Commune check… Successful

Rachel’s right arm hurt. It was a dull, bone-deep ache. The joints were stiff and the muscles pulled in awkward directions. Try as she might, her arm was locked in a bent, twisted hook. Her hand was frozen in an equally useless claw almost touching her shoulder.

She rolled her shoulder and found it still had full movement even as her wrist and elbow felt almost pinned in place.

“Do I have your attention?” Lola asked. Her tone was even, but an edge was hidden in the question.

She bowed, she pressed her head to the stone floor of the hidden room in the temple, “Forgive me.” Rachel hated the almost whining tone in her voice.

“You are forgiven,” the goddess said almost dismissively. “I have one more task for you before you and your soldiers go to clear a dungeon.”

“I am happy to serve,” Rachel said, her head still pressed on the floor. Probably best to kiss up a little. Following Lola was normally a lip service endeavor. Every soldier would follow her before going to battle. No one actually expected the Goddess to take interest in them. Hell, half the point of following her was to blend in on the battlefield. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, or so they say. Rachel wanted to be back at the Technacoast. Her people needed her. She didn’t know the specifics but the war in the Musical Valley clearly wasn’t going well. Zoo Keeper and the leadership behind them had been specific that she needed to move as quickly as possible.

“Don’t lie,” Lola said. If the goddess disapproved, her voice didn’t show it. “You will do as I command and that is enough.” The goddess walked closer, “Please look at me.”

When Rachel looked up but remained kneeling before her. Lola, her goddess, stood before her, blood on her hands. It looked fresh.

Lola continued “The Left Hand of the Titan, your other god, has requested I allow Madigan to be turned over to the goblins. You will deliver him to them.”

“Yes, my goddess,” Rachel agreed immediately.

Before Rachel could nod or bow, Lola declared, “You have questions.”

Rachel hesitated. Was this a trick, or a trap? No, it was a test. Lola had called Doug Rachel’s other god. “I will do as you command.” Rachel offered.

“Ask your questions,” Lola ordered, a small smile curling the corner of her mouth.

“Why turn Madigan over?” Rachel asked.

Lola shrugged, “Two reasons. Madigan has become willful and no longer follows my instructions. Think about that: a follower who does not follow orders. The second is that he is more valuable to this community with the goblins than in charge. New leadership is needed, and this will facilitate that change. Next question.”

“Why me?” Rachel felt a small hitch in the beating of her heart. She dreaded the answer.

Lola saw this and did nothing to soften her words, “Because you and your soldiers are not part of the community. You will leave and the division with you.”

Rachel bit her tongue. She couldn’t trust herself to speak. Her newly sharpened fangs pierced her tongue. The copper taste of blood filled her mouth. She barely noticed though. Her ears rang with the word: “traitor!” so many people called her that. Just because her father… Rachel blinked back the tears, “As you command.”

“There is one last thing,” Lola said, unbothered by Rachel’s state. “You will turn Madigan over on behalf of…”

I blinked.

That was…

Holy shit… Commune was another one of those skills that just felt wrong. I don’t know If I had triggered it somehow or if Rachel had, or if some other factor had. Regardless, the invasive nature of the skill was concerning. I wasn’t what you would call afraid of intimacy -more a healthy respect of it- but the abrupt nature of the connection and tainted nature of anything related to the system caused me to recoil. If Rachel wanted to share these details that would be one thing, but I doubted she had meant to. Seeing inside her head like that, seeing the pain, resentment and fear, felt voyeuristic.

Spine standing in front of me waving, “Doug, are you just ignoring us, completely? I get ignoring Grimset, it’s funny when his ego is bruised, but I got actual questions for you.”

“Sorry, something odd happened with a skill. What’s up?” I blinked the prompt away.

“Grimset wants to know what proof you have that the Mandir’s people aren’t going to just attack us.” Spine said.

“I would keep our guard up regardless of the fact that Lola just assigned a Heroic scale soldier to deliver Madigan.” Another quick effort of will and I selected both perks and the trait. No sense just waiting on them.

“Are you expecting retaliation?” Grimset asked. He looked ready to jump to his most pessimistic conclusion.

“No, but I have gotten into a fight every day of my life since spawning, why should this one be any different?” I explained.

Grimset almost argued, but couldn’t find any hole in my logic. I could also see he more or less agreed with the sentiment. “I will make arrangements.” he turned on his heels, his cloak flaring out dramatically. He then reached the edge of the tent and had to climb up the lip. It was a bit less dramatic when he had to hop and then climb to get out.

“We need stairs,” I said standing. I pulled some more bones out of my inventory and willed them into planks. Once I had four steps worth I willed those into a small flight of stairs. “What do you think?”

