Every inch of every wall, every detail carved into every door, the smell of finely sanded wood, and the feeling of being small in the sheer openness of it all assaulted Lee as he strode down the broad and spacious corridors of his new building.

Gerald, his new resident priest, chuckled and watched with pride as he inspected each and every room they passed. So far, he mainly had peeked into what appeared to be small but homely patient rooms. They had a few simple but cushioned chairs, a comfortable bed, a glass window, and some medical supplies such as rough woolen bandages, steel needles, and odd metallic-rimmed glass orbs.

Orb of Acuity - Uncommon: This glass orb slightly heightens the senses of those who wield it. Journeymen Enchanter Markus Gimble has enchanted it with Enhance Senses.

Stolen! Lee thought with a smile as he read the enchantment.

He had seen one of those orbs in each room he had passed so far, and he wondered if they were commonplace to the people of Thexis. Those without healing magic had to make do with what they had. Hearing an irregular heartbeat or maybe even letting the patient take hold of the orb to enable them to pinpoint their pain would be a boon to many. What concerned him was how much all of this had cost.

“Gerald, you were a part of the building process?” Lee asked as he continued to inspect the building.

“That’s correct, Mr. Barnes. I mainly helped with the temple, but I might know other details if you have any questions.”

“Great. Do you happen to know how much a building of this magnitude, fully furnished and with all the supplies needed to operate costs?” Lee stole a glance at the older priest to gauge his reaction.

Gerald appeared unperturbed and simply thought momentarily with a finger on his chin. “I know the temple wing was approximately one hundred and twenty gold pieces. Most proper temples, which yours is, have very stringent requirements and cost a small fortune to appease the gods. I would be shocked if the other wings cost half as much as the temple, and with two other wings… I would estimate anywhere between three-hundred or four-hundred gold as an estimate.”

Lee tried not to panic when he heard the number. Not because the building was pricey but because his spellbook had cost three hundred gold pieces back in Neldam. Once again, Lee found another thing to thank the Dark Elves for. Three hundred gold was an enormous sum of money, and he hoped that it only applied when a single person possessed it all. If Felispar had twenty thousand citizens and each one had a single silver to their name, that would equate to two hundred gold pieces when put together right then and there. Of course, a single silver piece wasn’t all people had—if he ignored himself, at any rate.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Lee jerked as he flipped around and spotted Regina less than a foot away from him. She was inspecting the rooms beside him, but he forgot she was even there. She made no footsteps in the silence of the open and spacious building. He didn’t register her breathing or hear the shuffle of her clothes. Nothing she did made any sound, and he wasn’t sure if that was something new or something she was always capable of. They weren’t really ever in a position where silence was prevalent.

He calmed himself, his rapidly beating heart from the minor jump scare slowing as he spoke. “You say that, but that’s a price many would be unable to pay.”

Regina didn’t care. “Good thing you didn’t pay for it then.” She turned to Gerald, who stood there calmly, waiting for them to finish. “Let’s continue toward the temple.”

When he didn’t stop at every door and peek inside, the trip toward the temple put into perspective the size of the building. While it was basically a mansion, one could travel from one side of the building to the other in less than two minutes if they rushed. The layout was definitely unique, as a three-winged building wasn’t something Lee had ever seen before.

From his mental map and the view he remembered from the front, the building must have been in the shape of a tripod or something similar. The wing he’d been traversing was housing the temple and multiple patient rooms. While he didn’t think patients needed a fully functioning room with a bed and all, he could see them being good for the in-patients. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have any of those, given his current skills and spells.

The entrance to the temple was at the end of the wing, signified by the illustrious wooden double doors depicting various gods encircling a closed scroll. Lee made out some of them by their appearance.

Arcani stood with swirling, hypnotic rainbow eyes as she held out her hands filled with swirling mana. Death was evident; he simply stood there with his scythe at the ready. The small form of Xander was reading from a book as he ignored everything else. And last but not least, Lee recognized his uncle Shane, the God of Travel. He stood around the scroll with a gentle smile as he pointed at the scroll in question.

