《My Second Life is a Heroic Power Fantasy》


 Chapter 1 The Choice

    Jack opened his eyes to find himself standing in a pitch black space, illuminated by a single spotlight that shone down directly on him. He looked left and right for some clue, when a small, hunched man with a wrinkled face and an incredibly elaborate beard poofed into the air in front of him, hovering at eye level. He spoke with a low, raspy voice that reminded Jack of his grandmother back when she used to smoke.


    ""Hey, great news, kid... you''re dead!"


    Jack looked at him with confusion.


    "What do you mean, I''m dead?", he asked.


    The old man looked at him, equally confused.


    "You''re dead. Deceased. No longer living. Passed on. You know, the thing what happens when they stick someone in a casket or throw their body in a furnace. That sort of thing. You''re that."


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    "Yeah, no, you''re fucking with me," Jack said. "Alright Paul, Max, you guys can come out now. Very funny."


    "Yeah, no, they''re dead too. Died same you did, actually," The old man said. When he saw the blank look on Jack''s face, he rubbed his face with his hands. "Okay, look, you know what, here. Let me show you."


    He swatted at the air beside him with the back of his hand, and something akin to a projection screen appeared in the air beside him. "Watch," he said.


    Jack watched as he and his two best friends were driving down the road towards a high bridge over a ravine. A few seconds later, a deer jumped in front of their car, causing Paul, who was at the wheel, to lose control trying to avoid it. The car tumbled off the edge of the ravine before the bridge, crumpling into a heap as it bounced down the cliff bottom. Jack flinched on every impact, and winced as it finally came to a rest on the canyon floor. He turned to the old man and went to say something.


    Then the car exploded.


    Jack watched as his head flew out the windshield and tumbled along the ground some feet away from the car. As if to add insult to injury, the camera zoomed in and held a close shot on his severed head''s mangled face before the screen winked out of existence.


    "Uh, I, uhh.... what?" Jack stammered.


    "Like I said- deadorino," The old man said. "So, you have a name, kid?"


    "uh, Jack...?"


    "Nice to meet ya, Jack!", the old man said, extending his hand. "My name''s Frumpkin Snozcumber, but most people these days call me ''God''."


    Jack took the man''s hand and shook it, and the old man continued.


    "So, you''re here because it''s time for you to decide how you''re gonna spend the afterlife."


    He swatted at the air again, and what looked like a whiteboard appeared. On it was written, in big, bold, black letters:


    1. ETERNITY OF PERPETUAL BLISS


    or


    2. NEW LIFE IN AN ABSURDIST POWER FANTASY


    "So, you can pick one of these two options.Most people, they take the eternity of perpetual bliss. Me, I think that''s the better of the two options, personally, but hey, what do I know, right?"


    Jack could barely even wrap his head around what was happening. He was DEAD? But... no. That can''t be right....


    "Option number two, I reincarnate you in a storybook world of your own imagination, and you get to be unfairly good at everything and try to save the world from certain destruction by someone just as overpowered as you are. You want magic powers? You got it. A harem of beautiful women? Sure. Ridiculous good looks and a legendary sword that lets you fly? We can do that too."


    As he spoke and named each thing, the whiteboard flipped over and over, depicting a smiling stick figure of Jack with each of the the things he named.


    "Good news is, if you succeed in saving the world, you get to take my role for that world forever. You become ''God'', so to speak. Bad news is, if you die in that world, you cease to exist. Poof. No everlasting bliss for you."


    He gestured to the whiteboard with a wave of his hand, and looked at Jack with a smile.


    "So, what''ll it be, kid?"

 Chapter 2 Decision Made

    Jack looked at the board, still unable to fully process what he was being offered. After a few moments of him staring blankly at the board, Frumpkin cleared his throat. When Jack didn''t respond, Frumpkin sighed loudly, and threw his hands into the air


    "So, you gonna pick, or what?", he asked. "I mean, you do you, but I got a backlog of souls to get through and you are not really helping me catch up here."


    "Yeah, sorry, I''m just... kinda having a hard time taking this all in," Jack said, looking at the old man, who was currently floating with his face about three feet away from Jack''s


    "Ehh, give it two weeks in whatever you pick and you''ll forget you even needed to make a decision," Frumpkin said, stretching lazily and yawning. "Now, hurry up, or I''ll pick for ya!"


    Jack thought about his two choices. One was guaranteed happiness for all eternity. I mean, that''s what everyone always wished for when they died, right? But what did eternal bliss actually mean? I mean, would he be sitting on a cloud all day, or what?


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    But that second choice... It just sounded... AWESOME. Hadn''t he spent countless hours reading fantasy books and watching anime and playing games to have that exact experience in his imagination? If he did this, it would be REAL. He could finally be the real hero he always had fantasized about being. And plus, he could have a harem. A real life HAREM! No more "Jack off" puns from his friends about him being a single virgin! He could have as many different kinds of girls as he wanted... OH MY GOD HE COULD SLEEP WITH AN ELF! ELF WOMEN WOULD BE REAL!


    Wait, pump the brakes there, Jacky boy. What if that WASN''T how it worked? What if the old man was just screwing with him? That''d be just his luck- get sent to another world only to die again a weak, pathetic virgin because some dragon incinerated him as soon as he arrived.


    Jack looked at Frumpkin, who was currently dipping a tea bag into a steaming tea cup. The old man tossed the tea bag and it disappeared somewhere outside the spotlight with a soft splat.


    "So, if I pick option 2, I get to be as powerful as I want, and can have anything I want anytime I want it?" Jack asked.


    Frumpkin took a sip of his tea, and shook his head.


    "Not exactly, no. Think of it like, you start with huge advantages and can earn more. When you enter the world, I will grant you three wishes, and anytime you do something heroic, I will give you a choice of new abilities, items, companions, and so on. Make sense?"


    Jack nodded, and felt slightly deflated before he realized the implications.


    "Three wishes? As in, I can wish for ANYTHING?", he asked.


    "Well yeah, pretty much, kid. I mean, you can''t wish to be me, you can''t wish for more wishes, and your wishes will be open to my interpretation and understanding when I perform them, but yeah sure. Anything you want," Frumpkin said, sipping his tea again.


    "Alright, that seems fair," Jack said.


    If that was the case... he knew which he''d take in a heartbeat.


    "Okay Frumpkin, give me option number two!", he said, holding up two fingers.


    Frumpkin snorted, and said, "Well, can''t say I''m surprised!"


    He clapped his hands together, causing the teacup floating next to him to vanish in a puff of smoke, before rubbing his hands together.


    "Alright kid, what''s your first wish?", he asked.

 Chapter 3 Three Wishes

    It only took Jack a few seconds to decide on his first wish.


    "I want to be an incredibly powerful magic user who can bend the world to my will!" He said with a grand flourish.


    Frumpkin looked at him with a bored expression. "Sorcerer, Wizard, Warlock, Priest, or Shaman?"


    Jack stopped mid-pose and looked at the man, and dropped his arms. "Uhm, what''s the difference?"


    Frumpkin started rubbing his temples and muttered something to himself. He threw his hands up. "You know what? Doesn''t matter. I''ll surprise you," He said, snapping his fingers.


    Jack felt a sudden glow of energy course through his body. He dramatically raised his hands, and imagined a jet of fire shooting out of them as he shouted the first word that came to his head.


    "RACHMANINOFF!"


    To his surprise and horror a massive jet of flames engulfed the air around him, completely consuming the area in front of him, including Frumpkin, in a massive fireball. Jack snatched his hands shut, and the fire instantly dissipated, leaving a soot-blackened and very displeased looking Frumpkin floating in front of him.


    "Sorry! I had no idea that would actually do anything!" Jack said, feeling sheepish.


    Frumpkin glowered at him, and coughed once. He then snapped his fingers, and the soot on him dissolved.


    "Yeah well, now you know," He said, and followed up with ,"so what''s your second wish?"


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    Jack thought for a second.


    "I want to be an incredibly powerful warrior with an enchanted magic weapon I am a master of!" He said, striking another pose.


    "What is it with you and striking poses when you make wishes?" Frumpkin asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    Jack dropped the pose, embarassed. "I dunno... just felt right, I guess. It''s what I''ve always seen characters in stories do when they''re in situations like this."


    "Well stop it. You''re giving me a headache. Now, hold still..." Frumpkin said, rubbing his hands together rapidly. He laid them on Jack''s shoulders.


    Jack felt another sudden course of energy, and then the sudden sensation of every muscle in his body growing and swelling. He couldn''t explain it, but he suddenly felt a whole lot stronger. However, when he looked down, he saw that he was still his same chubby, flabby self, complete with grease-stained Space Invaders shirt and cargo shorts.


    "Wait, I though you were gonna make me into a great warrior!" Jack said.


    "I did," Frumpkin said, before adding, "now hold out your hand."


    "No you didn''t! I''m still super fat and out of shape!" Jack said, pointing to his stomach.


    "Yes, I did. Being a great warrior doesn''t mean getting rid of being fat. There are plenty of great warriors where you''re going who are fat," Frumpkin said. "Now, if you want to use your last wish on being muscular looking, we can do that in a moment. In the meantime, hold out your hand!"


    Jack sighed and held out his hand. With a sudden rush of light and energy, a long handled axe with a wide, sweeping blade appeared in his hand. The blade was covered in ornate scrollwork carvings, and the handle was wrapped in some kind of leather-like material that Jack didn''t recognize immediately.


    "Whoa, cool!" Jack said, moving the axe around and inspecting it.


    "I figured you''d appreciate that," Frumpkin said. He looked at Jack and asked, "What''s your last wish, kid?"


    It only took Jack a moment to decide on his last wish.


    "I want a harem of ''hot'' girls who want me!", he said.


    "A harem of...hot girls?" Frumpkin asked, looking very confused.


    "Yeah! Super ridiculously hot! With big tits!" Jack added, trying desperately not to strike another pose.


    "Uhm, okay...? One harem of blazing hot women coming up..." Frumpkin said with a befuddled expression. He muttered something under his breath to himself, snapped his fingers, and added "You''ll find your harem waiting for you just outside where you spawn. And try not to get burned. I suggest forge gloves if you plan on touching them."


    "Alrighty!Hey...wait, what do you mean, burned?" Jack asked, but Frumpkin was already gone.

 Chapter 4 The sfirst challenges

    Jack blinked, and found himself standing in a forest clearing surrounded on all sides by a high, sweeping canopy of trees. A faint breeze was stirring the leaves, and various kinds of birds tweeted and flitted amongst the branches. A collection of various kinds of wildflowers grew all around Jack''s feet.


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    "It''s....PERFECT," Jack thought, looking around him. After a moment, he noticed a small gap in the trees across the clearing from him, and a faint trail worn into the ground that led from the clearing through the gap and into the shade of the forest canopy ahead, where he lost sight of it. He knew the beginning of an adventure when he saw one. He lifted his newly-obtained magical axe to his shoulder, and trudged off into the woods, attempting and failing to whistle the theme song to one of his favorite television series as he entered.


    The trail led straight for a couple hundred feet through the forest floor, picking its away around various large trees and stones, and across a small creek about five feet wide that bisected it. Here and there, small forest animals such as rabbits and squirrels climbed and jumped and darted around the floor and trees, some of them gibbering in protest and running to their hollows as he interrupted their tasks.


    A short way past the creek, the forest began to thin, and the trail began to ascend a steep hill. Following the switchbacks up the hillside took more effort than Jack was used to exerting, and he instinctively braced himself for the breathless exhaustion he was accustomed to when he did much more than cook instant ramen. To his surprise, however, none came. He felt just as rested and energized at the top of the hill as he did at the bottom. So this was what not being an out of shape piece of shit felt like. Jack let out a sigh of relief. This. was. AWESOME!


    ["YOU LIKE YOUR NEW BODY, KID!?"]


    Jack screamed, fell on his ass, and nearly tumbled down the hill as Frumpkin''s voice exploded inside his head.


    "AAAuuggh! GOD!", Jack yelled, flinching and rubbing his ass. He looked around himself, but saw nothing but trees, hillside, and one particularly perturbed looking squirrel, who was chattering at him angrily from a nearby branch.


    ["YES?!"] Frumpkin yelled inside his head.


    "STOP YELLING! YOU''RE HURTING MY HEAD!", Jack said, curling into a ball and clutching his skull like that would actually do anything.


    ["OH JEEZ! SORRY KID!"]


    Jack heard the sound of rustling, and a few clicks like someone was flipping switches and pushing buttons inside his head.


    ["...This better?"] Frumpkin asked.


    "Yes. Christ." Jack said, starting to stand.


    ["My bad. Last kid who tried this route was deaf as a doornail. Forgot I still had the sensitivity turned all the way up. Also, I''m in your head. You don''t have to respond out loud for me to hear you. Just think it, and I''ll hear it."]


    "Then you can hear this, then?", Jack thought to himself.


    ["Yep....You could try and sound a little less sarcastic."]


    "Sorry. Just still trying to get used to all of this," Jack thought.


    ["I''m sure. Now, what do you want to unlock as a reward first? Item, skill, or companion?"]


    "Wait, what? Already? But I haven''t even done anything heroic yet!" Jack thought. Even he found getting upgrades this early completely ridiculous.


    ["Yeah, sure you have. The hill was your first challenge. You''re still fat. You overcame it. Now, do you want a set of magical plate armor, lockpicking skills, or a familiar?"]

 Chapter 5 Asking For I

    "You don''t think me getting rewarded for climbing a hill is kinda lame?", Jack thought. "I mean, getting rewarded and everything is great and all, but this is ridiculous."


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    ["Why do guys like you always say that when I do things like this?"] Frumpkin said more than asked. ["Two days ago climbing that hill would have been the peak accomplishment of your week, but no, as soon as you get your wishes it''s all ''oooh, look at me, I need a harder challenge because I''m too good to be rewarded for beating my previous records''".]


    "I mean, I''m grateful... It''s just not very....heroic, I guess", Jack said.


    ["So, you want a more ''heroic'' challenge, huh? You want me to give you a chance to ''be a hero''?] Frumpkin asked in a voice Jack would have used when talking to a small child.


    "Yes, please", Jack replied.


    ["Ooookay, you asked for it."] Frumpkin said, before adding a moment later ["...you might want to duck."]


    Jack got three-quarters of the way through saying "huh?" before the resounding crack of something hard and heavy smashed against the back of his head, sending him sprawling and filling his vision with stars. He instinctively tumbled, shifting his weight in the roll to spring up to his feet. He turned to see a single small, green-skinned creature wearing ragged leather and holding a large wooden club made out of an old tree branch. The thing stood only three feet tall, with large yellow eyes and comically oversized ears and features, and was currently convulsing with belly laughter. When it looked up to see Jack staring down at him with displeasure, axe in hand, however, he stopped laughing, and nervously took a step backwards. As the thing turned to run, Jack buried his newly-obtained magic axe in the back of the greenskin''s head, causing it to cry out with a gurgling scream before tumbling to the ground in a heap of green blood and odd angles. Jack tried to remove his axe from the goblin''s skull, only to find it firmly wedged in place. It took him far longer than seemed reasonable to get the thing removed, when he finally decided to stand on the goblin''s shoulders with both of his feet and put his full weight into the pull. The blade finally popped free with a wet thunking sound, and Jack tumbled ass-backwards onto the turf at the dead goblin''s feet.


    "Seriously? One goblin? That''s what you consider a heroic challenge?" Jack thought, rubbing his tail-bone as he stood up.


    ["One? Oh no, there''s more than one."] Frumpkin said. ["...Speaking of which, head''s up."]


    Jack looked up just in time to have a large log collide end-first with his face. He folded over, holding his face with both hands and hurling obscenities into the air.


    ["Tried to warn ya. Anyways, there''s about 30 more. I''ll check in again when you''re done, or dead. Whichever comes first. Good luck!"] Frumpkin said, putting a sing-songy trill on the last two words that made Jack want to punch him square in the face.


    Jack blinked away the tears in his eyes from the impact, and glanced around to see himself surrounded by a dozen or so more goblins, each one laughing and snarling in equal measure. A couple of them spoke to each other in some kind of guttural language he didn''t understand, and one called up loudly towards the tree canopy, where Jack saw over a dozen more taking aim at him with more large, rough-hewn logs.


    "Hey, uh, Frumpkin¡­? I, uh, take it back. I''m good with being rewarded for the hill climb now...", Jack thought.

 Chapter 6 Goblins

    There was no reply, and Jack had a sudden wave of panic sweep over him. What on earth had he just gotten himself into?


    He had less than a second to contemplate the thought before he found himself rushed by a dozen goblinoid forms wielding large clubs and nets. He closed his eyes and swung his axe in front of him in a wide arc, hoping beyond hope that he managed to hit something. He felt a faint sense of relief as he felt the blade collide with something soft, and heard a goblin voice scream something that he assumed was a stream of obscenities.


    He opened his eyes just in time to see several clubs swinging at his head at the same time. He panicked, and threw his axe arm up to deflect the blows. As if by magic, he managed to deflect each strike with ease, and as if on auto-pilot, followed each up with a strike that split the goblin who''d thrown it clean in two.


    For a moment, he felt actually quite proud of himself.


    Then the first log collided with his spine. And then another in the shoulders. He managed to somehow blindly predict the third and dodge it, only to step right into the path of the fourth so that it landed square on his right foot. He howled in pain, grabbing at his toes as he hopped up and down on the other foot. He swung at one of the other goblins with his free axe hand, clipping the creature''s nose off and causing it to squeal in pain as it fell backwards behind two others.


    He set his foot down and turned to swing behind him, but found the blade swung wide as the goblin immediately behind him ducked the blade, giggling as it did so. It sprung up from its crouched position and threw the net in its hands at Jack''s face.


    Jack tried to sidestep, only to walk directly into the path of another net which managed to drape and wrap itself around his axe and arm. He went to shrug it off, only to find another cover his head. As if on cue, all three of the nets cinced tight around him as if laced with a drawstring, strapping his arms to his sides and cinching tight around his head and neck.


    Jack struggled to break free from the nets, but as he tried to rip himself free, something wrapped around his ankles, tripping him to the ground where he impacted with a painful thud to the sound of more goblin laughter. As soon as he fell, half a dozen of them were on him, wailing on him with large wooden branch clubs, which despite being wielded by tiny creatures hurt like hell.


    He thrashed about, half out of an effort to break free of the bindings, half out of a desire to stop getting hit with sticks like some sort of dork pinata.


    Then, perhaps jarred by his circumstances, or the twelvth blow to the head, he remembered he could use magic.


    Jack imagined his body swelling in size, doubling or tripling in scale, breaking the nets and bindings on him and making the goblins small enough to stomp on. As if on cue, a random word popped into his head, and he blurted it out with all of the force he could muster.


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    "Toxoplasmosis!"


    With a strange tickling feeling inside his bones, Jack felt a surge of magical energy rush through his entire body, and suddenly, all at once, his body shrank to one third its original size, slipping him completely free of his bindings all at once, and turning the once tiny goblinoids into hulking green-skinned monsters.

 Chapter 7 Goblins part 2

    Fuck.


    Jack realized what had happened just in time to roll out of the way of a goblin club that was now that size of a large tree compared to him as it came crashing into the ground, and stumbled to his feet just in time to leap out of the way of another.


    As he ducked another tree trunk, he had just a moment to reflect on what had happened, and why things had gone differently than he expected, and then suddenly realized that he had absolutely no idea how to get back to regular size. For all his luck, he''d be stuck a pocket-sized fat kid in a Space Invaders shirt forever.


    He reflected just a little too long, and suddenly found himself flying through the air from a club blow that less struck him, and more picked him up and flung him like a golf club performing a line drive. He sailed wildly through the air over several goblin heads, their big toothy grins laughing up at him as he hurtled through space like a badminton birdie. As if on cue, one of the other goblins jumped up and swung his club up at Jack, knocking him flying backwards with a resounding crack that knocked the wind out of Jack''s chest and sent his head spinning.


    Jack knew he had to do something, but about the time he started to get his thoughts in order, he was knocked back flying the other direction as the goblin attack devolved into a resounding game of Jackminton. Jack was grateful that the blows didn''t hurt as badly as he expected, either as an advantage of being a lot smaller, or as a result of one of his wishes.


    After a dozen or so swats back and forth, the goblins appeared to grow bored of the whole experience, and one of them swung up a net rather than a club, catching the now tiny form of Jack inside it and wrapping him up in it well enough that he couldn''t move. The goblins, their target now trapped and incapacitated, set off down the trail in the direction Jack had been heading, several of them breaking out into baudy, tone-deaf songs that grated on Jack''s hearing. He wondered aloud to himself if the singing wasn''t somehow even worse than the beating.


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    The remaining goblins carried him for some time down the trail, up and down several rises and valleys, before the goblin in front squawked something in their harsh language, and the group stopped suddenly. Jack, from his limited and immobile vantage point, saw as several of the goblins nearest to him rushed to the front of the line, drawing their weapons and shouting things to several others, who followed suite.


    He listened closely as several of the goblins shouted ahead of him, their voices raised in a tone and timbre that told him they weren''t trying to be friendly with whatever it was they were reacting to. Then, for the first time coming to the new world, he heard another voice using words he recognized that wasn''t Frumpkin. It was a woman''s voice that sounded sweet enough, but with a distinct edge to it that simultaneously aroused and frightened him.


    "That''s far enough, snotlings." The voice said. Another voice, also female, spoke up immediately after in a tone softer and higher than the previous, "please just leave our farm. we don''t want any trouble."


    Jack was about cry out, when he heard one of the goblins near the front speak up, using common speech for the first time.


    "Fuckk...ovff... vred... bvitch...", it said, seeming to struggle to get the words to come out correctly.


    The first female voice laughed loudly for several long seconds.


    "Make me!" She said.

 Chapter 8 Goblins part 3

    What happened next went by so quickly Jack barely had a chance to mentally register it before it was over.


    He heard several of the goblins yell, heard the clank of armor as they charged away from the group and towards what Jack guessed was the direction of the new voices. Then, immediately afterwards, he heard several faint swooshing sounds, each followed by the sound of metal grinding against metal, the wet splat of something hard colliding with something much less hard, and the loud gurgling shrieks of goblin voices that told Jack what the something soft probably was.


    The remaining goblins, including the one holding the net that held him trapped, rushed towards the direction of the rest of their brethren, dropping Jack and the net in the process. He immediately set about trying to struggle out of the net when he heard the softer voice say something in a sharp, jagged sounding guttural language he didn''t understand, and sent the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Then, without warning, a large explosion of blue fire erupted a short distance from him, blowing him and the large wad of netting he was wrapped in a dozen or so feet away to the sound of roaring flames and goblin screams. Even at a decent distance away, the heat from the fire was so intense Jack was sure it''d singed his eyebrows and neckbeard clean off, and he had to cover his eyes against the intense brightness.


    After several seconds, he was finally able to free himself from the large netting wad, climbing up on top of it and looking in the direct of the now dwindling flames.


    The ground surrounding them probably twenty feet in every direction was charred black and smoking, and he could see, and unfortunately, smell, the numerous charred twisted shapes that he deduced were probably his previous captors of the last several minutes. Then, after another moment passed, the blue flames finally dwindled out, and through the smoking haze, he could finally see the bearers of the female voices he''d heard earlier.


    There were three of them, not two. One, standing closest, was decidedly the tallest and largest of the three, dressed in a kind of lightweight looking armor and standing to the ready in some sort of combat stance with what looked like a sword in her left hand. By some strange trick of the light, the skin of the largest one looked as red as a ripe strawberry, with a wild shock of orange-golden hair that stood out from her head and appeared to have several things weaving through it. To her left stood the second figure, dressed in loose-fitting grey and white robes tied around the middle with a blue sash embroidered with gold thread, and holding a long staff or rod in her right hand, her left hand held closed close to her chest. Her skin looked denim blue, with dark blue hair the color of a blueberry pulled loosely to one side, where it hung down past her shoulder. He blinked several more times, looking back and forth between the two of them as the haze continued to clear. No, he wasn''t going crazy. Their skin was really those colors. The third was by far the smallest of the three, and hidden mostly behind the second one''s robes, which she appeares to be clinging on to. While it was difficult to see much of her at this distance, she appeared to be a child of seven or eight years of age, with reddish brown skin and messy looking orange and gold hair that partly obscured her face.


    While he wasn''t sure of the brightness of the idea of getting their attention, Jack figured anything had to be better than being a captive plaything for a bunch of goblins, and anyone who didn''t like goblins, based on all of his years of playing games and reading fantasy novels, were probably good. Or, at least, not completely bad.


    He threw up his hands, waving them frantically around.


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    "Hey! Over here! Heeeey!"

 Chapter 9 Meeting the Girls

    The eyes of the three snapped to Jack at the same time, the smallest of the three hiding further behind the other''s robes as the largest stepped forward, walking through the smoking crater towards him, her sword arm extended to her side at the ready.


    Jack kept waving and calling out for several more seconds until the largest woman got close enough for Jack to get a better look at her. Her skin was definitely as red up close as it was at a distance. Her face was turned up into a bit of a snarl, but was still very feminine and well-proportioned, with large yellow eyes, a slight nose, and high cheekbones. In spite of her grim appear and strange skin tone, he immediately found her insanely attractive. And even in spite of her armor, it wasn''t hard for him to spot the presence of a very shapely body. Once she got close enough he felt he could bother trying to talk to her, he smiled and waved up.


    "Hi! Hello! I''m glad you''re here! I was sure they were going to carry me off and eat me!", he said.


    "Shut up", the woman said bluntly as she drew up in front of him and looked down at him. Compared to his tiny miniaturized form, she was absolutely massive. She pointed the blade of her sword down at him. "Who are you?"


    "I''m, uhh, I''m Jack. Nice to meet you...?" He said, smiling awkwardly up at her as he found his will to keep talking vanish.


    "You''re human. Why are you so tiny?" She asked.


    "Bit of an accident, really... I tried to make myself larger, and apparently said the wrong spell word or something", Jack said, sheepishly. "I''m still trying to figure out this whole magic thing. Frumpkin didn''t really explain how it works."


    Before he could say any more, the red skinned woman turned and whistled in the direction of the other two, and called out to them as she waved them over. "Eleanor, Madeleine, I found him. He''s just managed to shrink himself. Come on over and give me a hand."


    She turned towards him and sheathed her sword, and extended her hand out to him palm up, as if signalling for him to climb up into it.


    "Sorry about that. We were told a great human warrior was coming and that we were supposed to meet him on the path. I just didn''t expect that warrior to be a tiny goblin hostage."


    "Wait, Frumpkin told you I was coming...?" Jack said, looking up at her with confusion.


    She looked back at him, equally confused, and pulled her hand back slightly.


    "Of course he did. He''s God. That''s what he does."


    Jack was about to reply with even more confusion when the other two walked up, still in the same configuration they had been standing in earlier. The blue skinned girl, who appeared to him to be in her late teens or early twenties had a rounder, heart-shaped face that seemed to sit in some sort of soft, natural smile.He could see now that she had small nub like horns protruding outwards from the sides of her forehead, and apparently also a thin tail, which he could see flicking gently back and forth behind her robes. She was a little thicker than the red-skinned woman, but in the best possible way. Jack tried not to stare at her blatantly visible, and definitely not minimal, cleavage.


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    "Oooh, he''s so tiny! How cute!" She said, giggling a little behind her hand.


    "He used a Minimize spell by accident, and doesn''t know how to undo it," The red-skinned woman said.


    "Oh, I''ll fix that!" The blue skinned one beamed. She traced a few shapes in the air with her left hand, leaving faint sparkling trails that remained suspended in the air. She then reached into a pouch on her side, pulled out a couple buttons and a feather, and tossed them into the floating symbol with a flourish and more words in the hair-raising language.


    Without a moment''s delay, and a popping sound that reminded him of a champagne cork, Jack was back to his normal size.


    "Hey! Thanks!", he said.


    "Don''t mention it," the red-skinned one said, reaching out her hand to help him up. "Now, let''s get you on your feet."

 Chapter 10 Careful What You Wish For

    Jack extended his hand, and grabbed on to the red woman''s hand.


    He immediately jerked his hand back with a yelp, and waved it around as he sucked air through his teeth. He looked down at his palm to see it was bright red, and could already identify the presence of several small white blisters forming on the pad of his palm. The red skinned woman looked at him with confusion for a split second, before a look of realization crossed her face.


    "Oh, did you get burned? I figured you''d be immune to heat, considering." She said, withdrawing her hand and looking at him with a mixture of concern and masked amusement.


    Jack looked at her, still nursing his scorched hand.


    "Considering what?"


    "Well, Frumpkin told us you specifically requested a quote...''harem of really hot women''. It''s considered a great honor to be selected as a romantic companion of a hero by God, but no one ever requests Ifrits, Fire Tieflings, or Ember Sprites because of our intense body heat. So we were overjoyed when he came to us and told us you were coming and that we were to be your companions. But, I didn''t expect to be requested by someone who is so sensitive to temperature",The red woman explained.


    "Wait, you''re my ''harem of super hot women''?", Jack asked, feeling a sinking sensation in his gut.


    The blue skinned girl spoke up with a warm smile.


    "Yup, that''s us! I''m Eleanor the Fire Tiefling, the small one behind me is Madeleine the Ember Sprite, and the one you''ve been talking to is Rose the Ifrit. It''s a pleasure to meet you, mister hero!"


    "Are you kidding me?", Jack asked. "Is this some kind of joke? Am I being pranked?"


    "Pranked?", Rose asked, tilting her head in confusion.


    Jack hung his head, and buried his face in his hands. It would be just his luck that Frumpkin would take his description of "hot women" literally. Here he was, face to face with beautiful women whose sole purpose for existence now was meeting his every desire, and he couldn''t so much as give them a pat on the back without needing skin grafts. Perfect. Just perfect.


    ["So, what do you think, kid? Are they hot enough for ya?"] Frumpkin''s voice popped in his head, along with another sound that sounded very similar to a hair dryer. ["Do I know how to nail a wish or what?"]


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    "You made them literally hot! That''s not what I meant at all!" Jack yelled in his head. He mentally visualized strangling Frumpkin with his own beard as he did so.


    ["Whoa, hey! I did exactly what you asked for. I did tell you the wishes would be open to my interpretation. Not my fault you used language that apparently has mutiple meanings."] Frumpkin said, after a clicking sound shut off the hair dryer sound. Maybe it actually was a hair dryer.


    "Can''t you fix it?" Jack thought.


    ["Sorry kid. No refunds. You get what you wish for. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I have a perm to finish blow-drying."] Frumpkin said, and with a click the blowdryer sound resumed, much louder than before.


    "Hey! I''m not done talking to you!" Jack called in his head after him.


    ["WHAT? I CAN''T HEAR YOU!"] Frumpkin yelled back. Somehow, the hair dryer sound got even louder.


    "...So, are you okay...?"


    Jack snapped back to reality to see Rose looking intensely at him with a look that not so subtly implied he was acting crazy.


    "Huh? Oh, yeah. I''m fine. Why?" He said.


    "You''ve just been standing there staring off into space for the past three minutes." Rose said, raising an eyebrow.


    "Sorry about that." Jack said sheepishly.


    "Oookay...." Rose said, casting a sideways glance towards Eleanor, who shrugged. "So, are you ready to go, Jack?"


    Jack nodded, finding a small bit of excitement return after his immense disappointment. He was, after all, still the hero of this new world. Maybe he''d figure out a way to keep himself from getting burned along the way.


    "Sure thing! Lead the way!" He said, gesturing with his hand down the direction he had been heading.

 Chapter 11 The Farm

    Before departing down the path, Rose and Eleanor searched the goblins for anything of value that wasn''t destroyed by the fire, and stuffed it into a small bag that Madeleine had on her back. There seemed to be no possible way that all of the things they gathered could possibly fit in a bag so small, but everything fit without the slightest bit of resistance, which told him that the bag was probably magically larger on the inside. They also located his magic axe amidst the goblins'' items, laying unblemished amidst the charred bodies of several of the small humanoids. Jack hadn''t even at first realized it was missing, but felt a profound sense of relief upon seeing it again. He didn''t need to have two of his three wishes ruined in a single hour.


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    It took the better part of an hour to make it out of the woods after they set off, with the trailing up and down several more sets of hills and ravines, and across a pair of small streams. By the time they reached the forest''s edge, it was nearly sundown, and the trees were teeming with life as the day creatures began to wind down, and the creatures of the night began to awaken and begin their evening of living.


    The trio led him to a small farm adjacent to another stream, this one a bit larger than the others, with a wooden clapboard farmhouse, a small barn, and a mill with a water wheel lazily dipping and spinning in the stream''s flow. Rose led the group up to the door of the farmhouse, and gently rapped her knuckles against a small metal plate nailed to the door''s face. It took a second for Jack to realize this was probably to keep the girls from burning a hole into the door''s surface.


    "Awright, awright, ''old on jest a mowment..." An older man''s voice called out from inside the house. Several heavy thudding footsteps approached the door, and with the sliding sound of a wooden bar being removed, and the clack of a metal doorlatch, the heavy wooden house door creaked open to reveal a very large, hunched old man with ruddy brown skin and wild white hair matched in wildness by equally wild eyebrows and an equally wild white beard. He beamed when he saw the four of them standing on his doorstep.


    "Oh good, garls! You found ''em! Well dun!" He said, stepping out of the doorway to allow the four of them in.


    The four of them entered a house that Jack immediately saw was covered on nearly every surface by non-flammable or otherwise heat resistant materials. The floor was made of smooth river stones held together by some form of cement, and the walls, while wooden on the outside were lined on the inside by a combination of metal plates, stone, plaster, and mud all mixed haphazardly together in no real semblance of order. The table appeared to be carved out of a solid piece of rock, and the chairs were all either stone or metal.


    As soon as he stepped inside, Jack gasped for air. The heat inside was absolutely unbearable. It was easily well over a hundred degrees inside, and he could feel his shirt and boxers immediately stick to his skin and begin to soak through with sweat.


    The large man shut the heavy door behind them, and extended his hand out to Jack with a broad, toothy grin.


    "Welcome t''our ''umble abode! I''m Simon!"


    "I''m Jack. Nice to meet you, Simon!" He said, taking the man''s hand.


    When the searing heat reached his brain, he howled and jerked his hand away, hopping around and hurling obscenities.


    Twice in one day. He really honestly should have known better.


    He couldn''t help but get the creeping sensation Frumpkin was laughing his ass off at him.

 Chapter 12 First Reward

    As if on cue to his thoughts, a deafening fanfare of trumpets exploded in his head, causing him to scream and jump flailing several feet into the air and causing Rose, Eleanor, and Madeleine to look at him with befuddled, weirded out looks.


    ["Congratulations kid! You completed your first heroic task!"] Frumpkin''s voice said with what sounded like a mouthful of food. There was the crunch of what sounded suspiciously like someone taking a bite out of an apple, and Frumpkin''s voice continued, loudly chewing between words.


    ["So, you feeling more heroic now, mister hero man? You finally feel like you''ve earned that reward I tried to give you earlier now?"]


    "Dude, I almost got gang-murdered by a bunch of log-chucking goblins!" Jack thought


    ["Well, you were the one who was all ''unnnh, it''s not cool to get free stuff unless I''m being all powerful and really earning it'' or whatever."] Frumpkin took another chomp out of whatever he was eating, and continued, the sound of his food smacking in Jack''s ear loud enough make him want to punch a kitten.


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    ["So, do you feel like you earned it enough now, or do I need to throw you a dragon covered in flaming chainsaws first?"]


    The mental image of such a thing flickered into his mind, but he immediately squashed it. No matter how cool he thought it would be to face down something like that, his recent experiences told him he''d last about .8 seconds before being completely annihilated out of existence. And for the love of god he did not want to give Frumpkin any ideas.


    "...yes. Thank you, Frumpkin." Jack thought with a mental sigh.


    ["Excellent! Now, let''s see... for a prize, would you like a companion, a skill, or an item?"]


    Jack thought about it for a moment, and asked, "Can you make me immune to heat and fire?"


    ["What, and ruin your ability to enjoy your harem of ''super hot'' women? Why would I go and do something like that?"]


    Before Jack could get a single word out in protest, Frumpkin''s voice continued. ["You don''t get to pick what specific thing I give you. You just get to pick the category. Helps keep things interesting!"]


    "But, you offered me specifics the first ti-"


    ["No, no I did not. You''re imagining things. I would never do something like that. Now, moving on... what''s it going to be, kid?"]


    Jack thought about things for a moment. He now had several companions, so that was pretty much out of the running. And unless Frumpkin gave him a set of magical armor, he didn''t really need any new items at the moment. So, a new skill seemed the best way to go.


    ["Alright, new skill it is. I''ll go ahead and put in the order. Just give it a moment or two to kick in. You''ll know when it does. Now, go enjoy some romantic time with your gorgeous new hot women! I promise not to watch. Ta ta!"]


    And with that, Frumpkin''s voice disappeared again, leaving behind a phone dial tone that droned in Jack''s head just long enough to tell him Frumpkin was definitely doing it intentionally. He returned focus to see the four others staring at him with wide eyed baffled looks and furrowed brows.


    "...what?", he asked.


    "See what I mean, dad? He just blanks out for minutes at a time out of nowhere." Rose said, pointing in Jack''s direction without looking at him. "It''s so weird!"


    "Um hello? I''m right here!" Jack said, waving his arms at the two of them.


    "Per''aps ''e is touched in th'' head or sumthin''." The man responded to her, completely ignoring Jack.


    Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Jack heard the blast of a paper party favor horn, and a popping sound, and saw and felt brightly colored paper confetti falling down on his head. He looked up above his head, and saw a flashing marquee sign floating above his head.


    Rose and the man immediately stopped talking, and looked up at the sign. The man squinted at the sign, seeming to follow each word with his eyes as he read it.


    And then, out of nowhere, he started laughing uncontrollably.

 Chapter 13 Learning About the Others

    Jack walked out from underneath the floating marquee sign, and turned to look at it and see what it said.


    In giant, bold black letters, the flashing placard read "IMMUNITY TO COLD AND ICE".


    You know, because of course it did.


    For the second time in two minutes, Jack could not shake the overwhelming impression that Frumpkin was rolling on the floor with laughter right now.


    "Well, ''at''s sumthin'', innit?" The large man said, his laughter calming as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Tho''s I can''t say it''ll do ye much good roun'' these parts now, willit?" And just like that, he fell into another fit of laughter.


    Jack could feel his ears turning red, but before he could get too embarrassed or angry, Eleanor chimed in.


    "Oh, don''t be so hard on him! He''s had a tough day." She walked over to the far side of the one-room house, and grabbed a pitcher of something off of a rough-hewn wooden counter that appeared to be covered with a layer of plater on its countertop. "When we found him, he''d been shrunk to pocket size and was hostage to a bunch of goblins."


    "Oh, I''m meanin'' no offense if I''ve given any, young mas''er. Jus'' enjoyin'' the irony is all. Now, why don'' you come ''ave a seat at me table, and let us ''ave you be our guest for dinner. We''re ''avin'' mutton!" Simon said, motioning towards the table with his large brown hand.


    "Thanks." Jack said, and walked over to the table. "Any preference on where I sit?"


    "None wha''soever. Take yer pick!" Simon said.


    Jack picked a seat facing opposite to the door he walked in, and rested his hands on the stone of the tabletop, which was mercifully slightly cooler than the rest of the hotbox atmosphere he currently occupied. By this point, every piece of clothing he wore was soaked through with sweat to the point that his socks felt like damp sponges, and he felt a faint squishing sensation on his backside as he took a seat. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that he very distinctly felt the sweat dripping out of every fold of fat in his body. He''d have to get a better looking form as one of his next upgrades, and sooner rather than later.


    Shortly after he sat, he was joined at the table by Rose, Eleanor and Simon. Madeleine, for whatever reason, preferred to remain on the far side of the room, seemingly perfectly content with spending her entire existence staring Jack down.


    The food was, frankly, pretty terrible. But, he''d had such a rough day that he was glad to be stuffing his face. At least that part still felt familiar.


    As the four of them ate and talked, Jack began to get a better sense of his new compatriots. Rose was the only actual daughter of Simon. Eleanor and Madeleine were both orphans he''d taken in, largely on account of the fact that they, as Jack had so painfully experienced, tended to burn the bejeezus out of anything they touched. What with him and hiw wife and daughter all being Ifrits who were immune to that sort of thing, they were all two happy to take the two other girls when offered the chance.


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    Of the three, Rose was the oldest, and had apparently been training with a sword from a very young age. Her uncle, Simon''s brother, had apparently been quite the swordsman in his day, and made a point of teaching her everything he knew after she spent day after day begging him. Simon, for his point, spent no small amount of time bragging on her skills to Jack in the middle of dinner, to which she protested heavily.


    "I''ve seen ''er split a ''air in two with tha'' blade o'' hers. Never seen nothin, like it before in me life!" He said, beaming at Rose, who grimaced at the attention.


    "Dad, stop! You''re embarassing me!" She said, and Jack couldn''t help but notice that she somehow managed to get even redder at the open praise.

 Chapter 14 Learning About the Others part 2

    Madeleine, to Jack''s immense shock and surprise, was actually the next oldest of the three, and older than Jack by several years. But when Jack expressed his shock at this, Simon just shook his head and explained.


    "It''s ''em Ember Sprites. ''Ey don''t age th''same way we do, with us gettin'' all bigger and older lookin''. ''Ey just stay the same size and appearance once ''em''s fully grown affer five or six years. By Ember Sprite stannards, she''d prolly older ''an I am!" Simon said, laughing.


    Jack looked over at Madeleine, who was still staring at him intently.


    "Does she not like to talk? She hasn''t said a single thing since we met." Jack said.


    "Maddy''s not much of a talker, I''m ''fraid. Barely says more than an ''ello or ''ow do you do to people she knows. For th''first coupla years, I thought she was a mute, that one." Simon said.


    "Don''t take it personally. Maddy''s the type who doesn''t speak unless she thinks something needs to be said. It''s just how she is." Rose chimed in.


    "I''m sure once she gets used to you, she won''t be so shy around you, right, Maddy?" Eleanor joined in, turning to the Ember Sprite and smiling. Madeleine''s eyes flicked back and forth between the three of them, as if sizing them up, and then slowly nodded her head. Jack smiled at her, but the girl offered no response, and only continued to stare at him with her same blank expression.


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    Eleanor was the youngest of the three, and apparently the equivalent of a human teenager. She did the most talking of everyone at the table, flitting excitedly from one topic to the next seemingly without any segue or provocation. She seemed to take an especially strong interest in Jack, and on more than one occasion he couldn''t help but get the distinct impression she was either checking him out or sizing him up for dinner. The fact that it wasn''t clear which simultaneously turned him on and creeped him out.


    Eleanor was, as Simon was quick to keep drawing attention to, the most educated out of all of them, having studied for several years at the Coltriss Magic Academy to be a wizard. Simon said this with such pride and revererance that Jack got the sense that this was probably something he should be impressed by, despite having no context for it.


    "She''s th''most cleverest of the four of us. Gradua''ed three years early, ''at one. Couldn'' be more proud o'' her!" Simon beamed. "''ey said she was th''youngest wizard what gradua''ed in a generation!"


    "That''s right!" Eleanor said, smiling so hard her eyes seemed to disappear in her cheeks.


    "Wow." Jack said, honestly impressed. "Do you think maybe you could teach me how to use my magic a little better? I have no idea what I''m doing with it."


    He paused for a moment, and then added, "and I''m honestly afraid I''m going to accidentally blow myself up if I keep at it like this."


    Eleanor''s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, I''d love to! I haven''t gotten to play with anyone who''s Gifted in years!"


    "Gifted?" Jack asked.


    "She means someone who has the natural gift of magic. Most people don''t have the Gift, and as a result can''t learn to cast arcane spells." Rose said.


    "Ah, that makes sense. I honestly figured in a world where magic exists, anyone could learn how to use it." Jack said.


    Eleanor shook her head. "Nope. It''s a special thing that only appears in certain people. It''s more common in certain races, and less common in others. Elves tend to have a lot of Gifted children, while Dwarves tend to have far fewer. Humans are somewhere in the middle."


    "And where do Fire Tieflings fall on that scale?" Jack asked.


    "Oh, all of us are born Gifted." Eleanor said, seemingly surprised by the question.


    "Really?" Jack asked. "Why?"


    "Tieflings all have Infernal blood from their demonic ancestry. That''s what makes them all Gifted." A small, child-like voice said from across the room.


    Jack spun around and looked at Madeleine, startled. The girl''s face was still mostly expressionless, but the faint edge of a smile at the corner of her mouth gave away the indication that she was amused by his reaction.

 Chapter 15 First Nights Sleep

    As the evening drew to a close, Simon decided to turn in, and walked over to the far end of the room, where a large bed sat. Within minutes, he was snoring so loud that Jack''s eyes started to water.


    "Alright, so I suppose you will have to come sleep with us in the barn loft." Rose said matter of factly as her and Eleanor got up from their chairs. Jack nearly choked to death on the mouthful of water he was trying to swallow when she said this. After spending a few long moments hacking and coughing, he spoke up.


    "Uhm, I''m sorry, what?" He said. He could feel the blood rushing to several parts of his body, including his cheeks.


