Chapter 89: The Room in the Back

The moment Zach burst open the door to Angelica’s with Kalana closely by his side, an entire tavern full of colorful adventurers immediately either turned in their chairs or stood up from their tables, as every eye became pointed in his direction. Then, two things happened in such quick succession that they verged on being simultaneous. First, a sense of recognition and excitement came over the faces of the various men and women located all over the lively, perpetually active inn. Clearly, they recognized him—and more so, they recognized Kalana. They looked as though they were on the brink of letting out a cheer or words of encouragement for the both of them. But then, in the same instant, they seemed to collectively notice the shivering, dying woman in his arms, who was leaking blood all over what appeared to be recently mopped floors. And now, in unison, every adventurer not already on their feet was quick to rise to it.

The sound of chairs scraping along smooth wooden flooring filled the entirety of the wonderful-smelling tavern as people rushed over. Without even saying a word in greeting to Zach, he somehow became aware that he was no longer holding the woman, and she was being rushed over to one of the empty tables in the center of place, where she was carefully set down on top of it.

“Is Jus here?” someone asked. “Jus!”

“I’m already prepping!” a voice shouted back.

Even without asking Angelica for permission, one of the adventurers had bolted behind the counter and was now standing next to Angelica and using her sink to wash his hands. As he did so, he lifted his head and met Zach’s eyes. “Son, it’s going to be okay. I’m a doctor. A surgeon, actually. One of the best in North Bastia. Head over to the table. I have questions that need immediate answering.”

Angelica’s, which was always a lively, happening place, seemed to have its ordinary, usual buzz amplified by a factor of a thousand as an entire parade of adventurers rushed behind the counter, disappearing into what Zach took to be a storeroom in the back, then began to emerge with various, high-tech pieces of medical equipment that Zach couldn’t believe happened to be on hand. Within thirty seconds of having entered the inn and tavern, they’d somehow radically transformed the entire area around one of the tables into a makeshift hospital.

The man who claimed to be a surgeon briefly met Zach and Kalana’s eyes, then began hurriedly putting an IV in the woman’s vein as he spoke to them. Unlike Kesten, who despite also being a doctor, dressed in leather jackets and looked like some kind of punk rock music star, this guy looked to be in his forties and carried himself with a level of seriousness and professionalism that seemed uncommon for adventurers. He was tall, almost as much as Mr. Oren, and he had short black hair. The equipment he was wearing looked more like a lifejacket, and he’d replaced whatever gloves he’d been wearing with latex surgical ones.

“What happened here?” he asked Zach. Using his bare hands, he ripped open the woman’s odd-looking flight suit, exposing her completely. Yet, somehow, as embarrassing as that might have been, the adventurers did not react to it with their typical level of somewhat juvenile silliness. No, despite having been stripped in what one might call a public place, not a single man or woman stared, showed any sign of childishness or lewdness, and all seemingly transformed, at least for the moment, into sensitive, compassionate adults. It occurred to Zach that this kind of thing must have happened more often than he realized, because why else would there be so much medical equipment at hand? The adventurers likely knew when it was truly important for them to be decent, and during those moments, they likely also knew to treat others with dignity and respect.

I love the adventuring community, Zach thought. They really are the best.

“I don’t really know what happened,” Zach said. “I was just—”

“Need more light, please,” the man, who Zach believed had been called “Jus” said. Then he nodded at Zach. “Continue.

“I don’t really know what happened,” Zach continued. “I don’t know who she is or how she got hurt. I was on my way here with Kalana, and this woman, she…she walked through a solid wall, already looking like she does right now.”

“Where at?”

“Right outside.”

The man lifted his eyebrow at him. And then Zach chided himself for forgetting that “outside” meant a billion different things depending on where you were coming from. “Floor B10 of Yorna’s. On the left side of the hallway. She walked through the wall.”

“Ah,” one of the adventurers fetching medical equipment said. “The secret passage in B4 behind the third Skelly Archer on the east path.”

“That makes sense,” Jus said. “These deep puncture wounds are consistent with penetration via sharp, pointed objects. But since she left the floor, the arrows in her have de-spawned. That makes things slightly better. But this is serious. She’s in terrible condition. This is going to be very close.” He carefully inspected the two gaping wounds. Holding up a small flashlight, he widened each of her eyelids and flashed them as though examining her pupils. “Can you hear me, sweetheart?”

“…please…help,” she said weakly.

“I need you to stay awake for just a moment, and we’re going to take care of you, I promise. For now, I have to know: what level are you.”

“One…Prila…my name.”

“You’re Prila, and you’re level one?”

She moved her lips as though to reply in the affirmative, but no more sound was emerging. Jus nodded and looked at Zach. “We’re going to need two reds, two purples, and a yellow.”

