Quarantine protocols deployed.

Time until quarantine lifted = 05:00:00

Callan hopped off the bottom step of the tower and swiped the message away. Behind him, Kivi held a torch aloft, scanning the town square for any sign of Veritas.

Callan could tell it was wasted effort. Without their support network of priests, the other avatar had fled. He just didn’t know why.

Even wounded, even with their priests captured, they could still have held their own in a fair fight. Or even an unfair one, if the yeth below joined in. So why hadn’t Veritas pushed for victory?

Well, whatever. There were probably factors he wasn’t aware of. Maybe Veritas had also been at the limit of their apotheosis. Maybe they really thought Callan was stronger than he was. Whatever the reason, Callan would take it.

Turning, he made his way around the tower. All over town, lights were coming on in buildings as shutters pulled back and yeth emerged into the square, drawing close.

Had Radavan already spread the word that the battle was over, or had that many just been watching this entire time?

Whichever reason, word had clearly spread quickly. By the time Callan reached the far side of the tower, it looked as if most of the town was in attendance. They trailed behind him like lost sheep.

He ignored them and just kept walking.

Finally, he reached his destination. He found the mayor sitting on the ground, legs tucked at the knees, a torch sputtering in the dirt beside her. Alyssa’s broken head rested in her lap.

Callan stood there in silence. A few people in the crowd behind him whispered to each other, but for the most part the night was quiet. Overhead, the Sentinel shone silver-bright, its light illuminating the rooftops of Aos. Under other circumstances, it would have been beautiful.

Unfortunately, these weren’t other circumstances.

“How many?” the mayor asked at last. She didn’t look up, just kept brushing idly at her daughter’s hair. There was a dark smear on her dress that Callan thought was better left unidentified. “How many dead?”

“Three that we know of,” Kivi answered. “Higarth was indeed crushed under the town weathervane, and Ianthe confirmed her cousin Leshi was killed by falling debris when the temple roof came down. At least one cultist is also still unaccounted for, so there might be others yet buried in the trading post basement. We won’t know until morning.”

Huh. So that was Ianthe who I left hanging from the side of the tower, Callan mused. The thought felt far away, though, and didn’t feel particularly relevant anymore. At least the girl was still breathing. Unlike some.

Belinda nodded, only seeming to half-hear Kivi’s words. She stared down at her daughter’s face, and a sad smile spread across her own. “I almost lost her once, you know. Wandered too close to the cliff edge when she was five. A villager found her clinging to a tree root a dozen feet down. Even hearing the story later nearly Scared me and her father half to death. Since that day, I’ve tried to keep her safe. Thought if she was somewhere I could watch her, she wouldn’t... she could...”

She trailed off. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes, but her face remained dry.

Behind Callan, someone cleared their throat. He turned and saw Torveld standing there.

“Begging pardon for the interruption, Mayor, but it’s time we talked about holding that election you promised.”

“Are you kidding me?” Before anyone else could react, Callan grabbed hold of the yeth by his shirt. He hoisted him up until his feet danced in the air. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? Her daughter is dead. Show some goddamn respect.”

“I—that—hurk!” Torveld starting turning purple in the face.

“Avatar, put him down.” The mayor’s words were spoken so emotionlessly, she might have been asking about the weather. Gently shifting her daughter’s head to one side, she brushed off her pants and rose to face the crowd.

“Really? You’re serious.” Callan shot a look of disgust at the man he was holding, then simply released him. Torveld stumbled back and would have fallen had several people in the crowd not moved to support him. He glared at the avatar.

“I know you must think me heartless, Avatar Callan, but the fact of the matter is that the mayor promised when this matter with Veritas was dealt with, we could have an open and fair election. I simply want to make sure that no one will attempt to, ah, reinterpret the agreement.”

“Well, tough shit for you.” Callan sneered back at the man. “Veritas isn’t dead yet. Tomorrow at first light I’ll hunt them down and put them in the dirt, but until then you’d better keep it in your pants. Give the mayor a little time to grieve, why don’t you?”

“No, he’s right.” Belinda shook her head. “You want your election so bad, Torveld? We’ll hold it right now.”

Torveld blinked, clearly taken aback. “Now? But... we need to gather the rest of the villagers.”

“If someone thought staying at home was more important than being here to discuss the fate of our town, that’s their problem. We’ll do this here and now. Are there any other candidates besides you and myself?”

She waited while the crowd whispered amongst themselves. When no one else stepped forward, she nodded. “Very well, we’ll use a simple show of hands. Who here thinks that I should stay in power?”