    "Well, do you WANT to sleep in the house? You look like you''re melting in here, and it''s a lot cooler out there. I figured you''d appreciate the temperature change." Rose said, seemingly oblivious to how Jack interpreted her last statement. Eleanor, however, grinned devilishly, clearly in on Jack''s though process.


    "Oh, uh, yeah, that sounds great." He said. "Now, what do you mean ''sleep with you''?"


    Rose seemed to catch his drift, and immediately signalled with her body language and facial expression that no, he most definitely was not about to get what he was hoping for. Eleanor flicked her eyebrows flirtatiously at him, and looked at him with a glance that made him feel very much like a side of meat.


    "The three of us girls keep our beds up in the loft. Partly because it''s cooler and more comfortable, but mostly because Dad snores like a congested dragon. You''d just take one of our spare bedrolls." She said.


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    "Oh, yeah, that makes sense." Jack said, feeling more than a little deflated.


    He got up from the table as well, and followed the two of them outside. The night was clear and the moon shone brightly across the ground. While Jack knew it was probably summer warm outside, compared to the sweltering interior of the house, the outdoors felt downright chilly by comparison, especially with him being soaked through with sweat. Strangely, he felt "cold", but he didn''t feel cold. He could tell that he should be shivering, but he felt strangely perfectly comfortable with the chill, as if it weren''t affecting him at all.


    Oh, right. He was immune to Cold. Convenient.


    The two girls led him into the barn and up into the loft on the far end via a metal ladder. Once up top, Jack saw three bedrolls laid out next to each other, one of which was occupied by the small form of Madeleine, who seemed to be sleeping, her breath soft and rhythmic.


    "The spare roll''s over there in the corner. There should be a couple pillows with it as well." Rose said, pointing to the far corner.


    "Okay", Jack said. He grabbed the things from the corner, and started to walk back to the other side when Eleanor said "Hey, come sleep next to me!" and patted the loft floor next to her bedroll. She had a very intense, almost wild look in her eyes, and an impish smile on her face.


    "Oh, uh, okay. Sure." Jack said, quietly gulping to himself. Was she going to try and sleep with him? She was part of his wish harem, after all. He''d seen enough harem anime to know where this was probably going.


    He laid out the bedroll next to hers, and took off his shoes. His clothes, however, were still very damp with sweat, and he felt a distinct desire not to lay down in wet clothes. He thought for a second, and turned to Eleanor. "Hey, Eleanor?"


    He almost choked when he saw that she was now out of her robes, and wearing a thin enough to see through white night dress that very clearly showed him she had nothing on underneath it.


    "Yes?", She asked, turning her attention towards him as she tied her hair back.


    "Uhm, uh, do you know the spell to dry out something wet?" He asked, using every bit of effort in his body not to let his eyes wander lower than her face.


    "Oh, sure!" She said. She wiggled her fingers, and said a single syllable in her magic language, and instantly Jack felt his clothes dry. Not only that, but they now looked and felt brand new.


    "Wow. Uh, thanks!" He said.


    "Don''t mention it!" She said, and winked at him.


    "You both ready for me to kill the lantern?" Rose asked.


    "Yeah, I''m good." Jack said, laying down into the bedroll.


    As the light went out and he was left in the darkness, he thought to himself "Goodnight, new world."

 Chapter 16 Eleanors Surprise

    A few hours after laying down, Jack was awoken by the distinct feeling of something heavy crawling on top of him. His eyes shot open in the dimly moonlit room to see the horned blue face of Eleanor smiling impishly down at him. She held a finger playfully to her lips, signaling for him to be quiet, and then leaned down towards his face.


    Jack winced and turned away, bracing for the searing hot burn of her skin, but instead the gentle brushing of soft, cool lips against the side of his neck, and shivered with pleasure as she moaned gently in his ear.


    "Don''t worry" she whispered. "I cast a spell on you before you woke up. I won''t burn you."


    Jack went to say something in response, but before he could get a sound out of his mouth, she laid her hand over his mouth and hushed him before gently nibbling on his earlobe.


    She leaned back, sitting straddled across him, and with a shrug of each shoulder the top half of her paper thin night dress fell off, revealing a set of large, perfectly shaped breasts like two moonlit blue grapefruit. She grinned devilishly down at him when she saw his jaw drop open, and as if to egg him on further, gently shook her shoulders so they swayed back and forth hypnotically. Something told Jack he shouldn''t be staring at them with his mouth open like a virgin moron, but the part of his brain that seemed to be in control of those sorts of things had completely shorted out by this point, apparently, because he couldn''t seem to stop himself from doing so.


    Eleanor grinned evilly, and leaned down again, pressing her body against his, and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. He felt the edge of her tongue trace up and down the soft of his throat, and he shuddered. As she did so, he felt a warm wave of pleasure wash over the area. Moments later, he felt a gentle nip of her teeth against his throat, and felt another wave of pleasure rush through his body. He''d never been with a woman in any way whatsoever, although if this is what being touched in this way always felt like, he''d never want to do anything else ever again. God, he thought, wishing for a harem was the best decision he had ever made.


    Eleanor moaned as she continued to pay attention to his neck, kissing and gently sucking on the area she had nibbled. Jack felt his blood roaring in his ears, and after a minute or so of her teasing him in this way, he began to feel completely lightheaded and almost dizzy with ecstasy.


    As if on cue, Eleanor sat up, arching her back and wiping her mouth with a satisfied look on her face. It might have just been a trick of the light, but her lips and the corners of her mouth appeared darker than normal. And reddish.


    And there was something darkish and reddish smeared across the back of her hand where she wiped her mouth.


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    Jack had a creeping sense of dread crawl through his brain, and he slowly reached a hand up to where she had been nuzzled into his neck. He felt something a small spot of something wet, and when he pulled his fingers back, they were covered in something dark and red and sticky.


    He panicked, and tried to jerk upright, but Eleanor''s hand pushed firmly against his chest and pressed him back down to the ground, her mouth twisting into a smirk as she slowly and seductively shook her head no.

 Chapter 17 Eleanors Surprise part 2

    Jack looked up at Eleanor with a look of fear and confusion, and some part of him wanted to scream for help and fight her off, but he, for whatever reason, found himself utterly enthralled by her. He couldn''t seem to find a means to speak, but his eyes apparently said enough, because she leaned her mouth down to her ear and whispered "Don''t worry, I''m not going to hurt you. I just wanted a taste."


    She sighed contentedly in his ear and added "Your blood is delicious. Heros are even yummier than I thought."


    Finding his words for the first time whispered back "are you a vampire?"


    Eleanor sat up with a jolt, and gave him a look that implied he''d said something somehow offensive.


    "No! I''m a Tiefling! Blood is our preferred food, silly!" She scoffed quietly.


    "Oh, well, sorry. I don''t really know anything about Tieflings. Sorry if I offended you." He said.


    Eleanor smiled her wicked smile again. "It''s okay. You can make it up to me by letting me have some more!"


    "No way! What if you take too much and kill me?" Jack whispered back, apparently loud enough that Eleanor had to clap her hand over his mouth again.


    "I won''t ever surprise you with it again. I promise to ask first next time, and if you feel anything bad, I will stop." Eleanor replied quietly, and then added with a wink "I will make it up to you in other ways too, if you want me to."


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    Jack felt himself get flush in the face again. He really hoped Eleanor wasnt feeling how aroused he was between her legs as she straddled him. He found his eyes continually drawn back to her bare breasts, which she made a point of pointing out.


    "You can look at them and touch them as much as you want before and during me eating. And I promise to make every second feel amazing. My mom was a Succubus,so I''m really good at that sort of thing" She said. "And besides, blood tastes a whole lot better when the person is excited, so it''s a win for me too if I get you super worked up. So, what do you say?"


    Eleanor looked down at him with a look that urged him to say yes, and as if to make things even harder to refuse, she was slowly and deliberately undulating her hips to grind against him.


    "Okay. Fine." Jack said with a sigh. "But only when no one else is around, only when I say so, and you do anything I want before, during, and after you feed. Oh, and you have to teach me more magic stuff."


    "Deal!" Eleanor said, beaming. "So, can I have more?"


    "What, you mean now?" Jack said.


    "Yes now, silly. I''m still hungry!" She said, giving the same half arousing half frightening look as before.


    Before Jack could reply, however, Rose''s breath caught, and she coughed and moaned as she woke up. Eleanor quickly and quietly clambered off of him, pulled her dress back on and slid onto her bed roll without a sound a few seconds before Jack saw Rose sit up, bleary eyed, and look around for a moment before she laid back down. Within a minute she was snoring again, and Eleanor rolled on her side and met his gaze, which was a mixture of disappointment and desire.


    "You owe me, mister hero." She said.


    "I will make it up to you." He replied.


    "You''d better." She said, giving him one final smirk. "Goodnight, Jack."


    "Goodnight."


    Eleanor turned onto her other side, and within a minute or two was fast asleep.


    Jack, for his part, had no idea how he was going to get to sleep ever again after this.

 Chapter 18 The Next Morning

    Within moments of Eleanor falling asleep, Jack felt a sudden wave of intense exhaustion wash over him. He felt like someone had completely drained the life out of him.


    Which, of course, someone had, apparently. Now that he was out of the moment of that happening, he felt completely freaked out. Some hot demon girl had literally just sucked his blood like a vampire, and he''d not only loved every second of it, but had happily agreed to let her do it again and again if she wanted to. What on earth was wrong with him?!


    The mental images of Eleanor''s bare, swaying breasts and grinding hips popped into his head. Well, I mean, those, at least, made his decision a little easier to justify. But he didn''t have time to reflect on the situation. He passed out from exhaustion only moments later.


    The next morning, Jack awoke feeling oddly refreshed and energized. The sun was streaming through the sole window in the loft, and the room felt warm and cozy. He looked around to the other bedrolls to see they were all empty and made up. He crawled out of bed and put on his shoes, and walked out of the barn.


    Outside, there wasn''t a cloud in the sky, although there was a decent breeze that felt nice in contrast to the strong sunshine. Rose was hanging out various garments to dry on a clothesline strung not far from the barn, and greeted him when he walked out. She pointedly glanced at his neck for a moment, before directing her attention to his face and giving him what looked like a knowing smile.


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    "Sleep well?" She asked, pinning up a pale yellow sundress.


    "Yeah, slept great. Thank you." He said.


    "Don''t mention it." She said. She motioned with her head towards the house. "There''s still some breakfast left, I''m sure. Feel free to help yourself to it. And if there''s none left, I''m sure Eleanor would be happy to make you more."


    "Oh, alright. Cool." He said. He walked on towards the house.


    "Oh, and Jack?" Rose called out after him.


    "Yes?"


    "You might want to wash your neck before you go inside." She said, tapping on her throat in the same place Eleanor had bitten him the night before.


    Jack''s face flushed. "Uh yeah, got it." He said. He walked the hundred or so feet to the small stream next to the watermill and wet and wiped the spot on his neck until his hands kept coming back clean. He wasn''t sure if he''d completely gotten all of the blood off, but it was the best he could do without a mirror.


    In what he would describe as the house''s front yard, Madeleine appeared to be chasing around a butterfly, which happened to be just high enough or just fast enough to keep avoiding her grasp. When Jack greeted her, she stop what she was doing, froze in place, and just stood there, looking at him. He smiled and waved, but she didn''t give any reply, so he just gave up and walked in. The girl was just damn weird.


    The house was even more stifling than he remembered yesterday, and he could barely keep his eyes open for more than a moment before they dried out. Simon wasn''t in the house, though Eleanor was. She appeared to be scrubbing something in the wash basin on the opposite wall from the door. She turned, and when seeing him, lit up, and dropped the dish in the wash water. She ran over to him, and without a single word, made a couple gestures with her fingers, rushed over, and shoved him into the door, pressing her lips hard against his until his head began to swim.


    Eleanor grinned wicked at him. "Good morning, sleepyhead! So, last night is our little secret, okay?" She said.


    "Uh, yeah, whatever you say." He said, barely able to think straight.


    "Good boy! Now, go have a seat at the table. I''ll grab you some food." She turned and walked over to one of the shelves to the side of the wash basin and grabbed several food objects while Jack found a way to stumble himself to the table.


    This was going to take a long time getting used to.

 Chapter 19 Sparring Practice

    Over the next several weeks, Jack got to know his new living mates very well as he lived, slept, and trained with them and got his bearings in this new world.


    Rose served as his sparring partner for his martial combat skills, and insisted they use their actual weapons, rather than training weapons or other practice implements, in order to maximize the effectiveness of their training. When Jack expressed concern about them cutting each other to pieces in the midst of practice, Rose beckoned Eleanor over, and the blue skinned Tiefling took each of their weapons, smeared the blades with molasses, and said a few words under her breath. There was a brief flash of golden energy, and she handed each of them back.


    Jack looked at the edge of his axe, and nothing appeared different about it.


    "Put your hand out and touch the edge." Eleanor said.


    Jack did as instructed, and reached out for the axe''s blade. Towards the end, where Eleanor had spread the syrup, there was now a soft, invisible barrier that prevented him from touching the sharp part of the edge. It felt kind of like a firm, invisible jelly pillow.


    "Oh, cool!" He said.


    "It''ll keep you from killing each other, but it won''t stop you two from bruising each other, breaking bones, or knocking each other unconscious, so still try to be careful." Eleanor said.


    "Thanks, Ellie." Rose said. She walked a dozen or so paces down the front yard of the farm house, and turned to face Jack, grabbing her sword with both hands in a ready position. "Ready, Jack?"


    "No. No I am not," Jack thought to himself, but instead said out loud as he raised his axe, "Yeah, I''m ready."


    Before he even had a chance to react, Rose''s blade slammed against his chest with such force it it knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying ass backwards half a dozen feet, where he landed flat on his back gasping for air. Rose walked over to him, and looked down at him with a look of confusion and amusement.


    "I thought you said you were ready." She said as she offered him a hand and helped him to his feet.


    "I thought... I... was..." Jack managed out between fits of hacking and coughing.


    About this time, Frumpkin''s voice popped into Jack''s head.


    ["Ouch! That one hurt MY pride!"] He said.


    "What do you want, Frumpkin?" Jack asked, making no effort to hide his frustration as tried to regain his breath and his bearings.


    ["Wow, touch-y! I was just popping in to let you know how to tap into your wished-for combat training, but if you don''t want that help, I''ll just see myself out.."] Frumpkin said.


    "No no! I want to know that! How do I do it?" Jack asked, adopting a placating tone.


    ["Simple. You just believe you are good, and let your instinct do the work for you. Don''t think about it."]


    Jack, careful not to just stare off into space as he spoke with Frumpkin, set about limbering back up, and swinging his axe back and forth several times to get re-acclimated with its weight and heft.


    "So, you''re telling me that if I just think I''m good, I''m good? How does that make any sense?" Jack asked.


    ["Hey kid, them''s the rules. I''m not the one who made them."] Frumpkin said.


    "Yes you did! You''re literally God!" Jack protested.


    ["La la la la! I can''t hear you! Now, get out there and give it a try. I promise not to laugh too hard if you get it wrong."] Frumkpin replied.


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    "Gee thanks." Jack thought, assuming a combat stance. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to focus on what Frumpkin told him. He just had to believe he was good. He just had to believe it. How hard could that be?


    "Okay Rose, let''s try this again." He said, nodding to her.

 Chapter 20 Sparring Practice part 2

    The second fight didn''t go much better. Neither did the third. Or the twelfth. Or the twenty-seventh.


    By fight twenty-eight, however, he had a breakthrough.


    He had to literally think about nothing. Literally. His mind had to be a blank slate for his powers to work. As soon as he started thinking about what his body was doing, or what Rose was about to do, or attempted to plan any strategies, they immediately failed and he got his happy little ass beat like an incel pi?ata. He just had to learn to zen out, and let his body and its new magical abilities do all of the work and thinking for him. It felt strange and completely counter-intuitive, but, for better or worse, it was his only choice.


    Once he realized this, things got better.


    Granted, not MUCH better. But lasting longer than three seconds flat and actually getting a few good moves in felt like an absolute triumph by comparison to feeling like a human baseball.


    By fight fifty, he finally managed to score a blow on Rose''s body, and by fight seventy-seven, he''d disarmed her, knocked her to the ground, and swung for the killing blow before freaking out and stopping himself when he saw the look of actual fear in her eyes.


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    So, his instinctual fighting skills only understood combat to the death. That was something he was going to have to keep in mind.


    He reached down and offered her his hand with a smile, and helped her to her feet.


    After that fight, he never lost a match again, but was careful to passively monitor his actions as he fought to keep things from ever going as far as they did again. Rose, to her credit, never got easier as an opponent. Even when he won, with all of his wish-given prowess, the fights were still very close, and on more than one occasion he barely escaped getting caught off guard and trounced. The girl was insanely strong, skilled, and fast, and he had no doubt that she would be the death of nearly anyone who tried to go up against her.


    Between bouts with Rose over the weeks, Jack also spent a lot of time with Eleanor, having her teach him how to command and control his magic skills. He was definitely a sorcerer, she confirmed, and she promised to do all she could to help him learn how to use his abilities, but warned him that there was only so much she could teach him due to the differences in their magic classes.


    The key similarity, she said, lay in their shared use of vocal expression to cast magic. Every caster, regardless of type, had to speak to use their spells, though the words and languages they used varied wildly. She, for her part, cast her spells in Infernal.


    The primary difference, however, was that wizards used material components and somatic gestures to cast their spells, and sorcerers used their imagination alone. Because they always used the same materials and gestures, wizards could always get predictable results and experienced no fatigue from their magic use, but were limited by what spells they knew and how long they took to cast. Sorcerers could do anything they set their mind to, provided they had a clear vision, and knew the right trigger word. Sorcerers she told him, however, couldn''t always control the results of their magic, and drained their own life force to cast, meaning if he cast too much magic too soon, he would wear himself out or potentially even die, which was, naturally, not a reassuring thought.

 Chapter 21 Spellcrafting

    As Jack began practicing, however, he began to get a sense of how his powers worked.


    Imagining something provided the general framework for how the spell should in theory play out, but the spell trigger word he used is what determined the actual final result, regardless of what he was imagining. So if he imagined creating fire in the shape of a tornado, but used the variation of the trigger word that stood for "fireball", he would cast a fireball instead. Which explained why he shrank when he intended to get larger when dealing with the goblins. What was less clear to him was why the trigger word determined the type of spell cast, or why the wrong spell trigger word popped in his head in the first place.


    Eleanor said that the best she could figure, his spell words probably worked very similar to a wizard''s, where a spell trigger was actually a complex command that described the spell''s magic school or elemental sphere, the manifestation of the spell''s magic, the spell''s target, duration, and so on.


    Which meant, she speculated, imagining things would cause the spell trigger word components to appear in his mind, and by saying them aloud in the correct order, he would generate the desired result. But if he said the parts in the wrong order, or used a wrong component piece, he would generate different results from what he intended, such as using a different element, or, in his previous case, shrinking himself instead of growing giant as he had planned.


    "But how on earth am I supposed to know which part of a spell trigger counts for each component of the spell?" Jack asked, perplexed.


    "I guess you''re just going to have to experiment with slightly different spells and see which component parts change to know what does what" Eleanor said, shrugging.


    That sounded incredibly tedious, but Jack was willing to give it a shot if that''s what it took. With Eleanor''s help and occasional moment of "encouragement", he slowly began to map out the terminology of his magic, nailing down piece by tiny piece what each word fragment did, and learning how they affected each other when placed together.


    After a few weeks, he had figured out enough parts to create elemental projections of all kinds, change his body shape, size, and appearance, grant himself increased physical attributes, fly, conjure basic objects, and change materials from one kind of thing to another.


    As he progressed, he began experimenting further, but found the level of his ability to manipulate the world was limited in some ways. He could not transmute or create living matter, only move it from one place to another. He could not affect the flow of time, only slow down or speed up the rate others moved within it. He couldn''t seem to affect the minds or free will of other beings, either, apparently. When he imagined trying to do these kinds of things, he was met with an immovable black wall in his brain that made imagining casting such spells in order to prompt a trigger word impossible, and the few times he tried to combine what component fragments he knew in order to hopefully generate these effects, either nothing happened, or, worse, something would backfire spectacularly.


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    On one particular occasion, Eleanor had to rescue him when he managed to unintentionally turn himself into a duck during one of these attempts. He didn''t think any of the girls or Simon were ever going to stop laughing or let him live that one down. He knew for sure Frumpkin wouldn''t, as he began referring to Jack as Duck Boy from that moment onwards.

 Chapter 22 The Darkness Appears

    Shrouded in inky black darkness, seated on a throne made of the skeletons on countless long-dead heroes and creatures of legend, sat a shadowy figure contemplating his existence. He''d be granted everything he''d ever longed for, and more. Power beyond compare, a legion of monstrous servants bound to serve his every whim, the ability to bend the cosmos itself to his will... all were his to wield and exploit. Over these past weeks of conquest, he''d toppled kingdoms, slaughtered villages, subdued monsters, and taken to bed every female he''d found a desire for amongst the countless servants of his legion.


    And yet, here he was, sitting amongst all of the trappings of his success, the Dark Lord of Demethros, harbinger of the apocalypse, feeling completely bored out of his mind.


    Off to the side of his massive bone throne, lit by the faint flickering of torchlight, stood the various heads of noble houses who''d sworn him fealty from his recent conquests. The Grovelsons, the Snivelots, the Cowertons... their armies counted for only a minute fraction of his strength, but he felt a strange sense of perverse pride to have them constantly waiting at his beck and call, waiting with bated breath for him to tell them to jump off a cliff because it pleased him.


    All of that said, when God had offered him the chance to become the dastardly villain he''d always dreamed of becoming, and become the god of this new world of his storybook imagination, he''d leapt at the chance. Who wouldn''t? But now, having done everything he could think of to do, and with absolutely no challenge to anything he ever did, even moving off his throne long enough to take a shit felt like a tremendous chore.


    God had promised him there would be a great hero spawned into this world. His opposite. His equal. His one real challenge to becoming the god of this new world. All he had to do was find and defeat this great hero, and godhood would be his. But in all of his searching, with all of his resources massed to the task of finding this legendary hero, he''d turned up nothing. Every report he''d followed up on about a great hero led to some other random NPC with a big shiny sword and a big shiny smile and a big shiny can-do attitude, and after a few seconds, a big shiny corpse left smoking in a big shiny crater. It was all so very tedious.


    The Dark Lord of Demethros snapped his fingers, and as if on cue, three things stepped forward- An executioner with a comically large axe, an entertainer in a fool''s cap, and a scantily clad Succubus holding her own leash. He looked from one to the next with a sigh, his cheek resting on the knuckles of his left hand. After a moment''s deliberation, he pointed to the executioner, who stepped forward and knelt. Before the other two could step out of sight again, he pointed to the entertainer, who yelped and attempted to run. With a lazy flick of his wrist, the Dark Lord locked the man in place, and compelled him to kneel, leaning with his face down towards the paved tile of the floor.


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    Suddenly, just as he was about to give the order to have the man beheaded, a small floating bearded man poofed into the air next to the Dark Lord''s throne, and waved at him.


    "Dennis! I have good news! I finally found you a hero to face. He just made into the world a few hours ago. He''s looking for a challenge. Can I borrow a few goblins?" Frumpkin asked, hopping up and taking a seat on the arm of the skull throne.

 Chapter 23 A Plan Forms

    One of the first things that Jack noticed as he trained every day with Rose and practiced his magical abilities with Eleanor was just how much weight he was losing. Something about the quality of the food the two of them were preparing, combined with the huge amount of energy expended in his days, was making him shed weight like he was dying of cancer. And he felt his muscles swelling and hardening from constant use that, even in spite of the limited time he''d been at it, he could see his toes standing up straight, and for the first time in his life, he had clear definition in his arms, chest, and legs. There was still some thickness in the middle, but if I he kept this up, he''d have washboard abs in no time, he imagined.


    He also had a creeping suspicion that Eleanor literally sucking the life out of him every couple of days wasn''t helping him stay thick and chubby either, but even if it was literally killing him, he wasn''t about to stop enjoying himself over something as trivial as his impending demise.


    He also, on a whim, decided it was time to be rid of his back-length, ratty hair, and his facial hair. Something about them just didn''t feel right anymore, now that he''d begun transforming himself. Simon, with the help of Eleanor''s heat-deadening spell, gave him a close shave with one of the kitchen knives, and Eleanor and Madeleine made a small project out of cutting and styling his hair.


    Once he finally saw his reflection in the mirror Rose held out to him, he didn''t recognize himself. He looked... cool. Like an actual hero. He had to physically pull at his face and hair a few times just to make sure he wasn''t losing his mind. It was real. And it gave him the jolt he needed to get back to work.


    "So, where exactly do heroes go to find adventure in this world?" Jack asked over dinner one evening about a month into his stay with Simon and the girls. He was enjoying his time with the four of them immensely, Eleanor and Rose especially, but he was finding that he had reached a ceiling in his skills, and the fact that Frumpkin hadn''t offered him any more awards since arriving, despite his accomplishments, told him he wasn''t making any genuine progress towards his final goal. Which meant either he waited for adventure to come to him, or he went out looking for it. And he had a sneaking suspicion, based on all of his time immersing himself in fantasy worlds before his sudden and untimely death, that sitting and waiting for it to come to him would not be his best option.


    "Most everywhere in the world needs adventurers these days, at least in the towns and cities. I think your best bet would probably be to head to one of those and see if the guilds need any help." Rose said.


    "W''en I was there''n ''Awkport not two days ''go, them''s ''avin'' troubles wit'' ''em kobolds again." Simon said, chiming in between mouthfuls of chicken.


    "Hawkport''s where I would say to head first, then." Rose said.


    "How far is it from here?" Jack asked.


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    "About a week''s travel, I''d say." Rose said. "If you''re walking, at least. Although, in your case, probably a couple hours by flight."


    "Yeah, that''d be great. Except I can''t fly nearly that long before I''m too drained to stand. And I need a full night''s rest to recharge, it seems like." Jack said.


    "In that case, I''d just take things the scenic way." Rose said.


    "Plus, if you do things the scenic way, we will actually be able to join you on the journey!" Eleanor chimed in with a smile.


    "I''m coming too." Madeleine said quietly, and while her speaking didn''t catch him off-guard anymore, the fact that she''d want to travel with him did, as much as she seemed to love things around the farm. He also still struggled with treating her and thinking of her like a child because of how she looked, even though he knew that was stupid.


    "Well, alright then. I guess I have a party, then!" Jack said, grinning. "Let''s start prepping for the trip!"

 Chapter 24 Prepping for the Journey

    They spent the next several days preparing for the journey. A large part of the work was just making sure Simon was going to be alright without the extra sets of hands, but he was adamant that he didn''t need them.


    "Don'' worry ''bout me, girls! I''m enjoy th'' spot o'' pers''nal peace for a change" He said, laughing. "Ne''er seem to get much o'' those ''ese days, I''m ''fraid."


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    The girls, rather than taking offense, seemed to be glad that he was glad. Eleanor and Rose both confided to Jack later that evening that they worried about ever leaving him alone, as old as he was, but were grateful at the chance to get out for a change, especially since it''d be with him. Up until he''d arrived, they''d never really been given much chance to see the world, much less meet anyone outside of their family.


    They packed provisions in a set of sturdy backpacks that Eleanor and Jack managed to conjure and craft out various materials. Food included a mixture of dried meat, dried fruit, and rendered fat called pemmican that Madeleine and Rose made together in large pots and shaped into log-like rolls similar to beef jerky candy bars, cheese, several large loaves of crusty bread, and a couple bottles of wine that Simon insisted they take from the root cellar for the trip. There were also other supplies, such as a large oilskin tent for shelter, cooking utensils, a map, bedrolls, and other essentials.


    Jack also packed several sets of his new tunic and breeches that he''d made with the help of the girls. He hadn''t planned on getting rid of his old world clothes, but even in spite of magical cleaning and restoration, they''d completely fallen apart into a threadbare mess over the last month or so of constant wearing and battering. It had finally gotten so bad that Rose insisted he find new clothes for basic decency''s sake, forced him to strip behind the barn, and burned them as he stood there ass naked, trying his best to keep the important parts covered with his hands.


    Though, to be honest, he wasn''t sorry for the change. It made his "hero" status feel just a little bit more official. And honestly, the new clothes were just a whole heck of a lot more comfortable, for some bizarre reason.


    After several days, they were finally prepared to go, and decided to set out early the next morning. Not knowing for how long they would be gone, they decided to hold a small party together with Simon, drinking and eating and laughing well into the night, until they all finally drifted off to sleep with bellies full of meat and wine, and heads full of anticipation for their coming journey.


    Awaking some time after dawn, they stepped out of the hotbox of the house and into the comparably chilly air of the early morning. A thin layer of fog blanketed the ground, and the sky was largely raked over by clouds that dulled the glow of the sun. But, as he shouldered his heavy pack and plopped his axe haft on his shoulder, nothing in the world could dull Jack''s excitement. He felt for certain his heart would beat completely out of his chest. He turned to the girls, who were all dressed and geared for the trip.


    "Are we ready?" He asked.


    "I think so. I went back through all of the packs this morning before we put them on." Madeleine said simply. "Yours is the heaviest."


    "Of course it is." He said with a mock sigh, and readjusted his pack.


    "Alright then! Let''s go!"

 Chapter 25 On the Road

    The land south of the farmstead was a series of low, rolling hills covered with tall green grass and various kinds of small undergrowth, with the occasional tree and rock outcropping here and there breaking up the smooth planes of the earth. The four of them followed a beaten earthen path that wove up and down and around the hills, taking occasional breaks in the shade of one of the trees or stones. The sun had risen to midday by this point, and the day had become had enough that Jack and the girls were sweating ever so slightly, even in spite of their leisurely pace and light clothing. At one point later in the day, they came to their first river crossing.


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    The river stretched about 150 feet in width, but didn''t appear to be flowing with much force, and from the looks of it from the water''s edge, wasn''t very deep, either. As if to confirm Jack''s suspicions, Rose led the way into the water, lifting Madeleine up to sit on her shoulders as she crossed. She motioned for Jack and Eleanor to follow. Eleanor came immediately after, choosing to hike up her dress up around her shoulders to avoid it getting wet, causing Jack''s face to turn beet red when he saw she had nothing on underneath it. She glanced back over her shoulder with a knowing smirk as she stepped into the water, and he quickly averted his eyes as he followed her into the stream. While not looking, he could still hear the hiss of steaming water with her every movement, and the resulting fog in her wake made whatever part of him that wasn''t in the water damp anyways.


    The water was freezing cold, seemingly unaffected by the warmth of the sunshine at all. When he remarked on how unbelievably cold it was, Madeleine replied boredly with "It''s icemelt from the mountains up north", as if that should have been obvious to him from the start.


    After crossing the river, the four of them took a few moments to dry off. The three girls, with their natively high body temperatures dried in a few moments naturally. Jack, for his part, tried out a water control spell, and found that with a little effort and concentration, he could draw the moisture out of his clothes and hair into a floating ball of water, which he then sprayed in the direction of the three girls. This led to Eleanor casting a counterspell that dissipated the spray, only to have it reverse direction and catch Jack square in the face before he could react. For the first time since he''d met her, Madeleine laughed, a pleasant, bell-like giggle that made him feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, despite his wet and freezing exterior.


    Towards nightfall, shortly after sunset, they crested a final hill and saw a large, flat valley spread out below them, dotted with clumps of trees. In the center, several dozen lights shone brightly in the dimming evening, denoting a small village nestled in between two smaller clumps of trees and flanked on one side by a smaller river.


    "That''s Arrowmeade. There are a couple inns here we can stay in for the night, if you''d prefer not to camp off the side of the road." Rose said, pointing in the direction of the small village.


    "Sounds good with me." Jack said.


    "I want real food." Madeleine said simply, and Eleanor agreed.


    As they began their way down the hill, however, they heard a loud scream carried faintly across the wind from the village. And then another.


    And they watched in horror as one of the buildings in the center of the village burst into flames.

 Chapter 26 Bonfire

    It took the four of them several minutes to make it to the outskirts of town. By the time they arrived, several more of the buildings were ablaze, and a bell in the middle of town rang loudly in some form of warning. As they approached, several men and women ran past them at full speed, one of whom stopped their run just long enough to tell the four of them to do the same.


    "What''s happening here?"Jack asked the terrified man.


    But the man, seeing they didn''t immediately follow his advice, he kept on running, dashing as fast as his short legs would carry him into the evening past the outskirts of town without ever responding.


    "Well, that''s not a good sign." Jack said, turning to the other three. Rose already had her sword drawn, and Eleanor performed a few hand gestures before a faint blue light flashed, and a faint glow of Mage Armor gathered around her.


    "No, it''s not." Rose said, walking slowly towards the village. "Keep your eyes open."


    "Goblin attack, you think? Or something else?" Eleanor asked, turning towards Rose.


    Before Rose could reply, an explosion tore through the center of the village a couple hundred feet ahead of them, sending a fireball nearly a hundred feet into the air and shooting several dark shapes flying into the sky that Jack hoped beyond hope weren''t human bodies.


    "Something else." Madeleine said dryly.


    "Yeah. We need to hurry! Let''s go!" Rose said, breaking into a sprint towards the village center. Eleanor and Madeleine ran after her, leaving Jack standing dumbfounded.


    "Come on, Jack! Hurry up!" Eleanor called back to him as she ran.


    "And go in there? Are you crazy? We don''t even know what''s in there!" Jack called back.


    "You''re the hero of legend! You can literally bend the world to your will! What are you so afraid of?" Eleanor said, stopping and turning towards him with her hands on her hips, her tail flicking back and forth.


    "Dying!" Jack called back.


    Eleanor stomped back the couple dozen feet back over to him, and grabbed his hand, scorching the bajeezus out of it, but despite his howling protests of pain, refused to let go as she physically drug him by the hand behind her. It was now he realized for the first time just how ridiculously strong the Tiefling actually was. He now for the first time got the distinct impression that he couldn''t have refused her earlier advances if he had tried. She finally let go of his hand when they were back together with the others, and he looked down to see the entire palm of his right hand blistered up like a slice of half-cooked bacon.


    Eleanor looked down at his hand and winced. "Sorry. Forgot about that." She reached into the small pouch on her side, pulled out a white feather, and ran it across her tongue before tracing it through the center of his palm as she chanted something under her breath. He watched as something flashed golden for a moment, and the pain in his hand vanished. He looked down to see it good as new, and the feather gone.


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    "Better?" Eleanor asked.


    "Yeah, thank you." Jack said.


    "Okay good. Now come on!" She said, motioning for him to follow as she ran on towards the village center.


    Jack swallowed, and looked towards the blazing buildings standing in the distance. Well, I mean, he did ask for adventure. Guess you always get what you ask for.


    He ran after them. What kind of hero would he be if he didn''t?

 Chapter 27 Planning to Ac

    Once they made within the outskirts of town, Rose signaled for them to slow, and held her finger to her lips to signal them to be quiet. She led them slowly and carefully from behind one piece of cover to the next, this one a cart, this one a small garden wall, the next a few barrels beside a larger building. After flitting from spot to spot, they finally got close enough to peer into the village square.


    All of the buildings surrounding the square on the other three sides from theirs were on fire, and even at a decent distance, the heat was almost too intense for Jack to bear. Standing in the middle of the square were about a dozen humanoid shapes, decidedly taller and larger than a human, with one standing significantly taller than the rest. While it wasn''t possible to make out all of the details, the creatures had hunched postures and hyena-like faces, the tips of their hands and feet ending in powerful claws. They all held weapons of some variety and wore armor, with the exception of the largest, which was draped in long robes and held what looked like the trunk of a small tree, roots up, as a staff.


    Jack recognized the species immediately, and Rose confirmed he was right.


    "Gnolls. And led by a pack shaman, by the looks of things." She said. She motioned for everyone to take cover back behind the barricade they were peering around.


    "There are 10 of the fighters, plus the big one who''s definitely a spellcaster. How do we want to do this?" She asked.


    "Well, I think you and I can take the fighters, if Ellie can handle the shaman." Jack said.


    "I agree. Do you think you can handle the big one, El?" Rose asked.


    Eleanor nodded, although Jack noted a vague sense of unease she was trying very hard to hide. "I think so. I can certainly try."


    "Be careful. Don''t be stupid and get yourself killed. If you need help, call for it." Rose said, and Jack nodded in agreement.


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    "There''s no reason to act tough if you can''t do it alone. I''m scared shitless, but I won''t let anything happen to you if I can help it" He said.


    "I''ll help with the big one." Madeleine spoke up.


    "No, no you will not. You''re not a fighter. You stay here and hide." Rose said, shaking her head.


    "I wasn''t asking for permission. I was telling you what I am going to do." Madeleine said simply, and looked at Rose with a flat expression that seemed to unnerve the larger sister.


    "You could get seriously hurt, Maddy. We can''t keep you safe if you won''t stay out of sight." Eleanor said.


    "No one will see me. I promise." Madeleine said, her face still a blank mask. For some strange reason, Jack absolutely believed her.


    "I say let her. I believe in her. She''s a smart girl. Smart enough not to do anything stupid, anyways." Jack said, causing Eleanor and Rose to both give him looks that indicated he clearly wasn''t helping right now.


    "What? I''m not wrong." He said.


    Finally, after a long sigh, Rose relented, and shrugged.


    "Fine. Do whatever you want, Maddy. Just be careful, okay? I can''t promise you we can keep you safe if you''re out there." She said.


    "I know." Madeleine said.


    "Okay, so we know who is doing what. What''s our actual plan?" Jack asked.


    "We need to get the jump on them. Kill as many of them as we can before the fight starts. Otherwise this could go very badly for us."


    "I think I''ve got an idea..." Jack said, motioning the other three closer.


    After a few moments of explanation, Rose nodded and turned towards Madeleine.


    "Are you sure you''d be okay with doing this? It''ll be dangerous, and you could get seriously hurt if something goes wrong", she said, looking at her sister with a mixture of uncertainty and concern.


    "I''ll be fine." Madeleine said simply. "They won''t be able to catch me."


    "Are you sure? If they do..."


    Madeleine grabbed Rose''s hand and leaned in towards her, her face intense. "That won''t happen. Trust me."


    "Okay. If you''re certain." Rose said. She turned to Jack.


    "Let''s do it."


    Jack nodded.


    "Alright then. Places, everyone!"

 Chapter 28 The Shamans Eyes

    Rawgh''faz surveyed his surroundings, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the burning buildings of the village around him as his clansmen set about looting the unburned houses and setting them ablaze. At this point, the village seemed to be empty. They''d only managed to kill a few before the rest managed to flee into the hillside, much to his frustration. He''d have to content himself with leaving them without food or shelter.


    Raiding had never been the most profitable work for the tribes, though he was luckier than most. The Fanged God had seen fit to give him The Gift, as well as a stature far above that of his peers. That alone made it possible to pillage locations that would otherwise easily throw back gnoll bands.


    He had plans for his warband. Big plans.


    Though, why he had been commanded to come raid this tiny, out-of-the-way village with no meaningful resources was beyond him. There was nothing to be gained, outside of perhaps a fearful reputation and some food, both of which could be generated in far greater abundance elsewhere. He had enough scouts and fighters to even sack one of the larger outlying walled cities of the kingdom. He''d even laid plans for taking the fight into the interior.


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    But here he was, putting the torch to the middle of nowhere instead.


    The emissary had given the order, and Rawgh''faz had obeyed. He knew better than to dare question the order. He''d replaced the splattered corpse of last chieftain who''d made that mistake.


    He could only determine that there was a meaning of importance he wasn''t aware of to this out of the way spot. And that would have to be enough.


    He turned towards the nearest group of buildings, where the majority of his raiding party were tearing apart the interior.


    "Hurry it up, you scum! Nothing in this worthless shithole is worth taking that long to find!" He barked loudly in their direction.


    He turned to survey the rest of his immediate surroundings again, and that''s when his nose pricked up by a sudden new smell. His eyes darted in its direction, which was somewhere between or beyond a couple of the buildings in one of the nearer sections of the square.


    He sniffed strongly a few times. It was definitely a living smell. Not human, but not animal or plant, either. It was too clean to be greenskin, but too earthy to be an elf.


    What WAS it?


    As if on cue to his question, a small humanoid shape walked out from between two of the buildings, looking around as if lost. It looked like a small human girl, a child even. She wandered out into the edge of the square, seeming at first to not notice him.


    He felt a chuckle of sadistic amusement rattle his chest. Poor little thing. She had no idea she was about to be his new plaything.


    He turned his head back towards his ransacking clanmates and shouted a few sharp yaps, and immediately the lot of them scrambled out of the building in a mass of limbs and singed fur, their tongues lolling out of their mouths from the intense heat.


    As if on cue, the girl''s attention shot towards them, and she froze in a look of panic, seemingly unsure of what to do.


    "Grab the girl! She''ll make a good addition to my collection!" He barked, and on cue, the gnolls bounded towards her. The girl screamed, and turned and ran down the square away from them, headlong into one of the village''s side streets.

 Chapter 29 The Duel Begins

    The dozen members of Rawgh''faz''s raiding party tore after the girl, half running and half loping on all fours as they chased her out of the square, snapping and snarling and hurling various threatening jeers after her as they chased.


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    Rawgh''faz walked casually after them. He had plenty of time to catch up, and his warband knew better than to dare crossing him and harming something he''d claimed for himself.


    As he looked about, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he looked upon the destruction they''d caused. There truly was nothing better than a good sacking.


    Except for breaking the spirits of those he took for himself.


    That... that was the purest pleasure.


    Out of nowhere, his thoughts were interrupted by faint rustle stirred something behind him, and a sudden sharp tang of heat and perfume struck his nose. He spun around, holding his staff out in front of him, snarling at this sudden unexpected intruder.


    Eleanor stepped out of the shadows of the small alleyway behind him, holding her staff loosely in her left hand, and gesturing lightly in the air with her right, leaving a trail of glowing sigils in the air behind her.


    Rawgh''faz barked rapidly, evoking the names of protection spirits as he spun his staff around, throwing up a barrier just as a jet of blue flame erupted from the tiefling''s hand. He threw the ray to the side, and calling up another name, drug the tip of his staff across the ground, shooting out a blast of stone shards towards her at lightning speed, only to bury themselves harmlessly in a wall of ice that''d not been there only moments before. His eyes shot upwards to see Eleanor sailing over his head, a swath of glowing energy symbols amassing around the tip of her staff. As he went to throw up another barrier, a blast of invisible force slammed into his chest unexpectedly, knocking him flying backwards toward the ice wall, now covered with stone spines. Thinking fast, he threw the prepared barrier up between him and the wall just in time for the impact, preventing being impaled, but blasting through the wall with such force that he lost his breath and nearly blacked out from the impact.


    Eleanor landed lightly on her feet a dozen yards from the gnoll, spinning her staff around into a defensive stance, and taking a brief moment to catch her breath.


    "You wanna call it a day? I''ll spare you the beating if you take the rest of your dogs and leave." She called out to Rawgh''faz.


    The gnoll laughed, a nasty hyena cackle that stood up the hairs on the back of Eleanor''s neck on end as he stood to his feet amidst the ice and stone. He adjusted his neck with a resounding crack, and began walking towards her, chanting rhythmically in snaps and snarls.


    "I''ll take that as a no." Eleanor said, shifting her weight slightly as she reached into the pouch tied to her belt and wrapped her fingers around one of the objects inside.


    Rawgh''faz burst into a sprint, his chant rising to a shout, before leaping into the air and hurling a handful of dark shapes down towards the ground around her. A few feet before they collided with the stone, they burst, reforming into the shape of snarling dogs that rushed Eleanor, charging at her from five different directions, closing the gap between them and the tiefling within a moment. The five shapes leapt onto her, their teeth bared to snap around her limbs and neck, only to pass right through and collide with each other in mid-air. Rawgh''faz landed in front of the dogpile as it struggled to its feet, and watched as the illusion dissipated in a cloud of smoke and dust.

 Chapter 30 The Duel Continues

    Rawgh''faz curse and snarled, throwing his gaze back and forth in all directions, looking for some sign of the tiefling girl as his dogs tumbled back to their feet and set about sniffing around for some sign of their intended prey.


    She was good, he had to give her that. She''d managed to not only create a realistic, moving illusion without using verbal components, but had managed to do so at the same moment she rendering her own full form invisible, masking all of its sounds as well as she repositioned. And since the dogs couldn''t find her scent, she apparently masked that, as well.


    Very, very impressive.


    Breaking her spirit would be quite the treat indeed, if she managed to survive this. He relished the thought.


    Rawgh''faz centered himself, closing his eyes, and drawing a deep breath inwards. She could hide all of her physical attributes, but could she hide the spiritual ones as well? That, he doubted.


    Starting as a low rumble in his belly, he began intoning a familiar''s name, slowly and deeply, and allowed his spirit to shift into the ethereal plane far enough to step outside of his physical form.


    As soon as he did so, the dark forms of his summoned dogs burst into relief as glowing white shapes against the unstable, ghostly dark gray forms of the cobblestones around them. They were sniffing the ground where the girl''s illusion had stood only seconds before. Ground that was lit not only by the faint glowing paw prints, but by a pair of faint human footprints that were working their way around him in a wide arc, slowly and carefully, one step at a time.


    She''d had the forethought to mask her ethereal form as well. Clever girl.