“Stones?” Zach asked, horrified. “Five of the…Gods! I can’t possibly afford—”

“How much?” Kalana fired in.

Jus grunted. “Really not the best time to be talking gold. But since you asked: a lot. Given she’s not an adventurer—which makes me wonder how in the hell she got here—and assuming anyone here even has some to sell us, that’s going to set you back about five-million gold at the least.”

If words could blow someone away like a gust of wind, Zach would’ve found himself launched right outside the tavern as the man’s words hit him. “I can’t possibly afford—”

“Doesn’t matter,” he interrupted. “Even if you can’t, we’re going to save her first and worry about money later.”

“Okay, but just so we’re clear, I don’t actually know this woman, so it’s not fair if I’m on the hook for—”

“We’ll figure it out later!” he insisted.

Zach opened his mouth to reply, but Kalana tightly grabbed his arm. “Zach, that’s not a lot of gold to me anymore. I can pay that easily. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. Then he gasped. “Wait, five-million gold isn’t a lot to you?”

“Not…really. Not anymore.”

“Kal, just how rich are you now?”

“I just signed a deal for my own clothing line, so…” She shook her head. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

Jus began calling out orders to uncertain-looking adventurers. “The woman’s only level 1. There’s no chance she’s got passive HP regeneration. We can’t use the stones until I’ve operated.”

So that’s why, Zach thought, amazed. I get it now.

Before leaving the raid camp, he’d heard that everyone in the GSG who’d been hurt had been back in action within thirty minutes. When he’d been hurt, on the other hand, he’d needed to be put to sleep and operated on, and then even after waking up, he’d been told his recovery would take days. He supposed that kind of process was only necessary for people with under 50 points into constitution.

Once he’d entered Phase Level 2 for the first time, his arm had regrown within a few minutes, and he’d become fully healed. Interestingly, he now had more than 50 points into constitution in his current state, and for some reason, the scar on his neck from where Olivir bit him did not appear to be healing and actually still stung him. He supposed anything involving vampire bites operated on its own sort of logic, of which he was not familiar.

At least now I know that if I ever get that hurt again and survive, I won’t need to go through all that hassle.

It was a small relief, though it still didn’t mean he wanted to end up in that kind of shape a second time. At any rate, returning his attention to the mysterious woman who was mere inches from crossing the boundary between life and death, Zach watched as, within just another half minute, the surgeon, Jus, had somehow already gathered together the stones he needed, while Kalana quietly whispered to each donor that they’d be fully compensated. As though temporarily forgetting the dying woman on the round, wooden table nearby them, each person Kalana spoke to paused for a moment as if awed by the mere fact that they were in her presence. Clearly, they all knew who she was.

“All right, I’m ready to start,” Jus said. “If you’re squeamish, you may want to look away. And as for you, Prila, I’m administering a general anesthetic. I’d like you to count back from ten for me, please.”

“I definitely don’t wanna look,” Kalana whispered into his ear. He nodded. He didn’t either. Instead, he turned away from the woman, Prila, and then glanced down at himself.

“Gods damn it,” he muttered.

“What’s wrong, Zach?”

“I got blood all over my new robe.”

“I can wash that for you, hun,” Angelica said, gliding over. She smiled at Zach, and then at Kalana. “Hi again,” she said to her.

Kalana smiled and bowed her head. “Hi, Angelica. It’s really nice meeting you again. Thanks for all the food you brought to the hospital. It was really yummy.”

Angelica smiled. “You’re welcome! Hey, uh, I don’t suppose you changed your mind about the buff?”

“Actually…” Kalana made a sheepish laugh. “I kinda did. Is it too late?”

Angelica beamed with happiness. “Nope, nope, not at all.” Her cat ears twitched. “There, you’ve got it back.”

“Just like that?”

“Yup.” To Zach, she lowered her voice and said, “Who is that woman?”

He shrugged. “I have no fucking idea. She just walked through the wall and I found her that way.”

Angelica pursed her lips as if in thought. Her name above her head briefly flashed yellow. Zach had never seen an NPC do that before. “She’s not an adventurer, and she wasn’t in a party with one. I wonder if she fell in a dungeon by accident?”

“Can that happen?”

“Uh, well, sometimes, but not often. The barriers usually stop it from happening, but every once in a blue moon, they fail. I usually try to save non-adventurers who end up in one of the dungeons if I’m aware of them. But I can only track so many things at one time.” She looked over to Prila. Zach, on the other hand, did not. Incredibly, several of the adventurers were continuing to eat even with the gory sight of her being operated on in the background. “Did she say anything to you?”

At this, Zach lowered his voice and looked around. “Yeah, actually. She knew…she knew how me and Kal got into the world of adventuring. How we found a spawn point in the Whispery Woods. I’ve never told anyone that before.”

