Thankfully, the rest of the town hall went by much smoother after that. Nathan had been anticipating more combatative questions, but most of the people there had truly come to have their concerns attended to.

Still, by the end of it, Nathan was feeling exhausted. It didn’t hurt that his arm had continued to twitch and freak out the whole time. He was feeling odd phantom sensations up and down his bones. Pain periodically spiked and nearly knocked him out like a light, flashes of black blurring his vision.

He’d immediately gone to Vee after the Town Hall. He was taken to a laboratory of some sort, all clean tiles and test tubes and fluorescent lights (magic lights, she’d said. Nathan had just shrugged and gone along with it.)

Vee sighed and pulled away the metal tool she’d been using to inspect his arm. On his arm’s side, the half-black, half-white chimera flower bloomed, its petals spread out gracefully.

“Well, you’re not in danger,” Vee said. “Not right now, anyway.”

“That’s not unnerving in the slightest.”

Vee reached up and scratched the back of her mushroom cap head.

“Basically,” she said. “It has to do with how your little flower friend got into your body in the first place.”

“What do you mean?”

She pulled out some papers from a counter to her side.

“When Speciman Five… emerged, for lack of a better term, it used a pretty nasty method. From my best guess, it took advantage of some cracks in what is best described as your core, or soul—though I hate the term.”

“That sounds… really bad. How did I get cracks in my ‘core’?”

“The cracks came from the Pandora. When you absorbed it, your core rebuilt itself from the ground up to be more powerful. Your body, too. There were a bunch of defects left over in the reforming process.” She looked up toward the ceiling. “Sounds kind of interesting. And painful.”

Nathan thought back to the experience of having every part of his skin on fire.

“Trust me, it was.” He shook his head. “But going back to the whole ‘cracks in my core’ thing?”

“It’s actually not that bad—at least, not normally,” Vee said. “Yeah, you aren’t operating at full capacity, you haven’t gotten to enjoy the enhanced stats associated with rank up, for example, but besides that, you haven’t dealt with anything too bad. And anyway, the soul’s a pretty sturdy thing. Given time and healing, it probably would’ve mended itself back together.” She clicked her tongue. “But there are two things getting in the way.”

“The plant stuff, right?”

“Yeah, and you seem to have some preexisting damage, as well.”

“Huh? How?”

Vee’s eyes stared at a wall. A few seconds ticked by.

“There’s some evidence that severe mental illness can lead to fractures in a core,” she said.

Nathan frowned. “How does that make any sense?”

“Hell if I know.” She shrugged. “I’m just a scientist. Maybe Papim’s right and there’s some weird metaphysical soul bullcrap going on. But I’m sure that none of this applies to you, right? You seem pretty well adjusted.”

Nathan was quiet.

“Yeah,” he said.

There was a beat of silence.

“Anyway,” Vee said. “The bigger issue is the flower. Just like it did with this town, it’s spreading its roots inside of you, Nathan. Not just on a physical level, but on that ‘inner being’ level as well. All those tremors and pains you described? All of that was your core trying to heal, and this thing getting in the way.”

“What are my options?”

“The best choice would be to rip it out,” she said. “It’s still early enough that we might be able to pull it off. You’d be out of commission for a week or two, but it would be worth it.”

Nathan glanced over at his arm. “What would that do to the plant?”

“It would die. It expended an enormous amount of resources to attach to you, and it’s own core seems to be located on the flower petals. There’s a chance that it survives, but that’s pretty low.”

Nathan was silent for a few seconds.

“Could I just wait it out?” he asked.

Vee turned, knocked over a glass beaker, and it crashed into the ground. She stared at Nathan.

“What?” she said. “Why would you do that?”

“Just answer the question.”

She shook her head.

“I guess there’s a small chance that your body and core adapt to the roots, but that’s really low. It’s not worth the risk. Why would you do that?”

“Because I’m about fifty percent sure it’s sapient, and I’m not sure about killing something like that in cold blood.”

Vee sucked in a breath. “Oh, shit.”

“It’s been playful, curious, it’s clearly capable of higher thought. Besides that, it protected me from harm. I would have to be the biggest scumbag in the world to turn around and slaughter something that helped me out like that.”

Vee sat in a chair and sighed.

“Well,” she said. “I guess you’d better pray that it’s smart enough to know what it’s doing. Otherwise, you’re boned, buddy.”