    Too bad for her that she either forgot or wasn''t aware of the impressions left behind by material movement in the ethereal plane.


    Rawgh''faz shifted back into his material form, and opened his eyes with a slow breath. She would be nearly behind him, by this point, probably planning on an ambush when she expected he''d lost her.


    He smiled faintly to himself. Who was he to ruin the surprise?


    With a wave of his hand, he gave permission for the dogs to depart, and they vanished into clouds of black ash picked up and carried away by the hot air swirling all around them. Then, making a point of intentionally lowering his guard, he resumed his walk back towards the rest of his pack, keeping the attention of his ears and nose firmly behind him. She would have to drop her masking efforts in order to be able to cast any offensive spells, and that would mean a moment for him to react. The only moment he would need.


    Then, unexpectedly, something hard collided suddenly with the back of his head with enough force to send him sprawing a few few feet forward onto the ground and knocking him dizzy for a moment. No sooner had he started trying to regain his feet than a second blow pummeled him square in the spine, knocking him flat to the ground and pounding the wind out of his chest.


    She wasn''t going to reveal herself. She knew better. But that meant...


    Rawgh''faz for the first time felt a twinge of fear. Had she baited him? But how could she have known?


    As if on cue to his thoughts, the girl''s voice sounded out in space somewhere above him.


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    "Same offer, dog. Take your pack and leave, and I''ll let you keep all of your teeth. What do you say?"

 Chapter 31 The Ambush

    Jack and Rose sat hunched in alleyways on opposite sides of the street Madeleine would be trying to trick the gnolls into chasing her down. Rose pressed herself flat against the near side wall, the red of her skin lost against the flickering firelight and red-brown clay of the wall plaster.


    Jack for his part sat curled up behind a large wooden cart parked in the alleyway he occupied, curled up into as small a space as possible, and trying to talk himself out of being scared completely shitless.


    Way to go, loser. You could have had an eternity of bliss, and instead you''re here in a fiery hellscape about to try and rescue a little girl from being probably raped and definitely murdered, god knows in which order, by a gang of seven foot tall hyena monsters that outnumber you six to one. Oh, and you''re the asshole who convinced that girl to use herself as bait to lure them in, so if she DOES get murder-raped, that''ll be your fault. Go you.


    Jack couldn''t help wonder if there was any way he could maybe, just maybe, talk Frumpkin into letting him switch options. He was suddenly having just the absolute worst buyer''s remorse right now.


    Before he had time to dwell any longer, however, he heard the faint patter of small feet grow closer and closer, until a moment or two later he saw the small form of Madeleine run past, breathing heavily. She was followed several seconds later by sound of much larger feet pounding the ground, accompanied by yelping and barking and snapping.


    Rose looked across the alleyway and made eye contact with him, raising her hand up, signalling for him get into position to hold his place. With a deep breath and a gulp, Jack pulled himself to his feet, and gripped his axe tighter.


    The first gnoll flew past, then the second, then third and fourth. Then the fifth.


    Rose nodded across at him, and without another hint of warning, dove out of the alleyway and directly into the sixth, burying her sword cleanly between its ribs and bearing it into the ground.


    Welp, here goes nothing.


    With his best attempt at a warcry, Jack rushed out of the alleyway, and directly in front of the remaining six gnolls, who drew up short, seemingly just as confused by this unfortunate turn of events as Jack was terrified.


    "Heh...uh... h-hey guys!" Jack squeaked. He shifted into his best attempt at a battle stance, but his hands were shaking so much that he was was afraid he''d drop his axe if tried to move.


    Behind him, he heard a yelping screech of another gnoll, then Rose''s voice shouting at him.


    "Jack, get them! Hurry!" She said, parrying one of the creature''s blows with the flat of her blade. Jack saw that not far beyond her, the other gnolls who had rushed past them had turned back around and were heading back towards them.


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    He gulped and turned around, just in time to see an axe swing from the nearest gnoll on a collision course with his face. Before he could consciously process what was happening, he felt his arm swingup, pivoting his axe in an arc as he took a step backwards, glancing the strike harmlessly away.


    Oh, right. He knew how to fight. Why did he keep forgetting that?


    The rest of the gnolls were on him in an instant, driving and slashing with their weapons, and it was all Jack could do to keep them from making contact as he slowly gave ground and pulled them further down the street in the direction of Rose and the rest of the gnolls.

 Chapter 32 Figuring It Ou

    After several seconds, one of the gnolls seemed to have a moment of brilliance, and while Jack was parrying a blow from one of its brothers, dove for Jack''s legs.


    Jack tried to react in time, but even with all of his Frumpkin-given talent he couldn''t fully manage to get out of the way of the tackle, and in his efforts to dodge being taken to the ground managed to turn directly into a swinging gnoll club.


    His vision exploded into a sea of stars, and he stumbled backwards, still trying desperately to ward off the flurry of blows being aimed at him.


    ["You gonna do something? Or are you just gonna stand there and let them swing at you?"] Frumpkin asked, eating something that sounded suspiciously like potato chips.


    "I''m doing my best over here!" Jack thought, knocking aside another axe blow.


    ["No. No you are not."] Frumpkin said matter of factly, letting the words just hang in the air.


    "Well what am I supposed to do?!" Jack asked, just barely managing to avoid being skewered by a spear tip.


    ["You know what you are supposed to do. You did it every day with Rose."] Frumpkin said, taking another crunchy mouthful of whatever he was eating.


    "That is completely different! That was practice! And there was only one of her!" Jack said, just barely ducking a swing that would have taken his head clean off.


    ["...Are you always this whiny? Just do the same thing. Seriously, it''ll work. Or you know, don''t. What do I care?"] Frumpkin said. ["I''m just trying to help you out here, kid."]


    "You know what? Fine. Whatever you say. But if I die from your advice, I want a second chance." Jack said, sidestepping another swing.


    ["I''ll make you a deal, kid- if you die as a direct result of following my instructions perfectly right now, I''ll let you try again. But only this once. So don''t get used to it."] Frumpkin said.


    "Wait, seriously?" Jack asked.


    ["Yes. For the love of me, do something before I die of boredom over here."]


    Doing whatever he could to soothe his nerves, Jack set about trying to figure out how on earth he was going to convince himself he was good enough to win this fight. He just had to believe he was good, and he''d be good, right? Even though he''d already done it before, the idea just felt insanely stupid now that he was in a life or death scenario.


    But Frumpkin had just guaranteed that if he screwed it up, he''d get another shot, right? So what did he have to lose?


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    He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said "Alright, well, here goes nothing..."


    The next attack parried by instinct harmlessly to the side, and, channeling the state of mind that he''d learned to use when sparring with Rose, he spun around the deflected attack, planting his feet and bringing the axe up in a forceful chop that caught the attacking gnoll square underneath the chin. The blade caught the creature''s furred muzzle and sang clean through without resistance, splitting its face clean in half with a gurgling whimper and a spurt of blood. The gnoll slumped into a furry heap as the other five, seemingly spurred on by the death of their comrade, laid into their attacks with renewed vigor.


    He felt a sudden rush of adrenaline at the turn of events, and this filled him with more confidence, which he channeled. Maybe he could actually do this after all. Maybe. He didn''t feel THAT confident. Not yet, anyways.

 Chapter 33 Making Progress

    Strangely, the first attack was all it took for Jack to start getting in the flow of the fight. The rush of five attackers kept him on the defensive for the majority of the next several moments, until the gnoll with the spear managed to overextend himself with a thrust aimed for the space where Jack''s chest had been only a split-second before.


    Seizing the opportunity, Jack instinctively grabbed the gnoll''s wrist with his left hand, and with a powerful blow from his axe, severed the creature''s arm at the shoulder. The gnoll shrieked and grabbed at the gushing stump of its shoulder with its other hand, before crumpling to the ground in a bloody heap.


    Realizing he now had a gnoll arm in his off hand, Jack got a sudden inexplicable impulse to score some style points, and when the next attack flew at his legs, he leapt over the attacker''s blade, and smashed the gnoll square in the mouth with the severed limb, knocking the creature stumbling several feet off to the side. Jack rushed the disoriented beast, and with asecond, resounding wet thud struck the creature''s head with such force that something cracked, and it slumped to the ground in a twitching heap, its neck now sitting at an abnormal angle. The arm, for its part, was also apparently broke in the process as well, and hung like a limp, bloody noodle in Jack''s hand.


    He dropped it non-chalantly, and turned to face the other gnolls. Almost without him noticing, the fear that had nearly immobilized him only a minute before was almost entirely gone. Well, not gone, really. He still felt the presence of fear even now, with his heart racing and stomach roiling, but a strange sense of self-assured calm filled him now, overruling that panic in favor of practical focus.


    Frumpkin was right.


    ...God dammit.


    He was never going to hear the end of this.


    As he turned his focus back to the rest of the remaining four gnolls, he saw for the first time that they had gone from pressing the attack to seeming unsure of whether to continue coming for him, or turn and flee. Seeing an opportunity, Jack sprang forward, rushing at the nearest one of the four and bringing his axe around in a wide arc, attempting the cleave the beast in half. It raised the blade of its cleaver-like sword and braced to deflect the blow.


    Jack''s axe struck the cleaver blade, and with a roaring screech carved straight through the blade metal and sank halfway into the creature''s ribcage until it buried itself stuck in its spine. The gnoll expired instantly with a gurgle, and Jack went to try and pull the axe blade from the gnoll''s body.


    It wouldnt budge.


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    He pulled harder, twisting and jerking, but to no avail. The damn thing was stuck, and it wasn''t coming out.


    Seeming to notice his sudden dilemma, one of the remaining gnolls began to cackle its hyena laugh, and Jack looked up to see the three of them approaching him now, the looks of uncertainty and anxiety on their faces replaced with new-found confidence at this unexpected turn of events.


    And just like that, the fear that his new-found sense of confidence had been masking poured back in, and Jack felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of dread crawl up inside his head. He let go of the axe handle, putting up his hands and slowly backing away from the approaching gnolls as snarled and snapped with glee at their pending revenge.


    "Hey, uhh.... Rose?" Jack called out, "Uh, a little help?"

 Chapter 34 Magic Matters

    The gnolls continued to advance slowly towards him, snarling their teeth at him in wicked smiles.


    Jack glanced behind him to see that Rose and the other gnolls were gone, which served to only increase the amount of panic he was feeling increase dramatically. Where had they gone? Was she okay? Had they gotten her too? What was he going to do? Think, Jack! THINK!


    As if on cue, he remembered the first wish he made.


    Oh, right. You''re a sorcerer, dumbass. Now melt their faces off or something!


    Jack stopped moving backwards, and centered himself again, bringing his hands together in front of him and closing his eyes as he focused on trying to bring the right spell to mind. The image appeared in his mind''s eye, and like clockwork, the trigger word fragments began appearing into his mind in a flurry. He tried to bring them together into some semblance of order, trying desperately to remember which trigger piece stood for which effect as he heard the gnolls drawing closer. He''d had so much practice doing it with Eleanor. Why did it have to be so much harder now?!


    Finally, just as he heard one of the gnolls snarl and the scrape of something metal, the correct word fragments fell into place as he remembered the correct combination.


    "FILIPENDULOUS!"


    He opened his eyes and threw his hands out in front of him just as the closest gnoll swung at him. A sudden burst of energy shot from his hands and slammed into the gnoll, knocking it nearly a dozen feet backwards as the energy surrounded it and coagulated into hundreds of feet of steel cable binding the gnoll''s legs together, and its arms to its sides, causing it to drop the axe in its claw to the ground with a clatter. The other two gnolls froze in place, their new-found confidence having suddenly vanished in the face of this new development.


    Jack lowered his hands, and, seeing the axe on the ground in front of him, bent down and picked it up. He leaned back up, and looked at the two standing gnolls, who were glancing back and forth between each other and him, deciding whether or not to try their luck any further. Jack took another deep breath, and felt his sense of calmness start to return again. He could take two of them. Definitiely.


    He was surprised by his sudden self-assurance. Not even fifteen seconds ago he''d been panicking, and here he was, feeling perfectly capable of facing down two heavily armed mutant hyena men again. This was already getting a lot easier.


    That was, also, going to take some getting used to.


    Jack gripped the gnoll axe in his hand a little tighter, and started to walk towards the other two.


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    No sooner had he taken a step towards them than the pair turned and ran back towards the town square they''d come from, dropping their weapons with a clatter as they sprinted away, their tails quite literally between their legs.


    Jack stopped, and dropped the axe in his hand. He almost felt disappointed that they decided to run. As he watched them run into the distance, it suddenly occurred to him that he should probably stop them before they got away.


    He cleared his mind, and envisioned the spell. Finding the correct word fragments wasn''t hard. He had an absolutely vivid image of the first time he''d cast it before.


    He took a deep breath, threw up his hands, drew them together, and shouted the trigger word he''d probably never be able to forget.


    "RACHMANINOFF!"

 Chapter 35 Looking for the Others

    The red-orange fire roared out of Jack''s hands in a torrent, gathering into a sphere of blazing heat asit hurtled towards the backs of the two fleeing gnolls. Within a moment, it collided with the two shapes, exploding on impact with the nearest in a bright and deafening blast that nearly knocked Jack over, and blew down large chunks of the charred buildings in the shockwave.


    The flash cleared almost immediately, leaving behind only a small amount of smoke in the air, as well as dust and ash from the buildings. The nearest gnoll was nowhere to be seen in the steaming crater of the fireball''s blast impact. The second one had gone from running to flopping around on the ground in a shrieking pile, its entire body ablaze with magical fire. After a moment the creature grew quiet and still, leaving Jack alone with the corpses.


    The smell of burning flesh and fur hit Jack''s nose like a hammer, and made him gag. He pulled his t-shirt up over his nose, and walked back over to his axe, which still sat buried in the gnoll he left it in, the beast''s blood starting to congeal around the exposed blade and seep into the cracks of the scrollwork. Planting his feet on either side of the dead creature''s body, he grabbed the handle of the axe with both hands and pulled and jerked until finally the weapon popped free with a meaty wet plopping sound. Somehow, the smell of gnoll guts managed to be even worse than the previous horrible smell, and Jack doubled over, wretching as he threw his arm over his nose and stumbled away from the corpse.


    The gnoll he''d bound in steel cable wasn''t moving either. When Jack inspected it, he found it just as lifeless as the others. Apparently he''d managed to crush it to death when he bound it up. Oops.


    After pulling himself together for a moment, Jack looked around his surroundings for any sign of Rose or the other gnolls. The street he stood in was empty of moving shapes. In addition to the six dead that he''d taken care of, three more gnoll corpses lay further down where he''d seen his companion fighting previously, one of which conspicuously lacked a head that Jack for the life of him could not seem to find.


    As he turned a corner on the narrow street, he stumbled onto two more gnoll corpses, one with a familiar-looking sword sticking out of its skull, and a large swathe of fabric he recognized from Rose''s shirt clenched in its claw, soaked around the edges in crimson.


    He looked frantically left and right, trying to find any sign of his compatriot, but saw nothing but the corpse, Rose''s sword, and splatters of blood, some of which continued in a trailof drips and drabs further on down the street.


    The sight sent a sudden surge of panic down Jack''s spine. What if it were Rose''s? Had she been overwhelmed and tried to run away when they injured her? What if the last one had caught her, and killed her while he was too busy being terrified?


    Oh god.


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    The thought of her being cornered and murdered by those beasts made him physically ill, and he ran down the street, following the trail of faint splatters here and there across the cobblestones.


    The street made one final bend, and he rounded it to find Rose standing in front of the small form of Madeleine, and the last gnoll between him and them, slowly closing in on the two girls. The left sleeve of Rose''s tunic was missing, and her arm was visibly gashed open, the blood dripping onto the street stones.

 Chapter 36 Last One

    The gnoll standing between Jack and the two girls turned at the sudden arrival of a new target, and, seeing Jack was armed, turned and snarled at him, brandishing the oversized cleaver it held in its left hand.


    "Rose, you two okay?" Jack called out to the girls.


    "We''re fine," Rose called back.


    "Better now." Madeleine added dryly. Rose turned and gave her sibling a dirty look


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    Before Jack could reply to the two of them, the gnoll charged at him, hurling into a flurry of blows so rapid and savage that it was all he could do to keep them from landing on him. He tried to focus to turn the tables, but he just couldn''t get his physical or mental balance long enough to shift into that frame of mind.


    A particularly savage swing threatened to split him from head to toe, and he threw his axe blade up to deflect it. The cleaver''s edge impacted with the axe blade with such intensity that it threw Jack stumbling backwards it knocked away his guard, leaving him wide open for a follow-up.


    Powerless to get his defenses back up in time, Jack watched with a sense of icy horror as the gnoll wound up for a killing blow. Jack closed his eyes. If this was gonna be it, he didn''t want to see it coming.


    He heard the cleaver sing through the air. He heard a wet crack, and felt something heavy knock him flying sideways.


    He had expected the cleaver to feel cold and hard, and the blow to cause him immense agony. But what he felt was none of those things. Was he in shock? He''d heard that when people are mortally wounded, their brain hides the suffering and makes it all go away. Was that happening to him now? Was he going to die?


    He suddenly felt himself slam into the hard stone of the street, his arm and shoulder taking the brunt of the blow as the side of his head smacked one of the stones, causing his head to explode into the worst headache he could ever remember having. Not only that, but the entire left side of his body was burning hot.


    Jack''s eyes jerked open. He found himself staring directly into Madeleine''s face, which sat only a few inches from his.


    Reacting with a mixture of startledness and pain, he pushed the girl off of him suddenly and tried to push himself to his feet.


    "Ow! Hey, what was that for?" Madeleine protested angrily, rubbing the newly developed sore spot on her rear end from its impact with the street stones.


    Jack glanced in the direction the Gnoll had been only a moment before to find Rose standing over the crumpled heap of the Gnoll''s body. Jack could see even at a cursory glance that the creature''s head was definitely not designed to be sitting at the angle it was currently sitting. Rose reached down and grabbed one of the gnoll''s arms and proceeded to wipe some form of dark sticky liquid off of her shin with it.


    She noticed Jack''s puzzled expression.


    "Apparently managed to rupture one of the vessels in his throat when I kicked him, and he spat blood all over me," She said, dropping the gnoll''s limb unceremoniously.


    "Well done providing the gap in your defense like that. It gave me the moment I needed to catch him off guard. Oh, and good job on the knockdown, Maddie. That was perfectly timed." She said, turning from Jack to Madeleine as she spoke.


    "You''re welcome, by the way." Madeleine said, looking at Jack with irritation.

 Chapter 37 Cause for Concern

    Jack looked at Madeleine sheepishly.


    "Yeah, uh, thanks, Maddy." He said, scratching the back of his head. She said nothing, but glowered at him, still continuing to rub her backside as she turned away and walked back over towards the dead body of the gnoll.


    Jack turned to the older sister, who was brushing dirt and debris off the front of her cream-colored tunic, which was now spattered with blood and stained brown and yellow in patches that had Jack wondering to himself if they were caused by what he assumed.


    Rose shifted her head from side to side, causing her neck to crack loudly, and stretched her shoulders back, before dropping her arms and sighing in relief. While she did this, Madeleine walked over the the gnoll''s corpse, and rifled through its armor and the pouches on its belt. After a moment''s digging, she pulled out a small pouch made of rough leather from one of the gnoll''s belt pockets, and walked over to Jack.


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    "Here", she said, offering it up to him. Jack gingerly took the pouch from her hand, and undid the drawstring to peer inside. A couple dozen coins of various size and color gleamed up at him. He looked back down at the ember sprite.


    "Hey, thanks", he said, look the bag to her and back.


    "Always check for loot."Madeleine said simply. She looked up at him for a moment longer, before turning and walking back over to Rose, who had finished stretching and turned back to Jack.


    "Well, that''s all of them", she said.


    "Almost all of them. We''ve still got Eleanor''s big baddie to deal with." Jack said.


    "She''s easily the strongest of the three of us," Rose said, shrugging non-chalantly as she led the way back the way they came. "She probably already has him dealt with by now."


    As if on cue, a faint explosion detonated in the distance, causing the buildings next to them to cast stark shadows as the direction of the town square brightened significantly.


    "Maybe not." Madeleine said dryly, turning and looking in the direction of the square.


    Another explosion immediately followed the first, its flash followed only seconds later by a deafening roar that caused the three of them to slap their hands over their ears in pain. The ground with such intensity that it nearly threw Jack off his feet, and glass and debris showered down on them from the buildings and windows above. After the second burst, the light and noise faded, leaving the three of them in relative silence.


    "What the HELL was THAT?" Jack said, lowering his hands from his ears.


    "Not Ellie. Unless she''s learned something new." Madeleine said, her face taking on an intensity Jack hadn''t seen from her previously. "Her fire''s blue."


    Jack felt his pulse pound in his chest, and suddenly found himself having horrible visions of Eleanor being blown to pieces. Without another word, he turned and ran back the way he''d just come.


    "Wha- hey! Wait up!", Rose called after him, but he was already rounding the corner to the larger thoroughfare, leaping over a bloody corpse as he went. He stumbled for multiple steps and nearly lost his footing as another loud explosion rocked the ground beneath him and set his ears ringing. Then another loud smashing sound like a rock being thrown through glass. Then more silence.


    "Cmon Ellie! Please be okay!" Jack thought as he leapt over another furred gnoll corpse, and ran to the right of the charred rut in the cobblestones his fire spell had left only a few minutes before.

 Chapter 38 The Shamans Scheme

    Rawgh''faz lay on the stones of the square, his mind calculating about his next move. The blue-skinned girl was not going to leave her invisibility if she could help it, and as of this current moment had the upper hand on him as he lay here. But there was something working in his favor. By the way she used components, she was clearly a wizard, which meant that sooner or later she would run out of supplies to cast any more of her little tricks. And by that point, she''d be defenseless. All he had to do was wait her out, bait her spells, and strike when she was no longer able to cast.


    Now, from this position, he couldn''t very well move without drawing her attention and likely being struck by that damned stick of hers. But he didn''t need to move, and if he was careful, he could do what he was thinking without letting on.


    As he lay there, mentally intoning the ritual chant in his head, he laughed aloud, cackling hyena-like for several moments before he spoke in a gruff, barking Common.


    "You fight well, girl. I like a good challenge." He said. "Leaving the footsteps was a nice touch."


    His words hung in the air for several seconds without any reply, just long enough to make him wonder if she had actually left, before her voice sounded out somewhere behind and above him.


    "Talking isn''t surrendering, mutt. I''m waiting for you to tell me you''re leaving." Eleanor said.


    Rawgh''faz made himself chuckle out loud again as he mentally worked the second stage of the chant in his mind. He could already feel the first threads of connection to the spirit he was calling for, but he would need more time. Perhaps a minute or two. He had to keep her talking, or, at the very least, busy.


    "And why would I do that? I like it here." The gnoll said, his teeth baring into a doggish grin as he turned his head to the side, granting him a limited view of the space behind him. "It''s so much more entertaining than sitting in our caves waiting for some hero to come kill us."


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    The girl scoffed, and said, "Because if you don''t tell me you''re leaving, I''m going to turn your hide into a throw rug. Now, are you leaving, or do I need to fold you inside out first?"


    The way she said this last sentence struck Rawgh''faz''s ears as ever so slightly off. She was posturing for poise and confidence, but the subtleties of her tone were giving her away. She was impatient. And, more than that, she wasn''t as confident as she was trying to present. There was an edge of nervousness in her voice that she was trying very hard to mask. Which told him everything he needed to know. She was probably running low on tricks. And recognized a genuine threat when she saw one. He had to give her credit for being at least that smart.


    The threads of connection with the spirit he was beckoning were growing thicker by the second as he mentally intoned the name. A few more moments, and he''d act. He cast his vision as far back behind him as he could from his limited vantage point, and sighed audibly, effecting a look of defeat and frustration.


    "We''ll leave. You have my word." He said.


    "I want to hear that you''ll never come back. Say it." The girl said. This was accompanied by another sharp crack of her staff against the back of his head, causing the gnoll to curse aloud, both out of pain, and out of nearly losing the connection thread he was about to complete.


    "My tribe will never return to this place. You have my word as chieftain." Rawgh''faz said, doing his best to make his tone as genuine and fearful as possible as he felt the connection tether complete, and the spirit''s vitality rush into his body in a roaring wave. It took everything in him to not howl out in pain and ecstasy at the experience.


    "Good dog. Now leave, before I decide to turn you into a cloak." The girl said, her invisibility dissolving to reveal her standing about fifteen paces behind him, her staff held defensively in both hands.

 Chapter 39 The Shamans Scheme part 2

    Rawgh''faz shifted his weight and pulled his hands down to his sides, slowly placing them against the warm stones as he pressed himself up and slid into a sitting position. The spirit''s essence clamored inside him, rushing to burst free from his body in a torrent, but he held firm. It wouldn''t be long. He turned and looked at the girl, who was looking at him threateningly


    She pointed to his staff laying on the ground next to him.


    "The staff. Hand it over, dog." She said, shifting her weight into an even more protective position.


    Rawgh''faz did everything he could to hide the smile threatening to form around his hyena lips. Surely it couldn''t be this easy. How on earth could a girl this clever also be this completely foolish?


    Rawgh''faz reached his hand out and grasped the gnarled wood shaft of the staff, wrapping his fingers around the shaft and feeling its resonance amplify the already surging power inside his bones. Lifting it up, he turned and, with a flick of his arm, tossed the staff towards the girl.


    Just as he had hoped, her eyes followed the wood, and a hand strayed from her staff, reaching out to catch it as it flew towards her face. As soon as he saw her guard drop ever so slightly, he burst into action, leaping from his seated position and charging towards her, opening the channels in his body to allow the summoned elemental''s energy to surge into his hands and burst outwards in a torrent of red-orange flame that rocketed directly for her.


    Eleanor''s eyes grew wide in shock and terror, and she jerked her staff out in front of her shouted a flurry of Infernal as the fireball slammed into her. The resulting explosion, barely deflected by a magical barrier, knocked her flying backwards. After sailing a few dozen feet, she hit the cobblestone, tumbling and skipping another dozen feet before coming to rest on her back. Her staff, or what remained of it, clattered across the ground, the first third of it a smoking, charred matchstick.


    Rawgh''faz lowered his hands, the elemental''s flames still lapping at his palms, and grinned wickedly as he looked over at the girl''s crumpled, smoking form. That''d gone even better than he expected. He walked over to where his staff lay on the stones, and picked it up, feeling its power synchronize with that inside him as he walked towards the girl''s body.


    He was about halfway to her when she stirred, coughing and groaning as she sat up. A line of blood tricked down the side of her face, and her robes were visibly burned. She looked in his direction, a mixture of panin and rage crossing her face as jumped to her feet. She looked around frantically for her staff, and her face went cold with terror as she saw the smoking wood in front of her. She looked back at Rawgh''faz, who was cackling evilly as he continued to close the gap.


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    "You''re talented, girl. And clever. But also very, very stupid." He said, drawing up a short distance from her. "I''m going to enjoy breaking you in after this."


    Eleanor''s hand shot to the component pouch on her robe belt, and felt a jolt of horror when she felt it missing. She looked down, and where the pouch should be sat a scorched, blackened bit of fabric. Her eyes shot back to the gnoll. Her hands were shaking, and tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes.


    "Looks like you''re all out of tricks." Rawgh''faz said, raising his staff and opening the channels of his body to allow the elemental''s energy to flood into it. Roots at the tip of the staff glowed a bright red-orange, and with a final word of command, Rawgh''faz unleashed every bit of power the spirit had provided him at the cowering, terrified girl.

 Chapter 40 Gone

    When Jack entered the village square again, it was considerably changed from the appearance he remembered. The ground was a torn up wasteland of raw earth and shattered rock, and smoke from the burning buildings and the two large craters on that now occupied the far end of the square hung thick enough to make Jack cough and put his sleeve over his mouth until he could mutter a simple spell that generated fresh air around him as he walked.


    Peering through the smoke, Jack saw a large humanoid shape looming in the distance, standing over something on the ground. As the wind shifted, he could begin to make out details, and his blood ran cold.


    The gnoll shaman was standing over Ellie, the ground underneath and around her torn apart and scorched black by fire. The charred remains of her staff were visible a short distance away, still smoking, and the ground around them both exuded a haze of steam and heat that caused the air between Jack and the two of them to wave and ripple.


    Ellie''s robes were burned. She wasn''t moving.


    "ELLIE!" Jack called out to her instinctively, before immediately stopping short and coming to his senses.


    The gnoll''s head jerked around towards this new arrival, and, seeing Jack, turned and spun his staff around. The roots at the tip suddenly flashed blue, and an arc of lightning jumped from the end of the shaman''s staff, searing and crackling straight at Jack''s head.


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    Jack dove to the side at the last possible moment as the ray of electricity crackled past, its outer edges jumping and leaving painful scorch marks across Jack''s back and legs. Jack''s head flooded with spell words as he frantically tried to drag up something to throw back. As if on auto-pilot, he leapt to his feet, threw his hand out, and shouted the words to conjure a lightning bolt of his own, using his anger and disgust to drive every bit of his vital energy into the blast.


    A jet of blue-white energy crackled and surged towards the hulking furred shape of the shaman, throwing sparks and tendrils of energy that arced off the stones beneath. The gnoll roared something in a primal tone, and before the bolt could strike him, a slab of earth erupted from beneath the paving stones of the square in front of him, causing the electricity to arc harmlessly into in, leaving behind a smoking dent made of glass.


    Jack swore to himself, and his fear and anger overriding his typical sense of self-preservation, ran toward the wall of earth. He had to help her. To save her. That''s what heros do... right?


    Reaching the wall, Jack leapt around it, swinging his axe around in front of him, hoping to strike the creature while it still stood behind the wall. His swing followed through as he stepped around, but hit nothing but air until it collided with the backside of the earthen wall.


    Jack immediately drew the axe back into a defensive stance, but to his confusion and surprise, the gnoll wasn''t behind the wall. Jack glanced around, and his confusion increased. The creature wasn''t anywhere to be seen. Had he turned invisible or something? Was that even a thing a shaman could do?


    As he began to contemplate what had happened, and focused around for some clue, he looked off to his right, in the broken area where Ellie had been laying when Jack had first seen the two of them.


    To Jack''s absolute horror, the spot where she had been laying now lay empty, save the broken end of her staff.


    Ellie was gone.

 Chapter 41 Gone part 2

    "ELLIE!" Jack called out, his eyes darting around for any sign of his missing friend, or the gnoll shaman, but as if they had simply vanished into thin air, there was no sign of either of them anywhere. "ELLIIIIEE!"


    Jack looked high and low, running back and forth across the area where he''d just seen the two of them, begging for a sight of one of them, or some clue, anything. But after a minute or two of desperate searching, he found himself in the same place he''d just been. Ellie was gone, probably taken by the gnoll.


    Jack cursed and swore, shouting obscenities helplessly into the air for several seconds until he began to regain some semblance of mental composure. He''d taken too long. And he should have never let Ellie take on the shaman alone.He''d let it happen, and now she''d probably been taken, assuming she wasn''t already dead before she disappeared.


    He felt tears rushing to his eyes, his face flush with anger and defeat. Not knowing what to do, he dropped to the ground, sitting helplessly on the dirty cobblestone.


    He''d wanted to be a hero. To be strong and powerful, and to defeat the bad guys and get the girls. And yet, here he was, sitting on his behind like a blubbering idiot, having just failed spectacularly in his first attempt at being heroic by losing the first girl who''d ever shown him any affection to a giant hyena-man with magical powers. He was pathetic. He didn''t deserve to be here.


    ["You seem down, kid."] Frumpkin''s voice spoke in his head, sounding calmer and more serious than Jack was used to.


    "Ellie''s been taken! And it''s all my fault..." Jack said. "I don''t know what to do...."


    ["It sounds to me like you need to go and rescue her, then."] Frumpkin said. To Jack''s surprise, there was no irony or sarcasm in his tone.


    "But I have no idea where she is! Or how to find her! And that''s assuming she wasn''t already dead by the time I got to her!" Jack said, mentally shouting at the voice in his head.


    Then, suddenly, without warning, an idea appeared inside Jack''s head, and it filled him with a sudden, tiny burst of hope.


    "Wait! I just did something heroic! I get a reward, right? Then I choose her! I want her teleported back here! That''s what I wish for! That''s all I want! You can do that, right?" Jack said, his voice becoming more and more pleading as he continued.


    Frumpkin''s voice sighed. He sounded almost a little sad. ["Look kid, I can''t help you in that way, even if I wanted to. That''s not really how this works."]


    "But why!? You''re GOD! You can do anything you want!" Jack said, feeling his anger and guilt bubble over.


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    ["Well, yes, I am. But I have my own rules I have to adhere to. For example, while I can give someone anything, I cannot take what they want from someone else. Which is why I cannot give you what you want. She is his, currently. And I cannot take her from him."] Frumpkin explained.


    "But that makes no sense! You''re god! Can''t you just change the rules?" Jack asked.


    ["Fraid not, kid. I''m only god of this particular world and a couple others, and I only have my position because the God of Gods made me and gave me the job. Part of the job is adhering to certain rules, and not taking anything from the world''s occupants is one of those rules. If I break the rules, I have to explain to the Bigger Guy upstairs why he shouldn''t wipe me out of existence and replace me with someone who doesn''t have an issue doing as he''s told. Make sense?"] Frumpkin said.

 Chapter 42 Gone part 3

    Jack slumped back down onto the ground, burying his face into his hands.


    "You''re useless," he said.


    Frumpkin snorted. ["It really is all or nothing with you, isn''t it?"]


    He exhaled a loud sigh of exasperation.


    ["Alright kid, so you''re right. You did do something heroic. You defeated a group of Gnolls with your companions and drove off a powerful shaman. That''s worth rewarding, for a newbie like you. So, what do you want as your quest reward? A magic item, a familiar, or the relative whereabouts of a particular friend you might happen to suddenly be missing?"]


    "I don''t want some stupid item or pet or whatever! I want my friend ba-...wait, can you repeat that last option?" Jack said, stopping short.


    ["I said if you want to know Eleanor''s location as your reward for completing this quest, that is something I can do. Now, keep in mind this is the location of her physical form I am giving you. I have no idea what''s around her, or even if she''ll still be alive when you get to her, but I don''t need permission to share information she isn''t trying to hide."]


    "That! I want that! Give it to me!" Jack said, a sudden rush of hope and adrenaline surging up inside him.


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    ["Done."]


    Suddenly, Jack''s head and vision exploded with imagery. Sights, sounds, smells... It all roared into his brain like a flood. He could see himself traveling over the ground at high speed, weaving back and forth between trees, flying over a river, and then another, before banking sharply and diving into a narrow ravine between two cliffs. He rushed and weaved through the narrow channel until it terminated in a wide cave entrance adorned across the sides and top with various skulls, both humanoid and animal.


    ["That cave is where the shaman took here. You know where it is, and roughly how to get there. Now, don''t say I don''t ever give you what you want."] Frumpkin said.


    Jack''s mind rushed back to his current location, and he bowed prostrate on the ground, his forehead pressed against the dirty stone.


    "Thank you, Frumpkin! Thank you!" He said.


    ["And don''t go thinking this is how things are always going to be. Another rule is that I cannot continually do for one individual or group above and beyond any others. One or two favors is fine. A whole buncha favors... that''s a problem we can''t have develop. Kapische? So here''s your one freebie for a long while. And you''re welcome."] Frumpkin said.


    "I don''t know what to say.." Jack said, sitting up and feeling almost foolish.


    ["You''ve said it. Now, may I suggest you get going? You''re looking at at least three days travel by foot, and and I hate to break it to you, but gnolls aren''t really know for their hospitality."] Frumpkin said. ["Besides, the other two are here now. I''ll leave you three two it."]


    Frumpkin''s words seemed to have the effect of snapping Jack back to reality, and he worked his way back to his feet, using the handle of his axe like a crutch. Ellie was out there, and only he could save her.


    The thought made him naseous, and absolutely terrified.


    But, strangely, it also caused a thrill somewhere deep inside him. Some part of him had always longed for adversity and challenges like this. Some part of him was finally getting what it had always wanted, even if the thing it wanted almost certainly guaranteed pain, suffering, loss, and a likely horrendous death to something unspeakable.


    It was honestly pretty nice.

 Chapter 43 Making Plans

    As he stood there reflecting, footsteps drew closer behind him, and Jack turned to see Rose and Madeleine approaching, Rose with her sword back in hand, Madeleine carrying a large sack of something over her shoulder. When they drew close, Maddy dropped the sack with a thump, and Rose flipped her sword around and slid it into the scabbard with a small thunk.


    "Is the shaman dead?" Rose asked, looking where Jack stood.


    "No. But I drove him off." Jack said, turning towards the two. While he wasn''t distraught anymore, he was sure that his face wasn''t doing a very good job of hiding that something was wrong.


    "Well, that''s good, right?" Rose said, seeing his face and putting on a smile. She seemed to be misattributing his negative expression to him failing to beat the boss. "You should be proud of yourself!


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    Before Jack could respond, Maddy looked around, and then fixed Jack with a stare.


    "Where''s Ellie?" She asked.


    Rose stopped, and glanced around, her face taking on a more confused look. "Actually, yeah, where is she? Did she run off or something?" She asked.


    "Well, I-uhh.... she''s...." Jack stammered, trying to find some way to explain what was going on. As he struggled to find the words, Maddy''s eyes bored into him, and after a moment, her eyes grew wide.


    "She''s gone." She said, her face slowly taking on a more and more horrified expression.


    "Wait, WHAT?" Rose said, jerking around to face her little sister, before immediately turning her attention to Jack. "Where is she?"


    Jack sighed and hung his head. He''d really hoped to have some small moment to prepare before all of this, but he should have known better. He lifted his head and made eye contact with Rose.


    "The shaman took her and vanished while I was fighting him. She was already beaten and hurt when I got here, and he managed to use magic to escape when I tried get to the two of them." Jack said, trying his best to not slump back down in defeat.


    "Why didn''t you stop him?!" Rose said, her face flushing in fear and anger. "You''re the hero of legend! You''re the strongest fighter I''ve ever seen!"


    Jack hung his head. If he wanted to crawl into a hole and die before, this certainly wasn''t helping.


    "I didn''t know he was planning on running with her. He threw a barrier up that broke my eyeline with him for a few seconds. That''s it. I had no idea he was planning on running, and there was no way I could have done anything even if I had known." Jack said. As he spoke and explained himself, he felt a little of the guilt lift.


    "Fuck!" Rose said, less at him and more to the air in general. She looked back at him. "Do you have any idea where they went?"


    Jack nodded.


    "They''re in a hideout cave a couple days travel from here. I spent the reward Frumpkin offered me on knowing where they went. It''s a cave in the side of some mountain, with skulls around the entrance. And I know generally how to get there." He said.


    "Well, do you where she is inside? Or how many will be guarding it? Or which mountain it''s in?" Rose asked.


    Jack shook his head, his face showing his frustration and disappointment.


    "I don''t. I''m sorry. Knowing where she is being kept and how to get there is the best I could get. Frumpkin even said that he couldn''t tell me more, even if he wanted to, because of some set of rules or something." He said.

 Chapter 44 Making Plans part 2

    Rose stood there for a moment, looking at him without saying anything, before turning away, her face both serious and worried.


    "Did Frumpkin say she was okay, at least?" She asked, finally.


    "He said she was alive. For now, anyways." Jack said.


    "Then we need to get going. We have to get to her before something terrible happens to her." Rose said, her face gaining back some of its characteristic confidence. "If we set out now, we might-"


    "It''s late at night." Madeleine said bluntly, cutting her off.


    Rose stopped and looked at Maddy, who was looking at her with her characteristic non-expressive stare. "But if we leave now, we might- "


    "Jack said Ellie''s a couple days away. And I''m tired." Maddie said. "I want to save Ellie as much as you do, but we can''t do that now. We need sleep. And food."


    "But-" Rose started, but after a moment, she dropped her eyes and sighed in frustration. "Alright, fine. We can find a place to rest up, and start again at first light." She said.


    She gestured to the area around them. Several of the buildings were still burning, and a thin haze of smoke still drifted about in the open space. The rest of the central square, where the village''s public housing options would probably have been located, was almost completely destroyed.


    "Any ideas on where you two want to bed down?" She asked.


    Jack looked around the space. The choices in the immediate vicinity didn''t seem to contain a whole lot of promise. The only possible option that he could see was a small wooden building towards the far corner of the square, which seemed to have avoided the rampaging fires. Though, even at this distance, it looked ramshackle and more than a little sketchy.


    After a few more moments, Jack pointed over towards the building. "We could try over there."


    Maddy and Rose looked over in the direction that Jack was pointing. Rose squinted at it, but Maddy just looked up at Jack and said "No."


    Jack looked at her, confused. "Why? What''s wrong with it?"


    "I''m not sleeping in a brothel with you." She said.


    "A brothel? How the hell do you know it''s a brothel from all the way over here?" Jack asked.


    Rose turned to him. "No, Maddy''s right. It is."


    She pointed to the building. "Do you see the painted red circle above the door?"


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    Jack looked over at the building, which looked about the size of his thumb at this distance. He squinted really hard and strained his eyes, but there wasn''t a chance in hell he could see anything that detailed at that distance. He shrugged.


    "No, I don''t. I guess my eyes aren''t as good as yours," He said.


    "Red circles mark brothels. It''s a publicly understood but discreet way to announce the services you''re offering." Rose said.


    "Oh." Jack said.


    "And I''m not staying in a place where people do things like that, with a person who personally requested us for their sex slaves." Maddy said.


    "Uh, wha, I didn''t request you for sex slaves!" Jack spluttered, red-faced.


    "Frumpkin said you wanted us for your harem. That''s what a harem is." Maddy said.


    Jack choked on his own saliva, and started coughing. While he worked to try and regain his breath, Rose spoke up.


    "Well, I don''t mind staying there, but obviously Maddy''s not interested." Rose said, shifting her weight.


    Jack turned to Madeleine. "Alright then. Why don''t you pick where you want us to stay then, Maddy?"


    The ember sprite looked around for a moment, before picking up the sack that she''d dropped earlier and walking back the direction the three of them had come from.


    Jack looked at Rose with a confused look, but Rose just shrugged, sheathed her sword, and followed Madeleine back towards the other end of the town square.

 Chapter 45 Settling In

    Madeleine led them back through the street the three of them had traveled down previously. While Jack made a point of gingerly avoiding stepping on the large, furry carcasses of the slain gnolls, Rose and Madeleine walked over them like lumpy throw rugs. For some reason, this made Jack feel really uncomfortable, even in spite of his efforts to remind himself that these same creatures had been trying to kill the three of them only a few minutes earlier.


    When they reached the corner of the street as it turned right, Madeleine stopped and looked around for a moment, before fixating her eyes on the door of a small shopfront that sat just inside an alleyway on the left side of the street just past the turn.


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    "This one." She said, pointing to the painted green door set into the brick of the alley wall. Above the doorway hung a small wooden sign that swayed gently on two thin chains, painted with a rudimentary picture of what looked like bread.


    Leading the other two to the door, Rose twisted the handle and pushed, but the door only rattled slightly in the frame.


    "It''s locked, Mads. We''ll have to try somewhere else." Rose said, turning towards the other two and shaking her head.


    Madeleine just sighed, and put down the sack she was carrying. Reaching inside it, she rummaged around for a moment in its clinking contents until she emerged with a small leather pouch. Without saying a word to either of them, she walked over to the door, sat down in front of it, and untied the leather string wrapped around the pouch. As it rolled out, Jack could see it was filled with a variety of small bent pieces of metal in numerous shapes and sizes. He recognized as lockpicks from the numerous games he''d used them to break into NPC houses for loot.


    Jack looked back and forth to the two of them.


    "Uhm, are we supposed to be doing something like this?" He asked.


    Madeleine just turned and looked at him with one of her blank expressions, staring at him just long enough to make him incredibly uncomfortable.


    "Allllright, sorry I said anything." Jack said, raising his eyebrows and exhaling before he leaned against the left side of the alleyway and waited for her to do whatever she was going to do.


    Madeleine peered into the keyhole for a moment, before looking down and contemplating the picks. After a moment''s deliberation, she fished out two of the tools from the pouch, and set to work fiddling with them inside the lock with a very determined look on her face. Jack wanted to laugh at the way she stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth as she did so, but thought better of it.


    After a moment or two of jimmying the picks inside the keyhole, there was a faint audible click from the door, and Madeleine leaned forward to push the door open with her head. The green wooden door swung gently inwards with a faint creak of old wood and unlubricated metal.


    Madeleine looked at Jack.


    "After you." She said.


    Jack looked at her, then over to Rose, who just shrugged again, and walked into the darkened interior of the shop front. Not wanting to be left out, Jack just sighed, and followed her in. After a moment, Madeleine had packed her thieve''s tools away inside their pouch, wound them up, and stuffed them back in the large lumpy sack she had been carrying. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she followed the two of them inside, pulling the wooden green door closed behind them with a faint metallic click.

 Chapter 46 Settling In part 2

    The storefront they walked into, from the limited amount of light coming in from the room''s multiple large windows, was obviously a bakery, as the sign outside had indicated. Immediately to their left as they entered, and encompassing much of the room to the left of the door was a kitchen area, separated from the rest of the room by a wooden counter. On top of the U-shaped counter space stood perhaps a dozen baskets and crates, as well as a couple small cabinets with glass fronts, each appearing to contain some kind of baked good like bread or pastries. Directly in front of them, and occupying the large majority of the rest of the room were a series of square tables and rough-hewn wooden chairs and stools set around each of them.