At this, Angelica’s mouth opened slightly as though alarmed. “Are you sure, Zach?”

“Yeah. Definitely. Actually, come to think of it, I don’t think she came to this dungeon by accident. She seemed to really want to find you.”

Angelica folded her arms and looked downwards towards her feet. “She…she might be a member of the OMP.”

“The OMP?”

Angelica gestured with her chin. “Not here. Follow me.”

Having absolutely no idea what was going on, he and Kalana exchanged a brief look, and then the two of them followed the level-1027 NPC into her storeroom, down a flight of stairs, through a surprisingly long hallway that contained numerous additional storerooms and closets, and then finally into a more secluded area. In this case, it was an ordinary, square-shaped room about the size of a bedroom in a Whispery Woods apartment.

“I’ve spent centuries securing this room. It’s one of the few places where nothing we say can be spied upon. Coincidentally, it’s finally ready to be used.” Her words immediately sent shivers rolling down Zach’s spine. What did she mean by that? Before he could ask her, she continued to say even more bizarre things. “That woman out there—Prila—she could be a scouter and recruiter.” Despite her having shut the door so that it was only the three of them in here, she now spoke at only barely above a whisper.

“What’s that?” Kalana asked.

“Yeah, what is that?” Zach concurred. “And what’s the ‘OMP?’ I’ve never heard of that before.”

“You’re really not supposed to know that,” Angelica said. “If Adamus finds out I told you, he’ll—”

Kalana gasped. “You know Adamus? Like, as in personally?”

“Know him? I have to deal with that annoying ass of a man constantly. He’s always breathing down my neck and accusing me of ‘interfering’ and threatening me.”

Zach moaned. “I’m so lost.”

“Me too,” Kalana said.

Angelica sighed. “Okay, look. I can’t tell you guys too much, because if I do, uh, Adamus might try to kill me for real. But anything I do tell ya, you’ve gotta promise me you’ll never let anyone know I told you this.”

“Of course not,” Zach said. “I’m not a rat to begin with, and I don’t betray my friends.”

She gave him a friendly, affectionate pat on the top his head. “Okay then, in that case, listen close. The OMP is the Orbital Monitoring Platform. There’s a bunch of them, actually. They’re space stations that are in Galterra’s planetary orbit. It’s where Adamus’s crew helps to maintain the system.”

“The what?” Kalana asked.

“What’s a system?” Zach chimed in.

For the second time, she sighed. “There are so many things that you adventurers don’t know anymore because I’m not allowed to say it. Believe me, if I could, I’d tell ya guys everything. I’d even kill the dragon for you if I could. I sure would! I could take that thing down in one hit. But Adamus is an ass and lets my boys and girls go out there and die while I have to sense it all from my tavern. Eww! I hate him so much!”

Zach and Kalana exchanged another short, but meaningful look with one another. The look in her eyes was likely the same as the one in his own. There was now an overwhelming sense that they were hearing secrets of such importance and significance that likely few living individuals in the entire world knew of them.

“Okay, you know what? I’m just gonna tell ya.” Angelica cleared her throat. “Here we go.”

And just like that, Angelica launched into the most shocking, profound, and detailed explanation of what Zach could only imagine were the greatest and most-significant secrets in all of existence. Having come in here expecting to hear a bit of intrigue, he was now treated to a mind-blowing description that, in all likelihood, exceeded the knowledge of the Vampires. Right here, unprompted, and totally unprepared, this cute, level-1027 NPC with cat ears exposed to Zach and Kalana something that for the past thousands of years people would have lived and died without ever having imagined. It was so jarring and eye-opening that Zach had to remind himself to breathe as he listened.

“Galterra, Earth, Archian Prime, and a whole lot of other places,” she began, “are all part of a system implemented thousands of years ago by Elvish great ones in what was supposed to be a fairer way of distributing power among people. Ya see, the way things used to be, only a few powerful people with really strong magic ruled the world, and they’d blow up cities and destroy the planet, and fight wars, and on and on and on it went. So! After most of Galterra was wiped out in an Elvish civil war, Adamus and a bunch of his friends—the most powerful mages in Elvish society—banded together for peace and decided to start all over again from scratch. They created a system: a way where everyone could become more powerful by gaining experience points and leveling up. Before this point, there were no such things as levels and mobs. It might be hard for you guys to visualize that since it’s all you’ve ever known, but it’s true!

“So anyways, using this powerful magic, they remade Galterra. Then they expanded it to Earth and all the other planets under their control. They thought if they made the worlds dangerous and hostile, people of all the different races would come together in unity to fight and grow together to keep each other safe. That didn’t really end up happening. I mean, it sort of did, but it mostly didn’t. There was also a lot of in-fighting and disagreements with all the Great Ones. I know because I was in the room for a lot of it. Oh, right! Hehe. I forgot to tell you guys.

