The five Imps responsible for ruining Aldritch’s robe were suspended ten feet in the air above the tank, each one trapped inside their own bubbles of divine mana.

The Imps could feel their skin slowly disintegrating. But they were powerless to stop it or rid themselves of the pain. The bubbles clung to them like a second layer of skin, preventing them from moving anything but their eyes and jaw.

One of the Imps believed that was their way out. If they had no chance of escaping this hell alive, then they’d do so on their own terms. No way would they allow the giant to control that.

The Imp sank its teeth deep into its tongue in a desperate bid to escape. Blood filled the Imps mouth to the point of spilling down its chin. The Imp smiled as it felt life quickly leaving its body - A few seconds later, the Imp stopped smiling. It could feel its life returning twice as fast as it’d left.

The Giant had predicted this, the Imp realized.

[What have you done?] The Imp shouted at the Giant. [Why can’t I die? Eh?] It screamed until its throat ached, and then screamed some more.

But Aldritch ignored it.

Of course, he’d predicted at least one of them would attempt to take the easy way out. How many demons had he trapped this way? A hundred? Maybe two? He’d learned how to keep a demon alive a long time ago.

Was easier than he thought too.

Demons were deathly allergic to divine mana. The smallest amount would cause them indescribable pain, while larger doses were capable of instantly killing them. Something on the level of Sanctuary was even able to destroy the bonds that held their bodies together, permanently ridding them from the world.

Except, death was too inconvenient. He didn’t want them dead yet; they were still too useful to kill. The five of them were capable of piloting the ‘Tank’, as the Troll called it; That alone was enough to give Aldritch pause.

So, he’d invented a way to allow demons to live through the pain. It’d taken many years, and countless failures before he found the right combination of effects. But he’d eventually gotten it right.

Heretic’s Blight was a shield spell combined with a mana absorption effect and a life-supporting incantation.

The spell continuously drains the mana of anything trapped within the shield. The absorbed mana is then cycled around the shield several times, each time passing through the divine mana Aldritch imparted while casting the spell.

Doing this multiple times will purify all but the darkest of mana sources, gradually turning the other source into a lesser version of divine mana called ‘Holy’ mana.

Once the transformation into holy mana is complete, the spell moves on to the final step in the process.

The outermost layer of the shield is actually porous. This allows the Miasma of the dungeon to penetrate that specific layer of the shield, and only that layer. With the Miasma now inside, and thus altering the purification process once again, the holy mana is tainted slightly before being reintroduced to the captive’s body.

This is what allows the spell to heal demons without making them spontaneously combust on the spot.

Aldritch had been informed that every heal hurt more than the injury it was attempting to fix, but that was fine. He felt that pain was but a small price to pay for the ability to keep a demon alive long enough to interrogate them.

Unfortunately, the spell didn’t work correctly unless it was completely immersed in Miasma. Without carrying the taint, the holy mana would simply run wild inside a demon’s body, killing it in a matter of seconds.

Otherwise, he might’ve chosen to keep Garr inside one of these for safe keeping… Actually, no, he wouldn’t have. Garr had directly gone against his command. Death was the only outcome left for such an untrustworthy demon.

A collection of footfalls grabbed Aldritch’s attention. He looked away from the tank, over his right shoulder at his guildmates standing behind him. However, he noticed one member of the team was missing.

Max.

Aldritch located the guild master a moment later: The Kandis was sitting in the center of the dome with his back to them. A faint blue light illuminated the space in front of him, causing Aldritch to wonder what he was up to? “You should get back inside the Sanctuary. It’s not safe out here yet.” He told them.

“We know. That’s why we came.” Sulika said, confidently striding up to him with Synne held loosely under her left arm. “It’s dangerous out here, so we’re here to help you do… whatever it is that you’re doing. So, we can all get back inside the dome.”

“Sulika is just tired of fielding questions from Max. She wants you back inside, so he’ll leave her alone.” Faeyra said, grinning at her friend’s back.

Sulika shot her a dirty look before turning back to Aldritch. “While that’s certainly true, it doesn’t alter my motives. I want to help you quickly finish up before the demons decide to mount a counterattack.”