    It appeared that several of the tables had oil lamps set in the middle of them, and for lack of anything better to do in the moment, Jack walked over, and lifted the brass top off, before citing one of the component words for fire, and sparking the oil lantern''s wick with a match-sized bit of flame from the end of his finger.


    Immediately the flame took to the oil soaked fiber, and the lamp emitted a warm yellow glow around the center of the room, casting dark shadows behind the three of them against the old wood paneling of the walls.


    After sparking the lamp, Jack slid out one of the chairs and flopped into it, setting his axe on the tabletop, and leaning back into the chair as it settled in a chorus of wooden creaks.


    He was tired.


    He hadn''t even noticed or realized it until just now, but he felt exhausted. Thinking back, it''d been an incredibly eventful day. They''d hiked an entire day, forded a river, and fought off an attack party of giant dog men. The fact that he felt so drained made perfect sense. If not for the end of it, today would have been one of the best he''d ever had. As it stood now, however, he felt defeated and downtrodden.


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    As he sat there sinking into the chair and rubbing his face with his hand, Madeleine walked over beside him. When he lifted his head to look at her, he was met with a large pastry being shoved towards his face.


    "Mmfh." She said, shaking the pastry in her hand.She had a matching pastry hanging out of her mouth.


    Jack shook his head. "No thanks, Maddy. I''m good."


    The girl just looked at him. She shook the pastry more insistently at him, until finally he caved.


    Jack sighed, and then smiled "Fine. Thanks, Maddy."


    He reached out and took it from her hand. It was covered in some kind of sticky syrup material, and smelled vaguely like apples. He brought it to his mouth and took a bite, and found that it tasted a bit like an apple fritter, which he liked. Much like sitting in the chair had brought to his attention how tired he was, eating the small syrup-covered bun brought to sharp, glaring relief just how hungry he was as well. He devoured the whole thing in a few ravenous bites, and looking over to the bins and baskets on the counter, he got up and walked over to find something else to eat.


    Over the next several minutes, the three of them collectively destroyed a dozen pasteries, two loaves of bread, and part of a meat pie Rose managed to discover in one of the cabinets. After that, Madeleine made her way over to one of the darkly lit corners of the room, pulled a bedroll out of the bag she was hucking around, flopped it on the floor, and laid down. She was quietly snoring within a minute, leaving Jack and Rose alone around the small wooden table.

 Chapter 47 sHold Mes

    The two of them sat there in silence for several minutes. Rose stared down at the table, her brow furrowed in thought. Jack leaned back in the chair, his hands folded over his lap, and closed his eyes for a moment.


    "Do you think we''ll get to her in time?" Rose said, breaking the silence.


    Jack opened an eye and looked at her. She was still staring seriously at the table surface, her hands clenched into fists tight enough to turn her knuckles white. He sighed and leaned forward, his chair creaking as he did so.


    "I think Ellie''s a tough girl. She''s certainly tougher than I am." Jack said. "I mean, she''d have to be, growing up with you."


    He said this last comment with a smile, but Rose gave him no response. After a moment''s awkward silence he spoke again, scratching his head uncomfortably.


    "I think we need to hurry. I think we''re going to do our best." He said. "That''s all we can do, really..."


    Rose brought her hands up to her face, burying her face into them. After a moment, she began to sob quietly, her body shaking gently with each breath.


    Seeing this, Jack felt an instinctive urge to reach his arms around the girl and comfort her, but his painful experiences with physical contact with the girls made him think better of doing so. All he could do is sit there and feel useless.


    As he sat there and looked at her, he noticed the wound on her sword arm from earlier. It''d never been bound, and he could see that it was still slowly weeping blood, and starting to become inflamed. Jack wasn''t a medical expert, but he''d read a couple books about field medicine for a game he''d been playing a few years back, and what little he had learned told him that if it wasn''t cleaned and bandaged pretty soon, the chances of it getting badly infected got much higher.


    He looked around for moment for his pack to grab some water and linen from it, until he realized that they''d completely forgotten to pick their packs back up after Ellie disappeared. Which meant he was going to have to head back out there and grab them, if for no other purpose than making sure they didn''t unexpectedly end up taking up legs and walking off.


    Jack sighed, and stood up. Rose lifted her face up to look at him, her teary eyes looking at him questioningly.


    "We''ve left our packs back at the outskirts of the city. I''ve gotta run grab them before they disappear." He said, turning to go.


    "No," Rose said, shaking her head. "Stay, please."


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    Without thinking, she reached her hand out and grabbed Jack''s wrist.


    Jack went to pull away, but stopped almost instantly when he realized something startling.


    She wasn''t burning him.


    Her hand was still very warm, borderline hot, but it wasn''t scalding like before. As his eyes shot down to her hand in shock, Rose''s eyes grew huge, and she jerked her hand away.


    "Oh no! I forgot! I''m so sorry! Are you okay?" She said, her face becoming even more distraught.


    Jack looked at her hand, then back to her face, bewildered.


    "No, I''m.... I''m fine. For some reason, you... didn''t burn me." He said.


    Rose''s face shifted from one of shock and worry to one of surprise and confusion.


    "Wait, what? Really? I didn''t?" She asked.


    Jack shook his head. "No, really, you didn''t. I''m just as surprised as you are."


    The ifrit looked down at her hand, then back to Jack, her face taking on an almost unreadable expression. She looked down almost shyly.


    "In that case.... will you please hold me?"

 Chapter 48 Bedrolls and Bandages

    Jack looked down at Rose for a moment in disbelief, and, without saying a word, reached down and pulled the ifrit into a hug. Rose''s body was toasty warm, almost feverish feeling, but the feeling wasn''t unpleasant. The girl threw her arms around him and pulled him closer, pressing the side of her face against his chest. Much to Jack''s surprise, the girl still felt soft in his arms, despite her muscular physique.


    They stood there locked together for several long moments until Rose sighed warmly, and sniffed. She pulled back a little bit, and smiled softly, the tears in her eyes starting to dry.


    "Thanks. I needed that." She said. She released him, letting her arms drift gently across his for a moment before dropping them to her side.


    "I''m happy to help." Jack said, feeling his face flush. He really hoped she didn''t notice him blushing.


    "Man, I''m tired." She said, yawning and rubbing the last bits of moisture from her face with the back of her hand.


    "I am too." Jack said. "It''s been a long day."


    "Where did we leave our packs again? I actually don''t really remember after, well, everything." She said.


    "They''re stacked together behind a barrel where we made the plan against the gnolls." Jack said. "It''s not terribly far... maybe a ten minute trip?"


    Rose shifted her weight forward, clasping her hands together over her chest and adopting a pitiful looking expression.


    "Will you please grab my pack for me? Pretty please?" She asked, cartoonishly batting her eyelashes and sticking her bottom lip out. The look would be cute on anyone, but on the otherwise less feminine of the three sisters, the effect was absolutely adorable.


    Jack scratched the side of his head.


    "Well, you see, that''s kinda the thing... There''s four packs and only one of me. I''m not strong enough to carry all four. So I either need help, leave some packs behind, or make multiple trips."


    Rose just sighed playfully and hung her head.


    "Fiiiiine..... I''ll help." She said.


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    Over the next fifteen or so minutes, the two of them retrieved the four packs from their hiding spot, and returned to the bakery. Madeleine was still fast asleep, her breath coming in soft, rhythmic flows.


    Jack gently set his pack next to the counter by the door, and pulled out his bedroll. He looked over at Rose, who was doing the same, and motioned to her arm.


    "We need to get that patched up before you go to sleep. It could get infected if its not cleaned up." Jack said, laying the roll on the wooden floor with a soft flump a short distance from Rose''s.


    Rose looked down at her arm with a confused expression, which shifted to one of realization when she saw the gash.


    "Oh, I had completely forgotten about that too." She said.


    "Yeah, how did that happen?" Jack asked, picking up his pack and setting it beside his bedroll.


    "It was that last gnoll. When my sword got stuck and I had to drop it, he caught me with his cleaver when I was pulling away." She said. She inspected the wound, pressing gently around it with her fingertip until she winced and sucked air through her teeth. "Yep, that still stings."


    "Well, sit down across from me on your bedroll, and I''ll take care of it for you." Jack said.


    "I didn''t know you were a healer." Rose said as she sat down.


    "I''m not really." Jack said, shrugging. "I just read a lot about it when I was younger."


    Rose shifted her position to sit cross-legged, her hands resting loosely in her lap, and her body turned slightly so the wounded arm pointed a bit more towards him.


    "Alright, well, I trust you." She said.

 Chapter 49 Bedrolls and Bandages part 2

    Jack reached into his pack and pulled out his waterskin, and rummaged around for a moment until he found one of the handkerchiefs that Simon had insisted he take with him when they were packing up.


    Uncorking the waterskin, he soaked one end of the cloth, and began to gently wipe and dap at the wound, clearing away the dirt, grime, and dried blood that sat around and in it. Rose flinched and gritted her teeth, but said nothing as he worked. After a minute or two, it looked to be about as good as he could get it without better supplies.


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    As a final step, he poured more of the contents of the skin over the injury, washing away any last reside his cleaning had left behind. After he did so, he inspected his work, and pursed his lips.


    "It''s a shame we don''t have any alcohol... It could really use some to help make sure it doesn''t get worse." He said. "I didn''t bring any with me when we left."


    He looked a moment longer. "We could honestly also use some real bandages. I don''t think a handkerchief is gonna cut it for long."


    Rose motioned towards the other two bags still sitting by the entrance to the bakery.


    "Check Eleanor''s bag. She spends some of her time off from the academy treating the sick and injured, and she sometimes carried healing supplies with her other spell components when she travels with us. Maybe she''ll have something in there you could use."


    "Well, that''s convenient." Jack said, standing up and walking towards the door. He grabbed Eleanor''s pack, and dropped it beside his before sitting back down. He pulled it open, and began digging through its contents. There was an assortment of foodstuffs on top, which he pulled out and set to the side. Below that, he saw two spare dresses, and a larger leather pouch that he recognized as Ellie''s main spell component pouch from his time practicing magic with her.


    Beneath that, he saw a couple small bundles stuffed to one side. They both felt soft, almost silky. As he grabbed one and began to pull it out to inspect it, the bundle fell open in his hand inside the bag, and he looked down to inspect it.


    It was a pair of very scanty underwear. They looked handmade, with pink flowers embroidered on the front, and lace sewn around the waist and leg bands. Realizing what he was holding, Jack felt the blood rush to his face, and he quickly jammed the item back in the bag.


    Rose looked at him with confusion. "What was that about?" She asked.


    "Oh, nothing. Nothing." Jack said, laughing uncomfortably. "I just felt like I had something crawl on me, and it startled me."


    "Okay..." Rose said, looking at him in a way that told him she might not be buying his excuse, but saying nothing else.


    Moving his new discoveries gently to the side of the bag, Jack dug down further, and felt a small, hard shape that felt a bit like a bottle. He pulled this out, and found it was filled with a clear, water-like liquid. When he pulled the stopper and sniffed it, however, the scent of alcohol nearly made his eyes water.


    "Whew. Yep, she does." He said, coughing. He set the bottle in front of him on the wooden floor. A little further itto the bag, near the bottom, he found several strips of white linen folded neatly in bundles similar enough to Eleanor''s underwear that his heartrate doubled again when he first found them.

 Chapter 50 Bedrolls and Bandages part 3

    To distract himself, Jack set to work on the second stage of treating Rose''s wound, pouring a bit of the alcohol from the bottle directly onto it. Rose yelped and snapped her mouth shut to stop herself from being loud before letting out a stifled groan of pain through her teeth.


    After that, Jack began to wrap her arm, placing one piece of linen folded several times over itself on the affected area, before wrapping around it with another piece, eventually tying both ends of the bandage together in a surgeon''s knot to keep the whole thing in place.


    After he finished, Jack sat back and admired his work. All things considered, he actually felt pretty good about this, despite how simple it was to do. He''d spent so much of his life doing nothing of value that now even doing the simplest things over the past several weeks make him feel like a complete badass. It was nice. Is this what normal people with self-confidence felt like on a regular basis? Because if so, Jack was perfectly ready to be normal at this point.


    As he was reflecting on this, Rose leaned over, and without warning, kissed Jack on the cheek, before sitting back and looking at him with a warm smile. Jack reached his hand up to touch the spot. The kiss had been nearly hot enough to burn him, but he wasn''t feeling the heat in this moment.


    "Thanks, Mister Hero." She said, almost bashfully. Jack couldn''t tell if she was putting this on or being genuine, but he was willing to take it at face value.


    For the third time in the past sixty seconds, Jack found his heart racing.


    "Uh, yeah... don''t mention it." He said sheepishly, before starting to pack everything back away into its respective bags.


    As he packed everything away, Rose began stripping off her leather armor, setting each piece off to the side as she did so, before finally stripping off her torn and bloodstained outer tunic, leaving her in nothing but the thinly padded linen bodywrap she wore underneath.


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    This was the most uncovered Jack had ever seen her, and he tried to focus harder on what he was doing so he wouldn''t be staring all creepily at her like some kinda pervert as she got undressed. From his couple glances, he could see pronounced scars raising from her shoulders, chest, and back, some recognizable as slashing wounds from blades. Others, however, he didn''t recognize the cause of, and this made his desire to stare all that much worse. The fact that he also had a thing for muscular girls wasn''t helping, either. I mean, he had a thing for basically EVERY kind of girl, honestly, but who was really even keeping track at this point?


    After a moment however, Rose pulled on a new tunic, hiding them away again, and leaving Jack to wonder what on earth the girl had been through to give her some of those scars.


    After the two of them finished prepping for bed, Jack grabbed the oil lantern off the table and brought it down to the floor next to their two bedrolls so it would be easy to extinguish when they finally went to sleep.


    After finally laying down and putting his arms behind his head, Jack asked Rose something that had been bothering him for the last hour. "Hey Rose?"


    "Yeah?" She said, rolling on her side and propping her head up to make eye contact with him. "What''s up?"


    "Well, I''ve been sitting here trying to figure out why you didn''t burn me when you grabbed me earlier or hugged me. That''s never happened before, and I don''t know what changed." He said.


    "Oh..." She said, seeming a bit taken aback. "I though you''d had another wish granted or something."

 Chapter 51 Bedrolls and Bandages Part 4

    "No, I haven''t been given any other rewards. I spent the last one I got to find out where Eleanor is so we can rescue her." Jack said, before adding "And trust me, nobody wants me to stop being burned by you three more than me."


    Rose looked puzzled, staring off into the middle distance in thought for a moment before she asked "Are you still able to touch me now?"


    "I honestly don''t know. I''m almost afraid to try." Jack said.


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    "Well, if you don''t, you''ll never know." Rose said. "Hold out your hand."


    "Okay... Jack said, hesitating.


    He reached his hand out gingerly and held it out, palm up in front of him. Rose lifted one of her hands off her lap, and gently ran her fingertip across the inside of his palm. Jack instinctively flinched and pulled away, shaking his hand several times. She was painfully hot to the touch again, and the inside of his hand stung for a few seconds afterward.


    "No good, huh?" Rose said, looking at him apologetically.


    "Fraid not." Jack said, grimacing.


    "Sorry about that." She said, and then added "I wonder what could have made it possible before.... Do you think it had something to do with me crying or something?"


    Jack thought about that for a moment.


    "I honestly don''t know. Do you normally feel cold when you''re sad or something?" He asked.


    "I guess? I''ve never really noticed one way or the other." She said, shrugging.


    "Well, that''ll have to be our working theory for now, because whatever it was, it''s gone now, and I''m not looking to make you cry again just to see if I can touch you. It''ll be my luck you''ll be upset AND still burn me." Jack said playfully.


    "Maybe." Rose said, lifting her head and making eye contact with him through her eyelashes. Her yellow irises seemed to almost glow in the warm, flickering lamplight, and she smiled a small, crooked smile. "Maybe one day we''ll figure out how to make it happen again."


    Her look took on an almost suggestive quality as she said this, causing Jack''s heartrate to speed up again. He wasn''t sure if she meant what he felt she was implying, but either way, he felt his face redden, and after a moment of her statement hanging in the air between them, Jack cleared his throat awkwardly, and changed the subject.


    "So, we have about 3 days travel to get to the cave where Ellie is. It''s somewhere through a forest, over a river, and up the side of a mountain. I don''t know where that is in relation to anything else in this world, but that''s where we''re going." He said.


    "3 days.... through a forest... side of a mountain...." Rose muttered to herself as she reached for her pack. Rummaging through it for a moment, she pulled out a rolled piece of parchment, and unrolled it out in front of her.


    Looking across, Jack could see that is was a map of some kind. It was weather-stained brown, and looked handmade, which it probably was. After a moment staring at the map, Rose pointed at a spot on it.


    "That''s probably where she is, if you''re right." She said.


    Her finger hovered above a single free-standing mountain sandwiched among a group of hills not terribly far northeast from the town they were located in on the map. Drawing a straight line with his eyes, Jack could see that, based on the drawing in front of him, they''d encounter all of the landmarks he''d described. From the looks of things, this would be the only mountain they could reach within three days travel that would have them cross everything Frumpkin had shown him.


    "Yeah, that''d have to be it." Jack said, nodding. He looked up at Rose and smiled. "Good work!"


    Rose smiled back. "Thanks," she said, before rolling up the map again and sticking it in her pack.


    "Now, I think it''s time for some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Jack said.


    And with that, he blew out the lantern, plunging the two of them into the darkness of a long night''s sleep.

 Chapter 52 Eleanor wakes up

    Slowly, Eleanor''s consciousness returned, and with it, a searing headache. She slowly opened her eyes, and took in her immediate surroundings as she tried to get her bearings on where she was.


    The floor she was sitting on was damp dirt. The walls were smooth, natural looking stone, slick with moisture and reflecting the flicker of the torchlight coming from her left. From the looks of it, she was in a cave, or somewhere underground. Maybe both. Overhead, the room''s ceiling disappeared into shadow some distance above her, and it sounded like there was running water somewhere in the distance, but she couldn''t tell how far away it was, or how large the source was.


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    As she took everything in, it took here a minute to put together how she had ended up here. The gnoll had gotten the jump on her, and removed her ability to counter his magic. That was her own fault. She''d trusted the dog to be, perhaps not trustworthy, but at least afraid enough of his compromised position to not try anything stupid. And as a result, she''d been caught completely off guard. Way to go, Ellie. You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Stupid idiot.


    Everything hurt. Her head, her back, her muscles, her butt, it all felt like she''d taken a long tumble down a rock-covered hill. And in more than a couple places on her arms and face her skin felt raw and exposed, which were probably burns from the fireballs she''d barely avoided being destroyed by.


    Her staff was destroyed, though. That made her more upset than anything. She''d been given that by Mystera Runus before her graduation at the Coltriss Academy as a gift. Now, she''d have to make a new one, or take one from someone else. That was going to be a pain.


    But that assumed she was ever going to see anything outside of this room again. Which she might not. She instinctively reached down to the place where her spell component pouch would be, but when she felt nothing but singed fabric and looked down, she remembered that it''s been destroyed. Without its contents, she wouldn''t be able to cast anything but the simplest cantrips, and that was if she was well-rested and had access to her spellbook, which was conveniently inside her backpack, wherever that was at this point. She was, for all intents and purposes, defenseless. The only spells she had memorized were Prestidigitation and Read Magic, and while they didn''t need any components to cast, they would help her a whole bunch of nothing for getting away.


    And speaking of getting away, as if to make things worse, she was chained to a large wooden post buried into the ground behind her back. Her arms and legs were free, but they''d stuck a heavy leather and metal collar around her neck hooked to a length of chain wrapped around the post. While it gave her some room to change positions, it prevented her from either standing up or laying down, both facts that she''d discovered painfully when she''d first tried to move a little while prior.


    After several more minutes of trying to discover anything in her surroundings that would help her, Eleanor slumped back against the chain post, defeated. Outside of matching posts to her left and right, the room was completely empty, save the dirt floor and the stone walls. Not so much as a piece of grass, pebble, or anything else was out of place. Whoever had chained her up had apparently been very careful to make sure nothing that could possible be used for spellcasting would be accessible to her. She had to give them credit. Whoever had made that decision was smart.


    As she rested against the post, she wondered if Jack and her sisters were looking for her. She doubted they''d be able to find her, especially considered she''d been teleported away. But Rose and Maddy were smart. And Jack... he was supposed to be God''s chosen hero, right? Anything was possible... right?


    As she reflected on this, she heard growling and barking in the guttural language of the gnolls. Then another voice responded. And then, approaching footsteps.

 Chapter 53 A Lesson on Looting

    Jack sleepily awoke to Madeleine''s face, laying approximately six inches away from his, staring at him expressionless. He shrieked and sat bolt upright, scooting a few feet back on his hands and behind until his brain cleared and he was fully awake.


    "That''s a little dramatic, don''t you think?" Madeleine said, raising an eyebrow.


    "Well I wasn''t expecting to have you in my face staring it at me! It freaked me out!" Jack said, starting to calm down.


    "You scare too easily." Madeleine said, getting up and walking over to the counter where the pastry baskets sat.


    "You also sleep late. Me and Rose have been awake for hours waiting for you to wake up. Oh, and you snore. Did you know that?" She said.


    Jack grunted, rubbing the dust from his eyes, and stood up, yawning. Of course he knew he was lazy and slept late. It''d taken him a long time to get over his insomnia since coming to this world, and now that he was well past it, he was going to enjoy his sleep, thank you very much. He was about to say as much when he noticed that Rose wasn''t in the room with them. After looking around for a moment, he turned to Madeleine and asked "Where is Rose?"


    Madeleine took another bite of the pastry in her hand, and pointed towards the door as she said through a mouthful, "Fhe''s outfide pfacticing."


    "Oh, alright." Jack said. He rolled up his bedroll and tied it back on his pack, and took a moment to gather the rest of his things and packed them away before walking over to the counter, grabbing a round loaf of bread out of one of the baskets, and taking a bite out of it as he stepped out the door.


    Rose was in the street a short distance from the door, practicing a series of sword drills when he walked out, and stopped to turn her attention towards him when she heard the door open.


    "Oh good, you''re finally awake!" She said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with one of the sleeves of her tunic and pausing to catch her breath.


    "Yeah, Maddy told me you both have been waiting on me a while. Sorry about that." Jack said.


    "Oh, no worries. It was nice to have time to have breakfast and get warmed up." Rose said, smiling. "So, are you ready to go?"


    Jack shrugged. "About as ready as I can get, I guess."


    "Alright. I''ll grab my stuff." Rose said, flipping her sword with a twirl of her fingers and sheathing it before walking inside behind him.


    The three of them stashed as many baked goods as they could into their bags before they left, and, at Jack''s insistence, left a note thanking whoever owned the bakery for letting them stay.


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    As the three of them grabbed the last of their stuff, Jack noticed the sack Madeleine had been carrying the previous evening, and realized for the first time that it wasn''t her pack. Looking at it curiously, he asked "What''s in the bag?"


    Hucking the canvas sack onto the shoulder opposite her pack, Madeleine walked towards the door.


    "Loot. From the dead gnolls." She said.


    Jack looked at the sack, then back to her.


    "Shouldn''t we split it up between us or something?" He asked


    "You didn''t loot the bodies. I did. So, my loot." She said, setting the sack down just long enough to pull the door open.


    "But, me and Rose did all the work!" Jack protested.


    "And yet here I am, holding all the loot." Madeleine said, deadpan. "I told you to always loot the bodies. When you didn''t, I assumed you didn''t want to. So, I did."


    She lifted the sack to her shoulder again.


    "My loot." She said, motioning to the bag with her head before stepping out into the street.

 Chapter 54 Departure

    In the daylight, it was easier to get a sense of the scope of the damage that the gnolls had inflicted on the town than it was at night. At least a third of the town had burnt down, with some others still smoldering and pouring steady streams of white smoke into the atmosphere. The majority of the town square, including most of the ground within it, was completely destroyed, pockmarked by giant tears and pockmark craters from the magic battle that had taken place there the night before.


    As the three of them were walking towards the outskirts, Jack began to see a small but steady stream of people returning to the town from the areas outside of it. Now that the immediate threat was gone, they were likely coming to start the long process of putting everything back together.


    Jack didn''t envy them the coming difficulties. Assuming they weren''t all dead, most of the people who lived here were probably going to have to start their lives over from scratch.


    On their way out, Jack saw the same man who''d told him to run the night before, though it didn''t seem that the man recognized him. He was now carrying a young girl, perhaps two or three years old, on his shoulders, her face soot-stained and grimy. As they passed each other, the girl looked down at him and smiled widely, waving at him. Jack smiled and waved back. He hoped beyond hope that that girl would grow up safe and happy, completely unaware of the kinds of evil that existed in this and every other world.


    The three of them traveled in relative silence for several hours, until stopping for a lunch of pastries sometime around midday in a small stand of trees off to the side of the road. As they ate, Madeleine dropped the loot sack she''d been carrying in front of her, and began rummaging around in it again. After a moment, seemingly unable to find what she was looking for, she dumped the contents of the thing out onto the ground in front of her.


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    Several small knives, a half dozen leather pouches, a couple pieces of rolled parchment, a rolled up piece of leather Jack recognized, and a small wooden case he did not all tumbled out onto the grass in a heap. Once everything was out, Madeleine set out sorting everything into three piles, splitting the leather pouches equally between the three of them, putting the lockpick roll in the one closest to her. She then set the knives in the pile closest to Rose, and the wooden case in the pile closest to Jack. The rolled pieces of parchment she set to the side apart from the three other piles.


    Once everything was sorted, Madeleine pointed to the two piles further from her.


    "These are yours. I don''t care who takes which pile." She said.


    "I though you said it was YOUR loot." Jack said, raising an eyebrow.


    "It is. But I''m tired of carrying all of it. So, now it''s your loot too." She replied.


    "Oh, well, thanks, I guess?" Jack said, unsure how else to reply. He turned to Rose.


    "So, which one are you wanting?" He asked, then added, "I''m not picky."


    Rose looked at each pile. Looking at the one with wooden case, she reached out and picked the case up. Flipping it around slowly in her hands for a moment, she finally seemed to find what she was looking for and pressed her thumb on part of the box, causing a small wooden panel to slide out from it. Looking inside, Rose furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, before reaching into the small container and pulling out a small carved figurine made of kind of lightly polished black material.

 Chapter 55 Sharing the Wealth

    Looking at the figurine in her hands, she held it up between her thumb and index finger for the other two to see.


    To Jack, it looked like a small carving of a knight, maybe about two inches long, in full plate armor and a full helm that covered his face. In one hand, he held a longsword. In the other, a large kite shield. To Jack, it looked a bit like an ornately carved chess piece.


    "Well, this is interesting..." Rose said, bringing the figurine closer to her face. After a moment of inspecting it closer, she dropped it back into the palm of her hand.


    "What do you suppose it is?" She asked the two of them.


    Jack shrugged.


    "I dunno. Just looks like a little game piece to me." He said, then added, "I kinda like it."


    "Might be magical." Madeleine said.


    "Maybe." Rose said, looking at the small figurine in her hand. She closed her hand and held it out towards Jack.


    "Well, if it''s magical, it''s no use to me." She said. "You should take it."


    "Really?" Jack said as she dropped the piece in his hand. "Thanks!"


    "Yeah. I''m glad you want it, because I''d rather have the blades anyways." Rose said, smiling.


    She reached out and grabbed the three daggers and the pouches, and picking them up and setting them in her lap before grabbing the small wooden case and handing it to Jack, who''d scooped up the other two pouches.


    Looking inside the leather pouches, Jack found a decent amount of coins. Counting everything out, he''d just gotten about 35 gold, about as many silver, and twice as many copper pieces. He wasn''t sure that that was very much, but since it was the first money he''d ever had in this world, he felt downright wealthy having it.


    He combined all of the coins into a single one of the pouches, then stuck it into his pack, along with the figurine, which he''d returned to its wooden case. He get the sneaking suspicion that there was something more to the figurine than just being a silly little trinket, but that''d probably take him some time to figure out. If he was super lucky, maybe it''d be something awesome like the figurines of power in the old tabletop games he played that came to life and did things for their owners, like fight, or deliver messages, or other sorts of useful things. But, those all had some sort of command word or something to activate them, and they also had all sorts of limitations, so he''d have to figure those out too.


    All of this, of course, assuming this was anything other than a stone action figure. Which it probably wasn''t, honestly.


    He looked over at Madeleine, who was currently polishing a dagger Jack hadn''t noticed amongst the rest of the loot. It was decidedly nicer than the three that had been handed to Rose, with a handle that looked made of solid silver, with several red gemstones set into the hilt. The blade was completely devoid of any marks or blemishes, and had a faint multi-colored luster when the light struck it just right.


    Noticing Jack looking at the blade, Madeleine sheathed it.


    "I''m the only one without a weapon, so I took the nicest one. I figured you two will probably need my help, even though I''m a better sneak than a fighter." She said, stowing the dagger inside her pack again. After that, she grabbed the parchment rolls off the ground beside her.


    "And these are scrolls for Ellie, after we get her out." She said, sticking them in the bag.


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    "IF we get her out." Rose said, darkening slightly.


    Madeleine looked at her sister, her face serious.


    "When."

 Chapter 56 Stargazing

    After finishing up a lunch of pastries and bread from the bakery, as well as some dried meat and cheese they''d brought with them from Simon''s house, the three of them shouldered their packs and continued on. After consulting the map and surveying the surroundings, Rose suggested that now would be the right time for them to leave the road and head out northeast towards the mountain her and Jack had determined was probably where Ellie was.


    They left the small copse of trees, and rather than heading due north along the well-beaten path, crossed over into the fallow field across the way, and continued on. They walked for the majority of the rest of the day, until the sun began to set and transform the mostly cloudless sky into a pastel rainbow of yellows, oranges, pinks, reds, and purples.


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    Since they were surrounded by rolling fields in all directions, and a complete lack of other features, there wasn''t much in the way of shelter for the three of them to take cover under, so when they finally made camp, they simply found a flat, dry spot on top of a low hill, and rolled their bedrolls out onto the tall grass, pressing it flat beneath them.


    As the sun set into night, the temperature around them dropped significantly, though thanks to his recent perk, Jack wasn''t bothered in the slightest by it. Neither were the girls, from the looks of things. For comfort''s sake, and promise of hot food for a change, Jack suggested starting a fire, but Rose shot the idea down. With them exposed like they were, a fire would reveal their position for miles around, and possibly attract attention from places they didn''t want it.


    Jack, for his part, felt stupid he hadn''t thought of that, and agreed, deciding to placate himself with using a bit of his magic to heat up a sweetroll from his pack.


    As night settled in, and the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, the dark night sky exploded into a sea of stars. It was more clear than Jack had ever dreamed it possible a night sky could be, all the more so because there was no moon in the sky.


    As the three of them lay there on their bedrolls gazing up at the sky, Rose pointed out different constellations in the sky to him and Madeleine, and told him a little bit of the history behind each one.


    "Over there is Secundus, the Dragonslayer. You can tell because of the 5 stars in a straight line close together that make his sword. And over there is Myrmidan, the Seven-Headed Dragon that Secondus defeated." Rose said, pointing to a forked constellation that culminated in a cluster of seven very bright yellow stars.


    "What about that bright blue star over there? Is there something special about that?" Jack said, pointing to it.


    "That''s Eleanor''s Eye. It always marks east, so you know where the sun will be coming from." Rose said.


    "Eleanor''s Eye? Like our Eleanor?" Jack asked.


    "Dad named her after the star because of her color. That and because she ''always leads the way to sunshine''. Or, at least that''s his excuse." Rose explained.


    "So why is the star called Eleanor''s Eye?" Jack asked.


    "Eleanor Armysen was a great human archmage who mapped the sky a long time ago. She''s the one who named most of the shapes in it. Stories about her talk of her beautiful blue eyes, and after her death, someone named the star in her honor. After that, everyone just called it Eleanor''s Eye in her honor."

 Chapter 57 Eleanor wakes up part 2

    As the approaching footsteps and braking voices grew closer and closer, Eleanor could feel her heart racing in her chest. There was no telling what the gnolls wanted from her, or even if they planned on keeping her alive at all, and based on the stories she''s heard whispered by some of the adventurers in Hawkport, being killed outright by a gnoll tribe was far more merciful than the things that you were subjected to if you weren''t.


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    Especially as a woman. Things it was said gnolls, especially chieftains, did to female captors was enough to make even a grizzled adventurer lower his voice in public.


    Even the thought of something like that happening to her made her absolutely terrified. But what was she going to do? She didn''t have the ability to cast any spells of value, and even if she could, how many gnolls followed the chieftain that had taken her? 20? 50? 200?


    She had no idea.


    But, that served the point in her head. Even if she could fight back, it was still very likely she''d never make it out alive.


    No, there were only three ways out of this.


    She was going to have to find a way to trick her way out, be rescued by someone else, or die at the end of a gnoll''s weapon. She was not about to spend months or years living as some monster''s violated plaything until she died of starvation or abuse or neglect.


    But what to do..... what to do...


    She sat wracking her brain as two large gnolls stomped into the chamber, both carrying heavy, crudely made glaives. They both looked at her, and one of them grinned wickedly before snarling something in gnolltongue. The other one laughed a wicked, giggling laugh, and looked at Eleanor with an evil expression that made her heart stand still for a moment. The one who laughed walked over to where she sat, shifting his glaive from his right hand to his left as he pulled a ring of crudely made keys off his belt. While he approached her, the other gnoll drew closer and extended his glaive until the tip of the blade sat point first against the soft of her throat.


    "Dront Moovfe." The gnoll growled.


    Eleanor heard the keys jangling above and behind her head, followed a moment later by the loud click of the lock holding her chains popping free. The gnoll with the keys bent down, grabbed the slack length of chain that sat on the ground beside her, and with a stiff jerk tugged her to her feet, nearly causing the other gnoll to tear her throat open with his glaive as she was drug up unexpectedly.


    Struggling past the tension now being pressed on her throat from the gnoll''s tight grip on the collar chain, Eleanor turned her head towards the gnoll who pulled her up and asked "Where are you taking me, dog?"


    As if on cue, the other gnoll brought his glaive arround and forcefully smacked her face with the flat of the blade, not hard enough to break anything, but hard enough to cause her head to swim.


    "You wfill shpeak to ush wish reshpect, devfil whore." The one who struck her said, snarling.


    "You havfe been shummoned by zhe chieftain. You wfill see him now. Movfe." The other gnoll said, stepping in front of her and pulling on her chain. When Eleanor did not immediately move, he jerked it forcefully causing her to stumble and nearly fall onto her face.


    "I shaid movfe, fuckmeat!" The gnoll said, pulling her chain again as she tried to regain her footing. This time he did not loosen the pressure, and Eleanor found herself being half-dragged out of her room.

 Chapter 58 Reflections

    After a while, Rose and Madeleine drifted off to sleep, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts as he lay on his bedroll and reflected on his time since his arrival to this new world.


    It was surprising to him how natural his new life was beginning to feel. He hated to admit it, but Frumpkin was right. He had almost completely forgotten about anything else about his life from before. And honestly, he was glad he had skipped out on option number one. Compared to the life he had now, even in spite of the threats he had experienced and the possible loss of one of his new friends, the idea of lounging around in paradise without a care in the world sounded just flat out boring.


    He couldn''t afford to get to comfortable here, thought. The fact that Eleanor was captive by a bunch of monsters was testament to that. But more than that, he had a job to do. Somewhere in this world, there was someone who had been given the exact same advantages he had been. The villain he would finally have to overcome to win. Was this villain having the same challenges he was?


    Either way, Jack knew he had a long long way to go before he had a chance of winning. As it stood now, he could barely beat some gnolls, and couldnt keep his friend safe.


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    He needed more skills. And better equipment. And more allies. He sighed. At this moment, it felt like this was going to take FOREVER.


    As he laid there, his thoughts finally drifted to Eleanor. He hoped she was still okay. Every time she crossed his mind, he would kick himself for letting himself lose sight of her, even for a moment. Had that not happened, she would probably be there on her bedroll laying beside him at this very moment, breathing her quiet breaths in sleep.


    "That''s assuming the shaman didn''t just kill you outright if the fight continued," Jack thought grimly.


    Jack knew that he was going to have to face off against the shaman again if he wanted to save her. And considering it''d beaten Ellie handily, beating him was going to be no small feat. Jack honestly wasn''t even sure he had it in him to do it, even with the help of the sisters and his other wish benefits. But he didn''t have a choice. He had to save her. She was his friend. And it was the right thing to do.


    The fact he also found her incredibly stunning, and she seemed to actually like him, absolutely also factored in there somewhere, though he wasn''t ready to admit to himself how much of a part those feelings actually played into it all.


    He found his mind wanting to slip into fantasies about her, but he stopped himself. There would be a time for indulging those thoughts, but now was most definitely not the right time. As he pushed them out of his mind, however, he found his mind flooded with new images. Images of something horrible happening to her... the dogmen taking turns beating or violating her. Having them appear all at once made him simultaneously nauseous and furious.


    If they laid a single finger on that girl''s body, he''d fold every single one of the dog-faced bastards inside out and wear their pelts for slippers. It didn''t matter to him if he died in the process, so long as she got away. He''d already died once. Doing it again couldn''t be that terrible.


    It took him a long time to finally clear his head enough to calm down, and when he finally relaxed, sleep overtook him almost immediately.

 Chapter 59 Rude awakening

    Jack woke up to the feeling rainfall on his face. As he opened his eyes to look up, a droplet fell in to his open eye, causing him to curse and snap his eye shut. He sat up and scrambled out of his bedroll, groping in the pre-dawn light for his boots. While it wasn''t pouring, the rain was strong and steady enough that he could already feel his clothes and bedroll getting soaked. He wasn''t really sure what they were going to do about the weather, considering their was no shelter anywhere close, but, hey, he probably needed a shower anyways.


    As he pulled on his boots, he heard a groan and a muttered obscenity as Madeleine came to and sat up, her hair a disheveled mess.


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    "Great." She said, sighing and sliding out of her bedroll.


    Rose, however, seemed completely unperturbed by the water falling on her face and exposed arms, and was still snoring quite peacefully as the drizzle fell around the three of them. After she had her boots on, Madeleine walked over and nudged Rose''s shoulder several times until her sister snorted awake.


    Rose''s eyes focused into reality, and she immediately shut her eyes again and groaned. "Ugh, I wasn''t expecting a storm." She said.


    "Me either" Jack said, rolling up his bedroll. As he did so, he felt the water squeezing out of it like a sponge. Unless they found somewhere warm and dry to hang their rolls out for the day, next night''s sleep was going to be absolutely miserable.


    The three of them assembled the rest of their belongings, which thankfully did not take long. Other than their bedrolls, the only things they''d used the night before had been food and a few personal items that weren''t harmed by a little wetness, like their weapons. Mercifully, their packs and bedroll bags were both made of oilcloth, so nothing else in their packs had thus far gotten wet, and their bedrolls would be shielded from soaking anything else. So that was nice, at the very least. At least they wouldn''t have to eat water-logged bread for breakfast.


    Packing up only took a few minutes, but by the time they were finished, the three of them were soaked completely through, and for the first time since he''d met them, Rose and Madeleine were shivering. For the third time in as many days, Jack found himself grateful that the cold didn''t bother him anymore. If it did, this whole experience would be absolutely miserable. As it stood now, he just felt wet, which while it definitely wasn''t the best feeling in the world was certainly a whole lot better than being wet and freezing.


    Jack looked out towards the eastern horizon from the top of their hill. The sun would be up soon, from the looks of things. And he could already see the end of the cloudline far in the distance. There was a good chance they''d get lucky and the weather would break before the day really got started.


    Looking to the left, Jack could just make out the distant edge of a forest in the dim morning light. That''s where they needed to be before the end of the day. Then after that, they had a river to cross and some mutant dogmen to kill. No big deal. Yup. Nothing at all to worry about. Good thing he was both exhausted and soaking wet. Those gnolls were gonna need every advantage they could get when he finally got his hands on them.


    Jack yawned, and rubbed his face with his hands for a moment, before he dropped his hands and turned to the other two.


    "Alright, let''s get moving."

 Chapter 60 The Gnoll Village

    Still reeling from the blow of the gnoll''s glaive, Eleanor found herself suddenly being half-walked, half-drug down a narrow, damp corridor, lit only here and there by a rough metal torch sconce nailed into the wall. A time or two she stumbled, only to find herself forcefully jerked back upright with such aggression that she was afraid the dog-man holding the chain would pull her head off.


    They lead her through the corridor, then down another after reaching a for, then down another fork in quick succession. The tunnels all looked identical and were so crooked and winding that Eleanor, despite her best efforts, completely lost any sense of direction.


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    Part of her wanted to wonder why she was even bothering trying to find a way out, but the stubborn optimist in her stifled that thinking almost immediately. Even if the odds were grim that she would ever see her way out of this alive, giving up and accepting defeat was absolutely not an option. As soon as she did that, any chance she had of getting away or making it until a rescue vanished.


    No, it was better to hold onto that glimmer, no matter how stupid or foolish or na?ve it seemed to the rational part of her brain. It was the only thing she had that no one else could take from her, even in these circumstances.


    After several more twisting tunnels, the gnolls finally led her a ledge that overhung a large, open cave room. Compared to the rest of the place she''d seen, this felt downright massive by comparison. The ceiling easily rose a hundred feet or more above, and the ample torchlight in the space danced and refracted across the myriad stalactites that hug down from the roof. The room was perhaps twice as long and wide as it was tall, and seeing its contents made whatever shred of hope Ellie was holding onto in her chest completely vanish in an instant.


    The room contained dozens of ramshackle tents and huts, arranged in six or seven rough circles, with common areas featuring cooking fires, tables, workbenches, and all other manner of items necessary for a functioning society. And amongst these circles of dwellings, she could see well over a hundred more of the dog-faced creatures milling about talking, working, feasting, and fighting.


    This was an entire city, all kept within a massive cave network. And somehting told her this wasn''t the only one of these kinds of gatherings in this cave. The sheer scale of it made her dizzy.


    Before she could reflect any longer, the gnoll holding the chain jerked it again, pulling her behind him down the narrow, sloping pathway from the ledge down to the main area below. Once they reached the ground floor, they went straight into the midst of the village.


    As her captors led her into the midst of all of the other gnolls, a good many of them stopped whatever they were doing to gawk at her as she was led past them. Some pointedly paid her little mind. Others, seemingly the younger members of the clan, based on their relative size, howled and made lewd gestures at her, which caused the bile in the back of her throat to rise up in horror.


    The gnolls leading her navigated past one circle, then another, until finally the three of them reached a large corridor in the back of the chamber. Once they reached it, two more gnolls, much larger than the rest, and wearing polished metallic armor stepped out, their polearms held at the ready.


    The gnoll holding her chain barked something, and gestured to her. The two large gnolls looked her up and down, and after a moment, stepped to the side and motioned for the three of them to enter.

 Chapter 61 Forest Edge

    By mid-morning, the storm clouds had cleared and the sun broke through, its heat rapidly drying the ground and the clothes on their backs. The resulting heat from the sunlight and the evaporating moisture from the grass beneath his feet made Jack break out into a pouring sweat, soon resoaking the very same clothes that had finally dried out a short time before, and making him infinitely more miserable than before. It wasn''t long before he found himself wishing the rain would come back.


    But he had no such luck.


    Rose and Madeleine however seemed completely unfazed by the heat and humidity, and were soon in much better spirits, their clothes and skin naturally completely dry and sweat free. Figures.


    By the time the sun was fully overhead, they had come upon a couple trees next to a small water pool. Jack wondered to himself if it was a result of the rain, but its size told him it probably wasn''t. Maybe it was spring-fed from underground or something. He suggested they break for lunch while they were close to some shade and some water. Rose and Madeleine agreed, and the three of them picked trees to sit under and set about getting something to eat.


    The three of them had decided to split the contents of Eleanor''s pack between them so that one of them didn''t get stuck carrying an entire extra pack by themselves. Madeleine had gotten Eleanor''s spell components and unmentionables, Rose had gotten her clothes and basic travel supplies, and he''d gotten her food and waterskin. He had wanted to protest when they insisted he take the heaviest load, but when it occurred to him that the alternative was asking a girl half his size or a girl carrying a pack much larger than his to take the heavier load, he thought better of it. He wasn''t a huge fan of being tired, sore, and sweaty, but being completely emasculated by his own laziness and wimpiness seemed a far worse alternative.


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    The one advantage of carrying Eleanor''s things was that she by far had carried the best food amongst the four of them, a fact of which he was all to happy to take advantage of as he sat down beneath the bough of a gnarled oak tree and pulled out the cheese and dried meat she''d brought.


    After they finished their meal, Rose and Madeleine filled their waterskins from the pool, and suggested he do the same. He started to, but thought better of it. There was no telling what kind of bacteria might be in it, and he was almost guaranteed to not be immune to them. He instead opted for magically conjuring a bunch of water into their cooking pot and filling up his skin that way instead.You could never be too careful with things like that. It''d be just his luck that he''d drink that water, and end up getting explosive diarrhea in the middle of his fight with the gnolls.