As he admired the artwork, the invasive silence was broken. From behind the door, Lee could make out the faint murmurs of conversation within. He held his ear to the door and looked at Gerald questioningly. “Are we expecting visitors?”

Regina held out a hand and forestalled Gerald as she approached the door with sure steps. Like Lee, she held her ear to the door before righting herself and grasping the brass handle. Without any fanfare, she thrust the door open and then backed up a step to stand guard in front of Lee.

The first thing Lee saw was the temple itself. It was very reminiscent of the cathedral he’d visited in Neldam but much smaller and compact, which was needed because this was not a primary place of worship. The second thing Lee saw was the individuals happily chatting while sitting on the miniature pews.

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Regina took yet another step back, bumping into Lee as a set of twisting rainbow eyes flicked her way. In admonishment, Lee mockingly chopped Regina on the head as he stepped forward to take the lead, whispering to Regina as he passed. “Did you really try to use Identify on a goddess, Regina? I’m surprised you didn’t get a title for that.”

Gerald prostrated himself onto the ground, groveling on all fours without a word as Lee nodded toward the eclectic group of gods and goddesses before him. “Arcani, Death, Shane, and I apologize for my ignorance, but I would assume you are the God of War? I’m afraid I don’t know your name.”

Arcani gave a seductive little wave his way as Shane gave her an unenthused look. Death didn’t move, and the last figure, which Lee guessed was an Orc of some kind, given his greenish tint and long chipped tusks, waved away his comment. “Vanak, God of War. Gerald Hephner, stand.”

Gerald slowly rose up from the ground, but he didn’t dare meet any of their eyes. He was shaking, but Lee wasn't sure if it was from excitement or fear. It wasn’t every day you met the gods, and this might have been his first.

Arcani stood from her seat in between Death and Shane and waved everyone over jovially. “Come, Come. We’ve been waiting for you, Lee. We have much to discuss.”

Without question, Lee confidently strode forward and hugged his uncle with a huge smile, which drew a gasp from Gerald and Regina. He sat down at Shane’s side and looked back at them both. “Would you like them to stay? Gerald is my new priest, and Regina has been appointed my bodyguard.”

Arcani took the lead, speaking for the others. “They may stay. Regina… Oh, just Regina it seems, isn’t required but may remain if you wish her to. Gerald Hephner is a priest and will keep the secrets spoken here without question. Isn’t that right, Gerald?”

Gerald swallowed to wet his dry throat as he spoke. “Ye—Yes, my goddess.”

She patted the seat next to death, indicating for them to sit as she retook her place. Regina sat next to death, her eyes staring directly ahead, almost as if she was trying to ignore the literal personification of death itself, sitting mere inches from her. Death ever so slowly turned his head and stared her down. “You’ve sent many to me,” he stated. It was neither with admonishment nor appreciation. It was just stating a fact.

“I have.” Regina replied, her emotionless facade working overtime to keep her emotions hidden.

“.......” Death said nothing, just continuing to stare at the top of her head, his tall stature making him tower over her more petite frame. The repositioning of his grip on his scythe was ominous.

“Oh, leave the poor woman alone, Death. Let’s get down to business.” Arcani chidded.

“Actually… Can I invite someone else to join us?” Lee asked, a little guilty.

Shane smacked him on the back of the head jokingly. “You don’t even know why we’re here. Who?”

“My friend, Em. I think she would appreciate being here to experience this.”

The gods and goddess shared a look, and then Arcani shrugged. “Sure, she’s on her way.”

Lee looked around, confused, and Shane shook his head ruefully. “Surrounded by Gods and he doesn’t think we can send a message. Unbelievable.”

Unsurprisingly, a few seconds later, the quickly scuttling form of Em dashed into the temple. She gazed around with wild eyes until she spotted Lee. Then, she grew confused as she looked at the other people around him.

Shane huffed a laugh. “She’s a quick one ain’t she?”