The crowd muttered, and a few hands in the back raised hesitantly, but Callan could tell it wasn’t nearly enough. The mayor looked on the verge of arguing, of saying something contrite, but then simply snapped her mouth shut and nodded. “Fine. And those who favor Torveld as the new mayor?”

Most of the hands in the crowd rose, though again, hesitantly. These were not people used to democracy, Callan realized. He wondered where they’d even learned the idea.

Belinda’s jaw tightened, like it was taking all her willpower not to grind her teeth. Then her whole body relaxed. She turned away. “Bah. Do as you all want. I’ve a daughter to bury.”

Radavan joined his mother, and together they lifted Alyssa’s broken form and carried it from the square. Callan watched until they were hidden from even the moonlight. When he turned back, he found the crowd beginning to disperse. Even Torveld was a half-dozen steps away.

Crossing the distance, he grabbed the man’s shoulder and spun him around. “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Avatar? It is late, and we all need sleep before work begins on the morrow.”

“That’s right, we all have plenty to do tomorrow. The question I’m wondering right now is what, exactly?”

“I don’t understand,” Torveld said. Around him, other yeth had noticed the conversation and turned back. A crowd was rapidly gathering around them. Callan glanced about and smiled.

Perfect.

“What I mean is, are Xeph and I sticking around? After all, the deal we had before was with your old mayor—” he gestured in the direction Belinda had gone. “—And not with you. Besides, seems like you might be more receptive to Veritas’s offer. So I ask again—what is happening tomorrow? Am I hunting after Veritas, or am I leaving?”

“It is true that many of Veritas’s proposals aligned with our own,” said a yeth standing nearby. Joshu. “However, I for one would like to first discuss with the committee—”

Torveld waved him to silence. He stared critically at Callan. “What, exactly, were the terms you set with Bel—ah, the former mayor?”

“The faith of forty new followers,” Kivi said, stepping forward. “Along with one in twelve bushels of your next harvest.”

This last part sent a wave of gasps and angry words through the crowd. Torveld paled. Then he straightened. “Well, Avatar Callan, as you already noted, the deal you brokered before was with the previous administration. I’m afraid that we simply cannot honor such... exorbitant terms. Your services are no longer required.”

“You forget yourself,” Kivi said, eyes flashing dangerously. “After all, you are in the presence of the god Xeph-Zul-Karatl—”

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She paused as Callan placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, High Priestess. I expected something like this.”

“Avatar? Surely you don’t intend to allow this injustice to stand!” Kivi expression mirrored Callan’s own thoughts: After everything they had just gone through, everything they had risked in the last fight, leaving now meant it had all been for nothing.

This, however, was exactly the result Callan had been hoping for. He stared into Kivi’s eyes, trying to communicate that to her wordlessly.

Something must have gotten through. After a moment, the lud girl dropped her gaze. “I apologize, Avatar. If this is Xeph-Zul-Karatl’s desire, then of course I will obey.”

That was bullshit and they both knew it. Xeph was out of commission for the next few hours and wouldn’t be opining about anything. However, the gathered yeth didn’t need to know that.

Callan turned back to Torveld, a wide grin plastered on his face. “Great! Seems like our work here is done, then. We’ll be heading right out. Hope you understand if we don’t stick around, this plateau isn’t exactly going to be safe for us now.”

“I—yes, of course, Avatar. I appreciate your calm attitude on the matter.” Torveld seemed taken aback, but he rallied quick enough. Maybe the guy did have a future as a mayor, after all.

“C’mon, High Priestess, Paeral, let’s get going.” Callan glanced back at the yeth. “We’ll let you free the surviving priests we left hogtied at the top of the tower. Also, there might be one or two buried under the trading post basement, but I’m sure you can get that sorted out in short order.”

Torveld frowned. “Wait, what—?”

“Oh, we should probably bring Belinda along. Also Radavan and his family. I’m sure they won’t want to become Veritas’s priests, even if the god let them.” Callan tapped his chin in faux thought. “Also Millica, Barnum, and Moas. Not really safe for them to remain, is it?”

“Avatar, you can’t simply abduct our citizens,” Torveld began. Then he blinked. “What did you mean, ‘become Veritas’s priests’?”

“What, you hadn’t heard?” Callan turned back to look at the new mayor. He could tell his grin had gotten wider. “I’m positive it come up during one of the debates.”

“Veritas intends to convert everyone in town into a member of their priesthood,” Kivi said. “Aos will serve as the center of their new empire.”