    After finishing lunch, the three of them spent the better part of the rest of the day walking, getting gradually closer and closer to the distant tree line on the horizon. Finally, shortly before sundown, they reached the edge of the forest, which loomed dark and impressive in front of them.


    As they stood in front of it, something about the environment around it made Jack feel uneasy, although for the life of him he could not figure out why. It wasn''t the darkness... There was something almost otherwordly seeming to emanate from it. It instinctively made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Whatever was in there, they needed to be careful.

 Chapter 62 The Carved Corridor

    The two gnolls led Eleanor into the next corridor, and she was struck immediately by how different it appeared to the rest of the cave network she''d seen thus far. Instead of natural stone, the walls and ceiling were all seemingly carved by hand into a uniform height and thickness down the entirety of its length.


    Rather than the dim or scattered lights of the rest of the cave network and the village they''d just left, this passageway was brightly lit by standing braziers spaced at equal intervals, each of which emitted no visible smoke or heat that she could feel. They were probably the result of an Everburning Torch enchantment or something similar, she figured.


    Spaced evenly between each of the braziers stood another pair of abnormally large gnoll guards, one on each side of the corridor, wearing matching polished plate mail and carrying matching polearms.


    As she followed her captors down the hall, she noticed for the first time that the walls at first appeared smooth when she initially entered, but as you walked, they actually revealed themselves to be covered with ornate carvings, all of which seemed to document some aspect of the gnoll tribe''s history.


    The first carving appeared to be some form of creation myth, showing a dog-faced entity looking down over the world of living things, with wings that took up the entire sky. It depicted this deity hand-picking human beings and reshaping them instead into his own image, giving birth to the gnoll race, and the joy his new creations felt about their new forms.


    This was the only carving that had a positive tone.


    The rest, one ornate tragedy after another, depicted nothing but suffering, violence, destruction, and war. While she only had moments to take in each of the carvings before she was forcibly moved from its view, she began to get some idea of the overall narrative.


    Their god had created them in their own image, but the other races, having been created from nothing, did not accept this new "perversion" of their creator god''s intent. So they cast the gnoll race from acceptance into exile, leading to wars and famines and slavery, with the gnolls being shown both receiving violence and delivering violence in return.


    Eleanor, in spite of her circumstances, couldn''t help but feel pity for gnolls. The story they were telling mirrored the history she''d been told, except it depicted gnolls as corrupted monsters who existed solely to harm the other pure races, much in the same way that it was said that orcs, goblins, and kobolds did. This, however, showed a race that was created good, but through the prejudice of others became evil as a matter of self-preservation. If such a story were even partly true, then she almost couldn''t blame them for being the way they were.


    None of this, however, was going to alter her current circumstances, and no amount of empathy for her captors was going change the fact that she was still their prisoner and that if she failed to find a way out of this soon, she would stay their prisoner for however long she managed to endure their abuse, and no longer. Remembering this fact sobered her mind back up.


    "Now is not the time to be a bleeding heart, Ells. You can care about them after they''re not keeping you chained up like an animal." She thought to herself as they reached the end of the corridor.


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    At the far end, two more large guards waited in front of a pair of matching stone doors set recessed into the end of the chamber that rose all the way to the carved ceiling. As they drew close, the two guards stepped to the side, one of them tapping one of the stone doors with the metal-capped butt of his polearm.


    In a moment, the door swung slowly outward with a low, grinding rumble, and the gnoll who''d been holding the chain attached to her collar walked over to her, and with a sharp tug snapped the collar free of her neck before unceremoniously pushing her into the new room. Before she could say a word or get any idea of what was happening, the giant stone door boomed closed behind her.

 Chapter 63 Inside the Fores

    The night arrived, overcast and foggy, not long after Jack and the girls made camp. In order to have some semblance of shelter, they set up a hundred or so feet inside the forest line. It was far enough in to give them full coverage overhead in case of rain and obscured their presence from the outside, but was still close enough to the forest edge that Jack felt comfortable they could get out of it if something inside of it decided they would make a good snack.


    As they settled in for the evening, Rose suggested they actually cook something for a change, rather than eating cold food for the fourth meal in a row, and asked Jack to heat some water in their iron pot so she could try and make them some soup.


    He thought about it for a moment, and broke down the root spellword for fire until he thought he''d isolated the component for heat, and seeing if he was right, placed a hand on the water-filled pot and intoned the syllable.


    To his great surprise, it actually worked, and within a minute the pot was boiling quietly on the small cooking stand Rose had set up. Rose pulled a small bag from her backpack, and poured the contents into the pot. From the limited light, it looked like beans. Jack, on her suggestion, also added in some of the dried meat from Ellie''s supplies. Finally, she reached into her pack again and pulled out some kind of large-ish, pie-like pastry, which she broke open and poured the contents of into the pot.


    "It''s a pot pie. Only thing we''ve got that has any other vegetables in it." She said when Jack looked at her questioningly.


    The three of them ate until there was nothing left, and Jack found himself wishing, despite his full stomach, that they still had some left. Rose''s cooking never ceased to impress.


    "Though, Ellie''s even better" Jack thought to himself.


    A short time after dinner, the three of them laid out their bedrolls beneath the treetop canopy, hidden in the midst of a patch of ferns that rendered them invisible from more than a few feet away.


    For the second time in a row, Jack found himself unable to sleep, his mind restless. The girls, for their part, seemed to be having no issues whatsoever, and from the rhythmic sounds of their breathing were already well into dreamland.


    There was something bothering him about this forest, but he couldn''t put his finger on why, and that bothered him even more.


    It wasn''t anything overt. The sounds were all normal, the trees and other plants were exactly as they should be, but something deep in his subconscious, instinctive brain told him to be on his guard, almost as if something was stalking them just outside of his range of perception or something.


    He tried closing his eyes and slowing his breath, then counting sheep, but nothing was working. He just could not shake his discomfort. After about an hour, he got up quietly and walked gingerly outside of their camp area to relieve himself behind a tree, far enough to avoid being seen by the girls, but close enough to still find his way back easily.


    He walked about fifty paces or so away in a straight line, careful to keep his profile low and make as little noise as possible. While he wasn''t sure anything would pay him much mind, he wasn''t about to draw unwanted attention if he could help it.


    Looking ahead, he saw a large enough tree, and walked towards it. As he did so, he heard a faint rustle behind him, and he jerked around, but couldn''t see anything out of the ordinary. The sense of unease he''d been having, however, suddenly got much worse, and he found himself suddenly having an overwhelming urge to get back to the girls.


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    He turned to go back, and froze in his tracks when a dark humanoid shape rose out of the undergrowth. Then another. And another.


    His heart racing, he raised his hands, and began running through spellwords in his head, but was stopped short by the feeling of something pointy and cold held against the back of his neck.


    A man''s voice behind him said softly "Now, let''s not be too hasty, friend."

 Chapter 64 The Girls Wake Up

    Rose awoke, her eyes flicking open to find that it was still completely dark outside, and outside of the occasional chirp of a bird or an insect, or the shifting sounds of the surrounding trees and ferns due to the faint breeze brushing past them, there was no noise.


    She yawned and sat up, surveying her surroundings. It was strange for her to wake up in the middle of the night. She did so occasionally when she wasn''t feeling well, or had made the mistake of drinking too much before heading to bed, but she didn''t need to relieve herself, and best she could tell, nothing in her immediate surroundings had brought her to consciousness.


    Something stirred to her left, and she saw Madeleine shifting gently in her sleep. Out of habit, she turned to check Jack''s bedroll, but stopped short when she saw that it was empty. Not believing her eyes, she reached out a hand in the dim light and patted to be sure. Nope, he was definitely gone. This sent a sudden pang of unease through her. Where had he gone to?


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    She noticed that his boots were missing, but his axe and other items were still right where they should be, which told her he probably needed to answer nature''s call. She laid back down, listening to the sounds around her, waiting for him to return.


    A moment later, her ears perked up at the sound of something shifting through the brush somewhere in the near distance. She was about to call quietly out to Jack when she heard something else moving, and then another thing.


    She froze, her heart pounding in her ears. The moving things all seemed to be creeping quickly and quietly past and away from their little hidden camp spot, and all heading in the same direction. They could just be harmless animals, but the size of the noises led her to the conclusion that it was probably best she not attempt to find out.


    But Jack was out there. And he was unarmed. And while he was clearly powerful with magic, her experience with magic users told her that the best way to keep them from using their spells was to catch them off-guard and not give them a chance to prepare.


    It was at this point she heard a man''s voice speak something gently in the distance. It was not Jack''s voice. After a moment, Jack''s voice replied. She could not make out what either said, but the tone that she could make out told her enough.


    Fearing for her friend''s safety, Rose gingerly picked up her sword and slid it quietly from its sheath. Once this was done, she softly crept the few paces to Madeleine''s bedroll and placed her hand over Madeleine''s mouth before gently but firmly shaking her awake.


    Madeleine''s breath caught, and her eyes shot open, looking at Rose widely with a look of confusion and concern. Rose lifted her sword hand and put a finger to her mouth, and then motioned in the direction that the speech was coming from. Without a word, she then picked up the new dagger Madeleine had recently acquired, and pressed it into her small sister''s chest.


    "Jack''s in trouble." Rose whispered, sliding her hand from Maddy''s mouth. Madeleine nodded silently and quietly drew the dagger from its sheath, but the look in her eyes told plainly how fearful she was.


    Rose crept quietly to the edge of their tiny hollow, followed closely by her sister, and peered just above the edge of the ferns.


    About a hundred feet away, she could see that Jack was standing with his hands up facing towards her, with a dark humanoid shape standing directly behind him.


    And between them and him, nearly a dozen more people.

 Chapter 65 The Throne Room

    Eleanor found herself standing in a large square room, maybe 50 feet by fifty feet in size, with a high, vaulted natural cave ceiling. To either side of the room to her left and right, two long wood tables were set up, heaped with food of all kinds, some of it eaten, most of it untouched. Nearly a dozen more large armored gnolls sat at each of the tables, and all of them now had their eyes trained directly on her. Circling her on every wall surface were ever more of the carved stories from the passage before, except these seemed to paint a different picture entirely- one of conquest, of slaughter, of gnolls destroying and subjugating other races.


    And directly across from her, sat on a carved wooden chair atop a stone dais, was the Gnoll Shaman, lounging lazily, a steel goblet balanced between the fingers of his left hand. In his right, he toyed with a small dagger, flipping back and forth between his fingers. The staff he''d carried earlier now rested gently against the side of the throne, within arm''s reach should he need it.


    When Ellie''s attention turned to him, their eyes locked, and he grinned widely.


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    "Welcome, girl. So glad you could join me." He said, his large white teeth glittering in the flickering torchlight of the chamber. With a flick of his wrist, the blade flicked from his hand too quickly for her to follow, and with a muffled thump sank into the leg of one of the seated gnolls, which who yelped and snarled and glowered at the Shaman, before lowering his head and setting to pulling the blade out.


    The Shaman sat up in his throne, and waved his hand at the tables.


    "There''s food. None of these scoundrels will touch you without my say so. I give you my word." He said, before taking a drink from his goblet.


    Eleanor glanced over at the table nearest to her. The meat and bread and other things on there did look tempting, but as soon as she did so, the gnolls seated around it gave her a wicked, lustful collection of glances that made immediately removed any idea form her head of taking him up on his offer.


    "No? Well, suit yourself, then." The shaman said, draining the rest of his goblet and tossing the metal cup to the side with a clang before standing and grabbing his staff. With a gesture and a word, a chair from one of the tables slid noiselessly over until it rested directly behind her.


    The shaman motioned to it. "Have a seat, girl" He said.


    Eleanor looked at him, uncertain whether complying was in her best interest. After a moment, she decided she lost nothing by refusing his little request. If his intent was evil, it would become obvious immediately. If not, she would have the option to go along with what he was asking after.


    Eleanor shook her head.


    "I''d prefer to stand." She said, bringing her hands in front of her and lacing her fingers in front of her lap.


    Rawgh''faz chuckled to himself, and said, "You mistake me, girl. That was not a suggestion."


    He gestured and uttered a low, multi-tone word from the back of his throat, akin to a sung growl. Suddenly, Eleanor found her hands snapped to her sides, and was bodily forced into a sitting position by some external force she couldn''t see. No sooner was she seated, however, the force disappeared, and she was able to move freely again.


    "Comfortable? Good." Rawgh''faz said more than asked as he flopped back into his throne with a creak.


    "Now that I have your attention, let me tell you why you''re here." He said, grinning wickedly.

 Chapter 66 Inside the Forest part 2

    Jack tried to turn his head to look at the man standing behind him, but the cold steel pressed harder into the back of his neck.


    "Ah-ah, eyes forward, please." The voice said.


    "Alright." Jack said, doing his best to sound non-chalant. Internally however, his head was racing, trying to figure out what to do. He couldn''t casting a spell with a blade against his neck. By the time he got the word halfway out of his mouth, they''d probably have a dagger in his spine. He tried tapping into his fighting instincts, but they also sent back a less than positive picture. He was good at armed, battlefield combat. He was stronger now, and had some sense of how to fight bare-handed, but it wasn''t his specialty. He only had a decent chance against someone who wasn''t armed, or someone who didn''t have the jump on him. Unfortunately, his enemy managed to have both advantages.


    He could try and pull away, turn, and attempt to disarm his opponent before they could react, but he knew in his gut that that would be both dangerous, and not terribly likely to succeed. Dropping down and attempting to sweep their legs would probably be the same result.


    Unfortunately for him, he was gonna have to think his way out of this one. Or talk his way out of it.


    He didn''t feel good about his chances.


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    "So, what''s the plan here? Are you wanting to take my stuff? Because seriously, it''s not worth much." Jack said. "I mean, I''ve got some decent pasteries and a couple changes of clothes, and that''s about it."


    Which, omitting his axe, wasn''t really a lie, now that he thought about it.


    "We''re not interested in your items," The voice said. "What we''re interested in is what has led a man armed with an obviously magical weapon, accompanied by a talented fighter and a rogue into our forest."


    "That''s it?" Jack asked, a little bit taken aback. "We''re just passing through. We''re chasing after some gnolls that took a friend of ours. We actually had no idea anyone had claimed this forest."


    "So, you''re after The Iron Hounds." The voice said.


    "I... guess? Is that what the gnoll clan led by some powerful shaman that lives past here is called?" Jack asked.


    "The very same." the voice said, then added "which, by virtue of your goal, makes you no enemy of us."


    Jack felt the metal lift from the back of his neck. Instinctively, he rubbed his hand against the spot where it had been pressed, and returned stained red. His eyes widened, but before he could react further, the voice explained.


    "I sometimes forget how sharp my blades are. Intimidation was the goal. Harming you, however, was not."


    Jack wiped his hand on his pants.


    "Well, for whatever it''s worth, I never felt it cut in, so they must be ridiculously sharp." He said. "So, do I have to keep standing like this facing away from you while surrounded by your men, or can we just talk like normal adults?"


    The voice behind him made a noise of amusement.


    "You can do what you like, so long as it doesn''t involve leaving or attacking us." The voice said.


    Jack shifted his weight, and turned to face the voice behind him.


    Behind him was a younger man, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, with shoulder length wavy hair and grey eyes. His features were sharp and intelligent, but his face was heavily pockmarked by what looked like acne scars. He was wearing a dark green doublet of what looked like felt and leather, and held a pair of wickedly curved knives in his hands. Directly behind him stood over half a dozen more figures in their matching dark outfits.


    Before Jack could say anything, the young man spoke again, shifting both knives to one of his hands and offering the other in a handshake.


    "Welcome to Darkshire Forest."

 Chapter 67 Inside the Forest part 3

    Jack shook the young man''s hand, and halfway through had a realization and froze.


    "Wait, how do you know all of those things about us?" He said, finding himself uneasy all over again. He pulled back slightly, and asked "Just who are you?"


    The young man grinned at Jack''s reaction.


    "Magic!" He said, spreading his hands wide before dropping them and continuing on a moment later. "I suppose you could say we''re a group of mercenaries that keep an eye on the surrounding lands and keeping out goblins and other unsavory things. We''ve actually been hunting the tribe of gnolls you say you''ve been hunting for some time, but thus far they''ve managed to keep the location of their home hidden from us. We were actually tracking the shaman and his warband for nearly a week from the Red Ford, but he got to the town before we could. By the time we got there, the whole place was already ablaze. When we came in, we laid low, trying to get a sense of their numbers. That''s when we saw you three, and how you handled the war party. Truth be told, we''ve been shadowing you ever since, partly out of our own interest, but partly because you seemed to be making a beeline for the middle of nowhere, and thought you might know something we don''t."


    "But why not just come out and greet us? Why ambush us in the middle of the night like this? Seems really suspicious to me." Jack said.


    The young man laughed.


    "I can see that. Sorry about that. Truth is, we weren''t sure if you could be trusted, and I find men and monsters tend to be most honest when the odds aren''t in their favor." He said. He seemed to think for a moment, then glanced past Jack''s shoulder. "I tell you what- how about I tell my men to stand down, and you tell your two lovely ladies creeping up through the ferns behind you that we mean no harm?"


    Jack turned around to look behind him just as he saw Rose''s eyes dip back into the greenery behind him. He buried his face into his hand for a moment, before calling out to the ferns.


    "Rose, Maddy, it''s fine. You can come out. There''s no reason to hide anymore. I don''t think they''re enemies." Jack said, really hoping he wasn''t wrong about that as he said it.


    There was a faint sound that sounded very distinctly to Jack''s ears like Rose cursing under her breath, before the ferns rustled and the two girls stood up, Rose with her hand on her sword hilt, Madeleine with her new dagger clutched in both hands, blade drawn and pointed out towards the mercenaries. After they stepped out, they looked from Jack to the group and back to Jack, the uncertainly plain on their faces.


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    The young man waved to the two of them.


    "Evening, ladies. Sorry to disturb your sleep." He said.


    "Who are you? And what do you want with us?" Rose said, her voice hard. If Jack hadn''t known her as well as he did, it would have been almost impossible for him to catch the edge of terror hidden in her words.


    "From what your man here tells me, it sounds like we''re at the very least allies against a common enemy. Now, as for being friends, well, I will leave that for you fine people to decide." The young man said.


    "Now, since I now have all of you together, allow me to finally introduce ourselves. My name is Farien Darrow, and we are the Green Company. It is my absolute pleasure to make your acquaintances." He said, bowing elaborately.

 Chapter 68 Inside the Forest part 4

    Seeing Farien bow like he did, Jack was suddenly reminded of how Frumpkin mocked him for striking poses when he made his wishes. It was funny really... Even a month ago, Jack would have found such a gesture incredibly cool and dashing. Nowadays, however, the whole thing struck him as more than a little lame.


    "I''m Jack." He said, "And that''s Rose, and Madeleine."


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    Nodded towards the girls, and turned his attention back to Jack. "So, I know it''s late, and you all probably want sleep. We have a full camp for our company set up a ways from here, with hot food and shelter, and night watchmen. I knw we''ve just met, but I can promise you no harm will come to you if follow us there and share in our comforts. It''ll certainly be a lot safer and more comfortable than where you''re currently bedded down." Farien said.


    "And how do we know you won''t just rob and kill us as soon as we lay down?" Rose piped up, her grip around her sword''s handle getting tighter.


    "Well frankly, you don''t. But, as Jack here can tell you, if we wanted you dead, we could have killed you days ago." Farien said. His face hadn''t shifted from his positive demeanor, but there was just enough of an edge to his tone to give Jack the very clear impression that Farien was absolutely correct about what he was saying.


    "The choice is yours, of course. But considering we mean you no harm, and I''m fairly certain you don''t want to spend the night in the storm that''s rolling in, or possibly getting jumped by wild animals or one of the nearby goblin packs. But, hey, I could be wrong." He continued.


    Jack looked back at Rose, who met his gaze with a questioning look mixed with discomfort and fear. He shared her emotions, but at the same time, while the situation itself made him nervous, there was something about Farien himself that Jack instinctively wanted to trust. He''d never really pegged himself as being that great at figuring out peoples motivations and intentions, but his gut rarely steered him wrong, and he was generally pretty good at picking up on when someone or something was amiss. But he could tell the girls were frightened, and he had to take that into account. He thought about it for a long moment, then spoke up.


    "I am willing to come with you, but I cannot speak for Rose or Madeleine. If they are willing to, then I will go as well." He said.


    "That seems fair enough, under the circumstances" Farien said, scratching his chin. He looked back at Madeleine and Rose.


    "So, what''ll it be, ladies?" He asked.


    "I don''t trust you." Madeleine said, lowering her dagger but keeping it close.


    "I don''t blame you. I wouldn''t trust me either." Farien said, laughing again.


    "What can you give us to convince us of your intentions?" Rose said, not moving her hand from her sword. "Right now all we''ve got is your word, and your word means nothing to me, stranger."


    "Well, I''m not here to make deals, but what would make you feel more comfortable?" Farien asked.


    "For one, you will allow us to be the last in the line following you to the camp, and we will choose where we will set up. Jack will set up magic wards and barriers around us. If you or any of your men attempt to cross them without our consent, it will be the last thing that person does." Rose said, her gazed locked with Farien''s.


    "Done." Farien said, without batting an eye. "Any other requests?"


    "I want him trapped in barriers next to us." Madeleine said, pointing at Farien.


    For the first time since they''d been talking, Farien''s face adopted a less than upbeat look.


    "I''m sorry, what?"

 Chapter 69 The Second Brother

    "You heard me." Madeleine said, her gaze unwavering from Farien''s face.


    The mercenary stood speechless for a moment, and then turned from her to Rose, then to Jack, as if looking for some kind of explanation, but Rose just stared him down, and Jack shrugged and raised his eyebrows.


    "Well, I... ahem. If I do that, how will I know you aren''t just gonna rob me blind or kill me in MY sleep like you''re afraid of happening to you?" Farien said.


    "You don''t." Madeleine said. "Seems like a fair trade to me."


    Farien seemed to think on this for a moment, his confusion and discomfort with the idea plainly obvious on his face. Before he could say anything in response, a low male voice spoke from one of the forms standing behind Farien.


    "We accept your term." He said.


    Farien''s eyes went wide, and he turned to look at the man who spoke with barely-concealed irritation. The man stepped forward, pulling back the hood that hid his face in the dim light of the moonlit forest. Jack was struck by how much he looked like Farien, albeit a bit older, and good deal harder in the face. The man sidled up next to Farien, and clapped a hand on Farien''s shoulder, causing the young man to visibly struggle to maintain his balance from the impact.


    "You''ll have to forgive my brother''s hesitance. He''s unaccustomed to having to have skin in the game to make friends." The man said, his face sharing the same amused look his younger brother had worn a few minutes earlier.


    "Urien. I have GOT this." Farien said, glowering up at the much bigger man.


    "I can see that. So why don''t you lead the way to our hideout so these nice ladies can get some well-deserved rest with you beside them?" Urien said, gesturing broadly with his hand to the forest behind the two of them.


    "Because I don''t WANT to spend my night trapped in a magical box just so some little girl can feel secure!" Farien protested, his voice getting higher and whinier than Jack would have expected.


    "Well, that''s a damn shame, really, considering I just agreed to that requirement." Urien said, his amusement at his little brother''s frustration becoming more and more apparent.


    "But I DON''T WANT-" Farien started, but Urien cut him off by talking directly to Madeleine.


    "We gladly accept your requirement. And since my child brother here-" Urien said, his grip on Farien''s shoulder tightening "can''t seem to find the will to do it alone, I''ll be joining him in your little magic box. Is that acceptable?"


    Madeleine raised an eyebrow, clearly taken off-guard by this sudden change in circumstances. "I suppose that is fair. Are you in charge or something?" She asked.


    Farien opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, Urien spoke over top of him.


    "My brother and I inherited the Green Company from our father. I suppose you could say we''re both equally in charge, but sometimes one of us has to make the right decision if the other one is lacking the will to make it." Urien said, casting his brother a side-long glance.


    "Makes sense to me. Well, if you want to join, I won''t stop you." Madeleine said. She turned to Rose.


    "Well, I''m satisfied." She said. "Anything else?"


    Rose thought, then added "And I dont want to carry all of our stuff miles through the woods in the middle of the night. Someone else needs to carry it."


    Madeleine nodded. "Yes, that too."


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    "That''s fine. Farien and I will carry your packs." Urien said non-chalantly.


    While Jack couldn''t see terribly well in the dim moonlight, he was certain he saw Farien get a couple shades whiter.

 Chapter 70 Night Hike

    The trip to the Green Company''s hideout, by Jack''s estimation, took the better part of an hour, though he couldn''t be certain. The tree canopy got thicker and thicker the further they traveled into the forest, and before long the moon and sky were completely obscured from view. He had initially asked Urien if he could have some sort of light source to see where they were going since it was nearly pitch-black under the canopy, but the older man had just shaken his head. They wouldn''t need it, he said. He then reached into a leather pouch on his belt, and pulled out a couple small dried mushrooms, handing them to Jack.


    "What''s this?" Jack asked, holding one of them close to his eyes and trying to make out what he was holding.


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    "Nighteye Mushrooms. If you eat them, they temporarily give you night vision. Its how we''re able to navigate the forest in the dead of the night without any light sources." Urien explained, before popping one of the mushrooms into his mouth.


    Jack took the couple small mushrooms and started chewing them. They had a texture similar to rubbery leather, and had a slimy, unpleasant taste that was simultaneously salty and bitter. It took every effort to not gag or spit them out. After a moment, he swallowed, and immediately took a long drink from his waterskin to wash the horrible taste out of his mouth.


    Within moments, however, he began to feel something take effect. The forest seemed to get less dim, and slowly gained in resolution. The effect was strange. It was not unlike depictions Jack had seen in games of night vision goggles, where everything was cast in shades of harsh green and black, but less garish, and a bit clearer. There was no color whatsoever, but he could see almost as clearly as if it was full daylight outside, almost like he was watching his life on a black and white television.


    Rose and Madeleine, however, didn''t take any, and when Jack asked why, Rose explained "most non-human races have low-light vision naturally, so while I can tell it''s dark outside, I don''t have difficulty seeing in these conditions." Jack made a mental note to add this power to his "request from Frumpkin" list. Being able to never have your vision limited by the environment would be a super helpful thing to have.


    The girls seemed to take the unexpected night hike in stride, and soon the two of them were laughing at the stories Urien was telling as they walked. While Jack liked Farien well enough, he liked Urien even more. The big man was friendly and disarming, but lacked his younger siblings tendency towards bravado that tended to make him come across to Jack as awkward.


    Farien, for his part, was having an absolutely miserable time on the trip, and while he said nothing openly about how he was feeling, the rolling sweat on his brow and the defeated look on his face told Jack everything he needed to know. Urien had saddled the poor kid with the two heaviest of their packs,and when it was obvious that Farien was struggling carrying both of them, Jack offered to take his pack back to have some mercy on him. Farien looked relieved, and was about to hand it over when Urien walked over and shot Farien a glance that read "don''t you dare". Farien, defeated, reshouldered the pack, and Jack said nothing of it again.


    After an interminable amount of walking, Urien sidled up beside Jack, and pointed ahead.


    "We''re here. Welcome to our humble abode!"

 Chapter 71 The Green Company Hideou

    The area they arrived to was a clearing concealed on all sides by thick tree growth and underbrush, at the base of several large boulders that stood a couple dozen feet tall from their base. There was no fire or light to speak of, but there were several places that were obviously used as fire pits, around which groups of figures had set their bedrolls. There were several visible caches of crates and other storage containers, and a set aside area that looked like a makeshift kitchen on the far side of the clearing. There also appeared to be several improvised archery targets set against trees to the side of the kitchen.


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    As they came within a short distance of the clearing, one of the other members of their escort in the front make a faint chirping sound with his mouth, which was copied by something a short distance ahead. Immediately after, nearly a dozen shapes rose out of the undergrowth ahead of and around them, taking Jack so far off guard that he nearly jumped a few feet. The fact that they had been within mere feet of the camp''s guards without him knowing it further reinforced just how out of his depth he was in stealthy situations like this. He was going to have to work on that.


    The guards greeted their group, exchanging handshakes and a few hugs, talking in low whispers to one another for several long moments. Finally, one of the guards seemed to notice that they had visitors, and motioned to them before saying something inaudible to Urien. Jack strained to hear Urien''s response, but couldn''t make out the words before the man gestured to the three of them, and then pointed towards the boulders to the side of the camp. The man nodded, and then waved for Jack and the girls to follow him. Jack hesitated, as did the girls, until Urien said "He''s taking you to Farien and I''s quarters. Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable. We will be there shortly, and we can set up where you will be staying then."


    The three of them followed the guard into the camp, past several of the firepit circles to the boulders. When they got close, Jack realized these weren''t just free-standing stones, but were actually the mouth of some sort of cave. The guard walked inside and motioned for them to follow.


    The cave mouth stood perhaps a dozen feet high, and was about as wide as it was tall. They followed the guard inside for about fifty paces before they arrived at a fork. Here the guard pointed to each fork and explained "the left is Urien''s, the right is Farien''s. You''re welcome to either. Both are capable of having a fire inside them safely, so Urien has asked me to tell you to feel free to start one should you feel the need."


    Jack thanked the man, and after a short deliberation with Rose and Madeleine picked Urien''s side of the cave. They followed the fork another twenty or so paces as it gently sloped further underground. Even this slight shift in depth was enough to palpably shift the temperature in the cave from cool to chilly. At the end of the small passageway, they found the way was blocked by a large fur pelt hung over the passageway. When Jack pulled the fur to the side, he was astonished.


    The corridor immediately beyond the fur drape expanded into a roughly rectangular chamber, perhaps twenty or so feet deep, and a little less wide than it was long. The cave walls appeared to have been shaped and painted, the room had a wood floor, several unlit lanterns hung from the ceiling, and to the left there was a full fireplace built into the cave wall. On the far side was a raised bed covered with furs, and to the right, a wooden writing desk.


    "Wow." Rose said, after a long moment of taking everything in. "This is not what I expected at all."

 Chapter 72 Eleanor Recovers

    When Eleanor finally awoke, it was back against her chain post in the side room of the cave. Everything hurt, and she couldn''t see out of one of her eyes. Reaching up to feel it, she yelped in pain and jerked her hand away. It was swollen shut. She attempted to shift her sitting position, until a searing pain shot through her leg that caused her entire body to explode in agony, and she screamed. So her leg was broken as well, at the very least. She closed her one good eye and sighed before slumping gently back against the wooden pillar she was chained to.


    She had only hazy memories of what had happened to her, which was probably for the best. The could remember the force of the impact when she refused the shaman''s demand for her spells and training, then the sound the other gnolls made as he shouted something in his growling dog language, then blows from their fists and claws, then pain, then the feeling of being held down, the smell of gnoll fur in her face as one of them climbed on top of her. Then darkness.


    She knew what had happened. She was grateful her mind had chosen to forget the details.


    She looked down to see her dress was in tatters.Her broken leg sat at an odd angle from the rest of her body, and both of her legs, as well as the fabric across the front of her dress, were dark with dried blood, and wrapped in several places by rough bandages.


    As she sat there in the darkness, numb from the pain, she finally felt herself despair, and before she could find any way to stop herself, she began to sob uncontrollably.


    What was she going to do? How long had she been down here? Why hadn''t Jack and her sisters gotten to her yet? Were they even coming? Did they even know where to look? What was going to happen to her if they didn''t come soon?


    And what was Jack going to do when he found out what they''d done to her? Would he still want her as one of his companions, or would he be repulsed by her and turn her away? Would she even ever see him again for him to find out?


    She sat there, a thousand thoughts running through her head until the tears finally stopped coming. Some time later, a short, chubby looking gnoll wearing an apron and carrying a large steaming cauldron and a bowl walked into her cave room, flanked by two armed guards. It set the bowl in front of her, and ladeled a couple spoonfuls of steaming soup into it before pulling a rough hewn spoon from the apron and dropping it with a splash into the wooden bowl.


    "Rawgh''faz shays to eat. You wfill need your shtrength for tomorrow''s meeting." One of the guards said, while the other one looked her up and down and chuckled.


    The three of them left, leaving her in the room with the bowl. She looked at it for a long moment, before her primal need for food overrode her desire not to eat it, and reached down and snatched the bowl up.


    The soup, surprisingly, was rich and hearty, and quite tasty. It could have been that she hadn''t had real food in a while, but either way she quickly emptied the bowl''s contents, and regretted there wasn''t more when she was done.


    She leaned back against the post again, and tried to think about something besides her circumstances. Home, and her sisters, and her training at the academy... But it seemed like no matter what she chose to focus on, her thoughts always seemed to circle back to the weird, handsome goofball Frumpkin had sent them to.


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    She hoped, wherever he was, that he was safer and happier than she was.

 Chapter 73 The Green Company Hideout part 2

    "Me either." Jack said, looking around the room.


    Madeleine walked into the room, and dropped her pack in the middle of the floor, before unceremoniously flopping face first into the fur-covered bed.


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    "Well, I suppose we should make ourselves comfortable, then." Rose said, glancing over at Madeleine. She walked over and set her bag so that it rested against the side of the desk, and sat in the desk''s chair.


    Jack set he pack down beside Rose''s, and picked up Madeleine''s and set it with their two. Urien had finally allowed them to take their packs back from Farien right when they arrived at the outskirts, much to the relief of the pale and sweat-soaked young man.


    Looking over at the fireplace built into the cave wall, Jack asked "Do you two want a fire? The cold doesn''t bother me, but I''m happy to start one if you want one."


    "Yes, please" Madeleine''s muffled voice said from the fur pile. Jack looked at Rose, who nodded.


    Looking around for a moment, Jack saw that there was a fire pit, but nothing immediately obvious to be used for fuel. After reflecting a moment, he began running through spellwords in his head, until he settled on one that seemed like it''d work.


    "Futhark."


    With a faint flash of green, crackling energy, several rough-cut chunks of wood dropped from the air in front of his hand into the fireplace with a faint clatter. He celebrated silently to himself as the pieces fell into place. He hadn''t figured out how to create living matter, or things made from living matter, so the best he could do under the circumstances was to try and bring firewood from somewhere else. He hoped Simon wouldn''t miss the couple pieces he''d just "borrowed" from his wood pile outside the farmhouse.


    With a small flourish of his hand and another word, the logs flared to life, crackling warmly as the fire began to creep its way along their length, immediately beginning to warm the room and casting stark shadows against the far wall and ceiling.


    Jack then walked over to the bed, and flopped down on it beside Madeleine. Without thinking, he yawned heavily. The interrupted sleep was taking its toll on him, and while the hike had kept them distracted enough for him not to notice his exhaustion, now that they had stopped moving it felt like he hadn''t slept in weeks.


    As if on cue, Rose yawned as well, and rubbed her face with her hands.


    "I hope Urien comes soon, otherwise I''m going to fall asleep in this chair." She said.


    Jacked nodded, and blinked heavily, before rising back to his feet. He may be exhausted, but sitting still on a soft bed was a really bad idea if he intended to not be snoring by the time their host arrived.


    ["Hey kid. How you holding up?"]


    The sudden speech inside his head startled him. While he hadn''t realized it, he hadn''t heard from Frumpkin since the last time they''d spoken in the city square several days ago. Which, now that he thought about it, was the longest the deity had ever left the inside of his head alone.


    "Hey Frumpkin. I''ve been better, honestly." Jack thought as he walked over and squatted down in front of the fireplace.


    ["I can imagine. Been a tough couple days."] Frumpkin said. ["But don''t worry, you''re still alive, which is more than I can say for a buncha idiots who picked this place before you. Last kid I brought here decided that with his new monk powers that he was strong enough to fist-fight a dragon. Spoiler alert- he wasn''t"]


    Jack rubbed his hands together in front of the fire, which felt comforting after the last several days of cold and wet.


    "You know, I''ve been wondering... Is there like some way for me to objectively see how strong I am? Like, in a game, you have levels and skill points and stuff, right? Is there anything like that that I can use to see how strong I am relative to the world? Like, what level I am?" Jack asked.


    ["You know kid, I honestly can''t believe it took you this long to ask."] Frumpkin said, with a tone that suddenly told Jack that maybe he''d just asked for something incredibly stupid. About the time this thought entered his mind, his head exploded in a flash of white hot agony, and he lost consciousness.

 Chapter 74 The Long Hallway

    With a popping sound similar to popped bubble wrap, Jack suddenly found himself thirty or forty feet in the air, falling face-first at a polished marble floor below him.


    "Oh shit-" was all he managed to get out before he swiftly and unceremoniously cratered into the ground, skidding half a dozen feet chin first before sliding to a halt. Strangely, the impact hurt less than he would have expected. Even more strangely, this somehow made the whole thing even more embarrassing and insulting.


    He started working his way to his feet just in time for Frumpkin to appear in front of him with a loud bang, causing him to shriek unintentionally and fall back onto his ass.


    The deity was wearing sunglasses and a floral print button-down shirt, and looked a good bit more tan than when Jack had seen him last. When he saw Jack on the floor right in front of him, he raised his sunglasses up to his forehead, revealing pale white circles around his eyes.


    "Rough landing?" Frumpkin asked.


    "You could say that." Jack said, scowling and trying for the second time to get back to his feet. As he did so, he took a good look around for the first time.


    The two of them were in some sort of long hall, maybe two hundred feet wide, with floors and walls of the same matching white and black marble, polished to a near mirror shine. The hallway receded far enough into the distance that Jack couldn''t see the end of it, and overhead the ceiling was high enough that he could barely make it out in the haze above them. As he looked, he realized there were actual clouds rolling along beneath the ceiling. The whole hall was lined with matching white pillars ornately carved and trimmed with gold, and matching doors painted red with gold trim lined both sides of the hallway as far as he could see in either direction.


    "Whoa..." Jack said, taking the whole thing in. "What is this place?"


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    "This, this is, well, honestly, I''ve never really given it a name, so we''ll call it the Long Hallway of Important Stuff About Everything." Frumpkin said, looking around admiringly, before kicking off the ground and starting to float in the air above Jack.


    "Now follow me. I have something to show you." Frumpkin said drifting off down the hall.


    Jack followed the floating man down the massive corridor as Frumpkin looked from one door to the next, until he finally seemed to find the one he was looking for, and dropped down in front of the large red door. Jack walked up beside Frumpkin, and looked at it.


    Directly in the middle of the door, right at eye level, was a polished golden plate screwed into the door that read, in flowery script "JACK EAMES".


    Frumpkin reached into the unbuttoned portion of his shirt, and pulled out a comically large ring of keys. By Jack''s count, there had to be thousands of them on there, of every shape and size, and material, imaginable. Frumpkin picked through until he found an unassuming brass key, and held it out.


    As soon as he did, the otherwise blank surface of the door molded and shifted, creating a matching gold handle and lockset, and Frumpkin slid the brass key into the lock and twisted. The door''s latch popped free with a heavy clunk, and the large red door swung inwards, revealing a stellar void, filled with consellations of stars.


    "Dude..." Jack said, taking in the spectacle.


    "Pretty cool, huh?" Frumpkin said. "I thought that was a nice touch."


    He motioned in a grand, sweeping gesture towards the open doorway.


    "After you, your hero-ness"

 Chapter 75 Beyond the Doorway

    With a deep breath, Jack stepped into the starry doorway.


    As he did so, he found the solid ground vanished beneath him, as did any sense of up or down, or any direction at all. In every direction, as far as he could see, stars and nebulae and galaxies receded into infinity. The sheer scale and beauty of it all took his breath away. Realizing he''d just lost his breath in the open void sent him into a panic, but he discovered a moment later that apparently, in this version of space, he could breath. He wasn''t sure of the reason for that, but he was glad to not be suffocating uncontrollably out of nowhere.


    A moment later, a doorway opened a short distance away, and Frumpkin stepped into the void. He then casually backstroked his way over to Jack, and floated a short distance away, taking in the view all around them. After a moment, he turned to Jack.


    "I bet you''re wondering what this place is." He said.


    Jack nodded, and Frumpkin gestured out towards the sea of stars with his hand.


    "This is the rest of the universe you could one day be god of, if you manage to beat my little challenge. For the moment, it''s my own personal little sandbox, but I thought you might like to have some idea of what you''re ultimately fighting for before we go on to what you''re actually wanting to see. There are countless worlds out there, and you could see them all. You can make friends, change lives, prompt the rise of empires or the collapse of dynasties, create new life and raise it to spacefaring intelligence, then watch as it goes out and tries to conquer galaxies itself. You could promote love or tyranny or a tyranny of love, or nothing or everything all at once. And all of this in what, for you, would feel like a Tuesday. I want you to remember this, kid, in case you ever need motivation. This could all be yours." Frumpkin said, lounging back into the air and putting his hands behind his head. "Assuming, of course, you don''t blow it like a chump."


    "Wow..." Jack said, finding himself utterly speechless as he took in everything the old man had just said. He had always just kinda assumed that the world he would inherit would just be that- a single planet. This, however... this was more than he could have ever dreamed of. The sheer possibilities of it all... it just completely overwhelmed his ability to process.


    After letting Jack take everything in for a moment, Frumpkin shifted his position, and looked him in the eye.


    "Now, are you ready to see what you asked about a few minutes ago?" He asked.


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    "Yes, I am." Jack finally managed to get out after another long moment of gazing silently out into the endless expanse of stars. Even when he felt himself being pulled backwards through a warp hole, his eyes never left the starscape until it vanished into blackness in front of him.


    The pair of the rocketed through what looked like a long, twisting, featureless grey tunnel, travelling at a breakneck speed until, with a sudden flash, they were out.


    Frumpkin casually drifted out of the hole and landed lightly on his feet. Jack, however, was spat out with enough force that he tumbled a couple dozen feet head over heels across the white marble floor before winding up on his back, unable to breath and dizzily staring up at an ornately carved black and white marble ceiling perhaps two dozen feet overhead.


    "You know, you really gotta work on your landing skills." Frumpkin said, floating over top of him. "It''s getting embarrassing seeing you flipping ass over tea kettle every time we travel anywhere."

 Chapter 76 The Repository

    "So where are we NOW?" Jack asked, ignoring Frumpkin''s remark as he stood.


    They appeared to be standing in a room perhaps twenty feet across on each side, and equally as high, ringed with marble pillars that led to an intricately designed marble ceiling. In the middle of the room stood a stone pedestal carved into the shape of an outstretched hand, and around the room on all sides stood various shelves that held not only books, but all sorts of items as well, including armor, weapons, bottles of liquid, and all sorts of other things he did and didn''t recognize.


    "This is your Talent Repository and Asset Acquisition Terminal. Or, if wanna use less words, The Repository. This is where you can not only see a full list of all of your earned talents and rewards, but also see how much you have progressed, and even purchase new perks and loot in addition to the rewards I grant you. Assuming, of course, you figure out how to get the currency to do that." Frumpkin said.


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    "I can use this to buy new perks? You mean, I don''t have to just wait for you to decide to give me one randomly?" Jack asked.


    "Well, of course you don''t have to wait on me, if you have the money to spend on something. That''s kinda what this place is for." Frumpkin said, before gesturing in the air with his hand and producing a sandwich out of the aether. "It''s where you can spend gold you earn in the world to get cool stuff you might otherwise not have access to in it. Think of it as an extension of the perks I''ve been awarding you so far. Except not free. And you still can''t get the best rewards from here. Those come from me."


    "And when, exactly, were you planning on telling me about this place?" Jack asked, crossing his arms and glowering at the old man.


    Frumpkin took a bite out of his new sandwich and replied with a mouthful "You know, I meant to tell you about it after you met your wish harem, but I was so busy having fun at your expense that I kinda just up and forgot about it. Sorry about that. But hey, you''ve got access to it now, right? No worries!"


    Jack had the overwhelming desire to grab Frumpkin by the beard and punch him in the nose, but thought better of it.


    "So, how does it work?" He asked, glancing around at the various parts of the room.


    "Well, you walk over to the pedestal there, and- well, you know what? Why don''t I just show you? Probably be easier than spending ten minutes of watching you bumble around trying to figure things out based on my descriptions." Frumpkin said, taking another bite.


    He floated over to the stone pedestal, and Jack followed after. As soon as Jack stepped in front of the pedestal, there was a small flash of energy, which congealed into a small sphere of yellow-white light that floated a few inches above the surface of the palm.


    "Alright, now the first thing you''re going to do is reach your hand out and put it on the pedestal." Frumpkin said, gesturing towards the pedestal with his half-eaten sandwich.


    Jack did as he was told. As soon as his hand made contact with one of the fingers of the large stone hand, the energy in the palm shifted and spread, flattening and stretching before lifting a little higher into the air. It looked a lot like a holographic computer screen floating above the outstretched hand, and in the middle of the flat white blankness were two words, written in thick black letters:


    "WELCOME JACK."

 Chapter 77 The Terminal part 1

    As Jack watched, the words on the screen faded, and were replaced by a flashing rectangle that reminded Jack of the type cursor of an old computer terminal.


    "Okay, now, this is where you put in commands to get the terminal to do different functions. Think of it like you''re using a voice-activated computer. You tell it what you want to do, and it will execute that command." Frumpkin said, before popping the last of his sandwich into his mouth with a grunt of pleasure.


