Jaden twirled his staff for two revolutions in answer, then adjusted his body into a defensive posture. Brawn smiled in anticipation and leaped at him. "For the Horde!"

Jaden half swung his staff overhead, colliding with the two-handed club and stopping it in place. Time seemed to freeze as the rat-man was held suspended in the air. "I thought this was for you, not the Horde?"

Brawn grimaced slightly as he shifted his center of gravity, "Everything for the Horde!" he drew back his club off the staff and swung again. The brunt of the blow pushed Jaden's arms to bend slightly.

"We have a similar mindset," Jaden stated in response and finished his swing, pushing forward against the club and its wielder. The rat-man was easily thrown several meters back. "Everything I do is for my clan. Beyond that, we're nothing alike."

Brawn grinned widely, "You're a born warrior. Same as I." he charged forward brandishing his club. He drew it back along his left side to swing. Jaden lowered the front end of his staff to the ground. He dashed forward, closing the distance and catching Brawn unprepared. A simple flick, he raised the end of his staff straight up, connecting with the Brawn's chin. "I just want a peaceful existence. Even knowing that's not in my future, I can't help but hope."

Brawn flew bodily into the air and performed a series of backflips just from the initial impact. He landed on his feet several meters back, dazed. He shook it off and laughed heartily. "You're a King among warriors, how can you speak of peace? I know you're holding back."

"What of it? You asked me to play with you, remember?" Jaden taunted. Brawn frowned and discarded his two-handed club. Jaden continued, "But I don't have all day either, I have other things to do."

Jaden couldn't describe it, but he felt something was off. Brawn had drawn a pair of twin daggers and lunged forward, "This should be more your speed, yes?"

The memory of how he'd gotten his scar flashed through his mind. Jaden closed his eyes and took a breath calming himself. He opened his eyes, swung his left foot around and behind his right, effectively turning and stepping out of the way. Brawn's expression changed from anticipation to troubled. Jaden swung his staff down, connecting hard with the Brawn's head.

"For the... Horde..." Brawn passed out.

A jolt of electricity shot through the Liralau as she watched that exchange, her memory reminding her how she'd been defeated similarly and the pain she felt on her spine back at that time reignited. She shuddered and shook her head to clear her mind.

"How do you understand the rat language?" she attempted to force her thoughts elsewhere.

"Hm?" Jaden turned to look at her, "I don't know, I just do. I thought that was normal."

"It's not," she shook her head.

"At the moment it's convenient." Jaden turned to the peons and started screeching, "Take this unconscious lump and return to your nest.  While you're there, inform your queen I'm not interested."

"For the Horde!"

The Liralau looked warily upon how the ratmen collected the bigger one and departed. "What were you saying to them? And why are they even here?"

Jaden sighed, "They want me as their king."

The blood drained from her face.

"What?" he asked as he tapped the building. A door grew into the wall. It opened immediately and a little grey blur rushed through and tackled him, shivering. After the initial shock wore off, he smiled warmly, "I'm sorry I took so long."

"Are... Are you leaving ush?" Emily looked up at him, her azure blue eyes full of tears.

"No," he responded, his heart wrenched as he slowly, gently wiped her face, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay," she smiled until she caught sight of the Liralau. She placed her head against his chest as she squeezed him. "You're not allowed to change your mind on thish."

Jaden scratched his head. Why would I change my mind? He looked over his map, noting that there were no yellow markers between them and the building the others were in.

"Emily..?" Jaden asked as she squirmed around and clung to his back like a koala. "Now isn't the best time to play..."

"I'm not playing." she pouted, "I feel shafesht near you."

What's gotten into her? "All right hold on tight then, but don't strangle me."

Jaden walked leisurely to the men's bathhouse with Emily humming merrily while clinging to his back, and the Liralau following shortly behind.  As he raised his hand to rap lightly on the building, a door grew from the solid wall.

"Evan, Bayne, Daryl?" Jaden entered the lobby and called out.  A few minutes passed before Daryl and Evan appeared, carrying Bayne.

Stolen story; please report.

"What happened to him?" Jaden frowned.

"Self-inflicted," Daryl replied shaking his head.

"I see," Jaden replied.  "Can you carry him?"

"Not easily, but we'll manage."

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

"It's quiet.  Anya, what's going on out there?" Lulu asked.

