It took us fifteen hours to reach Menit.

Staying in a godless town for the evening was preferable over a city that had a God ruling over it. While both places would have us submit our CBs to be scanned, Menit didn’t have the resources to check us against the global registry, though the Gods were very careful to keep their private guards from being registered as such. But the seals on our chests that were invisible to Adventurers, could be seen by other Gods. All it would take was for us to be in the wrong place and drive past Slece and there was a chance that she would be able to feel the magic. Personal guards were supposed to have their God request that they be allowed entry, then we would have spent the entire time with one or more of Slece’s personal guards watching our every move. Not that we were going to do anything that would get us in trouble, but neither of us were in our armor, which would mean that our identities would be outed. It wouldn’t take long after that happened for the bandits to get ahold of that information, then Gall would be outed as well. If not as a personal guard, then simply by being the father of one.

So we made the eighteen hour drive in only fifteen. It wasn’t like there was traffic on the roads. Transports were basically all that we’d pass and the roads were plenty wide enough for us to pass the single one that we’d seen. There wasn’t a speed limit, just a point at which the crystal consumption became a lot less efficient. But it was Nyssa’s crystals, so I wasn’t going to say anything.

When we pulled up to the gate it was just after nine at night. We could have kept driving through the night, but it was a lot easier for something to go wrong at night and we weren’t exactly pressed for time, so safety won out.

There was only one Dungeon here and it was run by the Morkyo family. Most of their exports were of the produce variety, because all the monsters inside were plant based. But that meant that it wasn’t as desirable of a dungeon to farm, and the lack of structure revealed just how scarce our options were going to be.

When Nyssa started to drive past the hotel, I shook my head. “Really? There’s only one hotel here. I think people will know where we’re staying.”

The golden woman grumbled under her breath as she circled back around. Once she parked we both got out and headed for the office, except there was no one at the counter.

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“Think we should just grab a key and settle up in the morning?” I leaned over the desk and showed that I could reach them.

“A key?” Nyssa folded her arms.

“What’s more suspicious? A man and woman riding together and getting separate rooms, or them using the same one?” I grinned as I saw argument after argument die on her lips.

The bell on the front door jingled and my face fell as the person who had just walked in recognized me. What was worse was that she was my mother’s younger sister.

“Viskor!” The white-haired, yellow-eyed, golden woman wrapped me up in a hug.”Did you come all the way out here just to see me?” Risty Datha moved on to Nyssa before I had a chance to answer. “And who is this beautiful woman you’re traveling with? This must be new, because I was talking with your mother last week and she told me that you weren’t seeing anyone. Oh, she’ll be so happy that you have someone. You know I told her not to give up hope that she’ll have more grandkids soon, we used to say that Arlo would get hitched before you, but it looks like we might lose that bet! I know your sister is the heir, and she already has Ruthia, but how is Fyth doing? Is she still..?”

“Aunt Risty!” I had to cut her off or she would keep going for hours. Somehow the woman had mastered the art of speaking while breathing in. “I’m sure you know more about the daily happenings of the family than I do.” To be honest, I rarely talked to my brother anymore. Arlo had thrown himself into his studies and was pushing the dungeon hard. There was a little resentment on his side because as part of the Grenium, Tres would take us into the Dungeon to grind on the higher floors that regular Adventurers couldn’t reach. I was three levels higher than my brother despite him being three years older. Also, he’d gone to school after receiving his mantle, while I had joined the palace guard. I hadn’t felt like going to a school where I would have been ‘Arlo’s little brother’. But that was years ago and this was now.

“Please.” I tried to stress the word. “Don’t tell mom about this. It’s still new and…” I tried to put earnestness into my voice. “I don’t want to jinx it, then let her down.”

“Top secret, gotcha.” She reached across the counter and grabbed one of the keys and handed it to me. “Room seven. You were never here.” She started whistling as she walked away.

The look on Nyssa’s face made it worth any discomfort I might run into at a later family function. “Free room.” I held the key in front of her.

Her face was as red as her hair as she snatched the key from me and stomped out. I couldn’t wipe the smirk off my face. Nyssa might kill me in my sleep tonight, but that would be worth it.