Before Nathan could think on this wonderful statement, he heard a loud knock at the door and nearly jumped out of his seat.

“Hello, Nathan?” Zayen shouted. “I think I’m ready to go home!”

Nathan stood up. He looked at Vee and gave her a quick nod.

“Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Just be sure to look out for us scientists in the new administration, okay?”

Nathan nodded, then turned around and stepped outside.

----------------------------------------

Nathan hopped out of the soul-bound portal and fell to the desert sand with a soft thud. A second later, Zayen came in after him.

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"That was most fascinating!" Zayen said.

Nathan nodded at Zayen. "Seems like you had a fun time."

"Indeed. We have records of democratic systems in use, but this is the first time that I've ever seen it attempted practically. Our people have used a nepotistic monarchic system for a long period of time. It's rather shocking to see democracy in action."

Nathan nodded again. "Well, you can show me to where I'm gonna work now?"

"Of course!"

Zayen opened his mouth, then shut it. Zayen suddenly stood up, looking around.

"Wait, where are my guards?" he said.

Nathan blinked.

We totally forgot to inform the guards where we were going. And weren’t we supposed to be in a palanquin, earlier?

"Oh dear," Zayen said. "This is going to be a most awkward conversation."

Nathan and Zayen walked toward the city of Sandara. After several hours, the yellow domes of the city poked out over the horizon. As they got closer to the gate, a loud shout broke them out of their thoughts.

"The King! Someone, look!"

A moment later, a dozen spearmen rushed out of the gates and surrounded Nathan and Zayen. Zayen laughed nervously. Nathan reached up and scratched the back of his head.

"My King, where have you been?" one of the guards said. "You vanished! We've had search patrols going out for the past several hours!"

Zayen winced.

"Would you believe me if I said that I was in another dimension?"

The guard stared at Zayen, uncomprehending. "What?"

"It doesn’t matter. Anyway, this is my new friend, Nathan. He will be a regular fixture in the palace from here on out."

The guard looked back at Nathan in shock.

"Him? He kidnapped you!"

"Is it really kidnapping if the kidnapping is consensual?" Before anyone could respond, Zayen shook his head. "These are my orders, guardsman. My will shall be done."

The guardsman clenched his fists, then nodded. "Understood, my Lord."

After that debacle, Nathan was led deeper into the palace. Rows of silken carpets and drapes lined the walls and floors. Gold and silver artifacts were scattered about in crystalline formations.

As they went deeper, cobwebs built up along the sides. Dust coated these wondrous artifacts. Eventually, they came across a wide set of stairs leading into darkness.

Zayen reached for the side and took a torch off the wall. "You should grab one too."

Nathan reached out and grabbed another torch. They headed down into the mysterious basement. Before long, they came across a massive door. Zayen went over to the right handle. Nathan, on instinct, went over to the left. Together, they pulled. The door swung open, and Nathan's jaw dropped.

Row after row of bookshelves stretched up toward the ceiling, as high as palm trees. Beyond that, there were clearly multiple floors—three stories, each with bookshelves of the same monumental height. In terms of depth, the bookshelves stretched inward like rubber bands. So much human knowledge, all in one location.

It was almost inconceivable.

Nathan stepped forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a handful of the brown-skinned desert people looking through the books. Probably other members of the research team that Zayen had recruited.

"Gentlemen!" Zayen clapped his hands.

A moment later, all of the people rose and looked over at Nathan and Zayen.

"Your Highness!"

Zayen nodded at the one who had spoken. "I have a new member of the team here for you. He's a combat specialist and an excellent manager. I'm sure you’ll be able to use him."

The man—Kamil—nodded. "Of course, my Lord. I look forward to working with him."

Nathan was about to step forward, but Zayen tugged on his sleeve. "Before you introduce yourself, let me show you to your room."

Zayen took a right turn, heading deeper into the library. Nathan followed behind him. Zayen made a left turn, then a right, then continued straight.

"You know, based on the information we have on soul-bound towns, I was kind of expecting a barren wasteland," Zayen said.

"It used to be like that, actually."

"Oh? You fixed things, then?"

Nathan laughed awkwardly. "I wouldn’t put it like that. The mushroom people are very industrious. I'm sure they would've sorted themselves out on their own."

"And what of the werewolves? I find it difficult to believe that, on their own, these mushroom people would've been capable of integrating the werewolves into their town."