“I’m the first NPC they ever made, and for a while, I was also the crowning achievement of something people had been trying to do for thousands of years: prove that sentient life can exist outside of biological limitations. In the beginning, I was in charge of everything. I could be anywhere I wanted at any time. I could do whatever I wanted. I could spawn things, give people xp, take xp away, and I had complete control over the system. But I was eventually demoted and forced here, because I kept saving people who were about to die and killing bosses that attacked towns. The only reason Adamus couldn’t kill me is because his wife intervened. So, where was I? Okay, right.

“A long time ago, there was a really, really bad war between the humans and the lizardmen, and for the first time, the Great Ones all got together to seriously consider intervening. Adamus is basically the one who pushed the whole ‘don’t get involved’ policy on all the others in the first place. But this time, they were really, really mad, because humans were doing something that even the Orcs of old never did—and let me tell you, the Orcs didn’t used to be like they are now. No, no, no! Those guys used to be really dangerous.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“So…okay, so yeah. This is the important part, you two. Humans and the lizards have always hated each other and have fought a whole lot of wars throughout history. That was why all the human guilds decided to put an end to them once and for all. They started running these…these places where they would ship thousands upon thousands of lizardmen from conquered territory. They’d lie and tell the world these were ‘processing facilities,’ but in actuality, they were killing them, and in many cases, smashing apart their eggs, many with fully developed young still inside of them. It was the worst genocide in thousands of years, though hardly humanity’s first.”

Kalana squeezed Zach’s hand so tightly that it began to ache, but he did not complain, as his knees felt weak.

“None of us were allowed to do anything about it,” Angelica continued. “I was so angry I almost shut myself down—which is not reversible. But Eilea convinced me that if I did that, I’d only be abandoning the people I could still help. Now, look. This is the part that’s probably going to upset you guys the most. I shouldn’t be telling you this. You’re gonna wish you didn’t know, but here it goes.

“The system, all the dungeons, the mobs, the items—all of it. Everything was created by seventeen Great Ones, who for a very long time attended to Galterra and all the system-planets in the Milky Way galaxy. Adamus was the chief architect and had veto power over any non-unanimous decision. The Great Ones had tried for many years to convince Adamus to play a more active role in managing the people, but that stubborn bastard never listens to anybody. So they tried something else. They tried to convince Adamus to at least create a system update capable of detecting blatant acts of genocide and to intervene to prevent the mass, deliberate murder of children. But he wouldn’t even allow that!

“When humans started exterminating the lizards, killing thousands daily, Adamus even used his veto power to prevent them from interfering even in just that one event. And that was the final straw. Of the seventeen Great Ones who made the system, fifteen became so fed up that they abandoned us and went somewhere that makes it impossible for them to ever come back.

“For more than a thousand years,” she said, taking a moment to meet each of their eyes, “the only two Great Ones left in Galterra have been Adamus and his wife, Eilea Vayra. Both decided not to leave, which is probably a good thing, as it means he won't be able to screw up whatever new world the others created. But it's also a bad thing because it means he's still here ruining ours. Eilea can't really help because she’s been locked up somewhere I can’t save her. So it’s just been him. I told you earlier that this was the part that would upset you the most. Do you know why that is?”

“Because…because we’ve been abandoned,” Zach whispered, trembling. She’d said so many things to him that he wasn’t even sure how he could begin to process it all. But that last part of all of it had clearly stood out the most. “No one’s looking out for us anymore, are they?”

“That’s right,” Angelica said. “The Gods who protected your world are gone. Only two are left, and one of them is imprisoned. Adamus remains as the only one in control, and he won’t lift a finger to save anyone. Well, except you, Zach, but that was…that was weird. And I’m not gonna get into all that. You’ll just have to stew over that one. I guess what I’m trying to say is that whatever happens to Galterra, no one is ever going to save it. I would if I could, but I’d be shut down immediately. I hate that I can’t do anything to protect you. I love my adventurers so much. I would die for you. But I’m not allowed. I would be stopped. And Adamus doesn’t even—”

“The world Eater!” Zach screamed abruptly, goosebumps beginning to run all down his arms and legs, a chill settling over his body. He began to sweat despite the cool ambient air, and he placed his hand on his chest as he began to pant. Kalana, startled reached out to him, but he waved her off. He shook his head, several tears now streaming down his eyes. “The fucking World Eater! I remember!”

Angelica’s ears twitched, and she took a full step back. “How do you know about that?” she asked. “That’s something even I can’t tell you. If I did, it would trigger an automatic self-termination. How do you know that?”

