“Do you trust me?” Cedez asked, stepping to Dave and Remicra.

“Why should we?” Remicra asked.

“Because if you don’t, the next test will kill you,” Cedez said.

“I trust you to help keep us alive as our friend,” Dave said.

“Why do I feel like there's a but in there?” The foxgirl asked.

“But your Charisma does mess with people,” Dave said. “You tried to speed-run romance with me, packing seventy seven years into seven hours. Your skill is a deep, dangerous well of power and I cannot even see all of your soul like Remicra’s.”

“What? I have a big, caring soul,” Cedez crossed her arms. “Are you judging me? I’m nice! I was super nice to you! When did I ever…”

“I think that the real you is somewhere in there, buried beneath the ocean of silver stars,” Dave said, eyeing the dark foxgirl.

“Bah,” Cedez huffed. “You guys can make out or whatever, we’ll move the corpses away from the hexagram,” she said walking away from the couple.

The ten undead elkin and the magisteel golem began to move the dead bodies away from the middle of the room.

“These men possess regal outfits,” Sherlock examined the bodies. “Were they Shandrian highborns?”

“Yeah. These guys were noble knights and their pages,” Cedez commented.

“Please confirm how the mechanism of this test works?” Sherlock asked.

“Everyone present must sit down in the circle and then our soul shards will get pulled into the Ward,” Cedez said. “It will test all of your Loyalty… to me.”

“Can we do it without you?” The detective asked curiously. “Can this test be done by one person?”

“Ehhhh,” Cedez mulled. “No. From what I recall, everyone from the party has to be in the circle or the gate to the next level simply won’t open. The Tower knows how many people entered it. There’s no way back now.”

“Can we have more details about the nature of the test?” Sherlock pressed. “What did Natalie experience?”

“Natalie was thrust into the role of…” Cedez paused. “Fifty year old General Nox for twenty four hours. The Ward showed me the day when the Shadow took down the previous rulers of Shandria - the Lumis Magocracy wielded by Empress Sari and Duke Lumir.”

“What happened to Natalie’s companions?” Sherlock looked at the corpse he was carrying.

“They were injected into various… important people across Shandria,” Cedez said. “Some remained in my camp, while others were inserted into… Lumis Archmagi. Everyone’s loyalties to me will be tested in various, devious ways. Shandria can either be taken by me with the Lumis nobility getting executed after their three greatest mages flee the city inside their capital ship or… I will be betrayed and stabbed in the back. There’s going to be some degree of variance which I cannot predict.”

“That doesn't seem that hard of a test? How did all of these Shandrian nobles fail it?” Sherlock asked. “Surely they didn't choose the side of Lumis Magocracy against you?”

“They chose Love. Love for something important to them,” Cedez sighed. “The Ward arranged events, offered them a choice. To get what they really want and cannot attain vs helping me. These idiots simply chose love over me.”

“I see,” Sherlock nodded. “So, just to confirm the situation correctly, then each member of our group will be offered their deepest, unreachable desire in exchange for betraying Nox whose body you will be occupying.”

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“More or less,” Cedez nodded.

“Got it,” the golem nodded.

“What is your degree of loyalty to me, mechanical man?” The foxgirl asked, tilting her head.

“You think that this test will be able to kill me?” Sherlock asked curiously.

“You’re a soul within a crystal core,” Cedez mulled. “You’re not invincible, you know.”

“There are a lot of memories belonging to Dave in me now,” Sherlock said, tapping the golem’s feminine chest where the crystalline heart resided. “And he feels a great degree of affection and friendship towards you, which affects my own rational decision making in regards to you.”

“Meaning?” Cedez probed.

“If I am presented with a scenario to betray you, I will not do so,” Sherlock affirmed. “You’ve proven yourself as a reliable and trustworthy companion to Dave and I’ve been part of him for as long as he’s been on Arxtruria. Even if I am offered my heart's desire, I will support your side because I want to see this adventure through to its end.”