“We were forced to be here.” Zarud said, yawning into the palm of his right hand. “Sulika threatened to make me see visions of Derrik dancing in a string bikini if I didn’t come.”

“Aye. My punishment was to see a vision of naked Zarud chasing me through the streets.” Derrik muttered and shivered at the thought - Oladi slapped her hands over Zarud’s and Derrick's mouths.

“Don’t listen to these two. No one threatened us.” She said, her exasperation was clear from the sound of her voice.

“Oladi’s right. We weren’t threatened… I was bribed. A night of all you can drink wine at the Boss’s expense. How could I resist?” Ralocan said.

Derrik pulled Oladi’s hand away from his mouth. “Aye. In truth, I was offered two kegs of ale and a rump roast.”

Zarud also pulled her hand away from his mouth. “Wait, you guys were bribed?” He asked with wide eyes.

Aldritch stared at his guildmates for several long seconds… Then he laughed. “You are all very amusing.” He said and shook his head. “Alright, if you’re offering to help. It would be rude of me to refuse such a generous offer.”

“No, seriously. Am I the only one not getting anything for this?” Zarud asked while everyone fanned out to assist Aldritch.

Aldritch wrapped an arm around Zarud’s shoulders and pulled him in close. “Of course not, friend. I’ll make sure you’re succinctly rewarded for your efforts today. That goes for all of you.” He said, releasing Zarud and stepping away.

“You?” Zarud asked, clearly skeptical of Aldritch’s claim. He thought the Giant didn’t like him?

“Yes.” Aldritch chuckled. “I do not have the coin to repay you, yet. Instead, would you all be willing to accept something else in trade?” He asked them while moving to stand in front of the tank.

“Like what?” Sulika asked.

Aldritch smiled. “I’ll forge your choice of weapon, armor, or enchanted accessory.”

Sulika blinked at his response… Hadn’t he already said he’d planned to become the guild’s smith? Wasn’t he already planning on forging equipment for them to use? Why was he speaking as if it was a reward for - Sulika saw the excited expressions on the faces of Derrik, Zarud, and Ralocan. Even Oladi, who didn’t usually use a weapon, looked somewhat excited at the prospect.

“That’s right, he never told them he was going to be our smith. So, for them, this is a reward.” She smirked and shook her head at Aldritch. She thought it was a bit mean spirited of him to trick them like that. But it’s their fault for saying she’d bribed and threatened them. She’d done no such thing.

They’d fibbed in an attempt to garner sympathy, most likely so they could pressure him into hurrying back to the Sanctuary. And Aldritch was allowing them to believe they’d receive a special service in return for allowing him to do what he was already planning to do.

The Giant’s face didn’t change as he looked at her, but she could see the amusement in his eyes.

“Oladi.” Aldritch said, turning to the druid with an expectant look in his eye. “Would you be able to conjure vines strong enough to tow this machine?”

Oladi glanced at the ground beneath her feet, then slowly looked back at Aldritch. “I don’t think so. Not here, at least. There’s no life beneath this road, everything’s dried up.”

Aldritch’s face fell slightly. “I see, I hadn’t considered that as a possibility… Hmm.” He looked at the body of the tank, then at the turret lying a dozen feet away. After taking a few seconds to consider the weight he’d felt pushing against both, Aldritch made the decision to carry back what he could and investigate the rest later.

He walked over to the turret and placed his hands on the barrel. He gave it a few tentative shoves to test its weight, stability, and to locate its center of gravity. The turret was large, incredibly dense, and in a weird shape; flat on top, with a rounded backside and a square ‘face’. The barrel stuck out of the center of the ‘face’ like a strange nose. Aldritch knew he could move the thing, since he’d already done it once. But there was a huge difference between shoving something over and dragging it a few hundred feet. After five test pushes, Aldritch decided to do one final test before moving it. He placed both hands against the place where the barrel joined the turret. He pushed the barrel up with a grunt of effort, the thick metal creaked and cried as he forced it to face the sky… “Interesting.” He muttered after holding the turret in that position for ten seconds. His curiosity satisfied, he removed his hand and allowed it to fall back to the ground.