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    "What kinds of functions can the terminal do?" Jack asked.


    "Well, like I said, you can buy talents, perks, and loot. You can check your stats. There are also a lot of other functions of the terminal, but we''re not going to worry about those for the moment. First, I''m going to show you how to track your abilities and status." Frumpkin said, dropping to the floor beside Jack.


    "Now, ask the terminal to display your status sheet." He said.


    Jack did as he said, and the terminal''s screen jumped to life, pouring out a wall of text and numbers that cycled on and on, moving so fast that Jack couldn''t make any of it out, until it finally came to a stop, and displayed a list of descriptions and numerical values.


    Jack Eames


    [Class: Lvl 2 Fighter/Lvl 2 Sorcerer]


    Prowess: 31


    Fortitude: 24


    Logic: 21


    Intuition: 17


    Persona: 9


    Composure: 15


    Spirit: 35


    Tenacity: 32


    Talents:


    - [Immunity to Cold]


    - [Martial Weapon Proficiency]


    - [Magically Gifted (Sorcery)]


    Most Notable Accomplishments:


    - [Climbed a hill]


    - [Defeated a couple goblins]


    - [Defeated a squad of gnolls]


    Below these three sections, there was afinal section labeled "Overall Assessment", which had two entries.


    The first read "Unrepentant Slacker", which had a crudely-drawn line through it, like someone had crossed it out with crayon.


    Directly below that was a second entry, which was circled with the same crude crayon-like line and read "Unremarkable Nobody".


    Jack stared at the screen blankly for several seconds, before turning to Frumpkin and blurting out "Unremarkable Nobody? You think I''m an Unremarkable Nobody?!"


    "Hey, hey, don''t look at me! I didn''t design this thing! You can blame that on the Bigger Guy Further Upstairs for that. These terminals are designed to give an honest an opinion as possible of your current standing within the world, both in your innate abilities, as well as your equipment, and allies you have made. If it tells you you''re an Unremarkable Nobody, it''s giving you a sincere assessment. It gave me a similar ranking when I first used one too, back when I was in your shoes." Frumpkin said.


    "Back when you were in my shoes? Wait, you-" Jack started.


    "Yep. I got to this position by doing exactly what you''re doing right now. I wasn''t much of the fighty type, but I was really good at making money and paying other people to fight for me. When I first started, my terminal told me I was a, and I quote, "Fat Useless Degenerate". As you can see, I never really made it far past that stage, but yet, here I am."Frumpkin said, laughing.


    "So, what happens to you if I win this challenge of yours and take your spot? Do you just vanish or something?" Jack asked.


    "Nah. I''ll just move on to the next rank, and take on the role of the Bigger Guy to manage other new gods like you. But, between you and me, I''m probably gonna take a couple millenia vacation first. Running these things over and over hoping someone will accept the challenge who isn''t completely pants-on-head retar-" Frumpkin paused, then cleared his throat, "ahem, ''intellectually disabled'', takes way more work and time than you could ever possibly imagine, believe me."

 Chapter 78 The Terminal part 2

    Jack read back over the stat sheet again. Some of it made sense, but a lot of the stats the terminal measured weren''t really obvious to him. Logic and Intuition made sense, as did Fortitude, but he had no idea what Prowess or Persona measured. He also had no idea how it measured his class level, considering he never saw or heard any indication that he had leveled up, or even that the world worked on levels like the role-playing games he used to play.


    "So, is there a help function or something? I wanna know what all of this means." Jack said, looking over at Frumpkin.


    "Yep. Just ask it to explain things. The terminal isn''t picky about terms, so long as it understands generally what you are wanting from it." Frumpkin said. "Give it a shot."


    "Oh, alright." Jack said, before looking up at the screen and saying "Hey terminal, can you explain what all of the attributes you''re measuring mean?"


    The screen in front of him went blank for a moment, before a bulleted listed wrote out in front of him, point by point-


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    "[Prowess] is the overall measurement of a user''s physical ability to interact meaningfully with the world. It is a combined measurement of a user''s agility, physical strength, balance, manual dexterity, reflexes, and flexibility, and is the basis for most physical abilities including melee combat.


    [Fortitude] is the overall measurement of a user''s ability to effectively withstand physical discomfort such as pain, heat, cold, discomfort, exhaustion, poison, and illness. It is the overall measure of how hardy a user is, and how resilient they are to the world around them.


    [Logic] is the overall measurement of a user''s intellectual capabilities, including complex reasoning, critical thinking, pattern recognition, and amassed academic knowledge. It is the basis for a user''s ability to perform any task or skill that requires mental power or intense concentration as its primary component, such as forensic investigation.


    [Intuition] is the overall measurement of a user''s instincts and intensity of sensory perception, as well as general emotional intelligence. It serves as the basis for skills that require trusting ones senses or feelings over logical facts, interpreting non-logical information, anticipating unexpected behavioral outcomes, handling animals, and tracking. It also serves as one of the primary attributes determining a user''s ability to detect faint, distant, or muddied sensory inputs via sight and sound, and to accurately target ranged weapons, especially over long distances.


    [Persona] is the overall measurement of a user''s force of social personality, including conversation skills, performance abilities, facial affect, vocal tone, understanding of social conventions, and general deftness and delicacy in complex or challenging social circumstances. It is the base attribute for all social skills, from acting and interrogation to carousing, information gathering, leadership, and statecraft.


    [Composure] is the overall measurement of a user''s ability to maintain mental and emotional stability, most notably in moments of conflict or fear. It is the basis of numerous abilities, including deception and subterfuge, and is an important secondary skill in social interactions, as it is what determines a user''s ability to shrug off emotionally or mentally painful experiences, including psychic attacks.


    [Spirit] is the overall measurement of a user''s spiritual power, passion, and force of will. It is the primary attribute behind all magical abilities, and also serves as a secondary supporting attribute for all other attributes, enhancing and improving actions the user performs for which a personal passion is a core factor.


    [Tenacity] is the overall measurement of a user''s spiritual resilience and ability to shrug off experiences that would defeat or demoralize them. It is representative of how much a user can endure before they lose the will to continue, and their general unwillingness to surrender in the face of adversity. It is the most passive of all attributes, having no direct skill set that it benefits, but passively influences the effects of all other attributes."

 Chapter 79 The Terminal part 3

    Jack read through each item on the list, and then checked back at his stat sheet again. He had no idea what a "good" score was in any of the stats the Terminal measured, but it was obvious there were several he was much better at than others. His Prowess and Spirit were both pretty high compared to the rest, which he suspected were a result of his initial wishes. His mental stats weren''t terrible, either, though not as strong.


    His social stats were garbage tier, which, while it didn''t surprise him, made him feel like an even bigger loser than before. In a sense, he''d never really tried to develop that part of himself because he''d never really had any motivation to. Outside of running MMO raids or occasionally socializing at a local game store or online, he had had almost no social interact for years. He liked it that way. It was easier, and safer.


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    Maybe he''d try and improve them here soon. If he understood the description, his Persona was going to be the thing that was primarily involved in his ability to acquire allies, make friends, and obtain quests and favors. While that was probably not going to be as important now, he knew it was probably going to end up becoming much more important later, and he didn''t want to miss out on anything as a result of his social ineptitude.


    But he could deal with that later. For the moment, he had to figure out how to buy new perks and skills. And, maybe, actually buy one, if he had enough money.


    "Alright terminal, how do I get new perks or improve my stats?" Jack asked.


    The screen went blank again, before spooling out a new line of text.


    "Attributes can be increased in intervals of 1, 5, 10, and 25. Increasing a larger amount all at once will be cheaper than several smaller purchases. Increasing an attribute becomes exponentially more expensive the higher the attribute''s value is, and there is a maximum cap of 100 a user can increase each attribute through the terminal. Any increase beyond the 100 purchased points will have to be earned via user actions in the world.


    Increasing attributes will not only improve the users ability with each skill that uses the attribute, but also allow the user to purchase better and better perks and special abilities that use that attribute.


    Perks may be purchased in the same way that attribute points may be purchased. They grant the user a specific benefit, rather than a general improvement, and have pre-requisite requirements that must be met before they can be purchased.


    Equipment may be purchased much in the same manner as perks and attributes. However, there is no restriction on the purchase of items and equipment. If you can afford it, you can buy it. In addition to a large available selection of mundane and alchemical items, the user may also purchase from an ever-changing storefront of magical items.


    All purchases will cost currency obtained in the world, such as silver, gold, and platinum. Some particular items and and perks can be obtained without currency under specific conditions. When a user obtains currency in the world, it is automatically logged and loaded into the user''s available currency to spend on perks and items. However, please note that deductions in the world, such as spending money or having money stolen will actively reduce a user''s balance accordingly. Additionally, any currency spent at the terminal will be removed from available sources of money in the world that the user possesses."


    Jack read through everything, then asked the terminal his final question.


    "Alright terminal... open the shop front and give me prices for attributes, perks, and items."

 Chapter 80 The Terminal part 4

    The text on the Terminal''s screen vanished again, and was replaced by an options menu.


    [Attribute Improvement]


    [Talent and Perk Tree]


    [Mundane Equipment]


    [Alchemical Items]


    [Magical Items]


    [-LOCKED-]


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    [-LOCKED-]


    [-LOCKED-]


    [Available Currency: 67 gold, 4 silver, 12 copper]


    [2 unclaimed user rewards]


    He noticed the unclaimed rewards and currency balance first. The currency must be from the money Madeleine had given him in town and on the road. He didn''t know how much that actually was, but he wasn''t completely broke, so that was something, at least.


    As for the unclaimed user rewards, he wasn''t sure how he''d managed to earn them, but he''d check them out as soon as he saw what he could spend his money on.


    He selected the Attribute Improvement option first, and the option folded out on the screen, displaying each of his current attribute values, and the cost for increasing each by 1, 5, 10, or 25 points.


    When he saw the prices, however, his jaw fell open. The lowest possible cost per point was on his Persona stat, and that was 250 gold for a single point increase. His Prowess and Spirit were close to 500 gold a point. He had absolutely no idea how he was ever going to earn enough gold to make meaningful changes to any of his attributes through the Terminal with costs like that. So, that was clearly out of the question for the moment. Shaking his head, he closed out of the Attribute Improvement window, and opened the Talent and Perk Tree.


    The Tree was represented less as tree than an eight-spoke wheel, with each spoke dedicated to one of his eight core Attributes. These spokes forked and split and interconnected, showing how different Attributes affected each other. There had to be thousands of possible options displayed, perhaps even tens of thousands. Most of them, however, were marked with the [-LOCKED-] tag, which prevented him from seeing what they were or reading their descriptions.


    There were a few small points on the Wheel that were illuminated, and when Jack zoomed in on them, he saw that they were the abilities he''d previously seen displayed on his stat sheet. He had Martial Weapon Proficiency under the Prowess spoke, Magical Aptitude (Sorcery) under Spirit, and Immunity to Cold under Fortitude. There were also a couple he hadn''t seen listed before, such as Combat Training, Knowledge: Geek, and Optimistic. Looking at them now, he saw that while he had the base Talent for each of these, there were sub-Talents that branched out from each of them, as well as a clear description of what each Talent or Perk did.


    Martial Weapon Proficiency gave him the ability to effectively use any melee or ranged weapon that wasn''t incredibly complex or exotic, and allowed him to use the maximum amount of his Prowess when in Melee Combat while using them. There was a link between this Talent and Combat Training, which indicated that Combat Training was a passive skill that boosted a user''s Prowess and allowed them to take combat-related Talents.


    His Sorcery Talent, it turned out, had a host of useful information in it, and served to explain why he had distinct gaps in his magical abilities. He had the Evocation, Conjuration, and Transmutation general sub-Talents, which allowed him to control elements, move objects or himself from one place to another, change the material or quality of things, and alter his own body. However, the Necromancy, Abjuration, Illusion, Enchantment, and Divination sub-Talents were still locked. There also appeared to be multiple tiers of magic beyond each of these sub-Talents, but they were locked and unreadable.


    Much to his frustration, every Talent or sub-Talent he examined was also prohibitively expensive, with the lowest being nearly a thousand gold.


    Jack sighed.


    "How on earth am I supposed to ever be able to buy anything with prices this high?"

 Chapter 81 The Terminal part 5

    Jack closed down the Talent Tree. He was starting to get frustrated with everything of value seeming to be out of his reach. Looking at the menu of options, he wasn''t even going to bother checking the magical or alchemical items pages. He knew he probably wouldn''t be able to afford anything on either of them, and his previous experience with tabletop RPG games told him that any magic item he COULD afford with 60 gold was probably completely worthless.


    Skipping past those two options, he opened the Mundane Items menu, and started looking through what was available. There were sub-menus for weapons, armor, clothing, travel gear, commodities, food, and numerous other options. Looking through them, Jack selected the Armor option, and started digging through what was available.


    To his surprise, armor was significantly cheaper than he expected. While the other menus he''d looked in had been ridiculously expensive, most of the items he was looking at were actually within his price range. From the looks of it, the higher end armors like plate mail were still out of range, but he could actually afford a decent set of leather armor, or a chain shirt. He could also probably afford a shield too, from the looks of it. He opened a couple of sets of armor and read their descriptions, but as he did so, his excitement slowly faded. Each description had a distinctly highlighted line of text that the bottom that read "Requires Light Armor Proficiency to use effectively".


    And naturally, of course, he didn''t have that Talent. He even re-opened the Talent Tree to check.


    Jack turned to Frumpkin, who was now sitting in front of a floating tiki bar, drinking what looked like a margarita.


    "So let me get this straight- you made me a great warrior, but didn''t give me the ability to wear armor?" He asked.


    "Hey, your wish was specifically worded, and I quote ''I wanna be a powerful warrior with a magical weapon I am proficient at using''. There are plenty of powerful warriors in this world who don''t wear armor, so I assumed that''s what you meant." Frumpkin said, kicking his feet up on the tiki bar.


    Jack rubbed his face, and sighed. Frumpkin was right, again. It was his own fault for not wording the wish better.


    Well, that made getting armor useless, then. It didn''t do him any good to wear something to protect himself if he couldn''t fight effectively while he was wearing it. He closed out of the item purchasing screen entirely, and dropped back onto the main menu. He was about to tell the Terminal to shut down when he notice the alert at the bottom of the screen about having unclaimed rewards.


    Getting a little more excited again, he selected the prompt. Maybe he''d get lucky and the Terminal would give him something useful so this wouldn''t end up being a complete waste of time.


    The screen went blank for a second, before bringing up two boxes filled with text.


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    The first box read ["New User Welcome Gift - Random Magical Item Ticket"], with a description below that read "this ticket with reward the user with a randomly selected item from the currently available magic items in the Terminal''s menu, with the likelihood of a prize being randomly selected being based on how valuable the item is. More valuable items have lower odds of being awarded than less valuable items."


    The second box read ["New User Welcome Gift - 250 gold"], with a description below it that told him this gold would only be available for purchases inside the Terminal.

 Chapter 82 The Prizes

    Jack looked over the two boxes before selecting the second one. As soon as he did so, the box disappeared, and was replaced with a small animation that displayed his available gold balance increasing by 250 to just over 300. With that, he could actually possibly afford something useful from the perk tree, or bump one of his attributes.


    He selected the first box next. As he did so, the screen suddenly vanished back into the small sphere of light in the palm of the outstretched hand pedestal. The light began to flicker and shift colors, until its form began to shift and stretch, seeming to shift through the rough shapes of various types of items, faster and faster. This continued on for several moments, until the shapeshifting gradually slowed, and finally stopped. As soon as it did so, there was a blinding flash, and Jack had to run away and cover his eyes.


    As soon as the light faded, a faint chime sounded somewhere above the pedestal, and when Jack turned around, there was a small something sitting piled together in the palm of the pedestal''s hand. He reached out and lifted the object from the pedestal to get a better look at it.


    It was some sort of silver chain necklace, with a matching silver pendant in the shape of an oval covered in intricate carvings of various symbols. As he picked it up, the Terminal''s screen flared back to life, and began to print out new lines of text.


    "[Amulet of Location] - Class B Magical Artifact


    [Ability 1] - Once a user has worn this object for 24 consecutive hours they become attuned to it. Any user attuned to the amulet knows the exact location of the amulet at all times, as well as the exact location of any living user who is currently attuned to the amulet. Up to three beings can be attuned to the same amulet at the same time. Should a fourth user become attuned to the amulet, the oldest attunement will be overwritten by the new attunement.


    [Ability 2] - Once per day, an attuned user wearing the amulet can scry the location around another attuned user or the amulet up to a radius of 500 ft. This ability grants full sight and sound to the scryer that lasts for thirty seconds or until dropped or dispelled."


    Jack puzzled over the item''s description for several moments, feeling a little disappointed. It wasn''t immediately obvious to him how it''d benefit him at the moment. What good was having a necklace that allowed you to always know it''s location? He''d been hoping for something a little more immediately useful, like a Ring of Protection or something. Not really knowing what else to do with it, Jack unclipped the chain and fastened the amulet around his neck, before tucking the whole thing underneath his tunic.


    Now that he had gold to spend, he knew immediately what he was going to try and get first. He opened up the Talent Tree, and navigated through the Prowess spoke until he reached the Armor Proficiency branch. Looking through, only a couple options were available to him. He didn''t need anything with shields at the moment, so the only other option was Light Armor Proficiency, which to his great surprise was priced at 250 gold for the base Talent.


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    He immediately selected the option, and was given a prompt by the Terminal to confirm his purchase. Jack confirmed, and watched as the option on the Talent Tree lit up, and his gold balance in the top right corner of the Terminal screen reduced by 250 gold.


    Almost immediately, Jack felt a rush of new understanding rush into his head and body. It wasn''t a set of overt thoughts, really... More like a collection of innate understandings. He knew how to move in certain kinds of armor. He didn''t have to test it. He knew it in the same way he just instinctively knew how to swing his axe.

 Chapter 83 The Prizes part 2

    After buying the Talent, his last action was to open up the Mundane Items purchase screen, and select a set of Light Armor that he could afford. After looking at several available options, he ended up settling on a set of hardened leather armor that covered his entire torso, shoulders, and arms for 35 gold, and with the remainder of his gold bought a couple sets of high-quality travel clothes, a pair of knee-high leather boots, a padded linen shirt to wear under the armor for extra protection, and a dark green wool cloak with a hood that sat draped around his shoulders and fastened around the neckguard of his new chest plate.


    As he ordered each piece from the Terminal, it appeared on him, automatically fitted perfectly to his body type and shape, and when he was finished, and turned to Frumpkin and asked "How do I look?"


    Frumpkin looked him up and down as he slurped down more of his margarita through a straw. He nodded his approval.


    "You look good, kid. It''s a good look for you." He said.


    Jack wished he had a way to see what he looked like from outside himself. He looked around for a mirror or some other reflective surface to inspect his appearance in, but couldn''t seem to find anything. Finally , he turned to the Terminal and asked "Hey Terminal, is there a way I can see what I look like in this armor?"


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    The screen went blank for a moment, almost as if the Terminal was thinking, before the screen shifted and distorted. It resolved itself a moment later into something akin to a TV screen, and displayed directly in the middle of it was him, staring back at himself from inside the Terminal window like it had a camera trained on him. He shifted left and right and moved his arms, and the display copied him perfectly.


    At first, it was hard for him to accept that the person in the display window was him. He didn''t realize just how sharp his features had gotten as he''d gotten more active and lost weight. His hair was still short, and sat messy on the top of his head, and while he''d been having Rose help him shave, he''d managed to grow a faint haze of stubble across his face in the time since he''d last done anything with it. He looked....masculine. Strong. He could tell he was still a bit thick in the stomach, but looking at himself armored up, with his five o clock shadow and thicker arms, he, for the first time in his life felt pretty good about himself.


    He actually looked really fucking cool. He hoped he never got used to this feeling.


    After a long moment of inspecting himself, Jack dismissed the screen, and closed down the Terminal. By this point, Frumpkin had somehow amassed half a dozen empty margarita classes at the tiki bar, and was looking more than a little red-faced.


    "Alright, I think I''m ready to go back, now." Jack said, turning to him.


    Frumpkin finished the last of his cocktail and clumsily set the cup on the bar surface before floating into the air and banishing the tiki bar with a wave of his hand.


    "I shought you''d never ashk." Frumpkin said, his head reeling about as he giggled and drifted towards Jack.


    Looking back around the room, it occurred to Jack that he had no idea how to get back to the Repository when they left, and knowing Frumpkin as he did, there was no telling if the deity would ever bring him back. Thinking fast, he put his hands on the pedestal, and when the Terminal''s screen flashed up before him, he asked "Hey Terminal, can you give me a tool to get back here to access you again later?"


    The screen flashed and dissolved into a flickering shape in the pedestal''s palm, which solidified a moment later as a small golden whistle hanging on a matching chain. Jack reached out and snatched the whistle up just as Frumpkin put his hand on Jack''s shoulder, and Jack found himself being hurtled backwards out of the repository and into a blinding void of white.

 Chapter 84 The Green Company Hideout part 3

    After a very brief moment of feeling like he was being turned inside out through his belly button, Jack felt himself pop back into reality close to the ceiling of Urien''s cave room. He promptly and unceremoniously fell chest-first to the ground with a meaty thud, directly in the middle of Rose, Madeleine, Urien, and Farien. As he got up off the ground, Rose rushed over and helped him up.


    "What happened to you?" She asked, her face concerned. "You were sitting in front of the fire, and the next thing I know you''re just... gone. Now, hours later you appear in mid-air in the middle of the room wearing new armor and new clothes like nothing happened."


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    Jack stood, and brushed the dust and dirt off his new armor. "Frumpkin wanted to show me something. I didn''t realize he had actually taken me away. I thought he was just showing me something in a vision." He said.


    "Who is this Frumpkin character you''re speaking of?" Farien asked.


    "It''s a long story." Jack said.


    "I''d certainly be interested in hearing it." Urien said. There was something oddly threatening in his tone that Jack couldn''t place, and it made him a little uneasy.


    "If you want me to explain, I am happy to, but not now. I''m so tired I can''t keep my eyes open. Suffice to say that Frumpkin is a friend. A powerful one, and he is no enemy of the Green Company. He is the reason we know where the gnolls are hiding out." Jack said.


    Farien shot a glance to Urien that Jack couldn''t read. The older brother examined Jack''s face for several long moments before his posture seemed to relax a little.


    "Fair enough." He said. "But I expect an explanation tomorrow. I''m sure it''ll be very illuminating."


    He walked a few steps towards the entrance of the room.


    "In the meantime, my room is yours. And I believe we have an agreement for you to put up magical wards and barriers, both outside the room and around Farien and I, correct?"


    "Well, we do, but come to find out, that''s not something I even have the skill to do yet even if I wanted to." Jack said, shrugging. "That''s part of what my disappearance involved."


    "Well, then I guess it''s up to the little lady how we proceed, then." Urien said, glancing over at Madeleine. Madeleine, to Jack''s complete lack of surprise, was still face down in the furs on the bed, and was breathing slowly enough that Jack knew she was asleep.


    "Looks like she''s dead asleep." Jack said. He looked over at Rose, who was sitting in front of the dwindling remains of the fire in the fireplace. "What do you want, Rose?" He asked.


    "At this point, I''m fine. I''ve gotten everything I needed." Rose said. "At this point I''m too tired to care."


    "Agreed." Jack said.


    He turned to face the two brothers, who were discussing something quietly between themselves, but stopped when he directed his attention to them.


    "Just the room is fine. You''re already doing plenty by helping us and letting us stay here, in my book. All I want now is sleep. I promise to give you details tomorrow when I no longer feel like I''m about to pass out.


    "Well, fair enough, then." Urien said, smiling faintly. He motioned for Farien to follow him as he moved towards the fur draped over the room''s entrance. "Sleep well. We will be in Farien''s quarters should you need anything."


    And with that, the two of them stepped out, leaving Jack and the girls alone in the low-lit room.

 Chapter 85 The Green Company Hideout part 4

    Since Madeleine had inadvertently clamined Urien''s bed for herself, Jack and Rose spread their bedrolls out onto the wood floor. It took Jack several minutes of struggling to figure out how to take his new armor off before Rose stepped in and offered to help. With her assistance, he was able to shed the leather plates and laid them out to the side of his bedroll, alongside his boots and other effects. He took a pillow from Urien''s bed, and laid down. Sleep took him almost instantly.


    An unknown amount of time later, Jack awoke to Farien shaking him awake.


    "Jack! Get up! The camp''s under attack! There''s dozens of them!" Farien said when Jack''s eyes shot open. He looked flustered and pale, and held one of his blades in his left hand.


    "What?" Jack said, jolting upwards. "Who''s attacking?"


    "Gnolls. And some of their goblin friends, most likely. Hurry and get suited. We need all the help we can get!" Farien said, before turning and hurrying for the exit. He stopped momentarily in the doorway to add "get outside as soon as you''re ready. Anything not human is an enemy."


    By this point Rose and Madeleine were awake as well. Rose blinked in confusion as Madeleine groggily rubbed her eyes.


    "What''s going on?" Rose asked.


    "The camp''s under attack. We''ve got to help them." Jack said, sliding on his boots.


    "What?" Rose said, sliding out of her bedroll. "Who is it?"


    "Farien says it''s gnolls. Might be a raid party from the tribe we''re on our way to." Jack replied, snapped the last clasp on his leather bracers. He slid the chestplate over his head before fastening the clips at the side, and set about fastening the rounded leather pauldrons to each shoulder.


    "They''re attacking the same night we arrive? How does that even happen?" Rose said, pulling a second tunic over her head before setting about strapping on her own armor.


    "I don''t know." Jack said, fastening his belt. "They''re probably thinking the same thing."


    "I wouldn''t blame them." Madeleine said, sliding off of Urien''s bed and walking over to her pack. "It does seem suspiciously convenient."


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    "You don''t think Frumpkin did this, do you?" Rose asked, cinching her sword to her belt.


    " What? No. Of course not. It''s just horrible luck. That, or the gnolls had scouts follow us or one of their people to the camp." Jack said, clasping his cloak around his shoulders. He picked up his axe from beside his pack and spent a moment re-acclimating himself to its heft before swinging it up onto his shoulder and walking for the exit of the room. "What else is new, right?"


    As he stepped out of the room and made his way out of the cave, the din of combat with its sounds of slamming metal and screams of pain grew louder. From the narrow window of the outside he could see through the entrance of the cave, he could see several members of the Green Company, including Farien, hard pressed in tense melee with several armored dogmen.


    Jack felt his heart racing in his chest and his stomach flying into a frenzy as he walked for the exit. This would be his first real battle. Not just a skirmish. The chances of him catching a blade to the back while he fought something else was exponentially higher, and he very nearly lost his nerve, until he leaned against one of the cave''s walls and steadied himself. As he did so, and tried to slow his heart rate with his breathing, the thought of Eleanor popped into his head.


    He had more to fight for than his own life. He had someone he cared about he needed to save, and dying here wasn''t going to be part of that plan.


    He leaned away from the cave wall, and gripped the haft of his axe until his knuckles turned white to stop his hands from shaking.


    You''re the hero of goddamn legend, Jack.


    It''s time you fought like it.

 Chapter 86 The Battle of Darkshire Woods part 1

    Jack sucked in a breath, and ran out of the cave into the clearing.


    Directly in front of him, Farien was hard-pressed by a pair of particularly large gnolls with warhammers. The young man was doing all he could to dodge their swings, his two curved knives dancing in out of their guards, clearly landing hits but not seeming to do much against the dogmen''s thick hides. Singling one of the gnolls out, Jack rushed forward and interposed himself between Farien and it, using his axe to deflect the gnoll''s swing into the dirt before pivoting his position and smashing it in the face with the butt end of his axe handle.


    The gnoll staggered backwards with a snarl, before roaring at Jack and bringing the full weight of his hammer down on Jack''s head. On instinct, Jack side-stepped the blow, allowing the heavy swing to arc within an inch of him as it slammed into the damp ground with a muffled thump. Using the momentum from his twist, Jack brought his axe around in a wide arc, driving the blade directly into the gnoll''s back. The blade bit through the leather plate of the gnoll''s armor, sinking deep enough to catch meat and send a stream of dark blood running down the gnoll''s back. Grabbing his handle with both hands, Jack yanked the blade free and spun around to bring it up from underneath into the gnoll''s chest.


    The blade of the axe sang as it struck the metal haft of the gnoll''s hammer. The gnoll, seeming to have anticipated his attack, blocked the strike, and with a twist of its wrist brought the hammer head behind the haft of Jack''s weapon and pulled. The upwards tug threw Jack''s axe further up and to the side than he intended, leaving his guard wide open.


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    Before he could react properly, the gnoll twisted his arms and slammed the butt of his axe haft into Jack''s face. Jack''s vision exploded in a flash of white hot pain and he reeled backwards, bringing his arms and weapon up to protect his head as the gnoll went to follow through with the blow.


    With only a split second to react, Jack dove backwards as the hammer head slammed into the spot where he''d just stood. Giving him no time, the Gnoll followed through with another horizontal swing that missed Jack''s stomach by less than an inch as it whistled past.


    It was strange. While Jack hurt, and he could feel his heart pounding in terrror in his chest, time seemed to move slower and slower the longer the fight went on for him. Was he getting better, or just finally learning to lean into what he was actually capable of? He didn''t know, and now definitely was not the time to figure it out.


    It did, however, buy him enough mental clarity to remember his spells. Picking one he''d grown quite familiar with, he jumped away from another one of the gnoll''s swings, threw out his left hand towards the dogman, and with a word a sphere of red-orange fire leapt from his outstretched palm directly into the body of the unexpecting gnoll, where it exploded. Jack had to avert his eyes from the flash, but when he looked back, a pile of charred fur lay in a small crater where the gnoll had stood only a moment before.


    Looking past the smoking hole, Jack saw Farien pulling his blades out of the neck of the other gnoll as it slumped into the dirt. Farien looked over at him and gave a small nod, before looking at Jack''s forehead, and pointing to his own.


    Jack reached up to the spot Farien indicated. The flesh on his forehead was torn open, and his hand pulled away soaked in blood. Strangely, there was no pain. He suspected that would change once the adrenaline wore off. But for now, he was grateful it wasn''t hurting, because seeing that much of his own blood made him feel light-headed. He looked back at Farien and nodded.

 Chapter 87 The Battle of Darkshire Woods part 2

    Jack didn''t have long to breathe before he found himself under attack from a pair of goblins, both of whom carried spears longer than they were tall. They came at him from opposing angles, preventing him from ever being able to get them both on the same side so he could remove their numerical advantage.


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    Finally, one of the greenskins feinted, leading Jack to block a strike that wasn''t coming. While his guard was diverted, the other goblin threw its weight behind its spear and drove it into Jack''s side.


    Jack growled and cursed as the blade made it a short distance through the hardened leather and bit into the soft flesh between two of his ribs.


    That hurt. A lot.


    Shouting a spellword, he felt his strength surge as he magically overcharged his muscles. Grabbing the spear stuck in his side, he pulled it out, and lifted it and the goblin holding it clean off the ground, before swinging the spear end-first over his head and hurling the astonished goblin several dozen feet through the air and into the back of a gnoll, knocking both to the ground, where they were quickly dispatched by nearby Green Company members.


    Seeing this display of power, the other goblin froze in place, before turning to run in a panic. Snatching the goblin by one of its ears, Jack lifted the howling creature up to his eye level and glared at him. The greenskin threw down his spear and started gibbering something in its high-pitched language, before it was interrupted by Jack''s fist slamming square in its face. The snotling''s face caved inwards as it was knocked backwards and landed in a crumpled heap.


    As Jack drew his fist back and wiped goblin blood and snot off his knuckles, he dropped the spell. He had a lot of abilities, but they all used the same pool of power, and he could already feel the toll even these few spells were taking on his body. He had to be careful, or else he could unintentionally tap himself out and collapse defenseless mid-fight. That would be a death sentence.


    Remembering the wound he''d just received, he looked down and checked the spot where the spear had punctured his side. From the look of it, the blade hadn''t made it far enough to do more than hit some muscle. He was even more glad for his new armor now. A spear thrust like that would have probably made it clean into his vitals if he''d been wearing just a tunic like before. He had to push the thought out of his mind. That hadn''t happened, and he had more important things to pay attention to.


    Glancing around, it was not really clear which side was coming out on top, but it was clear there were probably more gnolls and goblins than there were allies. He had to try and even those odds somehow, or it was quite possible everyone, including him, would be overrun. He was clearly able to fight, and had plenty of impressive magic at his disposal, but he wasn''t even close to believing he could take on an entire raid by himself right now, no matter how much of an edge he may have.


    As he was taking in the lay of the battlefield, he saw Rose had joined the fray, and was currently in tight melee with a gnoll dual-wielding axes. He was just about to run to her aid, when he noticed Madeleine standing just inside the entrance of the cave, clutching her dagger as her eyes darted back and forth across the field.


    As Jack watched, a pair of goblins seemed to notice her, one of them pointing in her direction before the two of them hoisted blades out of their belts and ran for her.

 Chapter 88 The Battle of Darkshire Woods part 3

    Seeing the goblins heading towards Madeleine, Jack broke into a run, trying to intercept them before they got to her.


    "Maddy! RUN!" He yelled to her as he ran.


    Madeleine''s attention shot towards him, and then around until she noticed the goblins closing towards her with drawn blades. She finally seemed to realize what was happening because her eyes grew wide in fear, and she turned and ran back into the cave.


    Summoning up a spellword, Jack went to throw out his hand to cast a spell at the two running greenskins, but before he could get the word out, something behind him slammed hard into his back, knocking him flying prone to the ground and knocking the air clean out of his lungs. Throwing himself over onto his back, Jack found himself suddenly pinned as a goblin with a large club clambered on top of him and began trying to strike his face with it.


    Jack pulled his arms and axe up to try and protect his head as the goblin battered at him with the club. He tried to throw his weight around to toss the snotling off, but no matter how he shifted or jerked the goblin remained perched on top of him, wailing away at his arms and shoulders. Within moments, Jack began to lose feeling in his hands, and he felt panic starting to overtake him. Frantically trying to find a way out before he had his brains bashed in, he threw his weight to the side to free one of his arms, and aimed his palm at the center of the goblin''s mass.


    "Corsage!"


    With a blinding flash and a near-deafening bang, the goblin was knocked flying backwards several feet, where it lay stunned and disoriented. Clamboring to his feet, Jack looked towards the cave entrance to see the two goblins disappearing into the shadows inside. Seeing this, Jack felt his blood run cold.


    No. No. No no no no NO.


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    With horror pouding in his gut, Jack cast another spell, pouring magical energy into his body to maximize his Prowess. In an instant, his speed doubled, then tripled, and he cleared the space to the


    cave entrance in record time before he dove headlong into the darkness after them, his axe held at the ready.


    He couldn''t see well in the darkness of the cave passage, with the only light being the moonlight and other light sources from outside the cave entrance. He strained his ears to listen for the goblins or Madeleine. He had to keep her safe. He had already lost one of his friends to monsters. He wasn''t about to lose another.


    He was about halfway down the passage when he heard Maddy screaming something from what would be Urien''s side of the cave. Throwing caution to the wind, Jack lowered his guard and sprinted for the room. As he ran, there was the sound of tumbling, something breaking, then the smash of furniture, then another scream, this time from a goblin. There was a hard slap, and what sounded like Madeleine crying out in pain. Jack''s pulse was roaring in his ears as reached the split and turned towards Urien''s room. Nothing would happen to her. Nothing would happen. He wouldn''t allow it.


    Rounding the turn past the split, he could see the faint light from the flickering fireplace, casting large, dim shadows on the wall to his right as he approached. There was the sound of something tearing, and muffled screaming. One of the goblins was giggling and muttering something in goblin tongue as Jack reached the point where he could see inside the room.


    The two goblins had pinned Madeleine to the bed, and one of them held her there, his hand over her mouth as the other struggled to remove his trousers.

 Chapter 89 The Battle of Darkshire Woods part 4

    "Hey! Get off of her!" Jack snarled, bringing his axe to the ready.


    The one trying to undo his belt jerked around, its eyes wide as it reached for the blade in its belt with its good hand. Jack could see now that it was struggling with undoing its waistband partly because it was freshly missing several of the fingers on its right hand, and blood was slowly dribbling from the wound to soak into the boards on the floor. Amidstthe slowly expanding pool of blood, Jack saw one of the missing fingers, which meant Maddy had been the cause. Were he not filled with fear and rage, he''d probably feel pretty proud of her.


    The goblin pinning Madeleine shifted its weight so that it held her down with one hand, while it drew its dagger from its belt with the other. Leering at Jack with a wicked grin, it pressed the blade hard against the flesh of Maddy''s neck, and giggled. The intent was not hard to read. If Jack tried anything, Maddy was as good as dead.


    Jack froze, looking from one goblin to the other, then to Madeleine''s terrified face. He had to plan his next move very carefully. If he moved wrong, he wouldn''t be able to stop her from getting seriously hurt or killed.


    The magic still coursing through his veins, he slowly lowered his guard, and made a clear display of lowering his axe down towards the ground, setting it there before taking a step backwards and holding his hands up. The two goblins watched this, their eyes following his movements. As soon as he stepped back, they both started cackling gleefully in unison, and the one closest to him sprang into action, diving for Jack''s axe.


    Exactly as he had hoped.


    In a blur, Jack leapt forward and snatched the closest goblin by the neck, lifting it clean off the ground as he crushed its throat with a squeeze violent enough to shatter the creature''s spine. As he did so, he made eye contact with the second greenskin, whose expression instantly shifted from one of glee to one of terror. Before it could act, Jack flicked his hand as he spoke another spellword.


    The crude blade in the goblin''s hands suddenly seared a bright yellow-orange, and the creature shrieked and instinctively dropped the blade in pain. It only took it about half a second to realize the horrible mistake it had made when Madeleine snatched up the still-glowing dagger and proceeded to bury it directly in the goblin''s eyesocket. As the creature gargled and thrashed with the blazing-hot blade hissing and steaming in its head, she pulled the knife out and stabbed again, and again, until the creature stopped moving, before unceremoniously dropping the still-sizzling weapon onto the wooden floor with a clunk.


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    Feeling the Prowess spell beginning to fade, Jack unceremoniously tossed corpse in his hand into the corner of the room. After he did so, and he looked to see that Madeleine was okay, a sudden wave of exhaustion poured over him as the spell ended, and he stumbled over to the bed and flopped down beside Madeleine as he struggled to keep himself together.


    He had apparently used a lot more Spirit than he''d planned, and it was starting to seriously catch up with him. He sat there, breathing heavily, trying to pull himself together, as he turned to Madeleine and asked "You okay, Maddy?"


    The girl looked at him with an expression he''d never seen on her face before. She, without saying a word, leaned into him and threw her arms around him. Fortunately, the padded tunic and armor he was wearing made her body heat bearable enough that he was able put an arm around her back, and pull her into a hug.


    "Heh. You''re welcome." Jack said, smiling to himself.

 Chapter 90 The Battle of Darkshire Woods Part 5

    Tossling Madeleine''s hair, Jack took a deep breath and stood back up, looking around the wrecked room until he finally spotted her silver-handled dagger laying partly beneath some debris near the fireplace. He picked it up and flipped it around in his hand, and wiped the blood off the blade before walking over and handing it to her, handle-first.


    She reached out and took it from him, looking at the dagger, then back to him.


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    "Thanks." She said, smiling faintly.


    "Sure thing." He said, returning her smile.


    He turned and walked over to his axe, and picked it up off the floor. Swinging it up onto his shoulder, he turned back to Madeleine, who had slid off the bed and was adjusting her disheveled, blood-stained clothes.


    "Stay hidden in here, Maddy. I can''t promise if something else spots you that I''ll be able to save you in time again. We got lucky this time."


    "Okay." She said, nodding as she slid her dagger back into its sheath on her belt.


    "Just stay put in here and stay quiet. I will come back for you when this is over. If you hear anyone coming, and they aren''t me, find a way to hide yourself until you know they''re friend or foe, okay?"


    "I got it." Maddy said, her demeanor losing its softness. "And if they''re an enemy, and I can sneak attack them, I will. I could have taken those two if I''d had a chance to ambush them, you know."


    "I''m sure that''s probably true." Jack said, walking to the room''s entrance. He turned back and nodded with a smile. "Try to give yourself that advantage this time, alright?"


    "Yep." Madeleine said, before she motioned towards the exit. "Go help the others. They probably need you."


    "Yes, maam." Jack said, smirking. Choking up on his axe handle, he ran for the entrance of the cave.


    As he did so, the toll using so much magic in a short period of time had taken was abundantly evident. His limbs felt like he''d been exercising for hours, and his whole body, having not gotten a full night''s sleep to begin with, felt completely drained, like he had just spent the last day carrying a carrying a backpack full of lead around. Best he could guess, he probably had one or two more spells in him before he''d be too worn out to fight any longer. That was less than ideal, but it wasn''t something he could help. He would just have to grit through the rest of the battle, and rely on his combat skills rather than spells.


    Jack cleared the cave''s entrance back into the clearing, and engaged with a gnoll that was about to finish off a wounded watchman on the ground. This particular gnoll was tall and wiry, and held a wickedly curved, elegant looking sword carved with filligree and layered metal flowers in the hilt. The weapon looked completely out of place in the hand of the dogman, and something about the way the blade glinted off the moonlight gave Jack the suspicion that it might be magical, though he couldn''t be sure just by looking at it.


    Shouting at the beast, Jack managed to get its attention before it could deliver the killing blow, and it turned and snarled at him, before deftly spinning the blade around and assuming a combat stance. The way the gnoll manuevered the weapon, and the stance that it took, pricked something in Jack''s combat understanding that told him this gnoll was not an ordinary opponent. He couldn''t be positive, but he suspected this could possibly be the raid''s leader, or, at least, one of its most talented fighters.


    Sensing the threat in front of him, Jack shifted stances. He was going to have to be careful here.

 Chapter 91 The Battle of Darkshire Woods part 6

    Jack sized up his new opponent as they slowly circled each other. The gnoll''s footwork was delicate and deliberate, and for every minute shift Jack made in his posture or stance, the creature made an equal adjustment, leaving no gap in its defense, no matter how small.


    After several long moments of studying each other, the dogman made the first move.


    It sprang forward with near-blinding speed, bringing its blade down in a tight arc to strike at Jack''s neck. Jack twisted his body and threw the haft of his axe up at the last moment, stopping the blade a few inches before it made contact. Twisting his axe around, he attempted to throw the gnoll''s guard to the side by catching the creature''s sword with his axe head. Before he could do so, the gnoll stepped towards him, letting the grip on its weapon go soft so that the blade slid harmlessly off the haft and gave no purchase for the head to grab onto. Following through with its step, it was now past Jack''s guard, and with a swift flick of it''s wrist snapped the blade up across Jack''s cheek, leaving a decent-sized gash right across the middle of it.


    Jack swore and pulled back, trying to regain his positioning for a response. But the gnoll wasn''t about to give him the chance to respond. It immediately followed through with a broad rising slash that aimed to split Jack from hip to shoulder, forcing him back onto the defensive.


    Chaining one attack after the next, the creature exerted tremendous pressure on Jack''s abilities, and on more than one occasion the creature managed to his blade past Jack''s guard and make more little nicks on the unarmored parts of his body, until Jack was leaking blood from nearly a dozen different cuts.


    The longer the fight went on, the more angry and desperate Jack became. Every time he saw an opening and went on the offense, the dogman would out-maneuver him and force him back into a defensive posture. He couldn''t seem to touch the damn thing. Every gap he made a strike at, he axehead would always arrive half a second too late to make contact, no matter how well he timed his attacks or how much he tried to anticipate the creature''s dodges. It was as if it could read his mind, or had some sort of innate ability to anticipate actions before they occurred. It was unnerving. And he was starting to seriously wear out. His arms and legs burned from the constant exertion, and his lungs ached as he fought for breath. The loss of blood was also starting to take effect, and he was beginning to feel a bit light-headed and woozy.


    Then it clicked. The gnoll wasn''t trying to kill him. The gnoll was toying with him.


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    What was the point of that? Was it just for sport, or did it have a purpose in doing so?


    And why in the blue-blazing fuck was it SO FAST? Was it magically enhanced or something?


    He had to do something to turn the tide in his favor. The thing was clearly either physically better than he was, or a better fighter than he was, or had some kind of magical buff making him fight better, or Frumpkin forbid, some combination of the three. And at this rate, if he didn''t level the field fast, he was going to wind up with a very elegant curved sword sticking out of his chest.


    He knew what he had to do to win.


    But he wasn''t certain it wouldn''t also end up killing him in the process.

 Chapter 92 The Battle of Darkshire Woods Part 7

    Hoping he wasn''t dooming himself to an early death, Jack muttered a familiar spellword under his breath, and felt the muscles of his body surge with power as he emptied the last of his Spirit reserves into his Prowess. With a flourish, he spun his axe around in a blinding arc, before assuming a new stance and glaring at the gnoll across from him as his power coursed in pulses through his body.


    The dogman''s amused expression faded, and hardened. It seemed to have some sense of what he''d just done, and what that meant. It nodded to him, seemingly in a sign of respect and acknowledgement, and without a word flew into a flurry of ferocious strikes at every angle aginst Jack''s defenses.