Spine looked at the steps. They were observably too big for him. I had crafted them relative to me. Oops.

“Doug, I need to speak with you,” Philip called from outside the tent, “May I enter?”

“Yeah, sure,” I called back, heading to my chair.

Philip jumped through the flap. His heels caught on the edge of the final step, and he fell face first on the ground. He lay there for a moment and sighed, “Is this something you do on purpose?”

“I wish we were that clever,” Spine said. He was fighting not to laugh. Kid was going to pull something in his face trying not to grin.

I offered Philip a hand, and he took it.

He dusted himself off, “The team that cleared the Wolf Dungeon have returned. They would like to offer tribute.”

“What?” I managed.

Philip didn’t seem to understand my question.

Spine, knowing this world and basically everything in it confused me, explained, “As Warlord you are entitled to 25% of all loot.”

Oh, rank and privileges. I didn’t necessarily like that. “It isn’t some veiled insult to just let them have it all?”

“No, the opposite actually, the tribute is meant to ensure an even distribution of resources. A warlord must maintain the warband.” Philip explained.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Would they just hoard the loot otherwise?” I asked.

“No, most of the loot is useless to them. They will gift most of it to the community anyways.” Philip said.

“Then let them have it. I can still meet with them if they would like.” I offered.

Philip looked a little uncomfortable, “Honestly, my lord, they have been away from their families for a long time…”

I got his meaning, “I think some R&R would make them happier… and my thanks for a job well done.” I said like the idea had just occurred to me.

“I will see to it,” Philip nodded. I don’t think he expected it to be that easy. He turned to leave.

“Before you go,” I spoke up. “I officially return Spine to you.”

Philip froze, “Is my son bothering you?”

“Love you too dad,” Spine chipped in.

“No, I am just completing the pact we made.” I explained. “Did that resolve it?”

Spine’s eyes unfocused as he read a prompt, “Yep. I just hit level 19 again,”

“Huh, that’s a lot. Wanna form another? I still need a mugwump,” I said.

Commune check… Successful

Rachel dodged another wild jab. She kicked the legs out from under the girl. Before her attacker could react Rachel stomped down on the girl's head. The impact cracked the floor and sent blood flying.

Attack Successful. Yuna Leng take 47 damage

Warrior’s Suraksha prevents death.

You have inflicted the Knocked Out Condition on Yuna Leng

Lucky for Yuna the domain ‘protected’ everyone. A few days and she would probably be alright.

Rachel didn’t like having to fight her way through the chaff, but Madigan was playing tactics. Yesterday something like this may have worked. Not today though. He made the mistake of over relying on the Mandir’s protection. Numbers could have worked in his favor, but most of his students were drunk or indisposed doing other things. Celebrations were fun that way. Sure 25 was less than 600, technically she only had 18 -Dumb Doug, her god, had battered and broken a few- but 9 hours of revelry had all but annihilated Madigan’s students’ combat abilities.

She ducked a shotgun blast, and shouldered her way through the now-broken door. Rachel slapped the barrel upward as the man pulled the trigger a second time. She kicked high, catching him on the chin with the ball of her foot, and then brought her heel down again on his torso. This slammed him into the ground hard enough to bounce him off the floor tiles. He didn’t move after that.

Rachel snatched the shotgun out of the air. For a split second she considered firing it but trying to rachet the spent shell out would be too much trouble with her twisted arm. Instead, when another guy rounded the corner pistol in hand she simply swung it like a club.

The wooden stock splintered as it slammed into his face. The pistol was a valid option as a gun going forward. Rachel simply kneecapped the next four unfortunate students of Madigan that crossed her path.

“Madigan, We should really just talk this out,” Rachel called.

“The fuck is there to talk about?” Madigan yelled behind a heavy wooden door.

Honestly, nothing. Rachel was going to take him and feed him to the goblins. Nothing Madigan could say or offer would change that. She had only spoken up in the hope he would answer and provide his location.

She kicked the door. It held firm. Madigan was calling some insult or another but Rachel didn’t listen. She was simply shaking her head. The door was built to handle a siege. It was thick wood reinforced with metal. The frame it sat in was solid steel. The wall next to it was fucking dry wall.

How do you manage to be that dumb?

Rachel burst through the wall: the debris was unfortunate. It got in her eyes and clogged her nose. Spitting out dust she took aim and stopped in her tracks.

Madigan had three kids standing between her and him. Two other guys, maybe in their early twenties were also with him. Shit, this got complicated.

Rachel kept her gun trained on Madigan but let her eyes drift back and forth from the three men. “Just surrender. My men are coming.”

“I was just about to say the same thing to you,” Madigan snarked. A wicked grin twisted his face. “You aren’t going to cleave your way through those kids, and this town isn’t going to be kind to you. This is your one chance to Surrender and keep your head.”

