Blake was feeling rather overwhelmed. First, he'd survived the horrific demon encounter and realized he'd been an extraordinary idiot.

In the end he'd realized there was an entirely separate puzzle right at the foot of the demon, which would have allowed them to finish the binding enchantment without actually re-activating a single chain.

The 'chains', he’d discovered, were essentially bonus quests, or optionals. When Blake actually attempted to finish the main puzzle, the system had even spelled out exactly what they needed to do, and that they could do the chains if they wished—each chain finished adding an extra 50 years or something to the demon's imprisonment.

Since Blake had ignored this puzzle, (see also: did not realize), he hadn't known this until near the very end.

At some point he’d decided the puzzle seemed far too difficult, the challenge of the demon portals much too harsh. By the fourth chain he'd been wondering how on earth someone without his abilities could even hope to accomplish it. Only after he'd screwed up and destroyed it had he realized the answer was 'they couldn't.'

So, as the chain broke, and he finally saw the cluster of glowing tiles on the floor were a separate pattern, he'd switched to that. And finished it in less than a minute.

His profile was still blinking with the success.

[Titles gained: Three optional chains complete. Reward: Astral Binding Rune.]

[Imprisoned Demon Lord Sazariss. Dungeon complete. Reward: Experience (major).]

[Congratulations, you have leveled to 13. Please select a new power.]

It was a wonderful high, and he'd have loved to make his choice now as he convalesced on the stone floor of the Grey Tower. Preferably with Ilya and maybe Seul-ki taking turns rejuvenating him.

Instead, it was more violence. And betrayal. Topped off with a diplomatic nightmare involving his brother, a whole bunch of players, and presumably a large assortment of dead Stoneblood orcs.

Blake was also completely out of mana. His constructs were destroyed, timed out, or left with approximately two point five out of four limbs. Oh, and his Partitioned Mind was fried again because that fucking demon had gotten off another Mind Rend as it went back to hell. So, that was neat.

Then Annie started screaming.

She was clutching her head with wide eyed panic, staring at Blake as if for help.

"It's coming back!" she cried. "My power...it's not working. It's not working!"

Orcs and humans were nearly trampling them all in any case. Phantom spears were sprouting up everywhere. Weapons and curses whipped through the air as the warriors and players went back and forth trying to murder each other.

Blake crawled towards Annie, not sure what he could do other than maybe give her a hug. Ilya somehow managed to get to him, and without so much as a word she grabbed Seul-ki and Annie by an arm and a leg and dragged them into the corner of the room.

Blake kept on crawling, sending what remained of his constructs to just put their broken bodies between him and danger.

Pretty soon he was huddled with the girls in the corner, both goblins crawling towards them, the orc prince still struggling to his feet, as if he might join the battle.

"It'll be alright," Blake said as he tried to smooth Annie's hair and get an arm around her. "Everything will be just fine."

Ilya met his eyes with a frightened stare, chanting as she began what was presumably a healing spell or two.

Blake looked out at the blood splashing in every direction, bits of orc slopping to the stone floor. Mason's players were attacking with complete abandon, the hate and rage apparent on their faces.

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Some looked happier to kill the orcs than others. Carl was already split in two, both halves apparently able to kill, and happy to do so. Blake shivered when he finally saw his brother.

Mason killed his way straight through a pack, ignoring their attacks as he cut off Lord Stoneblood's head with a single swipe of his sword. His wolf chased after it like a ball.

The lord's other son was calling out in rage, charging for vengeance. He was silenced when Streak seized him by the neck and dragged him screaming to the floor. Mason stopped long enough to watch, then went back to killing with an expression Blake had seen now several times.

It was the same, glazed eyes his brother had when he lifted weights, or came back from a jog. A mindless look of absence, completing an important task he'd decided was correct, no further thought required. A mild kind of satisfaction at a job well done.

Blake shivered and held Annie as he Meditated, using his mana fumes for Mental Influence to soothe her broken mind. He could have tried to stop the fighting. He could have tried to wake Mason up, to get him to reconsider, to listen. To pause.

But he had promised never to try this on his brother. And in his heart he knew it wouldn't have worked, wouldn't have stopped him, not now that he'd decided.