    With his abilities enhanced as they were, Jack found himself in the position of being one tempo beat ahead in the fight for the first time since it''d begun. The gnoll couldn''t land another strike, despite the fact that it was clearly no longer taking this fight lightly. At first opportunity, Jack managed to catch the dogman''s blade in between his axe head and haft, moving fast enough that he finally got past the creature''s guard before it could rally a defense. With a resounding meaty crack, he smashed the haft of his axe against the side of the gnoll''s head hard enough to knock the creature staggering backwards. Following through with the momentum from the strike, he drove his boot square into the gnoll''s exposed stomach, burying it halfway to the creature''s spine before the beast flew a couple feet backwards and tumbled across the open ground.


    With a snarl, the creature corrected its roll and sprang back to its feet, before spitting a mouthful of blood and saliva out of his mouth. It rubbed its jaw, before shifting its stance again into one Jack didn''t recognize.


    Jack could already sense the end of the spell coming. He had maybe 30 seconds left. After it ended, it was quite likely he wouldn''t be able to move, assuming he didn''t lose consciousness entirely. He has to end this right now, or he was probably a dead man.


    He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, letting the magic course through his body as he centered his mind. Some part of the back of his mind was screaming at him that he was crazy for closing his eyes and dropping his guard like this, but it instinctively felt right, and it took the edge off his nerves. If the gnoll moved and threw an attack, he''d be able to stop it in time, right?


    After a few moments of meditating, Jack opened one eye to see that that gnoll was watching him with an expression that Jack couldn''t seem to read. As soon as Jack opened his eyes and moved back into a combat stance, the creature nodded at him.


    Had it been waiting for him to be ready? Was it giving him respect or something?


    That made no sense to him. But if that was what was happening, it didn''t change anything. It was the creature or him, and he had a dream girl to save. He''d kick Frumpkin in the teeth if that''s what it took. Killing a dogman, no matter how noble it was behaving, was a choice that required absolutely no effort to make.


    He would exterminate their entire species, and strangle their children in their beds with his bare hands if that is what it took to get Eleanor back.


    With his focus in place, and the clock on his spell running out, Jack muttered another spellword.


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    This was it. He won here, or he died.

 Chapter 93 The Battle of Darkshire Woods part 8

    All at once, time around Jack seemed to slow, like everything around him was moving through paste. He knew this was just an illusion and that it was actually him that was moving faster, but he couldn''t change how his brain perceived it.


    Casting this spell, he''d functionally cut his remaining Prowess boost in half. He had maybe 10 seconds before he crashed. He had to make it count.


    Jack rushed at the gnoll, and with a roaring leap jumped off the ground and brought his axe all the way back behind his head to split the dogman from skull to pelvis. The blade fell like a guillotine, collided with a parry from the gnoll, who had correctly predicted the blow, but hadn''t been quite fast enough to get his blade fully in the way to intercept the strike. The blow deflected to the side, and the axehead instead bit deeply into the gnoll''s shoulder, sinking far enough to strike the creature''s ribcage and stick fast in the dogman''s bones.


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    The creature let out a gurgling howl, and snarled at Jack, before reaching down to its belt, and pulling a small blade from its sheath and moving to strike at him.


    Jack planted a foot on the gnoll''s chest and jerked, tearing the axe blade free with a spurt of blood and loose fur. As he pulled the weapon out, he felt a sudden searing pain in his thigh as the gnoll buried a dagger into the side of it. The creature reeled back, the look on its face shifting from one of pain and anger to one wooziness and fear and blood pouring from its wound in great rolling gushes, staining the fur across a large part of its body a dirty brown crimson.


    Jack cursed and stumbled backwards, struggling to keep his feet under him. He looked down at his leg. The blade in the inside of his thigh sat buried clean to the hilt, and had pierced through to the other side. Worse still, the amount of blood flooding out around the blade, and the fact that his lower leg was already going cold and numb told him it''d probably nicked his femoral artery. There was already blood puddling up and overflowing from the inside of his right boot.


    Gritting his teeth through the agony, Jack gathered the absolute last of his willpower, and threw every ounce of weight in his body into a round swing at the staggering dogman.


    The axe blade sang through the air and bit into the gnoll, severing its left arm and sinking halfway through its ribcage. Unable to hold onto the weapon any longer, Jack let go, staggering and reeling a step or two away before collapsing onto the blood-soaked grass beneath him.


    He didn''t need to know much about medicine to know that gnoll had done enough to kill him.


    And that... that prompted a primal fear that he''d never felt before. A sense of existential terror that drove logic or reason clean out of his head. He was going to die. No, no he wasn''t. He wasn''t. He couldn''t. Heroes didn''t die. They beat the monsters and saved the girl and lived happily every after. They didn''t bleed out from knife wounds inflicted by nameless nobodies in the middle of fucking nowhere.


    But he wasn''t a hero. He was a loser. He was a fat nobody cosplaying somebody brave and powerful. A fat shut-in virgin who''d died in a stupid car accident and decided to bleed out in some god-forsaken forest clearing instead of going to heaven.


    He felt the life pouring out of his limbs as his senses began to get fuzzy, and his hands and arms began to grow cold and numb.


    This was it. He felt his vision tunneling and growing dark.


    So long, new world. It was nice knowing you.

 Chapter 94 An Escape Plan Forms

    Eleanor spent the next couple hours after eating trying to rest and ignore her pain, but it seemed unwilling to give her a moment''s rest. Eventually she gave up, and opened her eyes. Her surroundings were still the same. Same blank walls, same bare dirt floor, same chain bound to same post bound around her neck.


    But there was something different. They''d left something behind.They''d forgotten to stay and take the bowl and spoon back, and it sat there, right next to there, with a small amount of broth and a few small pieces of food left inside.


    She now had something to work with.


    A tiny thrill of hope shot through her. She didn''t know if she could do anything with it, or if it even changed anything, but the every fact that she had even the possibility of finding another option besides captivity and suffering was enough to shift her perspective.


    She was a classically trained caster. She usually relied on her spellbooks to remind her of the motions, incantations, and components it took to generate a particular effect, but she didn''t NEED them. Her magic was just as in-born as any sorcerers, and she''d been a good student. Maybe she could improvise a spell or two just by trying to piece together the fragments she could remember from all the spells she''d learned and cast over the years and scraping together whatever components she could get her hands on.


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    Looking at what she had available, she had wood from the bowl, a metal spoon, cooked meat, oil in the broth, and some kind of boiled leaf that she didn''t recognize. She also had the dirt beneath her, and now that she had something to dig with, she could also probably get some stones as well.


    That was a start, at least. There was enough here that she could come up with SOMETHING, at least.


    Looking around further, she saw a small, thumbnail sized tuft of fur sitting in the dirt a short distance past her feet. Her eyes widened. She couldn''t believe her luck.


    She sat up and gingerly shifted her position, trying to reach it from a couple different angles, but it was always just out of the reach of her hands. Finally, she managed to slide down until she was almost flat on her back, and trap the little tuft between her heel and the ground. With a bit of effort, she was able to drag it into reach, where she picked it up.


    Her eyes weren''t deceiving her. It was gnoll fur.


    That changed things. She could probably remember the general formula for a transmutation spell, and knew enough Infernal that she could probably stumble her way through the rest of what''d take to change her appearance. Now she had material from one of her captors as the component for what form to assume.


    She had her way out, at least in theory. The problem was going to be getting out of the chain around her neck. And the fact that she currently couldn''t walk.


    The chain she could probably break any number of ways just with what she now had available. That would be the easy part.


    Figuring out how to walk on a shattered leg, or at the very least heal it enough to make it usable again... that was going to be much trickier. She knew Restoration magic better than any other school, but it was also much more technical, and had much greater restrictions on the accuracy of its formulae and component uses.


    The reason for this, of course, was simple- If you mis-pronounced a word, or used a wrong gesture, you could accidentally remove an artery instead of mending it. And you had to have the exact materials needed for the spell, or else it wouldn''t work at all.


    She would need a piece of bone. And a feather.

 Chapter 95 An Escape Plan Forms part 2

    But where would she get them?


    Eleanor thought about it. A piece of bone she could probably only either get from a garbage heap in the village, or from roast meat that hadn''t been trimmed off of it. Since she was stuck in this room, digging through refuse wasn''t an option. But, she could possibly find a way to convince one of her captives to bring her scraps, then she might be able to have what she needed brought to her. Not likely, really, but at least within the realm of immediate possibility.


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    A feather, on the other hand... she didn''t have any immediate ideas of how she''d get her hands on one of those. The problem is that not every feather was created equal when it came to casting various spells, and using the wrong kind for a healing spell could cause unexpected consequences, or worse, cause the spell to backfire. The idea of blowing her leg off accidentally as she tried to escape wasn''t appealing.


    The ones used for Restoration magic, especially healing, were universally white. It didn''t seem to matter the source, size or shape, so long as the color was correct. There was a particular arcane principle behind why this worked the way it did, but it''d been years since she''d studied it, and it, much like many other parts of her training that were conceptual rather than practical, had long since disappeared from her memory. Given her circumstances, the fact that she had let all of that knowledge get away from her made her want to kick herself, but there was nothing to be done about it now.


    She would just have to look for an opportunity if one arose. And if she was honest, healing her wounds wasn''t nearly as essential as putting her bone back together, but not doing so would definitely slow her down, and if a form change spell of the type she was going to experiment with worked as expected, it would reflect the current state of her body in her new form, which meant all of her wounds would be visible. Any gnoll who looked close at her would see them immediately, and that was likely to get her all sorts of unwanted attention.


    There was one other issue. In addition to the problem of getting the correct components, she also had to remember a whole collection of gestures and invocations, or make up new ones that somehow worked, and make sure they worked before she actually attempted her escape. If she got even a single part of it wrong, she''d use up the components in the process, and nothing would happen, or worse, something awful would happen. And she would have to do it quietly and discreetly enough that none of her captors would be any the wiser to her practice, or component collection.


    She did not even want to imagine what would happen if she got caught weaving sigils or hoarding components. She needed a place to hide her newly obtained items that would not draw the slightest attention if one of the gnolls spotted it. She looked at them for a moment, before an idea struck her. She gingerly down and tore a small square of blue fabric from the hem of her dress. She laid it on the ground beside her, and placed all of the small pieces of food and other things on it. She looked in the bowl, and, not having a better idea of what to do with the oil broth, drew a small sigil over it until it congealed in a small blob of waxy grease, which she set with the rest. Once this was done, she turned the bowl upside down over top of everything, and drew the same sigil again.


    Instantly, the appearance of the bowl changed and shifted, until it looked like an unassuming piece of grey stone.


    Yeah. That''ll work.

 Chapter 96 An Escape Plan Forms part 3

    Eleanor didn''t know how much time she would have to practice before she would be drug up before the shaman and his cohort again, so she worked quickly. Pulling a couple small pieces of cloth from her dress, she set about trying to find a working formula for transmutation that would accomplish what she needed.


    Prestidigitation, like what she used to hide her components, only worked on small things, and could also only alter simple things about an object, like its color or texture or smell, but that was about it. There was no way to make it perform all of the complex re-arranging of her anatomy that would be required for a proper transformation, or cause her to sprout fur and claws. For that, she was going to have to piece together what she knew, and experiment with what she didn''t until she found something that worked, or she''d run out of options.


    In addition to that, she needed to take some time to remember some of her other cantrips. Then, at least, she''d have some more tools in her toolkit that didn''t require components. First on that list would be Mage Hand. With that, she could steal some things like more fur or other components from her captors without them realizing it, or maybe other things she could use in her attempt. She could maybe even steal a key, if the guard holding them was clueless enough. But she wasn''t holding her breath.


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    Cantrips came first. At first, progress was slow, but gradually picked up as she started piecing some things together. The first thing she managed to determine was the activation sigils and invocation for a Light spell, which she discovered by accident while working her way through sequences of spellwords to find the formula for Mage Hand. Testing it again to be sure it worked, she then used Prestidigitation to mark the correct formula for it on the inside of her thigh beneath her dress so she wouldn''t accidentally forget it. Finding this formula also opened up other options, such as a Daze spell, or Blinding Flash, but those would have to wait.


    After what felt like hours, she finally found the correct formula for Mage Hand. To confirm she had it right, she tested it half a dozen times, shifting and moving the bowl covering her component stash around her small cave room, picking it up and tossing it back and fort in mid-air with only minute gestures of her left index finger. She marked the formula on her leg, alongside Prestidigitation, Light Dancing Lights, and Blinding Flash. She''d found Dancing Lights when trying to find the correct spell fragment for movement, and combined it with light, and Blinding Flash by adding a few choice words of Infernal to the Light evocation. Her practicing also uncovered a few sigils and words that seemed to generate some kind of incomplete response, as if they required another fragment or motion to activate fully. She marked those on the inside of her other thigh for later practice.


    It occurred to her as she looked down at the arcane sigils on the inside of both her legs that if the gnolls forced themselves upon her again, they''d find them immediately. But that wasn''t going to be an issue. She would not let herself be used like some slave by those gibbering beasts ever again. She''d make them kill her before she ever let that happen.


    After all of this practice, she could feel the constant mental strain and Spirit usage taking a toll on her, and she decided to take a break and try and rest. She had no idea when her captors would come back to feed her again, or drag her off before the shaman once more. Leaning her head back against the post, he closed her eyes, and for the first time since arriving, allowed herself a smile.

 Chapter 97 Bed-Ridden

    Jack''s consciousness slowly clawed itself back awake, with his senses gradually trickling in until he was able to get his bearings and open his eyes.


    He lay on a bed in what looked like a cave, lit by flickering firelight. He was burning up with heat, and felt himself soaked with sweat. Feverish, even. He tried to sit up and get some idea of his surroundings, but as soon as he did so, numerous points on his body screamed out in pain, and he dropped back to the soft bed surface with a groan.


    Well, he wasn''t dead. At least, not that he could tell. He had a hard time believing he could pass into oblivion without Frumpkin first making him feel like a complete moron, and considering the deity''s absence, that made him lucky? Unlucky? He wasn''t sure which it was at this point. But he was glad to still be breathing regardless.


    Looking at the ceiling, at least, he was definitely in the same cave system they''d slept in before. Which meant either Farien or Urien were lending him their bed.


    That meant they''d won the battle. They''d won, and he hadn''t died. If he wasn''t about to pass out from the pain, he''d probably pat himself on the back. This would, by his estimation, be the first thing he''d managed to do right without in some way screwing it up.


    He felt a twinge of pride. Maybe there was a chance he could finally do something right after all.


    A few moments after he flopped back onto the bed, someone walked into the room he was residing in, as evidenced by footsteps on wooden boards and the sound of swishing fabric. He turned his head to see a young, dark-haired woman in a green dress, maybe in her late teens or early twenties, carrying a small leather satchel as she crossed the room. Noticing that he was awake, she smiled brightly and set the satchel down beside the bed.


    "Oh good! You''ve finally come to. I was starting to get worried about you." She said, sitting down on a wooden stool beside his bed and pulling the leather satchel into her lap. "It''s good to see that you''re on the mend. We had a scary few hours there at the beginning."


    "I suppose I have you to thank for not being dead." Jack said. "Thanks."


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    "Well, not just me. Farien and a couple others in this camp also helped with the tending and the healing. But yes, I helped." The woman said with a smile as she reached into the satchel and pulled out a roll of linen and a couple brown glass bottles.


    "What''s your name?" Jack asked, trying to shift onto his side. After a moment of trying, he gave up. There was no chance he was going to find a position that was going to be in the slightest bit comfortable that way. Not with the pain from the spear wound in his ribs.


    "Abigail. I''m one of the healers for the Green Company." She said, inspecting the bottles one by one before selecting one and setting the rest on the ground beside her. "Now, lie still. I need to take a look at your wounds and replace some dressings."


    "Sure thing." He said, flopping his head back onto the pillow. Abigail stood up and gingerly pulled the furs covering him down. As she did so, he glanced down to see that he was naked, outside of a myriad of bandages covering his arms, torso, and leg.


    He instinctively went to cover himself, but Abigail just looked at him and shook her head. "Don''t worry about it. I''ve seen more of those than I can remember since I started tended to the sick and wounded. I don''t even notice anymore. Now, hands at your side, please."

 Chapter 98 Bed-Ridden part 2

    The work of changing his dressings took several minutes, punctuated frequently by cursing and exclamations of pain. Abigail, for her part, was exceedingly gentle, and moved quickly so as to have the whole experience over as quickly as possible.


    By far the worst pain came from his thigh, which despite being stitched up and covered with various kinds of salves and unguents still gently weeped blood and pus around the threads. The whole leg was swollen and inflamed, and dark purple-red-black bruises encircled the stab wound like the petals of a rose. When she went to remove the linen wrapped around it, part of the blood-soaked linen near the stitches caught on one of them and tugged, sending into a flurry of howls and obscenities. Abigail apologized profusely, but he waved her away. He knew it wasn''t her fault.


    Mercifully, after the bandages were replaced, Abigail covered him back up, and gave him a mouthful of some thick white substance she poured out of one of the brown glass bottles. It tasted a bit like pine sap smelled, and no sooner had he swallowed it then he began to feel his lips, tongue and teeth go numb. He looked over at her as she re-stoppered the bottle.


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    "You just gave me the good stuff, didn''t you?" He said more than asked.


    "Crushed Morphium petals in Numb-Nettle sap. I''d say you''ve probably got about five minutes before you can''t feel your face, much less your wounds." She said, flicking her eyebrows with an amused expression. "Never had it myself, but I''ve heard it''s pretty pleasant."


    So, he was about to trip balls on powerful painkillers. That was going to be fun. Only time he''d gotten to do that before was when he''d broken both his arms when he rode his bike off a jump at the bottom of a steep hill and missed the landing ramp. He couldn''t remember much from the couple days afterwards, but what he did remember had been an endless conga line of warm fuzzy feelings and happy thoughts.


    As soon as he thought about this, it occurred to him for the first time that he hadn''t seen Rose or Madeleine or either of the brothers since he''d woken up a little while ago, and despite his pain and the numb glow slowly beginning to take his extremities he began to feel suddenly apprehensive. Before he went all loopy he had to know the girls were okay.


    Abigail got up and turned to leave, but Jack called after her.


    "Abigail, my companions... Rose and Madeleine... are they okay? Where are they?" He asked. It took him more effort than usual to pronounce each word because he could no longer feel his tongue or lips.


    "They''re fine. I believe they''re helping some of the others clean up and treat the wounded. Would you like me to tell them you''ve finally woken up?


    "Yesh... Pleash..." He said, beginning to lose his ability to adequately control his mouth. The drugs were taking effect much faster than he expected. "Tshell themmm I''m...." He started, then stopped as he struggled to get his brain to the correct next word in the sentence.


    "I''ll be sure they know you''re recovering well, and are currently sedated for the pain. When you wake up next, you should be feeling much better, and will be able to see them then."She replied, then headed for the exit. "Sleep well, Jack."


    "Hyoh-kay. Cannn doooo..." Jack said, giggling to himself as he felt like he was sinking further and further into the bed. He was about to have an absolutely phenomenal sleep.

 Chapter 99 Bed-Ridden part 3

    ["I''m not gonna lie, kid. I don''t know whether to congratulate you, or to tell you that you look like shit."]


    Jack opened his eyes to find himself standing inside The Repository. Frumpkin sat on a floating cushion not far away, filing away at his fingernails with an emory board. The deity looked up at him, and stopped filing. With a faint puff of pink smoke, the cushion and the emory board vanished, and Frumpkin floated over to where Jack stood, before he dropped to the ground with what sounded like a faint jingle.


    "But, ya know, I don''t suppose I have to pick. So, good job on not dying, kid." He said, offering Jack his hand. When Jack took it, he added "but you seriously look like shit."


    Jack laughed. "Thanks, asshole." He said, shaking the short man''s hand.


    Strangely, Jack found that his body didn''t hurt, and when he inspected the places where his wounds were supposed to be, he found nothing there. He was also wearing his armor again, and it looked brand new and unblemished.


    "So, either one of two things is happening here- either I''m tripping balls, or I''m having an out of body experience." He said, giving himself a once-over. "Which is it?"


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    "It''s less one or the other, and more a ''some of column A, some of column b'' kind of situation." Frumpkin said. "You ARE tripping balls, but I figured you''d rather be, yah know, whole and coherent and be able to do something with your time, so I pulled your psyche out, rather than just letting you lay there drooling like an imbecile. Which you, by the way." He added, showing Jack a rather unflattering image of himself snoring loudly, eyes rolled back in his head, and a long strand of saliva running off his bottom lip onto the pillow.


    Jack rolled his eyes, then glanced over at the pedestal in the center of the room.


    "Well, since I''m here, is there anything new on the Terminal I should know about?" He asked.


    "Why don''t you take a look and see?" Frumpkin said, drifting lazily up towards the ceiling.


    Jack walked over to the pedestal, and put his hand on the fingers of the outstretched stone arm. When he did so, the familiar floating screen of the Terminal flared to life, and started printing black text across its white surface.


    "Welcome back, Jack. You have two unread notifications." The script read.


    "Alright Terminal, hit me!" Jack said, leaning in towards the screen. Then, suddenly realizing what he''d just said, went to backpedal "wait, no, what I mean is-"


    An invisible force knocked him flying off his feet, flying haplessly through the air before colliding with one of the shelves behind him and knocked it over with a huge crash. It hurt, but more his pride than anything. He sat up to see Frumpkin dying of laughter, holding his belly as he guffawed in mid-air.


    "I can''t believe you did that!" He said through fits of giggles as he wiped a tear from his eye. "When are you ever gonna learn to be care about what you ask for?"


    "Hey Terminal, can you hit Frumpkin too, please?" Jack called out towards the pedestal as he got to his feet.


    Frumpkin''s laughter slowed, and he went to open his mouth to say something, before he was unceremoniously thunder-clapped across the room, sailing through space like a bearded football until he plowed into one shelf, then another, than finally a third in a cascading cacophony of shattering glass and clanging metal. Then, to top it all off, the entire pile covering him exploded into a rainbow-colored fireball.


    Jack, for his part, couldn''t stop laughing now either.

 Chapter 100 Bed-Ridden part 4

    After a moment, Frumpkin sat up from the pile of of debris he was buried in, and coughed. His white hair stood straight out at all angles from his head, and most of his exposed skin was covered with black soot.


    "Ya know, that''s fair. I deserved that." He said, drifting out of the pile. With a snap of his fingers the soot vanished, and his hair and robes tidied themselves. With an absent-minded flourish of his hand, the mess behind him straightened up, until after a few moments, there was no evidence of his recent collision or the ensuing explosion.


    As he did this, Jack, still amused, walked back over to the Terminal, and started again.


    "Okay Terminal, show me the notifications, please." He said.


    With a flash, the screen flared back to life, and began to read out text on its white surface.


    "Welcome back, Jack.


    Here are your current unread notifications:


    [1 unclaimed quest completion reward]


    [1 status update report]"


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    "Show me the status update report first, please." Jack said.


    The screen cleared itself, and brought back up the familiar display of his stat sheet, except this time there were several flashing red indicators next some of his attribute values. They seemed to indicate that some of the values on his sheet had changed. He also noticed that the last section had changed a bit as well, and now listed his "most recent" notable accomplishments. This little change wasn''t much, but it was another small indicator that he was getting slowly better at this whole hero thing if even the Terminal thought he was stacking up enough accomplishments to merit changing its layout.


    "Jack Eames


    [Class: Lvl 2 Fighter/Lvl 2 Sorcerer]


    Prowess: 36 [+5]


    Fortitude: 27 [+3]


    Logic: 21


    Intuition: 20 [+3]


    Persona: 9


    Composure: 15


    Spirit: 42 [+7]


    Tenacity: 40 [+8]


    Talents:


    - [Immunity to Cold]


    - [Martial Weapon Proficiency]


    - [Magically Gifted (Sorcery)]


    Recent Notable Accomplishments:


    - [Stopped a gnoll raid on a village]


    - [Saved a companion from a grisly fate]


    - [Bested a Gnoll Champion in one on one combat]"


    Looking over everything, he was surprised to see how much some of the values had jumped even since the last time he had looked at the readout only a day previous. His Spirit and Tenacity had both increased almost as much as his total Persona value in a single day. He wasn''t sure if that was a lot, relatively speaking, but it certainly felt like it.


    Thinking about it for a moment, it seemed obvious to him that this sudden stat spike was from him magically pushing himself so hard in the last fight. If his experience from gaming taught him anything, it was that the best way to improve a skill or ability score was to use it a lot. I mean, now that he thought about it, it worked the exact same way for muscles and cardio endurance as well, but first-hand knowledge of fitness wasn''t really in his wheelhouse now, was it?


    "Hey, looking good." Frumpkin said, hovering over his shoulder and looking up at the screen. "Looks like you got yourself some stat increases."


    "Certainly seems that way." Jack said, reading over the screen again. "I''m surprised it all went up so much so fast."


    "Eh, it''ll be pretty fast at first, from my experience. But the more you gain, the less each additional point will do to increase the total output of that attribute. So those 8 points you just got in Tenacity? Well, they''re way more valuable than 8 more points when you have 120 Tenacity, if that makes sense. It''s all kinda relative." Frumpkin said.


    "Makes sense. A lot of MMOs work the same way." Jack said. He looked up at the screen again.


    "Alright Terminal, show me my unclaimed quest reward!"

 Chapter 101 Bed-Ridden part 5

    The screen re-arranged itself, before displaying several new lines of text:


    "For your recent notable accomplishments, you have been granted access to a new function within the Terminal. You have also been granted a quest reward. Please select one of the following perks:


    [500 gold to be spent on any Terminal function]


    or


    [A random 10 point Attribute increase (does not count towards purchasable Attribute point maximum)]"


    Looking over the two options, the Attribute increase seemed immediately by far the better of the two options. Considering the price of increasing any of them even a single point with gold, getting a 10 point jump all at once would be massively more valuable. But, maybe there was something he was missing. He re-read things again, and noticed the first sentence. A new function in the Terminal? His curiosity piqued, he asked the Terminal to show him the new unlocked function before he picked a reward.


    The reward screen vanished, and was replaced with the list of functions he''d seen previously, except this time one of the locked functions now displayed a name, highlighted in the same shade of fluorescent red that had drawn attention to his stat increases.


    "[Attribute Improvement]


    [Talent and Perk Tree]


    [Mundane Equipment]


    [Alchemical Items]


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    [Magical Items]


    [-LOCKED-]


    [Injury Treatment]


    [-LOCKED-]"


    Without him asking it to, the Terminal automatically selected the new "Injury Treatment" option and displayed its contents. Shown on the display screen was a cartoonish paper-doll depiction of himself, minus any clothes. To protect whatever might be left of his dignity, the Terminal at least had the decency to cover his genitalia with a fig leaf.


    The paper doll displayed all of the wounds he''d received in the last battle, including every little cut the Gnoll Champion had given him with that wicked curved blade. Next to each of the wounds was a number, as well as a percentage. The small cuts all had numbers ranging from 2 to 5, with 100% next to them. The spear wound in his side had a number in the twenties and a percentage in the high 80%, and the knife wound in his thigh was over 60, with a percentage hovering in the low 40s.


    Looking over the numbers, he tried to puzzle out their meaning. Best he could figure, the numbers were days it would take the wound to fully heal. The meaning of the percentage, however, was obscure enough that he finally asked the Terminal for clarification.


    "The initial next to each wound is the estimated time in days it will take the user''s body to adequately mend the wound through natural means and without magical assistance."


    So, his guess was right about that, at least. As he read on, the Terminal continued.


    "The percentage beside each recovery length number indicates the estimated percent chance the wound will fully heal with no lasting impairments or physical complications. The lower the percentage, the greater the chance a wound will generate additional physical problems or long-lasting effects beyond its initial healing period. These impairments can include a loss of strength or flexibility in the affected area after healing, or other complications such as systemic infection that arise before the wound has healed. Please note that current estimated recovery time spans and percentages do take into account any non-magical treatments currently being administered to the user when the values are calculated, and take into account the general likelihood of all potential complications and averages them into a single value for ease of information access."


    Alright, so he could at least have a clear idea of what was wrong with him now. And how long it would put him out. The outlook wasn''t pretty.

 Chapter 102 Bed-Ridden part 6

    So, 60 something days.... That meant that not only would he be recovering for a couple months, but there was a good chance he would end up not ever fully recovering, or having things get worse as he healed.


    With the time constraint he was currently under, being functionally crippled for that long would be a death sentence for Eleanor. As strong and capable as the girl was, there was no doubt in his mind that she wouldn''t last a couple months of him being bed-ridden while she was captive to a bunch of barbaric monsters, and he was absolutely certain that if he tried to fight a bunch more gnolls or the shaman in his current state, they''d gut him like a fish.


    Seeming to pre-empt his next question, the Terminal went blank, before spilling out a new collection of text.


    "The Injury Treatment function allows the user to purchase magical healing with gold immediately at any time without having to obtain it somewhere within the world. Any type of wound, injury, poison, or disease, no matter how severe, can be treated with one hundred percent effectiveness and no lasting impairments or complications. However, all treatments provided by the Terminal will be more expensive than an equivalent magical treatment obtained directly in-world. Additionally, the function has a cooldown period that will prevent it from being used again for a set period of time after its last use. This cooldown period is directly proportional to the degree of healing provided, with more extensive or intensive treatments giving the function a longer cooldown period than simpler treatments."


    Directly below this text, a list of his current injuries spooled out, each with a gold cost for treating it, as well as a number of days marked in red that he suspected indicated the cooldown span each treatment would bring.


    [Pierced Vastus Lateralus] 125 gold/7 days


    [Nicked Femoral Artery] 150 gold/7 days


    [Torn Ilotibial Tract] 150 gold/7 days


    [Pierced Intercostal Muscles- Left Side] 50 gold/3 days


    [Minor Injuries (Slashing)] 25 gold/1 day


    Once all of the injuries and their costs appeared on the screen, the paper doll diagram returned, with each of the injury names having a bright red line pointing to their location on the paper doll.


    Unsurprisingly, all of the high-cost items centered around the dagger wound in his leg. While he didn''t really understand all of the anatomical terms used, he didn''t have to to know it was pretty bad.


    Reading over this, and doing some quick math, he now saw the dilemma of what the Terminal was offering. The treatments to restore him to full health would cost exactly 500 gold. Yes, on a strictly gold cost value, the Attribute increase would be worth a lot more, but the fact of the matter is, his current circumstances made the idea of choosing it over being healed and getting back on the road completely impossible to even consider. He''d been smart to wait.


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    The one thing that made him leery, however, was the cooldown period all of this would give him. He would be looking at almost a month before he''d be able to use the function again. Considering he was about to take on an entire gnoll tribe almost single-handedly, the odds were that he was really going to wish he could use this again well before that period was over.


    That, however, was just going to have to be a risk that he was going to have to take. He didn''t really have another option, did he?


    "I''ll take the 500 gold, Terminal. Please treat all of the listed injuries for me."

 Chapter 103 Bed-Ridden part 7

    "Confirmed. The prize has been awarded, and the costs for treatment subsequently deducted." The Terminal replied on screen. The injuries displayed on the paper doll display all vanished without fanfare, and the doll''s unhappy face was replaced with a happy one.


    Jack, for his part, felt no different than before. But that wasn''t really surprising, since he already felt fine to begin with. He would just have to wait to return to reality before he''d hopefully notice the effects.


    Floating somewhere behind Jack''s head, Frumpkin yawned lazily.


    "Well hey, look at that. You''re all mended up. Now imagine if a certain very cool guy hadn''t bothered bringing you here in during your drug stupor and let you access everything without difficulty. You''d still be bed-ridden for the next almost forever. Sounds to me like you owe a certain someone a thank you." He said.


    Jack glanced over his shoulder and sighed.


    "Thank you, Frumpkin." He said flatly.


    "Oh, what? What are you talking about? It was nothing! Nothing at all! Happy to be of service!" The deity replied, drifting slowly through the air past Jack''s head, his arms folded behind his head. For some reason, he was now wearing a large pair of aviator sunglasses. He stopped himself in mid-air, and raised his shades.


    "So, anything else you wanna do before I send you back to your drug coma?" He asked.


    Jack looked back at the Terminal screen. He didn''t really have anything else he could do, even if he wanted to. He was still pretty broke, and he''d already dealt with his wounds. He looked at Frumpkin and shook his head.


    "No, I don''t think so." He said.


    "Aight. I''ll send you back, then. Hold on to your butt." Frumpkin said, making a series of elaborate gestures in the air with his hands.


    "Uh, oka-" Jack started, before folding into himself through his belly button and vanishing into thin air.


    His consciousness returned slowly an indeterminate time later as the medication he''d been given slowly worked its way out of his system. It was strange. His consciousness was fully present well before the rest of his body caught up, and it was more than a little alarming to be stuck inside his skin and be utterly unable to move or open his eyes at first. Even more unpleasant was the sensation that if he didn''t manually keep himself breathing he''d suffocate. He logically knew that wasn''t how his body actually worked, but the sensation was very difficult to shake.


    After what felt like hours, he was finally able to start wiggling his toes, then clench and unclench his hands, until his body sluggishly worked its way back to functionality. Once he felt more in control of his movements, he decided to try and open his eyes and sit up.


    He found himself in the same room as before, still lit by the same flickering torches. There was no fire in the hearth this time, and the air was significantly cooler. Glancing around, he saw that he was alone in Urien''s room, though there were signs that he''d recently had company, based on Rose''s familiar pack set next to the bed, as well as a half-eaten plate of food on the desk.


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    Shifting his position, he felt no discomfort. When he lifted the furs off of himself, he saw that he was still bandaged, but there was, as he''d expected, no pain or stiffness. He felt just like his normal self again. Pulling the bandages off, the wounds were gone. In their place, however, were obvious scars, which surprised him. He would have expected a weird magical computer given to him by God himself wouldn''t have left something like that behind.


    But strangely, he wasn''t upset about it. All in all, the new slash and stab scars made him look like a complete badass.

 Chapter 104 Getting Up

    As he was inspecting himself, Jack heard a pair of familiar voices approaching from outside the room. Looking down, he realized he was still stark naked outside of the bandages that still covered his side and arms. Thinking quickly, he pulled the furs back up enough that they at least covered him from the waist down as Rose and Abigail stepped through the fur-covered doorway to the room.


    They both seemed to notice that he was awake and sitting up about the same time. Abigail, for her part, seemed absolutely baffled by the fact that he was sitting up, bright eyed and bushy tailed, smiling like an idiot. Rose, however, beamed at him, and rushed over to his side.


    "You''re awake!" She said, pulling the desk chair over so it was facing him. "I was so worried!"


    "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated." Jack said, smirking.


    Rose looked at him strangely, not understanding the reference, when Abigail stepped in.


    "I''m also surprised to see you feeling so well. You should still be laid out flat with as bad as your wounds are." She said, her brows tightly furrowed as she inspected him.


    "I don''t really have the ability to explain in detail, but let''s just say I happen to have the ability to heal incredibly quickly." Jack said, shifting his position slightly. Reaching to his side, he pulled the bandages wrapping his ribs free, and motioned towards the spot where the spear wound had been only the night before. "See?"


    Abigail''s eyes widened, and she leaned down, staring at the thin raised scar that sat where the stab wound had been located. She looked up at him, then back to it, her face becoming more and more contorted in confusion and shock.


    "But I- you.... how...?" She started, but Jack put his hand up.


    "I know. I want to explain, but I can''t. It''s honestly best if you just trust me when I say that I''m not an evil demon or undead or something." He said.


    The nurse looked him over, still seeming to have a difficult time processing what was in front of her.


    "And your leg...?" She started.


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    "It''s the same as the rest." Jack said. As if to emphasize his point, he moved his leg underneath the furs, bending and lifting it to demonstrate its mobility. As he did so, he had to catch himself from accidentally lifting them far enough away from him that he''d end up flashing the two of them. He knew Abigail wouldn''t notice or care, but Rose would either be shocked or embarassed, and neither one of them was something he wanted. At least, not unless they were alone, and... but never mind that.


    Abigail looked from Jack to Rose, looking for some sort of explanation, or barring that, any kind of information that would give her something to cling onto. Rose just looked at her and shrugged.


    "Jack''s a pretty powerful sorcerer. It''s just part of his abilities. Nothing to be worried about." She said.


    The girl didn''t seem to be fully sure of what to think of that explanation, but the slight relaxation on her face indicated that she was at least willing to try and accept that as the answer. She set about trying to treat him, but, seeing there was no treatment to be done, she got up, and without saying much else, shuffled out of the room.


    Rose and Jack followed her out with their eyes. As soon as her footsteps receded out of earshot, Rose turned back to him, her eyes wide.


    "How the FUCK are you already better?!"

 Chapter 105 Getting Up part 2

    Jack stretched and yawned.


    "I got healed the same way I got my new armor. Frumpkin gave me access to a new tool that let''s me do a whole lot of things, like make myself stronger or buy new stuff. It also happens to have a function that lets me magically heal from wounds, though it costs a lot of gold, and I can''t do it again for a while after it heals me." He said.


    Rose just shook her head.


    "Man, there really are a lot of perks to being you, aren''t there?" She said.


    "Yeah, I suppose there are. Though there are plenty of drawbacks too." Jack replied. He looked around the room for a moment trying to find his stuff, when he saw his armor and pack in a neat bundle in the far corner of the room to the left of the dark fireplace.


    Rose, noticing his gaze, looked over at his stuff in the corner.


    "Are you needing something from your pack?" She asked.


    "Well, I kinda wanna get up, but I''m basically naked underneath these furs, so I need some pants." Jack said, laughing.


    Rose turned and looked at him, then instinctively glanced towards the blankets, before clearing her throat and awkwardly standing up and walking towards his bag. She rifled through it for several moments before pulling out a pair of his trousers and walked back.


    "Here." She said, tossing them to him.


    "Thanks!" He said, smiling at her as he grabbed them. She locked eyes with him for a moment, before turning away and blinking quickly a couple of times. It could just be his mind playing tricks on him, but she looked several shades redder than usual.


    "Alright..." She said, motioning towards the entrance to the room as she walked towards it. "I''m just gonna go ahead and go so you can have some privacy."


    "Alright. I will see you outside as soon as I am dressed." He said.


    Without another word, Rose turned stiffly and walked out of the room. As soon as the fur draped back over the entrance, Jack slid out of bed and set about getting himself dressed. He was pleased to find that everything on his body worked exactly as expected. He still felt sore, like he''d just worked out the night before, and a little tired, but nothing else seemed amiss. The Terminal really was amazing.


    After donning his clothes and sliding the amulet under his shirt and padded doublet, he strapped on his leather armor, making sure everything still fit correctly. Everything was as he''d left it, down to the thin puncture in the left side of the chestplate where the spear had caught him. Once it was all in place, he gave everything a final once-over, and moved around and swung his arms a bit so that everything seated correctly and wasn''t locking up or catching in weird places. His green wool cloak was folded in a pile on top of his bag. With a flourish, he threw it over his shoulders and fastened it around his neck.


    Looking around, it occurred to him that he couldn''t find his axe. He searched the room for a solid minute or two, but no luck. Come to think of it, the last place he''d left it had been in the ribcage of that Gnoll that''d stabbed him. Had nobody brought it back with him? He found himself suddenly getting nervous.


    As he contemplated where it could have ended up, he felt his stomach rumble, and noticed for the first time since waking up how hungry he was. He needed to figure out where his axe had ended up, but food was going to have to come first. The last thing he needed right now was for his sole magical weapon to disappear, considering he had no gold to replace it. But he could cross that bridge once he had something in his stomach.


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 Chapter 106 Getting Up part 3

    Jack walked outside of the cave to a very different environment to the one he remembered arriving to when they''d first gotten to the camp. It was light outside, and overcast. From the way things looked overhead, it couldn''t be much more than mid-day. The central clearing that had once been tall grass with scattered firepits was now largely a torn-up mudpit, with standing puddles in ruts torn by fallen bodies that had since been removed out of sight. The couple of wooden tables that had previously been located in the space were all broken, as evidenced by their absence, and large wooden splinters pressed into the dirt where they used to be. There were no bedrolls either, but considering the fact that the ground was a soggy disaster area, that wasn''t much of a shock.


    The makeshift kitchen still stood at the end of the clearing to his right. There was a slow fire burning underneath a large metal pot supported by a metal stand. Several people stood around it, talking in low tones amongst themselves as they ate spoonfuls of something steaming out of wooden bowls.


    Directly across from him, on the far side of the ruined clearing, stood a large dark canvas tent that had not been there previously. As he watched, several forms walked in and out, carrying things in or out. Those who carried things in seemed to be in a hurry. Those who left were often covered in blood. Probably a makeshift hospital for the wounded, he guessed.


    To the left of him, where they''d initially entered the camp, several armed men were talking rather earnestly with Farien, who, even at this distance, looked pale and tired. His left arm was in a sling, and he had a bandage wound around his head. In spite of this, he seemed to be giving instructions, as he pointed to several places around the camp as he spoke. Once he finished, the men dispersed, leaving him alone. As Farien turned to survey the rest of the camp, he made eye contact with Jack, and his expression contorted into disbelief, then confusion. Jack waved to him, and the younger brother walked over.


    "I have to say, you''re made of awfully sturdy stuff to already be up and about." Farien said, appraising him. "Most of our healers were convinced you were a dead man."


    "So was I." Jack said, scratching the back of his head. "One of the benefits of my Talents is that I have the ability to heal incredibly quickly."


    "Among other things, apparently." Farien replied, glancing at Jack''s armor. He looked Jack in the eye as he offered him his good hand. "Well, I''m glad you''re alright. You took a hell of a beating out there."


    "Same with you." Jack said, shaking the young man''s hand. He motioned to the sling around Farien''s left arm. "What happened to your arm?


    "Eh, one of the buggers hiding in the trees around the edge of the clearing caught me with a crossbow bolt. Didn''t do any permanent damage, but the healers tell me I need to keep it from moving much until it has time to heal properly so it doesn''t make itself worse." Farien replied, looking at the sling in irritation.


    Jack grimaced. "Sorry to hear that."


    He looked around, then asked "So, my two traveling companions... do you have any idea where they are?"


    Farien glanced around over his shoulder, then shrugged, before flinching at the pain this action caused.


    "Can''t say I know where Rose is. Madeleine is currently recovering in the hospital tent." Farien said, motioning to the canvas building behind him.


    Jack''s eyes widened.


    "What do you mean she''s recovering in the tent? What happened?"


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 Chapter 107 Getting Up Part 4

    Farien put his good hand up as Jack started trying to move past him.


    "She''s not hurt. She''s just fallen a little ill along with a decent number of our people. The healers say she should be back to normal in the next couple of days." He said.


    Jack loosened up a bit and exhaled heavily.


    "Alright. Well, that''s better than the alternative, I suppose." He said.


    Farien clapped his hand on Jack''s shoulder.


    "You really need to lighten up a little. If I was as anxious as you are all the time, I''d lose my mind." He said, chuckling. "Both Rose and Madeleine are fine. And miraculously, so are you, somehow." While his smile didn''t fade on that last part, there was a subtle shift in his eyes that Jack couldn''t read. It only lasted a moment before it faded.


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    "So, I can imagine you need something to eat, after what you''ve just been through." He continued.


    Jack nodded. "I''m absolutely starving" He admitted.


    "The stew on the kettle is fresh and very hearty. Have as much as you''d like." Farien said, indicating towards the large cauldron in the makeshift kitchen. "There''s also some bread and some other foodstuffs in the barrels and cabinets you''re welcome to."


    "Thank you, Farien. I appreciate it." Jack said.


    "No worries. After you''ve eaten, come meet me in my room. I have some things I''d like to discuss in private with you." Farien replied.


    Jack looked at him with a furrowed expression. "Anything I should be concerned about?" He asked.


    Farien seemed a little taken off-guard and shook his head. "Oh no no, I just wanted to figure out what your next move is going to be, and by proxy, ours. I think Urien also has some questions for you, but I''m not sure what about."


    Jack nodded, uncertain of what to make of the young man''s response. "I see... well, I am happy to answer whatever I can. In the meantime, I need to eat. My stomach is killing me."


    "Go eat. We''ll talk soon." Farien said, motioning towards the kitchen. He stepped past Jack and on towards the cave entrance behind him.


    As he walked to the kitchen, Jack tried to figure out what to expect from the upcoming meeting. The two brothers were clearly unsure what to make of his sudden disappearance and reappearance, his new equipment, or his spontaneous recovery. He couldn''t blame them in the slightest. It was all incredibly strange and suspicious, and there was no obvious or immediate explanation that he could present that would make sense without giving away what he was.


    Come to think of it, he''d never really considered the possibility that keeping his abilities or unique circumstances a secret in this world was something important. The sisters and Simon were perfectly aware and accepting of what he was, and made no efforts to pretend otherwise. But seeing the reactions of Farien and Urien, and the healer girl Abigail, he was getting the sense that while the girls had no problem with it because of the circumstances of why they were with him, the rest of the world might not be so easy-going or understanding.


    I mean, how would anyone actually honestly react if he told them "Hey, so, I''m a reincarnated hero from another plane of existence hand-chosen by God to be the conquerer of evil and savior of the world. I routinely talk with him, and he gives me the ability to spend gold to buy the ability to alter reality."


    Without evidence, they''d probably think he was a fucking lunatic. With evidence, they''d probably be absolutely terrified.


