"A what?!" Ava practically shouted, lavender eyes swirling in shock. She kept glancing between the goddess and Axel.

"I am the goddess, Maria." Maria said with a disarming smile. "And this is my husband, Axel." I groaned. Just my fuckin' luck, huh? Gods just seem to fall out of the sky around me. I moved to the front of the cart and settled in for a night of haulin' as Ava continued to be surprised by shit.

"But a goddess?" Maria makes a noise of assent.

"How the hell'd you manage that?" I called over my shoulder. Axel let out a laugh in response.

"How the hell'd you get so strong?" It's my turn to laugh.

"I have no fuckin' clue, bro."

"Neither do I. We're just lucky, I guess."

"You said it, brother." I muttered under my breath as I started moving. The cobblestone streets were empty after the attack, and we rumbled along at a decent pace. There was some rubble laying about, but not enough to impede us. The only sound in the now silent night was our cart. Ava and Maria continued to talk, my elf slowly growing more accustomed to talking to the strange woman. I let their words fade into the background, indistinct from my own thoughts. All that mattered was continuing to walk, continuing to push the cart. We trundled through the wall and out into the delta once again. The moons rested high in the sky, just starting their decent into morning, and I let out a massive yawn. I felt a dull, throbbing pain behind my eyes that I hadn't experienced in this new body. I'd suffered many sleepless nights in the Marines so I knew I could keep going, but damn if each step didn't get heavier. Thank John Boy that it didn't take long before a single light ignited the darkness in the distance. Someone set their hand on my shoulder and I stoped walking, coming back to my senses.

"How far'd we make it this time?" I asked the mystery person.

"No idea," Axel said, "but the Delomin's Farm is off to our left. Turn onto that road there." Tiredly, I looked to the left and, sure enough, there was a little dirt path.

"Alright. Fuck, I'm tired." I put my head down and started walking again. I focused on the pinprick of light and it slowly got bigger, until I could see the outline of a house. There was the sound of a door opening as more light flooded out into the darkness, and a voice echoed across the night.

"Ho! Who goes there?!"

"It's Axel and Maria!" Axel called out.

"Axel? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"No, 'cause y'all ain't got fuckin' watches." I grumbled under my breath. Someone slapped me on the back, but when I twisted to look back at them, both women looked suspiciously innocent, looking away from me and not meeting my gaze. I rolled my eyes as the cart came into the lamp light.

"Who's with you?" The mystery man asked, voice hard.

"I'm Ava, and the man pulling the cart is my husband, Micheal." The word Husband almost made me loose my footing, but I remained upright, though I may have tripped a little. I grunted and continued pushing the cart until we were right in front of the man. He was wiry, but had strong arms and shoulders; I could see it in the way he held himself. He lifted the lantern above his head and peered out at us, particularly at me.

"And why is your husband covered in blood and guts?"

"Big fuckin' goblin." I gasped out, putting my hands on my knees. My eyes started to close, but I fought them open. "Is there somewhere I can wash off? This is pretty nasty."

"There's a river a ways into the forest, maybe ten minutes walk. You can wash off there."

"Frank, what's going on?" Another voice said. A woman in a robe stepped out onto the porch and into the light. "Oh, hello Maria. Axel. What brings you by at this time of night?"

"Our friends Ava and Micheal need to resupply, and I know that you two had a bigger harvest than normal this year." Axel said.

"We're willing to buy them from you." Ava chimed in. "In fact, I don't think Micheal would let us leave without paying." I gave a thumbs up and stood upright.

"Damn right. Gotta support the local farmers."

"We can sell you some crop, sure, but why are you here at this time of night? Couldn't this have waited til morning?" Frank asked, rubbing at his eyes.

"No, it couldn't have." Ava said in a serious tone.

"What my wife means to say is that it has been a long night and the city isn't very safe right now. We apologize for disturbing your sleep."

"Why isn't the city safe?" The woman asked, glancing between Axel and Maria.

"Martinlos was almost sacked by a horde of goblins tonight." Maria said. I felt a sort of power wash over me with her words. "Micheal and Axel fought valiantly against the Cycloptic Goblin, bringing it down with minimal casualties. Micheal himself landed the final blow." I let out a massive yawn, covering it with the back of my hand and picked up for her.

