“He's alright?” “That isn't a word I used after a 6-hour long procedure, also I'm O.K your concern is touching really.” “But he's breathing?” “I did not kill him, Akh'En'Aten, and his accursed offspring, you have a tongue just say what's on your mind.” That exchange was the first thing I heard when I woke up. 6 hours? It felt like I just closed my eyes, in more ways than one, all of my wounds were still painful, but I was able to think clearly, so either she handled concussion or my Aether began to return, maybe both. After just 6 hours I was not eager to light a candle yet, “So, have you killed him?” The voice was Rolands “Nope, but all this noise makes me wish she did,” I managed to walk to the entrance and notice that just two parts on the right side were opened, frankly the way you would do it if you wanted your house to have the doors closed but not locked. After standing up I realized not only my mind was clear, the pain was there sure. But it was...hard to explain, normal pain after the injury. So after Ronald's question, I growled my answer and found the trio in front of me after moving the tarp. There was some oddness between them. Ronald seemed relaxed and just like he was asking a question but he had his Aether Gun with him. Santino and Anne were almost squaring off. I assumed it was only two of them before Ronald stepped in. Now, all three looked at me with different expressions. Ronald was most relieved, the only one to be glad to see me alive just because I'm alive. Santino closed his card close to his chest, but he could've put them in his ass. In front of someone who earns 40% of his money gambling, he was not open book, but he was surprised, Anne, somewhat surprisingly was the easiest to read, probably because she felt no need to hide it. She was my doctor, and per her professional opinion I shouldn't be awake let alone walking yet. And my body agreed, now I felt cuts and bruises, I felt the ankle but above all, I felt tendon.

The care which he demonstrated in her usual gentle way by grabbing me by the throat and lifting me about an inch from the ground “What in the name of the seven rivers you are doing walking you ape?” I gurgled and pointed toward the ground “He says that you cut off his airways and he can't answer” Ronald interjected helpfully. She hisses but lowers me down I took two gulps of air “I heard we were out for 6 hours. Thank you by the way, only twice have, I heard of interventions above four hours. But you've done enough. If Ronald would be kind to help me to the fire I'll explain the rest.” Anne again hissed, Santino composed himself and Ronald was more than glad to serve as my crutch. Although, more precisely would be to say he carried me. We take Dwarfs as tough and hardy, but so often forget how strong they are that once it will break over our collective heads. They are genius engineers, sure, but they are also stonemasons without peer and neck to neck when it comes to Smithing. Once he grabbed me around the waist from the left side I don't remember my wounded leg touching earth once, and even other only by 50% weight. I had a feeling if he punched me in the chest his large square hand would come out on the other side without too much trouble.

Still, some five minutes later we were around the fire, with the difference that only us “chosen” were there. Twins took the noon, a time when Hellhounds were usually sleeping to vanish which made Elunara actually join us by the fire and remove her hood. Her hair was of darkest red that could still be red, there was something elven there since tones were so vivid and shining and yet dark to the point where they should be brown. Just another thing to shake out o my mind, the third one. Lovely. Then I noticed that everyone is looking at me, which was reasonable I DID say something about explaining. I cleared my throat, thinking about how to begin this without being shot or dying in some more gruesome way. I took a breath “Night I came here I had a job lined up since they did not cross, I accepted, since I'm again kinda broke and...” pointing at my torn pants and boot “...I'll be even broker still. Job is tomorrow, and since I am a lucky boy all crap with Falx and whatshisname happened in the morning. So I have time to ask very cordially could Elunara jump in and relieve Anne with my left leg?” Both of them raised their eyebrows but in the spirit of cooperation agreed and while Anne shot arrows at our Irish friend with her glare, it would appear that Elunara was not in this situation the first time. First admiring the work, then starting and stopping a few times until Anne was next to her, guiding her through. The ankle was fine in 15 minutes, but the tendon was 3 hours of misery we tried to shorten it with info about our mission.