“I don’t know how I know,” Zach said. “I just know it spawns in five years, and it will destroy everything and everyone. Gods, how did I keep forgetting? Why did I remember just now?”

“It’s this room,” Angelica said. “Adamus doesn’t know about it. Eilea taught me how to build it. It shields outside interference from the Great Ones. No one can listen in on us. Well, no one except Eilea, but I trust her. She’s the closest thing to a mother I have. But anyways, regarding that name of that thing you just said…”

“The World Eater?”

“I can’t say the name or even reply with a direct ‘yes’ to that question. But regarding that thing you just said, if you know that it exists and that it’s coming, my guess is that Eilea’s the one who told you. In fact, I think I know exactly what’s going on, Zach. Eilea must’ve told you, Adamus must’ve found out that she told you, and then Adamus must’ve blocked it out of your mind for ‘interfering.’ Those two have been having just that kind of back-and-forth for more than a thousand years, waging a telepathic battle with each other that never seems to end.”

Zach sat down on the floor, no longer able to remain standing as everything began coming back to him in a flood. Kalana squatted down next to him and held him as he began to tremble. “Gods, I remember. I fucked up, Kal. I fucked up real, real bad. I was supposed to tell everyone. We’re losing time. I need to go to Dragon Squire.”

Zach began to explain to Angelica and Kalana what he could finally recall. How, after Fylwen had murdered him, he’d met a man in the afterlife—a robed figure with no face. Or at least not a human one. He’d had the face of a serpent. Or was it a mask? He couldn’t quite recall. But this man had told him about the World Eater. And it wasn’t just him, either. He now very vaguely remembered a woman telling him the same, though he couldn’t quite recall when she’d told him. Had it been after the dragon had almost killed him? Or had it been after he’d passed out from E-debt following the Moldark boss fight? Or had it been both times? Memories of her had been very, very fuzzy.

“The woman sounds like Eilea,” Angelica told him. “But uh…I don’t know about the man. Are ya sure it was a man?”

“Yes,” Zach said. “I remember his warnings more clearly than any of the others. He told me that I keep forgetting and I have to try harder to remember. And that the most important thing I’ll ever do in my life is fight the World Eater. What even is it, Angelica?”

She pouted. “I can’t tell ya! I swear I would if I could. As soon as I start saying it, my head will explode. Not an exaggeration! It will pop.”

“That’s awful,” Kalana said, a note of outrage in her tone. “Why would he do this to you?”

“I told you already. He’s an ass who thinks it’s his way or the highway.”

“How come you’re able to tell us all these other things?” Kalana asked her.

“Because it’s not easy to create a termination trigger. It’s limited to just a few words or phrases. If he tried to stop me from ever spilling anything, I’d end up self-terminating by accident. And he needs me to run this place, whether he wants to admit it or not. So, yeah, the things I can’t say are really specific. Like, I can’t tell you where to find any dungeons unless you already know about them and have been there. That kind of stuff.”

Zach felt overloaded. Way too much had just been dumped on him way too fast: to such an extent that he’d almost forgotten why he was here in this room with Angelica in the first place. “That woman, Prila,” he said. “Where’s she fit into all of this?”

Angelica made a squeaky-sounding laugh, and her cat ears twitched. “Oh, right. That’s why I brought you in here, wasn’t it?” She rubbed her hair and smiled. “Okay, so I think she’s a member of the OMP. There’s no way Adamus would ever let her come here. So if she’s here to speak to me, she must’ve snuck away and risked her life to get here.”

“Why would she do that?” Kalana asked.

“I don’t know. When she wakes up, I’ll bring her in here and ask her. You two can stay if you want.”

Zach sighed. “We might as well.”

“Oh! And this is really important. Ahh…I should have told you this sooner, actually. All that stuff I just told you? You can’t ever tell anyone. No matter who.”

“Wh-what? Why not? You can’t expect me and Kal to keep this shit secret! Everyone in the world has a right to know.”

Angelica wrinkled her lips sourly. “I agree. But if you tell anyone, they’ll know. And then I’ll be killed.”

“Seriously?” Zach asked.

She nodded. “He’ll know, or someone at the OMP will know, if you say something. Even if you think you’re in private. There aren’t a lot of places they can’t observe. As soon as they know you know, I’m done for. But if you really, really think it’s important, I’m willing to die for it if you’re sure it’s worth it.”

Zach raised his palm. “In that case, you don’t have to worry. I’ll never tell a soul.”

“Me neither,” Kalana said. “I promise.”

“But wait…what about the World Eater?” Zach asked.

“I didn’t tell you about that,” Angelica replied. “And Adamus probably already knows you know, which is why you keep forgetting it. He probably found out Eilea told you and he’s trying to prevent you from having ‘unfair’ knowledge. There is…there is one little detail I can probably share. I just can’t spell it outright.”

