The first thing to register in Callan’s brain when he opened his eyes was the distant sound of chirping birds. He stared up at the ceiling beams above him, several of them sporting dusty remnants of ancient webs. Not spider webs, of course, since apparently those didn’t exist in this world, but probably the creation of some other bizarre bug-catching creature, if he had to guess. Tiny aardvarks, maybe. He rolled to one side.

The light in Radavan’s basement was dim, but still enough for Callan to make out his surroundings, including the two other empty blanket piles nearby. It appeared he was alone for the moment.

Raising a hand over his head, he furrowed his brow and concentrated. A moment later, stone oozed out from his pores, spreading all the way to just past his elbows.

Alert: 6.25% Apotheosis used.

Total Apotheosis is at 6.25%

“Back in business,” he said to no one in particular.

Of course, no one in particular chose that moment to announce themselves.

If you wanted to check if I had returned, you could simply ask. Xeph’s voice sounded a little more gravelly than usual. Although I understand the need to witness my power’s awesome might. Nothing quite beats a visual demonstration of stone’s ultimate supremacy.

Callan sat up. “Good morning to you too, Xeph. You been out of quarantine long?”

Several hours now, yes.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” He glanced at the light from the windows. “Sun’s been up for a while, by the look of it.”

I leave such trivial matters to our priesthood. Besides, after my lengthy period of forced repose, I thought my time might be better used strategizing, planning for our next move. It was several hours well-spent, I assure you.

“Oh? Care to tell me about it?”

In a moment. First, we should discuss what occurred last night after my quarantine. You managed to renegotiate our contract with the new mayor in only a manner of minutes. That was solid work by you and our high priestess.

The praise brought a smile to Callan’s face. “Glad you approve. Though something tells me you’re just happy about the potential increase in faith.”

Of course I am. After all, I cannot eat grain. What use has a god for such banalities?

“I don’t know, keeping your followers alive, maybe?”

Bah, they have managed this long. Eating spirebeans will not be the death of them.

“Tell that to my tastebuds.” Callan winced. In truth, he’d probably be missing the adle here in Aos more than he would the people. With luck they’d be able to trade for more.

Regardless, the two of you dealt with the situation admirably. Though I dislike abandoning our support for the previous mayor, we are still accomplishing her will by hunting down Veritas, so ultimately I cannot complain.

“Good to hear. Don’t suppose you have any ideas where we should start looking in that regard?”

Actually, I do. There was a smug note to Xeph’s voice. While you languished in slumber, my superior intellect was considering all the possibilities, and thanks to my eons of experience and gathered knowledge, I have come up with a foolproof plan to resolve this conflict—

The creaking of boards overhead drew Callan’s attention. A moment later the basement door cracked open and Kivi peered inside. She smiled at seeing him awake.

“Avatar.” Making her way down the stairs, she knelt beside his blankets. “I was just coming to wake you.”

See? Xeph noted. Trivial matters.

“Oh shush.” Callan noticed Kivi’s expression and shot her a reassuring smile. “Sorry, not you.”

“Yes, I assumed. Xeph-Zul-Karatl has returned to consciousness?”

“Apparently a few hours ago.” He frowned at a sudden thought. “How come you’re only waking me now?”

Kivi sat back. “There were matters to attend to once the sun rose, and I thought your time was better spent recuperating. You have not missed much. I spoke with Belinda earlier, and she has requested an audience with you before we depart—”

“Request?” It was all Callan could do not to laugh. “Hard to imagine that woman requesting anything. Guess a fall from power changes people.”

“Indeed. Still, it would be unwise to pass up an opportunity for any last-minute information gathering. No one else in town has been able to provide any useful information concerning Veritas’s avatar. And speaking of the rest of the town...”

She held out her hand. Callan stared at it a moment.

“Oh!” he said, his brain finally catching on. Reaching out, he grasped Kivi’s hand in his own.

You have been awarded 32 additional faith.

Callan blinked in surprise. Combined with the eleven he’d netted from the town before, that put them three points ahead of where they would have been under the original agreement. Not a huge difference, but honestly it was more than he’d been expecting.

“Is this everyone?”

Kivi nodded. “Even Veritas’s former priests. It seemed most of their loyalties fell away when they received news of Torveld’s election as mayor. If we had only known how easy matters could be settled earlier...”

“We still wouldn’t have abandoned Belinda,” Callan insisted. After a moment, Kivi nodded her agreement, though she seemed less uncertain of that fact.

“I’ll go fetch her. You should go upstairs and eat while you can.”