“You’re using your kids as human shields?” Rachel honestly couldn’t believe it. Even the woo-woos in the Fantasy Coast didn’t do cowardly shit like this.

“You’re the one putting them in the line of fire,” Madigan insisted. He almost sounded like he believed his own words.

Rather than reflect on the legitimately sad state of the kid’s situation Rachel said, “Cover your eyes and hum loud kids!”

Everyone went on edge. Madigan went for his gun. The guy on the right did the same. The guy on the left moved to step between Rachel and the kids. Two of the kids froze and the third did as Rachel instructed.

Everyone had expected her to fire the pistol. Instead Rachel manifested three phantom lions. Yeah that crashed her mana, and hurt like hell, but none of the child-endangering losers were prepared for that. Left and right guys were red lined instantly. Rachel guessed they had shit magic attribute. Madigan kept his feet, but dropped his gun.

Rachel then emptied the clip into his chest. That wasn’t quite enough to drop the bastard. He was tough. But between the multiple gunshot wounds and the continued mauling he was wide open for her attacks. Rachel hit him with a left hook. She spun with the momentum and swept the leg. The instant he hit the ground, Rachel slammed her right elbow into his throat. She just kept punching with her left hand for a while.

The kids were screaming. Rachel managed to stuff Madigan into the cuffs before he could get a second wind. Rachel stood over the other two men, “Either of you guys know anything about a dead goblin?”

Spine was watching me.

“How long was I gone?” I asked. Shaking the effects of the skill away again.

“Maybe five seconds,” Spine answered.

That was better than last time. At least from a time lost in the prompt stand point. I sighed. “I think something dumb is going to be happening soon. Let’s go to the edge of camp.”

“Pact first?” Spine asked.

“Yeah, sure. Are you willing to work as my mugwump… no, the mugwump for the Alliance of Green and work in good faith to help our cause?” I asked standing.

“Yep.” he said.

We shook hands, I added Titanic Regeneration and Mystic Well. That should help him build up his magic skill and keep him alive.

Spine and I walked toward the edge of camp. As we walked another prompt came through. This time I managed to stay in the moment as I absorbed the moment. I turned and went where I was needed

Commune check… Successful

Rachel sat in the back of the truck. She couldn’t help but smile. It worked perfectly. Nothing worked perfectly. Hell, this trip was supposed to be a straight forward, and then they crashed face first into a Titan Spawn. This, though, had gone off without a hitch. Hell Rachel had actually managed to get the hat trick.

She had been tasked to grab one murderous asshole. Here she was with three assholes in the palm of her hand. She frowned at the mental picture. Ick… Anyway Lola had clearly wanted to cut the head off of the conspiracy to start a fight with the goblins. She had managed to bag the whole snake.

Things hadn’t even gotten all that violent. All said and done her team had roughed up maybe 100 people in Madigan’s compound. Those folks would be pissed, but unlikely to give chase. That said even if they did, Rachel and Snow Lion Squad could handle them.

The strength and speed were intoxicating. Rachel knew she shouldn’t, but she enjoyed the power. Before she could get too enthused the repulsive sensation of Grond triggering her metamorphosis reared up in her memory. It had been painful, sure, but also gross. Grond’s presence reminded Rachel of the orderly from the clinic where she was made a chimera. She had been basically helpless then for about four months. Back then the pain wasn’t the worst part. She had an orderly, who helped her with everything. It was humiliating, but to make matters worse he was far too eager. He wanted to touch her. He never did anything, but Rachel was pretty sure that was because the guy feared consequences. Grond probably wouldn't have such concerns.

Outside of Lola’s domain Rachel worried about her squad. What Grond had done to her, he could do to them. He had used her to attack the Left hand- to attack Doug, because that is what he wanted in that moment.

There was nothing stopping Grond from doing something heinous to the others. Knowing what Rachel knew now, she understood her squad needed Lola’s total backing or whatever dungeon they went to would be their grave.

Rachel watched Madigan glare at her and considered Doug. She didn’t like him. He was naive and myopic. He was going to get somebody killed. That was certain.

But even on his worst day, Doug was better than Grond.

Rachel considered the connection. She read the prompts.

Commune check Successful x3

Your god is receiving your thoughts and prayers.

Connection is active.

Aw, shit! Rachel mentally flailed how do you close thi-

I laughed as we reached the edge of camp furthest from the Mandir. Rachel’s team, after grabbing Madigan, had immediately moved for distance. They had swung south around the town to avoid the goblins and were approaching us from the west. On the distant horizon I could see more Goblin trucks. Most of them looked to be either freight or mass transport in nature.

I could feel the first rays of the rising sun on my back. Today was going to be busy.