Sunlight filtered through the window in Theo’s room, casting shafts of light through the dusty air. He couldn’t remember the last time he dumped a bottle of [Cleansing Scrub] over his bedroom, but that was the least of his concerns. A barrage of system messages clouded his vision, worse than the particles of dust in the air. So many cores had rolled over to new levels that the window took up most of his sight.

[Drogramath Herbalist Core] received experience (8%).

[Drogramath Herbalist Core] leveled up! Level 18.

[Drogramath Alchemy Core] received experience (5%).

[Drogramath Alchemy Core] leveled up! Level 19.

[Governance Core] received experience (0.5%).

[Governance Core] received experience (0.2%).

[Governance Core] received experience (0.2%).

…

[Governance Core] leveled up! Level 20.

[Theo Spencer] received experience (5%).

[Theo Spencer] leveled up! Level 19.

[Theo Spencer] received one free point.

Spending the entire night in the Dreamwalk was doubling his progress. It was better than the real world for grinding levels, even if the products he made didn’t matter. Theo considered where to put his free point, but more [Intelligence] would help over anything else. One more level, and he’d find himself with a magic-based core. That assumed that Khahar made good on his promise, contacting Toru’aun and setting him up with a demon mage core. While he didn’t normally like leaving things to chance, the alchemist had few other options. He’d take his time to pick the skill for his [Governance Core].

He inspected his attributes screen, distributing the free point into [Intelligence].

Belgar (Theo Spencer)

Drogramath Dronon

Level 19

Alchemist

Core Slots: 4

Stats:

Health: 105

Mana: 160

Stamina: 115

Strength: 20 (+11)

Dexterity: 16 (+8)

Vigor: 20 (+8)

Intelligence: 23 (+9)

Wisdom: 27 (+7)

Points: 0

That single level meant a lot. Perhaps not as much as the ascension into the level 30 range, but it was big. Another core meant he could lend himself better to the defense of Broken Tusk. With his Axpashi improving, he’d leafed through Xol’sa’s book in the Dreamwalk. With enough of it memorized, he saw how the Elf’s theories about the core would benefit him and the town. He theorized that the Demon Lady’s wards were much like limited-use enchantments. They were all reactive, and could be applied to almost everything. The example given in the book was a miner’s pick with a ward to imbue it with greater power, allowing the miner to take a few strings with impossible strength.

Tresk placed her hand over Theo’s shoulder, breaking him from his thoughts. He turned, finding her with a faint smile on her face. They shared more than just feelings, now. He didn’t need to tell her about his excitement for the new core. It just bled between them, turning their thoughts brackish with a mingling existence.

“Breakfast time,” Theo said, rubbing his hands together.

Another thing to be excited about was their private booth. While their table by the window was all but reserved, they still had to contend with the crowds. The pair left the lab, running into a gaggle of people on the street. There were more fresh faces in town, not accounted for by the surge of Elves. More refugees, fleeing from the north to find a home in the swamp town. Theo was glad to have them. Strong back and determination would win their little rebellion, if it ever came to that.

The booth was as pleasant as last night. Theo swept his tail through the air, watching as Alex nestled in her box in the corner. The view outside the window was better, even if obscured slightly by the bathhouse. He could see the boiling rooms where the town’s water was purified. The adventurers walked the walls, guarding it more like soldiers than anything. They moved in groups of three now, never straying far from their squads. More like a military every single day.

“They’re more like mercenaries,” Tresk said, reading Theo’s thoughts.

“Maybe. Soldiers get pay. What’s the line between soldier and mercenary?” Theo asked.

Tresk tapped her fingers on the table, humming for a moment. During her thinking, the server brought the leftovers from last night. This time, there was no mead, only the deliciously sweet moss tea.

“Thank you,” Theo said, flicking the server a silver coin. It seemed wise to tip now that he had a private booth. That act added to the illusion of his power.

“Soldiers fight for a cause. Mercenaries fight for money,” Tresk said, finally allowing her thoughts to form.