Callan nodded, then watched the lud girl make for the stairs. At the base, she looked back at him. “Also, you might like to know that we have now accounted for all of Veritas’s former cultists. Torveld found the one known as Pyle hiding in his home. It seems he fled there after someone delivered a near-fatal blow to him during the battle.”

She smirked at the avatar, then calmly climbed the stairs without another word.

“I guess that wraps up the last of the mysteries from last night,” Callan said, pulling his blanket aside. He hunted around a moment looking for his sneakers before remembering he’d left them by the front door. Shaking his head, he made for the stairs.

Indeed. All except for the mystery surrounding the avatar of Veritas.

“Yeah, but even that I think we have pretty frickin good clue.”

Yes... I barely recall this Ulfa woman from our few attempts at surveillance, but what we did see did not exactly appear to be particularly noteworthy avatar material.

Callan rolled his eyes as he pushed the basement door open. “Pretty sure that was the point, buddy. She fooled everyone, even you.”

Hmm. Perhaps. The god didn’t comment further. Callan left him to his grousing and went in search of breakfast, which he found in the form of several now-cool loaves along with a jar of pickled radish-like vegetables waiting for him on the table. He dug in while he waited for Kivi and Belinda to return.

While he munched his way through the food, he also pulled up his stat screen.

Name: Xeph-Zul-Karatl (3rd Sphere)

Avatar: Callan Whitlocke (Trueborn Human)

-STATISTICS-

Brawn: 19

Momentum: 17

Fortitude: 41

Concentration: 17

Influence: 17

Piety: 18

-BOUNTIES-

God Bond: Gypsum – I

Manifestation: Mountainform

Orison slot 1: Shape Stone (Gypsum - I)

Orison Slot 2: Wurmchain (Talc - X)

Orison slot 3: Rock Sling (Talc - II)

-DISPENSATIONS-

Perk 1: Wane

-DOGMA-

Total Followers: 130

Available Faith: 30

Conviction: 5/10

Conviction Rate: 5.5/week

Temples: 1/2

Domain: 18 yd

APOTHEOSIS: 0/27.5%

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Alright, no more debt penalty!” Plus, he still had thirty points left to spend however he wanted. The only question was how exactly to go about it.

“Do you think I should hold any points in reserve?” he asked.

What for?

“Oh, gee, I don’t know, maybe in case another follower dies? Or one of these villagers recants the second we leave and I find myself back in debt? I’d really rather not go through that again so soon.”

Hmm, a valid point. I think holding a reserve of... let’s say two percent of your total pool should be sufficient. Any more will simply be leaving potential advantages against Veritas wasted.

Okay, so about three points, then. That still left twenty-seven to spend. Callan considered his options.

“Should I boost my stats? Or focus on increasing my orisons? Not sure which will pay bigger dividends in the short term.”

You need to focus on both long and short-term when planning any future growth, Xeph noted. Callan rolled his eyes.

“Yes, but at the moment I’m going to prioritize whatever will reduce my odds of dying to a severe case of ‘one too many stab wounds to the back’. We’re heading out to battle soon, if you recall.”

Yes, yes, I merely wished to remind you that short-term decisions are equally short-sighted, that is all.

“Says the god who didn’t think Dveorgvision was worth taking.”

Hmmph. Are you ever going to stop throwing that back in my face?

Callan grinned. “Nope. Now, about that advice...”

If we are speaking purely in terms of what will be the most likely to yield benefits fighting Veritas, then increasing your stats will be of little noticeable improvement.

“So, orisons then.”

Yes. Primarily your Rock Sling.

That advice brought him up short. “Really? Because currently it’s so expensive to use with little benefit. Those rocks didn’t really do much to Veritas before other than distract him.”

Never discount the advantages of a distraction, but beyond that, I have two reasons for my advice. First, because until you have mastered altering Wurmchain, increasing its potency remains more of a liability to you than anything.

Callan nodded. “Okay. Second reason?”

You have not truly witnessed what Rock Sling is capable of. Recall the noteworthy gains from Shape Stone when it increased in rank. You will see something similar once Rock Sling reaches the next tier.

After considering a moment, he nodded. “Good enough for me.”

It took eight points to raise Rock Sling up to Talc — X. After that, he had to pause and fish around in his pocket for enough memory shards to refill his conviction pool. That accomplished, it was the work of a moment to unlock the orison.

After that, all he had to do was pay for one more upgrade. However, his finger hovered over the proverbial button, not fully ready to commit to pushing it yet.

Would you like to improve the orison: Rock Sling? Cost = 10 Faith

Mortal? What’s wrong?

