,¡± Jan called out to him.

    Flann nodded his head and dimmed his flames, conserving whatever air was present.

    He sniffed a couple of times, searching for any obvious scents.

    ¡°Smells fresh,¡± he called back, ¡°it may connect to somethin¡¯ larger.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep widening the entrance then,¡± Jan called after him.

    Flann glanced back to see Jan slip a mask back over his face before he worked his abilities to wear away at the stone, loosing a large cloud of dust from the solid rock. The skilled meerkat guided it quickly to the floor, but Cleisthenes¡¯ massive feet and agitated stomping had a tendency to keep launching new clouds of dust back into the air. Flann shook his head and pressed deeper into the narrow cave, squeezing himself between the close walls. In a few more steps he was rewarded when he popped into a larger, more open space.

    He looked down and was surprised to see wear marks on the ground. The room was damp and mossy, but there was a path worn through the space. Flann knelt down slowly to examine it, his knees popping with complaints.

    Could be humans, he thought to himself as he examined the path, or it could be scrattes, or human-sized beetles, or ¨C Hermeis save me ¨C something that Lempo made. His fur stood on end at the thought of the strange creatures that the goddess of upheaval was known to favor. But then again, she made Bel, and Bel is a good girl. Flann thought of Bel for a minute, wondering how she was faring in the underworld.

    Hopefully she¡¯s got better companions than that hippo, he thought grumpily.

    His knees creaked another round of protests as Flann gripped his staff and hauled himself to his feet. As he took a moment to stretch his back, he heard a faint sound in the distance. He cupped his free a hand around one of his ears, careful to avoid jostling the earring that James had given him. His hearing had been growing worse lately, but he patiently held his breath as he waited for the noise to repeat. As the occasional sounds grew louder, he finally recognized them.

    Flann extinguished his flame and waited until he saw a small light bobbing in the distance. ¡°Ahoy, there! Any humans in this tunnel?¡± he called out.

    The bobbing light paused. ¡°If not, shouting would be a foolish thing indeed,¡± a deep, gravelly voice replied.

    Flann squinted into the darkness, but he could only make out the outlines of a few tall figures.

    ¡°Show yourself, and prove you aren¡¯t one of Technis¡¯ servants,¡± another, harsher voice demanded.

    ¡°So you¡¯re from the Points then?¡± Flann replied. ¡°Or are you Delvers? I don¡¯t suppose ya got one of Lempo¡¯s priests along, do ya?¡±

    A figure stepped in front of the flickering light. For a moment, all Flann could see was an outline of a man in a cloak, but after a moment he illuminated the area around himself with a wave of his arms. Flann examined the arc of fire that the priest had created with interest: it wasn¡¯t the kind of fire that the flame-wielding fow would summon, instead feeling like the side effect of some other technique that filled the area with a kind of shimmering glow rather than Flann¡¯s crackling flames.

    The figure spoke, revealing himself as the owner of the deep voice that had first responded to Flann. ¡°I follow Lempo¡¯s light. Why do you ask for me?¡±

    Flann shrugged and summoned a bright orb of fire to reveal himself. ¡°I figured one of Lempo¡¯s priests would be less shocked by a talkin¡¯ fox, is all.¡±

    He waggled his bushy eyebrows. ¡°Well? Intrigued? Confused? Want pointers on maintaining such a healthy coat of fur?¡±

    The priest chuckled and pulled down his hood, revealing a bald, shaved head. ¡°Your hair-care advice is of little interest, but perhaps we can find something else to talk about. Were you sent here by Lempo¡¯s beloved child? Her guidance is vague, but we all know that my goddess¡¯ plans proceed.¡±

    The priest remained calm, but Flann watched with interest as a small group of rough men and women gathered around him to gape and point. The priest waved them back with a held hand, and all but one of the other humans fell back.

    Flann flicked his tail with delight. So far so good, he congratulated himself.

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I know Lempo¡¯s plans either, and Bel is busy at the moment, but some of us decided to show up on our own. I can give you a few updates on her progress though, and I¡¯d also like ta tell ya about a place we call the Golden Plains.¡±

    The non-priest responded in a harsh voice. ¡°There are more of you, then? Here, in these tunnels?¡±

    Flann grinned at the small crowd of humans. ¡°The Golden Plains are full o¡¯ people like me, but only a handful of us have come into Satrap. Technis doesn¡¯t fancy our being here, I think, but we¡¯re all mighty interested in meeting people like you.¡±

 Chapter 120 â€“ Precious Books

    ¡°Did you know that Satrap used to be filled with dinosaurs?¡± Bel said.

    Orseis¡¯ tentacles writhed with frustration. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t know that! I¡¯ve never even been to Satrap! Stop acting like you know stuff just because you¡¯re reading those books!¡±

    Bel blinked and looked up at the small cuttle-girl. ¡°But reading books is how you get to know stuff. James used to talk about them all the time, but I didn¡¯t realize how fun they would be.¡±

    She smiled at her smaller friend. ¡°You know, the Old World has lots of books.¡± Bel patted her treasure, volume one of her new collection on Technis. It was a beautiful thing: the writing was crisp and elegant, the pages were thick and smooth and bound together with large bolts of silver, and the cover was a thick leather shimmered with gold and silver thread. She refused to touch them with dirty hands.

    Bel looked up to see that Orseis was giving her a look of unrestrained disgust. ¡°It¡¯s just a bunch of squiggles, Bel. I¡¯d rather have a nice weapon.¡± The cuttle-girl hefted her divine spear and thumped its butt against the floor.

    Bel chortled. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t think much of them, but once I opened this one¡­¡± She gestured helplessly. ¡°I mean, just look at the maps! Look at how the world changed, just because of stuff that people did! Look at that upheaval! Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡±

    Bel opened the book to the end and flipped through a sequence of maps, beginning with what it called the ¡°pre-dynastic¡± period.

    Orseis waved her tentacles angrily, and Bel snatched her precious book away from the errant limbs.

    ¡°Who cares about stuff from a thousand years ago! Unless that shows where the best food is, I don¡¯t care!¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°These maps are closer to three thousand years ago.¡±

    Orseis screamed with frustration. ¡°At least find me a book about the Old World! Maybe that¡¯ll be useful when I go there and leave this one behind!¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°You know I don¡¯t have anything like that. Maybe we¡¯ll be able to take some from Technis once we defeat him.¡±

    ¡°Once we defeat him, your mom is going to send me to the Old World anyway,¡± Orseis huffed. ¡°It¡¯ll be too late.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes slowly slithered over her head, flicking their tongues energetically as she considered Orseis¡¯ words. ¡°That reminds me. Before you go, I think you should learn how to read James¡¯ language.¡±

    ¡°But why? I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Rather than argue with Orseis, Bel turned to Manipule, who was calmly listening to her clay egg with her ear pressed against its side.

    ¡°Hey, Manipule,¡± Bel called out. The friendly gorgon¡¯s panther-patterned red-on-yellow snakes perked up immediately at Bel¡¯s attention. She smiled so brightly that Bel almost averted her eyes as if she was staring into the sun.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Manipule chirped.

    ¡°Do you think Orseis should learn to read before she goes to the Old World?¡±

    Manipule nodded immediately. ¡°Of course! A person who reads is wonderful! Seeing you read those books is very impressive!¡±

    Bel quickly turned back to Orseis. ¡°There you have it. We all agree that you need to learn to read.¡±

    Orseis turned an angry shade of purple that was cut through with crimson lines. Her cheeks puffed out as she pouted.

    Manipule clapped her hands. ¡°That is a very pretty pattern, Orseis.¡±

    Orseis deflated at the unexpected praise. ¡°Don¡¯t try to teach me anything yet ¨C I¡¯m going to ask Beth for a second opinion,¡± she grumbled.

    ¡°There¡¯s not time for that anyway,¡± Crecerelle said, suddenly entering the conversation. She tilted her head at the other gorgons. ¡°The ceremony is just about finished.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Bel glanced over at the strange gathering. She, along with the rest of the gorgons, had given blood to Fortuit so that she could complete her new clay egg. After that, there had been a lot of singing and chanting that Bel couldn¡¯t understand. Fortunately for her, the other gorgons didn¡¯t mind if she left after giving blood. Bel had been happy to use the time for more reading.

    Orseis jabbed her spear towards the ceiling. ¡°Finally! If we rush, maybe we can be back to the surface in a day!¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that we¡¯ll keep getting heavier as we go up, Orseis.¡±

    Crecerelle nodded. ¡°We are not accustomed to the full weight of Olympos. I apologize in advance, but we will not be able to rush. If what we¡¯ve heard is true, we can expect to have to fight our way through as well.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, Cress, I¡¯ll drag the lot of you if I have to. Let¡¯s at least get to the water layer again. That way I¡¯ll at least have a proper meal instead of eating more of the leftovers from the feast.¡±

    Cress snorted. ¡°For such a hungry girl, you sure are picky.¡±

    ¡°Am not!¡±

    Manipule patted Orseis on her bald head. ¡°She is growing. Her body knows best what it needs, Cress.¡±

    Even as she spoke, Manipule handed Orseis a small bag of fruit. Orseis immediately began eating, putting a temporary halt to her complaints.

    Crecerelle shook her head with disbelief. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how far we can get today.¡±

    <hr>

    The answer to that question was, ¡°not far.¡± Bel counted the steps as they went, getting to around fifteen thousand before they were stopped by a group of dour snake people with human heads. Cress had addressed the naga and nagini, and she immediately began arguing that they should have already known about the group of gorgons. The obstinate Pillar guards then insisted that they needed to verify their identity to be certain that the gorgons weren¡¯t some type of trick from the Asura, whatever that meant. Bel had decided to ignore the entire thing ¨C she¡¯d dealt with this nonsense the last time, after all ¨C and sat down with her book instead. It wasn¡¯t long before she was completely engrossed in history.

    ¡°Ah,¡± she said suddenly.

    ¡°Wha¡­?¡± Orseis blearily responded. She blinked awake, her round pupils slowly returning to their usual w-shapes. ¡°We can go?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Bel looked around. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. But Technis just showed up.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Orseis asked, alarmed. Her eyes dilated again.

    ¡°In the book, silly. After the ruler of the first dynasty ascended, their government fell apart since the ruler had been hogging all of the essence and everyone else was weak. Technis was born in the second dynasty, which was formed by the Bargainer¡¯s people.¡±

    Orseis glared at Bel, but the gorgon happily continued.

    ¡°You see, after the fall of the first dynasty, humans were getting wiped out by those dinosaurs from Atmos and the Elves in the west. The gods hadn¡¯t planned things very well, I guess. But, the best detail is that now I know his original name!¡±

    Bel thrust her finger into the air triumphantly.

    ¡°How does¨C¡± Orseis began.

    ¡°It was Dexter!¡±

    Orseis rolled her eyes. ¡°Can I go back to sleep?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t actually Dexter, just some words that meant ¡®dextrous hands,¡¯ but I think Dexter works.¡±

    ¡°Keep talking, it¡¯s so boring that I¡¯m nearly asleep already.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Ah,¡± Bel said suddenly.

    ¡°Wha¡­?¡± Orseis blearily responded. ¡°No, wait, you¡¯re still reading your book. I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No, I was just surprised that they¡¯ve finished arguing. We can go now.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Bel nodded sadly. ¡°I¡¯m only halfway done with the first volume, but Cress thinks we¡¯ll be stuck arguing with the Asura next.¡±

    She hugged her book. ¡°I¡¯m hoping to get through the rest of volume one then!¡±

    Orseis groaned while her tentacles writhed helplessly through the air.

    <hr>

    Bel closed her book and sighed contentedly. ¡°You know, that¡¯s the first book I¡¯ve ever read,¡± she said. ¡°It was amazing.¡±

    She looked up and was surprised to see that everyone else was asleep, except for Escarole. The armored woman stood near Fortuit, but Bel could tell she was awake when she moved occasionally to scan the area. Bel awkwardly raised her hand in greeting when Escarole¡¯s helmet turned in her direction. To her surprise, the armored woman silently strode over to her.

    ¡°This,¡± the woman said, holding out a gauntleted hand, ¡°will be useful for you.¡±

    Bel reached out her hand and Escarole dropped a small snail into it. She stared at it, perplexed. ¡°And this is¡­ what exactly?¡±

    ¡°Look at its shell,¡± Escarole replied.

    Bel peered at the shell, and finally noticed that it was glossy and metallic. ¡°Oh, does it have some power over metal?¡±

    Escarole tapped her shield, unrolled the metal, and waved it around like taffy. ¡°It¡¯s the ability that I use with my armor. With your mastery over liquids you should be able to use it.¡±

    Bel grinned, delighted. ¡°That sounds really useful!¡±

    Escarole nodded. ¡°In return, I would like some of the Pillar metal.¡±

    She ran her hand over the serrations on her sword. Bel remember the strange way the powerful gorgon had used her metal manipulation to move the teeth over the surface, biting and burrowing through the stone woman¡¯s arm.

    ¡°I wish the make the teeth stronger and sharper. The Pillar metal would be perfect.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Bel agreed quickly. She¡¯d been dragging around the pants-full of metal in the hopes of finding a use for it. With Escarole¡¯s suggestion, Bel could make her own armor, probably. Giving up a little in return wasn¡¯t a bad deal.

    Bel looked down at the snail in her hand. ¡°I feel kind of bad about killing this little guy, though. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s attacking me.¡±

    ¡°I found it sneaking around our camp.¡±

    Bel eye the woman with skepticism.

    ¡°They eat metal,¡± Escarole said with disgust.

    Bel glanced up and down at Escarole¡¯s full-body armor. ¡°I mean, I guess I can see why that would upset you¡­¡±

    ¡°Your precious books are also bound with metal,¡± Escarole pointed out.

    Bel crushed the snail without hesitation.

 Chapter 121 â€“ Roadblocks

    Escarole had guessed correctly that Bel would be able to make use of the snail¡¯s metal manipulation ability. After Bel carefully examined the snail¡¯s core, she picked through the strokes of its abilities until she isolated the manipulation parts and incorporated them into her core. With that, she could liquify a metal and take control of it, awkwardly directing its shape.

    Unfortunately, Escarole had failed to mention that the ability would be as clumsy as a baby¡¯s flailing until she took another one of the snail¡¯s abilities to perceive the metal. She was slightly annoyed by Escarole¡¯s omission, but as Bel wrapped a layer of the gleaming Pillar material around her body and let it harden into an impervious layer of protection she decided that she didn¡¯t mind.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s cool,¡± Orseis said, as she critically examined Bel¡¯s new armor. ¡°But I still think it was dumb to break Kjar¡¯s gift.¡±

    Bel sighed as she put her shirt back on. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to break her armor.¡±

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t apologized, though. Maybe she¡¯s super mad? It would be bad if she smote us.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not going to smite us,¡± Bel growled. ¡°And I told you that I¡¯ll apologize the next time we spill the blood of some people she doesn¡¯t like. We haven¡¯t been doing much blood-spilling, just walking up stairs.¡±

    Bel gestured to their surroundings: another featureless landing in the stairs that wound around the Pillar. The only interesting thing about this one was that that passage ahead had been blocked off by ice. Their side of the obstruction was flooded with slowly melting water, but the ice was thick enough that the gorgons had been working on it for a while, cutting and carrying chunks out as they burrowed through the thick obstruction.

    Bel guessed their troubles were caused by an open door into the icy layer of Olympos. Hopefully. The less-desirable explanation was that some person or creature had created the ice intentionally.

    Orseis quickly ran out of patience with the gorgons¡¯ progress.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just smash is with your magma snake? Please?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m keeping my energy ready in case of an emergency. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s waiting for us as we climb the Pillar. For all we know, Clark is waiting to ambush us again.¡±

    Orseis flashed a frustrated pattern of pale white and purple across her skin. ¡°Gods above, I wouldn¡¯t even mind a call from James. Maybe he or Beth could tell us what¡¯s happening on the surface.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not going to happen. James said that he couldn¡¯t mask our location with the tricks he and Martinus came up with, so he was going to avoid calling.¡±

    Orseis flattened like a puddle in display of immaturity.

    Bel frowned down at her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you practice acting human? You know, since you want to make a good impression when my mom sends you to the Old World.¡±

    Orseis languidly flicked a tentacle. ¡°How would I do that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know ¨C start trying to hide your tentacles. Make a wig. Stop turning different colors.¡±

    Orseis groaned at the thought. ¡°The colors just kind of happen. Can¡¯t I wear a big cloak and hood?¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, because nothing is more attractive than someone who hides their face. I thought your new patron was all about deceit. Shouldn¡¯t this kind of thing come naturally to you now?¡±

    Orseis was saved the burden of a reply when the gorgons whooped with victory. Bel looked up to see that they had successfully pulled a last chunk of ice from the passageway, creating a small hole wide enough for two people to walk in together. Cress grinned triumphantly from the head of the group, clearly delighted that they were finally on their way to the surface.

    Bel tapped Orseis on the shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The two of them rushed up the steps, behind everyone except for Fortuit and Escarole, since the overpowered gorgon warrior preferred to bring up the rear to keep Fortuit away from any surprises. Manipule lingered on the steps, waiting for Bel to arrive. She and Fortuit were carrying the gorgon¡¯s clay eggs, so they stayed away from anything that looked dangerous, such as rushing through a newly opened passage into an unexplored room.

    The eggs were soaked in the blood of the gorgons, and whenever a gorgon died her parts were thrown into the eggs and used to grow new, baby gorgons. Bel thought that it was a weird way to do things, but since they were her own people Bel decided that she had best get used to the idea.

    Manipule¡¯s egg was currently sealed and filled with parts from the gorgons that Clark had murdered, and Manipule was being increasingly cautious moving it around. Bel moved protectively in front of the other gorgon and checked to make sure she was ready to go before they began their climb through the narrow passage formed into the ice. The temperature immediately plunged as she entered the narrow space, and Bel¡¯s magma snake curled around her neck for warmth. Bel used her stolen dhvaras spear to improve her footing on the frozen steps.

    The cold light from the Pillar still shone through the thick layer of frozen water, but it was dimmed after passing through, giving the space an oppressive, threatening feeling. Bel instinctively touched the dagger at her waist, making sure it would draw smoothly if they got into a fight, and tightened her grip her spear. She listened intently, ready for the first sign of danger. The air was filled with the crunching of ice beneath feet, and nothing else, but Bel¡¯s heartbeat quickened at the rising feeling of tension.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The feeling seemed to be shared by everyone in the group, and no one spoke until they emerged into a large, open area ¨C another one of the Pillar¡¯s regular landings. The space was coated in ice and the stairs on the far side of the landing were blocked off. The ground was uneven, covered in irregularly shaped mounds of ice no taller than Bel¡¯s height. Bel held up her hand, signalling for Manipule to hang back. Something felt off to her.

    Then gorgons at the head of the group looked up and shouted a warning. Seeing the rest of the group diving to the side, Bel jumped backwards into the tunnel, forcing Manipule and Orseis farther into the cramped space a moment before a heavy weight fell from the ceiling and hit the ground. The force shook the ground and sent Bel stumbling backwards as her feet failed to find purchase on the slippery ice. Bel finally stabilized her staggering by jabbing her spear into the wall, and looked up to see a long, serpentine body with deep blue scales blocking the path forward.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Orseis said, ¡°some excitement!¡± The cuttle-girl had quickly suctioned her tentacles on the walls and gleefully threw her spear at their opponent. The divine weapon easily pierced the creature¡¯s scales, but the wound was so small that Bel doubted it had much effect.

    Bel reached up to her magma snake, preparing her transformation, but stopped when she realized that a magma monster in the middle of a tunnel of ice could collapse the tunnel on top of her friends. Instead of doing that, Bel prepared to rush out of the tunnel instead.

    Before she moved, there was a loud shriek and the large serpent was sent tumbling away by a powerful blow. That was Cress¡¯ shrieking ability, Bel realized. The flying gorgon followed up her attack with a powerful swing of her hammer to the creature¡¯s jaw. Its body curled in pain as the serpent reared back to hiss in anger.

    As it lifted the front of its body, Bel realized that the serpent had a pair of short legs near its front. It slashed threateningly with its claws, forcing the nearest gorgons back. Then it opened its mouth and a blast of frigid ice emerged from it maw. A pair of gorgons stepped in front of Cress and redirected the ice to either side of her, preventing the serpent from encasing them in an icy prison. Cress seized the opening to fly forward and deliver another powerful downstroke of her hammer, smashing the serpent¡¯s head into the icy floor.

    The rest of the gorgons surged forward with a wordless cry of violence, stabbing their weapons into the creature and loosing a torrent of blood that quickly formed half-frozen puddles on the icy floor. Despite the creature¡¯s large size, it couldn¡¯t withstand the onslaught of so many gorgons at once. As its struggles slowed from the loss of blood, Bel relaxed and looked around the rest of the chamber, double-checking that there weren¡¯t any other threats.

    ¡°That was lame,¡± Orseis complained at her side. Then she immediately brightened. ¡°Do you think it tastes good?¡±

    Bel chuckled as Orseis rushed over to the dead creature, waving her tentacles wildly as she demanded that the gorgons save some for her. Manipule joined in with her own laugh at Orseis¡¯ behavior.

    Bel watched for a moment, but then shook her head. ¡°That didn¡¯t seem like the kind of thing that could take over the Pillar from the Asura, did it?¡±

    Manipule shook her head. ¡°No. Too weak.¡± She picked up a small chunk of ice at her feet and formed it into a small statue of the frost serpent. ¡°Just making a nest, I think, after this place was already empty.¡±

    Bel tilted her head and remembered her descent into Olympos. ¡°I think that we¡¯ll pass through a forest layer next. The Dark Ravager had already cleared out the part that we went through, but there could be more dangerous things.¡±

    Bel turned her attention to the icy mounds that littered the floor. The ice had formed with air on the inside, making them white and bubbly and impossible to see through. ¡°Hey, Manipule, can you move the ice from these? I want to know what¡¯s inside.¡±

    Manipule smiled cheerfully and put her hand on the nearest mound. The ice crackled with protest as it peeled back like a flower, revealing the solidified corpse of a scratte.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel said, dismayed at the slightly putrefied body. She moved away from it, the thought of inhaling small bits of scratte as it thawed out too repulsive for her to stand near. Manipule sealed up the ice again, once again locking up the body behind a thick layer of ice.

    ¡°Check the rest?¡± Manipule asked.

    Bel sighed and nodded regretfully. ¡°May as well find out what we¡¯re getting into, right?¡±

    It took them a few minutes to open the rest of the icy tombs. The majority of them held scrattes, but there were also a few large birds from the forest layer. More concerning were seven Dhvaras, all wearing their typical armor and wielding long, wicked spears. Most concerning was the single garuda. Her snow-white wings bore several decorative silver clasps, but her hands held a very functional spear that had been warped by the cold. The talons on her feet her were tipped with sharpened metal claws, and she wore armor light leather armor that covered most of her body.

    Bel thought back to the garuda who had threatened in the forest layer. He had been a constant nuisance until she had gotten rid of him by using him to distract Clark¡¯s reanimated servant.

    ¡°I¡¯d forgotten about these people,¡± Bel sighed. ¡°They can¡¯t all be as annoying as the last one I met, right?¡±

    ¡°You know her?¡± Manipule asked, her eyes wide and curious.

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No, but I¡¯ve run into one of her kind before. They were a pain, but that doesn¡¯t say much about the rest of them.¡±

    Bel leaned away from the body and brushed some stray bits of ice from her clothing. ¡°Anyway, they may not even be in the Pillar. Hanging out here isn¡¯t any fun.¡±

    Manipule nodded. ¡°Yes, too many scrattes,¡± she joked, gesturing to all of the frozen bodies that filled the room.

    The other gorgon chuckled at her humor, but Bel frowned. ¡°Actually, I have some friends who are scrattes.¡±

    Manipule¡¯s eyesbrows went up in surprise and a couple of her snakes flicked their tongues with agitation. ¡°Friends?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°They were my mother¡¯s followers, so yeah, I guess so. They didn¡¯t try to eat us, at least.¡±

    ¡°Not a high bar,¡± Manipule responded, skeptically. ¡°Scrattes, they reproduce by¨C¡±

    ¡°No, please don¡¯t say it,¡± Bel interrupted. The memories of the little green people putting little green eggs into their victims made Bel¡¯s stomach churn. ¡°The scrattes we travelled with were friendly, but they were still gross.¡±

    Cress happened to walk up to them at that moment. Whatever words she¡¯d been meaning to say disappeared as she squinted at Bel. ¡°Friends with scrattes? Really? We were taught that they were banished to the underworld for being dangerous and uncontrollable.¡±

    Orseis trailed behind Cress, chewing with determination on a tough chunk of the slain serpent. ¡°Bel gets into weird situations.¡±

    ¡°And dangerous ones,¡± Bel added grimly. ¡°So let¡¯s keep our guards up. We¡¯re obviously past the area where the Asura bothered to control the Pillar, so we could encounter anything from here up.¡±

    Cress shrugged and flicked her wings, stretching them out. ¡°I agree. We¡¯re going to cut up some of the serpent and take it down to a warmer area for a food break, and then we¡¯ll push forward until we find somewhere defensible.¡±

    ¡°Food!¡± Orseis said, enthusiastically.

    ¡°Reading!¡± Bel added.

 Chapter 122 â€“ The Belemental Returns

    ¡°So anyway,¡± Bel prattled, ¡°Dexter got his start doing repair work for the second dynasty.¡±

    Bel turned to Cress and Manipule, catching their eyes to make sure that they were listening. Manipule smiled and nodded while Cress rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Orseis had actually managed to fall asleep during their short break, so her only response was a quiet snore. Manipule had slung her egg to one side and scooped the cuttle-girl up with her free arm, and Orseis seemed content to sleep through Bel¡¯s informative talk.

    ¡°Repairing what?¡± Cress asked.

    ¡°At first canals, but then defensive things like catapults. The second dynasty was started after the Great Bargainer came to Satrap, when the humans were having a bad time. All the demi-humans gave them an edge over the elves, but once the people in the Lip started making hybrids with some crazy stuff everything went chaotic.¡±

    Cress snorted. ¡°Yeah, that sounds like something humans would do.¡±

    Manipule hummed loudly. ¡°I think can understand this Bargainer woman. Who would not want more children?¡±

    Bel smiled at the gorgon¡¯s response. As she was coming to learn, that kind of thing was a very Manipule-like sentiment. She had apparently helped her own egg-mother raise a second brood of gorgons, so Orseis wasn¡¯t the first little girl that she¡¯d carried around. The lower gravity made it more practical, though.

    Bel was surprised that Manipule had willingly left such a large family, but some frantic waving of Cress¡¯ hands had dissuaded Bel from asking anything about them.

    Bel cleared her throat, simultaneously clearing the murky thoughts from her head. ¡°Well, it worked in the short-term, but the hybrids born from the Bargainer¡¯s children have backed themselves into a corner now with all of their issues reproducing. It¡¯s why they really want to get into Satrap and meet the humans. Blocking that may be why Technis made his Barrier.¡±

    Cress¡¯ eyebrows went up. ¡°Oh really? He doesn¡¯t like the hybrids? Is he afraid of them?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I just started the second book so I haven¡¯t gotten to all of the details, but the Third dynasty was humans-only. Rather than making powerful hybrids, they concentrated essence and power into a few people and specialized in transportation to quickly move those people in response to threats. Once their ruler started making portals, they were able to expand to larger and larger areas, and their kingdom took over the eastern side of the continent.¡±

    Bel longingly tapped the box of books hanging from her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s really interesting stuff, but I¡¯ve only gotten the chance to skim over the maps so far.¡±

    A shout went up from the head of their group. Bel looked up, but from her position on the winding staircase she couldn¡¯t see anything but the gorgons ahead of her. Cress wasn¡¯t so constrained: she spread her wings and quickly took to the air to see what they¡¯d encountered.

    Bel tightened her grip on her spear and rushed after the gorgons in front of her. They soon emerged into a larger room, one that was practically its own cavern. The ceiling rose a hundred of strides into the air, and the space was filled with column-like tubes that were wrapped in thick vines, forming a dense mesh of leaves in every direction. From the sudden rise in temperature, Bel wondered if the tubes were transporting magma to the molten layer.

    That would put us past the frozen layer and into the forest layer, right?

    Bel looked around for clues on their location and spotted a pair of petrified dhvaras on either side of the entrance she¡¯d just come through.

    Well, they probably started it, Bel consoled herself. I¡¯ve never met a dhvaras who didn¡¯t start something. Why are there only two of them, though?

    Bel¡¯s question was answered by a horn blowing in the distance. She looked up to see that there were multiple entrances into the cavern-like room, through which more dhvaras surged like a tide of ants. Even worse than the Dhvaras were the garuda who were flying between the tubes. It was difficult for Bel to get an accurate count of them with all of the foliage blocking her sight, but they showed up with the same angry red in Kjar¡¯s sight as the dhvaras, so she was confident that they would end up fighting.

    ¡°Do the garuda work with the dhvaras?¡± Bel asked.

    Manipule shook Orseis awake and reached up to take Bel¡¯s books for safekeeping with her newly freed arm. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about¨C¡± Manipule began, but she yelped with surprise when Escarole pulled her backwards.

    ¡°This is too much excitement for the egg,¡± Fortuit called out from the safety of the stairway. ¡°We¡¯ll keep Manipule with us while you deal with all of this.¡±

    Manipule quickly waved to Bel before she could be pulled deeper into the stairway. ¡°Good luck!¡±

    Bel raised her hand briefly in thanks before setting her mind to the current problem. The rest of the gorgons were forming into a rough line, with Cress and the other winged gorgon waiting behind them to leap into the air and intercept the garuda. Bel was familiar with the formation from their time walking through the forests of the underworld, and had seen the gorgons improving their teamwork as they walked to the Pillar. The gorgons all had unobstructed lines of sight to use their gaze against attackers, and the two fliers would intercept attacks from unexpected angles.

    It was probably the best they would do on short notice, but Bel could see several large magma spirits reluctantly following the instructions of the dhvaras.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Those are gonna be trouble,¡± Orseis groaned.

    Bel thought back to her encounter with the chained horned-bear from her time in the magma layer. Then she grinned.

    ¡°No, they won¡¯t be trouble, they¡¯ll be an opportunity. You go join the rest of the gorgons, I¡¯ll handle the spirits.¡±

    Bel rushed back to the stairwell, catching Manipule and Fortuit by surprise. While Manipule sputtered about something, Bel tossed her weapons and clothes into the stairway. Stripped down to her gleaming armor of Pillar-metal, Bel reached up for her magma snake.

    ¡°Time to go, Sparky.¡±

    She felt a surge of indignation from her annoying plague snake, which was apparently outraged that Bel wasn¡¯t going to let her loose to kill anyone. ¡°You¡¯re still in trouble for biting me,¡± Bel snapped at it. Ignoring the misbehaved snake¡¯s angry hissing, Bel mixed spirits with her magma snake, reveling in the swelling feeling of power and heat that came from her transformation.

    Her skin turned thick and rigid. Her body swelled, cracking her skin open to reveal oozing, radiant magma beneath. Bel liquified her armor, allowing it to flowing down her arms and coat the tips of her fingers to form long, deadly claws of hot, glowing metal.

    While Bel was busy with her transformation, the two forces faced one another, sizing up their opponents. One of the garuda landed upon a large stem that was suspended between two columns and shrieked out a challenge. He jabbed a pilum towards them and spoke the divine tongue in a loud voice.

    ¡°We have allied ourselves with the clan of the Darkened Heart to seek revenge upon the¨C¡±

    The Belemental grew instantly tired listening to his squawking. She roared with deafening intensity and charged for the spirit handlers, skirting around the other dhvaras who had formed a small shield wall in front of the gorgons. She would leave the regular dhvaras to the other gorgons, but she would deal with the spirit handlers personally.

    Chaining up and controlling the large spirits was wrong; they deserved to be punished, and she would be the one to do it.

    The garuda, outraged and the interruption, threw his Pilum at her, but she manipulated her metal into a large shield, which she used to bat the attack out of the air. A swarm of arrows loosed from a distant line of dhvaras flew unerringly in her direction. Tired of the interference, she pounced. The arrows clattered uselessly against the floor as the magma Belemental hurtled herself towards her targets.

    She heard a war cry behind her as her sisters joined the fray, but she didn¡¯t look back. Her concentration was intensely focused onto the dhvaras spirit handlers, whose crimes were so great that they glowed a vivid red in her vision. They stood near several pools of lava, which had perhaps once flowed with water but had now been converted to storage cells for the dhvaras¡¯ enslaved spirits.

    A couple of the dhvaras handlers, feeling clever, gestured with their hands and flung person-sized globs of glowing stone in Bel¡¯s direction. It maybe have worked on their other enemies, but throwing magma at a magma spirit was pointless In fact, as her form smashed into the projectiles they flowed into her body, making her larger and more powerful. Despite her sudden change in mass, the power of her pounce kept her body moving towards her original target, and she smashed down in the midst of the spirit handlers with a roar of anticipation.

    She slashed with her claws, cutting straight through the armor of nearest spirit handler as if it wasn¡¯t there. Limbs and boiled blood filled the air, shocking the other spirit callers into motion. They tugged on their chains, directing their spirits to attack the rampaging Belemental.

    Too slow! she thought.

    She grabbed the chain from the spirit handler¡¯s severed hand and used it to pull herself up to towering spirit¡¯s back. Her new claws made quick work of its collar, freeing the bound spirit. Before it could wander off, she wrapped her arms around its neck and reached out with her thoughts of retribution.

    A moment later she was larger and angrier. Who were these insignificant creatures to chain a spirit? The engorged magma bear with a Belemental emerging from its neck roared in challenge, but was quickly tackled by a swarm of its companion spirits.

    If weight or heat meant anything to a spirit she would have been in trouble ¨C but they didn¡¯t. She calmly grew more arms to fend off her adversaries as their bodies ineffectively clashed. Her form warped into a globular mass of heat and rock with a nest of toothed tentacles growing from its top like snakes from a gorgon¡¯s head. The tentacles whipped about, forcing the other spirits away and spraying lava at the nearest spirit controllers. While they were distracted, her metal flowed to form a large claw at the end of a tentacle. With a flick of the limb, she cut through a second collar.

    The dynamic of the scuffle changed with the second freed spirit, and the opportunities to free a third and fourth spirit soon manifested. The dhvaras¡¯ resistance crumbled and they turned to run.

    The spirits leaped upon them, bashing the spirit handlers to the ground with fists and tentacles of burning rock. The dhvaras were frustratingly immune to the heat, but repeatedly slamming them into the ground with increasing force was all it took to squeeze the sweet essence from their broken cores.

    The Belemental turned to the rest of the fighting and prepared to charge into battle. Things didn¡¯t go as she wanted though. Now that other spirits were free, they lost interest in the other dhvaras and wandered away. Half of her body tore itself away, and suddenly she was smaller and less threatening than she had been moments ago. As she stared around her in momentary confusion, a gleaming pilum pierced through her body and a bolas wrapped around her legs.

    Being impaled didn¡¯t really hurt since her body flowed around the projectile. The wooden body of the missile smoldered under her heat and the rope of the bolas quickly charred, but she couldn¡¯t be sure she would be safe from all attacks.

    She looked up to see a flight of garuda coming after her, all armed with different throwing weapons. All it would take was a lucky strike to hit something vital, so she chose discretion and dove into the nearest pool of lava.

    The world immediately dimmed as she swam under the lava, the cries of battle smothered by the thick liquid. Her vision was dark and her ears filled with muffled rumbles, but her sense of the beating hearts around her was unrestricted. She crouched on the bottom of the pool, waiting for the garuda to come closer, like an alligator waiting for an unsuspecting herbivore.

    They circled overhead for a few moments, clearly waiting for her to emerge, and then a pair of them dipped towards the lava, apparently deciding that whatever abilities they possessed would be sufficient to finish her off.

    When the surface of the lava burst upwards in a shockwave of high-velocity molten rock they barely had time to squawk in surprise before their flaming bodies were tossed through the air. The rock continued its arc, scattering the rest of the garuda and setting a section of vines ablaze. The Belemental emerged from her hiding place to lob globs of molten stone after the scattered garuda, bringing another pair down as they struggled to escape. She roared victoriously, but then sagged as her feeling of unbeatable energy faded.

    Bel stumbled away from the lava pool as her body shrank. Her molten skin cooled and flaked off, leaving a weary and very vulnerable gorgon behind. She liquified her armor again, quickly wrapping it around her exposed body, and stumbled to the nearby corpse of a garuda to drain its essence and pull a spare pilum from its back. Then she set her shoulders and turned back to the fighting.

    I¡¯m not done yet, she thought.

 Chapter 123 â€“ Unexpected Friends

    Bel took a moment to push her snakes away from her eyes, hefted her procured pilum, and charged at the knot of fighting that surrounded the rest of the gorgons. The dhvaras archers had been taken out ¨C Bel guessed by Crecerelle ¨C and the two flying gorgons were occupying the remaining garuda. That left the dhvaras warriors who had surrounded the gorgons, two rows of dhvaras deep, with spears in the back and wicked, curved short swords in the front. The five gorgons had backed up to the stairway, using the narrow space to protect their flanks. Orseis occasionally darted forward, hurling her spear through a dhvaras or two and then retreating before she could be stabbed in return.

    Despite a good number of the dhvaras being dead or petrified, they seemed determined to push forward. The gorgons were still vastly outnumbered; at any moment the sheer weight of the dhvaras would win out. Bel shook off the lethargy that followed her transformations and charged.

    She struck from the side, taking advantage of the restricted views from the dhvaras helmets so they would¡¯t see her coming. She hurled the pilum through the back of an unsuspecting dhvaras and jabbed her metal nails through the gorget and neck of a second, killing them and ripping the essence from their body. As she shook the body from her hand, she punched a third dhvaras with a liquid shockwave, spraying bits of body and metal into their companions.

    As the dhvaras turned towards Bel, and the rest of the gorgons pressed forward, encasing the feet of several dhvaras in ice and making quick work of the distracted front line. As their discipline broke, some of the dhvaras lost their composure and made the mistake of looking a gorgon in the eyes. Several of them turned to stone, and their formation broke.

    Bel felt a rush of triumph, but then the air was filled with the blaring of the dhvaras¡¯ war trumpets. She turned and saw more of their tall, armored forms spilling from some of the openings, and the retreating group rushed to regroup with their allies.

    ¡°Crows,¡± she cursed, ¡°why were those ones hiding? Or were we not important enough?¡± She looked over her sisters and her body chilled when she saw a growing pool of blood.

    The horn blared again and Bel¡¯s pulse jolted with horror. She looked back and forth between the dhvaras and her dying or dead sisters and grit her teath. They couldn¡¯t turn back, but she also couldn¡¯t imagine them surviving another round with the bloodthirsty demons from the fire layer.

    Then horn blared a third time, but choked off like a dying bird.

    Bel looked into the distance, pushing eye of the huntress to see what had happened. She could see small blobs of green spilling out of some of the entrances on the far side of the cavern. They swarmed over the armored dhvaras in a way that she found familiar.

    ¡°Scrattes?¡± she wondered aloud. ¡°I guess that¡¯s what the other dhvaras were doing.¡±

    Whatever the details of their fight were, Bel didn¡¯t care. The scrattes¡¯ arrival gave her a chance to check on the other gorgons. She rushed to the fallen members of her tribe, and felt bile rise in her throat when she saw that one of them ¨C Papilloun, an outgoing gorgon with tattoos of flying creatures up and down her arms ¨C was already dead. Fortuit emerged from hiding and began walking over. When she pulled a small knife from her belt, Bel looked away to the second gorgon who lay on the ground.

    The second one was Oculaire¡¯s friend Crapaudine, and she was still alive. She was bleeding out from a gaping would through her torso though, and Bel didn¡¯t think that a body could spare as much as she was spilling.

    Orseis stood to the side, her tentacles twitching helplessly and her skin a terrified white as she stared with apprehension at the corpse. Bel rushed to her side, patting the cuttle-girl as she quickly checked for injuries.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Orseis said hoarsely. ¡°Go help the gorgon.¡±

    Bel nodded and hurried to Crapaudine¡¯s side. She put her hands against the other gorgons wound and attempted to staunch the flow of blood with her coagulation abilities. The hot liquid continued to seep between her fingers, the flow too fast and heavy for her abilities to staunch.

    With a flutter of wings, Cress and Oculaire landed next to them. Oculaire cried out in dismay and her snakes shook their tails with emotion as she rushed to her friend¡¯s side. Cress looked desperately at Bel, and Bel could see the frustration of a helpless leader in her eyes.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Bel grimaced. Her own abilities weren¡¯t working ¨C the blood was leaving the injured gorgon too quickly. Didn¡¯t we have another healer? Bel thought frantically, before remembering that it was Crapaudine herself who had some healing abilities. The gorgon had gone deathly pale, and she barely responded to Oculaire¡¯s entreaties as the winged gorgon desperately squeezed her hand.

    As Bel clenched the two sides of the gorgon¡¯s wound together, she saw the other gorgons tense in her peripheral vision. She felt a group of hearts approaching and whipped her head around. Her eyes widened in surprise ¨C and then relief.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± she cried out, stupidly. The scratte didn¡¯t understand her, and she didn¡¯t understand him, but they recognized one another. It was the same shaman who had communed with Bel¡¯s mother, the one who had lead her and Orseis through the fire layer during their descent.

    Cress and the other gorgons looked between the two of them warily, ready to fight but not certain that this was a foe.

    The scratte waved his arms in the air, proclaimed something grand in his shrill voice, and lifted a familiar, multi-limbed totem from his neck.

    Bel held out her hand, motioning for him to drop the totem. ¡°Whoah, hold on to the drugs for a minute, I¡¯ve got to save my friend.¡±

    Bel gestured at the injured gorgon. The scratte squinted and tilted his head, seemingly confused by what Bel was doing. A scratte who had accompanied him leaned in close to his leader and screeched something into his ear. The shaman made a surprised snarl and rubbed his chin, apparently considering the problem. Then he nodded decisively, waved to a couple of his followers, and trotted to Bel¡¯s side.

    The other gorgons stepped forward protectively, but Bel waved them back.

    The scratte ran his fingers along the side of his body, where a long, thick scar ran from his armpit down past his waist.

    Bel glanced back at the suffering Crapaudine. ¡°You¡¯ve recovered from a bad wound like this before? You have an ability that can help?¡±

    The scratte patted his scar proudly.

    Bel turned to the other gorgons. ¡°He¡¯s going to help, I think, maybe,¡± she explained. She tried to put some confidence into the tone of her voice since she and most of the gorgons still didn¡¯t speak the same language.

    Cress understood her intent and waved the other gorgons back, although she gave Bel a skeptical look. Bel could only shrug in response ¨C she couldn¡¯t say for sure that the scrattes weren¡¯t going to try putting their eggs in the injured gorgon, she just knew that her own abilities weren¡¯t enough to save her.

    The shaman and two of his helpers arrived at their side and he squatted next to Bel. She recoiled slightly at the feeling of his thick, root-like hairs rubbing against her skin, but she didn¡¯t want to let go of Crapaudine¡¯s wound. One of his helpers reached into a sack and pulled out a few round, puffy fish, handing a pair to the shaman and keeping a couple for himself.

    ¡°What¨C¡± Bel began, but she had barely begun asking the question when the scrattes squeezed the fish until their jaws gaped and jabbed them, teeth first, at the gorgon¡¯s side. Their teeth clamped shut as the scrattes loosed their grips.

