Knell’s prediction was correct. They put Golden River behind them, keeping a careful watch over their shoulders to make sure nobody was foolish enough to chase after them. Luckily, with the Visions both dead, there weren’t any bold or dumb enough to try.

Around an hour down the path, Knell’s skin prickled as a faint chill washed over their group. Cyll’s eyes narrowed and all of them stopped.

“Someone’s coming,” Stix said, sliding a bolt into her hand crossbow.

Particles of faint white and gray energy gathered on the road before them, silhouetted by the setting sun behind it. They melded together, forming into ghostly bricks. Piece by piece, an archway built itself in the air.

The final translucent brick shimmered into place and the center of the archway turned dark, blocking out the road behind it. Rippling, the shade bulged outward. Joseph emerged from within it, his staff slung over his shoulder – the bell as silent as ever.

“Knell. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Joseph said. “I apologize for Maven’s behavior. She’s… easily excited.”

“You knew well what she was like when you sent her,” Knell replied. “But your timing is good. I need to determine where we stand. I don’t like loose cannons.”

“What a coincidence,” Joseph said, his lips quirking up in a grin. “Neither do I. Shall we take our conversation somewhere more private, where the gods eyes are less prone to peer?”

“I was under the impression this artifact handled that,” Knell said, tapping the heavy metal necklace that hung around his neck.

“That blocks most peering eyes,” Joseph corrected. “When I am involved, the gods take more care.”

“Just who are you?” Stix asked, keeping her crossbow trained on him.

Joseph’s grin widened and he gestured to the archway behind him. “All will be explained once we are in a more appropriate location, my little elf.”

“You can’t seriously expect us to follow you through some random portal,” Maya said. “It could go anywhere. We could just be marching to our deaths.”

“You could be,” Joseph agreed, his smile not fading in the slightest. “And while that would be terribly amusing, I think Knell is more than aware that my goals align with yours. I would gain nothing from killing you here.”

Knell Anchored Cyll and nodded in the direction of the portal. Cyll rolled his shoulders and strode up to it, passing by Joseph and plunging into the darkness without a second of hesitation.

“So cautious,” Joseph said, clicking his tongue. Knell ignored him. His mental clock counted down the seconds and, a minute later, Cyll snapped back into existence.

“Shitty old room with a table,” Cyll reported. “Seems like it’s in a cave. There were three people there. One was the hot chick from the forest. They didn’t seem to be looking for a fight.”

“See?” Joseph asked.

“That hardly proves safety,” Knell observed.

“You will be returned safely, no matter the outcome of our discussion. Yet, I still sense your caution. It is only wise, of course. And so, I will share a secret that will pique your interest enough for you to hear me out.”

Joseph leaned forward until his lips were just beside Knell’s ear. Maya and Stix stiffened, but Knell held his hand up to stop them from acting.

“You are not the only Advent who walks these lands, Eternity.”

Knell’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly as Joseph leaned back.

“We’ll go,” Knell said.

He walked into the portal, and his crew followed after him a moment later. Joseph’s smile stretched wider as he stepped into the darkness behind them. The archway faded, turning to motes of dust and blowing away in the wind, leaving no trace of their passing.

Thousands of leagues away, a terrible chill washed over the greatest shard of Mordrigal. Confusion tickled her mind as the feeling passed, and she dismissed it, returning to her duties. There were far too many things that held her attention – a mere flicker of emotion was irrelevant.

Had that particular Shard been paying better attention, she would have realized that foreign sensation was the feeling of impending doom – the universe’s warning that she had missed something of grave importance.

But, unfortunately for her, she gave the thought no credence – and missed the opening move in the most important war since the Shattering of the Gods.

***

Knell emerged from the shadows, his foot falling on cold stone as he stepped into a drab, gray cave. Faint torches lit with gray fire illuminated the room, but the did little to provide any warmth. A long, wooden table sat in the center of the room, six chairs on either side of it and two at either end.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Three of the chairs at the far end of the table were taken. The first was occupied by Maven, the woman that Cyll had spent a fight exchanging mortal blows with before Joseph had put an end to it.

Beside her was the largest man that Knell had ever seen. He was easily eight feet tall and made of more blubber than muscle. He was bald, with beady yellow eyes. It was a miracle that the wooden chair held the enormous man’s weight. A huge plate on the table before him was piled with food, which he was eagerly shoveling into his mouth.

An incredibly thin man sat beside him, a small triangular hat perched upon his head. He was little more than a skeleton with skin, and his clothes hung over him like drapes. The rest of Knell’s crew emerged from the darkness, followed by Joseph.

“Welcome back,” the large man said, pausing mid-chew to smile at them. His teeth were unnaturally wide and smooth, like two rows of tombstones.

“Be polite, Ogurd. We have guests,” Joseph said. “Stop eating while you talk.”

“No,” Ogurd replied, taking a huge bite out of a ripe fruit, skin and all. Juice dribbled down his chin and splashed across the front of his chest.