“Great,” the foxgirl grinned and she slid into the center of the large hexagram. “Everyone, come here then! Group-hug time!”

Still holding hands Dave and Remicra joined the now cheerful foxgirl who wiggled her eyebrows at them, making Dave blush and Remicra huff in annoyance.

Ten elkin represented by Svenn and Sherlock sat next to them.

“Onwards! Initiate the test!” Cedez clapped her hands and with a brilliant flash the magical circle beneath them ignited with blinding radiance that pulled them elsewhere.

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

Dave groaned, opening his eyes. He was sitting in a large, wooden chair in what looked to be a massive gothic tower, facing a round table filled with highborn lords. Stern faces of men and women looked at each other, bearing shiny armor and white capes.

Dave looked down at his hands. His fingers were thick, looking like sausages covered in gold rings bearing large rubies. His body felt… heavy and extremely out of shape, featuring an enormous gut.

Massive white banners bearing red plus signs inside circles hung from the ceiling.

“We are effed,” he heard a female voice pacing around him, speaking Shandrian. “Absolutely, irrevocably effed. Our defenses are barely holding and night’s coming and that bitch is stronger at night!”

There was a distinctive, sharp familiarity about the voice, something that tugged at his memory from another lifetime.

Dave turned his head and focused his eyes on the figure pacing around the wooden table and his mouth fell open wide. It took another moment to recognize her.

It was… Lari!

She was wearing a white laurel crown and a fanciful white suit-dress and looked older. Her blonde hair had turned silver-white, but it was definitely, irrevocably her. She was pretty, even if a pitch older.

“Lari,” he choked.

“What?” Lari suddenly stopped, her blue eyes focusing on Dave.

“I found you,” Dave said.

“What do you mean… you found me?” Lari demanded. “How do you know that name, Duke Lumir?”

The faces of gathered lords and ladies turned to Dave.

“You saved me on a Wednesday after a taxicab ran me over, Laricianna. Do you remember me?” Dave said in English. Lari’s face fell. Her mouth opened and closed.

“That… cannot be,” she whispered in English into the confused silence that filled the room. “That… that’s impossible. How?”

“What’s going on, Empress Sari?” A silver-haired, bulky, armored man looked from Lari to Dave. “What are you saying? I do not recognize the language.”

Lari slowly made her way over to Dave.

“Dave… if it's really you in there. Tell them all… except for… Empress Sari to get out,” she whispered in his ear.

“Everyone except for Empress Sari, out!” Dave barked with a booming, deep voice that he didn’t recognize.

“But we still haven’t…” One of the Lumis Archmagi demanded.

“We’re effed either way,” Lari snapped. “We’ve been at this for an hour already! There's nothing we can do! We are surrounded and none of the gates work. Return to your stations and towers and prepare for siege! Night’s coming! Duke Lumir has spoken! OUT!”

The Lumis Magocracy highborns grumbled as the room emptied, leaving Dave face to face with Lari or perhaps… Empress Sari.

“You’re an Empress, huh?” Dave asked finally.

“What are you doing in Duke Lumir’s body, Dave?” Lari demanded, her expression cold.

“It’s… it’s a really long story,” Dave sighed.

“Well you better start now, because we don’t have all day,” Lari sat down at the round table directly across from Dave.

“I was… isekai’d into this man five minutes ago by the Ward of Shanria,” Dave said, spreading his thick hands wrapped in white linen and gold pins.

“Isekai’d from where?” Lari demanded, squinting at Dave.

“From another Shandria, approximately two hundred years in the future from today. Who was Duke Lumir? Was he… someone important? I honestly don’t know that much about him.”

“Duke Lumir is a fat bastard whom I can barely tolerate,” Lari deflated. “The richest man in Shandria, the head of the Mercantile Guild, a representative of the Arx Bankers. It’s really nice to… see you Dave, but if I am to be honest, you got here… far too late to do anything of value. Tonight both of us are going to die.”