"Things went sideways before we could restock. Axel and Maria vouch for y'all, and we humbly ask to stay the night. We can set up camp in the yard and talk about this in the morning, if you prefer." The man, Frank, nodded his head.

"That sounds alright to me. So long as you two stay outside and don't come in." He glared at me and Ava as he said that last bit. His wife hit him on the arm and frowned at him.

"Dear, quit being so rude. We don't have any extra room for you two, so you will have to stay outside. We only have one guest room, you see."

"Of course. We understand. We've been on the road for a while now; one more night won't make much of a difference. Thank you very much for your hospitality, ma'am. Sir." I nodded to both of them. "I'll move the cart out of the front yard. May I put it by the barn?" I pointed to the wooden barn about a hundred yards to our right. Frank nodded.

"Sure. Just be careful of the chicken. He's territorial."

"Um, ok. Sure." I got back in pushing position and thanked the Delomin's once again before moving off towards the barn. Maria and Axel had hopped off while we were talking, and only Ava remained on the cart.

"They seem like nice people." She said as we moved away. I grunted and came to a stop about twenty yards from the barn.

"They sure do. I won't feel safe til I have my own roof over my head, though. I can't shake this feeling that something's wrong." The feeling in my stomach had returned, but was far less intense than earlier. "Maybe I just need some sleep. Can I leave the tent to you? I need to wash off the blood and guts."

"Sure. I should be able to set it up by myself now."

"Wonderful." I gave the wood elf a hug and a kiss, then walked off to find the stream.

"Be careful!" She called after me. I gave a wave in response.

The stream wasn't too far off, honestly. I caught the sound of running water just after passing the house and found the stream seventy, eighty yards away. The bright, waning moons offered plenty of light for my enhanced eyes to see by. The stream wasn't deep, maybe two or three feet, and I felt comfortable getting in. Growing up in the South, I learned pretty quickly to always assume there was a gator or a snake in any given body of water. Who knows if that's the case here, but better safe than sorry. I stripped off my clothes and laid them out on the bank, then stepped into the water. The night air was cool but not cold, yet the water was still chilly.

"Ooh! Ahh! Ooh! That's cold!" I kept making wincing noises as I submerged myself in the stream. I put my head under and rubbed at my face and hair, getting all the gunk and blood and stuff out of it. When I felt I was clean enough, I got out and stood on the bank, shivering. Nothing moved in the water, but I still didn't want to risk getting back in. I fought through the shakes and picked up my clothes, trusting that they would be good as new come morning. I half walked half ran back to the tent, throwing my clothes in the cart and bursting through the flap. Ava looked over her shoulder at the sound, her blouse half way off in a perfect anime scene. Her jade hair hung down over her shoulder and out of sight, and I swear some blood dripped out of my nose. Or maybe it was snot. I'm going to chose to think it was blood.

"Whoa." I said, the chill suddenly forgotten, washed away by her hotness. She dropped her blouse to the floor and smiled shyly at me.

"Is that all you have to say?" She asked as I stepped closer.

"Need I say more?" I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on her head. "You're gorgeous." Ava sighed and leaned against me. "Come on. Let's lay down. I'm tired." I let her go and fall to my back on top of the bedrolls. Ava curls up next to me, head on my shoulder. I throw a blanket over us and hold her close, shivering slightly but content to be warmed by her.

"Thank you." She whispered in my ear. I turned my head to look at her.

"What for? I haven't done anything worthy of thanks." Ava laughed.

"Ha! You saved a lot of people today. No one else was prepared to take that thing on. It would have destroyed the city, and you stopped it."

"I had help. Axel did most of the work, anyway. He was the one who stunned it."

"But you killed it." She kissed me softly. "Now, shut up and take the compliment. You're a hero, Micheal." I chuckled and pet the top of her head, enjoying the feeling of her smooth hair under my palm. My eyes started to close as my breathing deepened. I was extremely tired and her body heat was making me really comfortable. I gave up trying to fight it and slipped into sleep.

I woke the next morning to a chicken screaming its head off. I smiled, happy to be once again waking up to the sound of animals and peace, not gunfire. It's the little things in life, you know? Ava groaned next to me, rolling over and laying her arm over my chest.

"No, not yet. Just a little while longer." I smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Come on, baby. We can rest when we get to Rilmon." Ava reached up and drew my head down towards hers, kissing me slowly and deeply. Her gingerbread lips washed away all thought of getting up and starting the day. "I could be talked into a few more minutes, of course." Ava sighed.