“That...” Torveld glanced nervously behind him as a ripple of mutters passed through the crowd. He looked noticeably less confident when he turned back. “That is a decision for each citizen to make on their own. Veritas cannot simply force us to join their priesthood.”

“They can and they will,” Callan said. “Or do you really think you can stop them when they start killing anyone who disobeys? What was it you said to me before? Yeth are honorable, but not fighters? Some nonsense like that.”

“Veritas never threatened such harm before, I cannot believe they would now!”

“The only reason they didn’t have you all in chains the first time was because your mayor was keeping them at bay. Not much chance of that happening now,” Callan noted. The crowd erupted into yelling at that.

“It is true!” Kivi shouted. The crowd quieted at her words. “If you don’t believe us, ask her yourselves. Or her son Radavan. Either can confirm that your former mayor was a member of the priesthood that originally broke Veritas’s strength. It was only the powers she wielded that forced the god to behave themselves and attempt to sway you with words.”

Before the crowd could start up again, Kivi continued, her voice gaining volume. “All Xeph-Zul-Karatl desired from you was your faith. We have always been honest about our intentions here. So has Veritas. They told you about their plans from the beginning, but you were too blinded by your schemes and ambitions. You chose to ignore all but what you wanted to hear. Now you shall bear the consequences of those choices. The god will have you as priests, or as slaves. I hope you all have made peace with that decision.”

Turning to Callan, she said loudly, “Come, Avatar, let us be away quickly. Veritas is sure to return for their prize with the dawn.”

Trying not to grin, Callan set off across the square, ignoring the shouts and arguments behind him. He didn’t slow down until he heard Torveld’s voice ring out. “Wait!”

“Yeah?” He turned around and watched the new mayor of Aos jog hurriedly after them. Torveld stopped and scratched at the back of his head. He refused to meet either Callan or Kivi’s eyes.

“It seems there is, ah, some reconsideration amongst my people. Would you... possibly... consider honoring your original agreement?”

“What’s that?” Callan pointedly stuck a finger in his ear and wriggled it around. He pulled it back out. “Sorry, try that again, I don’t think I heard you right.”

Torveld sighed. “Please, Avatar Callan. You made an oath to save this town. Will you fulfill your promise and rid us of Veritas?”

Before Callan could open his mouth, Kivi spoke up. “No.”

“No?”

The lud girl shook her head. “Even if the agreement wasn’t with the previous mayor, you already dismissed us. The string has been cut. If you wish to contract avatar Callan’s services, you will need to form an entirely new agreement.”

“But—” Torveld glanced back at the crowd, who was watching just a short distance away, muttering. He turned back and lowered his voice. “I do not think we can afford to pay any grain. With all the disruptions this conflict has caused—”

“Fortunately for you, we no longer require any grain,” Kivi said. Callan looked at her in surprise.

“We don’t?”

Kivi gave him the same expression he had likely given her a few moments before. Callan snapped his mouth shut. If Xeph had been awake, he’d likely have reminded him that these were exactly the sort of moments he had a high priestess for in the first place.

Turning back to Torveld, she said. “We will, however, require your faith. All of it. Every man, woman, and child of eligible age must swear their undying faith to Xeph-Zul-Karatl. Before sunrise.”

“Surely we can negotiate something a little, ah, less...” Torveld seemed at loss for words. Kivi smirked at the yeth.

“Oh, I see you’ve made the same mistake as your predecessor, Mayor. You seem to be under the mistaken impression that this is a negotiation. It’s not. Instead, I am simply telling you the price for Xeph-Zul-Karatl’s services. You may take it, or we shall leave. Simple as that.”

“I’m not sure I can convince the others—”

“You must.” Kivi peered around the mayor back at the crowd. “Yet somehow, I do not think you will find it too difficult now. Remind them that it is just faith, nothing more. We shall establish no temples, raise no priests, take no slaves. Your people will be free. And all it will cost them is a bit of faith.”

She smiled at the yeth, and Callan could see that he was wavering. They almost had him.

“What of the prisoners?” he asked at last. “These enemy priests. Surely you don’t intend to... harm them, do you?”

“We want their faith, too,” Callan said. Both Kivi and Torveld looked at him. “To, you know, ensure there are no hard feelings or whatever. If they break their bonds to Veritas and worship Xeph instead, we’ll just consider everything that happened tonight water under the bridge.

Torveld frowned, and looked on the verge of asking further questions, then seemed to think better of it. He nodded. “It shall be done. By first light tomorrow, every villager here, myself included, will have sworn themselves to Xeph-Zul-Karatl.”