    ¡°What!?¡± Bel screamed.

    The helper added another fish to the side of the wound, and the gaping hole was pulled closed with the combined jawpower of the fish. Bel tentatively let it go. The wound was closed, but it had not bee sealed, and blood still oozed from between the flesh.

    Then the shaman pulled a small knife from his side and cut off everything below the heads of the fish. Blood and ooze gushed from a small organ in their middles, pouring forth with what looked to Bel like an unrealistic volume. The ooze bubbled and inflated as it contacted the air, quickly transforming into a thick foam that hardened as Bel watched. Soon the large wound was hidden beneath a flattened puff of material that looked like bloody snot, and the bleeding had been stopped.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know scrattes could use tools,¡± Crecerelle remarked with a mixture of fascination and disgust. She still regarded the small, green creatures and their hairy, sagging skin with distrust, but she had relaxed considerably once they had treated the injured gorgon.

    Bel shrugged. ¡°These ones are weird.¡±

    The shaman shoved his hands deep into his helper¡¯s sack and pulled out a bladder that sloshed with some liquid. Bel did her best to avoid thinking about where the bladder had come from, and especially not the way the color of it seemed to match the skin of the dhvaras.

    The shaman shook it and nodded with approval at the sloshing sound from within. Then he put it to Crapaudine¡¯s mouth and tilted it, spilling a large amount of a blood-red potion into and around her mouth.

    No, wait, that¡¯s just blood, isn¡¯t it? Normal blood doesn¡¯t smoke though, does it?

    Craupadine¡¯s eyes shot open as she spluttered frantically. The shaman nodded with satisfaction at a job well done ¨C the gorgon didn¡¯t look good, but she was no longer bleeding out, and after a coughing fit that left her exhausted, her breathing returned to a regular rhythm.

    The shaman didn¡¯t waste any time, quickly lifting his multi-limbed totem while one of his helpers began striking a fire onto it from a pair of stones.

    Bel sighed at the sight, remembering the headache that had followed her last encounter with a totem. ¡°Orseis,¡± she commanded, ¡°let Cress know about these guys while I¡¯m out.¡±

    ¡°There are better ways to talk with Lempo, you know,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Actually, we could just¨C¡±

    The scratte shoved the totem in Bel¡¯s face and her world exploded into darkness.

 Chapter 124 â€“ Deadlines

    When Bel¡¯s vision return, she found herself back in the reality-bending divine realm. Kjar was looking down at her, the goddess¡¯ feline eyes bright with playful amusement. The lion-headed goddess smirked, showing off a gleaming fang.

    ¡°Your snake is biting you,¡± she said.

    Bel jerked up, swatting at her misbehaving plague snake. ¡°Here too?¡± she cried out in frustration.

    A pink snake dropped into her field of view. ¡°You finally replaced them all! But you went and got a feisty one, even thought I warned you not to. I¡¯m so proud!¡±

    ¡°Gah,¡± Bel vocalized. ¡°Dutcha, why don¡¯t you help instead of making fun of me.¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s funny!¡± the mischievous spirit replied.

    ¡°Kjar?¡± Bel asked in desperation. ¡°Lempo?¡±

    Lempo rose out of the floor of the space, completing the trio of Bel¡¯s divine relations. This time her upper half looked like a blonde-haired woman, but her lower half was a spiral of wound tendrils that reached into the woman¡¯s clothes, animating her body like a puppet. ¡°We gods are not supposed to help you mortals directly,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°All we can offer is moral support. How about a hug? And call me mom.¡±

    The puppet Lempo lifted her arms, and Bel dutifully hugged her. Bel¡¯s plague snake curled away from the goddess, uncomfortable with the sudden proximity to divinity. Bel thought that she saw Kjar reflexively bat at the snake, but she decided to keep her mouth shut about it.

    ¡°Um, mom, that scratte you like showed up again. Do you want me to do something with him again?¡±

    Lempo rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course. Your progress is too slow, beloved child. Technis will slip away from you.¡±

    Bel grimaced. ¡°But someone just died. I know you probably don¡¯t care¨C¡±

    Lempo patted her on the head. The majority of her snakes were used to the attention, but the plague snake panicked, desperately searching for a place that would be out of the goddess¡¯ reach.

    ¡°Of course I acknowledge for your mortal emotions,¡± Lempo indulged. ¡°I express sympathy for your plight.¡±

    The goddess turned slightly to Kjar. ¡°That was the correct response, yes?¡±

    Kjar shook her head. ¡°It was passable until then.¡±

    ¡°So complicated,¡± Lempo grumbled. ¡°Speaking with the scratte is simpler.¡±

    ¡°He is overawed by your power, Lempo,¡± Kjar replied.

    Bel looked around her and saw the scratte. He knelt under a large mass of tentacles¡­If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Or maybe they were roots. Bel traced a few of them as they pooled along the ground, and found that several ran over to the Lempo puppet who continued to absentmindedly rub her head. She thought that the forms her mother assumed seemed to follow no anatomical rules other than ¡°disturbing.¡± Bel tried to avoid thinking about it.

    ¡°So what does he want?¡± Bel wondered aloud.

    ¡°Better living conditions for his children,¡± Lempo responded.

    ¡°Better? How?¡±

    Lempo tilted her head and ticked off several points on her fingers. ¡°There are better conditions the surface, of course, that make it possible for scrattes to grow normally: sunlight, water, and fresh air. The same as any plants, really. Your goals align once again.¡±

    She clapped dramatically. ¡°So I have brought you together once again.¡±

    Lempo smiled sweetly for a moment, and then frowned. ¡°Not to place an undue amount of stress upon your fragile mortal mind, but if you cannot get to Technis in time to at least interfere with his plans a little bit, I predict that you will spend the rest of your life regretting every moment of inaction during this journey.¡±

    The goddess gestured at the scratte. ¡°These ones make up for all of their other failings with a single-minded focus and resolve. You could learn from them.¡±

    Bel couldn¡¯t help hunching her shoulders and shrinking in on herself. She¡¯d just been compared to a scratte ¨C and found lacking.

    Kjar flicked a feline ear in irritation. ¡°Too much, Lempo. That passed the point of motivation and descended into insult.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dutcha chimed in, ¡°she¡¯s just a mortal, you know? Mortals get distracted by stuff all the time. This one time¨C¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± Kjar asked the spirit.

    Dutcha¡¯s pink snake body shrunk away from the martial goddess, hissing quietly. Bel wondered if the snake was attached to her own head somewhere, or if it merely hovered over her body in the divine realm, persistently teasing her peripheral vision. Bel turned her head to get a better look, but Dutcha moved along with Bel, never quite coming into focus.

    ¡°I¡¯m workin¡¯ on it right now,¡± Dutcha sulked quietly as she shifted around Bel. ¡°Mountains are large. You know that, right?¡±

    Hearing the annoyance in Kjar¡¯s voice reminded Bel that she had some apologies to make to the goddess. She also wanted to avoid seeing her benefactors argue.

    ¡°Kjar,¡± Bel interrupted weakly, ¡°by the way, I, uh, I broke your armor. Sorry.¡± She shuffled nervously as she waited for the goddess¡¯ response.

    Kjar laughed. ¡°Tools are meant to be broken, young one.¡±

    Bel sighed with relief.

    ¡°You should be breaking more things,¡± Lempo added. ¡°If you were willing to sacrifice and replace you limbs with more¨C¡±

    ¡°Lempo,¡± Kjar hissed.

    ¡°Ah, very well. I am growing impatient, beloved daughter, I am growing impatient. We approach a critical moment and the Divine Treaty places us at a disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°Because you can¡¯t just smash him with a meteor?¡± Bel asked.

    Lempo shook her head. ¡°No, that is still an option. My preferred solution entails more guesses than predictions, and it fills me with both excitement and trepidation. It has been a long time since I have acted with such a lack of clarity.¡±

    She smiled. ¡°It is almost fun! If I did not have such a strong interest in preserving humanity, this would all be delightful.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°Wait, what do you mean preserving humanity? We¡¯re just talking about the people in Satrap, right?¡±

    Lempo¡¯s eyebrows wriggled ¨C literally, they moved about on her face in a truly unsettling manner. ¡°You will just have to find out, my daughter.¡±

    She turned to Kjar. ¡°Is a mystery better incentive, Kjar?¡±

    Kjar glanced at Bel, and she could almost she an apologetic look in the martial goddess¡¯ expression.

    ¡°It is better, I suppose,¡± Kjar finally relented.

    Lempo grinned. ¡°Excellent. And Bel, please remind your gorgon friends to pray to me. I enjoy hearing everyone¡¯s thoughts, especially during a person¡¯s most vulnerable moments. Those ones are always strange and wonderful and fill me with the most fantastic ideas.¡±

    ¡°Sure?¡± Bel agreed, reluctantly. ¡°I don¡¯t think that the gorgons are good at praying, though.¡±

    Lempo¡¯s grin widened to scary proportions. ¡°Then their prayers will be that much more unique!¡±

 Chapter 125 â€“ Consensus

    Bel awoke with a splitting headache to the sound of a growing argument.

    ¡°So loud,¡± she complained.

    ¡°Bel¡¯s back,¡± Orseis shouted in a voice ten times louder than necessary. ¡°She¡¯ll be able to explain these scrattes better than I can.¡±

    Bel hesitantly cracked her eye open and slowly moved her head to take in her surroundings. The remaining gorgons were clustered around a sleeping Craupadine, with Oculaire still gently holding her hand. Cress was standing between the other three gorgons and the scrattes while Fortuit worked over Papilloun¡¯s body, carefully removing pieces of the gorgon and adding them to her new egg. Escalope stood over her protectively.

    That leaves Manipule.

    Bel turned her head the other way and was unsurprised to find Manipule holding onto her hand, acting like it was completely normal behavior. She smiled when Bel looked at her.

    ¡°Welcome back,¡± she said in a thoughtfully quiet voice.

    Bel nodded thankfully. ¡°What¡¯s been happening?¡±

    Manipule¡¯s snakes twined around her neck as she collected her thoughts into Bel¡¯s language. ¡°There was a small panic, and then Orseis calmed everyone. Then the scrattes were getting too close to Fortuit. Things were tense, but Orseis figured out that they were just curious.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m super clever, right?¡± Orseis interrupted.

    Bel resisted rolling her eyes, and instead gave Orseis a thumbs-up. The cuttle-girl swelled with pride. ¡°The gorgons were going all silly, but the scrattes were just interested in making their own portable body holders. I showed them how to use the dhvaras¡¯ helmets as their own little gorgon eggs.¡±

    Bel grimaced at the though and did her best to avoid looking behind her, although several of her snakes twisted to get a better view. She could almost feel the gruesome work on the scrattes pressing down upon her back.

    ¡°Thank Lempo you¡¯re back with us,¡± Cress called out, breaking Bel out of her increasingly morbid imagination. ¡°Most of us survived, but we¡¯ve got some problems.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    Cress tilted her maul, gesturing at the shaman and the rest of the scrattes. ¡°These things,¡± she said. ¡°They aren¡¯t popular in the underworld. They¡¯re usually kill on sight, actually.¡±

    Bel nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah. The same in Satrap.¡±

    Cress narrowed her eyes. ¡°So why are you friendly with these ones?¡±

    Hearing the ongoing conversation, Fortuit made her way over to the rest of the group and began to translate from Bel¡¯s tongue for the other gorgons.

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Because they¡¯re followers of Lempo.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re what?¡± Cress¡¯ eyes widened in shock. ¡°Your mother? Why?¡±

    Bel held up her hands to her ears. ¡°Not so loud, please. The scrattes are, uh, plants, I guess. They want to go to the surface to make better, um, saplings, or something?¡±

    Cress stared, her mouth slightly ajar. ¡°Saplings? You know how they reproduce, right? They¡¯re stuffing helmets full of dhvaras right now.¡±

    Cress pointed at the scrattes, who were busy hauling the corpses of the dhvaras over to a single butchering location.

    Against her better judgement, Bel looked. She was impressed with how large the shaman¡¯s group had grown. She was less impressed by the growing mound of dhvaras parts and the way the scrattes lapped up their pooling blood.

    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t look good,¡± Bel admitted. ¡°But what you ¨C we ¨C do with gorgon body parts and eggs looks bad too.¡±

    Bel gestured at Fortuit, whose hands were soaked in blood.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what we do?¡± Cress asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of perspective,¡± Bel explained. ¡°Everything seems reasonable to the person doing it. Besides, maybe the scrattes won¡¯t need bodies when they¡¯re on the surface. My mother is all about change, you know?¡±

    Cress¡¯ lips twisted as she thought about it. ¡°So they won¡¯t attack us if we leave, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Bel said quickly, ¡°we can¡¯t leave them. We need to travel to the surface together.¡±

    She looked around at the group of confused and dismayed gorgons. They even asked for Fortuit to translate Bel¡¯s words a second time, just in case there had been some misunderstanding. Orseis rolled her eyes and lifted her chin with an air of superiority at the gorgons¡¯ squeamishness.

    ¡°It¡¯s to get to the surface faster,¡± Bel explained. ¡°And we¡¯ll also be safer with a larger group.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°A larger group that could decide to eat us,¡± Cress quipped.

    ¡°They¡¯re completely safe,¡± Bel insisted. ¡°Orseis and I walked for days with these scrattes on our way down.¡±

    Cress slumped. ¡°Is that so? I guess we could travel with them.¡±

    She looked at the rest of the gorgons and straightened her back. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t make this decision for the entire group though. I¡¯ve failed at leading a group before, and it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t keep track of everyone¡¯s opinions.¡±

    She switched back to the gorgon tongue, and now Manipule translated for Bel¡¯s sake.

    ¡°Bel says that she¡¯s travelled with these scrattes before, and that going with them again will allow us to reach the Overworld of Olympos more quickly and with less danger,¡± Cress began. ¡°She has successfully made this journey once before, so her words carry weight. I will not force anyone in this, as I know our animosity towards the shriveled ones runs deep. We will discuss this until we reach consensus.¡±

    Cress held up a small dagger that looked as dull as a spoon. She offered it hilt first to the other gorgons. One of them quickly grabbed and gave her own opinion. ¡°I swear by the temples of the Old World, travelling with these creatures will only invite death. I object.¡±

    Bel thought the objecting gorgon¡¯s name was Sotil, although they didn¡¯t speak the same tongue and had never held a conversation. She was a muscular gorgon with a thick nest of deep green snakes upon her head. In Bel¡¯s experience she was friendly enough; when Sotil was drunk she sang bawdy songs that Cress refused to translate and challenged her fellow gorgons to arm wrestling and drinking contests.

    Sotil held out the dagger and Manipule¡¯s and Oculaire¡¯s hands went up. She handed it over to Oculaire.

    ¡°I think we should trust them,¡± the winged gorgon responded. She placed a hand on Craupadine¡¯s shoulder, gently holding on to sleeping gorgon. ¡°They¡¯ve already helped us, and if Bel and the tentacled child have travelled with them in the past we know that they won¡¯t turn on us.¡±

    Manipule raised her hand again, but Sotil snatched the dagger back. ¡°And lead them straight to the land where we intend to raise our young?¡± Sotil objected.

    ¡°They intend to raise their young there, too,¡± Manipule spoke. ¡°Maybe they desire a peaceful life just as much as ourselves?¡±

    ¡°The egg mothers do not participate in a consensus, Manipule,¡± Sotil said hesitantly. The gorgon glanced down at the dull dagger in her hand before casting a questioning look at their leader. ¡°Right?¡±

    Cress looked between Manipule and Sotil. ¡°She has newly assumed her role, so it¡¯s¨C¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t forgotten my new role,¡± Manipule said forcefully. ¡°But I think I should be able to speak.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡± Cress trailed off awkwardly. ¡°Only adult gorgons without mothering responsibilities join in a consensus.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Orseis interrupted. ¡°So I don¡¯t get a vote?¡±

    The gorgons looked at Orseis, blinking in surprise.

    ¡°What do you guys usually do when you¡¯re travelling with people who aren¡¯t gorgons?¡± Bel asked.

    They turned to Bel and then turned to one another in apparent confusion.

    ¡°We do travel with other people,¡± Cress replied slowly, ¡°but only if we happen to be going the same way. Most people avoid us, and we avoid them too.¡±

    ¡°So, since I¡¯m travelling with you, I get a vote, right?¡± Orseis pressed.

    ¡°You are a child,¡± Sotil responded after a moment of silence.

    ¡°Not among my people.¡±

    Bel put her head in her heads, flashbacks of the arguments between Hanti, Rob¨¨te, and the rest of the council in the Golden Plains replaying in her mind. Her headache grew worse.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she snapped, ¡°you all want change, right? Since the goddess of change was the first deity to accept gorgons in however long, maybe you should try embracing her ways too.¡±

    The gorgons¡¯ snakes curled with uncertainty as they uncomfortably shifted under Bel¡¯s gaze.

    Cress clicked her tongue. ¡°Bel, we don¡¯t know much about Lempo. I met her once, which is certainly more times than most people meet their deities, but I don¡¯t really know any more about her than what you¡¯ve told us. And most of your stories you tell are actually about that old priest who died saving you, or about James and Beth, rather than about Lempo.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Bel remembered Lempo¡¯s complaints about the lack of prayers from the gorgons. ¡°Are any of you praying to her?¡±

    The gorgons looked back at her, their expressions blank.

    ¡°Pray?¡±

    ¡°You know, like¡­ oh, I guess you wouldn¡¯t have had anyone to pray to.¡±

    Bel looked up at the ceiling and tried to remember one of Ventas¡¯ lessons. ¡°Well, you see, if someone is stuck in a place, or a situation, or a whatever, and they pray to Lempo for help, she¡¯ll give them the power to get unstuck.¡±

    Wow, I¡¯m bad at explaining things. Did Ventas use examples? He did, didn¡¯t he?

    ¡°Stuck?¡± a gorgon asked.

    ¡°Like in prison?¡± another added.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Bel nodded.

    ¡°And Lempo would strike down our captors?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Bel tilted to the side, slumping as she tried to give a proper reply. She reached up to tug nervously at her snakes, agitating the twisting braid of serpents. ¡°Lempo prefers if people help themselves.¡±

    ¡°But what if your captors were too strong?¡± Sotil asked.

    The other gorgons nodded along with the question.

    ¡°Lempo would find a way to help. She could make you stronger, sure, but maybe she would give you an ability to talk so well that you convince your captors to let you go.¡±

    Orseis raised a tentacle. ¡°Or maybe she would make you smell so bad that they had to kick you out of the dungeon!¡±

    Bel wrinkled her nose. ¡°Uh, I suppose so. Or maybe Lempo would give you something to trade with someone else so that you could get what you wanted without violence.¡±

    Bel gestured at the scrattes, hoping that her sister gorgons would fill in the blanks.

    ¡°What are we trading with the scrattes?¡± Cress asked.

    ¡°Excellent question,¡± Bel answered with enthusiasm. ¡°I think that they can get to the surface without us, but they wouldn¡¯t do well there. The humans in Satrap would react to them like they react to all scrattes, and scrattes aren¡¯t very good at strategy. However¡­¡±

    Bel pointed to the rest of the gorgons and then at the scrates. ¡°We can talk! They can¡¯t! We just need to make sure that the scrattes only attack Technis¡¯ people and convince the other humans that they¡¯re okay.¡±

    Bel smiled. ¡°With how desperate the things are on the surface, we¡¯ll probably be tolerated, or maybe even welcomed,¡± Bel proclaimed with growing enthusiasm. ¡°Then we get a home, the scrattes get a home, and the humans don¡¯t get wiped out. We all win!¡±

    She looked around at the gorgons. ¡°So, are you all convinced?¡±

    The gorgons shrugged. ¡°What about who gets to vote?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Manipule added, ¡°that¡¯s important. Orseis and I ¨C and Fortuit and Escalope too ¨C we should all get a vote.¡±

    Bel shriveled. She could see the beginning of a long, drawn-out discussion.

    She surreptitiously moved her hand towards her box of books that was to Manipule¡¯s side, but halfway there the other gorgon intercepted her hand. Manipule gripped Bel¡¯s hand for moral support as she argued her case. Bel could feel trembles moving down Manipule¡¯s arm, and she realized that arguing with the others must have been difficult for the normally friendly and reserved gorgon.

    And now she probably thinks that I was trying to support her when I was actually ignoring her feelings and reaching for my books. I think that James would call me a callous jerk, wouldn¡¯t he?

 Chapter 126 â€“ Interlude â€“ The Humans of Satrap

    Flann¡¯s tail swished slowly through the air as he watched the humans as they eased themselves into another argument. The Points-Delver Alliance ¨C or more simply, the Alliance ¨C was theoretically under command of the Points¡¯ High Speaker. That was what the humans had told him and Jan, but the High Speaker seemed to spend more time wheedling and arguing than actually commanding.

    Probably why they call him the Speaker, Flann thought with an amused twitch of his whiskers.

    The High Speaker was a tall man with steely gray hair and a bush of a beard growing from his angular face. He had more wrinkles on his face than James or Beth, so Flann thought that he was an older human, although he wasn¡¯t certain if wrinkles a sign of age in humans, or if they were just naturally variable like their skin tones.

    Although he was currently listing everything that had been going wrong in their war with Technis ¨C an unfortunately lengthy list ¨C his temperament was generally calm and friendly. He had even spent a morning dining with Flann, Jan, and Cleisthenes clods when they had first met, introducing himself as Daren Cove and inviting them to speak casually. They had chatted about the Golden Plains until their food grew cold and lunch was served. Jann had been convinced that Beth¡¯s promise of good relations between their two peoples was actually realistic.

    Cleisthenes had spent the entire time complaining that the cups used by the humans were too small, but Flann and Jan were happy to ignore him.

    Since that day though, Flann had never heard anyone addressing the High Speaker by his name. They called him High Speaker or commander and spoke in rushed, worried tones. It was easy to see that the Alliance was doing poorly against Technis¡¯ forces.

    The Speaker¡¯s second in command, a dark-skinned man named Governor Blake nodded along with the words of the High Speaker, adding small details to his commander¡¯s complains as he saw fit. The man¡¯s expressionless face could have been chiseled from rock, but during battle he became as animated as a raging inferno. He had challenged Cleisthenes to battle almost as soon as they met and had easily bested the Hippo. Cleisthenes had been avoiding Governor Blake since, slowly nursing his wounded pride. From his performance during the spar, Flann guessed that either Blake or his commander were a match for Hanti or anyone else in the Golden Plains.

    The leaders of the delvers though, were even tougher. They were lead by a man named Rock. Flann assumed his name was a reference to his stubbornness, although he wasn¡¯t sure how names worked with the human society. The man¡¯s body had enough thick scars to form a second skin, and each blemish was decorated with tattoos to celebrate his victory over whatever had wounded him. Like all delvers, the man was pale from his time underground and avoided going into the sunlight. That worked out well, as the majority of his work was done at night, carrying out hit and run attacks on Technis¡¯ supply lines and encampments.

    The delver¡¯s face screamed impatience, and Flann was glad that his two subordinates, a stocky woman named Fish and a tall, thin man named Dave, weren¡¯t around. They had a bad habit of interrupting the High Speaker, which usually resulted in meetings that lasted three times as long as they would have otherwise. Rock would still argue, but he would at least allow the Speaker to finish talking before disagreeing with everything he said. If the old fox hadn¡¯t already gotten to know James and Beth, he would have assumed that humans were incapable of working together without screaming.

    Flann suppressed a yawn, already anticipating another long, drawn out conversation. He slipped his paws under the table and summoned several tiny beads of fire, which he set to dancing across his knuckles.

    Jan quietly kicked Flann¡¯s foot, and he tilted his nose towards the humans.

    Flann grinned apologetically and dismissed his little sparks. His mind had been wandering off again, and the High Speaker was apparently wrapping up.

    ¡°To summarize: the safety of our citizens must be prioritized,¡± the man proclaimed, his deep voice making the simple statement sound like something profound. ¡°The plan to evacuate them into the Golden Plains has merit, and we will support it.¡±

    Rock rolled his neck, filling the silence with the popping of his joints. ¡°I can talk now, yeah?¡±

    Blake¡¯s unblinking glare settled upon the delver, but the High Speaker nodded his assent.

    ¡°Yeah, look, rescuing the civilians is all well and good. Maybe it¡¯ll even make fighting simpler if we don¡¯t hafta worry about them getting killed. But, here¡¯s the thing: we delvers aren¡¯t so easily sorted like you city people.¡±

    Rock thumped his chest. ¡°Me, I¡¯m first generation, I stole Technis¡¯ bread and they threw me into the tunnels. I was trained to fight in the gangs, and I¡¯ve spent every day since then in a fight. So I¡¯m a combatant, yeah?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    He paused for a moment to allow dissent, but no one interrupted.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s talk about Fish,¡± he continued, referring to his second in command. ¡°She¡¯s third generation, born in the darkness, hasn¡¯t lived any other life. She fights how she was taught, because if you don¡¯t fight you don¡¯t survive, but she does womanly shit too ¨C helpin¡¯ with childbirth, protectin¡¯ and trainin¡¯ the children, you know ¨C so is she a civilian or a fighter? Who gets to decide?¡±

    He waved his hands at his counterparts from the Points. ¡°You get what I¡¯m sayin¡¯? Civilians get to escape, fighters have to fight and die. There¡¯s gonna be fightin¡¯ over who¡¯s who.¡±

    Blake leaned forward slightly and spoke with a voice like two rocks rubbing together. ¡°You cannot make that decision for your people?¡±

    Rock laughed. ¡°Crows! I¡¯m not even sure how many delvers we¡¯ve got! How can I make a decision for each one?¡±

    Flann was getting tired again, so he leaned forward to speak, ready to inject some common-sense into the conversation. Jan quickly put a restraining hand on his arm, stopping him short. Flann¡¯s tail swished with annoyance, attracting everyone¡¯s attention anyway. Luckily for him, he was saved from any embarrassment by a latecomer to the meeting.

    ¡°Forgive me for my tardiness,¡± the woman said with a hoarse voice that sounded like a fragile instrument strung with the hardest steel. ¡°Communing with the goddess left me with much to consider.¡±

    The woman¡¯s voice was hoarse from a wound and her face and upper body were covered in old burns. Flann had learned that her injuries had accumulated while she journeyed around Satrap, doing Lempo¡¯s work. She did little to hide them, proudly displaying the sacrifices she had made in her goddess¡¯ name. Her unashamed display of her disabilities gave Lempo¡¯s high priestess a certain amount of respect wherever she went, and, most importantly to Flann, her presence also managed to significantly shorten most meetings.

    Rock stood from his seat and bowed to the woman. ¡°Priestess Warrenier,¡± he greeted her. He waited until she inclined her head back before bowing to the priestess¡¯ assistant.

    ¡°Priest Toll.¡±

    The second priest bowed in return before pulled out a chair for Priestess Warrenier. Rock waited to take his seat as the woman slowly lowered herself into the chair. Flann¡¯s own joints creaked in sympathy as he watched her shift through several uncomfortable poses before finally resting on the chair.

    ¡°Forgive my theatrics, gentlemen, but some of my pieces are feeling ornery tonight,¡± she joked.

    The High Speaker cleared his throat. ¡°High Priestess. You are already familiar with the demi-humans¡¯ proposal. We agree that evacuation of our civilians to the Golden Plains makes sense, in theory, but we are discussing how to fairly choose who among the delvers is a civilian and may justifiably abandon the fight here.¡±

    Warrenier nodded her head, the tassels on her tall gray hat swaying at the motion. ¡°I see. Correct me if I am mistaken, but the second part of the plan is to launch an all-out attack upon Baytown by sea, in order to threaten Technis¡¯ forces along the Spine. They will need to turn to us or risk with a loss of their supply lines. This will allow the warrior of the Golden Plains to launch an unexpected pincer attack.¡±

    ¡°That is the ultimate goal, yes.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°You do not have enough boats to transport everyone. Simply fill the boats with our best fighters and evacuate the rest.¡±

    Governor Blake shook his head. ¡°Forgive my bluntness priestess, but you forget that we must also maintain an adequate force to defend our cities.¡±

    ¡°Why bother?¡± the priestess replied. ¡°This is a war for survival, Governor. I know that you are attached to your city, but a city without its people is just an intersting pile of stone. If we fail to take Baytown then your cities will fall, and if we succeed in toppling Technis then the cities will still be waiting patiently for your return.¡±

    The High Speaker frowned. ¡°That is a drastic measure, priestess.¡±

    She smiled back. ¡°These are desperate times, High Speaker. We must put our full faith in Lempo and her plans.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Rock asserted, ¡°I agree with Warrenier. We Delvers have never had a city, and we¡¯re no worse for it. Having a safe place to send our young and infirm is a boon.¡±

    The High Speaker looked at the delver, his eyes inspecting the man¡¯s scars displayed by his cleanly shaved head and face. He stroked his own beard for a moment, and Flann noticed that his face was marred only with lines from age and not a single scar. He didn¡¯t seem to Flann like a man who would enjoying living without a city¡¯s luxuries.

    ¡°If¡¯n I could add something,¡± Jan said, choosing that moment to speak. ¡°Yer city is already in need of changin¡¯, what with all the spearheads flyin¡¯ about now that Technis dropped his Barrier. There¡¯s also those giant spine-backed monsters swimmin¡¯ into your wharfs. Who knows when somethin¡¯ really dangerous, like a ship of elves or a giant kraken, will show up.¡±

    Jan tilted his head at Flann. ¡°The two of us have plenty of experience with the monsters from Atmos, and you haven¡¯t seen the worst of ¡¯em yet. It¡¯s just off of yer east coast too, so maybe you¡¯ll get far worse than we¡¯ve seen in the Golden Plains since yer so close. For all we know, the coastal cities may not be habitable much longer.¡±

    High Speaker Cove frowned. ¡°It is true that the flying creatures have been¡­ troublesome. But I doubt that anything would render our cities unlivable.¡±

    Warrenier tapped the table to get everyone¡¯s attention so she didn¡¯t have to raise her overworked voice. ¡°Change is inevitable, High Speaker. It is not something we can fight.¡±

    The governor opened his mouth to speak, but the High Speaker cut his off with a tilt of his hand. ¡°This would be a great sacrifice for my people, priestess. Will you take a more active role in these coming battles to ensure their success?¡±

    Flann¡¯s tail twitched. The humans were always looking a cut a deal, always willing to give up something if they could get something in return. Flann couldn¡¯t help but think that the High Speaker was a good leader.

    The old priestess smiled. ¡°Of course. In fact, I believe that Lempo¡¯s child herself will be returning to us soon. She will bring with her enough change to topple Technis for good.¡±

    Flann perked up at the thought. He¡¯d felt bad about leaving her behind, and was eager to see how she was doing.

 Chapter 127 â€“ Growth

    Bel moved to the side as Manipule tugged on her sleeve. She muttered a quiet thanks as she avoided a collision with a thorny bush, but she barely glanced up from her book.

    Not that she could really concentrate on its contents, but even rereading the same passage for the third time was better than facing the fraying mood that ran through their group. Things had been tense ever since their disagreement over how they should come to a consensus, and Bel didn¡¯t know what to do about it.

    The collapsed section of Pillar that they were navigating now only made things worse, with the gorgons forced to rely upon the scrattes to navigate through the nearly impassible sections of rubble that overflowed with water, choking roots, and small, bloodsucking parasites.

    ¡°You should really look where you¡¯re going, Bel,¡± Cress chided her. ¡°If you fall into the water you¡¯ll ruin your book.¡± The gorgon put on a bright smile, clearly trying to strike up a friendly conversation.

    Bel replied with a noncommittal grunt as she pulled her book protectively closer. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Cress frown. Bel almost apologized, but the tension in Manipule¡¯s fingers tugged gently on Bel¡¯s sleeve and stopped her from following her instincts. Ignoring Cress was just ignoring a bigger issue, but Bel had never been good at solving social problems. She was hoping that Manipule solved this one herself, but Bel couldn¡¯t help but feel it wasn¡¯t possible.

    She sighed slightly and glanced up at their progress. Most of the gorgons had put their essence gains towards growing wings, but their new abilities were worthless in the crowded passageways. Instead, they worked with the scrattes to hack through the heavy growth.

    That left Bel, Escalope, and Cress to escort the vulnerable egg-mothers and Craupadine, who was still recovering from her injuries. There was no real threat though, not in the cramped passageways that the scrattes had already picked clean. Anything edible had long since been killed and eaten before they passed through.

    Orseis was with them too, and for once she was¡¯t grumbling about her empty stomach. Instead, she was sulking. After the gorgons told her that she couldn¡¯t vote for consensus because she wasn¡¯t an adult, she had thrown a mighty fit and refused to do anything useful.

    Now, slightly calmer, she was posing in front of different plants, exercising her color and texture shifting abilities. Manipule nodded along with approval as the two of them pointedly ignored Cress¡¯ attempts at friendly discourse.

    ¡°Pretending to ignore me is really petty,¡± Cress said with exasperation. ¡°I know you disagree with our consensus, but you said yourself that an outsider couldn¡¯t understand our feelings.¡±

    Bel¡¯s lip twitched and she opened her mouth to reply, but Manipule beat her to it.

    ¡°Our feelings?¡± Manipule said sharply, her red and yellow snakes whipping around with anger. ¡°For someone with a reputation for pushing change, you sure seem happy to embrace tradition when it¡¯s convenient.¡±

    Cress shrank back like she¡¯d been bitten. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to keep us focused.¡±

    She ran her hand over her snakes, soothing their agitated rattles. ¡°Look, Manipule, I personally think that what you and Fortuit have to say is important, but everyone is at their worst right now. I know from experience that some things need to change slowly to be accepted.¡±

    Orseis harumphed loudly, but Cress ignored her and continued. ¡°Once we get to the surface things will be better, and we will bring this up again, I promise. For now though, can¡¯t we just focus on getting through the Pillar and reaching the surface?¡±

    From years of experience dealing with Beth and James, Bel could sense the sparks that were about to ignite into a heated argument. ¡°Stop,¡± she commanded.

    Bel swiftly shut her book and flipped open her carrying case, carefully putting the precious volume away before she became distracted and damaged it. ¡°Before you two go at it, let me say something. I¡¯m not great at dealing with groups, but I think I know some Old World knowledge that applies here.¡±

    She made sure that she had both gorgon¡¯s attention before she continued. ¡°A good compromise means nobody is happy,¡± she declared.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Bel¡¯s snakes flicked their tongues towards the rest of the gorgons. ¡°You may have been compromising your ideals for the good of the group, Cress, but Sotil and the other gorgons didn¡¯t compromise anything. I¡¯m not saying that I could have convinced them to give something up, and maybe you couldn¡¯t have either, but we didn¡¯t compromise on anything. If you want to be a good leader and negotiate with the other races then you¡¯re going to have to learn to deal with unfair compromises.¡±

    Manipule¡¯s smug look fell when Bel turned to her and frowned. ¡°And you need to stop blaming Cress. She¡¯s doing her best, and being leader is hard. She¡¯s not perfect, but who is?¡±

    Manipule stiffened her lip, but then her resistance broke with a heavy sigh. She turned to Cress and lowered her head. ¡°Sorry Crecerelle. I am taking out on you the frustrations I feel from the others.¡±

    Cress smiled with relief. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, Manipule. If I were a better leader things wouldn¡¯t have gotten so heated.¡±

    ¡°And people wouldn¡¯t be treating me like a child either, right?¡± Orseis interjected. ¡°Do I get an apology, too?¡±

    Cress¡¯ snakes rattled their tails as she look at the cuttle-girl. ¡°But you are a child.¡±

    ¡°Jerk.¡±

    Orseis flicked a small stick at Cress, which bounced harmlessly off of her armor.

    Cress scowled. ¡°We¡¯re still in a dangerous place, Ori. Do not mess around.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles around her head, impersonating a gorgon¡¯s as she sarcastically repeated Cress¡¯ words. Bel was impressed with the rapid change in color of the girl¡¯s tentacles ¨C at the end of each limb she even managed a pair of dots for eyes.

    Fortuit stepped forward, coincidentally stepping in between Cress and Orseis as she pointed towards the path ahead of them. ¡°Look. It seems that there is a change of scenery ahead of us.¡±

    Bel followed Fortuit¡¯s pointing and saw a brightly illuminated end to the current passageway. The contrast with their dim surroundings cleared some of the clouds from her mind, and Bel sped up her pace, running away from the gloom and the argument. She grabbed Orseis by the tentacle as she passed, providing a distraction to give the girl¡¯s emotions a chance to settle.

    Orseis sulked and dragged her feet, but once they emerged into a large, bright chamber her eyes opened wide with wonder. They were standing on a broken landing in front of a large opening. The canopy spread out below them, most of the trees forming a thick carpet of green below the glowing ceiling of the fourth layer. Some trees defied the rest, their crowns pushing past the constraints of canopy to rise up to and above Bel¡¯s current line of sight. Flowering vines trailed from their branches, waving like banners in the warm breeze. Bel smiled at the peaceful sight.

    ¡°We¡¯re about halfway home,¡± she declared. ¡°Isn¡¯t that great?¡±

    Orseis nodded enthusiastically, and she barely reacted when Cress joined them.

    ¡°I wonder what took a bite out of the Pillar, though?¡±

    Cress gestured to the edges of the chamber, where a ragged line marked the destruction of the former wall. ¡°It looks as though some impossible beast has taken a bite out of the tower¡¯s side. I thought that the Pillar¡¯s material was impossible to destroy.¡±

    Bel glanced guiltily at her gleaming nails.

    ¡°Well, mostly impossible,¡± Cress corrected.

    ¡°It was probably Technis,¡± Bel declared.

    ¡°You can¡¯t just blame him for everything,¡± Orseis complained.

    ¡°I think it was, though,¡± Bel insisted. ¡°Ripping the Pillar apart is definitely frowned upon by the pantheon, so you have to be pretty bold to do it. It would also take immense power.¡±

    ¡°This damage looks very old,¡± Cress noted skeptically. ¡°See how multiple layers of roots have grown and twisted over the rubble?¡±

    She pointed at a mound made from a stack of the Pillar¡¯s metal. It poked up from the center of a pile of bones. Some of them were so old that they¡¯d bleached white and looked to be turning into dust.

    ¡°I think that used to be a shelter of some kind too, but even without weather in here it has collapsed over time. It looks like it has been used as a nest since then, judging by all the bones scattered around it. If humans used this, it would have been hundreds ¨C or maybe thousands ¨C of years ago.¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°That still fits, since Technis was a vizier in the Third Dynasty. Their king funded lots of expeditions through the Labyrinthos and into the depths, and they set up plenty of teleportation temples along the way. We actually followed some of their old routes on our way down, I think.¡±

    Bel gestured to the gaping hole. ¡°The Third Dynasty grew downwards to avoid conflict with their neighbors until they¡¯d amassed overwhelming strength. Wouldn¡¯t a bunch of magic mystery metal be perfect if you were preparing for war?¡±

    Orseis shrugged her tentacles. ¡°Technis wasn¡¯t everywhere though.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°With his king¡¯s teleportation technology, he kind of was everywhere.¡±

    She knocked on her books¡¯ wooden carrying case. ¡°The writers are pretty sure that he picked up remote puppetry some time early, to make it safer to explore down here. That¡¯s what started him along the path of body stitching and reanimation.¡±

    Bel looked into the limitless forest below her and imagined Technis sitting safely in the tower, directing his bodies below, like a fat spider sitting in the center of a deadly web.

    The shifting sound of metal brought Bel back to reality. She glanced around to see that Escalope had drawn her sword. The armored warrior stared silently at the edge of the hole, waiting for something to arrive.

    Bel directed her senses outwards and detected a large group of hearts rapidly converging on their location, moving up the vine-covered exterior of the Pillar. She handed her books to Manipule and pointed the gorgon back towards the safety of the armored warrior.

    ¡°I guess talking time is over,¡± she sighed, ¡°and now it¡¯s fighting time again.¡±

 Chapter 128 â€“ Shadow Tails

    Bel cringed as Cress unleashed a small shriek to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Incoming!¡± she shouted, pointing to the breach in the Pillar¡¯s wall.

    The scrattes looked around, scratching their heads in confusion, until the gorgons dropped their bags and drew their weapons. Then the little green plant-people screeched and chattered with agitation before dropping their burdens and arming themselves with rocks and bits of twisted metal.

    Bel watched as a helmet stuffed full of a growing scratte rolled carelessly over the ground, momentarily forgotten. It looked like a succulent from the Golden Plains, a thick green stalk with four narrow tendrils branching from the main body. The tendrils had small splits on their ends, hinting at the possibility of fingers and toes.

    One of the limbs twitched and Bel felt a pang of sorrow for the little creature. She quickly stooped to turn it upright; or upside-down, since they seemed to grown head down and feet up. Manipule smiled broadly at Bel¡¯s charity, but Orseis only rolled her eyes as she hurried closer to the edge.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too close, Ori,¡± Bel called out. ¡°I sense a lot of hearts closing in on us.¡±

    Orseis jabbed her spear through the air. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta be up front if I want to get something to eat before the scrattes make a mess of everything.¡±

    Bel shook her head, but she didn¡¯t bother arguing with the walking, talking stomach. Instead she strode forward so she would be close enough to do something if the young girl was threatened.

    A few scrattes milled around them, still agitated, but increasingly confused since nothing had shown up.

    ¡°There!¡± Bel shouted, just as the first heartbeats slipped over the edge.

    She could feel the hearts thumping, but all she saw was a slight rustling of leaves.

    ¡°They¡¯re under the roots,¡± she cursed.

    With a flap of wings, several gorgons took to the air. Their timing was excellent: a moment later, a knee-high shadow burst from the ground and swatted a scratte over the edge with a swing of its tail. The little green person wailed piteously as it plummeted to its death.

    ¡°Tree rats! I hate these things!¡± Bel stomped her foot onto the ground and sent a shockwave through the nearest roots and underbrush. The air in front of her was filled with wood chips and a mist of shredded green as her power rippled through the growth down to the floor of the Pillar. One of the thick-tailed creatures burst into the open space and squeaked in surprise, but Orseis quickly ended it with a jab of her spear.

    Bel formed some of her armor into a small shield as she protectively covered Orseis. She risked a quick look around and saw a chaotic battle of tooth, nail, and tail as the tree rats and scrattes swarmed over one another. The gorgons were trying to use their powers against the troublesome rodents, but they refused to stay still long enough to make easy targets.

    Bel swept her hand out and liberated essence from any nearby threats. The powerful ability drained nearly half of her upheaval core, but it gave her an instant influx of energy and enough time to prepare her next move.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got just the solution to this,¡± Bel said. She reached up to her head, batted her plague serpent out of the way, and ran her hand along Flora¡¯s leafy body. ¡°It¡¯s your time to shine,¡± she told her mild-tempered spirit.

    Flora¡¯s flowers bloomed extravagantly as the serpent¡¯s body became liquid and melted into Bel¡¯s form. Their skin grew thick and woody as she was encased in bark, and she quickly shifted her armor into a narrow band that expanded with her trunk. Her feet burrowed into the root system around her, finding purchase in the loose soil that had been trapped in the chamber. It was a dark, nourishing soil formed from the gradual accumulation of organic matter over hundreds of years; her root¡¯s thirstily absorbed the nutrition to fuel her growth and soon her roots occupied an area five strides distant from her body.

