The room was in chaos as I heard Turk shouting and saw arrows launching from Turk for a moment before a wall of fire sprang up.

“VREEK!”

Vreek turned to look back at me, risking a glance as he stood before Turk, holding his sword out as he tried to block anything that might come Turk’s way.

On the other end of the hall where the door was, stood a flaming wall of fire and at least ten dwarf bodies just a few yards into the room.

“DAD!” Turk shouted without glancing back at me. “We need to move soon! They keep coming, and I cannot keep the flame going forever!”

I saw Turk completely focused on the doorway. His bow was out, ready to draw and attack anyone who came through the flames. I noticed blood dripping from one arm. Vreek was bloodied in multiple spots as well.

“Trade with me, Vreek,” I shouted as I dropped the heart next to Dirk’s body and pulled my sword from my back, “and cut this heart into four sections and feed Dirk first! I will defend Turk. Once Dirk eats his piece, you eat yours and then feed Turk his. I will eat last!”

“What is this?” Vreek asked as we traded spots. “This thing is larger than any heart I have ever seen!”

“A dragon who gave his life for us! Now hurry!”

I heard a gasp from Vreek as I heard his sword cut the heart into the heart.

“How many have you killed so far?”

Turk grunted as he let the firewall go and, without hesitation, sent two lightning arrows into the doorway where the door was missing.

“I stopped counting after twenty. They tried to rush through, but that doorway was a killing zone. Three of them attacked, a tank with a shield in front and two archers behind him. The firewall got them, but not before I took an arrow in my shoulder.”

I nodded, saw a flash of light speeding toward us, and used my sword to deflect it toward the side of the room. When it struck the wall, it exploded in a shower of rocks and stone.

Turk sent arrows into the doorway again, sometimes at the middle, sometimes at the bottom, or at the corner.

Anything that flew toward us, I deflected away and tried to buy all the time I could while I knew Vreek was taking care of Dirk.

“Mother… fricking… hairy… balls…”

I knew that voice. I knew that horrible, sweet-sounding, cursing too much and needed some soap in it, incredible voice.

“DIRK!”

I heard a moan followed by the sounds of someone standing up.

“Don’t you need to rest,” I asked as I risked a glance back at Dirk who was standing behind us, stretching his arms and shoulders. “Why the heck are you standing?!”

I saw Dirk laugh before I turned to focus on the doorway again.

“I feel amazing, Dad! Like I have never felt this amazing. My real question is, why am I wearing your and Vreek’s armor?”

“Turk, you need to eat this now!” Vreek demanded as I saw him move up next to Turk, holding a piece of heart bigger than his head.

Turk grunted, and I saw him recast the firewall inside the doorway. Screams erupted from inside, and I could only imagine how many were experiencing the flames.

Turk turned and grabbed the massive piece of heart from Vreek who moved up and stood next to me. I could see Vreek smiling in a way I had never seen him smile.

“If this is how you feel all the time, I now understand why you run ahead into fights without thinking. I feel like I can do anything!”

I laughed and nodded. The power of the heart was an addictive thing. Fueled by one like May’s and what I soon hope to experience of Naydras’s heart, I could see why goblins and orcs might act wild in their pursuit of feeling this way all the time.

As I watched the doorway and the flames inside it become a dark blue and spilled out of the doorway and into our room. Screams and shouting could barely be heard over the loud roaring noise from the fire.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Dirk smiling.

“I’m not sure what this heart is from, Dad, but you need to eat yours so we can blow this popsicle stand.”

I laughed and nodded as Vreek and Turk held the doorway with ease now.

Holding that piece of heart in my hand, I smiled and gazed at the piece that was easily the size of a watermelon in my hands.

Thank you, Naydras, and your sacrifice. I will keep my promise and avenge you.

I started to lift the heart to my mouth, and then a thought entered my head.

Thank you, Bob, if you helped us end up here near Naydras.

I took a bite and felt the same power that had flowed through the heart of May’s heart. The energy it gave was overwhelming, and the taste of it was savory and rich. Like a steak that was cooked perfectly medium rare, every bite was better than the last. As I finished up the last bite I felt the world around me flex and waiver before a bright light surrounded me.

Holy elf balls!

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

That same laughter I had not heard in over a month echoed through the space around me as I found myself lying on the floor. The same ceiling of stars and galaxies blazing overhead filled my sight. I could feel the marble stone against my neck and arms. I knew exactly where I was, and my plan had worked as I had hoped.

“You impress me, Phillip. Or would you prefer me to call you Zolb from now on?”

I sat up and saw Bob sitting on his stone chair. That long white beard and poofy eyebrows made me chuckle as I sat up. I did not feel near as much of an impact traveling here this time as I had the first time.

“Zolb is fine. How are you, Bob?”

I watched as Bob leaned back against his chair and laughed, the sound of it again reverberating all around me.

“I am doing well. I have been watching you as I watch a few of my choice champions and followers across my worlds,” Bob stated as he waved a hand and another chair appeared before him. “Come sit and let’s talk. I’m glad you were smart enough to try and visit me. It is a testament to your intelligence.”

I grinned and moved to the chair. Even though the whole thing was made of stone, it felt exceptionally comfortable.

“Did you help us appear near Naydras when we broke that labyrinth gem?”

“I wish I could answer that,” Bob replied with a grin, “but we gods are limited in our interactions in our worlds. Something like that might raise a few eyebrows and cause other gods to reciprocate if they discovered something like that had happened. It was quite a blessing that you did appear near Naydras. He has had a hard life the last few decades.”