“And what’s that?” Zach asked her.

“Have you noticed the Earth’s sky doesn’t look so blue and pretty like Galterra’s?”

Zach widened his eyes. “The World Eater did that?”

Angelica shrugged, then ran a finger across her lips like a zipper. The cheeky expression on her face and the gesture itself was enough of a signal to Zach that what he’d asked was precisely what she was trying to imply. Zach shook his head. “But…but I don’t get it. If this thing can destroy an entire world and turn the sky red and make it so no one can live there anymore…why does Adamus care if I know?”

“Because he’s an ass!” Angelica snapped, her name briefly turning red—hostile. Then it went back to white, and she apologized. “Sorry, he just gets me so mad! He’d let every single one of you die out of principle: his principle.”

Even as Zach began the process of mentally running through everything he’d just heard and coping with it, an idea came to him. “Uh, Angelica?”

“Yes, Zach?”

“What if I bring people here? To this room?”

“Hm?”

“Could I tell the people I trust if I brought them here into this room and told them here.”

Angelica laughed, then smiled brightly. “That’s…actually not a bad idea. But you’d have to be sure you only brought people you could be sure wouldn’t talk about it outside of this room. But yeah, that…that would be okay. I’m guessing you’re gonna tell Alex, right?”

“Him and a few others. Actually, that gives me another idea. Can a vampire have the buff?”

“The Will of the Favored?”

Zach nodded. “My friend, Olivir—I’ve been having to use one of my abilities to bring him into the dungeons.”

“I saw that, actually,” Angelica said. “I thought it was clever and cute. And yes, that boy is perfect for the buff.”

Zach snickered. “He’s actually not a boy. He’s over two-hundred years old.”

“To me, that’s a little boy,” Angelica said. “But yeah, he’s perfect for the buff. Actually, I don’t wanna sound insulting, but the truth is he’s even more right for it than you are, Zach. His only desire in life is exploration and adventure with the Elvish girl. That’s all he wants. I saw it in him when you were running with him down B6 and the queen was making a mess of the place. I was actually getting ready to stop you in case you somehow tried bringing him in here.”

“Why’s that?” Zach asked, somewhat taken aback.

Angelica turned around and walked over to the sole window in the corner of the room. She placed her finger on it. There was nothing to be seen outside of it: it was just pure black. “We’re outside of the universe.”

“That’s okay,” Zach said, “my ability is boundless.”

“That’s right,” Angelica said. “It is.” Zach thought to question her how she knew about his abilities but at this point he’d almost think it was strange if she didn’t know what he could do, especially if his cat did. Angelica clearly had the appraisal-thing or whatever it was. That much was just downright obvious at this point.

“So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that if you used Phase Rescue on that vampire boy, it would bring him here just as you wanted—in about eight-thousand years, give or take. Nothing would show up but a pile of bones.”

His heart leapt in his chest. “Gods, I was going to bring him here tomorrow to meet you!”

“Yeah, don’t. I’ll pay him a visit at your raid camp tonight and ask him if he wants it. If he says yes, it’s his, and then you can. If not, don’t bring him. But honestly, I can’t imagine him refusing.” She giggled. “His friend is cute. Do you know if he’s single?”

“Friend?” Zach asked. Then his body, acting on its own, made something between a laugh and a cough. “Wait, are you talking about Grundor?”

Angelica’s face immediately reddened, and she averted her eyes. “Maybe…”

Oh, Gods. NPCs can fall for each other? You’ve got to be kidding me.

“I’m pretty sure Grundor’s single, yeah.”

Kalana squeaked. “Ohhh! I want Grundor and Angelica to be together! They’d be so cute!”

Angelica’s face became even redder. “I don’t think he’d like me,” she whispered, now sounding shy and distraught. “I mean, he’s so…incredible. And brave.”

I can’t believe I’m witnessing this. This is even crazier than everything I’ve just heard.

“I’ll tell Grundor about you,” Kalana said to Angelica, who audibly gulped as though nervous.

“Why? Do you think he’d like me? Maybe you shouldn’t say anything after all. Ya know what? Don’t. Definitely don’t.”

“I’m gonna,” Kalana said, nodding. “Tomorrow we were supposed to come back here for a double-date. I’m bringing Grundor.”

Zach didn’t understand how NPCs' faces could turn red when that was supposed to be a biological response. And yet, her face, for the third time, became even redder. And her name began flashing pink on and off. Glancing upwards, she appeared to notice this, and then a look of embarrassment crossed her features. “I guess I could say hi to him…but don’t tell him I like him. Not unless you’re sure you think he likes me. Otherwise I’d die of embarrassment. But I’d be happy to meet him when you guys come.”