Some rat-men are still skulking around, Jaden beat up the strongest one and his followers carried him out of the city.  He and the rest are on their way here.

"That's a relief, but there wasn't much doubt of that.  He is Vivian's son."

Anya smiled briefly, her expression turned serious when she returned to looking over the water sample with Molli.  She'd tried everything to separate the water into its components as she'd done with the Rowan berry.  The problem was the water had taken on the properties of everything that made it, becoming a blend so perfect it couldn't be separated.

"I'd kill for the knowledge of the ancients." Molli blurted as she threw her arms up in defeat, "Still, I doubt even they knew what would become of this concoction millenniums later."

What do you mean?

"When I'm holding the water, it's as warm as my hand.  When I move to drink it like so," Molli moved the edge of the bottle to her lips, "the temperature drops to where it's comfortable to drink.  When I place my finger in it, it warms up to a relaxing temperature for bathing."

Anya and Lulu looked at the water with a new interest as Molli continued, "The water, or whatever this can be considered as now, wants to be useful."

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

A group of rats approaches; they are behaving oddly as well.  Anya relayed to Jaden.

"We need to pick up the pace." Jaden turned to the rest, "Maybe you all should duck into that building up ahead."

"That includes you," he responded to Emily's sudden tightening of her grip.

Sasha, when do you think you'll be able to integrate with the rest of them?

Not any time soon, if at all.

If at all? Jaden echoed for clarification.

I'm not a "for all" system, only a select few will ever be eligible.  Per your configurations.  As it stands now, I am over quota for acceptable hosts.

I don't like where this is going, how can we increase the quota? Jaden asked.

There are two methods, first is if a current host perishes.

That's not happening if I can help it, and the other option?

The second option is an increase in the race population.

For preventing apocalyptic events that logic is backwards.  The number of available hosts should increase as the population dwindles, and should scale back as the population increases.

Tell yourself that, I'm bound by the constraints you created.  Gods' logic is very different from mortals'.

Ugh, so either a host dies or there's a population boom?  There's no third option for dire situations like now?

This doesn't qualify as an emergency, you are perfectly capable to handle this situation.

I beg to differ.  You're missing the bigger picture here; we're not up against a combatant, but a strategist; a fact I overlooked till now...  Jaden spoke, "The women are in danger."

He kicked off the ground, entering a full-throttle run with Emily clinging to his back.  Daryl and Evan exchanged a look.  "Wouldn't they be sealed inside a building without a door just like we were?"  Daryl nodded in response to Evan's inquiry.  The two of them looked in the direction of Jaden bolted.  "Fire?"

"They wouldn't... oh Gods get down!" the Liralau pushed Evan and Daryl to the ground, Bayne landed heavily upon them as she dove to the ground herself, covering her sensitive ears.

An explosion rocked the city.  Debris of every origin rained down from the sky; dirt, sand, wood chips, and plants filled the air and fell to the ground.  Daryl and Evan stared wide-eyed as the debris covered them.

"Wait for it..." Brains watched the building tilt.  The lack of results shocked him; he expected the building to crumble.  Vines erupted from the ground and wrapped around the building to re-stabilize it.  "Again!"

"For the Horde!" the peons started piling their special powder around the building once more.  Additional vines burst from the ground, wrapped around the peons, and lifted them high into the air.

Anya, are you okay?  What about Lulu, Molli, and Mother?

Ja..den... hur...ry...! He wasn't sure if her voice was strained or pained, but he knew one thing beyond doubt.  He'd failed.  Again.

"No!" Jaden observed the building crumbling as he drew closer.

"Mommy?  Lulu?  Anya?  Aunty Vivi?" Emily watched in horror.

Sasha, I need something.  Anything!

Deriving a new skill through a combination of the anomaly and your former divinity:  [Divine Void] created.  I advise you to use it carefully.  The full range of its effects is unknown.

Emily blinked as Jaden emitted a pale grey light.  The last thing she knew, he was running at a breakneck pace.  The next thing she saw, Anya and Molli were huddled together by Vivian's cocoon.  Lulu was laying between them, barely conscious.  All around them the building was falling apart.

The pale grey light Jaden was emitting lost all color, turning black as night.  The skill exploded outward shrouding and blinding everyone close to him.