I had wondered if Bob could impact things like that in this world. I was unsure what kind of power the gods had and what they could bring about. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I also knew I did not have the time for them all.

“You saw we made it to the labyrinth,” I stated as I watched Bob nod in acknowledgment. “How badly outclassed were we? Is it even worth trying to enter again?”

Those eyes of his went bright. I thought they turned white for a moment, but they shifted to a gold color and quickly to a brown. He smiled and winked at me.

“Two thousand years, Zolb. Two thousand years since my chosen race had entered a labyrinth. I watched every second of that expedition you and your boys and Vreek did. I was surprised that the four of you made it that far, and I was scared you would not survive any of the bosses on the fifty-fifth floor. Just getting in was impressive, and how you handled that dwarven party made me do a little dance. If you had a full party of goblins and orcs like Vreek, I believe you could have made it past the sixtieth floor.”

Bob stood up and stretched for a moment.

“I will say Vreek needs a blessing. He has been a boon for you and your boys. He has helped shape you three into the champions you are. His steady mind, understanding of tactics, and commitment to you have been one of the main reasons you three are still alive.”

Bob moved till he was standing before me and held out his hand. When he opened it, I saw a small red seed.

“Take it. It will travel with you back to that room. Give it to Vreek and tell him he has earned a blessing from me and to continue serving me and you with everything he has.”

To say I was stunned was an understatement. I knew everything Bob was saying was true. We owed so much to Vreek and his wisdom. That Bob could and would send something back for Vreek blew my mind. Then I realized he could have sent something back with us last time!

“I will give this to him, but why do you do this now and not the first time I was here?”

Bob laughed and shrugged as he moved back to his chair.

“There are many things I can and cannot do. The reasons behind them are impossible to share due to our limited time together. Everything I do is measured, and the other gods know how I impact the world, and they, in turn, will get a chance to do the same.”

I nodded as I closed my fist around that red seed. What the other gods might do scared me a little bit, but then again, I wondered if they had to wait for a champion to come here to meet them.

“Since you saw us in the labyrinth, what do we do about the items we collected? We know they are magical, but we cannot determine how they help or what power they might give. Can you help with that?”

Bob clenched his eyes closed and rubbed his wrinkly forehead with his fingers. For a few moments, he sat there and said nothing.

“I can help but know that it will have some consequences for you and your group. Had you asked that first, I could have given you a choice between helping Vreek and helping you.”

I watched as Bob leaned forward in the chair, put his hands under his chin, and gazed at me.

“I will help you but remember that the other gods will be able to bless one of theirs,” he sighed. “I hope my gift will be worth the trade.”

He pointed a finger at me, and a light blasted from it, striking me in my forehead.

Glowing power and energy felt like it raced through my brain. It felt like a cross between a brain freeze and some high caused by a narcotic. Not that I would ever admit to my sons I might have tried that in college once.

“You will be able to tell the magical properties of any item you hold. It is a powerful skill, so be warned, the other races will have an equally as powerful boon given to them.”

“Thank you,” I whispered as I rubbed my temple with a finger. “Can I ask one more question?”

Bob laughed and motioned for me to go ahead.

“How much stronger must we become to defeat the humans in our old city?”

Bob scowled, and his eyes turned red and almost seemed to burn from the rage that must be pent up inside him.

“You are far from it on your own,” Bob snapped. I saw him realize he was taking his anger out on me and then let out a breath to settle down. “ You will need to gather more allies if you plan on that. There are many more races you can enlist if you are willing to put in the work and effort to find them. Races, like you did with the Slendals, are out there and willing to help if you can convince them you are worthy and able to succeed. Humans are tricky and smart. They have the potential to create a world of technology like they did in yours with enough time. Even though the other races want to ignore the truth, they know the humans are a possible threat to them all.”

I nodded even though I hated hearing the truth. No matter how strong we got, we could not do this on our own. It would take an army willing to die to accomplish the impossible.

“I guess I will keep searching for more allies,” I stated. “Anything else to share before I go?”

Standing up, Bob motioned to a screen behind me that was not there when I had sat down. Dirk and Turk both showed up on the screen. There were two images for each one of them wearing just a loin cloth. The one on the left was when we first got here, and the one on the right was of them now. The difference between then and now was hard to remember until I saw them standing side by side.

“Their bodies were at their limit with the hearts you three had been able to eat so far,” Bob informed me. “Naydras has given you four a gift I had never imagined any of you acquiring. A dragon of his age and his heart will be a boon greater than even May’s heart gave.”

Bob walked over to the screen and tapped a section of Dirk’s chest and I saw it transformed as he touched it. The normal green skin of his shifted and changed until it almost developed a scale over it.

“This might happen,” Bob muttered, tapping his finger against his lips. “I have no idea what may or may not happen to the four of you, honestly. The mixing of hearts and the potential pathways for development are not fixed.”

Bob stopped talking and swiped the screen, and Turk as he was now, filled the screen. Some numbers pulled up, and Bob tapped them.

“This is your son’s fire affinity. After this heart, I expect you will see Turk’s power with fire to increase to a level that will be like nothing this world has ever seen.”

“I saw the fire he had burning, changing color and spilling out into the room as if it went out of control.”

Bob muttered something to himself and nodded. Suddenly he turned around and looked at me.

“You need to go!”

I went to open my mouth, but the room's light flashed, and I found myself the next moment staring at my empty hand where the heart had been.

“DAD! We need you!”