“But you can’t assume the motives of every adventurer in town.” Theo picked through his leftover salad, finding only the largest chunk of crumbly Karatan cheese. “We’re not a nation—yet—but that’s exactly what these people are fighting for. The town.”

“Yeah, keyword ‘yet’ on that whole thing.” Tresk pushed the salad to the side and devoured her meal. “But, you’re right. They’re something else entirely. An adventurer army.”

Theo nodded, sipping his tea. “How many of them fight for the top ranks?”

“Maybe everyone in the top 20. Not that anyone can catch me,” Tresk said, posing heroically. “No, but they’re talking about integrating our non-guild with Rivers and Gronro. I heard that Dwarf-dude is losing his shoes trying to get in on that deal. Aarok already has a few of his guys running the [Swamp Dungeon].”

Theo picked through the parts of his food that he liked. The tea was the only thing he really needed to get the day going, but it was hard to resist the cheese. Once the silence had set in, Alex chirped, as though she had something to add to the conversation. Her sounds became more frantic as the moments rolled on, ending with her tumbling from the box and pecking at their heels.

“Calm down, bird,” Tresk said, picking the growing gosling up to cradle her. “What’s going on?”

The chirping continued. But a sound issued from outside the tavern sent Theo’s blood running cold. A spike of adrenaline flooded him as the frantic clatter of warning bells issued from the walls. It started with a single, distant bell ringing rapidly. Then it was joined by others along the wall. Tresk’s daggers were in her hands in an instant, and she disappeared into the shadows.

A few heartbeats later, she sent a mental message to Theo.

Ships. On the horizon—a whole damn fleet, she said.

Cheep!

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Theo stuffed Alex in his satchel and ran from the tavern, downing a [Potion of LImited Foresight] and rushing to the town square. Aarok was sprinting, his footfalls matching the frantic pace of the balls. The two men joined on the road, headed for the eastern gate.

“An attack?” Theo asked.

“No idea.”

There was no sign of an attack at the eastern gate. Aarok ascended the battlements to get a report, and Theo sprinted south to the other side of the harbor. Up on those battlements, he could see ships far in the distance. They rolled in on a bank of fog, obscured so that none of their features could be discerned. Adventurers scrambled around him, pushing past on the narrow path and asking for orders. Theo just stared.

“They’ve finally arrived,” Khahar said, appearing behind Theo.

“An attack?” Theo asked. No one would be suicidal enough to sail up the river to face their towers. Right?

“My people. The clergy of my cult come to take me home,” Khahar said. He let out a slow breath.

All the tension released from Theo’s body. His shoulders relaxed, giving way to the logic of his mind. Khahar had mentioned that his people were coming to get him, even if the Khahari leader could just teleport back to his home. The tension came back when Tresk sent another message.

I’m about to jump onto the boat and murder these idiots! Tresk shouted.

Stop! Theo shouted back. They’re Khahar’s people. Come to collect him.

Man. Alright. Standing down.

Theo opened his mayoral interface and wrote a message, sending it town-wide.

[Theo]: They’re Khahar’s people. Everyone stand down. Report to me, south of the harbor on the wall.

Theo realized the scale of the ships he was seeing. The mouth of the river was miles away, but the sails still stood proud on the horizon. Moments ago, they’d loomed like harbingers of their own. Now they seemed more tame and inviting, heralds of a man’s ascension into godhood.

“Are you ready to go?” Theo asked.

Khahar leaned against the wall. He looked tired. “It’s not death, like you might imagine. Honestly, I can’t wait to be gone. Spencer… They’re insufferable. They hound me day and night. ‘Khahar, what is your great wisdom? How can I be a better person?’ I don’t know! Stop being an asshole.”

Theo tried not to laugh—he really did. But in moments, both he and the god-like figure were holding stitches in their sides, laughing at the absurd situation. Once the alchemist’s breath came back to him, he looked at his old friend. Those unfamiliar eyes shone with excitement. A new adventure.