"No, we best get up and moving. As you said, we can rest when we get to Rilmon. It will be a day or to before we're ready to take her."

"Don't make it sound so sinister. We're rescuing your daughter from her abusive father, not a little girl her from her bed and holding her for ransom. And please, don't forget your glamor when we get there. Everyone will recognize you." She punched me in the chest and glared at me.

"I won't." The chicken crowed again and Ava sighed. "Fine. I guess it's time to get up. There's work to be done." I grinned and sat up.

"Let's get to it, then."

Outside, the sun was just starting to crest the horizon. I stretched, groaning as my aching muscles protested. Ava hadn't cast her spell on me in two days, and my body was feeling it. Ava stepped up next to me and we both watched the sunrise for a moment.

"Alright." I clapped my hands and grabbed my clean clothes from the cart. "Let's get some food and hit the road. We got a girl to save." I dressed and started to walk towards the farmhouse but Ava called me back.

"What are we going to do about Axel and Maria? I don't think they should come, but I also don't want to deny a goddess."

"Why shouldn't they come?"

"It'll be easier to sneak in and out if it's just the two of us. Less of a chance of being spotted." I nodded.

"Fair enough. It's probably for the best, as well. We don't know them all that well, and while I do trust them, I think it's best to keep them at arms length for now. I'll tell them. Maybe we can pick them up on the way back, or meet them at Eagle's Rock. I think we'll become good friends."

"Alright. I want to get there as soon as possible. We're still another week away, at least." I sighed. Man, all I've done in this new world is kill people and pull shit. What a life. Though I guess it's not so bad, all things considered. Pulling shit is fun, and I don't regret killing those people. They would have killed me given the chance. Maybe we could stop in Milania on the way back. It'd be nice to see Marley again.

"Micheal!" I became aware of Ava calling my name.

"Huh? What?"

"Here come Axel and Frank the farmer. Please pay attention."

"I'm tired." I said as I let out a huge yawn. "We've been going non-stop for two weeks."

"Do you want to stop and take a break? We can ask them if they'll let us stay another night."

"Nah, I can take it. Just complaining because I can."

"That's what I thought." She stopped speaking as the two men came to a stop in front of us.

"Axel told me a bit about what happened yesterday." Frank said. "It sounds like you two had a hell of a night. No wonder you were so exhausted when you showed up."

"Thank you, again." I said, reaching out to shake the man's hand. He looked at me in confusion. "Right, y'all don' do that here. Anyway, we would like to purchase some food items from you. Eggs, chicken, sausage, general things like that. My wife would know better than me." I smiled at Ava, who blushed slightly and cleared her throat.

"We need about three day's worth or so. We are happy to pay you for it." Frank smiled at the both of us.

"Just as with you, my wife is the one to talk to about the food. She'll set you right." Frank turned back towards the house and waved his hand over his shoulder. "Come on, breakfast is almost ready." I glanced at Ava and she shrugged.

"Might as well take him up on the offer. If they wanted to hurt us, they'd have done it last night." I nodded and grabbed her hand, and we walked towards the house.

The inside of the farmhouse was exactly as you'd expect it to be. A small living room with a few chairs, a dining room with a table and chairs that connected to the kitchen, and two closed doors leading to the bedrooms.

"You have a lovely home." I said as I walked in. And it was true. It felt warm and welcoming inside the house, and the smell of cooking food made my stomach rumble.

"Welcome!" Frank's wife called from the kitchen. She poked her head out from around the wall and beamed a smile at us. "Mrs. Ava, would you mind helping me in here while the men see to the chores outside like I had originally asked them to." Her voice got stonier as she spoke, and her eyes narrowed on her husband. He groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, dear." He said drearily, but I could see the smile on his face. Frank and Axel turned and walked back out the door. I followed, and the three of us walked back towards the barn.

"Micheal, Axel and I can handle the animals if you would break down your tent and move the cart back up front."

"Yes, sir." I peeled off from them and started to break down camp, packing it all neatly away in the cart. I then got behind the bar and pushed the cart back on the dirt road leading to the farmhouse. The three of us met on the porch a few minutes later, all tasks complete.

"Excellent. Let's go eat. I'm starving." Axel said. He and I followed Frank into the kitchen where the two ladies had just finished putting everything together.