Sulika, Faeyra, Derrik, Oladi, Zarud, and Ralocan were all quick to cover their ears before - *Crash!!* the metal screamed as it collapsed to the ground, dumping bits of metal and metallic rings onto the road beneath it. “It’s lighter than I thought.” Aldritch told them.

Zarud opened his mouth to yell “That was light?” But thought better of it at the last moment. He sighed and looked down at the ground. “How much?” He asked after a few seconds had passed.

“I’m not sure.” Aldritch admitted. “I believe it weighs about twice as much as the cart I threw a few days ago. But that’s not very specific, is it?”

“... You threw a - No, never mind. My ego’s been punished enough today. Thanks.” Zarud replied. He took several large steps backwards, away from Aldritch and the metal monster, stopping only once he’d returned to Oladi’s side.

Aldritch placed one hand around the base of the barrel while the other grabbed the bottom of the turret. He carefully adjusted his strength to avoid putting too much force into it, and potentially causing the barrel to snap off due to its own weight. Once he was fairly sure it wouldn't break in two, he slowly straightened his legs and lifted the entire thing into the air above his head before lowering it onto his shoulders.

The metal moaned like a dying man as it was subjected to its own mass, but the barrel and the body remained together.

“Let’s go.” Aldritch said and motioned towards the dome with his head.

“That’s it?” Sulika asked. “You’re going back just like that?”

“Yes - Oh, and I’d appreciate it if you’d grab as many of those little metal pieces as you can. I’d like to run a few tests on them as well.” He said while walking away.

Sulika exchanged glances with her guildmates before pulling out her wand. She pointed it at the loose metal across the ground and rotated her wrist, causing the wand to move in a spiral pattern. “Uval: Collection” She muttered. Her mana slowly traveled down the length of her arm and into the tip of the wand.

Magenta colored smoke fell from the tip of the wand to the ground below. Once it touched the ground, it began sliding across the ground like a large purple snake. Its movements were almost perfectly aligned with the movements of the wand and followed each movement after a short delay.

Every piece of metal it crawled over was grabbed by the smoke and lifted off the ground, allowing it to be easily pushed around. Sulika guided the smoke around for about thirty seconds, gathering more and more metal as she went.

Without needing to be asked, Faeyra removed her backpack and placed it flat on the ground. She undid the clasp holding the top together and slightly lifted the rear of the bag off the ground.

Sulika nodded her thanks and guided the smoke towards the bag. She ended the spell only after the ‘tail’ of the ‘snake’ was completely inside Faeyra’s bag.

“Got it?” Sulika asked.

“Yep.” Faeyra replied, refastening the top of her bag and slinging it onto her back - the increased weight caused her to sway to one side before she could catch her balance.

Zarud grabbed the sides of the bag before it could drag Faeyra to the ground. “Whoa.” He exclaimed. He lifted the bag slightly, testing the weight and removing some of the weight pressing down on Faeyra’s back. “You’ve been carrying this thing the whole time?” He asked, surprised at the weight.

“Thanks.” She said and shot him a quick smile. “And no, not the whole time. Most of the weight you’re feeling is from Aldritch’s robe. I had to rearrange my poison vials just to make sure it didn’t flatten them.”

“Oh… That makes absolutely no sense, but alright.” He quietly replied. “Want me to carry it until he takes his robe back?”

“No -” She grunted and shifted the backpack until it sat comfortably on her back once again. “No thanks. It’s good exercise for me.” She said and started walking towards the dome.

Zarud took two large steps to catch up and smiled at her. “You sure? I’m pretty strong, you know? I'm pretty sure I could carry it, easily.” He told her. To emphasize his point: he lifted his right arm and flexed the muscles in his forearm and biceps, making the veins stand out against his skin.

Faeyra’s brain froze for a second after seeing him flex. A sultry smile slowly appeared across her lips, and she looked up at his eyes.

Zarud swallowed his nerves as her cold eyes landed on him. Wait, why would he be nervous? He’d been with plenty of women in his short life. Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orc, even a few halflings and Kandis had warmed his bed. So, again, why should he be nervous just because one attractive half-elf smiled at him?

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Faeyra swayed into his side, causing her hips to brush against his, and gently placed her hand on his left forearm. “Do that again.” She said, her voice low and breathy.