Lee waved her over to the aisle between the two stationed rows of pews. “Come over here, Em. Don’t worry about the floor, and make yourself comfortable. I assumed you would want to be here for this.”

Em’s eyes narrowed and flicked back and forth between Lee and Shane. She pouted, deep in thought, before Shane coughed. “Hello, Emthraxiatus. I’ve been wanting to meet you for some time now.”

Em, still with narrowed and suspicious eyes, scuttled forward and plopped herself down in between the aisle. “I doubt that. Do I know you?”

“You’ve probably heard of me.” Shane replied as he looked toward Arcani with a nod.

Arcani raised a finger into the air and cast a little spell. A small plume of confetti-like fireworks popped and spluttered into the air. “Tada! Congratulations! You’ve caught our attention once again!”

Lee stared at the fireworks, using Mana Sense to gaze at Arcani’s rainbow mana in fascination. “What did I do this time…”

“Nothing. It’s what you will do.” Death stated as he finally moved his piercing gaze away from Regina to lock onto Lee.

With a glare that could cower the gods, literally, Arcani silenced Death for his interruption. “Here in the immediate future, you’ll be healing, teaching, and helping everyone you can. Correct?”

“Well, yes…”

“Perfect! Then nothing will change… Much.” Arcani finished with a cough and whisper.

“Okay? What’s happening?” Lee asked his uncle, Shane.

“We’d like to help out a bit—all of us.” He gestured around the room.

“If this is some giant grand quest, then I’ll have to decline. I just got here…” Lee started.

“No, no, no. You’ll be doing what you normally would. We’d just like to… be involved.” Arcani said slyly as she fluttered her eyes his way.

Shane held a hand to his forehead in exasperation. “Why’d you have to pick her… I’d rather deal with Xander…” He muttered.

“Ignore him, he’s just jealous. What I'm saying is we’d like to help out a bit. You’re doing all of us a favor already, and we’re here to help. Of course, we’re helping because it helps us in turn. Thexis is at war, which you’re aware of. Vanak here is interested in that. Shane is involved for multiple reasons, one of which you know, but the other is because people will travel here to be healed by you. I am interested because you’re using healing magic, teaching others magic, and proliferating the magic across the world. Also, you’re my blessed. I’m naturally on your side…”

She paused and waited for a reaction. Lee had been listening, and everything seemed to be expected. Nothing she said was entirely out of place, but she forgot to mention one thing. “And Death, why are you here?”

“People will die. You cannot save them all. Your new element is fickle. I dislike it.”

“Annnnnnyways,” Arcani cut him off. “We’re interested in what you’re doing here, and as you’re blessed by me, I have to be the one to reward you should you earn it. The others have no reach when it comes to you. I would offer you something in return for us… expediting some of the processed here.”

Lee was unamused. “Did you see that crowd outside? Do you think I will heal all those people anytime soon? It’ll take weeks. What do you mean by expediting?”

Arcani sent a meaningful glance toward Shane. He patted Lee on the back as he spoke. “While I can’t reward you personally, but I can still help. I’m the god of travel. Remember when I sent you back to your room?”

With a giant frown, the memory of being separated from his only remaining family member during troubling times sprung to the forefront of his mind. “Yes.” He said, deadpan.

“I can do that for others. I can bring them here for you to heal.”

“And I will allow him to connect a portal to the war front. No soldiers will be allowed through, but you can go and heal the soldiers there.” Vanak sent a glance to Regina. “While I take no sides in war. Thexis is losing. Prolonging conflict may seem terrible, but it strengthens me. You also chose to side with Thexis. This will be a win-win.”

“I come for all. I will not help.” Death stated.

“And I will use my mana to help build the portal! As a reward, I will upgrade your little blessing. What do you think?” Arcani finished, eyes twirling with expectations.

“What would upgrading my blessing do?” Lee asked hesitantly.

“What would you like it to do?” She asked teasingly.

“Well… I have some ideas…”