"Alright, I think we're ready." Frank's wife said. "I'm Susanna, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Susanna. I'm Micheal."

"I know who you are. Maria wouldn't stop talking about you last night."

"Where is Maria?" I asked, looking around. The goddess wasn't among us.

"Still asleep." Axel replied. "She likes to sleep in. Says it is criminal that people get up before the sun is fully in the sky." I guess every world has its late sleepers and early risers. Thank the gods Ava was an early riser like me.

We organized what Ava and I needed for the next leg of our journey over breakfast. We actually didn't need that much, just a dozen eggs, five loaves of bread, and three pounds of beef, chicken, and pork. All in all, it cost us one and a half gold. The meat got a little pricey since it was from their personal stock, but we still had over ten gold left, so we were fine.

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"Axel, we need to talk." I said, pulling the other man aside while the others cleaned up.

"Sure, man. What is it?"

"Thank you for guiding us here. We couldn't have done it without you. Thing is, we kind of want to leave from here and not go back to the city quite yet. We're actually heading to Rilmon, but our final destination is Eagle's Rock down south. You and Maria should consider meeting us there. We'd love to see you two again." Axel smiled a wide, happy smile.

"Of course, Micheal. You and Ava are clearly in a hurry. Far be it from us to slow you down. Eagle's Rock, you said?" I nodded.

"Yessir. It is outside the Empire, if that matters."

"Not at all. We might just see you there. Maria and I have been considering leaving the Empire for a little while now." He said with a smirk, and I pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks for saving my ass with that goblin. Don't think I didn't see you use that sonic blast to stun him." Axel shot me a knowing grin.

"You'd have done the same for me."

We left soon after that. Ava loaded all the goods we purchased into the cooler and hopped up onto the bench. We waved good bye to Frank and Susanna as we left. Axel and Maria rode with us until we reached the main road, where we dropped them off. We were heading in opposite directions, after all. With a final word of good bye and a hint of a future meeting, we parted ways.

Four days later, Ava and I were walking through the delta when I felt something prick at my skin. I'd been drifting off into space, the monotony of walking all day boring the shit out of me.

"Hey, Ava, you feel that?" I called over my shoulder.

"Yes. Something's watching us."

"Great." I grumbled and continued to walk, my senses on high alert. The sword at my hip was comforting, and the sound of Ava drawing her own knife helped calm my nerves. I almost let my guard back down, thinking that maybe it was alright, when I saw a green tail flick over the verdant grass. It was just as vibrant as the grass, blending in almost perfectly with the surroundings. I'd only caught it by chance, but it was enough of a warning for me to start to draw my sword. I got it about half way out of the scabbard when a fucking lion jumped on me. I heard Ava shriek, but it was covered up by the lion's roar. I swore and dropped the sword, raising my arms in defense. The lion crashed into me and knocked me to the ground using its weight and momentum. It was heavy, but not heavy enough. The lion bit down on my shoulder and tore a chunk free as I pulled my right fist back. With a roar of anger and pain, I punched the lion in the chest. My fist made a wet noise as it went into the lion's chest cavity. The light died from its eyes and its full weight collapsed onto me, burying me underneath it. I cursed again and struggled to free myself from underneath the heavy corpse. Blood soaked my clothes from the gaping hole in the lion's chest and I got a notification.

Wowza! You've killed a Level 4 Verdant Bark Tooth. You go, Hero!

Bark Tooth, huh? I looked closer at the things mouth, and, sure enough, its teeth did indeed seem to be made of bark. Does that mean this thing is a plant monster? I shook my head and refocused on freeing myself. I slipped one arm under the creatures neck and pushed, rolling it off of me, and sat up, looking for Ava. I found her standing on the bench with her knife aimed at a second Bark Tooth. This one was smaller than the one that attacked me, about a half its size. It prowled around the cart, looking for weaknesses but unable to find any. I approached it from behind, picking up my dropped sword on the way. It noticed me when I was ten feet away. The creature, which looked like a lion's head attached to a wolf's body, shifted its gaze between us. Deciding that we weren't worth it, the Bark Tooth turned and fled. Ava raised her free hand and pointed at the fleeing monster.

"Fire Bolt!" A thin line of flame ignited at the tip of her finger. It launched towards the Bark Tooth and pierced it through the heart. The creature dropped and skidded a few feet, dead as a doornail.