Zarud’s body stiffened at the contact and the seductive undertone of her voice. Without thinking about it, Zarud flexed the muscles in his left arm just like he’d done for his right.

Faeyra giggled at the feeling of his muscles moving beneath her fingers. “I can see why you’re so popular.” She told him while slowly trailing her fingers along a vein that ran from his wrist to the crook of his elbow.

Zarud shivered beneath her touch; his breathing shallowed and his pupils dilated as his excitement grew. He could hear the sound of his heart pounding inside his chest -

“It’s just a shame you aren’t my type.” Faeyra said before patting his forearm and stepping away from him.

Zarud felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over his head.

“Huh?” He exclaimed. That wasn’t how that was supposed to go. He smiled at her, flexed his muscles, flirted a bit. That was all he’d usually needed to do to win a woman over.

Somehow, he’d followed the map exactly and still ended up at the wrong location.

How the hell did that happen?

Ralocan and Derrik arrived at Zarud’s side, both men shaking their heads.

“What?” Zarud snapped.

“You tried.” Ralocan replied and gave Zarud a few consolatory pats on the shoulder.

“Tried what?” Zarud asked, confused by what was happening. Were they… Pitying him!?

“Aye. You aimed your arrow and missed entirely. But don’t worry, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Faeyra doesn’t seem like the type to rat you out.” Derrik told him.

“Rat me out for what?” Zarud shouted.

“Ha!” Sulika laughed from a few feet behind the trio. She and Oladi had seen and heard everything, from Zarud flexing to the rejection.

Oladi seemed utterly amused by Zarud’s confusion. She’d never had, or wanted, kids. But she imagined this is what a mother felt like watching her teenage son hit on a girl for the first time.

As for Sulika, she was simultaneously irritated and amused at his antics.

She disliked the fact that he’d just tried flirting with her closest friend, and his guildmate. He knew better. The hunter’s guild had a rule about dating, or sleeping with, members of the same team for a reason.

She’d broken that rule herself once and look how that turned out.

But that wasn’t the reason she’d laughed. No, that had a much simpler explanation.

“If you think Faeyra won’t tell Tessa what you just did, you’ve got a surprise coming your way.” Sulika told them as they passed through the wall of the dome.

“But all I did was a little harmless flirting. What’s so bad about that?” Zarud asked her. His heart was making a racket inside his chest again, this time for a very different reason.

“She gets hit on all the time by married or otherwise ‘committed’ men. As soon as she finds out they’re in a relationship, she says the same thing every time. “It’s a shame you’re not my type.” Sound familiar?” She said, smirking up at him.

Zarud’s green skin paled. “That doesn’t mean she’d tell-”

“Oh, but it does.” Sulika said, interrupting him. “If she knew their wives, Faeyra always sent a little message to let them know. It’s why she gets so much repeat business from the women in our neighborhood.”

Zarud’s skin went ashen, and he had to swallow to clear his throat. “Do you think I can convince her not to say anything?” He asked before biting on his lips in nervous apprehension.

Sulika’s smile fell away, and she gave Zarud a sad look. “Maybe just take this as a lesson and move on. Yeah?”

Zarud sighed and looked at the ground. “Yeah… I guess I can do that. Who knows, maybe Tessa will understand?” He muttered, more to convince himself than anyone else - Suddenly his head shot up. “Hey, what is Faeyra’s type?” He asked Sulika.

“... Did you seriously just ask that question?” Sulika replied, astounded by his ability to bounce back.

“Yeah. She said I wasn’t her type, not that I didn’t have a chance. So, what’s her type? Maybe I could -”

“Hey ~ Aldritch ~” Faeyra called as she approached Aldritch from behind.

The Giant was sitting on the ground with the turret lying in front of him. They all watched as he reached out with his left hand, grabbed a part of the armor plating, and -*Whomp* ripped it off with a single tug. Faeyra reached him and threw her arms around his neck. She leaned over his shoulder and looked at the metal splayed out before him. She either didn’t notice, or care, that her chest was pressed against his back and her hair was touching the side of his face.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” Aldritch replied without looking away from the armor. He didn’t care that she was practically laying on him, it was just slightly inconvenient to move without causing her to fall.