“How long will it take?” Theo asked.

“Instantaneous, once I get back,” Khahar said. “Time moves slower in the godly realms. Depending on the strength of the realm, it will move even slower. With the power I accumulated, I’ll have a realm powerful enough to rival the combined Pantheons.”

“Then what?” Theo asked. “To what end?”

Khahar cast Theo a knowing look, a smile creeping into his face. “Then I’ll shatter the barrier between the pantheons. Kill Zagmon, Fan’glir, the Eye, and a few others.”

“So, nothing big?” Theo asked. “Just relax for a while. Take it easy?”

“No such luxury. If my math is right, a second in this world will equal a year in mine. Time in the heavenly realms is the currency. That’s why the gods have such trouble influencing the mortal realm. Imagine if you started a plan down here, and watched your agents take plodding steps.”

“Will you be watching me?”

“I’ve already reached an agreement… Well, I can’t say exactly what agreement I made with who. Yes, I’ll watch over the Southland Defensive Alliance.”

A clatter of footsteps issued behind the pair. Aarok, Luras, and every adventurer in town came running, crowding the wall and the area beneath it.

“They’re your people?” Aarok asked, hand itching toward the dagger at his hip.

“They are,” Khahar said, gesturing vaguely to the sea. “Come to collect their wayward god.”

With the joking over, Khahar reverted to sounding completely bored.

“Can you keep that promise?” Aarok asked.

“Unfortunately,” Khahar said, letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s been nice living here. I wish I could stay for longer. But my task can fall to no other.”

The chatter from the adventurers was the only sound near the wall. Khahar just stared off toward the coast, as though this was something he’d been dreading for a long time. Theo’s hope was that he would be happier in the heavenly realm. If being near his own people was so burdensome, then that should have been a relief.

Cat people are going ashore. I’m tailing them. Heh. Get it?

Alex chirped from Theo’s bag, scrambling to remove herself from it. Khahar turned, smiling at the gosling and scooping her up. Frantic chirps led to the man nodding as though he understood. He produced a handful of wiggling beetles, holding his palm flat for her to peck at.

“You take care of him, Alex D’Goose. You hear me?” Khahar asked.

Theo spotted the figures moving along the river. They were all Khahari, dressed in shades of yellow and brown. The one leading them wore a tall hat, decorated with gleaming yellow gems. The cat-person looked ancient, gray streaking through their fur. Aarok and Theo just watched them approach, eyes occasionally flicking to the towers. Just in case.

“Lord Khahar!” the lead Khahari shouted. He got to his knees, pressing his forehead into the dirt. “The time has come for you to ascend. Please! Don’t make your faithful wait a moment longer!”

It took Theo a long moment to realize what language the Khahari priest was speaking. Khahar stood next to Theo, a massive grin on his face. One last joke from Yuri.

“Did you teach your people Russian?” Theo asked, mouth hanging open in shock.

Khahar burst out laughing, slapping the wall. After a while, he wiped tears from his eyes.

“I told them it was the holy language,” Khahar said, trying to stifle his laughs. “The system made me start with Khahari, but I still remembered all my old languages. Ah. Good times.”

If not for his endless mingling with people in Moscow, Theo wouldn’t have understood the joke. The Russian language the Khahari priest spoke was rough. The pronunciation was bad, even while shouted, but the alchemist got the point. But it was nice to see more of the old Yuri. The good-natured jokester.

“That’s how I remember you,” Theo said, slapping Khahar’s shoulder. “Tossing jokes until the end.”

Khahar nodded, turning and pulling Theo into a hug. The alchemist tried to keep his head in that moment. But something hot stung at the edges of his eyes, breaking the surface to trace a line down his cheek. He hugged his old friend back with everything he had, pulling away only to watch Yuri’s grin spread across that cat-person’s face.

“A trade ship will arrive soon. See ya in heaven,” Yuri said, disappearing and reappearing with his people outside the wall.