    As the rodents burrowed past her, her roots struck, squeezing their furry bodies until they cracked and broke. Her roots expanded as she drank their essence and absorbed their bodies, and in just a minute the space around her was free of the furry attackers. She turned her attention to the rest of the chamber and realized that the rodents were in full retreat. Most of them scurried back over the edge, gripping onto the trailing roots as they rushed away from the sudden massacre. The scrattes howled in victory while the gorgons whooped and slammed their hands into their chests.

    The Belemental could still feel a few hearts though: a trio of larger rodents glared at her with hate-filled eyes.

    ¡°Who do they think they are?¡± Orseis asked from Bel¡¯s side. The cuttle-girl¡¯s body spun like a whirlpool as she hurled her spear with all her might.

    The creatures lifted their tails in a threatening display before their forms darkened and they shrank into the floor. The three of them disappeared, like shadows at night. Even the sounds of their heartbeats waned, muffled under a heavy cloak of darkness.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    With her line of sight broken and all sense of her targets gone, Orseis¡¯ spear plunged uselessly into the ground.

    Orseis began recalling her spear, but before the weapon could fully disintegrate into a cloud of dust one of the rodents burst out of the ground just a few strides away. Orseis held her tentacles protectively in front of her face and began shifting her colors to blend into the chaos of roots and leaves around her.

    The Belemental wove a shield of roots in front of her young friend, catching the oversized rodent before it could reach its target. The rodent screeched in rage and swung its heavy tail at the sudden impediment. Its tail struck like a heavy anchor, tearing through her roots as if they were straw, but she summoned more roots to slow it down before it could attack again.

    At that moment, two heartbeats sprang into existence from her sides. I¡¯m being ambushed, she realized.

    She swung her long wooden limbs in a frantic circle, warding off the biting terrors with her sharp, metallic claws, but one of the agile creatures ducked under her aimless strike and dove straight for her body. She shifted the metal of her armor to absorb the attack, and there was a terrible noise as incisors scraped over her impervious protection.

    The scrabbling claws of the nearest threat took too much attention for her to pay attention to the other two. With squeaks of triumph, they dodged around her roots and rushed at her exposed head and back.

    The Belemental saw them move in the corner of her vision, but she was busy grasping at the agile creature who had aborted its attack on her armored midsection to dance around her legs and gnaw through her unarmored roots with its razor sharp incisors.

    She feared that she would soon have her branches full of the beasts, but Cress swooped low and slammed her hammer into one of their skulls with a heavy thud. It hit the ground and bounced, kicking its legs frantically as it moved to right itself. Before it could find its balance though, Orseis dropped her camouflage and appeared next to it, jabbing her spear through its spine before it could react.

    The third rodent ducked low, dodging another flying gorgon. Its body bunched up as its muscles tensed for a powerful leap, and the Belemental tensed as well, ready for the attack. Before the rodent leaped, the scratte shaman threw its body onto the monster.

    The angry creature opened it¡¯s mouth and casually severed the shaman¡¯s arm, but rather than reacting with pain the shaman waved his other arm around and jabbered madly at the rodent. He appeared mad at first, but the rodent¡¯s eyes quickly swelled and pooled with blood. Its stomach ballooned grotesquely as it writhed in pain, and the Belemental wrapped a root around its neck to quickly guarantee its death. Then she turned her attention back to her remaining opponent.

    She didn¡¯t have to worry about any more distractions, so she swung her limbs at the last rodent with wild abandon, forcing it to keep moving as she wove a net of roots beneath its agile body. The creature must have sensed its impending doom: with a final defiant shriek, it launched itself at her face. She swatted it with a limb. Her nails tore into its flesh and she channeled a liquid shockwave through the hateful beast, crushing its spine and vital organs and killing it instantly. As she ripped the essence from its body she felt her cores swell to another threshold, the sense of growing chaotic beauty within her adding to her sense of satisfaction at the conclusion of the fight.

    In the moment of sudden calm after the frantic action, she spent a moment examining herself. Her leaves were torn and covered in ichor, and a good number of her roots were oozing sap, but otherwise she was in a nice spot. There was plenty of warm sunlight flowing in through the hole in the wall and the ground was rich with nutrients.

    The soil was a bit dry, yes, but the thick blood from the nearby corpses was helping with that.

    A bit salty, but it¡¯s not so bad.

    ¡°You planning to change back?¡± Orseis asked from her side.

    She looked down to see her small friend staring at her.

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad here.¡±

    Orseis threw up her tentacles with frustration. ¡°You¡¯re always like this when you turn into a tree! We¡¯re not here to relax!¡±

    She smiled and gently patted the little girl on the head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with relaxing?¡±

    ¡°See! That¡¯s what¡¯s wrong! Look at this mess!¡±

    The Belemental looked around her. The scrattes had lost a few of their numbers, but were more focused upon the bodies of the rodents. They were picking through them, replanting some of their larger sprouts into the rodent corpses. That reminded her of the shaman, who had given an arm defending her.

    She spun her head, scanning for the helpful scratte. When she found him, she saw that he was detaching the limb of a headless scratte and grafting it onto his missing arm.

    ¡°Clever,¡± she grinned. ¡°I wonder if that gave Technis any ideas.¡±

    ¡°How long will she stay like this?¡± Manipule asked.

    The Belemental looked down at her friends, surprised to see that they had all gathered around her. Actually, she was surrounded by scrattes too: the little plant people had queued up to give prayers and offer her small squirts of water from their water gourds.

    That¡¯s nice, she thought. I guess we must look a bit like Lempo when we¡¯re like this. Well, it can¡¯t hurt to let them feel a connection to the goddess.

    The pleasant feeling of water on her roots wasn¡¯t bad either.

    ¡°Hey Manipule,¡± she asked, ¡°can I have my books? I think I¡¯ll read while the scrattes do their religious stuff. I¡¯m pretty sure that I saw these animals in one of the appendixes, too.¡±

    Orseis wailed with frustration before stomping off to find something to stress eat.

    The Belemental shrugged and turned her attention back to her books. She rustled her leaves in delight as Manipule offered one up to her. She thanked the gorgon as she happily flipped through the pages.

    ¡°Ah!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Here they are! Shadow tails!¡±

    She carefully traced a drawing with one of her leaves. ¡°I wonder if Beth would be interested in them,¡± she mused.

    She nodded her head as she continued to read. ¡°Oh, apparently Technis tried to use them for rapid transportation when the king died and their portals stopped working. They weren¡¯t durable enough for the job, though, and they kept being eaten by some giant snakes or freezing in the snowy layer. Interesting.¡±

    She looked up and realized that no one was listening to her rambling. Manipule was at her side, but the gorgon was asleep. The only conscious people near her were the scrattes, and they were busy tending to their sprouts.

    ¡°Oh,¡± she said, disappointed. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s easy to lose track of time as a tree.¡±

 Chapter 129 â€“ A Most Foul Flock

    Bel slammed her fist into another goose-woman, a liquid shockwave messily separating the monster¡¯s head from the gray and white feathered body that Bel had impaled upon her spear. The woman¡¯s dark eyes stared at Bel with malevolence even as the life drained out of them, and Bel suppressed a shudder. She felt no remorse; the dark-haired women were malice incarnate.

    Bel¡¯s group of scrattes and gorgons had found the flock of fowl women in the middle of a shallow pond that filled the floor of a vast room. She had attempted to broker a peaceful passage across the lake, but the women had responded with immediate bloodlust. In that first encounter, Bel¡¯s group had retreated from the ferocity of the flock¡¯s attack. Their front line of scrattes had been reduced to a green sludge by powerful shrieks and honks, and they had only escaped further losses because the territorial flock of half-goose women decided to stop and dine upon the scrattes¡¯ flesh rather than pursue. Even Orseis had been repulsed by their messy eating.

    They needed to cross the room to continue their ascent, so a second battle was unavoidable. For their second attack, Cress organized a small group of gorgons, with Orseis and a few scrattes forming a wall of spears to keep the flock at bay. Cress used her ability to solidify the air around them, suppressing the flock¡¯s main method of attack, firmly shifting the odds to their favor. Bel had mistakenly thought that the women would let their group past once they realized that their powerful voices had been negated, but it only seemed to drive them into a mindless fury. So now Bel was stabbing and punching the half-women to death.

    Orseis made a noise of disgust. ¡°This is taking forever, and those human heads at the ends of their long necks are going to give me nightmares. Why don¡¯t you turn into magma Bel and hit them with some fireballs?¡±

    Bel shook her head and then jabbed her spear at a low-flying goose-woman. The baleful creature twisted in midair to avoid Bel¡¯s attack and uncoiled her neck to snap at Orseis with a mouth full of serrated teeth. Cress leaped into the air and swung her hammer, knocking the goose into the shallow water where another gorgon quickly froze her in place. Orseis finished her off with a quick jab of her divine spear.

    That gave them a moment of respite as the rest of the flock retreated to circle above them. ¡°Too much water for Sparky,¡± Bel answered after catching her breath. She had to shout to be heard through Cress¡¯ sound suppression, and her voice only came out as a whisper. ¡°And there¡¯s no soil for Flora to burrow her roots. She wouldn¡¯t like it.¡±

    Orseis glanced at the plague serpent, who was wriggling energetically around Bel¡¯s neck. ¡°What about the new one?¡±

    Bel could practically hear the dangerous serpent whispering into her thoughts. Choose me!

    ¡°You know my snakes affect my state of mind. My plague snake is too risky.¡±

    Merge with me and I will destroy our enemies!

    Bel ignored the untrustworthy spirit¡¯s intrusive thoughts.

    ¡°She stopped trying to bite you, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    Bel snorted. ¡°Only after she met Lempo.¡±

    At the goddess¡¯ name, the plague serpent muted her overeager killing thoughts, but Bel could still feel her tongue flicking eagerly.

    At least she has some self-preservation instincts, Bel thought, even if her self-control is lacking.

    Bel watched Orseis throw her spear into the circling flock and was reminded that her serpent wasn¡¯t the only one with poor self-control. At Orseis¡¯ distance, the flying women anticipated the trajectory of her attack and batted the spear aside with powerful blasts of air. They cackled and honked with glee before descending for another attack.

    ¡°Wait until you see the darks of their eyes,¡± Cress scolded. The experienced warrior glared at the geese, hoping to petrify one of them before they reached melee range.

    Bel tightened her grip on her weapon and stared into the eyes of the geese-women. They were sentient, but they couldn¡¯t resist staring at Bel¡¯s group with expressions of hate and hunger. It made them easy targets for the gorgon¡¯s gaze abilities, and if there weren¡¯t so damn many of them the fight would have already been over. A trio of petrified or paralyzed women plunged into the water before the flock came close enough to snap at Bel¡¯s group with their teeth, and the cycle began again.

    It took two more passes of the angry flock before the bird-women finally decided to yield the small body of water to the gorgons and scrattes. They screeched indignantly and defecated overhead before spiraling higher and exiting the Pillar through a small hole a hundred strides above the floor. Bel stared unhappily at the turds they left floating in the water. The scrattes were completely unbothered by the filth and rushed to the nearest body. They began plucking its feathers with glee.

    Cress nodded with satisfaction. ¡°I will tell the rest of the group that it is safe. We should pass through here quickly before these foul creatures return.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    The rest of the gorgons nodded in agreement, and Cress flapped her wings to fly over the polluted water, sending a spray of water over the rest of the group.

    Orseis desperately wiped at her body with her tentacles.

    ¡°Those bird women are the worst,¡± Orseis moaned.

    ¡°Worse than that annoying garuda?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°How about reanimated Crystal?¡±

    Orseis shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re the one who had to fight her, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Nebamon?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I hate that guy. So glad he¡¯s dead.¡± The cuttle-girl¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t think Technis would revive him too, do you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Bel grimaced.

    ¡°Well, Technis can do just about anything, so I guess he could if he wanted to.¡±

    Bel tilted her head towards the bodies and the ever-widening circle of feathers and gore. ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯d better grab some essence before the scrattes pluck all of the bodies and turn them into planters.¡±

    Orseis hurried after Bel, distrustfully prodding the bodies with the tips of her tentacles to extract their essence. After pulling the essence from three of them, Bel spent a few moments poking around at the core¡¯s abilities before emptying its essence.

    ¡°That was another threshold,¡± Bel announced.

    ¡°Wow, you sound so excited. I guess all this power is boring, huh?¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes at Orseis¡¯ sarcasm. She turned to say something snide to her companion, but laughed when she saw Manipule coming to join them. The clever gorgon was freezing the water beneath her to avoid walking through a slurry of filth.

    ¡°Are you both safe?¡± Manipule asked as she skated over to them. She gave them a once-over, clearly unwilling to trust their self-evaluations. ¡°You are both filthy,¡± she complained with a wrinkled nose.

    Bel quickly stepped onto Manipule icy path, glad to get out of the disgusting water. Her lips curled with disgust as she watched brown water drip from her clothing. ¡°This is typical for us, right?¡± Bel glumly replied.

    Manipule¡¯s snakes flicked their tongues with dissatisfaction. ¡°You have been very negative since this morning. It is not good.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Orseis piled on, ¡°you¡¯ve been extra grumpy. What¡¯s bothering you now? Are you still mad that James isn¡¯t calling?¡±

    Bel quickly brushed her hand against her silent earring before shaking off their concerns with a wave of her hand. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you complaining about advancing your core?¡± Orseis asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining,¡± Bel scowled.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not excited.¡±

    Bel make a rude noise with her lips, but Manipule clapped a hand over her mouth to interrupt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t teach the child strange habits,¡± she scolded. ¡°Now act like an adult gorgon and tell us what is wrong.¡±

    Bel flushed with embarrassment. Manipule was right, she was acting like Orseis.

    ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t think growing a few more thresholds is going to matter against Technis.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Clark was out-planning us in the underworld, and his body wasn¡¯t even there. And he¡¯s not even a fraction of Technis¡¯ age and craftiness! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to get any smarter or wiser before I have to fight him.¡±

    Manipule smiled. ¡°That is why you talk to others about your problems, Bel. When many gorgons put our heads together we are smarter than when we are alone, right? So what are you really worried about?¡±

    Bel hesitated, feeling that speaking all of her worries would be like shoving her problems at someone else. Then she realized that Orseis and Manipule, and all of the gorgons and scrattes, were already mixed up in her problems.

    I¡¯m being silly.

    Bel pointed at the wooden box of books that Manipule carried for her. ¡°I finished volume two and started on volume three. They¡¯re getting scary.¡±

    Manipule tilted her head. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Technis and Durak worked together, apparently,¡± Bel explained. ¡°Durak is the god of retribution that my sister, Beth, follows. He ascended, but Technis suppressed his powers somehow, staying behind.¡±

    Orseis shrugged her tentacles. ¡°So what? We already knew that he was near godhood anyway. So was the Dark Ravager, and Kjar cooked him like a quick snack.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Durak and Technis started working together when some elf conquered the continent and destroyed the third dynasty. They didn¡¯t just survive, they actively fought against the newcomers for hundreds of years. Technis eventually betrayed Durak because he was an asshole even before making Satrap, but he still has hundreds of years of experience fighting as an insurgent struggling against a stronger force.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes wriggled unhappily with her agitation. ¡°When the elf ascended, he took the eastern side of the land back from the fourth dynasty. Then he put up his Barrier and disrupted their weather and used strategic attacks to destabilize the entire country. The people of the Golden Plains are all that was left after he was done with them.¡±

    ¡°So he¡¯s a bad guy,¡± Orseis said.

    Bel threw up her hands when she saw that Orseis and Manipule weren¡¯t getting the problem. ¡°We¡¯re not going to outsmart or surprise him. He¡¯s been fighting wars for more than a century. This is just the same old stuff for him.¡±

    Manipule smiled again. ¡°Then we must do something that he would never expect.¡±

    Bel quirked an eyebrow. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Working together with others,¡± she replied slyly. ¡°Would he not have overthrown the fourth dynasty more quickly if he had not betrayed Durak?¡±

    Bel tilted her head, thinking about it. ¡°I guess so.¡±

    Manipule nodded. ¡°In the Free City, I worked with a manager like that. He was very smart, always knew best, always stood behind you and controlled every step you took. Always left a disaster when he walked away.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Satrap wasn¡¯t a disaster though.¡±

    ¡°You visited the Free City, and so did Technis. But you have told us that Satrap was full of disease and waste filled the streets. How did Satrap compare to the Free City?¡±

    Bel opened her mouth and paused. ¡°Well, I guess Satrap was primitive in comparison. He did bring in some weapons from the Old World, but he didn¡¯t do anything to improve the cities. I don¡¯t think that bothered Technis, though, it isn¡¯t like he was living there.¡±

    Manipule nodded. ¡°Technis is so big and smart and knows best but he cannot even copy better cities that he has seen. With less disease he would have ten times more followers, but cannot be bothered to help? I am not impressed.¡±

    Bel chuckled at the thought of Manipule scolding a demigod. ¡°James would call that micro-managing. It means messing around with small things and forgetting big, important things.¡±

    She took a deep breath. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, Manipule. If he doesn¡¯t trust anyone else then he¡¯s wasting time looking over shoulders and controlling everything. And I can¡¯t imagine lots of people tell him that he¡¯s wrong about something. We just have to figure out how to exploit that.¡±

 Chapter 130 â€“ Interlude: A Micro Managing Jerk

    On her morning walk to the coffee shop, Kate had seen a hawk pluck a sparrow from a tree. The tiny bird made a pitiful ruckus before the hawk killed it, a futile protest of its inevitable fate. She felt about the same ¨C trapped in a conference room, watching Mr. Highland read through her report with a speed so impressively slow that Kate thought she might die before he finished the seven pages of two-column text. Grad students were supposed to do research, not sit around watching old guys read papers.

    ¡°You have an error in the text on the third paragraph of page three,¡± the man informed her. ¡°The word ¡®the¡¯ has been spelled ¡®teh¡¯.¡±

    Kate forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll fix it.¡±

    Her eyes glimmered with hope. ¡°Do you want me to go get my laptop? I could work on the write-up as you give me fixes.¡±

    He paused and blankly stared at her. His eyes were unfocused like he had stepped out and left his body behind. A few long heartbeats later he snapped back to life. ¡°No. You will fix your mistakes on your own time.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± she sighed.

    Kate squeezed her hands together under the conference room¡¯s table, suppressing the instinct to scream. Maybe if her advisor hadn¡¯t abandoned her, Kate could have made an excuse and slipped out anyway.

    Maybe I could tell him that I have to go to the bathroom. Then I could grab my laptop and hide in there until he leaves.

    She looked at her source of funding, an old man with a ruddy complexion and cloudy blue eyes. He held his head and back perfectly straight as lifted the paper to his face.

    Or maybe I could just tell him that this is a waste of time.

    She almost opened her mouth to say something, but she didn¡¯t. There was a strange intensity to him that gave him an intimidating aura. Besides, he was also her sole source of funding. Getting into a fight with him because she¡¯d been forced to spend an hour or two in the meeting room would be stupid.

    Maybe if I had more of a spine that wouldn¡¯t hold me back.

    Mr. Highland¡¯s money and interest had started the project, but that didn¡¯t mean he owned it. Kate technically worked for the university, and even if the weird guy threw a tantrum and took his toys home she was confident that she could recreate everything. That¡¯s what she knew was the correct response when Mr. Highland demanded that they delay publication, even if her advisor waved if off with a chuckle, describing it as a rich man¡¯s eccentricity.

    If Professor Gardner had done her job then Kate would have had ample sources of alternative funding. As it was, Kate suspected that her advisor wanted to get even more money from Mr. Highland so she could support more students without winning any grants. Professor Gardner didn¡¯t seem to care that the rich man was creepy enough to star in his own horror movie.

    His focus drifted like he was on hallucinogens, and his chemical smell reminded Kate of the cleaning supply closet. He clothes never changed, and Kate noticed that they were never cleaned either. His black shoes had been sporting the same three spots that had been there since someone splashed a bit of creamer weeks ago. The man refused to use email ¨C or any electronics ¨C instead insisting that everything be printed out for him to read.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°In figure three you have labelled two of the lines identically. Event two appears twice in the key.¡± He looked up at her as though her were delivering something profound. ¡°One of the lines must be from event three instead.¡±

    ¡°Must be,¡± Kate agreed. ¡°Speaking of that data, since we can¡¯t predict when the high-signal events will occur I would really like to get more antennae deployed. It¡¯s not quite triangulation since we aren¡¯t dealing with something that can be fully explained with three dimensional physical, but we can localize the events if I¨C¡±

    ¡°There is no rush,¡± he cut her off. ¡°You need to make more progress on the signal processing and transmission problems. Taking time to deploy more¨C¡±

    Kate ground her teeth. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be taking any time,¡± she interrupted, but the man continued speaking as if she hadn¡¯t said a thing.

    ¡°¨Cantennae would distract you from your current project. Two antennae are sufficient to test your experimental multi-dimensional transmissions. I will provide more hardware as it becomes necessary.¡±

    Kate took a deep breath before replying. ¡°I just need to send some information to some of the guys in the wireless lab and they can whip up some an extra antenna or two. We don¡¯t know anything about these signals: wouldn¡¯t it be worth it to study their source? If this is really an interaction with another spatial dimension there could be a lot of interesting research to be done.¡±

    Mr. Highland stared at her with glazed over, unblinking eyes. They he came back to life and frowned at her suggestion. ¡°Your lack of focus is the reason for your lack of progress. You must work on energy transmission.¡±

    I¡¯d be working on that right now if you weren¡¯t wasting my time with stupid typos! she screamed in her head. God, I hope he doesn¡¯t think that he¡¯ll be able to send messages to his dead wife.

    ¡°Okay, fine,¡± she said aloud. ¡°I¡¯ll make more progress on that part. You eager to tell the friendly inter-dimensional aliens a few jokes?¡±

    She was hoping for him to acknowledge the joke, or talk about how seriously he took her research, or even admit that he wanted to talk to his dead family members, but instead he stared through her without any reaction. A few seconds later he nodded. ¡°Good. Now, with no more interruption, I will complete my assessment of your current results.¡±

    What a micro-managing jerk, she groaned internally. At least acknowledge that I¡¯m talking with you!

    Kate came to a decision: she wasn¡¯t going to wait for her new hardware. Matt would absolutely love to make more receivers, and she would absolutely love to know where the signals originated before she blasted noise back at them. Anyway, it would be a great way to spend more time him.

    Boom, work and pleasure, two birds with one stone. And maybe Matt and I can publish together, and then we¡¯ll go and get tenure at the same university together. Or maybe we¡¯ll go on an adventure searching for the source of these interdimensional signals.

    She daydreamed about that while she waited for Mr. Highland¡¯s next complaint.

    We would be like Grant and Sattler in Jurassic Park, she thought with a grin. Although without the dinosaurs. And I¡¯m probably only detecting the decay of extra-dimensional particles, or maybe oscillations of branes across a contorted spacetime manifold. Interdimensional dinosaurs would be cool though.

    ¡°You have placed an unnecessary period at the end of the last sentence in the fifth paragraph on page four,¡± Mr. Highland stated, pulling her back to her painful reality. ¡°Your lack of attention to details in these regards makes me question the fidelity of your work.¡±

    Kate groaned internally, but she did her best to keep up a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to work extra-hard to run my spell-check before I print out the next version for you,¡± she answered with sarcasm. It went right over his head ¨C as Kate knew it would ¨C and he nodded with satisfaction.

 Chapter 131 â€“ A Kick-Ass Gorgon with Magical Powers

    ¡°I think we¡¯re close to the surface,¡± Bel declared. ¡°The layer after all of the lava stuff is smaller than the rest. We¡¯ll just have to climb through some caverns to get out.¡±

    She tilted her head as she remembered her escape from Satrap. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll have to tunnel through some rock too, if there aren¡¯t any open tunnels to the surface.¡±

    Bel had meant to say something to raise their spirits, but the other gorgons groaned. They rubbed at aching legs and stiff shoulders and passed around a flask of their dangerously strong drinks.

    Bel leaned close to Cress and whispered, ¡°leading seems tough.¡±

    Cross chuckled and nodded. ¡°Yeah, well, the stronger gravity is getting us down. We¡¯ll get used to it soon.¡±

    She glanced at the army of scrattes that surrounded them. ¡°Other things we may never get used to.¡±

    The number of scrattes following them had grown. Every time they encountered another group of the saggy-fleshed green people, Lempo¡¯s shaman would challenge their leaders to a fight. After winning and, Bel assumed, showing the superiority of his path, the shaman would merge the new group with his current followers. The scrattes didn¡¯t quite have a language, as far as Bel could understand, so Bel didn¡¯t know if the rest of the scrattes knew what they were doing or where they were going, but they all fell in line behind the shaman and didn¡¯t give the gorgons any trouble.

    That was all ¡°normal,¡± at least from the gorgons¡¯ perspectives. It was their method of reproduction that Bel¡¯s fellow gorgons had trouble accepting. Seeds were planted in corpses and replanted in larger corpses, eventually leading to full-grown bodies buried up to their shoulders in dead flesh.

    And then they withered and sickened. Their roots grew a thick hair over their bodies, as though they were searching for more liquid. Their muscles withered, making their skin loose and baggy. Finally, their parents plucked them and they wailed in agony. The process was still ongoing, and at least once a minute another one would add its screaming voice to the chorus of misery that echoed through the chamber.

    Bel popped to her feet. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go for a walk,¡± she declared.

    ¡°Please, yes,¡± Orseis joined in. ¡°All this noise makes me feel as if a pod of dolphins has me cornered in a crevice.¡±

    As Manipule rose to her feet as well, several of the gorgons frowned. They glanced disapprovingly between Manipule and Escalope. The armored gorgon stood tirelessly nearby, but she wouldn¡¯t leave Fortuit¡¯s side. The other gorgons clearly thought that Manipule shouldn¡¯t be taking her egg away from the powerful protector¡¯s reach.

    Cress sighed and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll come too.¡±

    The other gorgons hesitated, but they shrugged and went back to drinking.

    Bel shook her head and grabbed one of the small, glowing orbs that they had taken from an unlucky group of dhvaras and walked towards the unexplored path upwards. She waited to say anything until they marched out of the room and into a small, spiralling ramp that would continue their way to the surface. ¡°The other gorgons are being jerks, Cress.¡±

    Crecerelle rubbed at her temples as if she was trying to find a way to release the pressure building up inside. A few of her snakes rattled with pent up frustration.

    ¡°They are jerks,¡± Manipule piled on. ¡°Just because I am carrying an egg, they have all decided that I can no longer think for myself.¡±

    Cress squeezed her head and groaned. ¡°Look, I¡¯m trying, okay? But I can¡¯t make them change their habits at the flick of a tongue. I used to try to want everyone to change instantly, but that didn¡¯t work very well. Everyone¡¯s still worried about getting killed and eaten and the scrattes are freaking them out.¡±

    Bel gave her a consoling pat on the shoulder. ¡°James told me a few stories about the Old World. People often give up things they like if someone promises them safety.¡±

    Orseis snorted. ¡°Sounds like a wimpy way of thinking.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°James would always say that things aren¡¯t black and white.¡±

    The group was silent for a moment as they considered Bel¡¯s words. I must sound pretty smart, she thought to herself.

    ¡°How can things be black and white?¡± Cress finally asked. ¡°Like, obviously I turn black and white at the same time, but what does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Bel hesitated.

    ¡°Like night and day, maybe?¡± Manipule guessed.

    Orseis rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s another one of her stupid sayings from the Old World. It¡¯s probably referring to football or pizza or the Internet.¡±

    Bel grimaced. ¡°Never mind the Old World expression, let¡¯s talk about the scrattes instead. I wonder what they¡¯ll look like if their young grow properly on the surface?¡±

    ¡°Slightly less ugly?¡± Orseis guessed.

    ¡°I worry more about the fighting than their reproduction up there,¡± Cress said. ¡°The scrattes are surprisingly good at following simple directions, but they fall back to swarm tactics when they¡¯re surprised. If Technis¡¯ forces are organized we may have problems.¡±

    Orseis flexed her tentacles. ¡°Bel says that they¡¯re weak. We¡¯ll roll right through ¡¯em.¡±

    Bel bopped her on the head. ¡°I said that their cores were probably weaker than what you would expect. Technis¡¯ inquisitors are strong though, and his people have guns and other technology. They aren¡¯t used to fighting gorgons or scrattes though.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    She tried to remember Beth¡¯s lessons. ¡°We¡¯ll want to strike quickly once we reach the surface. Technis dropped his Barrier so he could launch a surprise attack upon the Golden Plains, but that means his armies are fighting the Alliance and the Golden Plains at the same time. The cities behind the front lines should be open to attack.¡±

    Bel slammed a fist into her open hand, making a satisfyingly loud sound. ¡°If we could take out the forges at Hammerstrike or sink the fishing boats at Baytown we could cripple their war effort. There are only a food good routes through Satrap as well, so destroying one of the canals is also an option. Then we retreat to a local town, seize it from his forces, and dig in for a long siege.¡±

    Cress blinked at her, clearly surprised. ¡°You kept saying that you didn¡¯t have a plan. I thought we were going to meet up with your mother¡¯s priests.¡±

    ¡°I still want to do that too, and I don¡¯t really have a plan,¡± Bel complained. ¡°That¡¯s just stuff I picked up from Beth. I don¡¯t know where we¡¯re going to be when we get out of here, so I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to pull any of that off.¡±

    ¡°This is typical Bel behavior,¡± Orseis said with a wave of her tentacles. ¡°Whine and complain about stuff, and then pull something crazy out of her¨C¡±

    Manipule poked the small girl in the side with a finger coated in ice, cutting her off before she could utter an unapproved word. Orseis shrieked indignantly and wrapped her body in tentacles. ¡°So cold! That isn¡¯t even a bad word!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bad enough,¡± Manipule scolded. ¡°And I need to make up for all the time you have spent without good supervision.¡±

    Bel cringed. Manipule had never confronted her about it, but she could only assume that the other gorgon held Bel partially responsible for Orseis¡¯ bad manners. She was thankfully saved from defending herself when Cress stepped forward and hefted her hammer.

    ¡°Wait. There is something ahead.¡± Cress¡¯ snakes rattled as she peered into the darkness.

    Bel looked up the tunnel and saw that it stopped climbing in a few strides before widening into a larger space. Although Bel couldn¡¯t see the full extent of the area, she could tell from Kjar¡¯s sight that the ceiling was crowded with something small and evil.

    ¡°We should return and get the others,¡± Cress said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not,¡± Bel replied. ¡°The swarm reminds me of Clark¡¯s birds. One of Technis¡¯ inquisitors could be using them to alert them of our arrival.¡±

    ¡°So you want to go around them?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯ll take care of them myself. That way, the inquisitors won¡¯t know how large a group we¡¯ve put together.¡±

    She grinned. ¡°Or maybe they¡¯ll think I¡¯m alone.¡±

    Cress and Manipule frowned, but Orseis waved cheerfully.

    ¡°If they look delicious, bring some back for me,¡± the cuttle-girl demanded.

    Bel tossed their light source to the cuttle-girl and pulled her spear from her back. Then she took off her nice clothes, dropped her bag, and liquified her armor and manipulated the metal into a thin layer of protection that covered most of her body. Then she took the small light back and formed a holder for it with the metal on her shoulder so she could keep both hands free.

    ¡°They¡¯ll probably be something gross, Ori, but I¡¯ll bring you anything that looks good,¡± she promised.

    She strode resolutely into the larger chamber and took a moment to examine the creatures and whatever else waited for her. Her light did little to illuminate the wider area, but she could see that the tunnel extended at least a hundred strides in either direction. The floor was filled with loose dirt ¨C or probably guano, she realized.

    That would explain the smell.

    The ceiling was high enough to be shrouded in near darkness, but she could still detect the creatures through Kjar¡¯s abilities. She didn¡¯t have to wait long for the creatures to react to her presence. They dropped from the ceiling like synchronized dancers, and from the squeaks and the rustling of their leathery wings Bel identified them as bats.

    The long, scorpion-like tails that trailed behind them were distinctly not bat-like however.

    I guess Technis isn¡¯t distracted enough to leave these caves unwatched. I wonder if there are any of the original bats left, or if he used them all up to create these things?

    Bel tensed for a fight and tracked all of the tiny hearts swirling above her. The first time she¡¯d been attacked by a swarm of stitched-together creatures she had cowered under Nebamon and Rikja as her captors fought them off. She had come a long way since then.

    I¡¯m not afraid of you punks, she thought, I¡¯m a kick-ass gorgon with magical powers!

    The bats descended like a crashing wave, hundreds of them filling the space above her. Bel reached out to their cores and mercilessly killed them all with liberate essence. Bodies fell like rain around her, some bouncing from her armored back.

    Bel caught one as it fell past and examined the creature. The tail was stitched on, as she¡¯d suspected, and the bat sported a jaw three sizes too large for its head. A strip of quills lined its back, extracted from a third creature and grafted on. Bel dropped the body with disgust.

    The stuff Technis makes is way worse than any strange things my mother¡¯s done. I don¡¯t understand why someone didn¡¯t stick a knife in this guy¡¯s back before he got so powerful.

    A second swarm of the stitched-together bats flew in from another part of the tunnels and converged over Bel¡¯s head. They circled once and then descended, and Bel ripped the essence from their cores just as she¡¯d done with the first group.

    I guess it¡¯s good that no one is paying attention. If someone intelligent were directing these things, they wouldn¡¯t so easy to kill.

    As the sounds of falling bodies faded, Bel heard a shuffling noise. She turned to face the new threat and saw a small herd of a few dozen downy, sailbacked lizards. They were the same creatures who had blocked her retreat when Nebamon¡¯s group had lead her into an ambush set by one of Technis¡¯ enforcers. Their bodies were covered in spines and claws and extra heads, but Bel thought that their numbers were more threatening than their abilities.

    She liquified her armor, pulling the metal over her head and sealing herself inside, leaving some holes for breathing. She kept the joints liquid as she advanced, and used her sense of their hearts to stab her spear through the first of them. As she retracted the spear and jabbed it into the second body, she was jostled to the side when one of them clamped its jaws around her leg.

    She swung the butt of her spear to knock it away and blindly scrambled back a few steps, tripping and fumbling over the mountain of corpses she¡¯d left behind. How can Escalope see anything with all of her armor? Actually, how could she see anything when her head got cut off?

    Bel kicked another lizard away and broke free of the throng.

    Even if her armor was stronger than the lizard¡¯s bite, she realized that they could still knock her over and smother her. It didn¡¯t sound like a good way to die, so she kept her distance as she speared the slow-moving lizards one by one. As she finished off the last of them, she became aware of a jolting that moved through the floor and up her legs. She moved the metal from her helmet down so she could see again, but the cause of the shaking wasn¡¯t clear.

    ¡°Hey, Bel,¡± Cress called out from the entrance to the tunnel, ¡°how are things going up here?¡± She looked around at the corpses that now filled the floor. ¡°We thought someone was making explosions.¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I think it¡¯s just something big.¡±

    She waved the other gorgon back. ¡°I¡¯ve got this, you go watch Orseis and Manipule.¡±

    Cress opened her mouth, shrugged, and went back down the passageway.

    Bel rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck as she waited for whatever planned to challenge her next.

 Chapter 132 â€“ The Patchwork Hellipede

    The patchwork bats and lizards hadn¡¯t challenged her, but her next foe sounded like angry thunder as it stormed down the tunnels. Bel was looking forward to the fight.

    Killing the bloodthirsty dhvaras or backstabbing garuda or the disturbing goose women didn¡¯t fill her with any satisfaction. Fighting Technis and his creations? She had been born for it.

    A hideous creature was illuminated by her orb as it tore down the tunnel, flinging corpses of bats and lizards as it kicked its ¨C Bel had troubling counting them at first ¨C six pairs of legs.

    Bel¡¯s snakes hissed as the monstrosity ground to a halt, churning through corpses and guano. She inspected the patchwork person, quickly assessing it to be as dangerous as the one who ambushed Nebamon¡¯s group when she was being taken out of Satrap. Its body was made of three separate riding lizards stitched together, with a human¡¯s head stitched on top of a thick lizard neck. As if its maker had gotten that far and then decided it wasn¡¯t horrible enough, they had also attached six heads taken from the bodies of the geese women. They sprouted from its shoulders, hissing and spitting in some terrible mockery of a gorgon¡¯s snakes.

    Like all of Technis¡¯ patchwork creations, its biology was questionable. Bel could feel three hearts heaving in its chests, and she couldn¡¯t begin to imagine how it digested its food, or even what it could eat. It could vaporize its food and inhaled it like the strange creature from the underworld for all she cared. How it lived didn¡¯t matter, only how it would die. It was large and dangerous and an excellent test of her new abilities.

    Bel stood tall before it, her body tensed as she prepared to move at its first sign of aggression.

    A pair of its thick lizard legs kicked through the guano laden ground, thickening the cloying scent of ammonia that hung heavy in the air. Bel was close enough to see the dark stains on his sharpened teeth as its human head sneered down at her from twice her height. She stared back defiantly as he spit to the side.

    ¡°So Lempo¡¯s little doll has found her way back to us,¡± he snickered with a surprisingly human voice. His extra heads look around her, their eyes wide and glassy.

    ¡°But you are all alone.¡± His statement was echoed by hisses from his other heads. The effect would have been scary if Bel hadn¡¯t spent time with her mother; as it was, the patchwork person was a drop of water to Lempo¡¯s ocean of insanity.

    He peered down the side passage while his extra heads craned to peer in different directions. ¡°Or perhaps you are hiding your little friends. How many gorgons did Clark leave alive?¡±

    ¡°Clark?¡± Bel replied brightly. ¡°Is he around?¡±

    She jabbed her spear through the air. ¡°If he is, I¡¯d like to finish you off quickly so I can take care of him.¡±

    ¡°You dare¨C¡±

    Bel pounced, aiming for the smooth wall of the wide tunnel and dodging away just as the creature struck with several spiraling drills of rapidly spinning dirt. The ability had struck without visible warning, but Bel had felt a sudden shift in the creature¡¯s heartbeat just before it struck.

    As she hurtled past, her patchwork foe swung his foreleg at her. Bel¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of claws that carried a darkness deeper than the surrounding shadows. She twisted her body around the suspicious talons, wary of testing an unknown attack with her body. The shadows on his claws stretched out, but her slightly liquid form allowed her to curve unnaturally away from them, and an instant later she shot past the front of his body.

    She struck the wall feet first, grunting with effort as she absorbed the impact with her legs as she twisted to face another direction. She pounced a second time, leaping towards the ceiling and dodging a second spray of high velocity pebbles. The stones struck the wall behind her with the sound of a hailstorm and from the corner of her eye Bel could see the air filling with dust from the instantly powdered projectiles.

    As Bel¡¯s momentum compressed her against the ceiling, the patchwork person¡¯s long-necked heads whipped around, hissing angrily. Bel pounced a third time, aiming straight for the creature¡¯s back. She braced her arms with her armor as she used her momentum and gravity to stab her spear into the creature¡¯s tough hide. There was a moment of resistance when the lizard¡¯s scales refused to yield, but the force of her attack prevailed; the tip of her spear pierced through and sank a hand span deep into her foe¡¯s flesh.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    The long-necked heads honked with fury, but Bel wasn¡¯t going to wait around for them to use any abilities. She retracted her liquid armor to leave her arms and legs free and activated mirror essence.

    A wave of weakness rolled through her, but Bel clung to her spear, anchoring herself to her foe¡¯s back. The heads sensed her moment of weakness and lunged towards her, but recoiled from the outflow of poisoned essence that streamed from her core. There would be no escape for them, Bel would make sure of that. She twisted her spear free, loosing a small spray of blood, and charged the heads of the thrashing creature.

    Some of them had adjusted to her poisoned essence and snapped at her, but Bel planted her feet and stopped just short of their wicked teeth. Beth had never drilled her with a spear, so in the sudden flurry of battle Bel fell back upon her staff training, planting her feet carefully as she swung her spear in wide arcs, battering and slashing the ability-deprived heads rather than dispatching them with precise jabs.

    Her awkward form didn¡¯t matter. She had the advantage now.

    The patchwork creature wasn¡¯t natural, bound together as it was with thread and abilities. It was never meant to function without a constant application of essence. Blood poured from the eyes of the monster¡¯s heads ever before Bel struck them, and seeped through the seams between its parts as its body thrashed. Its human head howled in frustration as it attempted to buck her off, but the stitched-together lizard bodies struggled to move in tandem, rocking her back and forth rather than tossing her.

    When the last of the six extra heads flopped weakly against the beast¡¯s side it panicked and rolled its entire body. Bel ran in the opposite direction, leaping from its back before it could crush her. She rolled along the gritty, guano-thickened ground, her responses made awkward from the lack of abilities. Her mirrored essence was thickest around her own cores, and she felt a gut churning sense of vertigo as she tumbled.

    Her body complained, but she still had work to do. Bel scrambled over the ground, forcing herself back to her feet.

    She couldn¡¯t afford to let the patchwork beast get away from her. Bel guessed that prolonged exposure to her ability would kill it, but it could recover at a distance. And even if it¡¯s death was inevitable, it could still take her down with some long-ranged ability, so Bel forced her straining muscles back to work and charged the overturned beast.

    She could hear its human head cursing her as it struggled to right itself, but its back section had bumped into the edge of the tunnel and wedged itself against the wall. While it managed to turn its front section upright, its segments were twisted and the belly of its midsection was lifted slightly, exposing its vulnerable underside. Bel charged for the white underbelly of the middle segment.

    She dodged around a flailing foot, steering clear of its heavy claws. She positioned herself near its rib cage and jabbed her spear into its body with all of her strength.

    Her knowledge of lizard anatomy proved lacking and the spear glanced off of a bone rather than piercing through flesh, drawing only blood and howl¡¯s of rage. Bel dropped the spear as she ducked under a flailing limb, drawing her dagger as she eyed the vulnerable belly. The short blade made the close-in work simple, and Bel repeatedly stabbed it through the gaps in the creature¡¯s ribs, stabbing until she was certain that she¡¯d hit something important. Then, for good measure, she moved to the abdomen and split it open, spilling guts and blood onto the floor.

    Without the feeling of the essence around her, Bel couldn¡¯t tell if the creature had expired. Rather than wildly stabbing a corpse, she picked up her spear and carefully marched around to its head to investigate. She was surprised to see that the face was still moving, gasping for breath like a fish on land.

    ¡°How could you even breath in enough air for this big body?¡± Bel looked at the dead heads hanging limply from the creature¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Ah, is that why you had all the extras?¡±

    The face swelled with anger, but the patchwork person didn¡¯t have the strength to respond. Bel considered for a moment releasing her ability before killing him, but Beth had trained her too well to avoid those kinds of stupid risks. Instead, she quickly finished him by slashing with her knife, cutting through his neck. After waiting for enough blood to flow that she was certain of his demise she finally released her ability.

    Her body twitched as her abilities reactivated. She stumbled a few steps as her legs cramped up, she sighed with relief as her cores recovered to their healthy states. Then Bel rushed forward to be certain that her patchwork foe was as dead as he looked. A quick brush of her hand against one of the lizard legs confirmed the truth. She pulled the essence that leaked from his shattered core and was momentarily stunned at the volume of it. It easily filled another of her own thresholds, even after so much essence had leaked away from the core¡¯s destruction under her corrupted essence.

    The patchwork being was stronger than the time manipulator she¡¯d fought to get into the Pillar, probably stronger than anyone she had fought.