"Damn. Remind me not to piss you off." Ava grinned and lowered her hand.

"That's the only attack magic I can use. It gets a little stronger than that at times, but I keep the fact I can use magic hidden as much as I can. The Empire does not allow it."

"So you've said. Why, though? Seems like magic is pretty prevalent in this world." Ava sighs.

"It is, the First Emperor was just a bigot. Some people he cared about died because of magic and he swore it off forever, and it's been that way ever since."

"So because some friends died, no one can ever use magic again?" She shrugged and settled back onto the bench.

"So the story goes, but who really knows the reason. It could just be that people are too hesitant or scared to change it at this point."

"What about the glamor you used when we first met? Isn't that magic?" She made an 'eh' kind of face.

"Of a sort. Wood elves can change our hair color and hide our ears at will. It's a Racial Trait to help us blend in with our surroundings."

"Huh." I said as I started to pull again. The cart rumbled down the dirt road as my mind whirled. I had become completely used to pulling the cart by now and its weight didn't bother me at all anymore. I only noticed that it was there because I could hear it behind me. It provided the backtrack to my thoughts as they ran wild.

If wood elves have evolved a trait that allows them to change their hair color at will, what else has evolved in this world? Does anything go? I have a trait that makes me good with weapons. Is there a trait that makes someone immune to fire? What about poison? Is there a species that can spray poison like some kind of insect? I shuddered at the thought. A woman spraying people with acid as they cheer? You know some freak would be into that shit.

"I wonder what other traits I have?" I asked aloud, half expecting a menu to pop up. I was surprisingly disappointed when it didn't.

"I have no idea. I don't think there's anyone still alive who does. I can't believe you are what you are."

"I still don't know what I am. Am I some kind of Neanderthal? Super strong but dumb as a box of rocks? Or am I more like Juggernaut combined with Deadpool?"

"Ah, I missed your inane ramblings. It's been a few days since you said something that was completely nonsensical."

"To you. Made perfect sense to me."

"That's because you're crazy." I laughed.

"Yeah, just a little bit. So, how far are we from Rilmon? Not that I don't love traveling with you, but I'm ready to be done pulling shit. I'm not a beast of burden."

"Another two or so days. We should be able to see the city by tomorrow night if we're fast enough." I groaned. I was getting bored of looking at grass and the occasional forrest. We'd been looking at this scenery for the last week, and I was ready for something new. I sighed and adjusted the harness, pulling the cart a little faster in my eagerness to be done traveling.

The sun started to set a few hours later and we pulled the cart off to the side. Ava made us a supper of fresh bread and chicken. I'd been a little surprised to learn that Sehal had the same sort of farm creatures as Earth, but I latter found out that wasn't quite true. The chicken we ate for supper was about three times the size of one back home, and it had another set of feet and a second head. The cows produced milk that looked like chocolate milk but tasted like strawberry and the goats walked on two feet. I freaked the fuck out when I saw one yesterday. I didn't think anything was weird at first. We were passing some horned creatures out in a fenced field, when one of them fucking STOOD UP and looked at us. He looked like a damn minotaur from the Greek legends back home, but a goat. I guess that's a saytr, isn't it? Eh, doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, I let out a not so manly shriek when it did. Ava laughed at me for a solid twenty minutes afterwards, giggling behind me every few minutes or so. When we had supper that night, she kept having to look away from me, or else she'd start giggling again. I shivered, the memory sending another wave of unease down my spine. That shit ain't natural. The pigs were the same, though, and that brought me some comfort. Aside from the blue flesh, of course.

"Quit being so dour. You'll burn a hole into your food if you keep glaring like that." Ava said, jarring me from my thoughts. I sighed and laid back on the grass, staring up at the sky.

"I know. I'm just tired. Been on the road too long."

"We're almost there. We can take a few days to plan and recover when we get to the city. I need to get some things prepared beforehand anyway. Tying up loose ends and all that."

"Alright. I'm excited to take a day to not pull anything."

"You sure are complaining a lot recently. Should we take tomorrow off? Stay camped here for the day and rest? One more day won't kill us."

"Nah, I can handle it. Just gotta complain sometimes, ya know?"

"I suppose, but even you need a break sometimes. Just because you don't have stamina doesn't mean you can push yourself to the limit everyday. You've got to take care of yourself." I sighed.