Joseph sighed. “My apologies, Knell. Unfortunately, I can’t be as picky as I would like with some of my allies. For the sake of our goal, we have to put up with it.”

“Ogurd isn’t that bad, once you learn to completely ignore him,” Maven provided. “Can I be dismissed? I see Cyll. I want to have fun.”

“No,” Joseph replied. “Sit down. There will be no in-fighting. We’ve discussed this.”

“Bah. He’s not an Advent, is he?” Maven asked.

Knell kept his face impassive. “How protected is this location, Joseph?”

“Completely protected. The gods cannot reach here,” Joseph said. He strode over to the head of the table and sat down, resting his staff against the wall. He nodded to the chairs beside him. “Please, sit. We have much to discuss.”

Knell took the chair to the right of Joseph, and his crew sat down to his left. Stix kept her hand crossbow at the ready, and both Maya and Cyll had their hands near the hilts of their weapons.

“I’ll start with a gesture of goodwill,” Joseph said. “I am the Advent of Extinction. As you might have already guessed, Maven is the Advent of War. The… eloquent man currently gorging himself on most of our food supplies is the Advent of Consumption, and the silent one beside him is the Advent of Malaise.”

“Those were a lot of words,” Knell said, leaning back in the chair. “None of them mean much to me.”

“He’s too green, Joseph,” Ogurd said through a mouthful of chicken. He wiped his mouth with the back of a hand. “You picked the kid too early.”

“He will learn in due time,” Joseph replied. “And you are withholding information, Knell. You know what an Advent is, at least to a degree. You are one.”

“What are you talking about?” Stix asked. “Do you mean his Path or something?”

“Yes. Path, purpose, same thing,” Joseph said. “Knell, considering you’ve brought your crew this far, I assume you trust them?”

“More than you.”

“Then I will speak freely. You are the Advent of Eternity, are you not?”

“Are you asking or telling?” Knell leaned forward. “And I will not deny that my goal is to bring down every last one of the gods. They have overstayed their welcome in this world. What I don’t know is if you are any better.”

Maven’s eyebrows rose and she studied Knell as if seeing him for the first time.

Joseph smirked. “Ah. But we are not gods, Knell. We are Advents. Ogurd is brash, but he was correct that you are new. You have not yet had time to come into your powers. I waited until Maven was three times your age before approaching her.”

“Three times?” Knell asked, glancing at the woman. “She can’t be more than forty.”

“Aw, what a little charmer,” Maven said, brushing her hair back. “But Joseph picked me up a while ago. I’m over two hundred now. Lost count, I think.”

“Don’t ask me how old I am,” Ogurd said. “I forgot.”

“And I am as old as many of the so called ‘gods’ that walk the world,” Joseph said. “And, assuming you have the power, you have the potential to be as well.”

“I see,” Knell said, still keeping his face placid. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what an Advent is to start with, then?”

“A herald. A harbinger. Whatever you want to call it. The universe rebels against the gods and their theft, and so we were born – to bring an end to them.”

“You’re not doing a very good job at it,” Cyll said with a snort. “If you’re really that old, you should have had more than enough time to kill off the bastards.”

“If it was easily done, I would not be enlisting Knell’s help,” Joseph said with a sigh. “There are not many of us, and most of us can die just like any other man. I do not know how many Shards there are, but there are too many to just ‘kill off’ as you put it. They are currently fractured and war amongst each other. If we started killing them, they would band together once more. That would be the worst case scenario for us.”

The thin man started to snore. Ogurd let out a burp.

“We could go on for hours about your history and what you want to do. Just get to the point where you tell the kid what you want so we can get on with life.”

“I agree with Ogurd,” Knell said. “You are saying much and nothing at all at the same time. Be direct and spare my time. What do you want from me?”

Joseph clicked his tongue. “So impatient, especially for Eternity. I hope that changes, but very well. I want you to largely continue what you have already been doing, but with one caveat – avoid interfering with my existing plans.”

“You claim that we’re working toward the same goal. If that’s actually true, I can’t imagine we’ll be at odds with each other much. I don’t see why we needed to meet privately for this.”

“You needed to meet the others,” Joseph replied, nodding back at them. “And not all of my plans will intercede with yours. I do not imagine you will run into any of my work soon, but if you do, I will warn you off. Do not argue with me when that happens. The gods cannot learn of the degree of my involvement in some things.”

Knell’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not committing to any such thing. I will pursue my own goals in the way that I see fit. I don’t trust you, Joseph. I believe that we both want the gods gone, but there are many methods to achieve the same goal, and I do not know that yours is the proper one. Either tell me exact things, or be prepared for me to act as I wish. I will attempt not to intentionally interfere with anything you are doing so long as I do not find issue with it, but if I do, I will make no promises.”

Ogurd let out a bark of laughter. “That’s what you get for bringing in a kid.”

“Be silent,” Joseph said flatly. “While I would prefer if you do as I ask, I will accept your current answer. There’s one other reason I brought you here, though. There’s some information that I believe will help your personal goals that I’d be willing to share with you – at a price.”