    I¡¯m glad that I got stronger before I came back, she muttered. I wonder if Technis sent someone this strong to watch every entry point?

    Bel shook some of cramping out of her legs as she hobbled back to her companions.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she shouted down the opening, ¡°everything¡¯s dead. If we¡¯re lucky, Technis will only know about me.¡±

    She looked around the room and blinked to clear the tears forming in her eyes from the thick scent of guano. The addition of a barrel of blood to the mix wasn¡¯t helping with the smell.

    ¡°Ori, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to want to eat any of this,¡± she added.

 Chapter 133 â€“ Into The Light

    Bel pushed her face into a rubble pile, vainly attempting to see any light leaking through. Was the air marginally fresher? Bel took a deep sniff.

    Her reward for her diligence was a violent sneeze. After vigorously rubbing her itching nose she turned back to the group and declared, ¡°I think we¡¯re almost there.¡± The cavern-full of scrattes, gorgons, and a single irritable cuttle-girl stared back.

    ¡°You keep saying that, but we¡¯ve been wandering around for days,¡± Orseis whined.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a map,¡± Bel snapped. She took a deep, calming breath. ¡°We can only go up for so long before we get out.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m hungry,¡± she moaned. ¡°We haven¡¯t found anything but bugs, and there haven¡¯t been enough of them.¡±

    Manipule patted the grumpy girl on the head.

    Bel sighed and gestured to the scrattes. ¡°They don¡¯t complain.¡±

    ¡°The scrattes are shriveling, Bel,¡± Cress objected. ¡°We really do need to find the way out of here.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got to be close,¡± Bel insisted. ¡°The delvers probably collapsed this bit of tunnel to block the exit.¡±

    The gorgons eyed the rocks skeptically. Bel couldn¡¯t really blame them ¨C she¡¯d insisted the same thing at the last three rubble piles with nothing to show for it, except for more tunnel. She snorted at her own failings and turned back to the rocks. They were too much to simply toss aside, but once they were liquified they would flow downhill and unclog the tunnel.

    Bel got to it, slowly melting the stones away. A minute later, with a hole only a few strides deep into the endless pile of loose rocks, Bel lost her patience. With a cry of frustration she slammed her fist into the stones and blew them apart with a liquid shockwave.

    She immediately regretted it. The ringing from the loud sound in the enclosed space made her dizzy and the blowback of rocks and pebbles reminded her that the entire thing could collapse on her head. She backed out of her small passage, coughing and spitting out rocks.

    ¡°This sucks,¡± she admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t¨C¡±

    Bel stopped talking when a scratte elbowed past her. Then another one practically ran into her on its way into the small space she¡¯d cleared. She turned to see them screeching into the darkness, and then a mass of scrattes slammed into her from behind, sweeping her back up the passage like a bit of driftwood being carried downstream. Her snakes hissed with distaste as the scrattes squeezed around her, screeching and waving their arms like they¡¯d gone even more mad than usual.

    Even their leader, the shaman who had a very un-scratte-like demeanor, was shouting and slamming his hands into the blockage. Bel ducked out of the way as the scrattes grabbed onto the rocks and tossed them over their heads, heedless of any other scrattes behind them. Their single-minded fervor made the mob of scrattes work as a single entity, transporting stones out of the way at a pace that made Bel¡¯s efforts pale in comparison. Bel rubbed moisture from her neck as the air grew hot and sweaty from the localized effort.

    And then she felt a cool breeze against her skin.

    As the scrattes continued pulling the rocks away, Bel saw a single shaft of light breaking into the darkness. Then two, and then a patch wide enough to illuminate the entire horde of scrattes. Their reckless efforts reached a fevered pitch. The moment the hole was large enough the first of them forced their body through it.

    Bel blinked in surprise as the entire group crammed themselves through the small opening, forcing it wider as they wriggled through. In just a few moment, Bel was alone in tunnel.

    ¡°Is everything okay in there?¡± Cress called out. ¡°The scrattes are still under control, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Bel replied. As she dusted herself off she saw Cress squeezing into the space, a dagger held in one hand in place of her usual hammer.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. We found a way out!¡±

    Bel gestured dramatically at the opening.

    A smile broke on out Cress¡¯ face, but then she frowned. ¡°Wait, are all the scrattes out there? Unsupervised?¡±

    ¡°Oh crap.¡±

    Bel rushed to the opening, fearful visions of the scrattes eating a human family in the middle of the picnic playing in her head. But when she jumped through the exit and into the sun, she instead found the scrattes, all 150 or so, kneeling on the ground and waving their hands towards the sun.

    Cress joined her a moment later, blinking furiously at the sudden light.

    ¡°See,¡± Bel said, ¡°no problems here.¡±

    Cress scoffed, but she sheathed her dagger as she took in the sights. ¡°So where are we?¡±

    Bel looked around. They were in a nondescript bit of forest on the side of a slope. ¡°On the side of a mountain, I guess?¡±

    Cress¡¯ eyebrows went up. ¡°I meant which of your plans are we going to do? Can¡¯t you tell where we are based upon the¨C¡±

    Cress pointed up to the sky and paused. ¡°Uh, based on the¡­¡±

    She spun around slowly. ¡°How do you tell where you are? What are those?¡±

    Bel looked up. ¡°Those are moons. You can tell time with them, but that¡¯s it. You just have to know where you are, or figure it out from landmarks.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Cress cried, incredulous. ¡°What if you get carried off by a storm?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°Then bad things happen.¡±

    The sound of shifting rocks announced Orseis¡¯ arrival. ¡°We got bored of waiting,¡± she explained.

    She turned around and shouted back into the tunnel. ¡°It¡¯s all great! Come on out!¡±

    Then she looked around with a wide grin. ¡°Has anyone looked for food yet? What¡¯s to eat?¡±

    Her eyes widened. ¡°Oh, those work. Didn¡¯t you say that Satrap doesn¡¯t have any spearheads?¡±

    Bel looked up just in time to see a pair of the flying creatures land heavily at a clear spot on the slope. They quickly began loping towards the vulnerable scrattes, clacking their body-length beaks with anticipation. Bel looked up again and realized what was missing. ¡°The Barrier is gone. I forgot.¡±

    She stepped towards the threat, but the flurry of movement had already broken the spell of stillness that had washed over the scrattes. As one, they turned towards the spearheads and screeched. The startled creatures drew up short, their thin limbs skidding over the ground as they brought themselves to a halt.

    And then Orseis leaped upon the closer one¡¯s face, shouting ¡°food¡± as she wrapped her tentacles around it. At her signal the scrattes charged, quickly overwhelming the stunned beasts.

    Bel¡¯s snakes twitched and flicked their tongues with amusement. ¡°Those things are way less scary than I remember,¡± she said. The last time one of the four-legged fliers had threatened her, she had been forced to escape through the valley of the cat girls. Bel had nearly died. ¡°I suppose having an entire army with me also helps.¡±

    With the flying creatures reduced to dinner, the leader of the scrattes trotted back to Bel, waiving his arms and making horrible noises as he went. She¡¯d been getting better at understanding the not-speech that the scrattes used, but it wasn¡¯t until he began scratching pictures into the dirt that she figured out what he wanted.

    She turned to Cress, who was busy organizing the other gorgons. ¡°Hey Cress, can I put your big, fancy wings to use? I need to get a better vantage point so I can figure out where we are, and then I need to find some water for the scrattes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so heavy though,¡± Cress teased. ¡°You¡¯ve been putting on weight this entire trip. At least take off your armor.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Bel deadpanned. She manipulated her liquified armor down her body and left it in a lump at her feet. Then she lifted her arms. ¡°Up.¡±

    Cress sighed. Bel wanted to sigh too ¨C she¡¯d been dreaming of getting her own set of magnificent wings, but it seemed like she would need to get a matching set of air manipulation abilities if she wanted to fly well under the full gravity of Olympos. She was still tempted, but her practical worries were taking up more of her thoughts.

    Cress leaped into the air and manipulated the wind to fill her wings. She spiraled around a couple of times to gain speed before swooping low to grab Bel under her armpits, hoisting her into the air. Bel had a moment of worry that her plague serpent would take advantage of the situation, but she could feel a barely simmering sense of self-control coming from the snake. She wasn¡¯t sure if that meant the snake was growing less violent, or just more calculating, but at least it had learned to keep a lid on its urges.

    As Cress strained to lift her, Bel searched for any familiar landmarks. She quickly saw that her group had emerged onto the side of a modest mountain. It had to be part of Saw Range that ran from the Spine down to Satrap¡¯s eastern side.

    If we¡¯re on the north side, then I should see a river¡­

    Bel shouted with satisfaction when she saw the glimmer of light on water. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s it! That¡¯s the Cobalt river! I can even see the bridge! I know where we are!¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Cress grunted. ¡°So I can land now?¡±

    Bel nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Yup! And now I know what we¡¯ll be doing next.¡±

    She grinned with anticipation. ¡°We¡¯re going to invade Baytown.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    Bel remembered how she had been stabbed in the back of Technis¡¯ temple and chased through the woods.

    ¡°Technis has a garrison there.¡±

    She looked over her large group of scrattes. ¡°They deserve what we¡¯re bringing.¡±

 Chapter 134 â€“ Cannon

    ¡°Be careful once we leave the cover of the woods. There¡¯s been fighting around the bridge before, so¨C¡±

    Bel¡¯s words were cut off by an excited shriek from the scrattes. One of them had caught sight of the water, and Bel¡¯s planning was lost in the ensuing noise.

    ¡°What the hell,¡± she complained to herself, but she took off running too.

    When she had escaped from Baytown with Beth and James, they had stopped to overlook a battle between the Baytown militia and the Points-Delver Alliance. She assumed that if the bridge that spanned Cobalt River was worth fighting for then, it would still be protected now. The river ran deep and fast and was a couple thousand strides across, so the bridge was bound to be an important place in the war.

    Her assumption turned out to be wrong, or at least outdated.

    The bridge had been burned to its husk, with just metal shell remaining to mark its former glory. As they neared a pair of tall beams that marked its former beginning, Bel saw that there were a dozen scouts stationed on the far side. They were leaping onto their riding lizards and preparing to flee ¨C back to Baytown, probably.

    Bel pointed frantically in their direction. ¡°Stop them! Don¡¯t let them alert the town!¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Cress shouted. She took to the air, with Oculaire right behind her.

    Bel immediately began to worry that she¡¯d just sent two gorgons to fight six times as many of Technis¡¯ soldiers. She cranked up the power to her eye of the huntress so she could see the action, nervously clenching her hands as she watched the two flying gorgons overtake the scouts. It quickly became clear that her concern was unnecessary.

    The soldiers had never seen any gorgons before and their archers began the fight by looking into their eyes. Two of them were rapidly petrified and another three collapsed into violent seizures. While the rest of the soldiers panicked, Cress smashed a skull with her hammer and sent one of the riding lizards tumbling with her powerful voice. Oculaire danced behind her, cutting through several bodies with elegant swings of her long handled axes. They cleaned up the rest of the humans with practiced efficiency and took control of the lizards, marching them back towards the bridge.

    Some of the gorgons burst into conversation, and Fortuit stepped forward to translate.

    ¡°Sotil and the others are surprised. Are the humans here truly ignorant of a gorgon¡¯s powers?¡±

    Manipule clicked her tongue. ¡°Maybe if Sotil would spend less time drinking and more time listening to Bel she would know what was going on.¡±

    Bel glanced at Sotil, the muscular gorgon who had been in a low-simmering feud with Manipule ever since they had argued over who¡¯s voice mattered when reaching a consensus. The gorgon¡¯s deep green snakes writhed with irritation as she pieced together Manipule¡¯s words.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Bel interrupted, ¡°there¡¯s no need to fight. We¡¯re finally on the surface, right?¡±

    She pointed to the far side of the river. ¡°Fortuit, remind the other gorgons that the humans here have never seen a gorgon. Not only that, but ever since his experiences in the third dynasty, Technis has probably believed that power is best concentrated into a small number of individuals. That worked out okay when their ruler was a master of transportation and teleportation, but Technis¡¯ army¨C¡±

    ¡°Bel,¡± Fortuit interrupted, ¡°perhaps I can render the meaning of your words without the history lesson. Would that be alright?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Bel nodded sheepishly. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    Manipule patted her arm. ¡°I think your history lessons are interesting.¡±

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t,¡± Orseis griped. ¡°I¡¯m going fishing.¡±

    Orseis pranced to the water, skipping around the scrattes who had paused to splash water over their bodies. She turned back to Bel at the water¡¯s edge. ¡°And don¡¯t even think of asking me to carry people across! Not happening!¡±

    Bel frowned. She hadn¡¯t thought of that part.

    <hr>

    Several hours later, after failed attempts to freeze the river (which failed due to the volume of water) or swim across the river (which failed due to the water¡¯s speed and depth) and finally to throw scrattes into the river (which seemed pointless to Bel, but the scrattes tried it anyway), Orseis finally suggested that they build boats for the scrattes and fly everyone else across. That way, the boats could be small and scratte-sized, and the scrattes had already shown that they didn¡¯t mind getting wet.

    They marched back into the forest, found a large tree, cut it down, hollowed it out, and made the crudest dugout canoe that Bel had ever seen. Orseis held her ground, refusing to tow it across, so Cress and Oculaire were forced to pull it from the air instead, using a pair of vines tied to the front of the canoe.

    It wasn¡¯t fast, but that was fine: the scrattes had something important to tell her, and so far their crude drawings formed a tapestry that filled up a hundred strides of the silty soil along the river. She and Manipule stared at the pictures as the scrattes continued dragging their sticks over the ground, determined to communicate through brute force.

    ¡°They probably want to find a bunch of people to sacrifice,¡± Manipule said, pointing at a graphic section of the drawings.

    ¡°They could be asking for salt water,¡± Bel replied, hoping for a less-violent interpretation. ¡°Imagine that part as a creation myth rather than something literal.¡±

    Manipule squinted at her. ¡°Salt water? What is that?¡±

    ¡°Water with salt in it. You know what salt is, right?¡±

    ¡°A flavor?¡±

    Bel turned to Fortuit. ¡°Hey, Fortuit, you know what salt is, right?¡±

    The respected gorgon tapped her finger against her chin as she thought. ¡°It is a rare mineral, but I have seen it. It is a crystal that melts in water.¡±

    ¡°Really? Rare? How do you preserve food without salt?¡±

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Fortuit gestured at the rest of the gorgons, who were busy digging through the food that they had found in the humans¡¯ supplies. ¡°Some of the others have abilities to dry meat.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°Okay, wow. I¡¯m going to assume that the scrattes need saltwater then and couldn¡¯t find it underground. Baytown should be perfect.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if you are too hopeful, Bel,¡± Manipule said, in her cautiously criticizing tone. ¡°You say that Baytown is a perfect place for us gorgons to settle, and now you also say the water there is perfect for the scrattes.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my mom arranging a bunch of lucky coincidences. It doesn¡¯t really matter either way ¨C if Technis¡¯ people are still in Baytown, then we need to deal with them before we¡¯ll be safe. And they¡¯re going to notice that their scouts have disappeared, so we should attack while we still have surprise on our side.¡±

    Bel patted the other gorgon on the shoulder and tried to smile confidently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure things will work out.¡±

    While Manipule was still thinking it over, Bel waved her arms at the scrattes and flashed them a double thumbs-up. They were in the middle of drawing what was either a group of potatoes basking in the rays of the sun or a giant squid squeezing the life out of a group of people. Bel was happy to interrupt them before they added more details so she could still assume the nicer alternative was correct.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± she said to their leader. ¡°I¡¯ll lead you to a nice beach. We¡¯ll have to fight a bit¨C¡±

    She mimed a few jabs of a dagger.

    ¡°But it¡¯ll probably be what you¡¯re looking for.¡±

    Her smile wavered. ¡°I mean, whether you want blood or an ocean, either way, it¡¯ll be there.¡±

    The scratte shaman nodded enthusiastically. He turned and spun his stick in the air while shouting for his people¡¯s attention. While he was busy trying to cajole them into some semblance of order, Cress and Oculair tugged the last dugout across the river. They tossed their towing vines to the ground and stomped over to the other gorgons, demanding their cut of the human food. Orseis was in the river, plucking fish as easily as a regular person plucking berries from a bush. Bel thought that things were going well.

    <hr>

    ¡°It is a bit more fortified than you mentioned,¡± Cress complained. She pointed to the large wooden towers that overlooked a five stride tall wall of rammed dirt that encircled the town. ¡°I would not want to risk flying past those without know the abilities and weapons that they have, and we cannot use our gaze abilities when we cannot see our adversaries.¡±

    Bel shoved her hands through her snakes, disturbing them as she vented her frustration over the unexpected obstacle. ¡°That didn¡¯t used to be there,¡± she complained.

    The giant wall had brought her plan of a surprise attack to a sudden end, and now they stood at a safe distance from the fortress. Bel prodded her snakes, considering her options. Sparky could work to burn down the towers, but the rammed dirt wouldn¡¯t be especially flammable. Flora would be good if Bel were already inside of Baytown, but being rooted to the spot outside of the walls would just make her a target.

    Her plague snake hissed eagerly, but Bel didn¡¯t pay her any mind. Playing with a new form in the middle of a life or death situation didn¡¯t feel like a good idea to her.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Cress asked, pointing at something the defenders were hauling onto the wall. Bel squinted and saw what looked like a large pipe on wheels.

    ¡°If it¡¯s some kind of ballista, it¡¯s going to make a direct approach almost impossible,¡± Cress continued. ¡°For once I am happy that gravity¡¯s pull is stronger here, or else I would be afraid of their range.¡±

    Bel stared at the device, an uncomfortable feeling stirring in her guts. A second one was being rolled up next to the first.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a ballista. It¡¯s a cannon.¡±

    ¡°What¨C¡±

    Bel interrupted the question, raising her voice as she turned to address the crowd. ¡°Everyone get back!¡±

    She waved her arms for emphasis, but before anyone could move Bel heard a boom like thunder in the distance. Something shrieked through the air, and a moment later a large swathe of ten scrattes were reduced to a green paste. The little green people shrieked in rage and looked like they would charge, but Bel grabbed onto the nearest ones and pointed them in the opposite direction.

    ¡°Back! Retreat!¡± she commanded. ¡°It¡¯s a weapon from the Old World!¡±

    Another boom sounded behind her, sending a shock of fear down her spine. Bel spun and began forming her armor into a large shield as she stepped in front of her allies and friends. A figure blurred past her and thunder boomed again from directly overhead.

    Escalope slammed into the ground near Bel and a cloud of shattered metal rained down in front of her. The armored gorgon shook out her arms.

    ¡°I wanted to test myself,¡± she explained. ¡°This weapon is mighty.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, holy shit,¡± Orseis agreed.

    ¡°Stop admiring it and run!¡± Bel commanded again. She shoved Orseis back and grabbed onto Manipule¡¯s hand before leading her group back upriver. The booming of the cannon followed them, but either they moved quickly beyond its range or the humans had trouble adjusting its aim because its projectiles failed to hit them again.

    Upriver and behind modest hill they paused to catch their breath.

    ¡°Well, what the hell do we do now?¡± Orseis demanded. ¡°And what the hell was that!¡±

    Bel expected Manipule to scold the girl for her language, but a look at the mild-mannered gorgon showed that she was too shaken to be her normal self.

    Cress turned to Bel with a worried expression. ¡°What was that? Some weapon that Technis devised? It threw those metal balls with the strength of a Titan!¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s just something from the Old World. James told me about them, but I hadn¡¯t seen any in Satrap.¡±

    Orseis threw up her tentacles with disgust. ¡°That something from the Old World! How are we supposed to fight people so far away that I can¡¯t even see them? And what other technology could Technis have stolen?¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. James thought that cannons and rifles were pretty archaic, so we didn¡¯t talk about them much.¡±

    ¡°Archaic?¡± Cress hissed. ¡°What would be modern?¡±

    ¡°Uh, flying machines that move faster than sound. Projectiles that travel across the entire country and are precise enough to go through the window of a house. Explosives so powerful that a single one will reduce a city to ashes.¡±

    Cress looked dumbfounded. ¡°You said that the humans are weak, Bel! There are only a handful of us!¡±

    ¡°Those things are hard to make though,¡± Bel rushed to add, ¡°I don¡¯t think that Technis has any of that. And, you know, compared to that the cannons aren¡¯t very dangerous.¡±

    Everyone who could understand Bel¡¯s words look at her with uncomfortable levels of incredulity. She groaned internally.

    Did James ever tell me how his people used to attack a fortress with cannons?

    She rubbed her temples frantically, trying to squeeze a good idea out of her head.

    Go under it? Maybe Jann or Duran could do that, but not me.

    One of her snakes wrapped its mouth around her finger, chewing on her for attention. Bel opened her eye to see her frustrating plague snake staring back at her. She grit her teeth, ready to scold the snake into submission, but then it behaved oddly, flicking its eyes back and forth. Bel followed its gaze towards the river.

    ¡°What? You want to jump into the water? I didn¡¯t think you were a water snake.¡±

    Then Bel remembered how she¡¯d first met the spirit serpent: the rat-woman had unleashed it into the water, where it had taken the form of something spiny and dangerous. Bel looked at the river, her gaze following it downstream.

    All the way into Baytown, she realized.

    Then she remembered the complicated set of gates that could allow the water to flow through the town, washing out the streets or filling the various fountains across Baytown¡¯s districts. Bel grinned.

    ¡°Look at you, finally being helpful,¡± she praised the death-seeking serpent.

    ¡°Bel!¡±

    Bel spun around, momentarily surprised to see everyone gathered around her.

    Orseis wriggled a tentacle in her direction. ¡°See? You just need to yell when she¡¯s like that.¡±

    Bel cleared her throat. ¡°Yeah, sorry for being distracted. Anyway, I have the perfect plan.¡±

    She pointed to the water. ¡°I¡¯m going to attack through the water.¡±

    She pointed in the direction of Baytown. ¡°Once I take out the cannons and whatever humans are on the walls, you guys come in and wipe the rest of them out.¡±

    She frowned. ¡°Not the civilians though. They¡¯re not evil, just misled.¡±

    Cress glanced at the river. ¡°How are you going to attack through the water?¡±

    Bel proudly lifted her plague serpent, and it flashed a bright green streak down its body. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to name her Vex,¡± she announced.

    ¡°James always told me that plagues travel in the water, I¡¯d just forgotten about it. We¡¯ll just slip right in and kill everyone. Maybe it¡¯ll even be easy.¡±

 Chapter 135 â€“ Water-Borne Havoc

    Bel did not appreciate the looks of incredulity she received from the other gorgons when she announced her plan to single-handedly invade Baytown. No one even commented on her ingenious idea of going in through their water supply. In fact, when she mentioned that part their looks got even worse. The only person who seemed to think Bel¡¯s plan was good was Orseis.

    ¡°Finally! I¡¯ve been dying to see what that new snake can do!¡± Orseis curled her tentacles with excitement. ¡°And Vex! I¡¯m shocked that you managed to come up with a decent name for one of them!¡±

    Bel wondered if the support of her tentacled companion was a bad omen, but her plague snake hissed with eager agreement. She could practically taste the spirit snake¡¯s anticipation as its tongue flicked out excitedly.

    ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea, Bel?¡± Cress asked.

    ¡°I am also concerned,¡± Manipule added. ¡°Is that serpent trustworthy?¡±

    Vex flicked her tongue with derision.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be¡­ well, I know that our goals align. My core¡¯s been growing, but I don¡¯t have enough essence to mix our forms forever, so it isn¡¯t like I can get stuck in our mixed form.¡±

    Bel could see that she wasn¡¯t convincing anyone, so she held up her hands to forestall any more disagreement. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve got to give it a try. You just need to watch for chaos on the walls. That¡¯ll be the signal to attack.¡±

    Cress¡¯ pinched brows made it clear she still looked like she wanted to object, but Orseis spoke over her with an abundance of enthusiasm. ¡°You got it! I¡¯ll rip Technis¡¯ soldiers to shreds!¡±

    Bel looked at Escalope. ¡°Will you look after Manipule?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± the armored gorgon nodded back. She quickly put a restraining hand on Manipule¡¯s shoulder, pulling her a little slower to Fortuit. ¡°This is about keeping the egg safe, Manipule, nothing else,¡± the stern gorgon said.

    Manipule looked down at the large clay egg that was her responsibility and gave in with a sigh. ¡°Be safe, Bel. Run away if Vex does not live up to whatever she thinks she can do.¡±

    Vex hissed in reply. Manipule¡¯s snakes hissed back, and a few of the snakes on Cress¡¯ shoulders rattled their tails.

    ¡°She¡¯s pretty confident,¡± Bel replied with a grin. ¡°But I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Bel pointed to Orseis. ¡°Orseis, stick with the scratte shaman or the gorgons. You have a bad habit of going off on your own, so I want you staying with someone who has a cooler head.¡±

    The cuttle-girl flashed a mottled pattern of furious crimson across her skin. ¡°You think the scratte has a cooler head than me?¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yup. Someone watch my stuff while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    She dropped her bag and her spear, and then undid her belt to remove her dagger. Then she took off her precious, damageable clothing, spreading her armor to cover her body as she disrobed.

    ¡°You should be more modest,¡± Manipule scolded her. Her tone implied that she was scandalized, but Bel noticed that hypocritical gorgon hadn¡¯t looked away.

    ¡°I think seeing her scars makes her more impressive,¡± Orseis said.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cress agreed, ¡°she has a warrior¡¯s body.¡±

    Maybe Manipule has a point, Bel conceded to herself. She could feel her face growing hot listening to her friends talking about her, so she dove straight into the river. She activated her ability to mix spirits and let Vex¡¯s spirit meld into her own. Her body flattened as it lost its definition and her bones melted away and her legs fused together, leaving her with a flexible form swimming form that would be able to squeeze past tight spaces.

    Gills bloomed like wings from her back, spreading into a delicate forest that pulled breathe from the water. Her skin darkened to a deep black while bright green nodules popped up across her body. She reformed her armor so that it wrapped around her body and neck, protecting her core and vital organs without hiding her splendor or hindering her mobility. The vivid green spread along the edges of the flattened, slug-like body, outlining the gliding fringe that ran around her lower section. Frond-like horns sprouted from her head, filling her mind with a new set of senses. Her mouth widened and her teeth became sharp and serrated. She chomped her jaws a few times, trying out the new equipment.

    Noises from the shore attracted her attention, and she looked to see several vulnerable creatures waving their appendages at her. She wanted to ¨C no, no, wait, those were her friends. Bel¡¯s friends.

    She hesitated, struggling with a sudden identity crisis.

    Who am I? Not Bel. Not Vex either. Bex?

    Her body undulated and she sank into the water so she could collect her thoughts in the peace of the riverbed.

    Does it matter who I am? I was going to go kill a bunch of people, right? Bel and Vex thought that was great, so I must think that¡¯s great too! Here I go!

    Identity crisis averted, Bex quickly joined the current, gracefully skimming over the river bottom as she went.

    Where are my spiky bits though?

    At the thought of her dangerous attachments, a spine shot out from one of her green nodules, piercing through the body of a nearby fish. She instinctively injected something into it, instantly stilling the creature. Bex thought about eating it, but instead she pulled on its essence. The core of the little fish ruptured and a black ooze seeped over its body. Its form melted down and reformed, turning into a small, slug-looking creature with vibrant green warning dots spaced evenly over its body. Gills spring from its back and its fringe rippled as it swam to keep up with her.

    Oh, it¡¯s a little me! Lempo¡¯s Path has an ability to spawn spirits, but this is so much better!

    She rushed towards the town, eager to spread her own personal plague among her enemies. She speared more fish as she went, rapidly accumulating an army of tiny spirit clones. Making each one took time, but their essence nearly payed for itself! She was elegant and efficient! She could keep swimming and making little minions for a while, she was sure of it.

    In short order though, she reached the outer defenses of the town: a metal grate that barred her path. But such an obstacle was nothing before one so perfect as herself! Bex¡¯s boneless body easily squished between the metal bars, and her battalion of contagions squeezed through with her.

    Soon! she thought with jubilation. Soon I shall be unleashed!

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    Bex dispersed her little minions as she passed through the ever-shrinking water way, sending some to spread into the water pumps that supplied her enemies. The town felt eerily empty and the water unexpectedly clean; it was something that would have weighed upon Bel¡¯s mind, but for Bex it only meant fewer distractions and a lower chance of discovery.

    She focused on her own goal as she continued to the heart of her enemies¡¯ stronghold: the garrison¡¯s lavatory. She slipped through a maze of wide brick and clay pipes, searching for the room that she knew would bring her into the midst of her foes in their most vulnerable states.

    Alas! Their plumbing was confusing, and she made many wrong turns. Her dwindling essence began to wear at her mind, but she was determined to strike in her foe¡¯s inner sanctum. Then she found a neatly built brick pipe with a wonderfully foul cluster of diseases at its end, and she knew that she had found the way.

    She slipped through it and emerged into a dimly lit room with a wide trough of water running along the floor. As her form slowly emerged from the water, she searched the rest of the space from her shadowed corner. Upstream of her, three men were dropping their pants as they sat upon wooden seats. She quietly crept out of the water and onto the stone floor as their clothes settled around their ankles and they began to talk.

    ¡°Still, whether it¡¯s by land or by sea, I wish they work up the balls to get it over with. They could at least die with dignity, battling like men rather than surrounded by an army of enslaved scrattes. The little green things will probably eat them in their sleep.¡±

    She moved closer, sly as a sickness.

    ¡°I say they hurry it up! It¡¯s not the same here with all the people evacuated.¡±

    ¡°I think you mean with all the whores evacuated. I¡¯ve been seein¡¯ the way you¡¯ve been eyein¡¯ some of the fisher-folk.¡±

    ¡°A man has needs.¡± A loud fart echoed through the chamber, following by a satisifed sigh. ¡°The fish they¡¯re catchin¡¯ are making my bowels ache, so they should make up for it by soothing my body, right?¡±

    There was a bark of laughter. ¡°Half of them are the Delvers¡¯ women! They¡¯d as soon bite your¨C¡±

    ¡°Pitiful hosts!¡± Bex cried as she leaped from her shadowy hiding spot. Her victims¡¯ exploded messily as they shouted in dismay, but she didn¡¯t pause to give them dignified deaths. Spines erupted from her body, piercing the humans through their soft exteriors, quickly killing them with powerful doses of toxins. She ripped the essence from their cores, and the influx of energy revitalized her, but she left some essence behind to spawn more of her minions.

    ¡°This is only the beginning,¡± she chortled. She eased up to the doorway, her frond-like horns tasting the air around the curtain-covered opening.

    ¡°By Technis, you three are foul! I can smell you all the way down the¨C¡±

    The curtain was pulled back, and she came face to face with another one of Technis¡¯ fighters. Then he came face to face with one of her spines as she impaled him through the eye. She pushed his corpse back into the hallway and faced down two more fighting men.

    The first one pulled a short sword from his belt and advanced, while the second seemed to be caught in a state of shock and panic. Bel attempted to impale her adversary, but a blue barrier flickered into place in front of him, deflecting her attack, and a quick swing of his weapon lopped off her spine. He stabbed with the backstroke, but Bex leaned back and let it skitter off of her shifting armor.

    She hissed at the painful loss of her spine and lunged forward again. This time when his barrier flickered to life she employed two of Bel¡¯s abilities that had so far been useless, unlinking the panes of the barrier and warping them aside. That created a small hole for her spine to stab into the man¡¯s leg.

    He collapsed in agony as his flesh turned dark and necrotic, and a few pulses of his heart later her toxins found their way to his vital organs, extinguishing the last dregs of life from his body.

    To her disappointment, the man behind him turned and fled.

    ¡°Sea monster!¡± he shouted. ¡°From the sewers!¡±

    I¡¯ll be damned if I let you get away, she thought.

    She quickly glided after him¡­

    And he easily outpaced her, turning the corner before she had made it past the body of her recently slain foe.

    Oh. I guess this form has some problems on land.

    Bex quickly brushed against the last fighter, draining the essence from his core as she considered her options. Before she came up with something clever, a crowd of fighters turned the corner ahead of her. Her eyes opened wide and she spun around.

    She forced herself back into the lavatory as quickly as her body could move as the hallway filled with attacks: a couple of spears, an arrow, and a dagger that would have removed a chunk of her backside if she hadn¡¯t liquified her body in time to let it harmlessly path through.

    She instinctively dove back into the water, this time travelling against the flow of the current and deeper into the building.

    I¡¯ll just have to find somewhere else to emerge, she consoled herself as she swiftly swam through the widening passage.

    But then the flow of water reduced to a trickle. They¡¯ve shut off the water!

    The pipe shuddered around her and light bloomed to her front. They¡¯re smashing it to find me! Don¡¯t they have any respect for architecture!?

    She squeezed into another, long-abandoned pipe to evade capture. Progress down the moldy passage was slow, but she hoped its disuse would mean that it was forgotten. She seemed to be in luck: although she could sense hearts moving around her, none of them attempted to explode her part of the structure.

    Then she encountered another problem: the passage ended in a sudden wall. It looked to her that someone had rearranged some rooms, cutting off her current pipe. Her energy was running low again, and she was running short on time in her mixed form. Transitioning back to Bel in her current position would be catastrophic, so she wasn¡¯t left with many options.

    The hearts on the other side of the wall didn¡¯t go away ¨C the soldiers seemed determined to continue their search until they found her ¨C but whatever was on the other side of the wall didn¡¯t feel crowded to her. If she was lucky, the soldiers would leave gaps between their patrols and she could take out one group before worrying about the next.

    She waited at the dead-end until she felt the hearts of three patrolling soldiers passing by. Then she struck.

    Shattered rocks turned into life-ending projectiles as she deconstructed the wall with her shockwave. She felt one heart stop as the rubble crushed its owner, and she reached out to grab a second soldier, gripping his ankle and ripping his feet out from under him. She pulled the daze man close and, before he realized what was happening, she snapped his neck.

    Bel dragged herself out of the pipe, but by then the third soldier had recovered from her surprise attack. He wasn¡¯t prepared for a gorgon though; Bex stunned him with her glare and struck her helpless victim with her spines.

    Satisfied with her own deadly speed, Bex looked up.

    She froze in surprise.

    She had assumed that she would exiting the pipe into a room or hallway, but instead she had ascended into the base of the wall that now surrounded Baytown¡¯s garrison. Her back was to the outer wall, and to her front were at least twenty soldiers, their weapons drawn and hungry for revenge. As she hesitated, more soldiers poured into the open courtyard, making her untenable situation even worse.

    She twisted back to the pipe opening, but a blast of flames drove her away. Bex spun her metal armor into a large, flat shield to deflect the heat. Then a rain of metal shrapnel pierced her body ¨C she turned liquid to let the projectiles pass through, but her essence was quickly draining. In desperation, she pushed her back against the wall and faced her shield towards the onslaught, hiding like a turtle. It worked, but she knew it was only a temporary measure.

    Even as her eyes cast about desperately for any escape route, a heavy block crashed into her shield, driving her back into the wall and pushing her shield out of place. A gout of flame raked along her exposed side, shriveling her malleable body. Her skin blacked before she could use her thermal regulation to spread out the heat or get her shield back into place and she hissed at the pain.

    Her mind was still reeling when a spike of stone shot from the ground, forcing her to flow out of the way. She was aware that they were keeping her off balance, wearing her down until she collapsed or a lucky shot got past her armor and liquid body, but awareness didn¡¯t help on its own. The crowd of soldiers guaranteed that she couldn¡¯t run, so they had no reason to risk a direct confrontation.

    They had her; she was trapped like a big fish in a tiny pond.

    Something wet struck the ground next to her and Bex flinched back from the armed human who had suddenly appeared. It took her startled mind a few more moments to realize that the human was already dead, and judging from the dark, swollen marks around his body he¡¯d been dead even before he fell from the battlements above her.

    More bodies joined the first, a steady plop, plop, plop of corpses that interrupted her attackers. Then she saw some of the soldiers in the rings around her bend over and heave before collapsing into messy, eruptive deaths.

    The corpse nearest her twitched as something writhed under its skin. The flesh desiccated as she watched, and small, slug-like spirits with dark exteriors and toxic green outlines squeezed out of his mouth.

    Bex grinned, taking joy in the little plague that was spreading through the soldiers. She had meant for her little minions to be a distraction for her, but instead she had become the distraction for them. That was fine though, with this she was back in the fight.

 Chapter 136 â€“ Out of the Frying Pan

    With her plague minions breaking up the cohesion of Technis¡¯ soldiers, Bex, the wonderful mixture of Bel and the plague serpent Bex, had an opportunity to go on the offensive. She manipulated her liquified shield, wrapping most of it around her body to leave her with a smaller shield more suitable for a moving fight. Before charging into the fray, she took a moment to evaluate the battlefield.

    Her minions were slow and unremarkable until they came into contact with human skin, at which point they sank hooks into the human¡¯s flesh and injected themselves into the blood of their new host. A few moments later, the person desiccated and ten or more new spirits burst forth from their victim.

    She watched proudly as they overwhelmed the soldiers through sheer force of expanding numbers. A few soldiers still shot the occasional arrow at her ¨C and one annoying one had a bag of nails that he tossed at her in a steady stream ¨C but their group cohesion was breaking apart. She looked the nail-thrower in the eyes until he glanced up at her, at which point her glare locked his muscles into place. That made him easy prey for the nearest of her minions.

    Meanwhile, the closest of the plague spirits were flowing to Bex herself, fusing with her body and bringing with them all of the essence they¡¯d liberated from their victims. Bex practically swelled with power as her cores advanced.

    She was feeling confident. More than that, she was feeling powerful.

    Then a new group of people kicked open a door and strode into the courtyard. With barely a glance spared in her direction, the crisply dressed man in the center of the group tipped back his over-large hat and flicked his hands through the air. Sparks leaped from his fingers, alighting upon the slug-like spirits and any soldiers suffering from their effects. The sparks burrowed beneath their skin and burned them all, spirit and human, to cinders.

    Bex knew that the spirits weren¡¯t truly dead, but they did break apart. For the purpose of the battle there was no practical difference. The little spirit specs lost their purpose and drifted aimlessly away with the wind.

    I¡¯ll have to take the Incinerator out, she thought to herself, giving a name to her new foe,and I¡¯ll have to do it quickly.

    Bel would have pounced upon the man, but Bex didn¡¯t have legs ¨C or a body suitable for rapid movement. She crawled towards them at her full speed, gnashing her teeth with frustration as her minions were wiped out.

    One of the men next to the Incinerator saw her determined progress and waved his hands in her direction. Several slabs of ground rose up around her before diving inwards, sealing her into a rocky prison. She scoffed ¨C as if a few rocks could hold her. Bex blasted her way free with a liquid shockwave, but kept hold of a large chunk of rock. Once the dust cleared, she destabilized it and tossed it into her opposition. She was rewarded with a loud explosion and the instant death of a dozen soldiers.

    She sent another explosive rock into the ensuing chaos with similarly satisfying results, but a third stone was deflected by a wall that lifted out of the ground. Her lower body undulated in panic and she quickly reformed her armor into a shield as her exploding rock came back to her. The shield protected her from immediate disintegration, but the concussive force of the blast lifted her from the ground and sent her rolling back into the wall. Her senses were dazed and her mind reeling, but she staggered upright.

    Luckily, she had enough presence of mind to keep her shield pointed at her enemies. As the ringing in her head cleared, she created a small hole in her shield to look through.

    What she saw was displeasing. The soldiers had shaped the ground into a large platform a few strides from the ground, which kept them out of the reach of her plague spirits. All of the surviving soldiers had climbed up, and the Incinerator was laying waste to everything around him, cleansing the courtyard with fire. Their platform had turned into a sanctuary within a sea of flames.

    Bex hissed angrily. Her energy had been refilled by her minions so her Bel-Vex fused state was maintainable, but she was forced to admit that it wasn¡¯t doing her any good. It stung ¨C Vex¡¯s distaste for the healthy and Bel¡¯s hatred of Technis combined into something stronger that she didn¡¯t want to give up. However, she wasn¡¯t too stubborn to admit that her current form was poorly suited for her current challenge.

    As a final vindictive act, Bex reached out to the potential victims and liberated the essence from the weaker ones. She watched with satisfaction as a handful of bodies toppled from the platform and into the blaze below.

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    Then she ended her mixed spirits, allowing Vex to flow back to her serpent form as the rest of her body returned to Bel¡¯s usual gorgon self. There were a few confusing moments as she readjusted, but then Bel lifted the shield from the ground as she stood upon her human legs.

    The Incinerator¡¯s flames were expanding outwards, somehow still burning over the empty courtyard as they hungrily groped in her direction. Bel snorted ¨C they were still treating her like some kind of sewer beast. She locked eyes with the nearest soldier ¨C a well-muscled man who was tracking her with his bow ¨C and pounced.

    He quickly adjusted his aim, but Bel glared before he could release his arrow. His core was strong enough that her ability only caused a brief spasm to cross over his body, but that was enough to make his prematurely release his missile. It flew useless below her, lacking whatever abilities he had intended to use. While he grabbed for a second arrow with ability-fueled speed, an entire shield wall formed in front of him

    Three men knelt side-to-side with interlocked shields at the edge of the platform and two more stood behind them with spears facing her. A blue glow enveloped the entire group as they activated Technis¡¯ signature ability, leaving just the glinting tips of their weapons outside of their protective shell. They had executed the maneuver so swiftly that Bel wondered how many times they had practiced it. Rather than attempting to break through their defense, Bel rammed into their barrier and let herself slide off.

    She stood upon her shield, sledding down the side of their blue dome as they poked at her with their spears. They probably expect me to fall into the fire below, she thought with a grin.

    Instead, as she passed over the edge of their raised platform, Bel reformed her metal shield into body armor and stabbed the metal-tipped nails of her hands deep into the rock. Then she swung her body to the side, kicking into the platform with a liquid shockwave.

    The rocks buckled and collapsed, and Bel was swung back by the force of the explosion. As she struggled to maintain her handholds, the edge of the platform gave way, converting the organized group of soldiers into a tangle of arms and legs as they fought gravity to stay out of the inferno below.

    Bel swung herself over to the steeply sloping ramp of loose stone and scrambled after them on all fours. She rammed into one of the men, shouldering him hard enough that he tumbled over the edge. She jabbed her nails through the neck of a second as he fumbled for a short blade on his waist.

    As she pulled the essence from his lifeless body, she looked up to see that the other three men had gotten back to the feet with the assistance of a stone manipulating soldier who had still the sliding rocks. Seeing his hands twitching in her direction, Bel pounced again, risking a moment in the uncertain sky rather than staying within reach of his element.

    An arrow immediately struck her in the leg. It bounced harmlessly from her armor, but then it warped in midair and twisted around her ankle. That was a problem she would have to worry about later ¨C at the moment, she was about to crash into the spear and shield duo who had stepped in front of her target.

    Bel used her liquid body to pass around a spear rather than allowing it to slow her approach, but she was brought to a sudden halt by the shield and its immovable wielder. The heavy slab of metal glowed with sudden heat as he attempted to cook her, but Bel used thermal regulation to pump the heat into her magma snake, countering his ability. Then she grabbed onto the top of his shield and leaned backwards, attempting to pull him off balance and throw him over the edge.