"Yes ma'am. I'll take better care of myself."

"You better. I will not allow my personal Hero to destroy himself. Now, if you're finished with your food, would you get the tent ready? I'll handle the dishes." Personal Hero, huh? I like the sound of that. I sighed and rose to my feet, moving to the cart and getting everything ready for the night. Ava joined me soon after, and we drifted off to sleep not long after that.

I didn't sleep well. I tossed and turned all night, my mind refusing to quiet despite how tired I should have been. Finally, around mid-night, I drifted off. I opened my eyes and was back on Uncle Bobby's farm, that same spring sunset setting the swamp ablaze. I looked to my right and saw John Boy sitting in his rocking chair, eating shrimp and grits this time. He was just as obscenely fat, if not fatter, as last time. He grinned at me with his side mouth, sending a shiver of disgust immediately followed by acceptance down my spine. I rolled my eyes at the god's blatant abuse of his power.

"Good evening, John Boy." I said, turning my rocking chair to face him. "What can I do for you?"

"I can't just check in on my champion? I want to see how you're doing."

"I know you've been watching me." He laughed.

"Yes, I have. What can I say? It's fun to watch you. Though I must say, I am getting a little bored watching you travel for three weeks." I scoffed.

"Tell me about it. At least you don't have to pull the damn thing. It's mind numbingly boring."

"If you'd like, I can send some monsters your way. That'd make things a bit more exciting."

"No, thanks. I'm good. But a little speed boost wouldn't hurt." I said, raising my eyebrows suggestively. John Boy grinned at me.

"I'll see what I can do. No promises. Now, on to the main topic of discussion."

"And what's that?"

"Your Specialization." My Specialization? The fuck's a Specialization?

"The fuck's a Specialization?" I asked.

"A Specialization provides a small bonus to your stats, as well as access to other skills and the occasional spell. Take Warrior, for example. The Warrior Specialization offers physical enhancements and martial growth and skills. A Summoner Specialization would encompass magical pets and summons. It's quite self-explanatory."

"So it's a class."

"SHHHHH!!" John boy looked around fervently, making sure no one else is around. "Are you crazy? Do not call it a class. Some of the other gods are particular about terminology, and they tend to be more on the smite-y side of godhood. Frayont told me about one of his champions who got smote for calling his Specialization a class."

"Got it. Not a class."

"Good. There are rarities to Specializations. Some are easy to unlock, requiring nothing more than killing a monster. Some require certain conditions to be met, or a location to be visited, so on and so forth. There are thousands of Specializations, and each one has its benefits and drawbacks. Each race also has its own unique Specializations, but those require a great deal of work to unlock. Or so I've been told. No one has unlocked a Race Specialization in millennia. That being said, I have no doubt you will acquire one before too long."

"That's great and all, but what's this got to do with anything? I don't have a Specialization."

"Not yet. That's what I've brought you here for." A message popped up in my vision. It read:

Congratulations! You have met the requirements for a new Specialization! New Options:

Warrior

Lunkhead

Hero

Um, the fuck? How have I met the requirements for Hero? And Lunkhead? That seems a little mean.

"Ah, a Hero. Told you you'd unlock a rare Specialization soon. I didn't expect it to be this soon, though. And Lunkhead? You certainly do spend a lot of time as manual labor." John Boy continued to mutter to himself, so I focused back on the message, trying to get more information about the Hero Specialization.

Hero. Go forth, and become Legend. To unlock this Specialization, you must be considered a Hero by a higher power and one thousand or more souls. Plus 10(Ten)% to all stats. Access to Hero specific skills.

"How'd I earn the Hero Specialization?" I asked, interrupting the gods rambling.

"Huh? Oh, by saving the people of Martinlos. At least three hundred soldiers watched you take down that Cycloptic Goblin, and they spread the word to their family and friends. Not to mention that whole thing with Kelltim. He seemed to be really touched by your actions. He keeps coming around to check in on you, now that you've left his domain. We've organized a watch party."

"A watch party? I'm nothing more than entertainment to you?"

"Of course. I believe I made that clear at the start, yes? The whole reason I brought you back was so I wasn't bored?"

"You could at least hide it a little better."

"Why should I? Kelltim's bringing his friend Zellen to the next one. We're going to watch you take down the Cycloptic Goblin."

"And why are you telling me this?"

