As per Xoris’s orders, I kept each of the three god brothers in different cells.

“You think you are powerful,” the blind god said as I was closing the door to his cell, “but remember that the Alliance is way more powerful.”

“Alliance?” Mintuk asked.

“The Alliance of the Gods,” the blind god answered with a mocking laugh. “Oh, you all are in for some bad times. You think you can imprison us after taking our own powers? Just wait. It’s not long before the Alliance sends you their notice.”

I closed the door to the cell.

“What is the Alliance of the Gods?” I asked Xoris. I had a feeling that whatever we were doing was going to make us wind up in really bad situations as promised by the blind god. Xoris might have chewed more than he could swallow.

“Just big words,” Xoris said, “there is no point listening to careless gods who cannot protect themselves from mere humans. Even if there is an Alliance of the Gods I doubt it would care whatever happens to the careless gods of the barbaric realm.”

Xoris was wrong. In an hour the notice came as a pop up in my vision.

Congratulations! You have successfully taken over the castle of the barbaric gods. This is no small feat. You will be given the chance to prove your worth and to become permanent residents of the castle and to progress from being mere human to god. However, before that you will be tested one final time.

The Alliance of the Gods is coming for you. You just have one day to prepare yourself and the castle. Do not make the mistake of taking the Alliance lightly. No human has ever been able to progress to god status in the history of the world even though a few have been able to take over the castles of gods, only to be defeated and removed by the Alliance. Prepare wisely. Either glory awaits you or your destruction.

Alternatively you can escape the wrath of the gods by returning the castle to the barbaric gods within the day that has been given to you.

“The blind god hadn’t been lying,” I said to Xoris.

Xoris was quiet for a moment.

“This is going to be risky,” he finally said, “but I doubt I will get a second chance to become a god. There is no way I am leaving this place. I am going to face the Alliance of the Gods. We must start the preparations right away.”

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I wanted to point it to Xoris that he wasn’t the one who was getting a chance to become a god, but me. Even Mintuk couldn’t become a god because being a sorcerer he had renounced the natural ability to level up and could only increase his powers through rituals. Of course, Xoris believed that I would always be in control of him, so I reckoned in some way it was Xoris’s only chance to become the master of a god. Xoris told about the forthcoming attack to Mintuk.

Mintuk didn’t look very happy about the prospect, which was understandable because there was every chance that we might be destroyed as the notification had promised. But he agreed that we should hurry and make the preparations.

As per Xoris’s orders, I took my monster rabbit form and then began digging holes all about the castle grounds at strategic locations. After creating each hole which took anywhere from five to ten minutes for me, I would spread a little of the solid clouds over the hole, such that the hole could barely be distinguished from the rest of the castle grounds. Xoris hoped that when the gods stepped over any of the hidden holes they would fall all the way to the earth. I was careful to remember the spots where I had dug the holes as I had no wish of falling down to earth through one of my own holes.

Once I had dug enough holes to satisfy Xoris, Xoris asked me to create clones of myself in my rabbit form itself to see if the clones created were any more powerful. When I chose the option to create the clones from the ‘lightning’ icon, the following message appeared:

You have a different spell activated which alters your shape and size. However, the clones that will be created will resemble your original appearance. Do you want to proceed?

Yes/No?

Xoris was disappointed at this. However, he ordered me to make thirty clones of the highest strength of 10. It took me a good half-an-hour to create ten clones and then a new pop-up appeared.

You have created the maximum number of clones that you can create at the strength of 10. Since 10 is the highest strength, you cannot create any more clones. However, if you wish to make your clones even more powerful, then allow them apt amounts of sleep and rest. Your clones can then acquire strengths of more than 10.

Once again, Xoris was disappointed.

“Ten new clones, plus the three you created earlier, that’s it?” he said. “Only thirteen clones? Thirteen clones and a few holes will never be enough to stop the Alliance!”

“We still have time to give back the castle to the barbaric gods,” I said.

At this, Xoris sent a particularly intense spasm of pain about my body and I instantly regretted speaking too much. I decided to keep quiet from then on. After some time, Xoris directed me to go to the corridor inside the castle that had the Lightning room and the other rooms.

“Can you break the locks?” Xoris asked me. I was in my human form and there was no way I could break the locks each one of which was the size of my head.

“I don’t think I can,” I said, “not as a human, at least.” There was no space in the corridor for me to become a monster rabbit.

“Ask my son,” Xoris said.