“It just doesn’t feel right that this costs more than the last eight levels combined.” Callan knew he was whining, but he couldn’t help it. Everything about Gypsum tier felt so unfair.

There is a marked increase, to be certain, but I promise that the gains will be worth it.

“They better be.” With a sigh, he mentally accepted.

You have improved the orison: Rock Sling to Gypsum — I

Apotheosis cost adjusted to 25% for a medium stone.

Range improved to 40 feet.

Okay, that was a noteworthy improvement. Before the description had simply described the stone as “small”. He wasn’t certain exactly how a medium stone varied, exactly, but it was bound to be better. And the range had topped out at nineteen feet after he’d raised it to Talc — X, so this was over double before. Still...

“Are these things going to get more expensive every time I upgrade them?” he asked. “Because if so, I’m not going to be able to afford my orisons after the fourth tier or so.”

No, there isn’t always an increase.

Callan breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was one concern off his plate.

After that, he had twelve points left, which meant nine to spend on his stats. He could have dipped into his reserve a bit and gone up another level in Shape Stone or Rock Sling, but after all the points he’d sunk into his orisons already, he just didn’t have the stomach for it.

So instead, he shored up a few areas he thought might make a difference, no matter what Xeph said. Momentum was Veritas’s weakest stat, so he dropped eight points into his own, bringing it up to twenty-five. That was even higher than what the other avatar possessed, even before Callan tricked them into wearing the bracelets.

Tricked her into wearing the bracelets. Ulfa. He really needed to start getting that into his head.

Finally, Callan dropped his last free point into Brawn, bringing it up to twenty. Not that he expected that to actually make a difference, but it made him feel better, seeing the number nice and rounded like that.

Shortly after he finished, Kivi returned with Belinda in tow. The former mayor looked as if she hadn’t slept last night, dark rings circling her eyes and her face a more pallid color than it had been a day or two before.

Still, at the sight of Callan, she stood a little straighter, drawing on whatever remained of her former presence. He could respect that, even if he didn’t know the reason for it.

“Avatar. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me.”

Callan nodded. “No problem. What’s this about, though? We need to get moving before we lose anymore daylight.”

“Yes, about that.” Belinda took a seat across from him, steepling her fingers in front of her. “I know that I may no longer be mayor of this little town, but I hope that whatever relationship we managed to foster these past few weeks hasn’t been lost entirely. And that you are, at heart, a man of your word.”

That’s an ominous way to begin any conversation, Xeph noted. Frowning, Callan simply waited for the older yeth woman to continue.

“While the original agreement we struck may no longer be valid, I wanted to ask what it might take to still honor it. I may not be mayor anymore, but I care about this community, and Veritas will mean its destruction, whatever that upstart Torveld thinks otherwise.”

Callan and Kivi glanced at each other, while in his head Xeph let out a booming laugh. At last Callan turned back. “We’ve actually already come to a new agreement with Torveld—ah, the mayor about this.”

This brought Belinda up short. “You mean—”

“The avatar and I will be departing to finish Veritas off once and for all,” Kivi said. Belinda slumped in relief, and she added, “Assuming we can find where she’s hidden, of course.”

“Oh, yes, that could be a challenge. Even my husband was never able to root out Veritas’s temple...” Belinda trailed off, frowning. She glanced at Kivi. “Why did you say ‘she’?”

“There were some... developments after you and Radavan departed last night,” Kivi said. “Did your son not tell you?”

“Of course not. I was holding vigil for Alyssa until sunrise, as is proper. You were the first person I ran into on my way back. Rather preferred it that way,” she added with a snort.

As briefly as possible, Kivi explained about their new agreement with Torveld, as well as the conversation that had followed. The more Kivi talked, the wider Belinda’s eyes grew.

When she was finally done, the yeth woman just sat there, shaking her head for several long moments.

“No, it can’t be Ulfa. She... it can’t be. I’d have known.”

“With all respect,” Callan said, “You didn’t know about Higarth, either.”

“That was different! Higarth was a newcomer to our village, relatively speaking. Ulfa was the first one to settle here. She fled to the Badlands after her father tried to marry her to...” The yeth woman trailed off. Her face grew more pale, if that was even possible.

“...Yeah?” Callan prompted after a solid minute had passed.

“I... of course.” A snarl pulled back Belinda’s lips. “I should have realized from the outset! That girl must have been one of Veritas’s priests who survived the battle. She’s been biding her time all these years, just waiting for a chance to serve again. And my husband and I fell for it! She was our friend! She was godmother to my children! I... I trusted her for years. When she fell sick, all I could think about was losing my dearest ally! And to think she was plotting this the entire time.”