"To make sure that you know how important this is. You're not the only one who thinks a girl is attractive, you know."

"So you're hoping I make you look good for a girl?" The god grinned at me with both his mouths. I shook my head and sighed. "Awesome. Kelltim recommended that I head for Eagle's Rock. What do you think?" John Boy continued to grin and say nothing. "Got it." I checked the other two Specializations I had received, because why not.

Warrior. A common Specialization, the Warrior is a physical powerhouse. Plus 5(Five)% growth to all Martial skills. Access to Warrior specific skills.

Lunkhead. The pinnacle of Strength, the Lunkhead is more about taking orders than giving them. Plus 15(Fifteen) Strength. Minus 10(Ten) Wisdom and Intelligence.

Ok, that one's out. No way in hell I'm taking something that lowers my Intelligence. I'm slow enough as it is. Warrior seemed pretty cool, but there was no reason not to take Hero. A rare tittle had to have good skills, right?

"I'm taking Hero as my Specialization." I announced. John Boy looked up at me.

"Hm? What? Oh, yes, a fine choice." He clapped his hands and they glowed with a golden power. He reached out and tapped me in the center of the forehead, and a message popped up.

Congratulations! You have been awarded the Specialization, Hero! Plus 10(Ten)% to all stats.

Nice. I wonder what that did? I pulled up my sheet, and sighed.

"Fuckin' awesome."

Micheal Level 7 Height: 6’5” Weight: 225

Race: Neathonian Specialization: Hero

Health: 70/70

Stamina: N/A

Mana: 425/425

ATRIBUTES

Strength: 55

Constitution: 55

Agility: 20

Dexterity: 18

Charisma: 16

Wisdom: 13

Intelligence: 13 Points remaining: 2

GIFTS

Big Man:

Your muscles contain a gargantuan strength. Your size is considered one class size larger for all strength checks. Aren’t you the Big Man on campus?

Tis but a Flesh Wound!:

While not in combat, regeneration is greatly increased. You laugh at mortal wounds and scoff at dismemberment.

ACTIVE EFFECTS

TITLES

Unbroken:

Stamina no longer applies to you. The prayers of a little girl and the machinations of a god have resulted in this unique quest reward.

Hero:

Go forth, and become Legend. To unlock this Specialization, you must be considered a Hero by a higher power and one thousand or more souls. Plus 10(Ten)% to all stats. Access to Hero specific skills.

Skills

Hiking Level 4

Swords Level 30

Spears Level 10

Shield Level 2

Spells

Change Clothes:

By expending mana, you can change your personal set of clothes to look like anything you want. The more pronounced and intricate the outfit, the more mana it takes. Any protective based clothing, such as armor, does not take effect.

Godsdammit. I'd spiked again. Now with the Hero bonus, I had over Fifty Strength AND Constitution. What the fuck? John Boy cleared his throat.

"Unfortunately, you will no longer gain strength just by pulling the cart. You'd either have to get a bigger one, a much bigger one at that, or perform feats of strength. Of course, daily use will continue to develop your muscles, but at a much slower rate than previously."

"Why? Is it because I crossed Fifty?" John Boy sighed and leaned in closer to me.

"I might have snuck a bonus on to you when you left. Your stat growth may or may not have been tripled for your first twelve hours on Sehal. I also may have forgotten about your Level Up notifications. I apologize about that, truly."

"Tripled?"

"Might. Have." John Boy said, clipping his words. "I didn't expect you to fuckin' kill yourself getting some girls home. I fully expected the twelve hours to pass uneventfully, maybe with you slaying a monster or two, not pulling a massive cart meant for two Striders. That being said, some of the other gods have started making a fuss about how strong you've gotten. While you haven't done anything extreme yet, there are a few who fear what you might do, and for them, that is more than enough to warrant your death. So, your growth is being regulated until further notice."

"So you're bottle-necking me just because some gods are little bitches?" John Boy cast his gaze around nervously.

"Do watch your mouth, son." He chuckles. "There are ears everywhere." I thought about saying something else, but for the first time in a while, my brain thought better of it and I decided not to do it.

"Fine. Is there anything else? Or can I go back to sleep?"

"Damn, somebody's pissy."

"I'm being watched at all times. Wouldn't you be a little upset if someone was constantly watching you?"

"I suppose I would dislike it. I will try to keep them from watching you as much as I can."