In that frightening moment, Blake wondered if there was anything on 'New Earth' that could.

* * *

Mason killed every orc that didn't flee, then called for his players in the cavern.

"Hold," he said, as Carl stepped towards the lord's other son with his translucent blade raised.

The orc looked near death already. He was using the wall to prop himself up, his other hand clutching a mace with white knuckles.

If he tried to actually attack, it was pretty clear he'd crumple to the floor. He stared at all the corpses of dead orcs with something like horror, gaze going again and again to his fallen kin.

Mason snapped his fingers for the creature' attention.

"You fought beside mine, so you live. At least today. Remember I wasn’t the one who started this. And remember that I could kill you and every other orc, right now, and there's nothing any of you could do to stop me. I won’t. But don't think for a moment it's because we're allies. You’re just not worth the effort."

He turned to Blake and the others all huddled in the corner, still not putting away the cold thing inside him that was sometimes required. He scanned them all with his Mark, relieved none were too seriously hurt. Annie's worst cuts looked mostly closed, the worst injury now being an arm that looked badly broken.

"We have too many players to teleport," he said. "I'm going to send everyone who's hurt back to Nassau with the beacon. The rest of us go by foot. If anyone has any thoughts or objections, now is the time."

"I won't be going, Mason," Blake said quietly. "I need to get Ilya back to her tower, and defend her. And there's more demonic portals to close. In fact I really shouldn't..."

"Enough."

Mason felt hot anger overtaking the cold.

"You'd be dead right now. If I hadn't come you'd be..."

"But you did," Blake said, "right on time. We were successful in there, and a setback doesn't change..."

"You call this a fucking setback?" Mason kicked an orc head flying to crack against the wall. Annie screamed and started rocking back and forth. Mason was aware of everyone around him flinching in fear, so he took a few deep breaths and shook his head.

"The Nexus is done. In three days we learn what's left of humanity, and I need you there. Whatever you're doing here just isn't that important, and it can wait. So let's go."

"Sorry, brother." Blake pursed his lips. "I can't. I would, but I've made promises I have to keep. Soon enough I'll..."

"What about your fucking promises to me?" Mason shouted, pretty close to picking up his brother and forcing him through the beacon. Blake said nothing, and Mason felt Carl's hand on his arm. He shook his head.

"Jesus, they're right, aren't they? You just don't give a shit about anything but yourself."

"That's not true," Blake said quietly. "You're scared, Mason. But you can do this. You have everything you need. You can handle the other human leaders, and I'll settle things here and get us more allies, then soon enough..."

"I'm scared?" Mason scoffed. "What the hell do we need your orc allies for, exactly? Look what we did to them. All this for what, because you like banging that orc?" Mason regretted saying it instantly, but he was angry. It was cooling now and frankly he was just out of patience. He shook his head, kneeling to the beacon.

"Do what you want, Blake. You always do. Seul-ki, Annie, are you coming or not? Be sure." He looked up and met their eyes. "I'm never going to ask you again."

Seul-ki was impossible to read as usual, eventually shaking her head before bowing slightly. Annie didn't stop crying.

"OK." Mason looked at his very awkward, slightly frightened other players and sighed. "Good work. Sorry I wasted your time. I'll send you back now."

Streak growl-whined but Mason sent him back again with his power. He wanted to be alone. Before Carl had some kind of quip or complaint, he activated the beacon and watched the players fade from view. When they were gone, Mason met his brother's eyes.

"If I come here again, it's to kill these things. Is that clear? Don't call me. Don't ask for my help. You come to Nassau, the place you asked me to save, and you help me, or you leave me the fuck out of it."

Blake clearly swallowed some emotion, and Mason felt his own lump threatening to form before he buried it beneath the harsh reality of this new world.

When they were boys he'd had nothing else to do but deal with Blake's bullshit. No responsibilities, no one else he loved. But there were too many people depending on him now.

"I understand," Blake said eventually. "I'm sorry, Mason. One day I hope you'll see. I am helping you. Helping everyone. And soon enough we'll be..."

Mason activated Wyrdwalk. He stepped through the deep tunnel of ancient earth like the 'godpath' he now knew it was, no interest in hearing any more.