She lapsed into silence again. Kivi cleared her throat. “While I understand the pain you must be feeling right now, we need to try and gather whatever information you can tell us about this Ulfa.”

“Not sure I can help you,” Belinda said with a twirl of her hand. “Apparently I barely knew her myself!”

“Can you at least speculate as to why she waited until now?” Callan asked. “Like you said, she was here for years. Why wait to resurrect Veritas?”

Perhaps she simply didn’t know Veritas’s exact location, Xeph speculated. After all, I still have followers out in the world, and none of them managed to locate me in the thousands of years in which I slumbered.

“Yeah, but I doubt Veritas was hiding in some filthy hole underneath the earth,” Callan muttered under his breath. The god let out a squawk.

FILTHY???

“If I had to guess,” Belinda said, drawing Callan’s attention back, “It likely had to do with needing the right conditions. For years my own goddess’s eyes were still watchful for Veritas’s return. Then, when enough time had passed, Zavastu had already taken over much of the Badlands. It wasn’t until you chased the priests out of Tok that an opportunity appeared.”

Hmm. That still doesn’t quite fit. Nor explain why Veritas remained here after her reawakening.

Callan repeated this last part to Belinda. She shook her head. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any more answers than you. Perhaps there are other issues we’re unaware of. I’m just an old woman now, and all I can tell you is what I know about the past.”

She glanced down at the table. “And even that much I’m starting to question.”

“Ultimately, none of this matters,” Kivi said. “If we have the opportunity to question Ulfa when we find her, we will. Until then, the only thing that matters is finding her.”

Belinda shook her head. “I wish I could help more there. All I can do is thank you—agreement or no, I’ll rest easier knowing this matter is finally settled.”

She rose from her chair and left without so much as a backwards glance.

“Well, that was a waste of time,” Callan noted, after she was gone.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was a waste,” Kivi noted. “Until we have some lead on Ulfa’s whereabouts, there is little chance of us locating her. Paeral did find a dvorak trail leading out of town, but it ended abruptly near the far edge of the fields. We could begin searching there, but...”

She spread her hands in frustration.

Callan ground his teeth. He was starting to regret not going after the other avatar last night. True, stumbling around in the dark chasing after an enemy who knew the terrain was a good way to fall into a trap or worse, but at least it wouldn’t have meant letting the trail go cold.

Still, they’d just have to make the best of it now.

“Gather Paeral,” he said, standing. “We’ll follow this trail and start there. At the very least, we might be able to find where he’s been stashing these roided rhinos of his.”

Mortal.

“Yeah, Xeph?”

You may not recall, overwhelmed by joy at my return as you were, but I have a plan for where to begin our search.

Callan rolled his eyes. “Right, you did say something about your ‘superior intellect’, didn’t you. Alright, out with it.”

Xeph told him his plan. Afterwards, Callan just stood there, frowning.

“You really think that will work?” he said at last.

Of course. As I said, it is foolproof.

“I don’t know, I’ve seen plenty of plans get derailed by a fool before.”

Hmmph. Have a little faith.

“Oh, I’ve got that in plenty.” Callan stood and stretched, heading for the front door. “What if he just says no, though? What’ll you do then?”

That— The god paused. It took all of Callan’s willpower not to grin.

“Go on,” he urged. “I believe you said something about it being foolproof?”

The yeth will not say no.

“You sound certain of that.” Now Callan was grinning. “Yet all it takes is one small word, and your entire plan crumbles like a house of cards.”

Why would you build a house from—No, never mind. Are you going to speak with them, or not?

“Oh, I’ll at least give it a try,” Callan said. “I’m just not arrogant enough to think that a ‘plan’ which consists of a single, easily derailed step constitutes being called foolproof.”

The god muttered several unintelligible things after that, but didn’t respond. Outside, Callan found the two lud waiting for him.

“Change of plans. Follow me.”

If this surprised either Kivi or Paeral, neither made comment about it. Instead, they hustled after him as he made his way out of town and across the fields.

It had been dark the last time Callan went this way, but he thought he knew where to go. Hopefully he was right, or it would be a rather embarrassing walk back to town to ask for directions.

Yet it seemed that luck was with him once again. About a half-hour after Aos slipped from sight, Callan emerged into a familiar clearing. A rickety tent sat across from them, and a small fire smoldered in a pit to one side.

Callan ignored all of that, however. He had eyes only for the emaciated yeth sitting on a nearby log. The yeth glanced up at his approach, but if he actually saw Callan and the others in front of him, he gave no indication.

“Hello, Rym,” Callan said. “Good to see you again.”