    It was like his feet had been welded to the ground ¨C he didn¡¯t budge at all, and the attempt left Bel dodging a thrust from the second spearman while another arrow bounced from her back and wrapped around her elbow. She growled in frustration, ducked under another spear thrust, and shoved her hands into the dense metal of the shield as she attempted to liquify it. Bel clenched her teeth with effort as she felt his abilities resist her own, but he couldn¡¯t last for long. When her hands shot through the suddenly porous metal, she obliterated the man with a shockwave.

    As the man behind him cleared blood and gore from his eyes, Bel ran her hand over her metal armor, freeing a curved section that she formed into a short, wicked blade. Her skills with metal shaping were a far cry from Escalope¡¯s ability, but Bel was satisfied that her weapon could kill if she swung it with enough force: a hypothesis that she immediately tested upon the spearman¡¯s head.

    Another arrow bounced off of her armored knee, once again animating and wrapping around her limb afterwards. She wasn¡¯t sure how the archer had figured out his missiles would pass through her liquid body, and she wasn¡¯t sure what countermeasure he was planning, but she was going to take him out next.

    Bel turned in his direction, but before she could take a step she was hit by a huge slab of stone. Whatever thoughts she¡¯d been thinking were scoured clean from her mind as the stone scraped her against the ground. Her mind screamed in alarm as she neared to the edge of the platform and the fires below, and Bel reflexively obliterated the stone with a liquid shockwave.

    I¡¯m running out of essence again, she realized. Why the hell do I always try to take everyone on by myself?

    She got to her feet and felt a plink as another arrow bounced off of her left arm. Her angry growl turned to a surprised yelp as the arrows that had wrapped around her arms and legs turned attractive and yanked themselves together. She fell back down, neatly squished into a tight ball by the four arrows that pulled her limbs together. Bel did the only thing she could think of: she rolled downhill, away from the soldiers and certain doom and towards the fire a likely doom instead.

 Chapter 137 â€“ Into the Fire

    <hr>

    Bel struggled against her bonds as she rolled over the edge of the platform. She snarled at Technis¡¯ soldiers as she dropped out of view, but they wore the smug looks of hunters watching a wild animal bleeding out. She thrashed angrily at the sight, but the wooden rings that squeezed her limbs together resisted her brute force and her liquify ability.

    I¡¯ve only got one choice, she thought as she fell.

    Bel hadn¡¯t tried mixing spirits twice in a row before. In the past, one transformation was enough to deal with her problems. Reaching for the ability felt wrong to her, like the times she¡¯d injured herself trying to keep up with Beth¡¯s harsh training. Fatigue in her muscles and core made her hesitate, but gravity and the field of flames below her banished her doubts.

    Bel used her mix spirits ability a second time, trusting her magma snake to get her out of the hopeless situation.

    Anything is better than cooking to death, right?

    Her transformation didn¡¯t come smoothly or painlessly this time. Her body burned as it slowly shifted. She barely noticed the impact of the ground, and the Incinerator¡¯s flames were nothing compared to the lava flowing through her throbbing arteries. Bel screamed, and screamed again, until her screams grew into outraged roars.

    Her thoughts dissolved into incoherence as she completed her transformation, and she followed her instincts in a blind rage. Her skin smoldered and cracked as lava flowed through her veins, finally burning through the wooden shackles the bound her. She roared with victory as she stood and flexed her arms, unbothered by the surrounding inferno.

    A small voice of reason reminded her that she needed to be careful, so she manipulated her armor to form a helmet with two long horns, and infused it with enough heat to make the points glow. Then she charged the platform, ramming her head into it like a mindless beast.

    The small voice in the back of her mind had something to say, but she didn¡¯t care. She swung her arms against the rocks, beating against them in a frenzied rage.

    The small voice reminded her that she had abilities, and this time she listened. She barked with laughter and drove a powerful liquid shockwave into the stones, injecting hot magma through most of the platform. With its underside turned to liquid, the top layer began to slide off.

    She could hear the cries of alarm and dismay from the soldiers on top, and they filled her molten heart with joy. When she looked up though, she realized that the rock would slide down onto her. The tingle of panic she felt cleared the mindless haze from her thoughts. She turned away and ran.

    Is this how a lumberjack feels when he drops a tree onto his own head? she wondered as she pumped her legs.

    Her form was powerful, but bulky, and each footfall of her large, molten feet threatened to trip her to the ground. There was a loud crunch that she more felt than heard, and she desperately threw her body forward to avoid being crushed. She struck the barren, scorched ground and slid across the loose soil, rolling with her momentum as she pushed for every last bit of distance. Then a rain of debris smashed into the ground around her. A heavy chunk of something solid bounced from her helmet, and a few more pieces peppered her body, but she thought that she was mostly unscathed.

    She looked up and was dismayed to see that Technis¡¯ soldiers had survived. Worse than they, they were actually fine. Some among their number had guided the rock with their abilities, while the Incinerator had quelled the flames around them.

    She faced the group of twenty or thirty soldiers and snarled. The Incinerator flicked his fingers, and a cloud of glowing embers danced through the air to strike her body. She could feel them burning against her skin, but her nature resisted the attack.

    She stomped the ground with her feet and roared with fury ¨C how dare this creature challenge her with his pathetic flames? He was just a fleshy water bag, but she was a spirit of fire and molten rock! Her gaze narrowed to the Incinerator and she charged.

    The little voice in the back of her mind reminded her that the spear wall in front of the fire manipulator was actually the bigger threat, and, at the last moment, reason won out. She dove to the side and rolled under a forest of stabbing spears. Stone barriers rose out of the ground to impede her progress, but she dodged around them, searching for a way to outmaneuver the group and circle to their unprotected flank. The shields and spears rotated with her though, and she couldn¡¯t find a way past them.

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    Worse still, she was slowing down. She could feel it, a heaviness that wanted to pull her to the ground, that wanted her to stand still and be pierced by one of the glowing spear tips that were coming closer and closer to her. She wanted to move away, but she realized that the stone barriers were building up behind her, slowly herding her forwards into certain death.

    She faked moving in one direction and desperately dodged in another, but didn¡¯t make it more than two steps before a spear tripped her legs. She tensed as she tumbled to the ground, already rolling away from the spears at the moment of contact. She quickly bumped into a low stone wall, and found herself pinned between it and the spears coming in her direction. Behind the spearmen, she could see the Incinerator and a pair of stone manipulators lifting their hands, reading to continue caging her in if she managed to break free of their trap.

    This is hopeless, she realized.

    Then there was a flash of wings and the Incinerator¡¯s head exploded in a beautiful shower of blood, bone, and gray matter. Bel smiled wearily as Cress landed behind the distracted soldiers. The winged warrior¡¯s feet thudded into the ground, and her momentum carried her past the corpse of her first victim. She planted her foot and pivoted her body to deliver a backhanded swing of her hammer to one of the stone manipulators, killing him before he knew what was happening.

    As she came to a halt, Cress unleashed a Siren¡¯s Shriek, deafening and disorienting the closest soldiers.

    Using the distraction of Cress¡¯ assault, Oculaire landed at the soldier¡¯s unguarded side. She danced through their ranks with her long-handled axe, deflecting errant blows with a small buckler shield. Heads rolled and limbs fell, and the soldiers¡¯ discipline began to crack.

    When Orseis showed up at the head of a band of scrattes, screeching in an ear-grating approximation of the little green creatures¡¯ war cries, Technis¡¯ fighters turned to flee.

    Bel knew that she should go after them, but she let go of her transformation instead and slumped to the ground instead. She pushed her back against a nearby rock that a moment ago had been part of a cage to trap her and stared at the fighting.

    ¡°I am so tired,¡± she mumbled to herself, justifying her inaction.

    She watched with helpless concern as the scrattes worked their way through the buildings, diving into doorways and windows before rushing back out again moments later. A minute later, Cress returned to the courtyard, her armor sprayed with blood.

    ¡°All done?¡± Bel asked.

    Cress nodded and swung her hammer for emphasis. ¡°It was easy. Once we saw the people on the wall collapsing we rushed over, and the resistance on our way in was light. We lost a few scrattes, but not many.¡±

    The warrior gorgon knelt next to Bel and examined her with concern. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we were so slow. Orseis wanted to charge in, but I insisted that we scout ahead and move carefully.¡±

    Bel shrugged limply. ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s the smart thing to do.¡±

    Bel rubbed at her aching legs, then winced and rubbed at her aching arms. ¡°I don¡¯t recommend charging in without a real plan. Only dummies would do that.¡±

    She glanced at Sparky. The magma snake was hanging down the side of her face, weary and embarrassed.

    Cress grinned. ¡°It all worked out, though. And I can tell Manipule that you were very cautious so you won¡¯t get a scolding later.¡±

    Bel groaned at the thought of the empathetic gorgon fretting away over her injuries.

    Cress laughed and bounced back to her feet. She spun around, looking over the buildings. ¡°So this is the abandoned town where we will live? I like it. There¡¯s a wonderful view of the water that I saw when I was flying around.¡±

    ¡°Abandoned?¡± Bel questioned. ¡°Other than the soldiers?¡±

    Cress nodded. ¡°From what we could see. The other gorgons are with the scrattes just in case. They tend to be a little, uh, bitey.¡±

    She clacked her teeth together a few times. ¡°I suppose it isn¡¯t cannibalism since they aren¡¯t human, but I am only okay with it if they are eating Technis¡¯ people.¡±

    Bel nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can agree with that.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Bel!¡±

    She looked up to see Orseis, tentacles and spear waving frantically through the air. The young cuttle-girl stopped a good thirty strides away and continued waving for Bel to go to her.

    ¡°No,¡± Bel yelled back. ¡°You come here! I¡¯m tired!¡±

    Orseis shook her head. ¡°We found a bunch of humans.¡±

    Cress¡¯ hand tightened around her hammer and Bel began pushing herself to her feet when Orseis added, ¡°they¡¯re just fishing people.¡±

    Bel relaxed, but she was halfway standing already so she finished pulling herself to her feet.

    ¡°I left some gorgons to keep the scrattes away, but you should talk to them before they panic,¡± Orseis explained.

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Bel muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose anyone has any real clothes for me?¡±

    Orseis shrugged and ripped a singed overcoat free from a nearby corpse. She shook it out and trotted it over to Bel. Bel wrinkled her nose at it, and turned it over in her hands. She guessed that its former owner was one of the desiccated victims of her plague minions, which meant that the cloth was mostly stain free. Bel put it on reluctantly.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Orseis added, ¡°there are also a bunch of ships in the ocean. They¡¯re probably, I don¡¯t know, maybe half an hour away?¡±

    Seeing the aggrieved expressions from Bel and Cress, Orseis held her tentacles up defensively.

    ¡°Whoah, half an hour is plenty of time to prepare.¡±

    She put her tentacles on her hips.

    ¡°Look, at least I remembered to tell you, right? Praise me for that, at least!¡±

 Chapter 138 â€“ Adventure and Excitement

    ¡°What¡¯d I say? Adventure and excitement!¡±

    Flann waved his arm, gesturing expansively at the open ocean. Behind him, the charred body of an aquatic lizard with flippers as large as a human slid over the crushed railing of the ship. The corpse plopped back into the water with a dramatic splash, spraying everyone on deck with water.

    Flann squeezed the water from his tail as a group of human sailors got to work heaving the monster¡¯s severed head overboard. They moved quickly, hoping to get the deck cleaned off before the circling spearheads descended for an easy meal.

    Jan leaned forward to snatch Flann¡¯s cane away, and then put to use gently bopping Flann on the head.

    ¡°Has your fuzz grown into your brain? We¡¯re wet. Everything we own is wet. Is this your idea of excitement?¡±

    The meerkat¡¯s nose twitched as he lightly jabbed a finger into Flann¡¯s chest. ¡°And you can¡¯t fool me. You hate the ocean.¡±

    Flann looked down at himself. His wonderfully fluffy coat was, as Jan said, dripping with saltwater. It was a travesty, but he¡¯d been trying to make the best of it.

    ¡°You two stop flirting and help us up,¡± a voice rumbled from the water below.

    Flann peered over the edge of the deck to see Cleisthenes, the mighty hippo warrior, clinging to the side of the ship.

    ¡°Why¡¯d ya jump overboard anyway? Our problem was the sea monster comin¡¯ up here. If it stayed in the water that would¡¯ve been fine, yeah?¡±

    The hippo thrashed his head angrily. ¡°Pelagius fell in when it shook the boat,¡± he grumbled, ¡°and neither you two nor any of the useless humans moved to help.¡±

    Flann exchanged a look with Jan. He could tell that his old friend was thinking the same thing.

    ¡°She can swim though, right?¡± Flann asked. He looked at the person in question, who was clinging to Cleisthenes¡¯ side.

    The hippo sputtered with so much rage that Flann though he might drown.

    Jan cleared his throat loudly and handed Flann¡¯s cane back. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go check on the humans while I help these two back aboard,¡± he suggested.

    Flann threw up his arms in surrender. He didn¡¯t like leaving Jan alone with the rude hippo, but it wasn¡¯t like Cleisthenes or his companions were evil, just unbelievably incompetent. He shook out his body and wandered off to find the captain.

    Flann didn¡¯t rush ¨C the day was warm and sunny, and the human captain hated being hassled even by his own leaders. Cleisthenes had already burned through whatever initial goodwill there had been between the captain and the semi-humans, and now the captain grimaced and spat whenever Flann came close.

    ¡°Hey there, captain,¡± Flann greeted the man cheerfully.

    The captain grimaced and spat overboard. ¡°We¡¯re not stoppin¡¯ for your blubberin¡¯ friend. He said he could swim better than this ¡®pile of driftwood¡¯ that we call a boat anyway, right? You remember ¡®im sayin¡¯ that, yeah?¡±

    Flann regretted teaching Cleisthenes any Mycenaean. It had felt so harmless at the time. He put on his bravest, most foxy smile.

    ¡°That was just a bad joke that didn¡¯t translate well, captain. Jan is helpin¡¯ them pull themselves back onboard right now. Anyway, I just wanted to check in with you and make sure these sea monsters aren¡¯t causin¡¯ any trouble.¡±

    The captain¡¯s face scrunched into another grimace, but before he worked up another wad of spit their lookout blew a whistle from her perch atop the crow¡¯s nest. Flann watched the young girl adroitly scramble down a mess of ropes to land gracefully on the pitching deck. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a small pinch of envy ¨C back when he was a young fox, no one would have been able to keep him from scrambling up and down every mast on the ship.

    The lookout didn¡¯t pause to appreciate her youth. She quickly turned and sprinted to the captain, excitement in her eyes.

    ¡°Baytown¡¯s in sight, captain. But all her ships are in harbor or fled, and there¡¯s great plumes of smoke rising from the garrison!¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± the captain commanded. ¡°What of the cannons?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re unmanned, captain. I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s happenin¡¯, but it looks to me like we¡¯re catching them with their pants around their ankles!¡±

    The captain grinned. It reminded Flann of one of the feral semi-humans of the Golden Plains, full of cunning and bloodlust.

    ¡°Good,¡± the man grunted, ¡°a quick shiv in the back is what they deserve.¡±

    He spun to the young man who¡¯s job seemed to be following the captain. ¡°Lad, signal the High Speaker¡¯s ship. Tell him that our target¡¯s in sight, and that they¡¯re vulnerable.¡±

    He spun to the rest of his crew, a wild gleam in his eyes. ¡°Prepare the oarsmen, pilot. Commander, ready your assault team. If their cannons aren¡¯t ready and their ships are asleep, I intend to drive this boat all the way to the town square.¡±

    Flann scurried back to Jan as quickly as his old legs would take him. In spite of his experience, his heart still thumped at the upcoming battle. As he used his cane to hurry his uneven gait, Flann couldn¡¯t help but bemoan his age and all of his little aches and pains; a younger him would have been leaning over the prow of the ship to launch the first fireball.

    ¡°I¡¯m gettin¡¯ too old fer this,¡± he wheezed at Jan.

    ¡°It is the duty of the old to pave the way for the young and vigorous,¡± Cleisthenes butted in.

    Flann considered shoving the hippo overboard again, but decided that he had better things to do. ¡°We¡¯re comin¡¯ up on Baytown, Jan. Seems like it¡¯s a bit on fire, and maybe undefended, so the humans are gonna charge straight in.¡±

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    His meerkat friend smiled. ¡°Well, that¡¯s alright by me. To be honest, I think I¡¯d rather wrestle some sheets and a nice, soft bed than get into another fight. All this pitching back and forth is doing bad things to my knees.¡±

    Flann nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯ that too. Y¡¯know, with Technis¡¯ Blue Wall gone, rain is makin¡¯ it over the mountains again.¡±

    Jan rubbed his hands together. ¡°You thinking of finding a nice, new oasis out there somewhere? Maybe dig ourselves a neat little burrow?¡±

    Cleisthenes thumped his chest angrily. ¡°It is the duty of the old to support the young and protect the species.¡±

    His tiny ears twitched as he glared at the smaller, older men. ¡°You two have families, don¡¯t you? You should spend your time with them.¡±

    Jan shrugged. ¡°Eh, half of them are real lost causes and the other half don¡¯t need our help. Wouldn¡¯t mind if some of the more interestin¡¯ young ¡¯uns game to visit though.¡±

    Cleisthenes opened his large mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by the clamor of a fully armed troop of humans rushing from the hold of the ship and assembling on the deck. The disciplined soldiers grabbed onto hand and footholds placed throughout the deck and got busy waiting for their landing.

    ¡°We¡¯d better brace ourselves too,¡± Flann said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to go overboard again.¡±

    Cleisthenes shot him a dirty look before taking charge of Pelagius and leading her to a secure bit of railing.

    Flann and Jan moved away from their distasteful ally and settled in for a tense wait. As usual, they went silent before the battle, but Jan imagined that his old friend was reliving their former exploits, old victories and failures both. They didn¡¯t have to wait long ¨C the ship was being driven by a full crew of oarsmen whose ability-strengthened rowing lurched the ship forward like a skipping stone.

    Flann squinted into the distance as they approached the sprawling port town. ¡°Is that a ship?¡±

    Jan squinted in the same direction. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°There.¡± Jan pointed.

    ¡°That¡¯s land. Your eyes are going.¡±

    ¡°No, that little thing.¡±

    ¡°That bird?¡±

    ¡°No, you blind old fool, the boat!¡±

    Jan¡¯s nose twitched. ¡°The boat? Sure, I see it.¡±

    Flann groaned in mock frustration while Jan bent over the railing and chortled until he was short of breath. Then the meerkat straightened up and took a closer look at the vessel.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little fishing ship, I think,¡± he said. He looked back at Flann and grinned. ¡°Unless the person on board is someone scary, I¡¯m guessing that they¡¯re here to talk. No fightin¡¯ today, I¡¯m guessin¡¯.¡±

    Flann stroked his chin as he thought about it. ¡°High Speaker Cove isn¡¯t going to want to slow down, though, in case of a trap.¡±

    Flann¡¯s ears twitched as someone jumped into the water from the High Speaker¡¯s ship. They went overboard with nothing but a plank of wood and an enormous sail.

    ¡°That thing¡¯s more sail than ship, I reckon,¡± Jan said.

    ¡°Fast though.¡±

    ¡°It is. Interestin¡¯ use of wind to push it along, although a water manipulator would do better.¡±

    ¡°Bah, water,¡± Flann replied, swishing his tail dismissively.

    They watched with interest as the wind manipulator¡¯s miniature sailboat cut a deep furrow through the water. Once he got close enough to the fishing boat, he jumped aboard with a wind-propelled hop. Flann strained to see better, but all he could discern at their distance was that a few words were exchanged beforethe wind filled the fishing boat¡¯s sails, bringing it back to the High Speaker¡¯s boat with breakneck speed. He and Jan watched the crew of the High Speaker¡¯s boat grappled the smaller vessel as it passed by and three people climbed up a rope ladder: the wind manipulator, a rough, bulky woman, and a scrawny youngster.

    Enough time passed for Flann to start feeling sleeping when some flag signals went up from ship. Flann was still a bit bleary-eyed when the captain came to fetch him and Jan.

    ¡°You two,¡± the captain declared. ¡°The High Speaker summoned you over to his ship.¡±

    Flann looked over at the other vessel and then down into the wet sea the separated them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose¨C¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the captain interrupted, ¡°we¡¯ll pull up alongside and someone can jump you over.¡±

    The irritated human glanced at Cleisthenes. ¡°At least you¡¯re of a reasonable size.¡±

    Flann bowed respectfully to hide the grin that popped up whenever any complained about the large hippo. ¡°A quick jump sounds wonderful!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t wonderful ¨C Flann nearly lost his lunch when the jumper rudely hoisted him into the air ¨C but he was thankful that it was over quickly. The jumper deposited Jan next to him a moment later before leaping back to his own ship.

    ¡°Gentlemen,¡± the High Speaker greeted them. ¡°Good Woman is one of the fisherfolk from Baytown. She brings us interesting news.¡±

    He nodded to the woman, but she had gone quiet as she stared at the fox and meerkat semi-humans.

    Jan quickly cleared his throat and briefly bowed to the surprised woman. ¡°Hello. My name is Jan, and this is Flann.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Good Woman,¡± the stocky lady responded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Jan replied with diplomatic gusto.

    ¡°Naw,¡± she interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s ma name. Good Woman.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ah, good to meet you Good, uh, Woman.¡±

    Flann snickered quietly at Jan¡¯s sudden fumbling, although he wondered if they were misunderstanding the Satrap variant of the language somehow. Then he twitched his snout and looked at the youngster who was half hiding behind the woman¡¯s legs with his mouth slightly agape.

    ¡°And who is this?¡± he asked in a friendly tone.

    The woman shrugged. ¡°Some brat.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not his name, jus¡¯ what he is,¡± she added quickly. ¡°Parents got killed somewhere, I reckon, and now he jus¡¯ follows me around. Sticks on ma legs like a damn barnacle.¡±

    The High Commander cleared his throat.

    Good Woman looked at him before nodding slowly, as though she were remembering what she was doing.

    ¡°Ah, yeah, so I¡¯m from Baytown,¡± she started. ¡°Technis¡¯ soldiers were there, y¡¯see, forcin¡¯ us to catch ¡¯em food and such.¡±

    She glanced at the Speaker. ¡°By force, y¡¯see, not because we liked ¡¯em.¡±

    The High Speaker nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, they¡¯re all dead now, or run off. Some crazy shape shifter showed up. I saw most of it from the hill where we keep our dryin¡¯ racks.¡±

    The woman scratched her arm as she tried to come up with words.

    ¡°At first, her body was dark and poisonous and if she touched a person they¡¯d wither like an old carcass. Then she turned into a hell spawn like my old man would talk about, with long, glowing horns and everything. She breathed fire, too.¡± The woman gesticulated wildly, waving her hands over her head to indicate a ridiculous set of horns and flame shooting from her mouth.

    Flann¡¯s tail twitched with mirth.

    ¡°And now she¡¯s walkin¡¯ round with snakes on ¡¯er head,¡± the woman finished. ¡°She wanted a volunteer ta come and tell ya that she¡¯s friendly to anyone besides Technis, so I took the opportunity to get my shit outta there.¡±

    ¡°Did she seem violent?¡± Flann asked.

    ¡°She near took down the whole damn garrison by herself! O¡¯ course she¡¯s violent! Ya think I¡¯m stupid?¡±

    Jan nudged him in the ribs. ¡°Think it could be Bel?¡±

    Flann shrugged. ¡°Maybe? Didn¡¯t the old priestess say she was expecting Bell soon?¡±

    ¡°The High Priestess Warrenier,¡± the High Speaker said, with a particular stress on the woman¡¯s title, ¡°did say to expect Lempo¡¯s child. Is this her?¡±

    Flann shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never met any other gorgon. Who else would it be?¡±

    The Speaker turned to a nearby soldier and commanded, ¡°summon the High Priestess.¡±

    ¡°And the Delvers,¡± he added, after a brief pause.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just land and then meet up there?¡± Flann suggested. ¡°High Priestess Warrenier isn¡¯t exactly spry, and we¡¯re wastin¡¯ time¨C¡±

    Jan stepped on his foot. ¡°Flann means that time is important. If this is Bel, and she truly captured the town, then Technis may be forced to respond. After all, doesn¡¯t this mean that you¡¯ve got a clear sea route to his capitol while most of his army is stuck fighting our folk out west near the Spines?¡±

    The High Speaker considered that for a few moments before nodding. ¡°Very well. We will make for the docks then, with all haste.¡±

    Flann glanced back at Good Woman, who seemed less than ecstatic to go back into the town. The young human was still hiding behind her legs, staring at Flann with wide, unblinking eyes. His slack jaws clicked together and he smiled, showing off a full set of perfect, shining teeth.

 Chapter 139 â€“ Reunions

    Bel ran her hands through her snakes for the tenth time, searching for any more grit stubbornly clinging to their scales. She realized that she missed Manipule ¨C the doting gorgon would have scrubbed her snakes clean in an instant, even if the plague snake was trying to bite her.

    Manipule also has my nice clothes, she realized.

    Bel examined the ratty overcoat that Orseis had procured for her, looking drab and lifeless over her gleaming armor. It was completely unsuitable for her first meeting with the humans ¨C and it was vital that she win them over. She grimaced. Her clothes were unsuitable, but they were what she had.

    She glanced at the leader of the scrattes. Orseis was dangling him over the edge of the pier while he happily dipping his hands into the salty ocean water. They were unsuitable for negotiations too, but they were her allies.

    She looked at Crecerelle, who wore a heavy frown. ¡°Maybe we should send these two away?¡± the warrior gorgon asked.

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No. The scrattes are here¨C¡±

    ¡°Burying themselves.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the scrattes are here, and they¡¯re burying themselves in the flood plain, so they¡¯re here to stay. The humans need to accept that. Orseis is an example of the people from the Golden Plains who want to meet the humans¨C¡±

    ¡°And breed with them,¡± Cress interrupted again.

    ¡°Yes, that. It¡¯s easier to explain if one of them is here, I think.¡±

    Bel ran her hands through her snakes again and groaned. ¡°I¡¯m so bad at talking though!¡±

    Cress grabbed Bel¡¯s hand and forced it away from her increasingly irritated snakes. ¡°Well, let¡¯s start by looking calm and collected. It seems that they¡¯ve decided to bring a few of their ships ashore.¡±

    Bel clasped her arms behind her back to hide her fidgeting as she watched three of the ships smoothly glide into port. Their oars retracted at just the right moment to avoid scraping against the long pier, and sailors with long sticks guided the boats to a halt. More sailors jumped from the boats and began tying them down, but the ships had barely stopped when planks were lowered from each of the ships.

    She watched with trepidation as figures in cloaks and armor descended. She forgot her fear when she saw a pair of half-height figures following after the humans. When she recognized a familiar red tail and walking cane a smile bloomed on her face.

    ¡°Flann! Jan!¡±

    Bel waved energetically and jogged to her friends. Flann waved his cane and hobbled to meet her partway. Jan took a few steps but then stopped to talk to the humans instead, letting Flann run ahead. She couldn¡¯t resist sweeping the fox into a big, swinging hug.

    ¡°Put me down ya young rascal! Spare my dignity!¡±

    Bel¡¯s smile wobbled as she held back happy tears. ¡°Dignity? What are you talking about? You¡¯re all damp, and you smell like wet fox.¡±

    ¡°Me? Smell bad? You smell like death, girl.¡±

    Bel put the fox down and looked at her overcoat. ¡°Oh, yeah, I got this from a dead guy.¡±

    Seeing Flann¡¯s expression, Bel rushed to add, ¡°I do have good clothes, I just left them before fighting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see it,¡± he said. He slapped his paws against her muscles and whistled. ¡°By the stars, you feel solid as stone and you¡¯ve got the face of a warrior. What happened to that bumbling girl I used to know?¡±

    He fixed her with a stern look. ¡°We even heard stories that you turned into a beast that breathes fire. I hope you know that flames are my thing, young ¡¯un.¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Someone must be exaggerating what my snakes can do,¡± she replied, shyly tousling her tired magma snake.

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    ¡°Hey fox,¡± Orseis greeted.

    The scratte shaman followed behind the cuttle-girl, showing off his teeth with a wide grin. He hissed ¨C but in a non-threatening way.

    ¡°You must be Bel,¡± a stranger said.

    Bel reddened and stood up straight.

    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± she replied.

    She had completely forgotten about the humans ¨C or, truthfully, she had decided to ignore them for a moment. She examined them, thankful that only their leaders and a few personal guards had stepped forward.

    The speaker was a tall man with silver in his hair and beard and a look that screamed, ¡°I¡¯m in charge.¡± A grumpy man stood just behind the silver one, glowering at her. Bel supposed that she had violated some rule of etiquette.

    Bel gestured to Cress, who was following just a step behind her. ¡°This is Crecerelle. She¡¯s the leader of a group of gorgons who¡¯ve come to the surface.¡±

    Cress stepped forward and clasped the man¡¯s arm in a forceful show of confidence. Bel tried to decipher the emotions that passed over the man¡¯s face ¨C interested? concerned? ¨C but she had never been good at reading people. After a moment¡¯s pause, he put on what Bel thought was a neutral smile.

    ¡°I am High Speaker Cove,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°The gloomy man with me is Commander Blake, once and future Governor of North Point. At the urging of your friends from the Golden Plains, we committed ourselves to a battle here.¡±

    He gestured to the town. ¡°Imagine our surprise when we arrived to find it already liberated.¡±

    Bel shrugged helplessly. ¡°Yeah, uh, my mom likes surprises.¡±

    Bel nervously inspected the groups that had descended from the other ships, worried that they would also have complaints. One group was lead by a pale man whose muscular body was covered in scars and tattoos. Bel was slightly jealous that he still had both eyes, despite all of his other injuries. Bel glanced at the pair of people following after him, wondering if they were just a battle-hardened. Before she got a good look, her eyes were drawn to the leader of the third group: an old, frail woman with a burned face.

    Bel was so captivated by the bright, determined look in the old woman¡¯s eyes that she almost didn¡¯t notice her clothing.

    ¡°Oh, are you a priest of Lempo?¡± Bel asked, completely forgetting about the silver-haired man. His second in command growled at her disrespect, but the noise was drowned out by the scratte¡¯s screeching.

    Bel gestured to her short, green companion. ¡°This guy is a priest of Lempo too.¡±

    She glanced at the scratte to see that he was lifting up another one of his flammable effigies. ¡°No drugs,¡± she scolded him. She wagged her finger at the enthusiastic shaman until he lowered his potent potpourri.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± the old woman responded in a dry, raspy voice. ¡°I am Warrenier, the head priest of Lempo¡¯s followers here in Satrap. We are honored to meet you, beloved daughter of Lempo.¡±

    She pulled a necklace from under her robe, revealing an expertly carved cameo of Lempo¡¯s smiling face. The scratte waved his nightmarish effigy through the air in response.

    ¡°The goddess of change appears in many places and forms,¡± Warrenier stated with a smile. She bowed slightly to the scratte, and the shaman grinned, showing off his pointy teeth.

    ¡°Even to scrattes?¡± the scarred leader of the second group asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know if our people will be okay with that.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Bel countered defensively. ¡°They just want a nice place to live.¡±

    As his brow went up in surprise, Bel realized that the scared man¡¯s eyebrows had been burned off. ¡°Nice place? They want to live in town?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± she replied. ¡°They¡¯re burying themselves out in the flood plane.¡±

    Bel¡¯s mouth went dry as everyone¡¯s eyes turned to her. ¡°They¡¯re plants,¡± she explained, pointing to the scratte¡¯s fearsome effigy. ¡°Lempo appears as a big tree to them. They¡¯re just looking for a place to put down roots.¡±

    Bel smiled at her joke. She was disappointed that the humans didn¡¯t return her mirth. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s your plan here? It¡¯s a big place, so I don¡¯t think the gorgons will mind sharing as long as we can all get along.¡±

    ¡°How many gorgons are there?¡± the first guy ¨C High Speaker Cove ¨C asked.

    ¡°Nine.¡± Then Bel looked down at herself. ¡°Oh, ten.¡±

    The scarred man held up his hand. ¡°Wait, ten of you and some scrattes liberated the city? What happened to Technis¡¯ soldiers?¡± He glanced at the silver-haired High Speaker. ¡°We were told that there were more than a thousand trained soldiers here.¡±

    Bel rubbed her head. ¡°I killed a bunch, but I wasn¡¯t really counting.¡±

    She turned to Cress. ¡°How many soldiers did the rest of you kill?¡±

    Cress flicked her wings in a wide shrug. ¡°Your little spirit had already reduced them by a third when we arrived. I think we encountered several hundred, but they were disorganized and weak, no stronger than the typical scratte, and they foolishly looked us in the eyes as we advanced. The survivors quickly fled.¡±

    Bel summarized Cress¡¯ words back into Mycenaean for the others. ¡°Cress says I took care of a few hundred, and the rest of the gorgons did the same before the remaining humans fled. They were pretty weak, apparently.¡±

    Bel almost took offense when the scarred man looked her up and down, but she realized that he was appraising her as a warrior rather than checking out her body. He abruptly thrust his arm forward.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Rock,¡± he said, belatedly introducing himself. ¡°Me and the rest of the delvers won¡¯t mind sharing a city with warriors like yourselves.¡±

    Bel could feel him squeezing as their hands met. She returned the gesture and he grinned.

    ¡°Fancy a spar?¡± he said.

    Flann burst out laughing, but Jan quickly stepped on his toes. Then the meerkat semi-human cleared his throat at an impressive volume for his small body. ¡°How about we talk logistics first?¡±

    ¡°Besides,¡± he continued, casting a look towards Orseis, ¡°I reckon that some of us are hungry.¡±

 Chapter 140 â€“ Explosive Endings

    Bel put on a smile and shook hands with High Speaker Cove. She kept it up and shook hands with the entire human delegation, holding onto her composure until they finally left. If it had only been herself, Cress, Flann, and Jan in the tent, Bel would have yawned with exhaustion and collapsed right there. The cramped, dusty room was beginning to feel like a prison cell, but Bel couldn¡¯t escape until until their final guest had her say.

    Bel looked at priestess Warrenier, hoping the woman would explain what she wanted. The older woman was content to wait in silence though, and Bel quickly decided to be more direct.

    ¡°Is there something that you want in Baytown?¡± Bel asked. ¡°We just agreed with the other humans where they could put their things. Do you need space for a temple or something?¡±

    Warrenier smiled gently. ¡°I was planning to set up a small shrine near the scrattes, outside of the city proper. I¡¯ve never interacted with them before, but if they are Lempo¡¯s children then I must offer them guidance. I have already sent Priest Toll to establish friendly relations with their shaman.¡±

    Warrenier leaned over the small table to put her hand over Bel¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯re obviously exhausted, and I don¡¯t mean to keep you from your rest, but we should discuss the goddess Lempo¡¯s plans.¡±

    Bel withered. She wanted rest, but she couldn¡¯t ignore her mother¡¯s plans.

    ¡°If the rest of you want to leave, it¡¯s fine,¡± Bel said to her friends. ¡°Maybe Orseis is still wrestling that big guy.¡±

    Cress frowned. ¡°Lempo¡¯s plans are important. She is our goddess now, too.¡±

    ¡°Reckon we may as well stay,¡± Flann added. He prodded the golden ear cuff that was an upgraded version of the earring that Bel wore, allowing him to both receive and initiate calls. ¡°Your brother and Beth are gonna want a report, and I¡¯ll get an earful if I skip this part.¡±

    ¡°And Hanti,¡± Jan added.

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯ll want to ask her questions too. They¡¯re probably dyin¡¯ for our report on the assault of Baytown.¡±

    Bel turned back to the priestess. ¡°So what plans has Lempo given you? I should mention that she makes plenty of plans without me knowing anything about them.¡±

    Bel waved a hand with frustration, gesturing vaguely outside. ¡°Did you know that she even promised to send Orseis to the Old World?¡±

    Warrenier made a noise of surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was possible. No, your mother just asked me to tell you a few things.¡±

    She pulled a small sheet of paper from inside of her robes and cleared her throat. Bel paled at the sight, but Warrenier laughed.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± the old woman said. ¡°It¡¯s not a huge list, I just didn¡¯t want to forget anything.¡±

    Warrenier raised her hand, holding up a single finger. ¡°First, she wants you to tell Oculaire that she¡¯s being stupid and she should just do it. Not sure what that means.¡±

    Bel sighed with frustration. ¡°That¡¯s one of the gorgons. My mother asked me to get them to pray to her, but I guess she can¡¯t easily answer them.¡±

    Warrenier nodded and smiled. ¡°I can never tell what Lempo will take seriously. Under Lempo¡¯s guidance, I¡¯ve given fashion advice on many occasions ¨C even in the middle of a plague!¡±

    The old priestess chuckled before looking back to her list.

    ¡°Ah, number two. This is the gorgons¡¯ home now. Leave anyone behind who isn¡¯t needed for the fights ahead.¡±

    Bel glanced at Cress and the two of them nodded. Warrenier moved on to her third item.

    ¡°Finally, once you confront Technis you won¡¯t return. Set your affairs in order before then.¡±

    Bel stared at the woman in open-mouthed shock.

    ¡°Whoa there,¡± Flann protested. ¡°She won¡¯t return? Is her mother sendin¡¯ this young ¡¯un to her death?¡±

    Warrenier smiled apologetically. ¡°Her words often carry hidden meanings and multiple truths. No one can see the future, not even Lempo. All I can say is that asked me to pass this message along to her beloved daughter.¡±

    Bel rolled her eye. ¡°Great. Riddles. James would love that. At least she isn¡¯t telling me to hurry up.¡±

    Bel leaned back in her chair. ¡°Was that it? I want to take Flann¡¯s earring and call my brother now, if there isn¡¯t anything else.¡±

    Warrenier smiled kindly. ¡°That was it.¡±

    ¡°Great. Flann, give me the earring. I want to tell him that I¡¯m still alive, and then I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not really an earring,¡± Flann sniffed, feigning offense. ¡°It¡¯s a cuff. I would never poke holes in my ear.¡±

    ¡°His hearing is already bad enough,¡± Jan quipped.

    Bel laughed along with them, although her heart wasn¡¯t in it.

    Flann reached up to his ear. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll have to¨C¡±

    His words were interrupted by a loud explosion from outside. The ground shook and dust sifted down from the ceiling of the small room.

    ¡°What now?¡± Bel screamed with frustration.

    She found herself halfway through the door frame, her snakes writhing with tired fury, but was brought up short by the bulky being blocking her path.

    ¡°Cleisthenes?¡± she groaned. ¡°What do you want? What was that explosion?¡±

    The hippo snorted at her. ¡°I want to complete this mission and return to my people. I don¡¯t know what caused that explosion. Maybe the scrattes ¨C they will be the cause of no end of trouble.¡±

    Bel waved her hand at the annoying man, shooing him to the side. ¡°I¡¯m going to go check it out. Move.¡±

    Cleisthenes stomped his foot angrily. ¡°You seem to forget that I am in charge of all military aspects of this mission. Just because you disobeyed orders and got lost in the Underworld does not mean that you can ignore the proper chain of command. Now that you are finished playing with the humans I insist that you return to headquarters to report.¡±

    Bel ignored the man¡¯s ranting and peered around him. Pelagius trailed after the hippo, as usual, but something was off about her. Instead of her usual vacant stare, when the fish woman saw Bel her mouth stretched into a wide, gape-mouthed smile.

    ¡°Uh, Cleisthenes, what¡¯s wrong with¨C¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you interrupt¨C¡±

    Cleisthenes¡¯s head was enveloped by Pelagius¡¯ suddenly tooth maw. Bel watched in stupefied horror as the woman¡¯s long, sinuous neck ¨C which hadn¡¯t been like that a moment prior ¨C retracted, leaving Cleisthenes¡¯ headless body behind. A bulge travelled along Pelagius¡¯ neck as she swallowed.

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    She patted her stomached with a wide, webbed hand. ¡°So much better,¡± she hissed.

    Bel was yanked backwards by someone, and Cress interposed herself in the fish woman¡¯s path. ¡°She¡¯s got something over her eyes,¡± Cress warned. ¡°She¡¯s prepared for gorgons.¡±

    Bel looked over Cress¡¯ shoulder and saw a thick membrane had covered Pelagius¡¯ eyes. The formerly incompetent woman reached into her satchel and pulled out a pair of rods with sharp, twisting tangles of wire at their tips. ¡°Of course I¡¯m prepared. I¡¯ve been waiting for years to carry out my god¡¯s will, hiding in the recesses of this body¡¯s mind.¡±

    Cress held up her hammer as Pelagius jabbed with one of her rods, but the gorgon hadn¡¯t been the target. The twisting mass of wires easily penetrated the flesh of Cleisthenes¡¯ corpse. The hippo¡¯s lifeless body began to writhe and stir as the wires wriggled under his skin.

    ¡°Not more of these,¡± Bel groaned. She wanted to shut down whatever abilities Pelagius was using, but that would hurt her allies too. Flann was summoning orbs of fire and Jan was burrowing a second exit out of the building; Bel couldn¡¯t be sure that ending their abilities abruptly would be safe.

    She was also unsure that she would reach Pelagius, and if the now-terrifying fish-woman was outside of Bel¡¯s reach then she would be the only essence-empowered person around.

    Bel decided to go on the offensive and widen the room¡¯s exit instead. She slapped a hand onto the door frame used a quick liquid shockwave to blast it into a cloud of debris.

    Flann made immediate use of the new opening, sending a barrage of small burning orbs at their fishy adversary. Pelagius pulled a wall of water from a nearby sewer, but she was forced back by the ferocity of Flann¡¯s attack.

    Cress advanced, but she didn¡¯t know the threat that Cleisthenes¡¯ corpse posed. Bel pulled the other gorgon back as the hippo¡¯s headless body rose to its feet and swept a massive poleaxe through the air.

    Cress¡¯ snakes rattled in alarm as she deflected the much larger weapon with her war hammer. Bel kept the other gorgon upright as she staggered back from the force of the blow. A wave of water followed a moment later, shoving them all back into the cramped room. Bel pushed her head above water, pulling in a full lungful of air as she struggled against the waist-high water and powerful current.

    ¡°Through here!¡± Jan shouted.

    Bel looked over to see his hand beckoning from a hole in the wall. She and Cress gladly retreated from the rapidly flooding room. On the other side she saw Warrenier and Flann standing at a safe distance. Flann shook the water from his fur while Jan quickly refilled the hole with his ground manipulation.

    ¡°Should hold ¡¯em for a second,¡± Jan said. ¡°By the gods, what is happening?¡±

    Bel examined the area around them, taking in the small courtyard walled in by stone buildings, including the one they had just fled.

    ¡°Pelagius was some kind of spy or puppet,¡± she growled. ¡°And she just killed Cleisthenes and reanimated his corpse.¡±

    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s normal,¡± Jan complained.

    ¡°Around Bel it¡¯s not so strange,¡± Flann replied. He shot an orb of fire high into the sky. ¡°Would be nice if someone noticed what¡¯s happening here,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Technis has been known to turn people into his playthings,¡± Warrenier said, her voice dry and rasping, but not at all worried. ¡°Thanks to that explosion, everyone is likely too distracted to notice your signal. We had best prepare, the creature is clearly targeting us.¡±

    Bel knelt down and picked up a nice, heavy brick that Jan had dislodged with his work. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she declared.

    She wondered if the fish woman would come over the building, flowing in on a dramatic wave of water, but she¡¯d forgotten about Cleisthenes. The headless body burst through the back of the build as if it were paper, spraying bricks and debris in every direction.