“Very good, Mayor,” Kivi said. “You won’t regret that decision.”

The expression on Torveld’s face said that he already did, but he kept the opinion to himself. Turning, he jogged back to the gathered crowd.

Kivi turned towards Callan. “That was a clever move, Avatar. How did you know the town would change their mind so quickly?”

“A lucky guess, mostly. Back in my home w—continent, there were plenty of similar situations. People tend to focus on the short term more than the long. I figured most of these yeth were only supporting Veritas because it helped them take down the mayor. Now that she’s gone, they suddenly found themselves holding a bag they didn’t want anymore. Simple enough to take advantage of that.”

The lud girl nodded slowly, clearly considering this. Callan took the opportunity to ask his own burning question. “So why did you decide to give up on the grain shipment? Pretty sure we could have squeezed them for whatever we wanted at this point. And they aren’t that far behind on the harvest they couldn’t have afforded it.”

“Believe me, I did consider the idea, Avatar. Having access to a reserve of grain would take much of the pressure off our hunters, but ultimately we can trade with other communities in the area.” Kivi paused, then added, “Also, there was a significant factor influencing my decision.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“I don’t ever want to come back to this horrid place, even for just a grain shipment. It was worth losing for that alone.”

Huh. Callan had honestly been expecting a less... petty reason for the decision, but he could at understand where she was coming from, even if he didn’t necessarily agree with it. And Kivi was right: they did have other trading partners. For instance, Restaro and his wife clearly grew more than they could consume. The rutain must have been trading or selling it somewhere. They would have to try and come to some sort of agreement on the way home.

Before he could say anything further on the matter, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

A woman stopped a short distance away and gave a nervous bow. Callan thought she looked familiar, then remembered that he’d seen her clinging to Torveld through most of the last few gatherings. He didn’t think he’d ever caught her name, though.

“Avatar. High Priestess.” The woman bowed again. “I apologize for the interruption, but I was hoping you might be able to assist me?”

“Uh, maybe?” Right now all Callan could think about was crawling under some blankets and getting a few hours of sleep while he waited for Xeph to come back. Still, he figured he could at least hear the woman out. “What’s going on?”

“It’s my mother, Ulfa. She’s disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Kivi and Callan glanced at each other in confusion. “Do you mean during the battle? Was your house attacked by the cult?”

The yeth woman shook her head. “No, it was before that. Almost right before the false Veritas appeared in town, in fact. My mother has been bedridden for weeks, you see, and—”

“Oh yeah, widow Ulfa!” Callan remembered now. She was the only one he hadn’t watched before, on account of her being horribly sick and basically never moving. He’d even complained about it to Xeph...

A thought started wriggling its way forward from the back of Callan’s brain, a thought he really didn’t like. If Xeph was awake right now, the god probably would have been laughing. Even so, Callan would have appreciated his input. At the very least just to confirm he was being ridiculous.

After all, there was just no way. He couldn’t be right.

Could he?

While he stewed in his own head, Kivi continued speaking with the woman. “There has been much chaos and destruction this evening. You should speak with the new mayor about searching through any wreckage. It is possible she is nearby and simply unresponsive.”

The woman frowned but nodded. “Somehow, I doubt Torveld will be too concerned with finding her, but I thank you for the concern. Good evening to you both.”

She hurried off. Kivi turned to Callan. There was a strange expression on her face.

“Are you thinking what I am, Avatar?”

“I don’t know, mayyyyyyyybe?” Callan almost didn’t want to give it words. If he’d overlooked something so stupidly obvious...

“It is possible,” Kivi said, apparently not seeing his internal struggle. “I think that this widow Ulfa could be—”

“—Veritas?” Callan finished, hating the way the word squeaked out. Kivi nodded.

“Her supposed illness would have been the perfect cover. Even the mayor never seemed to give it a second thought.” She tapped her chin. “I will speak with Belinda about it further. Regardless, there is nothing to be done tonight. Not until Xeph reawakens.”

“You noticed that too, huh?”

The high priestess nodded. “Why not return to Radavan’s and get some sleep? Paeral and I will do the same once we have spoken with his mother. Something tells me we’ll need all the rest we can get before tomorrow.”

“I have a feeling you’re right about that, too.” Callan shook his head, then glanced about. All of the yeth had disappeared, either back into homes or elsewhere for the evening. There was nothing left for them to accomplish tonight.

Besides, Callan needed sleep. He had less than five hours until Xeph was back in service, and once that happened...

They were going hunting.