“See ya in hell!” Theo shouted down in Russian. That got the attention of the group of Khahari priests. They looked up as though the alchemist had committed some mortal sin. Yuri just laughed, walking toward the beach without another word.

Alex pecked at Theo’s shoe, so he picked her up. He cradled her in his arms, pressing his face into her plumage. Tresk emerged from the shadows, producing a small length of cloth from nowhere and holding it out for him to take.

“A hankie for these trying times?” she asked.

Theo took it, dabbing his eyes. Even with an audience, he didn’t care. It was like losing Earth again. Even though he knew it would happen, the moment that Yuri departed hurt more than he thought it would. Only the calming wave of comfort coming from both Alex and Tresk banished those feelings away. The slow murmur of chatter from the adventurers, kicked up again by Khahar’s departure, helped him snap out of it. He returned the handkerchief to Tresk and nodded his approval.

“Right,” Theo said, clapping his hands together. “One problem solved. A million to go.”

“Come on,” Aarok said, reaching out to grab Theo by the arm. His attempt missed, thanks to the [Potion of Lesser Foresight]. Tresk’s daggers were in her hands. She crouched low, ready to vanish into the shadows and strike. The Half-Ogre gave her a flat look. “We need to talk about this. In private.”

“Use your words, dummy,” Tresk said, refusing to return her weapons to her hips.

“Let’s go,” Luras said, turning away.

Theo shrugged, following them through the crowd on the wall. He made a note of how his potion activated when Aarok attempted to grab his arm. That meant the Half-Ogre intended to restrain him, not just grab his arm. So even grappling counted as an attack.

Aarok acting real funny all the sudden, Tresk said.

Her concerns were apparent through the Tara’hek, but Theo didn’t agree with her feelings. Aarok wasn’t trying to control them. He was scared. The alchemist didn’t blame him. As Khahar walked along the river, headed for a fleet of Khahari warships, Broken Tusk was left at the mercy of one god. The Burning Eye might see this as a chance to act. The group found their way to Aarok’s private office, all taking seats in the cool air.

“Now we’re open to an attack,” Aarok said. “As much as having a powerful person in town is bad, now we have a target on our backs.”

“You think so?” Luras asked, leaning against the wall. He never seemed to sit in these meetings. “If the eye was so petty, wouldn’t he have acted?”

“Is the eye even a boy or a girl? Isn’t it just a big old eye?” Tresk asked, scratching her head.

“The eye doesn’t have an agent to act,” Theo said. “Did I mention Uharis and Sulvan are on the moon?”

“What?” Aarok asked, blinking slowly. Theo could see his mind trying to catch up with reality.

“Khahar put them on Antalis,” Theo said plainly. “I don’t know if they can get back, or how long that would take.”

“Yeah, screw them,” Tresk said. “We’ll get strong before they get back.”

“Level 130 strong?” Luras laughed.

“Yeah! Maybe… I don’t know,” Tresk said, her ego deflating a bit.

The situation wasn’t good, but this was Theo’s fault. He should have thought about the implications of having someone that powerful in his town, throwing his weight around. They knew he would leave one day, leaving an opening for other gods to act against them. Especially the ones that they pissed off.

“We hang our hopes on one thing,” Theo said, knocking the table to gain attention over the argument. Luras and Tresk had engaged in a shouting match over the issue. “It’s the same hope we’ve always had, right? Drogramath will protect us, if it comes to gods attacking us. They can’t act directly—Khahar was an exception. He wasn’t a god, yet.”

“Consider the fact that Khahar promised to attack the other gods the moment he ascended, including the Burning Eye,” Aarok said, finally helping Theo be the voice of reason. “They’ll be too busy with him to worry about us.”

This was normally the time that Tresk would promise to stab the Burning Eye personally, paying no heed to the fact that he was a god. But Theo felt the response building in her mind reach a measured conclusion. It was strange.

“And we’ll be ready for whatever else comes with that,” Tresk said.