“If we do,” Zach said bitterly. “Olivir might not even be my friend anymore. I don’t actually know.”

“Because of the thing with my mom?” Kalana asked.

He sighed. “Yeah, he looked really betrayed. Fuck! Olivir is one of the coolest people I’ve ever met, and I have no idea if he’s even still my friend.”

Kalana patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. Even if he’s not, I’ll just have him be your friend again.”

“‘Have him’ be my friend, Kal? The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, uh, I’ll just tell my cousin to make him.”

“N-no, stop! That’s humiliating. You can’t just have Kolona order him to be my friend.”

“It would work,” Kalana insisted.

“Yah, no shit. It’d work on me too if you tried to get me to do something like that. The problem is I want him to actually be my friend and not feel like he’s been forced.”

“That might be hard, though, ‘cause you betrayed him.”

“I did not betray him.”

Kalana twisted her lips skeptically. “You basically joined forces with his worst enemy after he fled across planets with you just to get away from her, and then you conspired with her to commit murder while he watched.”

“I…I mean that’s technically true, but that was…it’s complicated.”

“Then you snapped at Kolona for trying to help you, and you never even stopped to thank her for caring—I’m guessing, anyway—and for all the things they did for you. I’m also guessing you didn’t tell him where you were going with me and just left him there with mostly strangers that he now has to defend to the death out of a sense of obligation to you.”

“Oh, fuck,” Zach moaned. “I did all those things? I didn’t…I didn’t even realize I’d done one of them!”

“Yeah, ‘cause you need therapy.”

He pointed at her. “Don’t start that again.”

“You do,” Angelica said.

“Wh-what the fuck? Angelica?” he asked, his heart aching with betrayal. “Not you too.”

“Sorry, Zach.”

“If you’re sorry, why did you and Kalana just high-five? What the f…what kind of double-teaming bullshit is this?”

Kalana ruffled his hair. “I love you ‘cause I know better than anyone in the world how sweet and kind you are deep down. But not everyone knows you like I do, Zach. They don’t understand that you’re just short-sighted sometimes. You blew off Olivir and Kolona after they sacrificed everything to support you.”

“Why did you let me?” he asked. “You should’ve said something. I didn’t even think I was…it never even occurred to me!”

Now, it was Kalana who gave Zach the dumb look as opposed to the other way around. “It’s ‘cause I didn’t even think about it until now, either.”

Zach groaned. “Hey, Angelica, do you know if there’s like a live bat store anywhere or something? I need to buy a present for a vampire, I think.”

“Really?”

“No, I’m just being a dick to run away from my feelings of guilt. See? I know that without therapy. But anyways…” Zach leaned forward and began to massage his eyes, his head suddenly beginning to ache. “I think…I think we need to talk to Prila, and then after that, I’ll worry about Olivir.”

Prila knew something about him that no one should have possibly been able to know. For this reason, he hoped she made a quick recovery, because there was a lot he wanted to ask her. “How long do you think it’ll be before she’s able to speak to us?”

Angelica tilted her head to the side. “It’s hard to say. Probably at least two hours with the stones, maybe longer.”

“Okay.” Zach looked at Kalana. “Here’s what we’ll do. Stay here in case Prila wakes up. We’re going to have lunch just like we planned, but I need to be right back.”

“Be…right back?”

He nodded. “I’m going to run full speed and get Mr. Oren and Donovan to come here with me. They need to know everything I know and now. It can’t even wait until tomorrow.”

“Why? What could possibly be so important about them knowing today?”

“Prila,” he said.

She shot him a questioning look. “Huh?”

“It’s because of her. Neither of us are…neither of us are good at questioning people or getting answers. Or knowing what’s true and what’s not. If not for Prila, we could wait for the dragon emergency to be over. But at the very least, I need someone with Mr. Oren’s brain here. He will know exactly how to speak to someone like her when she wakes up. With my current speed, if I run as fast as I can, I can probably make the trip from the Yorna Entrance to Shadowfall coast in just over an hour each way. Wow, I can’t believe I just said that.” He chuckled. “Sometimes it really…it really dawns on you how amazing leveling up is. I mean, that’s over two-hundred miles' distance.”

“Wait, where exactly is the entrance to Yorna?” Kalana asked.

“It’s in Whispery Woods. Only a few miles away from Den of Ziragoth, actually. Hidden inside a gigantic boulder.”

“Zach, that’s crazy far!”

“Yeah, but I—”

Angelica coughed, very, very loudly. “I hope Prila didn’t get blood on that hidden button on the painting of the farmhouse in B10 near that dead-end wall.”

Upon those words, she walked out of the room, and Kalana immediately met his eyes. “That was definitely her sending a message, right?” Zach asked.