"I only had a small part to play in all that. It wasn’t a big deal."

Zayen hummed. "I see. There were some other things that surprised me, though."

"Oh? What surprised you?"

Zayen reached out and ran his hands along the books. "Are you nobility?" Zayen asked. "Or at least related to nobility?"

"No."

"See, that’s part of what surprised me. You have a natural disposition toward kingship. Yet I can sense the energy of the common man about you. You can relate to their concerns in a way no mere king ever could. It’s quite interesting."

Before Nathan could respond, Zayen came to a stop. They were in front of a hallway lined with doors on both sides.

"The occupied rooms are marked with an X. Look through the unmarked ones and find one you like."

"Of course."

Zayen reached out his hand. "I look forward to working with you, Lord Nathan."

Nathan raised an eyebrow at the "Lord" comment but chose not to react.

"And I look forward to working with you as well."

And then I'll finally be finished with this side quest!

Nathan picked out a room easily. As Zayen said, the occupied ones were marked with an X. Nathan went to the first unmarked door and opened it. The room was a bizarre mix of luxury and neglect. The silk sheets and furnishings were undeniably luxurious, with intricate patterns woven into the fabric. Despite that, a thick layer of dust had built up on the surrounding desk. The lamp on the desk clearly hadn’t been used in what seemed like twenty years.

After that, Nathan went back outside to meet the other members of the team. Most of them were researchers. There were one or two ex-soldiers who acted as scouts to gather information, but for the most part, everyone there was dedicated to restoring the royal archives and finding a way to defeat the Dustend.

One interesting thing Nathan learned was that there was a surprising amount of evidence that the entire desert used to be an ocean. Excavations had uncovered fossilized remains, and the geological makeup indicated the whole area had once been underwater.

Despite not being an expert researcher, Nathan dedicated himself to assisting wherever he could. The researchers appreciated his help and included him in their activities. Nathan got to know each of them. Amir was the nerdiest, recruited solely for his desire to access the archives. Layla, on the other hand, was brilliant but had a tinge of insanity in her explanations. There were others as well, and oddly enough, the best bonding moments came during the team’s bi-weekly board game nights. Nathan had been surprised to see board games here but chose not to question it.

As the weeks passed, Nathan began to feel he might have signed up for an impossible task. If these brilliant minds hadn’t found a way to defeat the Dustan, what could he do? Sure, he knew how to break a few bones, but did that matter?

One day, while pouring over a book, the pages flipped to something interesting: desert tilapia.

Wasn’t that exactly what he needed for his fishing rod quest? Nathan stood up and started walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Kamil asked.

"I haven’t been of much help. I’m heading out to get some air."

"Right. Be back soon."

Nathan left the archives, deep in thought.

----------------------------------------

Nathan walked into the shimmering haze of the cursed desert, the dry air pulling at his skin like claws. The lake loomed ahead, a pool of unnatural stillness in the endless expanse of sand. Its surface shimmered with a pale, eerie light, casting reflections that seemed to ripple and shift even without wind.

The silence was oppressive. Each step Nathan took was swallowed by the stillness, his boots crunching against the sand, sounding hollow and faint. The closer he got, the more the air seemed to hum with an inaudible vibration.

When he reached the edge, the lake’s water was clearer than anything he’d seen in the desert, but there was something wrong. Beneath the surface, shadows swirled, forming shapes that dissolved as quickly as they appeared. Nathan knelt, his hand hesitating above the water. The unnatural glow seemed to reach for him, tugging at his senses, drawing him closer.

A flicker of movement caught his eye. A shape darted through the water, quick and fluid. Nathan froze, every muscle taut. The shadow passed again, closer this time, and he caught a glimpse of silver scales glinting in the dim light.

Then it rose. Slowly, deliberately, a massive fish broke the surface, its scales shimmering with an iridescent, cursed glow. Its eyes were hollow, glowing orbs that seemed to pierce through Nathan. The tilapia’s gills flared unnaturally, releasing a mist that hung in the air like a suffocating fog.

Nathan’s muscles tensed.

This is going to be difficult, but not impossible. I’ve done this type of thing before.

And then he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Someone, lying face up on the water.

An orc, wearing a red sash with the symbol of Bjorn’s squad.

Before he had any time to think about this, the monster let out a roar and Nathan was thrown to the ground from the shockwave.