    Bel wondered how the headless thing would see, but she noticed a few twisting wires poking out of its neck, spinning through the air like an insect¡¯s antenna. She found its silence unnerving as it spun to face them and charged.

    ¡°I got it,¡± Jan declared. The short meerkat stepped forward and lifted several walls of stone into the charging hippos path.

    Bel doubted that the obstacles would do much, but she was underestimated the experienced warrior. As Cleisthenes¡¯ body turned to shoulder through the first wall, the stones dropped away to ankle height. The faceless creature stumbled through the surprising lack of resistance and tripped over the short wall.

    Jan gestured and the next wall dropped away, revealing a hidden pit. The body fell into it and was quickly buried in stone and dirt.

    Jan clenched his hands like he was holding a heavy weight. ¡°Finish ¡¯im off before he gets out!¡±

    Bel hopped towards the pit, but hopped away when she saw motion from the corner of her eye. A large icicle pierced the ground in front of her, and Bel hopped away again to get space for a good view of her assailant.

    Pelagius had sneaked to the top of a second building and was launching attacks from its flat roof. It looked to Bel like she had brought a well¡¯s worth of water along with her, hovering over her shoulder in a swirling ball. At a gesture from the fishy woman, a crust of ice formed around the floating orb. She spun her hand and the water began to turn until its surface blurred with speed. The crust fractured and Pelagius released wave after wave of thin ice shards into the small courtyard.

    Cress tried to blast through the attack with an ear-splitting shriek, but that only vaporized a single wave ice. Pelagius whipped her hands through the air and the attack continued, quickly overwhelming Cress¡¯ ability. Jan was forced to abandon his hold on the headless body to erect a stone barrier between Bel¡¯s group and the icy assault.

    Cleisthenes¡¯ corpse crawled to its feet, once again free. Flann immediately hit it with a ball of fire, but the heat didn¡¯t even scorch the hippo¡¯s thick skin. Bel used destabilized bonds to turn her brick into a weapon of destruction and hurled it at the hippo.

    She was pleased with the explosion that filled the courtyard with light and heat, but it barely knocked the corpse off-balance.

    I guess that I don¡¯t know much about his abilities, Bel realized.

    She glanced at Pelagius, who seemed content to keep Jan busy while the corpse struggled towards them. Cress and Flann were stuck behind Jan¡¯s wall, and Bel didn¡¯t think that priestess Warrenier looked like much of a fighter.

    Jan was doing fine against the undead hippo, she though. Let¡¯s try that again.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the fish,¡± she declared.

    Without waiting for a response, Bel liquified her armor and manipulated it to cover her most important organs before pouncing at Pelagius. The fish-woman¡¯s response was predictable: she blasted Bel full of holes. Bel lost some blood, but her liquid body prevented any real damage to her extremities while her impervious pillar-metal protected her important parts.

    Bel¡¯s fingers twitched, eager to wrap around Pelagius long neck, but before she reached her the vile creature erected a wall of ice to block Bel¡¯s path.

    Bel sank her nails into the ice and obliterated it with a liquid shockwave. She felt resistance from Pelagius¡¯ control of the frigid material, but Bel¡¯s ability was well-suited to dealing with any water-based material. Shards of shattered ice scattered around her as she advanced across the flat roof, but Pelagius didn¡¯t retreat.

    She gestured to her dwindling supply of water and small, silver streaks shot towards Bel. The gorgon hunkered down behind a shield of her metal, but a surprise explosion blew her from her feet. Off-balance, Bel was forced to run around the rooftop, dodging small, exploding fish.

    Where the hell did she get these? Bel wondered.

    After a few seconds of running, Bel¡¯s tired mind realized that she had a better way to combat the threat: she located the fish with track hearts and liberated their essence. She still dodged the next body, but when it splatted limply against the roof Bel turned her gaze back to Pelagius.

    There was a flash of light and a blast of heat behind her, but Bel trusted her allies to deal with the headless Cleisthenes. She charged Pelagius with a snarl and her snakes hissed an angry accompaniment. Her essence was running low, and she was exhausted, but Bel ignored her body¡¯s complaints as she barreled through another pair of hastily erected walls of ice.

    Pelagius struck with her long neck and sharp teeth when Bel was only a few steps away, but Bel lifted her arm and let the woman break her teeth upon her armor. Bel grabbed the woman¡¯s neck and attempted to snap it, but it was too long and sinuous and flexible. Bel batted away Pelagius¡¯ clacking jaws as she formed a small knife from the edge of her armor. With a decisive slash of her razor-sharp blade, Bel bisected the woman¡¯s head.

    She was once again covered in gore, and her purloined clothing was in tatters, but her enemy was defeated. Bel ripped the essence from Pelagius¡¯ body, pleasantly surprised at its quantity. Then she rushed to the edge of the roof to check on her friends.

    She saw a crater five strides wide in the middle of the yard, and the area was filled with bits of burning debris. Bel didn¡¯t see any sign of Cleisthenes and guessed that his body had been at the center of the blast. Flann and Jan were stuck on the side of the crater, sheltering inside of a rocky shield whose exterior look reflective and glassy.

    Cress and Warrenier were standing outside of the crater. Although the other gorgon was holding one her arms like it was injured, the area around them was oddly free of any signs of the blast. Bel inspected the priestess and noticed that the area of undisturbed dirt began at her feet. She wasn¡¯t sure what abilities the priestess had used, but they had been effective.

    Bel dropped down from the rooftop and approached her friends.

    ¡°Is everyone alright?¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve gone deaf,¡± Jan shouted.

    ¡°Ya already were,¡± Flann shouted back.

    Warrenier dusted some ash from her robe. ¡°It seems we¡¯ve poked Technis in a way he didn¡¯t appreciate.¡±

    The old woman smiled. ¡°This is excellent.¡±

 Chapter 141 â€“ Surprise Attacks

    James looked on one side of his paper. Then he turned back to the other side. Then he scanned down from the top.

    ¡°Dammit,¡± he cursed.

    ¡°What is wrong, husband?¡±

    He looked up at his wife and smiled, his bad mood instantly banished.

    ¡°Oh, I just added some numbers wrong again. It¡¯s no big deal. I just wish that white-out existed in this world.¡±

    Daran frowned, her face somehow growing even more cute as her lips pressed in a slight pout. ¡°Maybe you are too tired. You have been working on Hanti¡¯s numbers for days, and hardly spending any time with us.¡±

    James shrugged. He couldn¡¯t deny it; humans couldn¡¯t keep working without a break, at least not without some abilities to help them out, and it was his responsibility to spend time with his wife and child.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t just Hanti¡¯s numbers though, and no one else knows how to use a spreadsheet. We need to figure out if we¡¯ve got enough food for everyone in the Golden Plains, including the human refugees from Satrap.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°I wish Flann had sent us a better estimate of their numbers, though.¡±

    Daran skittered across the room to look over his spreadsheet. He laughed when her nose wrinkled at the sight.

    ¡°Oh, come on, they¡¯re just numbers. They don¡¯t bite.¡±

    ¡°But there are so many,¡± she protested. Her antenna beat through the air with mild distress and James grinned. The sight made him wonder how their daughter would look when she grew older. She had inherited his legs, but had kept her mother¡¯s antenna. She was already an adorable toddler, but he was sure that she would be an even cuter kid.

    He picked up the paper and made animal sounds as he shook it at his wife, pretending the numbers might leap out and attack. She rolled her eyes in disgust, but he saw the corners of her mouth turn up in a smile.

    James put the paper back onto his desk and pointed at it. ¡°These numbers are our food production. Now that the rains have returned, it¡¯s actually constrained by labor and time, so we could grow more.¡±

    ¡°That is good, yes?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s great. But¨C¡±

    He tapped another set of numbers.

    ¡°¨Cwe¡¯ll have more mouths to feed once the humans arrive. However¨C¡±

    His finger moved onto another column.

    ¡°Some of the humans should be able to help with the sowing and harvesting. I¡¯ve calculated things with different ratios of able-bodied humans to children and elderly, but I wish I had the real numbers.¡±

    Daran look up from the paper and inspect James¡¯ communication array. ¡°Flann should be calling back today, yes?¡±

    James grimaced. ¡°Any moment now, hopefully, although I¡¯m not sure our signals will reach all the way to Baytown. It¡¯s been spotty without a Pillar acting as the conductor, but we¡¯ve been deploying more repeaters to help out.¡±

    James was about to launch into a new idea of his that would take advantage of a spirit¡¯s ability to divide into smaller versions of itself to quickly train a large number of flying message carriers, but a loud thump interrupted him. Daran put a steadying arm on his shoulder as the room shuddered and dust sifted down from the ceiling. James hastily moved his papers as ink sloshed over the side of his inkwell, and from the adjacent room their baby wailed, signaling the sudden end of her nap.

    ¡°I will check on her,¡± Daran said as she rushed to their child.

    James sopped up the wasted ink with a few scraps of paper and wondered what had happened. ¡°An earthquake, maybe?¡± he muttered.

    ¡°Whoa, hey, looks like you¡¯re fine,¡± Beth shouted from the door. James grimaced at her habitual refusal to knock, but her sweaty face and messy hair made it look like she¡¯d dashed over at full speed.

    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.

    Beth fully entered the room and looked in every corner and nook. Seth, the taciturn scorpion guy, trailed in after her.

    ¡°Not fully sure yet,¡± Beth replied.

    James noticed that her leather armor was wet with something, and when he glanced at Seth he saw a thick liquid dripping from his claws. James reached under his worktable to another one of his side projects, this one of a more martial nature than the others. He gripped the hand of his spirit cannon, readying himself to protect his family.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Beth?¡±

    She scowled. ¡°Spies or saboteurs or something ¨C or maybe normal people who had their heads pried open by Technis ¨C all struck at once.¡±

    Beth stabbed her hand through the air. ¡°They set off a big explosion near Hanti¡¯s hive are just causing general havoc. Where¡¯s Daran?¡±

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    James turned towards the back room. ¡°She¡¯s with¨C¡±

    Daran strode out of the room, a fierce look upon her face. ¡°I am here. Are we under attack?¡±

    James cringed with he saw Daran wielding a spear while holding their baby on a sling. He thought it was probably overkill since a pair of her ant-headed attendants flanked Daran on either side, each wielding a menacing, lumpy club of roughly shaped metal.

    Beth continued looking around the room with suspicion. ¡°Is everyone here who they say they are?¡± she asked.

    James snorted. ¡°Is that a riddle? We¡¯ve never seen Technis make copies of people, he just hollows out the insides and replaces them.¡±

    He gestured at Daran. ¡°We¡¯re hardly ever out of each other¡¯s sight anyway. When would Technis¡¯ people have gotten to us?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Beth tapped the pommel of her dagger and relaxed slightly.

    ¡°I suppose so,¡± she admitted.

    Seth pointed one of his pincers at Daran¡¯s attendants.

    Daran glanced to her sides. ¡°They are not fully ¨C what is James¡¯ word? Conscious? They only¨C¡± Daran flinched back as one of her attendants turned and smashed the head of its nearest companion. She jumped behind her other attendants, who moved quickly to block the aberrant one.

    James thought two on one was good enough until the murderous attendant grew a trio of long tentacles from its back. The creature whipped them around, grasping one attendant around the neck as it disarmed the other. It quickly smashed in the head of its defenseless victim while breaking the other attendant¡¯s neck with a loud crack.

    Beth crossed the room in an instant, using her new shadow step ability to appear behind their mutated attacker. Her hand blurred as she stabbed with a dagger, but a blue shield flickered into existence at her foe deflected the blow. The mutant¡¯s knees popped as it moved backwards, advancing towards Beth with its flailing tentacles. Beth attempted to cut and slice them, but her weapon ineffectively passed through the mutant¡¯s rubbery limbs. Unable to wound the creature, Beth was forced backwards.

    At least she¡¯s leading that thing away from Daran, James thought. He aimed his weapon and squeezed the trigger. It didn¡¯t kick like a regular gun from his world. Instead, he had designed the trigger to open a pair of trap doors that would release a small water spirit and a small flame spirit into the central chamber. He still wasn¡¯t able to predict exactly how long it would take the two spirits to react, but the end result was always the same.

    With a loud hiss and a flash of heat, his weapon launched a cylindrical projectile across the room. James¡¯ eyes popped with disbelief as the mutant pivoted slightly and batted the heavy metal slug aside as easily as he would swat a fly. His heart thumped with dread as he fumbled under his desk for more ammunition and the small cartridges filled with tiny spirits.

    Meanwhile, Beth tried to capitalize upon the distraction by shadow stepping around the creature. Darkness clung to the edge of her dagger as she thrust it past the distracted mutant¡¯s defenses and into the former attendant¡¯s brain.

    Or where the brain should have been ¨C James froze in horror as the body split open like a shell and a writhing mass of tentacles and teeth oozed out of the torso. Beth was caught completely off-guard and wrapped in heavy, slime-covered limbs.

    Seth waded into the fight, his pincers snapping as he snipped his way through the forest of writhing tentacles. He made little progress: for every tentacle he cut two more rose to take its place. Beth¡¯s feet scrambled against the ground as she wrenched her arm away, but she couldn¡¯t gaining any distance from the writhing horror.

    James frantically fumbled, spilling his carefully sorted materials in his panic, and had to force himself to look away so he could actually reload his weapon. He slammed a cartridge into the water side and another into the fire side and then dumped the rest of his flame spirits into the barrel of his weapon. Their small containers bounced and pinged with the spirits¡¯ displeasure, but he didn¡¯t mind riling them up. They would be released in a moment.

    He looked up and yelled in horror when he saw a large, toothy maw enveloping his adopted sister.

    ¡°Beth!¡±

    A torrent of bricks broke free of the ceiling, slamming into the slimy body like a waterfall of stone. It knocked the creature down to the ground, pulling Beth with it.

    Daran heaved her arms, pulling down one last surge of bricks before she leaped over the fight. As she passed over the mucous-covered monster, she heaved an arm and launched her spear straight down. It moved like lightning, piercing the creature¡¯s center of mass and pinning it to the stone floor. The mucus monster struggled furiously, but the spear had momentarily stapled it to the ground with its mouth closed.

    Daran landed gracefully on the other side of the fight, and James was relieved to see her gently cradling their crying child in her free hand.

    Seth seized the opportunity, wading into the writhing tentacles and pulled Beth free from the distracted monster.

    It¡¯s my turn now, James realized.

    He rushed forward with his improperly loaded weapon, getting to nearly tentacle range before releasing another pair of spirits into the barrel of the spirit cannon. He thought that the two spirits must have already been agitated, because there was hardly any delay before his weapon exploded, splitting the metal tube apart in a gout of flame and heat. As he slid backwards over the rough floor, James cheered at the sight of the shriveled and blacked mass where the creature had been moments ago.

    He realized that he should have been paying more attention to his own situation when his head slammed against the wall. James allowed himself a few moments to be dazed and limp against the wall while he waited for the stars in his vision to pass. His head kept ringing even after the room stopped spinning, and James was beginning to wonder if he had permanently hurt something when he realized that the source of the noise were the bells on his communication device.

    He crawled over to it, not quite trusting his shaky legs.

    ¡°Y-yes?¡± he stammered. ¡°Flann?¡±

    ¡°Hello brother!¡± Bel¡¯s happy voice came through. ¡°You sound kind of flustered. Wait, I didn¡¯t interrupt something, did I? Should I call back? Wait, don¡¯t tell me, I don¡¯t want to know.¡±

    James head had started spinning again. Beth saved him by coming over and taking the communicator into her own hands.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she said harshly. ¡°Glad you¡¯re alive. It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°Beth! Hold on, before we get distracted I wanted to give you a warning.¡±

    Bel paused for a breath, and Beth arched an eyebrow at the smoldering mess that had nearly mauled her.

    ¡°We ¨C me and the gorgons and some scrattes to be specific ¨C just took Baytown from Technis¡¯ troops. He¡¯s probably mad about it, because he sent a bunch of sleeper agents to try and kill use.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like him,¡± Beth replied calmly.

    ¡°Pelagius was one of them! That fish person! Can you believe it?¡±

    ¡°I guess that explains why she wasn¡¯t very useful,¡± Beth replied.

    ¡°Anyway, I wanted to warn you that Technis could have more people hidden in the Golden Plains.¡±

    Beth glanced behind her. ¡°Yeah, that sounds likely. Do you think he used them all up in one attack?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a priestess of Lempo here who said she would check everyone else, and she hasn¡¯t found anything. I guess that means he used them all at once.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Beth said. ¡°We just dealt with the same thing, and I¡¯d hate for this to be a regular problem.¡±

    The one-armed woman leaned back in James¡¯ chair and stretched her sore shoulders. ¡°So, tell me what you¡¯ve been up to, kid. Have you gotten strong enough to kill Technis yet?¡±

 Chapter 142 â€“ Interlude: A Godâ€™s Plan

    Technis watched as the lights on his wall died in rapid succession. Each one was a meticulously crafted asset: spies, infiltrators, and warriors that he and his favored subordinates had crafted to perfectly suit their roles. He didn¡¯t regret his decision to sacrifice them all, but he still felt a small pang of loss.

    But it wasn¡¯t as though he could bring them with him. They were works of art, true, but he had seen enough civilizations crumble to know that works of art could be remade. Once he reached the Old World, he would have to opportunity and materials to make even greater works of flesh and artifice. That thought consoled him as he reviewed his tools¡¯ final results through the eyes of Clark¡¯s aerial spies.

    He wasn¡¯t surprised by what he saw, and he was mostly pleased.

    Mostly.

    He mood was soured as he watched Lempo¡¯s child. He had placed a guardian to intercept her at the top of the Pillar, but he still lacked information on whatever abilities she had used in that fight. Her revealed abilities were interesting, to be sure, but they couldn¡¯t explain what she had done to his masterpiece.

    The artificial creature had been assembled from no less than thirty other beings, folded together like a complicated puzzle, and designed to activate in stages to test her capabilities. He had prepared observation equipment throughout the Labyrinthos and used some of the last remaining transportation technology to rapidly deploy his creation before Lempo¡¯s child could reach the surface.

    And then everything failed.

    His creation was killed, apparently before activating any of its later forms. His observation equipment captured the beginning of their fight, but nothing more interesting than a bit of gymnastics. As if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, Technis had even been denied the dissection of his defeated creation when an army of scrattes had eaten everything but the bones.

    Technis half-believed that Lempo¡¯s adopted the scrattes to insult him. Not only had the simple creatures eaten his carefully designed masterpiece, they had also overwhelmed the dhvaras that Technis held under his sphere of control for the last several hundred years. They had even gotten Lempo¡¯s child to the surface weeks earlier than he had anticipated, throwing his careful planning to the winds.

    Perhaps sensing his mood, Clark cleared his throat and spoke to one of Technis¡¯ puppet bodies. ¡°My lord, I could go out and destroy Lempo¡¯s creature before she rejoins her allies from the Golden Plains. I would be done with her and return long before you need to close the portal.¡±

    Technis didn¡¯t frown, at least not with any puppet visible to his followers. Clark was one of his oldest and most skilled apprentices, and Technis expected great things from him. Unfortunately, the god could see that Clark had gotten emotional about Lempo¡¯s child.

    Was it her involvement with his relative, Bethany? Or perhaps the gorgon¡¯s victory over Clark¡¯s puppet body in the Underworld still bothered him? Or maybe the failure to contain her within Satrap still rankled him?

    The attachment was foolish ¨C a mortal without even a thousand years of experience couldn¡¯t hope to stand against the child of a goddess. Technis considered the problem: would Clark let it go if Technis ordered him to the Old World? Or would his failure eat away at him until he did something foolish, something like reopening the portal and giving Lempo and the rest of the pantheon another chance to pursue him?

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    It was a risk that Technis wouldn¡¯t take. He also wasn¡¯t going to allow Clark to feed his enemies a steady supply of essence, sending more and more resources at Lempo¡¯s child as she approached his defenses.

    ¡°Do not leave the citadel,¡± Technis commanded. ¡°We know that she will come to us, and my defenses are worth far more than her allies. You may waylay her here and then follow the rest of your countrymen through the portal.¡±

    Technis bent his puppet forward, looking deep into Clark¡¯s eyes. ¡°But heed my words, Clark. You must resolve your personal attachment to this world before taking your rightful place on Earth.¡±

    Clark grinned. ¡°I will return to your side victorious, my lord.¡±

    Technis nodded in assent, but he thought it likely that Clark would die on Olympos. No matter ¨C time would grant him more skilled followers.

    Technis sent his attention through the slowly widening portal and into his local body. He emerged from an abandoned structure ¨C a maintenance shed of some sort ¨C and brushed himself off. Feeling presentable enough, he strode the body through a small bit of woods, across a wide, paved road, and towards a research laboratory that he funded with money from his assumed identity.

    The pittance it took to acquire skilled researchers still shocked him, as well as the fact that he earned money by having money, but the feelings of easy progress only stoked his anticipation. What would he accomplish with the Old World¡¯s people at his command? His heart would have raced at the thought if he hadn¡¯t updated his body¡¯s biology.

    He used a small, plastic identifier to gain entry to the laboratory and made his way to the cluttered room that housed his research.

    ¡°Kate,¡± he said.

    The girl yelped with surprise and put her hand over her heart as she spun around.

    ¡°Mr. Highland,¡± she gulped with surprise.

    He looked over her shoulder, wondering if she had been doing anything useful, or merely watching recordings of small animals. She shifted slightly, blocking some of his view.

    Technis still had trouble understanding the behaviors of the locals. He couldn¡¯t connect their actions with their apparent success, but as long as she produced results he cared little what she watched on her magic screen.

    ¡°What can I help¨C¡± she began, but his mouth opened and he cut her off.

    It was an unfortunate side-effect of the signal delay between Olympos and Earth, but, as his subordinate, the girl had no reason to complain about his poor sense of timing.

    ¡°I have changed my mind. I wish for you to pursue your triangulation hypotheses. I will provide more hardware shortly. How long will it take to make your system operational?¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± she stammered.

    He waited, shifting his attention back to some other business on Olympos. By the time his attention returned to his worker she had composed herself.

    ¡°I can stop working on the transmissions and multi-D tuning algorithms if you want, but didn¡¯t you say those were more important than tracking the source? You still wanted to try widening the cross section of the hypothetical interdimensional contact surface, right?¡±

    He paused for a moment, recalling the version of reality that he had been presenting to the girl. He had learned long ago that consistency was key to keeping secrets.

    ¡°I reflected upon your previous arguments and grew convinced. You mentioned in your last report that the energy you are detecting is growing, did you not? If that is the case, then a sudden cessation of the signal seems unlikely, and we can learn a great deal by studying its point of origin.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    The girl hesitated, glancing back at her screen. She shifted slightly, as though she was trying to hide something on its surface without drawing attention to it. ¡°I think a week would be enough time.¡±

    Technis considered all of the personnel and equipment that he meant to bring through. A week would be enough time, he decided.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± he said. ¡°I will transfer new funds to your advisor immediately.¡±

    He turned on his heel and put his remote body into semi-conscious control. He would occupy it once it reached the nearest banking institution.

    After so little action for so long things were finally reaching a crescendo. Within a week, Technis would begin his conquest of the Old World. And with the triangulation technology up and running, he would be able to detect and track any pursuit from Olympos, as unlikely as that would be. He was determined that there be no other outside influence upon the Earth.

 Chapter 143 â€“ Bad Tidings

    ¡°But it¡¯s what we already agreed!¡± Bel shouted. She shoved her fists under the table as they curled into fists. She couldn¡¯t do anything to hide her hissing, agitated snakes though. The unfamiliar humans, whose names Bel had already forgotten, leaned back in their chairs and regarded her with disdain.

    Their leader smirked. ¡°You claim that High Speaker Cove agreed to these terms, but you haven¡¯t shown us any evidence of that. I don¡¯t know how things are down where you¡¯re from, but here we write down our agreements.¡±

    ¡°I¨C¡±

    ¡°On paper.¡±

    Bel stifled a growl. ¡°I know¨C¡±

    ¡°Contracts. That¡¯s what they¡¯re called.¡±

    Bel clenched her jaw, waiting to see if her new least favorite person would interrupt again.

    ¡°Listen, Dice, there was¨C¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Bryce.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s Lice!¡± Bel spat. ¡°We signed a contract! It doesn¡¯t matter if all copies were destroyed in the attack, it was still an agreement!¡±

    Bryce held up his hands, miming his helplessness in the face of her obstinacy. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t understand your position. You want us to yield this town to¨C¡±

    ¡°Our town,¡± Bel hissed. ¡°This is our town.¡±

    The human shrugged. ¡°You and the scrattes and a few¨C¡±

    He glanced at Flann and Jan.

    ¡°¨Chalf people?¡±

    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re fully people,¡± Flann replied, ¡°just not fully human.¡±

    Bryce sighed and pushed down on the wooden table, pushing himself to his feet.

    ¡°It seems that we¡¯ve reached an impasse for now.¡±

    He gestured to some papers on his side of the table.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave our proposal here so you can consider it with cooler heads.¡±

    Bel glanced at the paper and almost thought about it. Then she realized that the human was trying to use some stupid negotiating tactic on her. He wanted her feel like the failure in negotiations was because of her. She felt a surge of disgust at the thought of working with someone who would resort to petty tricks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Bel said. ¡°We won¡¯t be accepting any offer from you. Take your papers and leave.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± the man said. He was frozen half out of his chair. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious? Your people need us humans. You¡¯ve said so yourselves.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Bel insisted. She pointed at Jan and Flann. ¡°Their people need you humans. The scrattes want some mud in the sun and the gorgons are fine without you. If you want to negotiate with the people of the Golden Plains instead, you can go there.¡±

    The man¡¯s face reddened with rage. ¡°You think you can hold this town?¡±

    Bel silently pointed to the petrified body of a large sea monster. Its neck arched over one of the harbor¡¯s piers, frozen mid-roar. She could see a few more statues from her seat, and she knew that the city was quickly turning into a sculpture garden of creatures that thought they could wander into town for a quick meal.

    The man paused, searching for his next words. Bel didn¡¯t want to hear them.

    ¡°Get out,¡± she commanded. ¡°You have until sunset.¡±

    They fumed, and yelled, and stomped their feet, but Bel held firm. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally left. She relaxed her clenched hands, and was surprised to notice that she¡¯d crushed the edge of the table into splinters. She flushed with embarrassment and thought about the meeting. As she went over her words, a heavy pit grew in her stomach and she felt sick enough to vomit.

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    She turned to her friends: Flann and Jan to represent the Golden Plains and Cress to represent the gorgons. She¡¯d thought about bringing a scratte, but decided against it. Instead, she had left Orseis with the little green plant people, hoping that they would keep eyes on each other.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel that we could trust them.¡±

    She winced when she looked at Flann and Jan. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry ¨C I know you guys need the humans.¡±

    The two semi-humans shrugged.

    ¡°Eh, plenty of humans have already committed ta stayin¡¯ in the Golden Plains.¡±

    Jan nodded at Flann¡¯s words. ¡°It seems like Technis¡¯ creations killed the best of the humans here anyway.¡±

    Flann¡¯s ear twitched. ¡°Well, the best non-delvers. Those ¡¯uns are okay by me.¡±

    Bel shoved her hands through her snakes, doing her best to sooth them. Vex and Sparky wanted to kill everyone, but the rest of them were quickly calmed.

    ¡°So, what happened?¡± Cress asked. ¡°The words were too fast.¡±

    ¡°I felt like they were trying to squeeze out from the agreement we had with their former leaders. They were talking down to me, so I told them to get out.¡± Bel slumped. ¡°I should have left the talking to you, even if you needed an interpreter. Or we should have let Fortuit negotiate.¡±

    Cress shrugged. ¡°We gorgons are used to people attempting to cheat us. We are tired of it. Will they take the delvers with them?¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No, Rock didn¡¯t get killed so nothing changes with them.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t believe in bits of paper either,¡± she grumbled.

    Flann cleared his throat. ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about the future.¡±

    He tapped his ear cuff. ¡°Once things calmed down in the Golden Plains, James called back. Technis was aiming for the leadership there too, but only some of it. Still, things are bad.¡±

    Bel sank even farther into her chair. ¡°Meaning?¡±

    Flann grimaced, showing off a full muzzle of teeth. ¡°He took Hanti out, and most of the other faction leaders, but left Rob¨¨te. Would have probably gotten Daran if James and Beth weren¡¯t there.¡±

    ¡°She always opposed Hanti¡¯s military actions,¡± Jan reminded Bel. ¡°Since some humans escaped into the Golden Plains, she¡¯s likely to declare their emergency over.¡±

    Flann¡¯s tail swished rapidly. ¡°Already happened, actually.¡±

    Jan¡¯s nose twitched. ¡°Already? What about the front line?¡±

    ¡°James said that Technis¡¯ troops moved back. Rob¨¨te was against sendin¡¯ anyone to scout, but Daran convinced some stealthy folks ta check it out.¡±

    Flann waggled his eyebrows, letting the tension build before he revealed anything. ¡°They¡¯re runnin¡¯ back into Satrap with all haste, leavin¡¯ supplies and stuff behind as they go. James thinks that means Technis is goin¡¯ to open a portal to the Old World and abandon Satrap, and they¡¯re racin¡¯ to get out in time.¡±

    Bel sat up straight. ¡°Then we need to strike quickly. We need to organize everyone and move out right away.¡±

    She clicked her tongue. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go to that Dice guy and apologize.¡±

    Flann and Jan exchanged looks and shrugged. Jan rubbed his ears for a few seconds before finding the right words.

    ¡°I know you¡¯ve got this quest from your mother, Bel, but Rob¨¨te and the rest of the Golden Plains aren¡¯t invested in it. With their leadership gone and Technis¡¯ forces in retreat, the humans from the Points would probably rather go home, even if you offered them the city.¡±

    Bel¡¯s mouth dropped open. She thought about everyone she¡¯d met in Olympos and¡­

    They don¡¯t have any reason to chase a demigod, she realized. It¡¯s just me. Well, me and Orseis if she really wants to go to the Old World.

    And James, since he¡¯s from there.

    Bel glanced at Cress, and the warrior flared her wings dramatically. ¡°I will go with you, Bel. As far as Technis¡¯ fortress at least.¡±

    Cress tapped her metal nails against her maul. ¡°Oculaire said that she will come as well. And Manipule insisted that someone has to bring an egg if a gorgon could die.¡±

    Bel frowned at the thought.

    Jan tapped on the table. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Beth is still comin¡¯ ta help,¡± he said.

    He scratched his cheek. ¡°And, uh, James said he¡¯s coming too. Not to fight though.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Did he come up with some super weapon to use against Technis? He used to talk about those all the time.¡±

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Jan said.

    Flann laughed. ¡°He convinced Daran that they should move here, if the gorgons are okay with it. They¡¯re plannin¡¯ to bring along a bunch of orphans and young, hopeful people. Maybe collect more from Satrap on their way here.¡±

    ¡°He said adopting orphans was some kind of story trope,¡± Jan added. ¡°I think he may just feel bad for all the strays.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Bel muttered, disappointed. She immediately felt bad; James had a wife and a little baby and no special abilities to fight. Expecting him to solve her Technis problem was crazy.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t get your snakes all tangled. Me and this ol¡¯ furball wouldn¡¯t leave ya stranded without shade,¡± Flann declared. ¡°But we¡¯re just two old men, so I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be much help.¡±

    Bel felt a ball of warmth in her chest. ¡°Thanks, you two, but I¡¯d feel bad¨C¡±

    ¡°Bah,¡± Flann interrupted, ¡°we¡¯d feel bad if you went off on your own. Don¡¯t think you¡¯re doin¡¯ this all on your own, young ¡¯un.¡±

    Bel laughed with relief. ¡°You¡¯re right. And I¡¯ve got my mom on my side, too. That means some of her priests may also want to help.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°And maybe some of the delvers are carrying grudges too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Flann said. ¡°By the way, Orseis has been braggin¡¯ about how she¡¯s gonna get to go to the Old World, and that sounds like just the kind of relaxin¡¯ trip we¡¯ve been lookin¡¯ for.¡±

    Bel stared at them in disbelief. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We figure we¡¯ll just go through Technis¡¯ portal. If Orseis can get through, why can¡¯t we?¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes looked at the two old me in shock. ¡°You think you can just dance through whatever portal Technis set up?¡±

    Flann grinned. ¡°Sure. Why not?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jan added. ¡°What¡¯s he going to do? Stop us?¡±

 Chapter 144 â€“ Lack of Flags

    Bel was feeling hungry, tired, and slightly desperate. She had gone from having an army of hundred to having a few gorgons, a pair of old semi-humans, and a cuttle-girl who was so young that Bel wondered if it was immoral to bring her along. Her hunger problems would be solved soon, hopefully, by Manipule¡¯s cooking. Bel would have to solve her other problems with her own abilities of persuasion.

    She didn¡¯t think she was doing well so far.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the story,¡± Bel said as she finished her summary of current events, ending with the humans from the Points leaving. She looked at Rock, the leader of the delvers, wondering what he was thinking.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, so Bel kept rambling. ¡°Head Priestess Warrenier said that she¡¯s too old to travel to Technis¡¯ citadel in Central City, but her assistant is coming with us. She¡¯ll remain here with the scrattes and keep the town safe, so you shouldn¡¯t need to worry about any non-fighters who you leave behind.¡±

    Bel gestured towards the field of scrattes. Around a quarter of their population had been buried head-first up to their waists. Bel had walked through the muddy ground as their shaman showed off their growth, and Bel had been shocked to see their above-ground limbs darkening and their toes lengthening into branches. Bel wondered if anyone understood their life cycles. Certainly, none of the priests or delvers knew what was happening.

    Rock squinted as he looked at Lempo¡¯s priests. He struggled with the evening sun, uncomfortable with the intense light. Unlike the people from the Points, the delvers were pale from their time underground and unaccustomed to the harsh light of day. He scratched at his chin and looked at Bel.

    ¡°Why do you think Technis is actually in the capital? If you just want to go there and, well, promote your mother, I don¡¯t we¡¯ll be any help with that. You do know that delvers aren¡¯t respected here, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s there. I¡¯m sure of it. Why else would all of his people be retreating there?¡±

    Bel took a deep breath. ¡°Rock, we need your strength. People here in Satrap are weak compared to the gorgons and the warriors of the Golden Plains, but the delvers are strong. You have the numbers to make a difference when we confront Technis, and we don¡¯t have the time to raise a different army.¡±

    Orseis had verified their strength. She had lost most of her wrestling matches with the delvers, despite having an advantage with her flexible tentacles. Bel hoped that the delvers would put some of that strength to use helping her topple Technis before he activated his portal and left for the Old World.

    Rock rubbed a large scar than ran across his forearm and shook his head. ¡°Why attack Technis? Your goddess-mother has already warned you that once you go to fight him you may not return.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes twitched with irritation, but she managed to keep her expression neutral. ¡°My mother likes to say confusing things. She probably meant that I¡¯ll have to go to the Old World to clean up whatever mess he¡¯s making.¡±

    That was the explanation that Bel hoped for, at least. She had talked it over with James and that was his hopeful conclusion. In stories from his world it was a common trope for gods to use misleading phrases. Bel hoped that applied to real life.

    Rock frowned. ¡°I want to stay in this world though.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Then don¡¯t go through his portal after we kill him.¡±

    When Rock paused to think again Bel couldn¡¯t decide if he was honestly considering aiding her or just considering his next excuse.

    ¡°To be honest,¡± he began, ¡°my people have already decided that I cannot go, and that most of us have other priorities.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Your people decided?¡±

    He rubbed the back of his head and grinned bashfully. ¡°I¡¯m the strongest, so I¡¯m the leader, but I¡¯m not the smartest. Once we heard that Technis was leaving Satrap and taking his followers with him, my people became afraid for this place.¡±

    He gestured away from the ocean, towards the continent¡¯s interior. ¡°Many of our families are still in towns across Satrap. We want to find them and make sure they are safe.¡±

    ¡°But with Technis leaving they will be safe,¡± Bel said, exasperated.

    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s gotta point there, young ¡¯un,¡± Flann interrupted. ¡°Whenever the strongest disappears ya find out who¡¯s had it in for each other the whole time. Ya remember how much arguing we did after the Dark Ravager died, yeah? And that was with everyone still worryin¡¯ about our lack of children.¡±

    Bel threw up her arms. ¡°Technis could come back, you know.¡±

    She shook her hands angrily, wringing the life out of the air in front of her. ¡°But he¡¯d be back with wagons made of metal! They can launch explosions that would obliterate a town from a thousand strides away! And flying weapons that drop balls of fire! Lots of stuff like that! The Old World¡¯s technology is scary.¡±

    Rock nodded. ¡°I agree. The cannons here in Baytown had prevented several attacks in the past. And of course I hate Technis.¡±

    He shrugged helplessly. ¡°But I¡¯m also responsible for my people.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure that I couldn¡¯t tempt you?¡± Orseis said. She waggled her hips in what Bel guessed was supposed to be suggestive, but just looked silly on her young body.

    Rock laughed and rubbed her bald head with his massive hand. ¡°You know, my sister¡¯s children must be around your age. I can only hope that they are alive when I go to my old village, and that they are half as entertaining as you.¡±

    Bel watched as Orseis struggled. She smiled at the sight, but Rock¡¯s words reminded her that everyone else had problems.

    She could understand why the delvers were worried ¨C those who hadn¡¯t been born into the delving life had been sent to the labyrinthos as a punishment, torn away from whatever families they¡¯d had. Rock hadn¡¯t seen his family in years, probably.

    Rock finally let Orseis push his hand away with a mighty heave of her tentacles. He laughed at her pouting face. ¡°Oh, that reminds me!¡±

    He grinned at Bel. ¡°We do have some people who want to go with you. They¡¯re mostly folks whose entire villages were burned by Technis, so they¡¯ve got nothing left,¡± he explained.

    ¡°They¡¯re a hard, vicious lot who¡¯ll stop at nothing for revenge. They don¡¯t mind dying or falling into a hole to another world or whatever, just as long as they can hurt Technis.¡±

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    Oh good, Bel thought. More Beths.

    ¡°How many?¡± she asked aloud.

    ¡°Around ten.¡±

    ¡°Are they strong?¡±

    Rock shrugged. ¡°They didn¡¯t get killed so far, so they¡¯re alright.¡±

    That¡¯s ten delvers, three semi-humans, four gorgons if I count myself, a priest, and Beth wants to meet me partway.

    Bel couldn¡¯t see how she was supposed to kill Technis with such a pitiful group.

    Cress landed hard a few strides away, kicking up a cloud of grit with a flap of her wings. Oculaire thumped down next to her a moment later.

    ¡°What now?¡± Bel huffed angrily.

    Cress cringed. ¡°Sorry. There is a group of people approaching where the gate used to be.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose they look like my mom sent them to help?¡± Bel asked hopefully.

    ¡°They look like brigands to me.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Brigands,¡± Bel said to Rock as a one-word explanation.

    He nodded. ¡°Probably because we don¡¯t have a flag up.¡±

    Jan nodded. ¡°Prolly. Hard to scare people away if you don¡¯t have a flag.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Flann interjected. ¡°A good flag¡¯ll ward away trouble like the bright spots on a poisonous snake.¡±

    Bel shook her head in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯ll go deal with them before they cause trouble. You guys can worry about a flag if you want.¡±

    She turned and activated her newest ability, wind step. Her body ¨C and her clothes, thankfully ¨C flowed into wind and she raced through the air. Bel had been forced to admit to herself that she wasn¡¯t getting wings any time soon. Learning to fly would take too much time and she couldn¡¯t afford the ability anyway. Instead, she¡¯d comforted herself with one of Dutcha¡¯s abilities that let her take a step as a creature of wind.

    With her current capacity, Bel could only take a single step, but it carried her several thousand strides from the floodplain to the town wall. She landed lightly as her body reformed from thin air, grinning at the sense of freedom and movement. She looked back and saw that the two flying gorgons were racing to catch up.

    Bel turned to survey the threat. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t have rushed here by yourself, dummy,¡± she muttered.

    She saw around a hundred of the presumed brigands, with five or six of them riding lizard-pulled chariots and the rest on foot. She had no good way of gauging their strengths, but she didn¡¯t see anything obvious. No huge creatures of magma, no rippling of ground beneath their feet, no one casually carrying a cannon under their arm.

    I can¡¯t tell if I¡¯m feeling arrogant or confident, Bel thought.

    She didn¡¯t see any set uniform across the group, but many of them wore pieces of formal clothing. If she had to guess, she would say that they were a group of deserters who had joined up with a well-funded group of thieves.

    She glanced up as Cress and Oculaire landed beside her.

    ¡°Manipule wishes you luck,¡± Cress said. ¡°But Orseis is angry that you left her behind.¡±

    ¡°Whoops,¡± Bel replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t want these guys getting past the wall, though. We should really repair the gate.¡±

    She glanced at the gaping hole that Cress had left behind when she¡¯d led the scrattes into Baytown.

    Cress frowned. ¡°I will speak with Rock about setting up a formal guard rotation. Most threats have come from the sea or air, so we have been neglecting this approach.¡±

    Bel looked up and spotted one of the creepy birds that circled her every hour of the day. They reminded her too much of Clark¡¯s birds for her to completely ignore them, but they were too far away for her to do anything. They were a good reminder that her opponents hadn¡¯t forgotten about her.

    ¡°Do you think Clark could have sent these guys?¡±

    Her gorgon companions shrugged.

    ¡°We know little of politics here. Why would Technis not send his army?¡±

    Bel pointed at the brigands. ¡°They guys are obviously expendable. Maybe Clark or Technis want to threaten the town enough that the delvers feel like they have to stay?¡±

    Bel clicked her tongue. ¡°If the stupid people from the Points hadn¡¯t gotten greedy, we could have sailed straight up the coast with an entire army. Now we¡¯ve got to walk with not even twenty people.¡±

    Cress hefted her hammer. ¡°But we will have the best twnety people.¡±

    Oculaire was still struggling with the local language, but she lifted an axe and grunted like a warrior to show her emotional support.

    Bel laughed. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re the best. Let¡¯s see what these guys want, and if they start something we can show them their mistake.¡±

    The brigands stopped at a respectable distance while their leader rode his chariot to the base of the wall. Bel guessed that his pointed hat with a large, billowing feather stuck through it was supposed to be a sign of authority, but she thought it looked like his head was being used as a nest. He leaped from the ground to the top of the wall in an almost impressive display of athleticism. Bel thought that it was somewhat diminished by the number of buttons and chains that popped off of his uniform as he landed.

    Completely ignoring the bits of his clothes that were rolling away, the man stood tall and whipped back his crimson half-cape. ¡°Hello, ladies. I must insist that you throw down your weapons and surrender yourselves and your goods to me.¡±

    He drew a slender rapier from his waist. ¡°Otherwise, we will have to get physical.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got two people sneaking up the wall. I can feel their hearts, but can¡¯t see them. They¡¯re invisible or something,¡± Bel said in English.

    Cress nodded and translated the words into one of the underworld tongues for Oculaire.