Kalana nodded. “Yah. And that's the wall that leads to B4. Is that important for some reason?”

“Very,” Zach said. “B4 is right near B5 and B6, which takes you to the beach on Shadowfall Coast. If I could get back to B4, then I could get back to Mr. Oren in…fifteen minutes. I just need you to be here in case Prila wakes up. If I can really just cut straight through to B4, then I’ll probably be back in thirty minutes, maybe forty tops, and then we’ll all eat together. Although, at this point, it’ll probably now be more like an early dinner.”

“Just please hurry.”

“I will.”

*********

No matter how light Donovan wanted to make of the situation, Alex was simply not okay with Zach and Kalana ditching the critically important briefing to go partying in Angelica’s, which was obviously where they’d run off to. Where else would they go? Every adventurer loved Angelica’s, and Alex, too, would much prefer to be there right now than stuck here in this hot, humid tent. But there was work to be done, and he had a responsibility to see to it.

Now, about four hours before sunset, on what might well have been the last night of his life, he cracked open a beer with Donovan sitting across from him, and the two of them exchanged a knowing, yet serious look. “This ain’t gonna be easy,” Donovan said. “But with the Elves, I think we can actually get this done.”

Alex tapped his can of beer against Donovan’s. “I sure hope so.” He took a sip. “And I really hope Kalana has enough sense to come back here at least before sunset.”

“Relax,” Donovan said, barking out a laugh. “They’re teenagers. Let ‘em have fun.”

“They’re more than just teenagers. They’re two of the most powerful people on Galterra, and they have a—”

“Mr. Oren!” a voice called, followed by the form of Zachys Calador bursting into their tent uninvited.

“Z-Zach!” he shouted. “Where were you? And where’s Kalana? Do you have any idea how—”

“Oh, great! Donovan’s here too. You both have to come with me right now.”

Alex and Donovan both exchanged a worried glance. “Come with you?” Alex asked.

“Where?” Donovan added with a grunt.

“To Angelica’s.”

“Angelica’s?” Alex asked, becoming outraged. “Zach, have you forgotten that tomorrow is the—”

“I’m not taking no for an answer. Kalana’s waiting for us. You must come with me now.”

He didn’t look to be joking around. He could tell when Zach truly believed in what he was saying and doing. This only had the effect of amplifying his concern. “Why? Tell me what it is, and then maybe we can discuss how important it could possibly be.”

Zach growled. “I can’t!”

“You…can’t?”

“That’s right. I can’t tell you why you have to come with me.”

“Why can’t you tell us?”

“I can’t even tell you why I can’t tell you. Not only that, but I don’t even fully remember and won’t until you’re there.”

Again, Donovan and Alex glanced at one another. He was unsurprised to see that Donovan was just as uncertain as he was. “Zach, this is extremely inappropriate. For you to come barging in and—”

Without warning or provocation, Zach drew his blade and pointed it at Alex, causing Alex to immediately shoot up to his feet, whereas Donovan remained where he was, chugged his beer, and barked out a few hearty laughs. “Mr. Oren, it’s actually so important that you come with me that if you don’t, I’m literally willing to cut your legs off and drag you there. If I could tell you why, I would.”

Alex adjusted his glasses, which had fogged up. Zach looked deathly serious. “What do you think?” he asked Donovan.

“We can always get back here pretty fast using the wall.”

“That’s right,” Zach said. Then he rolled his eyes. “Don’t look so surprised, Mr. Oren. I know about the secret passage in B4 and B10.”

“Odd," Alex said, frowning. "That’s usually only revealed in a quest on B25. Have you completed that floor?”

“Nope. But you’ll understand why I know about it when you come with me.”

Setting down his beer, Alex grabbed his lab coat and put it on. “Tomorrow, we’re going after the dragon, and you’re having us run out now of all times? I really hope this is important.”

“It is,” Zach said. “For two reasons, actually, one of which I forgot.”

“How can you forget if it’s so important?”

“I actually know the answer to that,” Zach said with a nervous laugh. “Unlike before, I now know that there's something I need to know, and I even know why I forgot it. I know that the thing I forgot is the most important thing in the entire world, too. But I can’t tell you why I forgot it until we're there, and until we're there, I also can't tell you what the thing I forgot actually was, because I don't even remember it. I just remember how important it was. I also remember telling myself that there's no way I could forget it again. Then I forgot it immediately, and it's actually pissing me off and making me want to smash something out of anger. It's bullshit that I can't remember something from twenty minutes ago.”

“I’m not understanding any of this,” Mr. Oren said.

“Then hurry up and let’s get there and it’ll all make sense. Also, we’re having dinner with Kalana.”

“Good,” Donovan said. “I’m fuckin’ starving.”