“I found something fun to do when I get home.” Faeyra said while watching him inspect the armor fragment.

“Oh?” He asked without looking away from the armor. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“Not right now. Maybe I’ll let you in on it later.”

“Understood.” He said, nodding to show he was listening.

Hearing none of their conversation but seeing the way she literally hung off of Aldritch. Zarud’s eye began to twitch as he came to his own conclusions. However, unlike Zarud and Derrik, Sulika, Oladi, and Ralocan had heard their entire conversation thanks to the enhanced senses of their races. Sulika’s grin turned into a full-blown smile, and she shook her head in exasperation. Aldritch was still treating the two of them like little children. “You know, I’m really not sure what her type is. Maybe you should go ask her?”

Zarud held up a hand and shook his head. “It’s okay. I think I’ve figured it out…” He sighed and looked away from the two of them… His despondent expression caused Sulika to wonder if she should tell Zarud about the way Aldritch treated them. But, after thinking about it for a moment, she dismissed the idea altogether. It was better to let him think she was interested in someone like Aldritch.

Zarud had his own moral code, skewed though it may be. He might've been okay with cheating on his own partner, but he wouldn’t pursue anyone he thought was already interested in someone else.

Zarud, Derrik, Ralocan, and Oladi split off from Sulika and meandered their way over to a spot near the remains of the fallen bridge. The four of them found places to sit atop the rubble and started talking in hushed voices. Sulika watched them for a few seconds before making her way over to join Aldritch and Faeyra. While she wasn’t looking, Faeyra slid off Aldritch’s back and was now sitting next to him, with his robe folded neatly across her lap.

She'd been wanting to give it back to him for a while now but hadn't found the right time to do so... Mainly because she also planned on asking him about the strange little box at the same time. She thought he would be more inclined to answer her questions if she asked while it was still relevant-

“Do you have any acid in your bag?” Aldritch asked while observing the piece of armor in his hand.

Faeyra's face twitched in irritation. So much for giving him back the robe. “Depends.” She replied while slowly removing her backpack. She placed it on the ground between them and started rifling through it.

By the time Sulika reached them, Faeyra had retrieved a large leather pouch from the middle of her bag and sat it on the ground between her and Aldritch. She reached into the pouch and one by one, pulled out six small capsules of equal size before presenting them to Aldritch. “Did you want to melt a hole in something or remove it from existence?”

Aldritch stared at the capsules in her hand. He couldn’t see the liquid within but the capsules themselves were all formed by molding opaque glass into small cylinders. Each capsule differed widely in color to make them easily identifiable: One was white, one was purple, one was dark red, one was orange, one was yellow with black stripes, and the last one was a vibrant blue.

“Which of those could melt a hole through a nine-inch-thick steel plate?” He asked while looking between the different capsules.

“Ah!” Faeyra said and hummed to herself. She picked up the yellow capsule with black stripes and placed it into Aldritch’s hand before carefully dropping the other five back into the pouch.

“What is this?” Aldritch asked while raising the capsule to his eye.

“91% pure Carydia acid. It’s good for eating through locks, dissolving metal bars, and making a mess out of someone’s insides.” Faeyra said, smiling up at Aldritch. “It’s also useful in alchemy, which is what I normally use it for. I swear.” She said, still smiling.

Sulika shook her head and rolled her eyes at Faeyra’s back. “Saying it like that is why we had the sentinels called on us last year.”

Faeyra stiffened at Sulika’s voice but recovered quickly. “It’s not my fault that the old bat misunderstood me. I told her not to enter my lab.”

“What happened?” Aldritch asked.

“An inspector from the crafter’s league came by to investigate a complaint against me.” Faeyra said with an irritated huff. “The complaint was hogwash. Some guy asked me to live with him, I said no, and he got upset. He reported me for a ‘faulty’ potion he’d bought a few days prior. He claimed I’d sold him a potion of minor healing under the pretext it’d grow his hair back.”

“Which you didn’t.” Sulika chimed in.