    The man snorted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you speak a decent tongue?¡±

    He looked her up and down with disdain. ¡°Why are your heads so grotesque? Are you some rogue creations of Technis?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty rough insult,¡± Bel replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave before we have to kill you and all of your people?¡±

    The man pointed his weapon at Bel. ¡°Hah! Unlike you squatters, we are a real troop of warriors!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not squatters. We took this town from Technis¡¯ army.¡±

    ¡°Hah! I doubt that. If you had, then you would be waving your own flag over the garrison.¡±

    Bel didn¡¯t bother looking at the empty flag pole. ¡°So would you have stayed away if we had a flag?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°I want to know. For next time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have no¨C¡±

    Bel pounced. The invisible climbers were halfway up the wall and she was losing patience with the man¡¯s bluster.

    As his sword pierced her body a dozen times, Bel realized that she had slightly underestimated him. Just slightly though. Her liquid body neatly flowed around the thin weapon and she remained unharmed.

    On the other hand, her opponent seemed quite displeased with the liquid shockwave that she sent into his chest. He coughed up blood as he staggered away from her, but, to Bel¡¯s surprise, he stayed on his feet. Bel reset her stance as the man growled and counterattacked.

    He stabbed forward with his rapier again, but this time the blade was coated in a disturbing yellow-green aura. Bel decided to block the attack this time, catching it upon the armor across her forearm. Her metal stopped the blade, but the aura flowed from his sword into her arm. Bel felt a sharp tingle and then her limb went numb.

    His sword sprang to life and the metal whipped around like a snake. The brigand reached out with his free hands to grapple her, and Bel felt him trying to use an ability to take control of her armor.

    Meanwhile, his animated sword took on a life of its own, wrapping around her numbed arm and stabbing at her like a crazed serpent. Bel waved her arm around to shake it off, but when it stabbed at her sole eye she decided that she¡¯d had enough.

    She used her liquid body to squeeze her hand out of his wrist lock, grab his sword, and used destabilize bonds on it. She throw it at the invisible people just as they finished climbing the wall. Bel felt the heartbeats leap to the side, but, while the abrupt movement saved them from her explosive attack, their bodies became visible as they rolled across the floor.

    Bel saw Cress and Oculaire moving in and considered the two stealthy attackers dealt with, leaving her to finish off their leader.

    Bel she channeled some of her anger and frustration into Sparky as she mixed spirits with the magma snake. Her opponent was still attempting to grapple with her as she transformed, but he screamed in pain and released her as her skin grew hot enough to melt stone. He had backed up to the edge of the wall and had nowhere to retreat. She didn¡¯t hesitate to charge.

    He attempted to dodge to the side, but she grabbed his arm to take him with her as she leaped over the edge of the wall. After a few seconds of falling, she landed upon his neck with a satisfying crunch.

    She wondered why she wasn¡¯t hit with a ran of arrows and stones, but when she looked up she saw that some of her enemies had already been turned to stone. Several statues of bowmen now decorated the front of the town with looks of surprise and horror.

    Realizing their situation, a few of the brigands had turned to flee, but plenty still remained to face her wrath. She reared her head back and roared.

    So what if she only had a tiny force to confront Technis? Numbers didn¡¯t mean much when her opponents were so weak!

 Chapter 145 â€“ Down Time

    After Bel rampaged through the remnants of the raiders, she discovered another group of humans behind their fighting force. They looked like civilians to her, cooks and servants who supported the main fighting force. They also looked terrified; Bel guessed that some of them had watched her turn into a giant, fiery being and tear a path through the rest of the humans and now waited to see if she would do it a second time.

    ¡°Bel!¡±

    Bel turned to see Orseis and a few of the delvers running up to her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me like that!¡± the little girl complained.

    Bel shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t want the brigands coming inside. It wasn¡¯t very exciting anyway, just a weirdo with a fancy hat.¡±

    She turned to Rock and gestured at the people. ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like talking to them, and I think that they¡¯re terrified of me anyway. You should talk to them.¡±

    Rock rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I suppose I could. What about all of their stuff?¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°I guess we could use some wagons?¡±

    She turned to Cress, who had gotten busy wiping off her maul after she verified that the fighting was over. The other gorgon tilted her head, spilling some of her snakes to the side.

    ¡°Wagons would be useful. Those work lizards would be better. I want to bring one of those cannons with us.¡±

    ¡°And all of their food,¡± Orseis hurried to add. ¡°With enough wagons to carry it.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes. ¡°If they don¡¯t want to stay here, then don¡¯t make them starve to death, Ori. For all we know, they¡¯re just normal people who those brigands forced into service.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ expression wavered as a war between her hunger and her decency broke out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll have anything good,¡± Rock said. ¡°Why would they go raiding if they did?¡±

    Orseis breathed a sigh of relief as her inner conflict was resolved. ¡°You¡¯re right. They can keep most of their food then.¡±

    Bel shook her head at the younger girl¡¯s antics. She left Orseis with a few of the delvers and wandered back towards Baytown. Her thoughts drifted to her impending assault upon Central City, where she was mostly certain Technis would be waiting.

    Would he have his entire army with him, including Clark and the rest of his inquisitors? Would his regular soldiers have more cannons and flintlocks? Or would they have new, secret weapons? Maybe something fantastical from James¡¯ world, like a fighter jet or a lunar lander?

    Bel tried to remember some of James¡¯ stories and imagined herself squaring off against a tank or an airplane. As much as she tried to wrap her head around things she¡¯d never seen, she couldn¡¯t quite imagine how those fights would unfold.

    ¡°Those who don¡¯t watch where they¡¯re walkin¡¯ will get eaten by birds.¡±

    ¡°What? Huh?¡±

    Bel looked up and realized that she¡¯d already walked back to Baytown and was aimlessly wandering down the main street. Flann and Jan were sitting on some crates nearby, playing some type of game in the dirt.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to get eaten by birds,¡± Bel objected.

    The two old men laughed. Then Flann leaned forward to his game and moved a stone from one spot to another. He triumphantly flicked his ears before looking back at Bel.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a saying, young ¡¯un. You look like ya got a lot on your mind.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes flicked out their tongues. ¡°I do! I¡¯m really going after a demigod. It feels crazy!¡±

    She ran her hands through her snakes, further disturbing them. ¡°If Technis is anything like the Dark Ravager, then he¡¯ll be terrifying and powerful.¡±

    Jan moved another stone and chuckled to himself. He handed his playing stick to Flann and said, ¡°my win in two moves.¡±

    Flann¡¯s fur stood on end and he stared down at the playing area and Jan left him to struggle through whatever move he¡¯d made.

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    ¡°Could you beat the Dark Ravager if you faced him today?¡± Jan asked.

    Bel opened her mouth, hesitated a few moments, and then nodded. ¡°It depends, but maybe.¡±

    ¡°Too bad. If you didn¡¯t have a chance then we could just go have fun somewhere else.¡± Flann¡¯s whiskers twitched as he laughed to himself. ¡°Now we¡¯re gonna have to do some real work.¡±

    ¡°That piece,¡± Flann moaned, ¡°I forgot all about it!¡±

    Jan cackled. ¡°It¡¯s your bad eyesight, ya old fox! I¡¯m surprised you even know what game we¡¯re playin¡¯!¡±

    ¡°What are you guys playing?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Chess,¡± Jan replied. ¡°It¡¯s something your brother showed me. It¡¯s a fun little game.¡±

    Flann huffed. ¡°Not as good as garters and bars if ya ask me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just mad because ya keep losin¡¯!¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s no chance! No excitement!¡± Flann summoned a small flame to dance over his fingers. ¡°No sizzle!¡±

    ¡°Sizzle my foot! If ya didn¡¯t have fuzz for brains, maybe you¡¯d be able to think your way through it!¡±

    Bel looked around as the two argued and realized that she recognized the place.

    ¡°Hey Flann,¡± she interrupted, ¡°can I borrow your ear cuff again? I want to give my brother a call.¡±

    Flann quickly took if off and tossed it to her, but didn¡¯t stop arguing with Jan for an instant. Bel caught the small, golden jewelry and slipped it over her ear. She fussed with the fit for a minute, but it was made for a fox¡¯s ear and would never fit hers well. She soon gave up and pressed the indentations that would initiate a call with her brother.

    He picked up after a short delay.

    ¡°Flann?¡±

    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s Bel.¡±

    ¡°Oh, hey Bel. Is everything still okay there? We¡¯re moving as quickly as we can, but I don¡¯t want to leave any of the children behind and Daran wanted to give some more people the chance to start fresh with us.¡±

    Bel¡¯s face scrunched with dismay. ¡°James, you know that I¡¯m racing Technis, don¡¯t you? What if he¡¯s opening the portal right now?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re too late,¡± he replied. ¡°Look, I know your mother made it seem like this is all a big panic, but she could do something if she really wanted to.¡±

    Bel grumbled at his weak logic.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Dutcha is hiding out somewhere, eating a mountain out from under the elves,¡± James added. ¡°She could do something too.¡±

    Bel pushed her way through a wide pair of double doors and into an abandoned building. The hinges groaned slightly, but the interior of the building was still in good condition.

    ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying, James, but I don¡¯t want to be idle for too long.¡±

    Bel walked over to a corner of the room and inspected a small nook that was once filled with figurines. She was disappointed to find it empty.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should rush into a fight like this. Beth¡¯s been planning this for years. You should at least wait for her help.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t she coming with you?¡±

    ¡°She is, but she¡¯s scouting a path ahead. I think she wants to sneak through the mountains again, and ambush some of Technis¡¯ retreating army. It¡¯s actually safer to move through the Labyrinthos than the surface now, given all the dinosaurs and whatnot flying in from the east.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    Bel walked to a back corner of the room and pushed through a still unlocked door.

    ¡°Hey James, guess where I am?¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯re still in Baytown, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but where am I?¡±

    ¡°The docks?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°The latrines?¡±

    ¡°What? Why would I¡­¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m in the temple.¡±

    ¡°Oh! The one we sent on fire?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Bel said with glee. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a statue of Lempo.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just destroy something and she¡¯ll show up?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. I couldn¡¯t find the statues of any other gods though.¡±

    Bel went through the slightly charred hallway, pushing open doors as she went. The building was slightly more tidy than it had been on her first visit, with most of the errant papers cleaned up. That didn¡¯t make it any less cluttered though, and most of the rooms were stuffed full of stacked crates.

    ¡°This place is still a mess.¡±

    ¡°Well, why would they bother cleaning it if they were leaving to another world?¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°You think they stopped doing their dishes too?¡±

    James joined in her laughter. ¡°Oh, unless they think they need dishes on Earth.¡±

    Bel kicked open another door to reveal a conspicuously tidy room. She went inside and walked around, but there wasn¡¯t much there ¨C just a few rolled up rugs. She was about to leave when she realized that she could feel heartbeats on the other side of one of the blank walls.

    ¡°Hey James, I found something interesting. I¡¯ll have to call you back.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure. Hopefully it¡¯s just interesting and not dangerous. Look, I¡¯ll try to convince Daran than we need to leave in a day or two. Rob¨¨te is making things increasingly uncomfortable for everyone she doesn¡¯t like, and I think Daran is getting fed up with it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be great. Be safe.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡±

    Bel removed her finger from the ear cuff, ending the call.

    She ran her hands over the mysterious wall and found a few indentations. She poked and prodded them, but nothing happened.

    Then she punched the wall, but all she accomplished was hurting her hand. So she blasted the wall with a liquid shockwave, collapsing it inwards.

    I hope I didn¡¯t just destroy whatever was in here, she thought belatedly.

    She coughed at all of the dust in the air and waved her hands to try to clear it. The dust stubbornly clung to the air, and Bel was forced to retreat and wait for it to settle on its own. She kept track of the hearts that she¡¯d sensed, but they hadn¡¯t moved, even when she¡¯d blown through the wall.

    Bel could feel a sense of anticipation stirring within her own heart. What was in the room? Why hide it in Technis¡¯ temple?

    She pulled her ragged sleeve over her mouth as she waited eagerly for the dust to finally settle. The moment she thought it was clear enough to see she and rushed forward and into the hidden room.

    The space was illuminated by a few weakly glowing blobs of flesh floating in fishbowls. Bel was disappointed when she realized that they were the source of the mysterious heartbeats, but a moment later she realized that she¡¯d found a workroom dedicated to Technis¡¯ form of flesh manipulation. But it held more than that ¨C it was also filled with technology so strange and bizarre that Bel couldn¡¯t guess at its purpose, but it filled her with a strange sense of familiarity.

 Chapter 146 â€“ Origin Stories

    Bel sucked the dusty air in through the rough cloth of her sleeve as she peered around the dark room. The floating flesh blobs glowed feebly from atop regularly spaced pedestals, casting eerie shadows that danced over long-disused machines and dust-covered worktables. The sight filled Bel with a feeling of foreboding. She shook it off.

    Bel knew that Technis wouldn¡¯t have left anything useful behind. The living lights were interesting, but that was all they were, and she could see that not all of the pedestal¡¯s occupants were still living. Whatever abilities they had that kept the creatures living and functional weren¡¯t immune to the passage of time.

    She stepped into the room, kicking up more dust as she stepped over the remains of the wall. She gauged the room to be a little more than ten strides deep and three or four strides wide, although she had trouble seeing into the distant corners. Empty outlines and dangling metal arms marked the places where equipment had been removed, but Bel saw a few bits of clutter still stubbornly guarding their spots in the abandoned room.

    Next to her, just at the entrance of the room, was a scarred section of wall. Underneath it sat a sad pile of discarded stone limbs, the remains of some statue that had been struck from the wall. Bel bent over and poked through the pile until she located the statue¡¯s head. A familiar face grinned back at her with a sharp-toothed smile. Something about the style looked old, but Bel recognized the face.

    ¡°Mom?¡± Bel wondered aloud.

    She looked around the space a second time, suddenly more interested in its contents. She had known that Lempo and Technis had once worked together before Technis betrayed the goddess. No had had ever told her any details about his betrayal though, and Bel had wondered if anyone knew the entire story. Although Bel was tasked with wreaking vengeance upon the mortal god, that hadn¡¯t been her original purpose, not if Technis¡¯ betrayal came after her birth. Bel eagerly pushed through the accumulated dust, searching for any clues.

    The first few work tables had nothing more than broken tools, but Bel found her next mystery when she discovered a table littered with tiny, empty boxes. She held one of the finger-length containers up to the light and her eye widened at the intricate filigree that decorated its silvery surface.

    The box was empty though, with no hint as to its intended contents. Bel carefully picked through a pile of the tiny containers, sorting through the entire stack of hundreds until she found just two that were still sealed and unbroken. She hefted them in her hands, but she couldn¡¯t feel any weight to them. She had no way to discover their contents without opening them, but she also had no way of knowing if opening them would ruin whatever was inside.

    Bel grimaced. It wasn¡¯t as though their contents would shift the balance of power in Satrap ¨C or could they? Bel stared at the tiny, ornate boxes and slowly turned them over in her hands.

    She could take them outside and ask everyone else what to do, sure, but what would they know that she didn¡¯t? And what if the contents of the boxes couldn¡¯t be taken out of the room? She couldn¡¯t be sure that these two had actually been left behind by accident, and several of the boxes looked as though something had pushed its way out from within.

    Or maybe she was just making excuses. Bel¡¯s curiosity had certainly grown stronger as she became more independent, and the idea of waiting on someone else¡¯s opinion rankled her. Casting aside her hesitation, Bel carefully set one of the unopened boxes to the side before sliding her sharpened fingernail along the edge of the other one. She peeled the top back and watched with wonder as a ghostly, rainbow light ascended from the opening.

    Her snakes craned forwards to flick their tongues at the apparition while Bel stared with wonder. Then the light spun around and disappeared.

    Bel blinked with surprise. She had been so distracted that she¡¯d forgotten that opening the box had been a limited time opportunity.

    The object inside had been a spirit ¨C she could feel it. But a spirit of what? She didn¡¯t have a clue.

    She pushed down the urge to immediately open the second unbroken box and instead slipped it into a pocket. Bel hoped that something else in the strange room would help identify the mysterious creature.

    She proceeded past several more tables, but found nothing of interest. One of them may have had hides with writing, but they were nothing more than scraps. Bel rushed forward when she saw a large, reflective object at the next table.

    It was egg-shaped, but larger than any Bel had ever seen. Also unlike any natural egg, it was made of metal with a deep green patina. Underneath the verdigris, she saw a familiar set of markings running over the egg. Bel carefully picked it up, grunting at its surprising weight.

    She brought the object closer to a light and spun it. As she did, she became more certain of its identity: a gorgon¡¯s egg, but one made from some copper alloy instead of the usual clay. It was also smaller than the ones that Manipule and Fortuit carried, probably not suitable to hatching multiple young.

    Bel trembled as a sudden realization struck her. She quickly put the egg down as she struggled for breath. An egg only large enough for a single gorgon¡­

    Could she have grown inside of it?

    Bel gripped the edge of the metal table and stared at the egg, begging it for answers. Her head felt heavy and her knees weak. She had always wanted to know who she was and where she came from. Were the answers hidden somehow, written into the mysterious object in front of her?

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    Bel¡¯s knees went out from under her and she sank down into the thick dust at her feet. The world flickered and Bel fought for breath as a bout of dizziness swept over her. When a flickering shadow caught her attention she struggled to turn to the side and was startled to see the broken stone statue skittering over to her on its haphazardly placed stone limbs, like a bizarre spider made up of random human parts.

    ¡°M-mother?¡± Bel asked.

    ¡°Hello Beloved,¡± the statue answered back in a dry, scraping voice. Half of its head was smashed, leaving a single eye and half a mouth, but Lempo was unbothered by her form. ¡°You passed out in the dust. I thought it prudent that I check in on you.¡±

    Bel looked around confused. She was still in the room, wasn¡¯t she?

    She wasn¡¯t. It looked similar, but the walls had receded into the distance, and the lights had been replaced by an impossibly distant, diffuse glow. The clutter had disappeared, save for the egg and a strange, swirling rainbow light.

    Bel stared in surprise as the small spirit reached multiple tiny, silken threads into the air. Then one of the threads twitched, and the spirit was instantly at the other end of it. Bel watched in fascination as it continued with the strange movement, warping from place to place but never straying too far from Bel.

    ¡°It is tethered to you,¡± Lempo explained. ¡°More specifically, to the anchor that you carry.¡±

    Bel looked down and saw that one of the spirit¡¯s threads connected to a small item in her pocket ¨C the mysterious box. No matter where the spirit moved, the tether remained.

    ¡°Technis is quite clever,¡± Lempo said after a few moments. ¡°Although it eventually became clear to me that he lacks originality, repurposing the solutions of others rather than devising his own solutions.¡±

    Lempo gestured at the box. ¡°That is modelled after an interesting creature that consumes and stores spirits and later uses them to empower its own abilities.¡±

    ¡°What is this one for?¡± Bel asked.

    Lempo shook the fingers at the end of one of her broken limbs. ¡°The pantheon objects to me giving out too much free knowledge.¡±

    The goddess smiled. ¡°And I am sure you will figure it out.¡±

    Bel opened her mouth to complain, but shook her head instead. She had more important questions.

    Bel gestured to the egg. ¡°Is this where I was born?¡±

    Lempo crab-walked to the egg and gently caressed it. ¡°This one? No.¡±

    The goddess¡¯ stony mouth curled with displeasure. ¡°Technis stole your egg away and modified it against my desires. He lacked the patience to wait for you and your sisters to properly mature and attempted to hasten their arrival.¡±

    If Bel hadn¡¯t already been sitting she would have sunk to the ground.

    ¡°I strongly disapproved,¡± the goddess added. Bel could feel an edge to the words, and realized that she had never truly seen her mother angry before. Her voice hadn¡¯t changed much, but there was a look in Lempo¡¯s stony gaze that looked to Bel like murder.

    ¡°Sisters?¡± Bel asked.

    Lempo¡¯s gaze returned. ¡°Yes.¡±

    The goddess moved her hand from the egg and patted Bel on the head. ¡°A child needs a family, yes? I have heard that said many times and was interested to learn more about it. But Technis cared little for violating our pacts, and he thinks he is beyond the pantheon¡¯s reach if he reaches the Old World.¡±

    ¡°But why? Why make us? What did he want from you?¡±

    Lempo smiled. ¡°The answers are all in that room, little one. If you search hard enough.¡±

    Bel¡¯s snakes curled with frustration. ¡°Can¡¯t you just tell me?¡±

    The goddess laughed. ¡°I fight with the pantheon every day, but not over things that mortal patience and effort will solve.¡±

    Lempo laughed as Bel heaved a long sigh. Then the goddess held her limbs wide.

    ¡°Hug,¡± she demanded.

    Bel rolled her eyes, but as she was surrounded by Lempo¡¯s stony embrace she had to admit that it made her feel better.

    And then she returned to the waking world and found herself hugging the leg of a table.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    Bel pushed herself away from the floor and returned to the egg. She traced some of the designs on its surface, wondering about a sister that she¡¯d never met.

    ¡°I guess this is just another reason to get revenge upon Technis.¡±

    Bel patted the egg, promising it silently that she would return for it, and then moved on to the rest of the room, eager to discover the answers that Lempo had promised. She passed by several rows of empty tables, only coming to something interesting at the end of the room. There, at a final table that was gouged into the rough rock at the end of the tunnel, sat a ponderous device of twisting metal. Fingers of braided alloys rose from a flat surface, curling inwards on either side like it was cupping around the empty space in its center. At its front was an empty tray, and to the side of it there was a shelf with several stacks of stones that were carefully cut to fit into the tray.

    Bel instantly recognized the device from the diagrams in her books on Technis: it was one of the teleportation devices from the third dynasty. She was drawn to the device and couldn¡¯t help admire the skilled artisans who had produced all of the material before carefully weaving it together into the final design. The finished product was too large to move, which was probably why it had been left behind.

    She realized that it must also have been sitting there since long before Technis created Satrap. The temple above it, and the room itself, were all built around the device.

    She turned and looked at the rows of empty tables.

    Does that mean that everything in here was related to the teleporter?

    Bel remembered how the small, rainbow spirit had jumped from place to place in her vision with Lempo.

    It could be a spirit that teleports, Bel guessed.

    She walked back to the egg.

    ¡°What would a gorgon have to do with a teleporter, though?¡±

    Bel was pondering the puzzle when the sound of her name snapped her back to the present.

    ¡°In here,¡± she shouted back.

    ¡°Where?¡± came the reply.

    Bel recognized the Orseis¡¯ voice, and the few moments later the young cuttle-girl jumped through the hole in the wall. Orseis didn¡¯t pause to inspect the room, instead speaking immediately once she saw Bel.

    ¡°I was trying to explain to the Delvers that I¡¯m fully grown because I¡¯m part cuttlefish, and then I¡¯ll probably be dead in a year or two so I need to find a compatible human quickly and they didn¡¯t take me seriously at all!¡±

    Orseis stamped her feet as she hustled to Bel¡¯s side, stirring up eye-watering clouds of dust as she went. ¡°But then some of them suggested a few animals with abilities I could use to live longer, so I¡¯m going to go out hunting with them. I would have just gone, but Manipule said that I had to tell you first.¡±

    Orseis waved her tentacles through the air for emphasis. ¡°So here I am.¡±

    She smiled broadly and finally looked around the room. ¡°What the hell is all this?¡±

    Bel grinned and patted the girl on the head, much to her dismay.

    ¡°All this,¡± Bel said, gesturing around her, ¡°is my origin story. I just have to figure out what it means.¡±

 Chapter 147 â€“ Startling Vision

    Orseis looked around the chamber and sneezed. ¡°So your origin story is really dusty?¡±

    Bel frowned as Orseis waved a tentacle through the air, stirring up the hanging cloud of dust.

    ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m going to wither up if I stay in here too long.¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Fine, go have fun hunting with the humans. I hope you find some useful abilities. Why don¡¯t you bring Flann or Jan with you though, they must know more about living longer as a semi-human than the people here.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Orseis drawled.

    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± Bel called after her, ¡°can you ask Fortuit to come down here too? I want to ask them about this stuff.¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle as she hopped clear of the collapsed wall and exited the room.

    Bel shook her head at the girl¡¯s antics and went back to examining the room¡¯s contents. She spun around and ticked them off on her hand: tiny boxes that stored spirits, an egg to grow a gorgon, and one of the teleporters from the third dynasty. From what she¡¯d read, the teleporters took particular abilities to use, but they didn¡¯t need an any spirits, and they definitely didn¡¯t need any gorgons. She didn¡¯t see any connections between the objects, even though Lempo had assured her that she would find something.

    Bel went back to the teleporter and began sorting through the stones that were stacked next to it. Each one was carved with incredible skill and beauty, and Bel found herself moving them closer to one of the lights so she could examine them more closely. The designs were pretty, but, as far as she could see, they were just designs. They only phrase that came to her mind to describe them was something that James had described with a mixture of befuddlement and derision: abstract art.

    ¡°Bel,¡± said Manipule in a scandalized voice, ¡°why are you still wearing those rags.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Bel looked up at Manipule, Fortuit, and Escalope as then walked towards her. Then she looked down at herself and realized that she hadn¡¯t bothered changing her clothes, even after multiple fights.

    Was I wearing these during all of my negotiations too?

    She shook off the thought ¨C she had more important concerns than some human opinions about her fashion sense.

    Bel pointed at the objects in the room. ¡°Look at this stuff. There¡¯s a teleporter from the third dynasty, and my mom told me that I was born from an egg like that one.¡±

    Fortuit walked over to the metal egg and examined its surface with interest.

    Manipule walked to Bel instead, frowning at the state of her clothing. She glanced at the egg as she passed it. ¡°An egg like that one? What does that mean?¡±

    Bel gestured at the egg, still sitting lonely on its own table. ¡°My mom meant to make more than one of me, but Technis wanted to rush and somehow things went wrong. I don¡¯t really understand what he did, but he messed me up, and I guess that I was the only one born.¡±

    Bel was surprised when Manipule wrapped her in a tight hug.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Bel said. She patted Manipule¡¯s arm, waiting for the other gorgon to let her go. Instead, Manipule tightened her grip and whispered quiet comforts into Bel¡¯s ear, which made the taller gorgon squirm with embarrassment.

    Manipule finally allowed Bel to extricate herself so she could wipe at her eyes. Bel wasn¡¯t sure why they were suddenly acting up, but she guessed it was probably from all of the dust.

    As she swiped at her good eye with the sleeve of her ratty cloak, Manipule handed her a clean handkerchief. Bel mumbled thanks before turning away. Her damaged eye was overly sensitive to everything, and she thought that it looked like a mess too, so she preferred to keep it hidden under its scarred lid. She gingerly wiped around the scarring, she spent a moment cursing the nameless servant of the Dark Ravager who had injured her. Then she cursed Nebamon, Rikja, the Dark Ravager, and every other person who had tried given her a scar too.

    Moping done, she turned back and handed the cloth back to Manipule.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± she muttered.

    She cleared her throat so she could speak with a firmer voice.

    ¡°So Fortuit, what do you think of that egg?¡±

    Fortuit raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you want to know? It is an egg, although a small and strange one, but I think it would work for a gorgon.¡±

    She poked at a few valves along the exterior of the egg, demonstrating some functionality that Bel didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Does it tell you anything about my mother¡¯s original plans for me?¡± Bel asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t originally made to go after Technis, and Lempo¡¯s original plans have got to clear from whatever is special about that egg.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Fortuit licked her lips as she inspected the egg, quickly turning it around in her hands. ¡°It is hard to say as I do not recognize the design of it.¡±

    ¡°It is small. We moved to larger designs many, many generations ago. They are more efficient and larger groups increase chances of survivors.¡±

    Fortuit poked at a few spots on the exterior and flipped another valve. ¡°The air exchange and nutrient inputs are overcomplicated, but perhaps that is because of the impermeability of the metal shell. Some of the nutrient inputs are strange and make things more tedious than required, I think.¡±

    She poked at a lever, twiddling it back and forth. ¡°See,¡± she said, more talking to herself than to Bel, ¡°I cannot understand why¨C¡±

    Escalope silently handed her one of the empty cubes from the pile Bel had left behind.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Fortuit sad. She grabbed the cube with excitement and fit it into the opening. ¡°Perfect. So you flip this lever up, slide it in, and then slide this one down to open it. Ingenious, but too complicated for nutrients.¡±

    She spun the small cube around in her hand, examining the precise metalwork. ¡°I wonder what these originally held.¡±

    ¡°Spirits,¡± Bel answered. She pulled the unopened cube from her pocket. ¡°But would feeding someone a spirit do anything?¡±

    Fortuit laughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a question that you could answer better I could?¡±

    Bel glanced at her snakes. Flora was just visible out of the corner of her eye, a brilliant white flower on her back still looking bright even in the dim room and Sparky was smoldering with a dim orange glow behind her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if¡­¡± Bel started, before trailing off.

    She looked at the cube and turned it over in her hands. Then she looked down to the end of the room where the teleporter sat quietly. ¡°Maybe my snakes were supposed to help me use the old teleporters? But I don¡¯t know why Lempo would care about those.¡±

    Bel gently patted her head snakes. ¡°And I¡¯m not cutting off a snake just to replace it.¡±

    Manipule gasped. ¡°Yes, don¡¯t do that.¡±

    Fortuit tilted her head. ¡°You cannot simply add more? Some gorgons are practically buried under their snakes.¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°No. Well, I don¡¯t think so. Dutcha once told me that I could improve myself but cutting things off and replacing them, but she¡¯s a spirit ¨C and also a little crazy ¨C so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll take her advice.¡±

    She shuddered as she remembered the shock of losing her original three snakes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I could stand to lose another part of myself.¡±

    ¡°What about this?¡± Manipule asked.

    Bel couldn¡¯t see where she was pointing because her hand was in Bel¡¯s blind spot. As she reared her head back to see, she realized that the blind spot had been Manipule¡¯s target.

    ¡°My eye? I don¡¯t¡­ I mean¡­ Maybe?¡±

    Bel reached up and ran her hand along the long, thick scar that fell from her forehead to her cheek, cutting straight through her destroyed eye. The thought of sticking something into it was unpleasant, but her need to know her mother¡¯s original intrent was stronger than her aversion. She lifted the small box to her eye.

    Manipule¡¯s snakes danced with alarm. ¡°Bel, you do need to rush!¡±

    Bel shrugged. ¡°No point in overthinking it.¡±

    She slipped her fingernail through the edge of the box, peeling it back and pushing it up against her damaged eye as the spirit inside slipped out. Before it could make its escape, she activated her spirit mixing ability and attempted to pull the small spirit into her body.

    When Bel had done the same with her previous spirits there had been some resistance, but this time the sparkling rainbow blob readily melted into her damaged orb as easily as salt dissolved into water. Then her eye began to tingle like a numbed limb finally awakening. The sensation threatened to overwhelm her, so Bel spun around and slammed her palm into a nearby table. The overwhelming sensation caused her to sneeze uncontrollably, and she cursed between the violent explosions.

    ¡°Shit! Damn! Hell!¡±

    Bel beat the surface of the table with increasing vigor as her eye itched and crawled. Her vision burst into an unfamiliar palette of colors and shapes as arcs and lines jumped from one object to the next. A sea of impossible colors filled the air and bewildering shapes swam through the current. The sensations from her new sight increasingly powerful, making her head swim and her eyes water. Throughout it all, the tingling itch that burned her sinuses never stopped, forcing her into a near constant barrage of sneezing.

    Bel cursed and cursed until she ran out of curses in every language she knew. She squeezed her hands around the table until her fingers ached, desperate for the change to finish. The bizarre sensations didn¡¯t come to a sudden stop, but their growth slowed to a pace where her mind could almost keep pace. As she acclimated to the new sensations, she managed to ignore some of the seizure inducing shifts in color and perspective and began to look at the world around her.

    She found herself staring at an incredible five-pointed star. Colors pulsed through it in a rapid, steady rhythm, and its shape remained solid despite it being surrounded by a shimmering aura. At the tips of its five points it shone with a silver light that she could tell was heavier and more stable than the rest of it. Bel leaned in for a closer look, tensing her hand as she put more weight on it.

    The star shifted. Bel turned her hand over and the star followed suit.

    ¡°Oh, this is weird.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay now, Bel?¡±

    Bel looked up to see Manipule¡¯s worried face. Her face now included colored lines, roving points of pulsing light, and regular explosions of dense, shimmering particles.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Bel said, staring at Manipule. ¡°Are you okay? There isn¡¯t something weird going on with your face, right?¡±

    Bel could still see from her normal eye, even if it was being overwhelmed by her new sight. She picked up a frown through all of the dancing lights, and Bel realized that she was the abnormal one.

    ¡°Sorry, I was just confused. Your face is fine. How does my eye look?¡±

    Manipule grinned. ¡°It¡¯s glowing! It is very pretty, but a little distracting.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Bel reached up and covered the eye with a hand. Disconcertingly, she could still partially see through her own hand.

    ¡°That is better,¡± Manipule said approvingly, ¡°maybe you could use an eye patch?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Bel replied.

    She looked down at the now empty cube and all of the other cubes left scattered about and realized that they were mostly inert in her new sight. She held a box over her eye and the world calmed down to its previous dullness, with just a hint of colors at its edges.

    Bel breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make an eye patch out of these.¡±

    Then she looked around. ¡°Hey, what happened to Fortuit and Escalope? Did something come up?¡±

    Manipule shook her head. ¡°Escalope said that you looked like you would explode, so she dragged Fortuit and the eggs into the adjacent room.¡±

    Manipule leaned in closer. ¡°You are not going to explode, right?¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Of course not. That would be silly.¡±

    Manipule nodded, but Bel could help but think that the question had been serious. Bel looked down at the table she had been using for support and noticed that she had smashed and dented its metal surface during her fit. She rubbed the top of the table and the entire thing creaked on loose, wobbling legs.

    ¡°Just some growing pains,¡± Bel said.

 Chapter 148 â€“ Travel Plans

    Bel walked along the row of tables, their surfaces now cleaned of dust and covered with the stone tablets from the teleporter and her books on Technis and his technology.

    She had thought that the designs on the tablets were pretty before, but her new eye revealed their true nature. The flat lines and arcs on the tablets now leaped into the air, twisting and curling into rainbow patterns that were both more confusing and more meaningful. Bel could almost taste the intention behind the intricate patterns, a confusing product of the new senses that came with her spirit eye.

    She paused before a tablet with a crazed mess of squiggles on its front. She knew, instinctively, that it was describing motion through an area of something thick and to a place somewhere in the west. It was also disconnected ¨C Bel could see a dangling set of lines thrashing through the air around the tablet, like grasping hands that were reaching out but finding nothing to hold on to.

    A voice interrupted her thoughts. ¡°You are still down here?¡±

    Bel looked up with surprise as Manipule clicked her tongue and strode across the room. Oculaire accompanied her, taking over during Bel¡¯s distraction to guard Manipule and her egg. Orseis trailed after them, carrying several bowls of food in her tentacles.

    Bel felt a sense of queasy worry when she looked at the large, clay egg. ¡°Aren¡¯t they close to hatching? Is it really okay for you to wander around with that?¡±

    Manipule glared at Bel. Bel immediately wished that she could choose the option of turning to stone, but she had no easy escape.

    ¡°And I would not be coming down here with food for you if you had come out!¡±

    Bel looked at Oculaire for help, but the winged gorgon gave her a look that laid the blame at Bel¡¯s feet.

    Manipule shook her finger at Bel. ¡°I could wait forever and you would still be here, starving yourself to death.¡±

    ¡°But¨C¡±

    ¡°And you said yourself that you won¡¯t do anything before Beth arrives! What is the point of not eating for days until that happens?¡±

    Bel glanced at en empty bowl that she¡¯d perched at the edge of a table. It had a few dried bits of grain crusted to its edge, the last remnants of a meal that she¡¯d finished half a day ago. Her stomach churned at the thought of fresh, warm food.

    ¡°I got distracted,¡± Bel explained as she massaged the gaping void of her empty stomach.

    Manipule snorted. ¡°Beth will arrive to find your desiccated remains down here. You must leave sometimes, if only to breath the fresh air.¡±

    Despite her harsh words, Manipule smiled as she took a bowl from Orseis. ¡°Clear off a table and we can eat.¡±

    Bel only hesitated for a moment before clearing the tablets from a table, carefully stacking them back in their original shelves by the teleportation device.

    Orseis put down the rest of the bowls and Bel quickly grabbed one for herself, thanked them for the food, and began cramming it into her mouth. Her hunger made itself loudly obvious with the groaning of her tummy.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Manipule asked.

    Bel looked up and saw that Orseis had turned to leave.

    ¡°I already ate mine,¡± Orseis said, waving her tentacles at one of the bowls. ¡°So now I¡¯m going to go fishing.¡±

    Manipule removed the bowl¡¯s cover and was dismayed to see it had already been emptied. Bel guessed that Orseis had eaten it the moment Manipule took her eyes off of the young girl.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay with us? Maybe tell us about what you¡¯ve been getting up to with the humans?¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Orseis shook her head. ¡°Nope. I want to go fishing.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even want your dessert?¡± Manipule pulled out a small bag and shook it enticingly.

    Orseis¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Are those rock candies?¡±

    Manipule shook the bag again. ¡°It sounds like it.¡±

    Bel shook her head with admiration as she watched the gorgon trick Orseis into doing what she wanted. Manipule cleverly lead Orseis through a lesson in manners that ended with her receiving a treat, and the little cuttle-girl seemed oblivious to the obvious manipulation.

    As she watched, Bel¡¯s improved lung capacity meant she didn¡¯t need to pause for breath as she finished her food. She wanted to immediately return to the tablets, but she would be as rude as Orseis if didn¡¯t show a bit of gratitude.

    ¡°How are things going with you, Manipule? Are the gorgons settling in well?¡±

    When Manipule took a long breath and heaved an equally drawn out sigh, Bel realized that the other gorgon was eating in the dimly lit room so that she had a private place to vent about something. Bel cast a desperate look towards Oculaire, but the other gorgon had been beat a surreptitious retreat towards the room¡¯s entrance.

    ¡°I traded with the humans for this candy,¡± Manipule began. ¡°I think that we are not so different, and Crecerelle has been working to bring our groups together.¡±

    Bel nodded, waiting for the complaints to begin.

    ¡°However, the other gorgons object to these children interacting with them.¡±

    Manipule wrapped her arms around the clay vessel, her expression pained. ¡°I think it would be a good chance for us to start differently here on the surface, if our children play together.¡±

    Bel grimaced with guilt. She¡¯d been worried about her own problems ¨C and they were real problems ¨C but she hadn¡¯t spared any thoughts for the gorgons that she had lead to the surface.

    Manipule smiled at Bel¡¯s expression. ¡°It is okay. Fortuit is a good egg-mother, so I am sure she will find a way to bring our children into harmony with the humans.¡±

    Bel frowned. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to help raise them?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    Manipule hesitated, squeezing her fingers together as she looked away.

    ¡°Now that we are done travelling, we do not require two egg-mothers in one community.¡±

    Manipule shrugged. ¡°I can stay as a backup, of course, and everyone participates in raising the next generation, but these young ones are more Fortuit¡¯s burden than mine.¡±

    Bel blinked. ¡°So that alternative is¡­?¡±

    Manipule smiled nervously. ¡°That I come with you, of course! If you go with Orseis to the Old World, who will look after her?¡±

    Bel opened her mouth with surprise. She looked at the cuttle-girl, who was happily crunching on a large piece of candy.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she objected, mouth still full, ¡°I¡¯m an adult. I can look after myself. I¡¯ll be fine in the Old World.¡±

    Bel cringed. Why did my mother think she should go to Earth?

    Manipule reached into her bag, pulling out another piece of candy. ¡°So you don¡¯t want this last piece?¡±

    Orseis¡¯ tentacles writhed with agitation. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that! Even adults want candy!¡±

    Manipule glanced between herself and Bel. She looked at Orseis and raised her eyebrows.

    ¡°You two just don¡¯t have a refined palette.¡±

    ¡°For candy?¡±

    Orseis nodded. Then she scowled. ¡°Just give it to me.¡±

    Manipule shook the candy. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Only children get things for free. Adults have to earn them.¡±

    Orseis balled up her tentacles and turned a frustrated fuchsia. ¡°I¡¯m not a child, but it¡¯s okay if you want to treat me like one. Since I¡¯m small and cute.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t mind some parental supervision, since you¡¯re so small and cute?¡±

    Orseis pouted. ¡°A little supervision is okay.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Manipule praised her, handing over the piece.

    Orseis snatched it up and immediately stuck it into her mouth, and Manipule gave Bel a significant look.

    Bel put her hands together in a silent show of thanks. ¡°So you¡¯re asking to come along to the Old World?¡±

    Manipule nodded. ¡°I could take the metal egg you found here with us. We could start a new family of gorgons on the Old World.¡±

    Bel detected a quaver in the other gorgon¡¯s voice, and wondered if she was nervous about the idea. Manipule was a little bit clingy, but she was also incredibly helpful, except for the time she¡¯d gotten Orseis drunk. Bel looked at the little cuttle-girl, remembering her lonely, bawling state when she had been inebriated.

    ¡°Having you along would make things better,¡± Bel agreed.

    Manipule relaxed, and Bel saw the tension leave her body.

    I guess she really was nervous that I would say no. I¡¯ve been hiding down here and neglecting everyone, haven¡¯t I?

    ¡°Do you two want to go on a trip?¡± Bel asked suddenly.

    ¡°Where? Is there good food there?¡±

    Manipule rolled her eyes at Orseis¡¯ response. ¡°Before Beth comes here? I shouldn¡¯t travel with the egg in this state.¡±

    ¡°If Fortuit is going to take care of them when they hatch, couldn¡¯t you give it to her now?¡±

    Manipule frowned. ¡°I could. I would feel guilty, but perhaps parting with them now would be easier than parting later.¡±

    Orseis waved a tentacle for attention. ¡°A trip where though? I thought we were staying here to avoid fights with bandits and Technis¡¯ people.

    Bel gestured towards the teleporter in the back of the room. ¡°I think we can use that to go directly to the Central City, or somewhere close to it. There are maps in those books that I got, and they show where the teleporters used to be. I want to test it going somewhere else before trying to go straight into a fight, though.¡±

    Orseis¡¯ eyes lit up. ¡°Oh! That sounds fun! I¡¯m in!¡±

 Chapter 149 â€“ Side Trip

    ¡°You¡¯ve all said that you wanted to travel to the Old World,¡± Bel said with a smile, ¡°so this shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Her audience looked at the teleportation machine. Tails drooped. Snakes hissed. Tentacles wavered.

    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. The guy who built this ascended. He knew what he was doing.¡±

    Flann¡¯s ears twitched. ¡°I don¡¯t mean ta sound like a grumpy ol¡¯ man, but that thing is older than me and this ol¡¯ meerkat put together.¡±

    He prodded Jan with his cane for emphasis. ¡°How do ya know that ol¡¯ pile of junk is still workin¡¯?¡±

    Bel glanced at the impressive device, silently apologizing for Flann¡¯s disrespect.

    ¡°It¡¯s got all sorts of rainbow lines coming out of it. They look healthy.¡±

    Jan leaned over to Orseis. ¡°Is that nonsense coming from her weird eyeball?¡±

    Orseis nodded with vigor. ¡°Yup, she can see all kinds of weird stuff! She can even see a line connecting me to my spear, even if I try using my new concealment ability.¡±

    Manipule cleared her throat. ¡°If we are truly planning to go to the Old World with Bel¨C¡±

    ¡°With me,¡± Orseis insisted. ¡°I¡¯m the only one Lempo promised to send. You can all come as guests, if I¡¯m feeling charitable.¡±

    Manipule patted the short girl on the head. ¡°Yes, Orseis brings us along, then we should attempt a shorter, and safer, journey with this device before attempting to cross between worlds.¡±

    ¡°Is it really safer though?¡± Flann asked.