Santino leaned forward “What do you know about gods?” I winced as one more string was conected “One, I'm not a believer, two if they did half of a good job I might be.” At that 16-year-old angsty answer, Santino actually nodded. “Weird eh? All powerful beings are basically running the experiment. If there were only a few of them, or if they were the same god with different names. It would be kinda, sorta rationalized. But what about all other just Human gods? Olimpians? Slavic gods? Egyptian gods. Damn next to your left leg is an Elf and a Lamia, what about their gods? What about the gods of all beings you know exist?” I was in pain and this conversation did not help “Santino, just cut the crap, give me a theory, one you sacrificed a bunch of lives for and I'll think about it. If it is loonie I might just try to shoot you on principle.” He again actually chuckled, the second time since we met and you really had to look closely to notice it. “O.K. here we go, I assume you know all the jazz about Arts, when they began etc?” I nodded “Well that happened to Lamias...3000 years ago, they had supernatural stuff already, but not magic, Elves a few hundred years after, then Vampires. But once when Humanity started to feel it, so many religions, so many gods, so many ways to go.” I was looking at him I saw the thread, but that was the thread I didn't want to see. Still, I straightened up a bit, in a way easier to draw Helen, I noticed his response, but assumed it was a bluff. I was better with a bloody slaughter, he was better with Arts. “What you are saying is that something has been killing gods since the dawn of time, after that god's death its power just dissipated among their followers.” I waved across the horizon. “Then we got on the menu, and that thing realized it ignored weak ants too long, so many religions, so many beliefs, that they pressed the pause button. And decided to go first for the straightforward targets.” Santino nodded “Pretty much.” “And the proof is...” “Minotaurs can use Arts now. They had only one god, the perfect target.” My face scrunched like I ate a really hot pepper “No way” Due to their stature and looks Minotaurs always got a bad rep, but they were people who just wanted to be left alone, not some big bad villains. Santino took his hat off and scratched the tip of his head. “Easy enough to prove, I know where the closest territory is, around 50 miles squared for 15 of them. But now when they are coming to accept their new powers, I doubt it will be hard to find them”

That was too much info, I looked at Ronald. “What about you, your gods are in the game too?” For the first time, I saw the look in his eyes that genuinely scared me. “If Allfather and his sons and daughters wanted us to know “magic” we'd know it” his hand places itself on the top of his rifle “Instead they gave us the minds to make it. All dwarves already got the call and are going to their shines, our gods will not fall as long there is a Dwarf alive.” I looked at Santino “You have to have more than that someone is killing gods and that's why from time to time species get magic powers.” He gave me his half smile “And indeed I do. It took some time and several hundred lives but in a fight with Elven War God this creature was wounded, just a drop of blood, but it was placed in stasis and thrown into the timestream. The odds are astronomical, but we already have an idea of how to find it. Elunara is 50% sure she can break the stasis field when we'll have two things no one had before, the blood of a dead god, a quite possible way to revive him, and the blood of an attacker, the first clue of its origin, also old Human adage “If it can bleed, we can kill it.” I nodded wincing again, it felt like Anne and Elunara made a nice fire under my Achilles tendon

I gritted my teeth until worse passed then again nodded “You forgot a few things. One resistance to what we're about to do, not everyone will vibe with not being to blow a house with a casual move of a hand. But they can be pacified with bullets. However, the knife in the back can't. One of us is a traitor.”

I was right, but it didn't matter much, Helen was pointed at his forehead, but his Revolver not being able to raise that high stopped aiming at my heart. I guess “He was faster” would be a nice obituary. Nobody else moved a muscle, and they could, meaning this was not just my doubt. Santino looked me in the eyes “I would die for anyone here.” I smiled “Then drop the revolver so I can shoot you.”

Ronald gave kind of a snort. I continued “Think about it, you said this thing is 3000 years old at least, are you that arrogant that in all this time you are the only resistance it encountered? Think, I mean, really think, all failed recruitments, only here we have Khyon. Fuck knows how many such connections you made, you are solid but not perfect, magic or not our dear friends that work on my leg are naturally better than us. Dwarfs are too. We are middle. Arts elevated us. There will be resistance, and there will be betrayal.” I cocked down Helen and placed her back in the holster. A few seconds later Santino did the same. Elunara asked, “If you are done, we are ready to finish, are you prepared?”

I nodded and was not sure, was all the screaming was me or was there that many tears. However, it was likely for the best, because when I felt like myself I opened my eyes and saw four concerned faces above me. “What happened?" Elunara answered with a question of her own. “How do you feel?” I moved my leg and it was a damn miracle, I felt some tension but no pain. Then I saw something that made it all O.K. Elunara and Anne gave a high five to each other, but I kept it to myself, such moments can get so awkward if pointed out. I started to get up when everyone stopped me. “What now?” Roland was blunt enough to give me some news. “You puked like some 5 times, trust me you don't wanna touch your shirt or sit with it on. Here is my knife, cut the damn thing off so we can burn it, then go to the horse basin, I placed my soap there, and wash yourself. We'll scope one of Santino's shirts in the meantime.” I thought they were overdramatic until I started to cut, It was like going through the inch-thick oatmeal that thickened. I'll spare you the details but seeing it on fire was a blessing. I did not go to the basin and wash, I went there took a soap, and had a damn half an hour's bath. When I got out I stumbled toward the fire. I think I said: “Me go sleep, big job tomorrow.” No one disagreed as I curled near the fire but in the morning I found someone placed a blanket over me.