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The Paladin stepped in to help the women holding down the Dark One as the big man checked on the other two soldiers. Between the three of them they got their captive around the other side of the central column where the Spirit Prison stood. A sort of waist high metal pyramid with a three foot across cube made up of bars of white light standing on one corner on top of the peak.

The Dark One put up a bit of a struggle, but Addam’s coating of white flames started to burn her again everytime she tried to fight.

Shoving her partway into the cube started something that sucked her into it, and then began shrinking the cube along with her in it until it was down to a palm sized block.

The Dark One didn’t so much shrink with the cube so much as get crushed by it, with some cursing, beating against the sides of the cube, and screaming. Although the last sounded more out of frustration then pain.

My wife watched the process with one of her more creepy little smiles.

“Alelan...”

She closed her eyes, and sighed. “Bee has a Defender with a crush on her, a healer, and a mean old woman to balance out her youthful optimism on her team. She’s leveled up.”

My wife turned to were I now stood in the bottom floor of the dungeon and stepped forward to take my hands. I could see entirely through her now, and her hands were more like cold spots in the air then any thing solid.

“I had to let her go to come to you, but she’s ready.”

I tried to hang on to her, but her hands slipped away from me as she turned to look at Addams.

“I suggest you make a deal with the host over there Addams. Come up with some story about making an agreement with my husband to keep this dungeon intact to use for training as being both your recommendations. It's a good deal all around. You are in fact going to need a training dungeon anyways.”

Alelan glanced back at the former host. “The thing that was inside her is only the first of many threats you and your team is going to have to deal with.”

She pointed at Lucia, “And you, back up their story. You lost your rider, and the other ones are going to suspect you of being involved in that no matter what you claim. Addams and his people are your only option if you don’t want to get vanished.”

Leaning over she lifted up the slightly glowing white cube and bounced it up and down a few times in her hand before flicking it with her finger. The dim sound of distant cursing came from within. “You though. You’re coming with me. I got another winged person who will be so happy to meet you.”

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She glaceed at me one more time. “Bye lover. I will wait for you this time.” Then she was gone.

Iris started to say something, holding up one hand in a hesitant, and uncompleted gesture. The soldier gave me a moment.

“Dictum of Law. The dungeon shall obey all the commands of Iris Deslover.”

The old woman took a step back, blank faced as she as she tried to figure out how to respond to that.

I looked at Addams. “I highly suggest you don’t send anyone, or anything, up the corkscrew slide up to the dungeon core. The traps up there are meant to kill, not to teach.”

Giving Iris one last look, I smiled. “Tell the core to let you up and you should be safe.” I gave her a wave. “Thanks for letting me stay here. Good luck.”

I thought about asking her not to turn it into another sex dungeon, just so Addams would get the wrong idea about her. But I didn’t want our last moment together, in this life at least, to be pissing her off for the second time in the same day.

Then I stood in the garden I had build in the core, in front of the replica of our house, without seeing any of it.

“I quit.”

After a moment, I cleared my throat.

Then I was in Clement’s office again. He was sitting behind his desk looking very pleased with himself and his hands clasped together, with his fingers intertwined in front of the glowing cube on his desk.

My wife was getting up out of the chair she had been sitting in with her fingers pressed against her forehead and her hand covering her eyes. “Tark, you… You were supposed to stay down there, I would have made my way back another way. They need you down there.”

I glared at her. “I need. To be. With you.”

“You get bored and wander off if I take too long. You did it in our first life over and over again, and you did it after your death. I’m not going spend decades doing the right thing without you again. I should have gone back to the dungeons and found a good death after you died, but you made me promise to live the rest of my life without you!”

Was I shouting? I didn’t want to shout at her, shes my Alelan. Shouting didn’t help. All shouting did was make her angry and me feel even worst afterwards...

I think I may have still been angry with her for dying and leaving me behind. Which was hardly fair, it’s not like she had a choice, but we had never really talked about it since then… But this wasn't about then, it was about now.

I crossed my arms, and got myself back inline with what this was about. “No more. When you go, I follow. This is no longer a discussion.”

At least it wasn’t for me, Alelan would probably still be trying to “Win” this argument at various, entirely random, times now and again for years, if not decades.

Clement seemed to have had enough of it, or of us, as well.

“Neighter one of you have to leave you know.”

We both looked over at him, although my dear wife took a moment to shoot me a “This isn’t over.” look.

The winged green man looked up from the cube. “The core could easily anchor you both, and if you continue to pursue the path to becoming local gods to the point that some the Earthling build temples. You won’t even need any other anchor.”

Alelan took her seat, leaned back and crossed her legs as she gave Clement a sly smile while waving me down with increasingly more firm waving and pointing at me and the other chair without breaking eye contact with the angle.

“Alright Clem, let’s bargain.”

She gestured to the cube on the table. “I brought that in, what do you have to offer in return?”