    Bel sighed. ¡°It¡¯s completely safe, I think. I read all about these teleporters in the books on Technis.¡±

    Bel lifted the relevant volume, turning it so that the golden threads on the cover caught the light. She flashed the gorgeous cover at her audience a few times.

    ¡°If it¡¯s so safe, why did everyone else evacuate the room?¡±

    Flann waved his cane through the empty space behind them to emphasize his point.

    Bel glowered at the exit on the far side of the room.

    ¡°They¡¯re just paranoid about the egg that¡¯s about to hatch. They made Manipule give it up and switch to the metal one early because of it.¡±

    Manipule had reluctantly given back the egg to Fortuit, who was now staying in a refurbished house that would become a home for the newly born gorgons once they hatched. Bel would probably miss the event since she would be off fighting Technis, which made her oddly sad. They came from the blood of the gorgons who had died on their journey from the underworld, so Bel felt a sense of responsibility and attachment for them that she didn¡¯t feel for random children.

    She looked at Orseis and reconsidered that thought.

    I guess that I feel attached to Ori too, even though she¡¯s a pain.

    Meanwhile, her four travelling companions stared at the machine.

    ¡°Oh, you are still here!¡±

    Crecerelle strode into the room, tucking an errant snake back behind her ears. ¡°I wanted to wish you luck before you left.¡±

    Bel grinned. ¡°You already did. And we¡¯re just going to be gone for a quick trip. These devices were built to gather energy over time.¡±

    She patted a the large essence battery on the side of the teleporter.

    ¡°The energy comes from the destination, not the source, and this one is full. If the outgoing trip works the return should as well.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°Even if that¡¯s not right, I¡¯m pretty sure that the tablet I picked for the test goes somewhere in the Golden Plains, so we aren¡¯t going so far away that we could get lost.¡±

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    Cress looked at the machine with interest. ¡°I wish that I could come with you,¡± she said, ¡°but the other gorgons do not want to be left alone with the humans and scrattes.¡±

    Bel laughed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what you get for being leader. This is what you wanted though, right?¡±

    Cress nodded with a big grin on her face. ¡°Yes. We are at the top of the food chain around here ¨C or at least we will be once Technis is gone.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Bel assured her, ¡°we¡¯ll take care of him soon.¡±

    Cress tapped her hammer. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to dinner,¡± Orseis grumbled. ¡°Maybe we should eat before we go?¡±

    Bel sighed. ¡°Okay, everyone who can get over their fear of ancient technology come stand around me.¡±

    Bel laughed at the nervous looks as her four companions gathered around her. The machine stood ready, a destination selected by the tablet that she¡¯d placed into one of its many slots. Through her strange new eye, Bel could see a set of grasping lines, eager for her to make a final connection and trigger the device.

    ¡°Should we hold on ta some¨C¡±

    Bel interrupted Flann by flicking a switch.

    The world lurched. Bel felt her stomach turn. Then she stumbled as her feet sank into a layer of coarse sand.

    ¡°See,¡± she groaned, ¡°the Golden Plains, just like I promised.¡±

    Voices responded, but they were far too high-pitched and nasal to be from one of her friends.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    ¡°Who are these?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s those snakes again.¡±

    ¡°Gross!¡±

    Bel got her stomach under control and looked up to see a group of deadly cat girls quickly encircling them. Orseis turned white with terror and squeezed against the wall. Her skin rapidly changed color and texture as she tried to disappear.

    Flann stepped in front of Jan as the meerkat tried to discreetly drill a hole in the floor in an attempt to make a new escape route. The stone beneath the sand looked hard, and Bel thought that his progress would be too slow to save them.

    And Manipule didn¡¯t know anything about the cat girls, so she took a step closer to Bel and examined them with wary curiosity.

    Bel panicked. Yes, she had taken her friends somewhere in the Golden Plains, but they were in a large cavern rather than out in the open, cornered by the dangerous, laser shooting cat girls, with nowhere to run. The local teleportation device behind her was their only hope of escape.

    Bel turned to examine it, wondering if she could quickly trigger the trip back, but she realized that something was missing.

    ¡°Where are all the destination tablets?¡± she wondered aloud.

    ¡°They¡¯re like, pretty nifty,¡± one of the cat girls drawled.

    ¡°Yeah, we use them on the walls,¡± said another.

    Bel ground her teeth.

    I hate these people.

    ¡°Can we do riddles now?¡±

    A chorus of agreements resounded through the room.

    ¡°How about we just leave?¡± Bel said.

    ¡°Boring!¡±

    ¡°Lame!¡±

    ¡°Gross!¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to test that these thing was still working,¡± Bel explained. ¡°I don¡¯t actually want to pass through your territory.¡±

    ¡°Working? Of course it¡¯s working!¡±

    Bel looked up to see the cat girl with the tiara gliding towards them. She landed at the front of her pack, and the rest of the cat girls looked away in deference.

    The cat girl held up a paw and pointed it at the machine. ¡°We¡¯ve taken excellent care of this thing! We will punish anyone who says otherwise!¡±

    Bel glanced at the device. ¡°But they¡¯re self-maintaining, aren¡¯t they? You just have to avoid damaging it.¡±

    The cat girl nodded. ¡°Yes. We have taken great care to avoid destroying it.¡±

    She held her head up proudly.

    ¡°Uh, then you¡¯ve done a great job,¡± Bel said. ¡°It worked great.¡±

    The cat girl nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She glanced at Bel¡¯s group. ¡°However, I must inform you that none of you are worthy of King Narisgood¡¯s treasure.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± another one chimed in. ¡°You¡¯re, like, too lame to be his successor.¡±

    The leader nodded. ¡°You may turn around and leave.¡±

    The cat girl flicked her paw at Bel.

    ¡°King Narisgood? From the third dynasty?¡±

    Bel opened her mouth to ask more questions, but then she realized that quizzing the cat girls wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. ¡°Nevermind. Just tell me where you¡¯ve hidden the destination tablets and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re over there somewhere.¡±

    Bel looked in the direction where the leader flicked her tail, but only saw a rocky cavern wall. Its surface was smooth, like it had been melted by intense heat.

    ¡°Oh, we totally collapsed that tunnel.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I saw, like, a bug or something.¡±

    ¡°Gross!¡±

    The cat girls who had just spoken were abruptly propelled into a nearby wall. Bel hadn¡¯t seen their leader move, but she saw the annoyed cat girl flicking fur from one of her paws.

    ¡°Fine, they can just dig the tablets out,¡± she said.

    ¡°Are you sure they¡¯re in that hall?¡± drawled another cat girl. ¡°I thought they were over there.¡± She help up a paw and pointed in a different direction.

    ¡°No way, we had them in the room with the light, right?¡± another cat girl said.

    ¡°Which room with the light?¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should just blast ¡¯em and pretend they were never here?¡± said a cat girl with a malicious gleam in her eyes.

    The leader stared at Bel, and Bel stared back.

    ¡°So, you were supposed to watch over this machine?¡± Bel asked.

    The tiara-wearing cat girl flicked her tail. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m gonna be honest, we were chosen more for our immortality than our skills as caretakers.¡±

    ¡°I can see that.¡±

    The cat girl¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Hey.¡±

    Bel shrugged. If the cat girls decided to blast her, there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it. Their attack had too much range and speed for her to do much about it.

    The cat girl¡¯s tail swished with agitation. ¡°Okay, how about this. You losers complete a task for us, and we¡¯ll find the tablet to send you back where you came from.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that us just doing you a task for free? The tablet was supposed to be here.¡±

    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll give you a reward too. It¡¯ll be shiny. Ooo, shiny. Yay.¡±

    Bel rolled her eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s that or we play riddles until someone finds the tablet.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the task?¡± Bel and Flann and Jan asked in unison.

    ¡°Great.¡± The cat girl spun around and sauntered away. ¡°Follow me.¡±

 Chapter 150 â€“ A Minor Task

    As they followed after the leader of the cat girls, Manipule leaned closer to Bel.

    ¡°She seems physically strong. Is that why you regard her with such respect?¡±

    Bel grimaced, unsure if she should talk about the cats strange habits when they were listening. Flann answered before she could make up her mind.

    ¡°This here valley is the most dangerous place in all of the Golden Plains, worse even than the living mud of the Lip and the burning sands of the Southern Fringe. These creatures can shoot beams of light from their mouths that destroy anything they touch.¡±

    Flann waved his arms dramatically as they passed out of the cave and into the light.

    ¡°You can see it all around us!¡±

    Bel grinned as Manipule¡¯s mouth dropped open in surprise. Bel looked around too, inspecting the familiar hole-riddled hills and mountains that surrounded the cat girls¡¯ home. She saw that the rest of the area was still a paradise, with lush vegetation and a peacefully flowing river that meandered past, although now Bel found herself trudging through more mud than she remembered.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I decided to wear my fighting clothes,¡± she muttered. She was walking barefoot and wore only her armor and a thick lizard-hide overcoat that Manipule had insisted upon to preserve her modesty. She had a short sword strapped to her waist and had the forethought to carry a few throwing knives that would work well with her ability to destabilize bonds. Everything she carried was easily replaced, and she couldn¡¯t help feel a sense of satisfaction when she thought of everyone else ruining their regular travelling clothes. Flann and Jan were wearing their well-worn desert cloaks, but Manipule was wearing some very clean leather armor. Orseis had a new hide jacket and pants, and some kind of hat with a brim the covered the eyes. Orseis continually adjusted it as they walked.

    ¡°This is why I like to have some disposable clothes with me,¡± she said to Manipule.

    Manipule smiled and tapped the ground with her foot. It made a hard thump rather than squishing, and Bel realized that the other gorgon was freezing the ground around herself to avoid walking in the mud. Everyone else was walking in her path rather than trudging through the mud like Bel.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± the cat girl said enthusiastically. She fluttered over to Manipule and stood on the frozen ground for a moment. Then she flicked her tail with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°No, too cold.¡±

    The rest of her group remained in wary silence, so Bel decided to ask the obvious question.

    ¡°Does our task have to do with all of this mud?¡±

    Bel¡¯s feet squished into the soaked soil. ¡°I can see why you wouldn¡¯t like it, but all the new rain is because Technis took down his Barrier. We can¡¯t fix that.¡±

    ¡°Of course we know that, stupid.¡± The cat girl rolled her eyes. ¡°The mud is only temporary. Eventually we¡¯ll get some thick grasses or whatever.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± another cat girl added. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that we¡¯ve been guarding the old king¡¯s inheritance since waaaaay before Technis decided to play ruler?¡±

    Another cat girl laughed. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s such a loser. Our boss made the right call, rejecting his bid for the king¡¯s stuff.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s gross!¡±

    Manipule leaned close to Bel and whispered, ¡°could they have important information about Technis?¡±

    Bel winced at the thought, but she couldn¡¯t reject Manipule¡¯s suggestion. Flann and Jan didn¡¯t feel the same restraint, and shook their heads energetically when Bel opened her mouth.

    ¡°Hey, uh, boss, could you¨C¡±

    The cat girl cut her off.

    ¡°No. We don¡¯t care about Technis. We¡¯re just here because we owed King Narisgood a favor.¡±

    She vigorously scratched an itch on her flank, ignoring Bel until she was satisfied.

    ¡°Anyway, the king asked us to guard his stuff before he ascended, so we¡¯re guarding it. We¡¯re not here to play tour guide.¡±

    Bel shrugged helplessly at Manipule.

    ¡°There,¡± the boss said. She pointed her paw at a modest lake that sat at the edge of the valley. ¡°That¡¯s where we get our most tasty fish, but there¡¯s some gross stuff in the water.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ruining everything,¡± wailed one of the boss¡¯ followers.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t had a good fish in days!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re gross!¡±

    Bel ignored the whining and inspected the lake. It wasn¡¯t anything special, at least from what she could see. It was large enough that she couldn¡¯t throw a stone over it, but not so wide that someone couldn¡¯t swim across. She doubted that it was very deep either.

    ¡°So why can¡¯t you find whatever is causing the problem yourself?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, water!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s wet!¡±

    ¡°Gross!¡±

    ¡°Do you know anything about the cause?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s wet!¡±

    ¡°And gross!¡±

    The boss turned her baleful stare upon Bel. ¡°We don¡¯t do diving. We¡¯re cats. We sit in the sun. Now get in there and take care of whatever is ruining our food.¡±

    Then, fast as a striking serpent, she turned her head to Orseis. ¡°And don¡¯t you dare eat any of our fish,¡± she hissed. ¡°We know how the followers of Gigampas like to stuff themselves.¡±

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    ¡°I¨CI would never think of it,¡± Orseis stammered.

    ¡°Good. Come find us once you¡¯ve cleaned out our lake.¡±

    With that, the cat girl flicked her tail and launched herself into the air. She circled once before gliding back to the cool, sheltered cave.

    Bel flapped her heavy overcoat, moving air over her sweaty body. ¡°So, do you think we should just dive right in, or what?¡±

    ¡°I think they¡¯re trying to kill us,¡± Orseis said. ¡°Even if there isn¡¯t something crazy powerful in the water, how do they expect us to swim around the most tasty fish and not sample one?¡±

    Bel looked at Orseis. ¡°I agree. You should stay on the shore.¡±

    Flann and Jan nodded in agreement, and Manipule patted Orseis on the head. The cuttle girl turned an embarrassed shade of red.

    ¡°Hey, I feel like you guys are thinking bad things about me!¡±

    Manipule hugged Orseis close. ¡°No, no, we are just worried about your safety.¡±

    Orseis pushed against Manipule¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡±

    ¡°I could lift up the ground in the lake and divide it into small sections that would be easier to search,¡± Jan suggested.

    ¡°Could work,¡± Flann replied. ¡°Better than me boilin¡¯ it.¡±

    Jan wagged his tail. ¡°Well then, shall I get to it? Or do we have other options?¡±

    ¡°I could freeze it,¡± Manipule offered. ¡°That usually puts fish to sleep.¡±

    Jan nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Why not both? I¡¯ll break it into smaller pools, you freeze them one by one. Maybe you can even make walls of ice so we can look inside!¡±

    Bel shook her head. ¡°So complicated. How about I turn into my Bex form and just swim through it? I¡¯ll murder anything that looks weird.¡±

    She brushed imaginary dirt from her hands. ¡°Easy.¡±

    Her companions warily eyed Bel¡¯s murderous plague snake.

    ¡°You sure that¡¯s not Vex¡¯s idea?¡± Flann asked.

    Bel tilted her head and thought about it. ¡°Maybe. But it makes sense to me.¡±

    The old fox turned to Manipule. ¡°Do all your snakes put ideas into your heads? Or is it just Bel?¡±

    Manipule shook her head. ¡°Just Bel. She is special.¡±

    Jan had been ignoring their discussion, turning his bad and forth instead of listening to them. His whiskers quivered as he slapped his paws together. ¡°Ah! I have another idea!¡±

    He raked his paw through the air.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just raise fingers of dirt to comb through the water. Anything small, like the fishes, will pass through, but I¡¯ll catch anything big and dangerous.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Flann agreed.

    ¡°I could just kill¨C¡±

    Jan ignored Bel and waved his arms towards the water. The soil on the far shore lifted into six widely spaced fingers. The crept towards Bel and her group, combing through the water.

    When they were halfway across the lake, the water¡¯s surface frothed and roiled as something fled ahead of Jan¡¯s search.

    ¡°Is that the fish?¡± Orseis asked with interest.

    Then a head popped out of the water, followed by a dozen more. They were humanoid, but in the place of ears they had large fins surrounding empty holes in the sides of their heads, and their lips were thick and glistening with slime. Combined with their puffy faces and bulging eyes, Bel found their looks at least as ugly as anything that she¡¯d encountered.

    Jan paused his stony comb as the lead creature stood up on human legs and strode from the water. It opened its mouth, revealing uneven rows of jagged teeth, and spoke to them in an unfamiliar language.

    ¡°It is warning us to get out of the way,¡± Manipule translated. ¡°It says that Technis is gone and they have come to claim the old king¡¯s inheritance.¡±

    The gorgon¡¯s lips curled in disgust. ¡°It is also being very rude.¡±

    She looked at Bel and flushed. ¡°Very rude. I won¡¯t translate that part.¡±

    Bel inspected the rude creature, looking between it and its companions. They were muscular and green, with a slimy coating over their skin and large rocks and shells strapped to their backs. They didn¡¯t carry any weapons, but they looked strong.

    They watched her as well, standing still except for the motion of the gills on their necks, which rose and fell as they breathed. The motion pulled on strands of mucus between their gill slits, making Bel¡¯s stomach clench. As a gentle breeze blew through the valley, Bel realized that the cat girls hadn¡¯t been exaggerating: not only did they look disgusting, the watery things also stank like bad farts. The smell grew worse as more of them clambered up from the water below.

    ¡°No thank you,¡± she said.

    The lead creature must have picked up on Bel¡¯s tone, because it immediately screeched in anger. It opened its mouth wide enough to swallow its own head, bent forward, and, to Bel¡¯s surprise, spat a head sized ball of fire at her.

    Bel formed some of her armor into a wide shield, but Flann stepped forward with a confident bounce in his steps. He batted the fireball aside with his staff, and then batted ten more down as half of the creatures followed their leader¡¯s example. The other half of them began waving their webbed hands through the air and chanting.

    ¡°Stop ¡¯em!¡± Jan yelled.

    The half-height meerkat twitched his hands and his stone fingers dove at the stinky water people, but one of them swept their arm over the water in response. Jets of water burst from the surface of the pond and blasted through the stone fingers, breaking them apart.

    Orseis threw her spear at the creatures, but a couple stopped spitting fire long enough to summon a wall of water to intercept the projectile.

    Meanwhile, Bel¡¯s snakes were arguing over which of them was best-suited for the situation, and it was making it difficult for her to concentrate. Sparky was outraged by their pitiful flames, but Bel didn¡¯t trust her magma form near all the water. Flora was also outraged that they had tried to burn her, but Bel didn¡¯t trust her tree form near all the fire. Vex was outraged and wanted to kill everything, but Bel didn¡¯t trust her near all of her friends.

    Before she could shake off their muddling influences, the stinky fish creatures in the back completed their hand waving ritual. Bel watched with fascination as a rainbow of colors and shapes leaped into the air above them, visible thanks to her new eye. The patterns danced and twisted together before pulling apart, opening a portal to another place.

    A giant sea creature with a mouth large enough to swallow Bel whole dropped from the open portal and into the water below.

    It curled its long neck through the air and roared with fury before leaning towards them with murderous intent. Then it froze in place, mouth open and bulbous eyes wide.

    Bel glanced to the side to see that Manipule was glaring at it: the two of them were locked in a contest of essence. The fish creatures coughed a swarm of fireballs at the defenseless gorgon, but Jan summoned a rock wall high enough to block their attacks and low enough that it didn¡¯t block Manipule¡¯s view of the large creature.

    Bel decided that was a good enough distraction for her to go on the attack.

    A quick wind step took her in the middle of the fish people, where Bel quickly struck in multiple directions with her liquid shockwaves. They were caught completely off-guard, and multiple of them were cut to pieces.

    To Bel¡¯s shock though, the fish people didn¡¯t just burst into pieces when struck ¨C they exploded. She used her thermal regulation to shift most of the heat from the sudden burst of flames into Sparky, but the force of the blasts thrust her beneath the water¡¯s surface and into the thick mud below.

    Bel kicked and thrashed as she struggled to find up and down. As her head cleared, she pushed against the mud and kicked towards the surface. She swiped the mud from her face and prepared herself to resume her attack, eager to confront the rest of her enemies before they recovered from her surprise attack.

    She was disappointed to find them calm and organized when the burst out of the water. Even worse, the survivors were on fire ¨C and they seemed pleased about it.

    Bel had killed five of them with her sudden shockwaves, but remaining dozen grinned at her with their jagged teeth. Their skin had turned from green to red, and their slimy coatings burned with an angry, red glow. She paused, surprised, and waited to see if the water would put out their flames.

    They¡¯re water creatures, right? Orseis would be in trouble if she dried out.

    She quickly learned that her understanding of their anatomy was flawed. Their skin did crack as it dried out, sinking inwards as it lost its wet puffiness. Their faces became lean and hungry, their bulbous eyes became angry slits and their fat lips skimmed back to expose long, vicious fangs. The flabby skin on their heads shrank onto their skulls, revealing short, thick horns. As the webbing on their hands shriveled, it revealed more of their long, sharp fingers. In just a few seconds, they had turned from awkward fish people into lean, muscular fighters ¨C from the waist up. Below that, where they were submerged in the water, they were still slimy and soft.

    Their fires didn¡¯t go out when their transformations completed, and their odor only grew worse. Bel struggled with the urge to vomit as all of nearest creatures turned to her with their angry, smoldering eyes.

 Chapter 151 â€“ A Job Well Done

    Bel¡¯s heart thumped when she realized that she had underestimated the fish people and had gotten herself stuck in the middle of them. She¡¯d been thinking of them as one-sided creatures, like the dhvaras, but they looked equally comfortable with both fire and water. It was going to make them more unpredictable.

    Whenever she found herself in a bad situation, Bel fell back to Beth¡¯s advice: stab first, and stab the unexpected one.

    Bel turned and pounced, aiming to leap upon the leader on the shore rather than continuing a fight in the water. She¡¯d barely gotten airborne when a whip of water reached out from the lake and wrapped around her ankle. Bel felt a painful wrenching in her ankle as her momentum was turned downwards. Her face slapped painfully onto the surface of the water and she was pulled underwater.

    As she sank, the water turned thick and heavy like mud. Bel struggled and managed to rise to her knees with her head nearly above the shallow water, but the rest of her body was pinned in place. She saw a pair of legs striding towards her as whoever had created the trap came to finish her off.

    Bel wasn¡¯t helpless though ¨C water was one of her own specialties. A quick liquify freed her body, and Bel quickly rose to her feet, delivering a powerful uppercut to her surprised attacker¡¯s chin. There was a flurry of motion around her, but Bel didn¡¯t allow herself to be distracted. She focused on her current opponent, drawing her short sword and jamming it into the creature¡¯s abdomen.

    Stomach¡¯s should be soft, right?

    To her dismay, Bel¡¯s weapon bounced off of the thick, dried skin of the burned water demon. It counterattacked, squeezing twining its fingers together together and swinging down with a two-fisted hammerblow. Bel formed a small buckler on her arm and allowed the brute force attack to slide off of her well-rehearsed defensive stance. As her opponent¡¯s body stumbled to her side, Bel stabbed her sword into the water, cutting through one of the creature¡¯s thick, blubbery legs.

    The water turned dark and cloudy as blood gushed from the open wound, but Bel wasn¡¯t counting her opponent down just yet. It hissed and reeled away from her, but Bel advanced, staying close to her foe. She leaned low and manipulated her metal into a long hook, which she used to trip its uninjured leg. It stumbled as its weight shifted onto its injured leg, and when it fell backwards onto the water Bel jumped on top of it. A quick thrust of her sword through its eye finished the creature off, but she didn¡¯t pause for breath.

    Bel dove under the water, hoping to avoid any reprisals from the creature¡¯s friends. She kicked through the water, gaining some distance before emerging a short distance away. She spun, quickly taking in the state of the battle.

    Manipule was still at a stand-still with the sea monster, but Bel saw a hardening around its eyes that meant it was being overpowered by the gorgon¡¯s petrification. The sea devils were pelting Bel¡¯s friends with a constant barrage of fireballs, but Flann was agilely deflecting most of them. Jan had gone on the attack with his ground manipulation, pinning opponents inside rocky prisons, which reduced the pressure on Flann and Bel.

    Orseis pranced across the muddy ground, fighting off the leader of the sea devils with her divine spear. To Bel, the leader looked faster and stronger than the rest of the monsters, but Orseis was, for once, being clever with her fighting. She kept a good distance from her weaponless opponent, staying close enough that he couldn¡¯t spit a fireball at her but far enough that she was out of reach of his claws. Her spear poked and prodded the leader, frustrating him as Orseis waited for a chance to deliver a killing blow.

    Her instincts were good, but Orseis was the less experienced fighter. The leader awkwardly lunged at the cuttle girl, which was an obvious feint to Bel¡¯s eyes, but Orseis couldn¡¯t help trying to take advantage of it. She overcommitted to a stab with her spear and the leader twisted to the side, leaving the cuttle girl off-balance and far too close to the stronger fighter.

    Bel¡¯s heart skipped a beat when the devil caught Orseis¡¯ spear with one hand. He tugged her forward as he reached out with his free hand, but Orseis quickly let go of her weapon and whipped her tentacles into a flurry of blows that put him back on his guard. Then she kicked mud into his face, jumped back, and summoned her weapon back to her hands.

    The leader opened his mouth to spit fire, but a stone missile from Jan sent him stumbling back, coughing and wheezing as he choked on his own missile. Orseis waved thanks to the old meerkat and resumed her stabbing, this time with more caution. The fight quickly returned to its former stalemate, with the occasional stone bullet from Jan.

    Bel didn¡¯t relax, but she decided to trust her friends. She knew that once Manipule won her fight against the giant sea beast, the tide would turn. All she had to do was keep the rest of the creatures busy and prevent any more surprises.

    Bel located the nearest demon who was spitting fire at Flan and Manipule and used destabilize bonds to send an exploding knife at it. The missile bounced harmlessly off of the demon¡¯s hardened skin, but the explosion that followed vaporized part of the lake. If anything was left of the demon, Bel didn¡¯t see it.

    That got the attention of all of the flaming fish people around her, so Bel ducked under the water to dodge the incoming barrage of fireballs. As she retreated to a deeper part of the lake, Bel saw a few of them swimming after her.

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    Once their flames were extinguished, their bodies quickly swelled back to their original forms. With webbed hands and feet, they quickly caught up to Bel. They opened their mouths when they were a couple of body lengths away, and Bel could see an orange glow emerging from their throats. To her surprise, they managed to spit hot balls of rock at her, despite being under the water.

    The water boiled along the projectiles paths, creating a froth of bubbles as missiles converged upon her position. The attacks were slower in water than in air though, and Bel had plenty of time to raise her shield. A moment after they hit, bouncing from her shield and pushing her back in the water, webbed hands closed over the edge of Bel¡¯s shield, tugging it down as one of the creatures opened its mouth to spit a hot rock into her face. Bel blasted it with a liquid shockwave instead, tearing it in half.

    It still exploded, even underwater. Much of the force was eaten by Bel¡¯s shield, but the blow was enough to daze her. When her mind cleared, she found that she had been propelled out of the water and was arcing through the air. She slammed back first into a large rock and struggled to clear her dizzy mind.

    A loud crack split the air above her, and her heart jolted from fight. Bel looked up, desperately waving her shield above her head to ward off any blows. The sea monster stared back at her, its jaws cracked open wide enough to bite her in half. Bel stumbled backwards as its head descended, but, rather than enclosing her in a toothy cage, it fell to her side with heavy splash.

    Bel¡¯s addled mind took a second to realize that the creature was petrified; her impact had broken the head from its long neck.

    Bel shook herself and turned back to the battle. She had lost her short sword, again, and her disorder core was mostly empty, but her upheaval core could still make a few exploding projectiles.

    She had lost sight of the swimming demons, so she looked for the closest one that Jan had restrained. She pounced on it just as it broke free of its rocky prison. Its expression of triumph at freeing itself was wiped from its face as Bel slammed it back into the crumbling stone. She emptied the last energy from her disorder core for a final shockwave to quickly finish the creature.

    The fish people who had chased her into the deep part of the lake hadn¡¯t been as close to their exploding comrade, but the force must have still slowed them. The three of them were only now running after her, leaving the deeper part of the lake and returning to the shore where they had summoned the sea monster. Bel took a few moments move from the mud and onto a more stable slab of stone. With improved footing, she threw three destabilized knives at them, one after the other.

    They dove back into the water to avoid the first, but the blast still sent a concussive force into the water. One of them surfaced, holding its ear holes, just as the second projectile exploded, killing it. Bel¡¯s third knife exploded a bit farther to the side than she intended, and the last two water demons surfaced away from the blast.

    They wobbled in the water as they struggled to walk straight, and Bel decided to attack. She pounced upon the closer one, knocking it onto its knees as she landed upon its back. She wrapped her arm around its neck and used her enhanced strength to snap its liquified neck.

    She shoved the lifeless corpse back into the water and advanced on the last demon. It opened its mouth, but she punched it in the gut before it could spit fire at her. As it doubled over, she formed a metal spike with her malleable armor and stabbed it through the neck. It only struggled for a moment before succumbing to its wounds.

    Bel looked up to find her next opponent. She was pleasantly surprised to see that she had run out.

    Flann was putting out a few errant fires, but the sea people had been beaten. The leader was dead, his legs tangled in rocks and a gaping wound in his chest. Jan had impaled several water demons upon stone spikes and Bel saw a couple that had been frozen by Manipule. The gorgon looked exhausted, probably from her contest with the large sea monster, and was getting her clothing messy in the mud. That didn¡¯t stop her from fussing over Orseis though.

    Bel snagged the essence from her last foes and strode back to her friends.

    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡±

    ¡°My back aches,¡± Flann complained. ¡°And my knees hurt. Also, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m eatin¡¯ until I wash this stench from my nostrils.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be prepared,¡± Jan said. Bel noticed that his voice was more nasal that normal, and saw why when he pointed out stone noseplug that he¡¯d put over his nose.

    Flann waved his staff at the meerkat. ¡°Why didn¡¯t ya make me one o¡¯ them?¡±

    Jan laughed. ¡°But you were just saying how much better fire was than dirt.¡±

    ¡°Why you!¡±

    Bel shook her head at their antics and went to check on Orseis.

    ¡°How¡¯s Ori?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Manipule tutted. ¡°She has a little burn. I¡¯m just cooling and cleaning it.¡±

    ¡°You were fighting well,¡± Bel complimented her.

    Orseis grinned. ¡°I learned a lot from wrestling with the delvers.¡±

    Then her eyes turned watery. ¡°They even gave me this cool hat, but now it¡¯s all messed up.¡± She held up a sad pile of mud. Bel realized that the hat was hidden somewhere inside.

    Bel looked at the hat. ¡°Don¡¯t bring nice things to a fight. You¡¯ll probably need a new one.¡±

    Manipule glared at her. ¡°She got this from the human delvers when they were out hunting. It¡¯s sentimental.¡±

    Bel almost rolled her eyes, but Manipule¡¯s stern expression and Orseis¡¯ sad eyes told Bel that she was being a jerk.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll clean it then?¡±

    Manipule smiled. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll clean it when we get back, okay?¡±

    Orseis nodded and handed over the dirty hat to Manipule, who carefully shook it out and slipped it into a pocket.

    I didn¡¯t even know that the hat was sentimental. How was I supposed to know that? Wait, didn¡¯t Manipule say that I was ignoring everyone and only paying attention to the teleporter? Was she right?

    Bel huffed. Now that guilt had starting taking hold of her, she was feeling self-conscious about her social skills. Getting everyone into the unexpected fight was also a failure on her part.

    ¡°Sorry for the extra trouble,¡± she said, feeling that the apology was poor as the words left her lips. ¡°Did everyone get all the essence from these guys? Should we go report to the cat girls¡¯ boss?¡±

    Flann scratched his ears. ¡°Y¡¯know, I¡¯m not sure that they¡¯ll be happy with the job we did.¡±

    Bel¡¯s eyebrows pinched together. ¡°What? Why not? We solved the problem, right?¡±

    She turned and took in the scene. Gore and bodies everywhere, dead fish slowly floating up from the blood-blackened water, and a horrible stench that clung to the air.

    ¡°Oh¡­ well, whatever. We¡¯ll just leave quickly. Maybe they won¡¯t notice.¡±

 Chapter 152 â€“ Rewards

    ¡°We took care of your problem,¡± Bel said. She tried to look calm and confident and didn¡¯t think about the mess they had made of the cat girls¡¯ lake.

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± the boss responded. She was splayed out on a sunny rock, her tiara tilted askew.

    Bel saw an opportunity to slip away.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that¡¯s over with,¡± she said with a wave. ¡°We¡¯ll be on our way now.¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡±

    Bel stopped, one foot inside the cave. She could see the rainbow threads from the teleporter waving around in the back of the cavern. That meant that the cat girls had found the missing pieces to it before taking their naps, and it was ready to send them home.

    Bel spun around and smiled. She desperately wanted to make a break for the machine, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun the cat girl¡¯s laser beams.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    The boss stood up on her haunches and adjusted her tiara.

    ¡°Did you really take care of it?¡±

    ¡°O¡¯ course,¡± Flann said. ¡°Can¡¯t ya see how crooked I¡¯m walkin¡¯ now? And my back is killin¡¯ me!¡±

    Jann tapped his plugged nose. ¡°We took care of the foul creatures that clogged your water. We wouldn¡¯t want the smell to linger though, so it¡¯s best if we¡¯re on our way, yeah?¡±

    The boss looked down at them from her place on the rock. Bel thought she saw an evil grin tug at the corners of the woman¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve done a great job then we need to reward you.¡±

    Bel lifted her hands defensively. ¡°Oh no, we¡¯re okay. We don¡¯t need a reward.¡±

    ¡°Puuuurrfect.¡±

    The boss swiped her paw through the air, knocking a fist sized object down into the ground in front of Bel.

    ¡°Take it. It¡¯s your reward.¡±

    Bel bent down and picked up a small pyramid. She turned it around a couple of times, but other than one corner being wrapped in a reflective, silver metal, she couldn¡¯t see any identifying marks. ¡°What is it?¡±

    An enormous grin spread across the boss¡¯ face and several more cat girls fluttered over. Their pupils widened, and Bel wondered what she¡¯d done wrong.

    The boss began to talk.

    ¡°What hangs below a man¡¯s waist¡­¡±

    The rest of the cat girls joined in, forming an eerie chorus.

    ¡°¡­that he stabs into the same hole many times?¡±

    Flann tapped Bel with his staff. She turned to him and he made a twisting motion in front of his lips, telling her to be silent. She nodded.

    As a group, they slowly backed away from the cat girls and towards the teleporter. The cat girls stalked after them, eagerly watching and listening. Bel could feel a heavy sweat breaking out over her body as more of the feline women emerged from holes in the cavern walls. By the time they reached the back of the cavern and their escape, there were at least a hundred of them, all staring at Bel with wide, eager eyes and hungry grins.

    Bel looked at the destination tablet. She could see that it was functional, and, from the look of the colored tendrils waving through the air, it would take them in the right direction to go back to the hidden chamber in Baytown. She didn¡¯t know for certain, but she decided that she would have to risk it.

    With a quick flick, Bel triggered the switch and her group was swallowed by a tear in space.

    ¡°Finally,¡± one of the cat girls droned.

    ¡°Ugh. That took forever!¡±

    ¡°That old king was such a jerk!¡±

    The boss shook her head. ¡°Ladies, he tricked us fair and square. Who knew that it would take so long to find someone who would defend his inheritance without knowing what it was? Getting them to refuse the reward was easy though.¡±

    She grinned and pawed at her neck, revealing a small collar with a tiny pyramid hanging from it from under her fur. ¡°But, now that we finished his task, we¡¯ve gotten our reward as well. There¡¯s no need to stick around here anymore!¡±

    She swished her tail triumphantly. ¡°Let¡¯s take a trip, girls.¡±

    The rest of the cat girls whooped and cheered.

    <hr>

    ¡°Are you excited to see your sister?¡±

    James smiled at Daran, admiring her bright smile, the glow of her silver hair, the lines of the muscles on her arms as she manipulated the shielding sandstorm above the heads¡­

    ¡°Are you going to answer, or just stare at me?¡±

    Daran moved to the side and bumped him playfully. ¡°We¡¯re in public, you know.¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    She winked and he blushed.

    ¡°Ah, um, Bel! Yeah, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing her again. It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    Their child, hanging from a sling on his chest, chortled when she heard her name. James poked her chubby cheek and delighted at the spinning of her cute little antennae.

    ¡°Yup, you¡¯re named after her,¡± he cooed. ¡°We thought she was going to disappear into the Labyrinth, but she made it back!¡±

    ¡°She does like getting into trouble.¡±

    James almost jumped when Beth appeared from nowhere, but he had mostly adjusted to her ever-increasing stealth abilities. Seth, the naturally silent scorpion boy, stalked behind her.

    James shook his head when he thought about Bel¡¯s reckless use of the teleporter. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that she went to the cat girls. Even you said that they were scary.¡±

    Beth shrugged and patted Seth on the back. ¡°Not so scary with this guy around. He really knew how to handle them.¡±

    Seth may have blushed slightly ¨C or maybe it was just a trick of day star setting in the sky. James still hadn¡¯t figured out the taciturn semi-human¡¯s nonverbal communication.

    ¡°Besides, she even got a reward,¡± Beth said. ¡°She must be way stronger than when she left us.¡±

    James shook his head. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even know what the reward is.¡±

    ¡°¡­key,¡± Seth mumbled.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± James asked.

    Beth leaned closer to Seth as he mumbled. She nodded with understanding.

    ¡°It¡¯s a key,¡± she repeated.

    ¡°The pyramid?¡± James asked.

    ¡°The answer to the last riddle they asked,¡± Beth replied.

    ¡°So does that mean that the pyramid is a key to something?¡±

    Beth shrugged. ¡°How would I know? I haven¡¯t seen it.¡±

    James snorted with frustration, but before he could feel too annoyed Daran reached out and took his hand.

    ¡°Be calm, husband, we are very close. Bel said that she would meet us on the other side of this river, yes?¡±

    The sound of rushing water had been growing, but James hadn¡¯t been paying that much attention to their surroundings. Daran was right though, they were nearly at the river.

    He looked around at their group. They were a disorganized lot: a bunch of young and liberal meerkats from Jan¡¯s family, a stodgy old mole who had worked as a matchmaker for years, and a large troupe of the orphaned and disenfranchised, a little more than fifty in total. James had seen an opportunity to lead them to a new place where they could establish a better society, one built upon the technology, laws, and governments of Earth. He was finally living the isekai dream.

    And he couldn¡¯t wait to get real plumbing installed in Baytown.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    James was called back to reality by Beth¡¯s question. He looked over the river, wondering if Beth could see all the way to the other side. He couldn¡¯t, but he didn¡¯t need to see that far to spot the person who was flying towards them.

    Daran reached up and pulled back the veil of sand that she¡¯d been keeping over their heads since they left the Golden Plains so that it wouldn¡¯t cause a problem for the person coming to greet them. Beth claimed that she could deal with any errant spearheads who descended upon their group, but James and Daran hadn¡¯t wanted to risk it.

    The people on the other side of the river didn¡¯t seem to have any concerns about attack, and James wondered if spearheads weren¡¯t attacking this part of Satrap, or if Bel¡¯s friends were just strong. When the woman landed in front of them, James guessed that it was the second option.

    The gorgon ¨C the second one that James had ever seen ¨C could have been ripped right from the cover of any fantasy novel from Earth. She was everything a woman on a fantasy cover should be: tall, beautiful, and strong. She also had a crazy mishmash of traits that would have gotten his younger self to pick up any book: wings, rattlesnakes for hair, and a big hammer on her back.

    The woman looked them over for a few second before James realized that they were being rude. He unslung his daughter and handed her to Daran so that he could step forward and properly greet the woman.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± he said, putting on his best friendly smile. ¡°We¡¯re traveling to Baytown. I assume Bel told you to expect us?¡±

    The woman nodded her head at him. ¡°Yes. I am Crecerelle, leader of the gorgons here.¡±

    She hesitated a moment before stepping forward. James raised his hand to shake, but instead she jerked his arm forward and crushed him into a brutal hug. He was so desperate for breath that he didn¡¯t even notice the snakes snickering at his discomfort.

    She released him a few moments later and he staggered away. ¡°Bel has told me that shaking hands is common in your culture, but anything aside from hugging is very rude to a gorgon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that,¡± James replied weakly.

    Beth stepped forward and gave the woman a one-armed hug. James suspected that she was just comparing their muscles.

    ¡°And how is our beloved Bel doing?¡± Beth asked.

    ¡°We will cross and you can see for yourself.¡±

    Crecerelle turned and shouted ¨C a sound that could have blown down the proverbial little piggy¡¯s house of bricks. Something happened on the other side of the river, and the next thing James knew the surface of the water was frozen solid.

    Crecerelle gestured towards the ice. ¡°It is slippery, so cross carefully.¡±

    Daran gestured with a hand, sending a shower of sand across the surface. ¡°That should improve things,¡± she said.

    Crecerelle gave her a thumbs up.

    ¡°Did Bel teach you that?¡± he asked.

    The gorgon laughed. ¡°Yes. She is full of many wonderful habits.¡±

    ¡°More like nonsense,¡± Beth replied.

    The gorgon clicked her tongue. ¡°And she has described all of you perfectly. Come, she is eager to see you again.¡±

    Crecerelle wasn¡¯t lying. They were barely a quarter of the way across the icy bridge when Bel slammed into him. He hadn¡¯t even seen her coming ¨C one moment, he was carefully putting one foot in front of the other, and the next he was spinning through the air, a pack of multi-colored snakes hissing in his face.

    ¡°James! It¡¯s been forever!¡±

    James wanted to respond, but Bel¡¯s crushing embrace was even worse than Crecerelle¡¯s iron grip. His eyes rolled back as he gave Daran a desperate look.

    ¡°You are maybe crushing him, Bel.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± She let him go, steadying him with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I forget that I¡¯ve gotten stronger sometimes.¡±

    James staggered for a moment before getting his feet under him. When he looked up, he froze with shock.

    Bel didn¡¯t look anything like the sad, confused gorgon he remembered. Not only was her head full of strange snakes, decorated with of fiery rocks and flowers and toxic green lines, but she looked like an absolute unit. The scar across her face was just one of many now, an eyepatch covered her missing eye, and her armor had a sharp and deadly look to it. Over her armor, she wore an impossibly clean coat of a deep blue silk with golden accents, and, under the skirt of her armor, she had matching pants that hung down to her bare feet. She looked like some crazed crime lord from a bad movie, or like someone he would have crossed the street to avoid.

    ¡°Nice eye patch,¡± Beth said.

    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Bel tapped the metal oval, and James noticed that her nails were now made of a gleaming metal. He thought they looked sharp and deadly.

    ¡°Manipule ¨C she¡¯s another gorgon, you¡¯ll meet her in a minute ¨C she made this for me. My new eye was freaking people out.¡±

    ¡°Your new eye?¡± James asked. ¡°When did that happen?¡±

    ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise!¡± Bel gushed. ¡°I got it from a spirit! Check this out!¡±

    Bel lifted the eye patch, revealing a swirling vortex of color. It was impossible for him to focus on for more than a moment without feeling the urge to vomit.

    ¡°Yeah, I think we understand why she made you the eye patch,¡± Beth said. ¡°James looks like he¡¯s about to lose his dinner.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± James said. ¡°It¡¯s okay as long as I don¡¯t look at it.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Bel seemed disappointed as she lowered the eye patch to cover her scary eye. ¡°I think it¡¯s cool.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± James assured her. ¡°You¡¯re super cool now. If I saw a book with you on the cover, I¡¯d buy three.¡±