“Of course, I didn’t. Behind the counter, my candor is pristine. The only time my silver tongue gets used is in the bedroom.” She huffed, clearly still annoyed by the entire incident. “Anyway, the inspector didn’t listen to me when I asked her to wait in the lobby while I turned off my burners - I’d been in the process of refining a new batch of acid, and in that state it’s a bit… well… explosive.”

“Did she die?” Aldritch asked with clear amusement in his voice.

“No, but from the way she was screaming you’d think she was dying. Anyway, I was interrogated by another inspector after the incident and the charges were dropped. The first inspector was an alchemist herself; she knew better than to barge into someone’s lab without asking.”

“You’re leaving something out.” Sulika muttered, and smirked at the dirty look Faeyra shot her way.

“The second inspector asked why I was brewing five gallons of Carydia acid at once. And I told him I planned to use it all for alchemical pursuits, and I swore to that… Apparently, he didn’t like the way I’d phrased my explanation and there happened to have been a series of break-ins on the other side of the city earlier that week.”

“Which was just plain bad luck.” Sulika laughed. “The homes had all had the locks on their windows melted, which was how the thief was gaining entry. They later caught a young wizard in the act. He’d been approaching families as some kind of ward specialist to gain entry. He even had this whole presentation he’d give before offering to demonstrate on a window.”

“Where he’d sabotage the lock.” Aldritch said, chuckling and shaking his head.

Sulika nodded and pointed at Aldritch. “Yep!” She exclaimed. “The kid was, apparently, some kind of genius wizard. The newspaper called him a ‘once in a generation talent’ because he’d discovered a way to infuse crystal powder with mana and trigger a spell later, after multiple hours had passed and he'd established a proper alibi.”

“What happened to him?” Aldritch asked. He was impressed with the kid’s talent, that kind of innovation required not only a keen understanding of the way mana worked. But also, a mind capable of seeing past the 'wall of truths' so many people surround themselves with... That being said, Aldritch was also concerned about the boy's awareness. Did he know how dangerous mana could be if misused? Was he aware of the danger; not only to himself, but those around him? If he'd messed up during the creation of his crystal powder, even slightly, he could've accidentally created a bomb instead of a dissolving agent. Would he justify it as an 'accident', a means to an end or the fault of his youthful naivete?

Was he truly prepared to accept the consequences of his actions or would he run from them for the rest of his life?

“He works for the crafter’s league now.” Faeyra interjected. “The sentinels commuted his sentence. In exchange for five years working for the league, he wouldn’t be imprisoned for his crime spree.”

“I see… And does he live in the prison?” Aldritch asked them with a strange expression on his face.

“No, he wasn’t imprisoned.” Sulika said.

“That’s a shame.” Aldritch said, shaking his head in disappointment. He sighed and placed the armor piece on the ground in front of him.

“Why do you say that?” Sulika asked him. “He’s using his talents for good now.”

Aldritch nodded absently while he placed the capsule on top of the armor piece. He moved his left hand over the armor while focusing his mana on the capsule. Aldritch twisted his wrist and snapped his fingers - the pure force of his mana caused the glass to shatter into dust. A glob of acid fell onto the center of the armor piece and went to work: The acid bubbled as it first ate into the paint protecting the armor from rust. The crimson paint quickly lost its original color, turning from deep crimson to a muddy brown in seconds, and disappearing completely a few seconds after that. The metal was next. The dark colored steel held out much longer than the paint did, surviving a whole twelve seconds before the acid won out and started breaking it apart.

Aldritch watched the acid bubbling away at the armor while he contemplated what to say… “I’m glad the kid is doing something to help the greater good.” He said after a moment. “But I don’t think he’s learned the right lesson. He should’ve been punished for his crimes, no matter his reasons. But he wasn’t. Instead, he was given a job and allowed to go home. Essentially showing him that, if you’re a special existence, the rules don’t necessarily apply to you. That’s a dangerous thing to teach someone who's still trying to understand their place in the world.”

“Sounds like you know someone who learned a similar lesson?” Faeyra said while watching Aldritch.

A rueful smile spread across his face, and he nodded. “I did…” The acid continued to eat through the armor until it reached somewhere around the halfway point. At that point, the acid had stopped eating towards the bottom and had begun spreading outwards.