"And please, don't watch me when I'm with Ava. It's weird to think that a god is actively watching me put the moves on an elf." John Boy grinned.

"I can't wait to see your romance blossom."

"Gross. That's weird coming from you." He chuckled.

"Good night, Micheal. I look forward to seeing what you do next."

A day and a half later, we finally saw Rilmon's skyline on the horizon. We were probably nine or so miles out, and we decided to camp for the night, then make the journey in the morning. That would give us the afternoon to get things organized and set up a base of operations.

"I can't believe I'm back." Ava said, gazing at the city in the distance. We'd left the delta that morning, taking a left and heading out into the plains towards Rilmon. "I keep thinking about the first time I saw this city. Invos had found me in my hometown while he was traveling. He declared his love for me then and there, and I left with him the next day. Everyone was so excited for me, throwing a feast and giving me the fanciest dress our seamstress had. We arrived by carriage, and he told me that he would always love me when we entered the city. I should have known he was lying."

"How could you?" I asked as I took a bite of food. "You were young, and a noble just declared his love for you. That's every girl's dream where I come from. Her Prince Charming shows up on a white horse and whisks her off to her fairy tale ending. Your's just happened to be a scumbag, which is par for the course as far as I'm aware."

"I never imagined I would be returning as a fugitive to kidnap my own daughter. The entire scenario sounds ridiculous." She said, ignoring me.

"Don't forget that you can throw a spear of fire over a hundred yards. That's pretty ridiculous by my standards. Hell, if you'd been on my world a hundred, two hundred years ago, you'd have ruled the planet. No one can do that there."

"I know you're trying to comfort me, but you're really bad at it." I laughed.

"So what's the first step? Make contact with a friendly? Set up overwatch on the house?"

"No. The first thing we're going to do is find an inn and sleep in a real bed." I grinned.

"I like the way you think. Comfort cannot be overstated. I'm used to sleeping in shitty places, but I bet you're ready to be back in an actual bed again."

"You have no idea. We'll be going to Marcilene's Bar as our first stop. She's a dear friend of mine, and we can trust her. She owes me for getting her out of a tight spot with some loan sharks." Again, her words didn't exactly translate to 'loan shark', but that was the closest approximation. I decided to ignore it.

"Sounds good. I trust you know the way?"

"Of course. I've lived in that city for forty years." My eyes went a little wide at that.

"Forty years? How old are you? You look no older than thirty-two, at most."

"I turn Sixty-seven next year." I felt my eyes bulge.

"Sixty-seven?! You look amazing!" Ava's amethyst eyes narrowed on me, gold lighting flashing in her left iris.

"Why do you sound so surprised? I'm fairly young, I'll have you know. Barely even middle aged."

"People don't live long on Earth. The average life span for most of history was fifty, give or take a decade. It wasn't until just recently that the average life expectancy went up to seventy-nine. Sixty-six years old, and you look like that? You'd win Miss America today, hands down. You're tight and firm, and I know from first hand experience that everything works." Ava blushed and slapped me on the arm, and I laughed. "I'm not good with words. You're beautiful, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I could gaze into your eyes for hours, and when the sun hits your hair in that special way and it turns your face into a blazing forest, I can't help but stare at you. I doubt I'll ever get tired of watching you. You have such grace, such poise, but I can see the girl underneath. Whenever you notice me staring at you and you blush in that cute way, I have to fight not to break my word. You are gorgeous, and I lack the words to adequately express it."

"Thank you for the compliment. I highly recommend you stop talking now."

"Why? It's the truth. When you get angry at me and that golden lightning flashes in your irises, you look like a goddess. I know we just met one, and don't tell her I said this, but you are way hotter than she is. Especially when you're curled up next to me at night, I wouldn't have anybody else by my side." Ava set her plate on the ground and scooted closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her. I pulled her into me, hugging her close.She felt magnificent, small and tight, yet firm and soft at the same time. It was truly indescribable how fantastic she felt in my arms.

"I warned you to stop talking." Ava whispered as she pressed her soft lips to my neck.

"And why would I do that when it gets you to act like this?" I asked as I set my plate down and pulled her into my lap. She made a noise that sent shivers down my spine and kissed my neck again.

"You're so bad." She whispered and I grinned, kissing her fantastic lips.

"Come on, let's get to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us."