Aldritch pondered what to do for a couple of seconds before picking up the armor and tilting it slightly, forcing the acid to slide out of the way and pool against the edge of the hole.

Without the dark liquid obscuring his view, Aldritch was able to see why the progress had halted; a wafer-thin layer of ceramic ran through the center of the armor.

Aldritch wondered how it was that a supposedly fragile material was somehow able to resist the acid while solid steel could not. Shaking his head to clear it of unnecessary thoughts, “Thirty-one seconds. Not terrible, but not exactly efficient either. Should try other avenues before committing to the acid solution.” He muttered in a distracted voice.

“Who was it?” Sulika asked after coming to the conclusion that Aldritch had gotten distracted and forgot to answer.

“Alright!” Max yelled. He clapped his hands three times to get everyone’s attention. “The ‘Message’ scroll finally worked, and I’ve been in contact with the scouting team.” He told them all.

Aldritch left the armor pieces where they were and stood up. “And?” He asked while making his way over to Max.

“I was getting to that.” Max snapped. His attitude earned him an unimpressed look from Aldritch, and nervous glances from everyone else. “They say the towers back on Azuris are finally complete, and the governor is getting ready to start the reclamation process.”

“Already?” Aldritch asked, surprised they’d gotten it done so quickly.

“Sometimes there’s a small-time disparity between a dungeon and the outside world.” Sulika explained. “While we’ve only been in here for an hour or so, more time could’ve passed outside.”

“Sulika’s right.” Max nodded. “Ten hours. That’s how long we’ve been gone.”

“Gods, that long already?” Zarud exclaimed.

“Yes. Which is why we need to pack up now and leave before those up high get too excited. Trust me, you do not want to be on the island when the reclamation process starts.”

“Is the time compression a cause for concern?” Aldritch wondered how such a thing was possible; Was magic involved or was this caused by a physical phenomenon? If it was magical, would he be able to create something capable of forcing a similar disparity to occur? Could he control it?

“Not for us, but it is for the team waiting outside. There’s no telling what they’ve gone through in the last ten hours.” Sulika explained while looking up at him. “Are you still determined to stay here until the last tank is destroyed?”

“What do you think, my Lord?” Aldritch asked through the bond… And received no response. “My Lord?”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry. I’ve been distracted by this tingly feeling ever since the fight. I’d almost forgotten what worship felt like.” He laughed.

“Worship?” Aldritch asked in a surprised voice. Who’d started worshiping Oakairo? As he thought that, he looked around at the people gathered around him and wondered who amongst them had chosen to serve the Dragon God?

Was it Sulika? Faeyra? Maybe Derrik or Zarud?

He knew it wasn’t Ralocan or Oladi. Ralocan already served one god, and everything Aldritch knew about the gods of Iolara told him they wouldn’t allow their subjects to dual worship. As for Oladi, she worshiped the natural world, as all Druids did. While it was possible for her to also worship a god at the same time, Aldritch didn’t know how that’d interfere with her powers.

“I know. Isn’t it exciting? Anyway, the choice is ultimately up to you. But I don’t think it’s necessary for us to remain here. You’ve spent centuries cooped up inside a ‘Dungeon’ called Mag Ársa, I think you deserve a break after that.”

“What about the demons? They could be preparing a large-scale attack on some other part of the world.”

“Does it matter if they are?” Oakairo asked him. “The demons are like a nest of ants; One chamber leading to an endless number of chambers just like it. This world is but one link in that chain. Do you plan to live here until every link is broken, and every chamber lay empty?”

“That’s... a fair point.” Aldritch sighed but nodded in understanding.

“If the mortal in charge of Azuris is reclaiming the island, then we’ll have all the time in the world to come back and clean out this nest. Right?”

“Theoretically.”

“Good… Then go get my mural before anyone breaks it.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Aldritch chuckled and returned his attention to Sulika, who was patiently waiting for him to finish. “Oakairo suggests I return with all of you. So, I plan to place a ward around the transport hub to ensure the demons can’t reclaim it, then I’ll return to Azuris with you for the time being.”

Sulika smiled up at him. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”