    There really was no good way to let anyone into that secret, was there?

 Chapter 108 Getting Up part 5

    As he ate, Jack continued to puzzle over what to do.


    There was also the very real reality that there was someone out there whose sole purpose was to kill him. Someone given the same three wishes he''d been given. Considering how Frumpkin talked about this individual, it sounded like they''d already made it to the world before him. Not to mention, they could have made better wishes than he did. But how long before? A week? A month? Or, god forbid, a year? If this person had a head start, they were probably stronger, maybe even much stronger than what he currently was, even if their wishes were the same as his. And they were probably looking for him. If they found him before he was ready to face them, well then, he was a dead man. Or, well, a non-existent man.


    He wasn''t unhappy with what he''d wished for. Hell, he wouldn''t trade his companions for anything.


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    But, if he was honest, were he in the same position now, he probably would have made better wishes. I mean, he could have wished for command an entire kingdom. Or all of the most powerful magical artifacts in the world. You know, the kinds of ridiculously over-powered things you would ACTUALLY want if facing down an ultra-powerful villain. Instead, he let delusions of grandeur and raging hormones get in the way of what now seemed like basic common sense.


    No, he needed to keep his head down. A little attention was fine, if for no other reason than being able to recruit the help he''d need for his ultimate task. But he needed to keep his true nature a secret from as many people as possible. The last thing he needed to do, especially with as green as he still was, was to paint a giant beacon on himself by announcing his existence to the world.


    The people who knew had to be people he felt he could genuinely trust to have his best interest at heart. People he believed would be there for him when the end finally came, or, at least, would have enough goodness in them to keep their mouths shut, regardless of the threat against them.


    Were Farien and Urien the kind of people he could trust with this kind of knowledge? Sure, they''d taken him and the girls in, and they''d fought together, but he didn''t really know them. How could he be sure they weren''t working for his opposition?


    All of these ideas kept swirling around in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more convoluted it all became. When he''d first started, it all seemed very simple. He was going to be ultra-overpowered and win everything with ease. He''d defeat his opposite without trying, and live happily ever after. That''s how it was supposed to work. If this were like an anime, by episode 3 he''d have his powers figured out. By episode 7 he''d have amassed a worldwide reputation as the greatest hero alive, and by episode 12 he''d have vanquished the villain with ease and retired to godhood to spend the rest of eternity getting relentlessly laid. Cue fanfare. Roll credits.


    And yet, since he''d arrived, he''d been ping-ponged and kidnapped by goblins after screwing up the simplest of spells, had barely been able to beat a group of gnolls, had once of his companions stolen away right in front of him by a villain, and fought in a battle with random monsters that almost killed him and should have led to him being bed-ridden for months. The only reason he was even able to be thinking about all of this right now was because of the fact that the Terminal had given him a freebie and spared him the months of painful recovery. But what happened next time, when the healing function was still on cooldown and he had a javelin buried in his spine?


    He wasn''t ridiculously overpowered. Hell, he wasn''t even particularly exceptional. He was slightly above average, with access to a few things that others didn''t. And if he didn''t get his shit together and figure out how to get that through his fat head, he was going to end up bleeding out in a ditch somewhere because some random NPC with a bow shot him in the neck at 50 yards.

 Chapter 109 Getting Up part 6

    Finishing his third bowl of stew, Jack was about to help himself to a fourth when Urien''s voice spoke behind him.


    "I don''t know how the hell you''re standing right now, but I gotta say, I''m honestly pretty impressed." He said.


    Jack turned to see the older brother appraising him, his arms crossed. He was, for the first time since they''d met, not wearing armor. The light tunic he was wearing was parted halfway down the front, and layers of bandages, some stained with blood, peered out through the opening.


    Jack laughed uncomfortably. "It''s a benefit of being a sorcerer. I heal incredibly fast."


    Urien''s face showed no expression, which increased Jack''s discomfort. After staring at him emotionless for several long moments, Urien''s face finally relaxed.


    "Well, thank the Maker for that, then. That leg wound of yours would have killed a lesser man." He said. "You''re really lucky to be alive."


    "More than I''m aware of, I''m sure." Jack replied as he scooped another ladle of steaming soup into the wooden bowl in his hand. Once it was filled, he turned to Urien and asked "So, the last I remember, I had just killed the gnoll I was fighting, then passed out. What happened after that? How did we end up winning?"


    Urien walked over to the cauldron and began serving himself some stew.


    "Honestly, the best I can figure, it ended not long after you went down. That one you were fighting was apparently some sort of leader, because as soon as he fell, the rest of them started to break. And a good thing too, because up to that point we were losing. Once the two of you both went down and the tide started to turn, Farien and I, with the help of your companion Rose and some of our better fighters were able to chase the rest off. We pursued them for nearly a mile, and managed to cut the last down before it could cross the Shimmerwind." He said.


    "The Shimmerwind? Is that the river north of here?" Jack asked.


    "It is. Though I''m surprised you know that." Urien said.


    "The guide who clued us in to the den we''re heading for said something about having to cross a river north of the forest. A name that has shimmering and winding in the name doesn''t really seem like it could be anything else." Jack said, blowing on the steaming soup in his spoon before popping it in his mouth.


    "No, I don''t suppose it does." Urien admitted.


    "How did the company end up after the battle?" Jack asked.


    "We made out much worse than I''d care to admit", Urien said, lowering his voice. "Over thirty dead, about as many more wounded. That leaves us with about twenty able-bodied fighters, and a dozen or so cooks, healers, and other non-combatants. Considering we were over a hundred before the attack, we''re in bad shape. But, counting the ones we slew in flight, and the bodies we counted of those killed in the field, the fleabags and their snotlings out-manned us going on two to one. Considering those odds, it''s honestly a miracle we''re even alive to have this conversation."


    Jack whistled. Things had been a lot more dire than he''d realized.


    "But, that''s not worth thinking of further." Urien said. "The fuckers are dead, and we''re alive, and that''s what matters. And I suppose, considering the circumstances, I should be grateful things aren''t worse than they are."


    He looked off in the middle distance for a moment, seemingly lost in a thought, before coming back to his senses.


    "Sorry" He said, clearing his throat when he noticed Jack watching him curiously. "Don''t mind me. Just contemplating something. We... we''ll talk more later."


    Without another word, he turned, steaming bowl in hand, and walked off towards the cave.


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 Chapter 110 Getting Up part 7

    Jack wasn''t sure what to make of the older brother''s sudden departure. But with no obvious explanation forthcoming, he left it alone and focused on finishing his food.


    After another bowl of stew, which was honestly probably way too much at this point, he finally set off to look for his missing axe. His first instinct was to check where he remembered fighting the champion, but unsurprisingly, it wasn''t still there. He tried asking company members about it, but none of them seemed to have seen or heard anything about it. After about thirty minutes of searching and asking around, he still didn''t have any idea what happened to it, and a sinking feeling built in the pit of his stomach. It didn''t seem to him that something as distinct as that weapon was could just up and disappear. Which meant either someone had taken it, or it had been destroyed during or after the fight.


    He wasn''t sure that it would even be possible for a magical weapon to be broken, but that didn''t stop his mind from running over the possibility over and over. Unable to shake the anxiety he was experiencing, he finally decided to get his mind off of things by going to visit Madeleine in the hospital tent. Maybe talking to her would set him more at ease.


    Walking into the tent, the scent of blood and sweat and shit smacked him square in the face, and his eyes watered as he struggled not to gag. Looking around, the length of the tent was lined with makeshift cots topped with bedrolls that the wounded lay on. There would perhaps three dozen or so injured form the looks of it. A few sat propped up, either eating or conversing. The majority, however, were laid flat and not moving, their figures swathed in blood-caked bandages and makeshift splints.


    Jack finally found Madeleine at the far end of the tent, curled up on top of a bedroll. She was paler than usual, with a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. As he walked over towards her, the healer standing over her saw him coming held a finger up to her mouth to signal him for quiet. When he got close, he could tell from the rhythm of her breathing that she was fast asleep.


    The healer walked over to stand beside him, and Jack asked in a low voice "How is she?"


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    "She''s taken ill, but she''ll pull through. Probably got it from the pestilence that greenskins tend to carry with them." The bearded man replied. "It''s strange... normally that comes with a fever, but she''s bone-cold to the touch. I would be worried about it if she were human, but she''s not, so perhaps it works differently for her."


    "Normally, she''s painfully hot to the touch, so maybe a chill for her is a fever for us." Jack said, speculating.


    "Perhaps. I''ve certainly seen stranger." The man said, appraising the sleeping girl in front of him.


    After watching her for a moment and confirming again that she was alright, Jack thanked the man, and worked his way back out of the tent and into fresh air. The contrast in smells was so stark that he spent several long moments taking the clean air in.


    Jack looked around the camp again. Well, now that he knew where Madeleine was, and for sure had no idea where his axe was, he didn''t have much else to delay him from meeting with the brothers. He could probably use looking for Rose as an excuse, but he suspected they''d already spoken to her, and she''d be joining the three of them for the sit-down. At least, he hoped that was the case. The idea of entering what was probably going to be a full-blown interrogation alone wasn''t really the most appealing thought.

 Chapter 111 Meeting of the Minds Part 1

    When Jack finally made it into Farien''s room a short time later, he was surprised to find not only the two brothers, but Rose, the healer Abigail, and another older man with a broad, sun-weathered face and shoulder-length white hair that flowed into a long white beard. To Jack, he looked more than a little bit like a tan-skinned Santa Claus, if Santa was also completely made of muscle instead of fat.


    When he walked in, the conversation happened stopped, and the group of them turned their attention to his arrival.


    "Glad you could make it." Urien said, nodding to him. "Sorry to drag you in like this, but my brother and I have some questions, and some information to share, and I felt it was best we did both in private."


    "I''d honestly be surprised if you didn''t, given the recent circumstances." Jack said. "And I''m happy to provide whatever answers I can."


    "I appreciate that." Urien said, then motioned over towards Rose. "There''s a seat available next to your friend, if you prefer to sit."


    Jack walked over and took a seat next to Rose. He felt a little awkward by the tone of formality around everything so far, but said nothing. Rose, for her part, also seemed a bit on edge, though she was in some ways still as much in the dark as the others. What he couldn''t figure out, however, was why Abigail was there. Or who the buff old guy was. Since he''d walked in, the old man''s eyes had never left him, fixated with a piercing gaze that indicated there was a lot more going on with him than could be immediately assessed. Out of everyone there, he by far made Jack the most nervous.


    Once Jack was seated, Urien cleared his throat.


    "Since we now have everyone here, I think it''s proper that we make introductions." He said.


    After Jack and Rose introduced themselves, Abigail reintroduced herself.


    "I''m Abigail, chief healer for the Green Company. Since I''m sure that doesn''t fully explain my reason for being here, I will also add that Urien in my husband, and that I help run a lot of the company''s day to day." She said. "I also happen to be trained in the Druidic arts, for what it''s worth."


    The realization that Urien''s wife had been caring for him personally was strangely meaningful to Jack. There was the implication of him being valued or important that made him feel both special and a little awkward. Then he realized that Urien''s wife had seen him naked. And then things just got super uncomfortable.


    Before Jack could sit with his feelings for long, the old man, whose gaze had still never left Jack, finally spoke. His voice was deep and resonant, and seemed to fill the entire space they occupied without effort.


    "And I''m Farlo. This is, well.... was.... my mercenary company. Nowadays, I spend my time ranging while my two sons here keep things running. I don''t normally come back into camp, but at their insistence, I''ve returned because they insist I need to meet you." The old man said, locking his steely eyes with Jack''s.


    Jack swallowed hard. He had an overwhelming urge to avert his eyes, but, thinking better of it, grit his teeth and stared back, forcing his face into an expressionless mask.


    "They tell me that you can disapparate and reapparate at will, accessing some kind of armory in the process, wield magic weapons, cast high-level spells, and can apparently completely recover from wounds in a day that would kill most men dead and cripple the rest." The old man continued. "Now, hearing all of this, I think I have a pretty good idea of what you are, Jack."


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 Chapter 112 Meeting of the Minds part 2

    Jack''s heart jumped into his throat. What did the old man mean when he said he knew what Jack was? Had he been figured out already?


    Farlo appraised him, letting his words settle before continuing.


    "Now, there are only a couple possibilities fitting your description. Either you''re an agent working for one of the kingdoms, or an adventurer working for one of the top-ranking guilds. Both of those would explain the most of what I have been told." He said.


    Jack almost started a sigh of relief when Farlo continued, cutting it short.


    "But I have a hard time believing either. First, I''m on close terms with all of the guilds of note in the region, and none of them have mentioned a new recruit that can somehow wield magic and weapons with equal proficiency when I''ve enquired. Now, either one of them is keeping you a well-kept secret, or you''re not with any of them. So that likely rules that possibility out.


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    However, you''re far too conspicuous to be an agent, either. Someone working for one of the Noble Kingdoms, or the Empire, or the Magistrate... they would know better than to demonstrate unique hybrid abilities around others outside of their organization. They also, if they had any inkling of being threatened or found out, would vanish without a word or a trace. They wouldn''t just waltz into a meeting like this, happy as can be to give away all of their secrets or be interrogated in a position of weakness."


    Farlo locked eyes with Jack, who was squirming uncomfortably.


    "So tell me, Jack... just what, exactly, are you?"


    Jack''s mind was racing. What could he say? There was no obvious or even reasonable explanation that he could give that they would believe. And what if he told them the truth? First, he''d be opening himself up to all sorts of risks if it turned out they weren''t actually people to be trusted. And second, what are the odds of them actually believing him even if he did tell them? How on earth would any person in their right mind react when then heard him say "Oh, don''t mind me, I''m just the god-chosen savior of mankind teleported from another plane of existence to save you from the lord of darkness. Oh, and you see this red-skinned girl here? She''s part of the hand-selected sex harem I wished for. How do you do?"


    But he had to say something. He couldn''t just sit here and stare at them blankly.


    He sighed. He was going to have to try and be straight with them. He would deal with the consequences, if there were any, after he was out of this situation.


    "You''re honestly not going to believe me, even if I tell you the truth." Jack said, shrugging. "But if you want the truth, here it is."


    He proceeded to recount the story of how he''d gotten to this world, and a short snapshot of his life before. He recounted his wishes while omitting the harem aspect, meeting the girls, training, the encounter with the gnolls, and their travels to rescue Eleanor. He explained how he''d come by his powers and equipment without directly telling them about Frumpkin or the Terminal, and how he''d been able to recover so quickly. Finally, he told them about his coming challenge with his rival, and what it would mean if he lost. He did what he could to be as thorough as possible, while omitting any fine details that would be truly useful for someone attempting to report back to someone wanting to do him harm.

 Chapter 113 Meeting of the Minds part 3

    After Jack finished, his words hung suspended in silence for several long moments before Urien cleared his throat.


    "Well, I have to say, that explanation was definitely not the one I was expecting." He said, after a moment''s pause. He looked at Jack. "And how am I, or are we, supposed to believe any of that is true?"


    Jack shrugged. "I don''t know what to tell you, other than I wish I had something more believable to tell you. I know what I''ve just described sounds crazy. Trust me when I say no one in this room is more painfully aware of how nuts my situation is than me." He said.


    "And for what it''s worth, I can vouch for the fact that was Jack is telling you is the truth, as hard as it may be to believe. And were Madeleine here, or our missing sister Eleanor, they would tell you the same. What reason would he, or we, have to lie about something like this?" Rose said, her face earnest.


    "And with all due respect, Rose, we want to believe you. It''s just.... so very difficult to accept." Abigail said.


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    "I have a question." Farien said, chiming in for the first time. "How is it that we manage to go undiscovered by the local gnoll tribe for months, and then as soon as you enter our camp, we get ambushed and lose most of our people? How on earth does something so convenient just happen to occur as soon as you settle down for the night away from the rest of the Company?"


    There was a look in Farien''s eyes that gave Jack the sense that he''d better choose his next words very carefully.


    Jack sighed.


    "I honestly don''t know, Farien. The only possibilities I can think of that make sense is that either they somehow managed to track me and the girls, and then tailed us to the camp with the rest of you, or it''s just the worst coincidence of all time, because I have no other explanation."


    Farien leaned forward, his eyes flaring.


    "So you expect me to think that suddenly they can track us when they haven''t been able to do so before, or that they just happened to stumble on the camp with a war party within hours of you arriving? That seems a little hard to believe, don''t you think?" He said.


    Jack found himself getting angry. They did not have time for this shit. Eleanor was still hostage, the attack had been repelled, and he himself was the one to turn the tide of the battle, according to Urien.


    "Well here''s your alternative, asshole. I coordinated an attack with the same monsters that kidnapped one of my friends and tried to **** Madeleine. For what? What could I possibly want from you? And why the fuck would I suddenly start killing a bunch of them after they started the attack? Including that one with the enchanted sword that almost killed me with a dagger through the leg, might I add."


    Rose placed her hand on his shoulder, and went to speak, but he continued over top of her, his voice rising in volume as he spoke.


    "My fucking friend is out there being held prisoner by those flea-ridden dogs and probably being raped and tortured as we speak, and instead of helping me get her back, you''re accusing ME of leading the gnolls to your camp? Well, here''s another one for you- what the fuck do you think you could do to stop me from doing it again, if you''re so certain I did it? Huh?"


    By the time Jack finished, he realized he was shouting. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before lowering his voice.


    "I don''t know how they found your camp, and I don''t care. All I want is to get my friend back. And you can believe that or not, and believe I am who I say I am, or not. I''m not interested in wasting any more time trying to convince you otherwise."

 Chapter 114 Meeting of the Minds part 4

    Farien glowered at Jack, his jaw tensed. He opened his mouth to reply, but Farlo''s voice spoke over him before he could respond.


    "I personally have no belief that you are responsible for the attack, Jack. My sons mean well, but they are not as informed as I happen to be. " He said, his face still a stoic mask. He leaned forward, and for the first time cast his glance to the others.


    "The Hounds have a new chieftain, a giant Shaman by the name of Rawgh''faz, who seems to be particularly ambitious, even by gnoll standards. Since his sudden rise to power, he has aggressively seeking to amass as much plunder as possible and expand his tribe''s influence. Several of the other tribes in the region have already been crushed or assimilated into his own, and every day his numbers are growing larger. I am not certain of his aim, but conquest certainly seems to be the direction he is heading."


    Farlo shifted, and leaned back into his chair.


    "The raiding party that attacked the camp is one of nearly half a dozen that I''ve seen in this region over the past week. It is honestly inevitable that one of them would find the camp eventually regardless, but I speculate that Jack is partly correct that they were being tailed. If they were, finding the Company would be simple enough. It''s not their fault, although it is a terribly unfortunate coincidence." He said, crossing his arms.


    "I''ve encountered this shaman you''re speaking of. First hand, actually." Jack said, clenching his jaw. "He was leading the raiding party on the town when we arrived. He and I fought briefly in the town square. He''s the one who... who took Eleanor."


    "You are lucky to still be alive, then." Farlo said. "He is frighteningly clever and powerful."


    "More so than me, it would seem." Jack said, bitterly.


    Urien glanced over at Farien, who was still fuming and glowering at Jack. He cleared his throat again.


    "Well, that addresses our largest concern. I wouldn''t think of disbelieving Father''s opinion on something like this." He looked over at Farien, and added "and I''m sure my brother feels the same."


    "Now, as far as your other explanations, I''m going to be honest and say that I find them damn near impossible to believe. But, that said, I don''t need to believe them to be able to trust you, or express my appreciation for your help. You have made it clear through your actions, based on what my Father has said, that you are an ally. And one worth having." He continued.


    "Well, I''m happy to help, in whatever way I was able to." Jack said. "Feels nice to feel like I actually managed to do something right for a change."


    "I''m grateful for that." Urien said. He glanced around to the others. "I believe we all are."


    He stood up, walked over to Jack, and offered his hand. "Thank you."


    Jack took the man''s hand and shook it, feeling more than a little awkward as he did so. "Yeah, sure. No problem." He said.


    "So now that we have that matter resolved" Urien said, returning to his seat "let''s talk about what our next courses of action are going to be. We need to get a plan in place for what''s going to happen next."


    "Rose and I and Madeleine are heading towards towards the tribe''s hideout. They have Eleanor, and I''m going to get her back." Jack said.


    "Yes, I know." Urien said. "What I want to talk to you about is how we are going to help you."


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 Chapter 115 Meeting of the Minds part 5

    "The Iron Hounds have caused us no end of grief these past years, and now they''ve nearly destroyed us. I think it''s time we return the favor and take the fight to them for a change." Urien said.


    "Are you even able to do that?" Jack asked. "You''ve lost a third of your people, and another third are too wounded to fight. I mean, don''t get me wrong, Urien, I''m grateful that you all want to help, but-"


    Urien held up his hand, and Jack fell silent.


    "Jack, are you absolutely certain you know where the Hound camp is located?" He asked.


    Jack nodded. "Yes, I am."


    "Then I appreciate your concern for us. I really do. But this was decided before you entered this room." Urien said. "We have been trying to locate it for years. Every scout sent out for that purpose has not come back. We are not going to miss out on the opportunity to repay some favors, even with our diminished numbers."


    Jack wanted to protest, but what could he say? He couldn''t point out that they''d all probably die, because they''d just point out that he''d probably end up the same. But who was he kidding? What he was planning on was functionally a suicide mission. He highly doubted that the jumps his stats had made in the last few days would be enough to overcome what could be hundreds of gnoll fighters. Yes, what he was doing was incredibly stupid, but what else could he do? He had no chance of being able to do this on his own. And like Urien just said, they weren''t doing this for him. Not really. He was actually helping them out. He didn''t like it, but he needed them as much as they needed him. And what brave hero has ever succeeded without help?


    "Then I will be glad to have your help." Jack said. "We''re gonna need all the help we can get."


    Farien glanced from Jack to his brother and back.


    "That''s fine and great, except who''s going on this suicide mission? We only have a handful of able-bodied fighters left, and I''m clearly in no place to do any fighting" He said, motioning to his arm.


    "The Company can spare about a dozen, which I will be leading." Urien said. "You will remain at camp with the wounded and the rest of our fighters."


    "A dozen men won''t even be enough to get inside their doorstep, much less defeat them." Farien snorted.


    "I will be going with them. And I''ve called in some favors from some of the regional guilds. While It won''t be a large force, it will be a competent one." Farlo said.


    "I will be going as well." Abigail chimed in.


    When she said this, Urien''s head jerked around to look at her. Seeing his expression, she smiled and raised an eyebrow.


    "What? You seriously weren''t expecting your best magic user to stay behind, were you?" She asked.


    "Abbie, no-" Urien started, but Abigail shook her head.


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    "I''m coming, and that''s final. I have as much right to kill the fleabags as you do. And besides, you''re going to need my help if you encounter casters in their numbers." She said. "So shush and say thank you."


    Urien gave her a look that equally read "God I love you" and "I really hate you right this second".


    "Well, I guess that''s settled, then." Urien said. He turned to Farlo.


    "How long until the guilds arrive?" He asked.


    "They should arrive before nightfall." Farlo said.


    "Then we have the day to prepare. Let''s hope it''s enough time."

 Chapter 116 Eleanor Meets Margsfaz

    Sometime later, after she''d rested her eyes a while, Eleanor''s recovery was interrupted by the arrival of two gnoll guards, one of whom unfastened her neck chain while the other pulled her roughly to her feet. The searing pain in her leg caused her to yelp, and when the guard pulling her up noticed the state of her limb, he grunted and threw her over his shoulder. The position was far from comfortable, and severely impaired her ability to see anything or act, but considering the alternative of being drug along on a shattered leg, she wasn''t complaining.


    The gnolls carried her through one passageway after another until they entered the familiar environment of the gnoll village. She expected that they were taking her to see the Shaman again, but to her surprise and confusion, they instead turned into the center of the village, working their way around and between huts and cooking fires until they stopped at a small hovel. The gnoll holding her knocked with his free hand, and after a moment, the door of the shack creaked open, and the two gnoll guards spoke to someone standing inside in a series of barks and snarls, before the one carrying her walked inside, and unceremoniously dropped her onto a rough cot on the left side of the one-room building. The sudden impact sent another wave of agony through her thigh, and she grit her teeth to muffle a scream.


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    The two guards said something else in their dog tongue, before walking out of the building. Closing the door behind the guards, a third gnoll pulled a latchbolt into place, and turn its attention towards Eleanor. This gnoll was much slimmer than the guards, and shorter. Instead of armor or leathers, it was draped in a myriad of patterned fabrics in striking colors, and several long earrings hung from each of its large dog ears. Its dark muzzle was also shot through with grey and white, which meant it was probably pretty old by gnoll standards. The overall effect gave her the impression of an old woman. The creature appraised Eleanor for a moment, then spoke.


    "It seems they''ve treated worse then they''ve told me." The gnoll said. Its voice was higher than the others, softer even. There was no hint of accent or distortion in their words. With her eyes closed, Eleanor would have mistaken the words for coming from a human woman. The gnoll walked over to where Eleanor lay, and folded its knees under itself as it sat down next to the cot. The creature looking over her wounds and the state of her dress, and shook its head with a sigh. "Embarrassing."


    Eleanor stared at the gnoll, uncertain of how to react, until the gnoll finally spoke again.


    "What is your name, child?" The gnoll woman asked.


    "Eleanor." Eleanor replied cautiously.


    "Hello Eleanor. Would you care for some tea?" she asked.


    Uncertain of what to expect, Eleanor nodded, and the gnoll woman rose, several of her joints popping as she did so. The woman grimaced, and cast Eleanor a glance that seemed to imply "yes, getting old is as painful as it sounds".


    The gnoll woman walked over to a kettle set over a low fire on the far side of the room, and filled a wooden cup with it before walking back and handing it to Eleanor, who gingerly shifted her position more upright to accept the cup. The tea was pungent, but when she sipped it, it tasted surprisingly sweet and spicy, and send a haze a warmth radiatting out to her limbs from her center. While she couldn''t be certain, she had a hunch there was something alchemical or magical in the tea.

 Chapter 117 Eleanor Meets Margsfaz part 2

    As if to confirm her suspicions, within moments the pain in her leg began to lessen.


    As Eleanor sipped on the tea, the gnoll woman spoke again.


    "I''m sure you''re wondering who I am, or why you''re here." She said, kneeling down next to Eleanor again.


    "You could say that." Eleanor said, meeting the woman''s gaze. To her surprise, the eyes she met were soft. Seeing someone look at her as more than a tool or a future meal made her feel more than a little uneasy.


    "Marg''faz" The woman said, in what sounded like a mixture between a bark and a snarl.


    The sudden shift in tone caused Eleanor to flinch. "I''m sorry?"


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    "My name. It''s Marg''faz." The woman responded, seemingly unruffled by Eleanor''s reaction. "You were brought here at my request. As it is now, my son does not know I am speaking to you. However, it is safe to say that when he finds out, he will put an end to it." She said.


    Eleanor furrowed her brow. "Your son?"


    "The current chieftain of our clan. I believe you''re.... well-acquainted." Marg''faz said, glancing across Eleanor''s body and grimacing. "Females are forbidden from chieftainship in our clan, or else we would not be having this conversation in a hovel instead of the throne room. I thankfully have enough respect to give some of the guards orders without being questioned, at least."


    The thought that this gnoll woman was the mother of the monster she''d fought before and suffered under made Eleanor queasy. It also put her at huge amounts of risk. Sure, she seemed unthreatening, perhaps and kind, and seemed to want discretion, but how did she know this being wouldn''t just sell her out later, or wasn''t trying to treat her better to make her more compliant? All of this set her internally on guard, and shored up her mental defenses against the strange feeling of trustworthiness she felt emanating off of Marg''faz.


    "He and I have.... differing opinions about the direction of the clan''s actions, and treatment of other races in general. But, that''s not important now. What''s important now is tending to these wounds of yours." The gnoll woman continued. She rose with another chorus of cracks and creaks, and walked over to a cabinet on the wall, which she opened and began taking various pouches, bottles, and other items out of and setting them on the floor of the hut near the bed.


    Tending her wounds? No, there was no way things were going to be this simple. Then again, the gnolls had kept her in perfect health before she was attacked. If that is really what was about to happen, she could not believe her luck. Her recovery was the only major hurdle to her escape, and her she was about it have it completely removed without having to figure out all of the sigils and incantations and acquire all of the components.


    Something about this was far too good to be true.


    "Lie back and raise your dress, dear." The gnoll woman said, picking up a brown bottle.


    "Why are you healing me?" Eleanor asked, looking Marg''faz in the eyes. "There''s no reason for me to be well to serve your son''s purposes, and you have just said yourself if he found out we were even talking he''d put an end to it. What''s your purpose for helping me?"


    "Keep your voice down, girl." Marg''faz said, her voice a low snarl as her ears twitched around for a moment before she seemed to be satisfied that no one had been listening in.


    "I am helping you because I want your help with something in return. And if you''re in not in any position to want to refuse my request, all the better." Marg''faz said simply. "Now lie back, please."

 Chapter 118 Eleanor Meets Margsfaz part 3

    For a moment, Eleanor didn''t know how to proceed. Here was someone who didn''t present themselves as an immediate threat trying to take care of her, and speaking negtively about those who''d hurt her. But this person was also the mother of the Shaman who''d beaten and abused her, and she had no way of knowing if this strange gnoll woman could be trusted.


    But what choice did she have? If she refused, what would Marg''faz do to her? Would the old woman just summon the guards and have her hauled back to her chain post, or would something far worse happen? And what if the chieftain found out about their meeting? What would he do to her then? The odds of something bad happening were high, and the odds of something working out in any way favorable were pretty much non-existent.


    On the other hand, she could accept the old woman''s aid, in whatever form it took, and use it to her advantage while hoping the old woman''s request was not worse than the alternative of wounds and bondage. The worst that could happen is that Marg''faz would sell her out after treating her. But that wouldn''t make a lot of sense unless the sole purpose was for the chieftain''s pleasure. She wouldn''t put it past the monster, but even in spite of his cleverness, she doubted he''d be that sophisticated in his torture methods. And honestly, what could happen to her that she''d not already experienced already?


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    Next worst option would be that Marg''faz would demand something horrifying in return. But what could she ask for that Eleanor wouldn''t accept and do if it meant her escape? Nothing could be too grotesque to not be worth having her freedom again.


    The last alternative was that Marg''faz was in some way genuinely good, and was helping out of benevolence, and would only ask for Eleanor''s help with something reasonable, but otherwise not possible without her.


    Weighing all of this, it seemed that there really was no true downside to saying yes to the woman''s request.


    "Alright. What do you want from me?" She asked.


    Marg''faz looked at Eleanor, and the posture of her face shifted into what was probably meant to be a smile.


    "Excellent. I will be glad for your help. But, before we get into the details of what I will need you for, we need to get your leg and other injuries sorted. Once again, lie back, please."


    Laying back onto the cot and shifting her position, Eleanor stared up at the ceiling as she gingerly walked the hem of her battered dress up with her fingertips, until it up to her upper thigh and past the point of the break. Marg''faz shifted her postion so that she was leaning over Eleanor''s body, and she seemed to take sudden intense interest in Eleanor''s leg, which she leaned in closer to inspect.


    "Well, you''ve been working faster than I expected." Marg''faz said simply, casting Eleanor a sideways glance.


    Looking down, Eleanor''s heart nearly stopped when she saw the written spell formulae temporarily marked on the insides of her thighs were clearly visible. Oh god, she hadn''t even been thinking about that! How could she have forgotten? The sudden realization that she''d accidentally just given away her entire plan of escape set her into a light-headed panic as her breath came quickly and she had the overwhelming urge to try and run away.


    "Breathe, girl. There is no need for alarm." Marg''faz said simply, her eyes meeting Eleanor''s. "Who do you suppose instructed the cooks to leave the bowl and spoon behind?"

 Chapter 119 Eleanor Meets Margsfaz part 4

    Eleanor''s eyes widened, but before she could respond, Marg''faz gently but firmly placed her hand on Eleanor''s shoulder and pushed her back flat, seemingly oblivious to the temperature of her skin.


    "I know you want answers, but answers can come shortly. I don''t know how much time we will have, and I need to move quickly if I am going to get you back in shape." The gnoll woman said.


    She reached down beside herself, picked up a clear glass vial that contained a bright red fluid, and popped the cork.


    "I trust you know how healing potions work." She said, handing it to Eleanor.


    Eleanor grabbed the vial and tilted the contents into her mouth. The fluid tasted strongly of fruit and alcohol, as well as other flavors that she recognized from her alchemy classes, but couldn''t name by memory. As she swallowed, she felt a radiant glow shift throughout her body, setting all of her nerve endings alight with electric tingles. Glancing down, she could see the bruises on her arms and legs fading, and the various cuts starting to close. Whatever she''d just taken, it was clearly better than a typical Cure Light Wounds potion.


    As the tingles began to subside, Marg''faz pulled the stopper on another bottle, this one pale white and opaque. She leaned over and poured a small amount of a thick, white-ish fluid from the bottle into Eleanor''s steaming mug of tea.


    "That''ll be for mending that leg of yours. You don''t have to drink it yet, but soon as you do, you will be returning to your holding room. I can promise you that by tomorrow, you will be right as rain. I can also promise you that the process will be miserably painful, and you will likely not get any sleep." Marg''faz said simply. "But there is no other way afforded to us right now."


    "I could mend it instantly myself if you could provide me with the right components." Eleanor said. "Assuming you have them."


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    Marg''faz shook her head.


    "I am sure you could, but look here" She said, pointing and drawing Eleanor''s gaze up to the mantle above the doorway into the hovel. There, set in the center of the lintelpiece was an elaborate ward circle carved into the wood, set directly next to another of similar design. Both ward circles glowed faintly in differing colors, flickering faint as candlelight. "I''m sure a mage as clever as you can make them out."


    Eleanor didn''t need long to gather the general import of the two sigils. The first was a Ban of Gifts, set to work on a given radius. While she couldn''t make out all of the details at this distance, the general complexity of the design and density of magic script told her it was a fairly powerful one. Anyone within the radius of the Ban would be unable to utilize any type of magic without first overcoming it. The one next to it was a Ban of Passage, which typically prevented certain things or being from entering or exiting an area. Most were set to prevent exit or entry entirely, although there were plenty of other uses that didn''t so much prevent access as they caused a certain effect, such as pain. This one''s complexity matched that of the other sigil, and its effect was quite plain. Whoever the Ban was linked to would die instantly if they left the hovel.


    Eleanor looked at Marg''faz, and the gnoll woman raised an eyebrow.


    "My son is the one who put those up to keep me from opposing his rule. Do you see now why I might perhaps want your help?"

 Chapter 120 Something Lost, Something Gained

    "Before we wrap this up, have any of you seen my axe? It''s disappeared since my fight with the champion, and I can''t seem to find it anywhere." Jack said.


    "Yes, I am aware." Urien said, nodding. "And unfortunately, now that you remind me, I have some bad news for you."


    He got up and walked to the far side of the room, and picked up something off of the table there. Then something else. And then another object. All at once, Jack felt a horrible sinking sensation in his gut.


    Urien walked back over and had a seat in his wooden chair, setting a long bundle wrapped in dark cloth on the floor beside him. In front of him on his lap was another bundle, which he untied and folded out in front of him on the floor. Rose gasped, and covered her mouth.


    There, in the center of the dark fabric, were the pieces of Jack''s axe. The head and perhaps a foot and a half of the handle made up one piece, the wood ending in a near perfectly clean cut that matched the cut on the handle it''d been severed from perfectly. His heart dropped into his stomach. It was destroyed. Another one of his wishes destroyed, just like that. Try as he might, he couldn''t help the tears that started to well up in his eyes.


    "I''m sorry, Jack. We found it like this next to you when you were rescued." Urien said, seeing the emotion on Jack''s face. "While I don''t know for sure, as clean as the cut is, and the way the champion fell, it was probably severed by its sword when it tried to parry your final strike. I had our smiths look at it. No one here has the skill to mend it, if it can even be mended."


    Jack buried his face into his palm, wiping the moisture out of them and sighing heavily.


    "Well, at least I know where it is." He said, reaching out and pulling the bundle over to him.


    "But, before you despair, I have something for you. We might not be able to fix your weapon, but we can at least give you something to replace it."


    He reached down and picked up the long bundle beside him, and set it in his lap before unwrapping it end first. As the wrapping fell away, he saw it was the scabbard of a sword. Looking it over, Jack recognized the flowery hilt of the Gnoll Champion''s curved sword.


    "Before you say anything, know that we in the Green Company have a rule that the possessions of anything a company member kills is the property of that member, no questions asked. You are not a member of the Green Company, but considering the circumstances, it doesn''t seem appropriate to add an enchanted blade like this to our common armory when it clearly belongs to you." Urien said.


    Jack reached out and took the scabbard from Urien''s hand, and brought it closer to his eyes. Where the ornate hilt work had been beautiful at a distance, up close, the level of intricacy and detail was staggering. Each petal and leaf had individual seams and veins, and there were even a few that were shaped and burnished in such a way to show signs of starting to wilt. As he placed his hand on the weapon''s handle, he couldn''t help but feel a faint throbbing hum of magical energy bound inside. He didn''t have to be a genius to know what he was holding was something special.


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    Jack looked at the weapon again, and back to the brother. He was almost too flabbergasted to speak. Finally, after a moment, he finally managed to get out "Thank you, Urien. This is really more than I could ever ask for."

 Chapter 121 Something Lost, Something Gained part 2

    "Please, take it." Urien said, holding up his hand. "We''re happy to help."


    Jack slowly drew the sweeping blade from its scabbard. It felt abnormally light as he did so, as if it were made out of something like a lighter aluminum, rather than iron or steel. As it left the sheath and settled into his hand, he couldn''t shake the sensation that the blade felt almost alive. Looking along the blade length, he noticed for the first time the faint rippling lines in the blade. It looked a bit like the old Damascus steel blades he''d read about when he was studying medieval history.


    After a moment, he slid the blade back out of sight, and set about fastening the scabbard to his belt.


    "Now that that''s taken care of, we have preparations to make." Urien said. He turned to Farien.


    "Since you will be staying behind, and will have the sick and wounded to look after, hand-pick the fighters you want to stay with the camp. Whatever twelve you don''t select will be coming with us. Does that seem fair to you?" He said.


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    Farien nodded. "If your mind is made up to go, then then I can accept that."


    "Good. That being the case, get started. The sooner you''ve sorted out who is coming, the longer we will have to prep and plan." Urien replied.


    "Got it." Farien said, standing. He nodded to Jack and the others before walking out of the room.


    After the fur flap dropped behind him, Urien turned to Farlo and asked "What guild help can we expect?"


    "Hard to say for sure. Best case scenario, the Circle of Seven, House Pendragon, and the Stout Brothers should all be present, as well as some lesser guilds and freelancers. Worst case scenario, half that. Maybe even less. We won''t know until they arrive for sure." Farlo replied.


    "That''s not particularly reassuring." Urien said, grimacing.


    "Most adventurers only care for fame, fortune, and fornication. It''s hard to get a firm commitment from them when none of the three can be readily expected from whatever they''re being asked to do." Farlo said.


    "Well, let''s hope some of them are motivated by something greater, then." Abigail said.


    "So, how can we help? You know, besides the obvious." Jack asked.


    "Abbie and I will handle the Company'' preparations, and Father will handle guild matters. The best thing you can do is to make whatever personal preparations you deem necessary before the coming fight. We will be ready to depart at dawn tomorrow. If you have any other special advantages or allies we don''t know about, now would be the time to get them in order." Urien said.


    "Alright." Jack said, nodding. He wasn''t really sure what else he could bring to the table, but a visit to the Terminal would be in order, at the very least.


    Urien stood, helping Abigail to her feet. The two of them departed through the fur-covered doorway, leaving Jack and Rose alone with Farlo, who was appraising Jack with a peculiar expression that made Jack uncomfortable.


    After a moment, Farlo shifted in his seat, leaning back into the chair with a casualness that he''d not displayed previously in front of the others. After he did so, his face shifted into a wide grin.


    "I gotta say, Jack. You''re not exactly what I expected. The previous heros of legend were a lot more... heroic looking." He said.


    Jack started, and he stared at Farlo. "I''m sorry, what?"


    Farlo grinned even wider. "So, how is old Frumpkin doing these days? Is he still as big an asshole as ever?"

 Chapter 122 Something Lost, Something Gained part 3

    Jack stared at the man, slack-jawed, uncertain of how to react. He had anticipated multiple different outcomes, but someone knowing exactly what he was, and about Frumpkin specifically, was not among them.


    Seeing Jack''s reaction, Farlo laughed and held up his hands.


    "Your secret''s safe with me, kid. Don''t worry. I''m firmly on the side of good, believe me." He said.


    "But, how...? How do you..." Jack stammered, trying to regain some sense of composure.


    "How do I know about Frumpkin, or what you actually are? That''s pretty easy, actually. I was a party member of his when he was going through his own challenge. I''ve also, unsuccessfully, tried to help some of the other people who''ve tried to fill your role before you, but as you can guess, that hasn''t gone so well." Farlo said. "He and I keep in touch, and he mentioned a new hero has entered the world not far from me. Most of your type have a hard time keeping a low profile, so I suspected it''d only be a matter of time before you made yourself too obvious to miss. Though, to your credit, it took longer than I expected to find you, even while looking. You''ve done well to keep your head down thus far."


    "I wish I could say that''s because I''ve been smart enough to know better, but honestly, I''ve just spent most of my time away from other people since I''ve been here." Jack said.


    "There''s nothing wrong with that. It''s better to keep your head down and work in privacy than it is to immediately announce your presence to the world and demand attention. That attention-seeking is the thing that gets most of you hero types killed." Farlo replied.


    "I gotta say, I really wasn''t expecting to encounter someone who knows what I am without me saying anything." Jack said.


    "I can imagine." Farlo said. "But don''t fret about it. There are some of us out there, though not many. And most of us are on your side."


    "So what happens next? Are you going to tell the rest of them what''s actually going on?" Jack asked.


    "Not if you don''t want me to. You''re the only one with that right, as far as I am concerned. You''ve told them enough for them to have a clear idea that you are not normal, come from another world, and have powers that most others dont have. That''s more than enough, as far as I am concerned. I would keep the finer points, including your ultimate purpose, to yourself, at least for now. I personally believe my sons to be trustworthy beyond reproach, and I could say the same about Abigail and many of the Company, but discretion, especially until you have truly grown in power, is paramount. You can always give them more information later, but you can never take back something you''ve shared, so be careful. Understand?" Farlo said.


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    "Understood." Jack said, nodding.


    "Now, I''m going to make my own preparations. I suggest you follow Urien''s advice about getting any new advantages or calling in allies. Once we depart, you''re not going to have the privacy to be able to disappear without drawing attention." Farlo said, standing and walking towards the exit. Before he walked out of the room, he turned and added "Oh, and for what it''s worth, Frumpkin used to talk about being able to sell magical items he obtained, even broken ones, in wherever he used to go. While your axe may be broken, you might be able to trade it for something else. Just a thought."


    And without another word, he departed, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts.

 Chapter 123 Preparing for Departure

    It took Jack several long moments to wrap his head around what had just happened and get back to reality. He could only hope that Farlo was as he said, and had no ill intents towards him. Nothing he could do about it now besides pay very close attention.


    Leaving the cave, his first order of business was to find Rose and relay what had just occurred. He pulled her off into the woods a short distance from the camp and told her what Farlo had said, and her eyes widened.


    "He worked with Frumpkin? But how-" She started.


    "I don''t know. But we need to be careful. I trust he means us no harm, but what he knows could expose us to things we''re not prepared to deal with if that information falls into the wrong hands. So be careful what you do and say." Jack said.


    Rose nodded earnestly. "Of course. I wouldn''t think of doing otherwise." She said.


    "I know." Jack said, smiling.


    The next task was to check on Madeleine. He entered the medical tent and managed to wheeze his way through the eye-watering stench until his nose acclimated. When he made it to the back corner of the tent, Madeleine was awake, sitting propped up by a couple pillows while a healer spoon-fed her some stew out of a wooden bowl. She was still pale, and a faint shimmer of sweat hung on her browline, but she looked healthier than he''d last seen her. When Jack approached, her glance shot his direction, and when she saw it was him, her expression brightened slightly. She said something to the healer, who nodded and rose, bowing her head gently to Jack as she passed.


    "Hey Maddie." Jack said, looking down at her.


    "Hey. You''re alive." She said. "I''m glad."


    "I could say the same about you. How are you feeling?" He asked, plopping down beside her cot.


    "Terrible." Madeleine said flatly.


    "I can imagine. You look terrible." Jack replied, smirking.


    "Thanks." Maddy said, pouting.


    "I want to let you know that we''re moving on the gnoll encampment tomorrow. Urien and some of the fighters, as well as some guild adventurers are apparently going to help." Jack said. "We''re leaving at dawn."


    "I''m coming with you." She said.


    "No, you''re not." Jack said bluntly.


    "I''m coming with you. You can''t stop me." Madeleine said, her expression hard.


    Jack met her gaze, the softness fading from his face.


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    "You so sure about that?" He said. The voice that came out when he said the words was not one he recognized as his own. It sounded older, harder. "You''re not even able to feed yourself. And you''re sick because of being almost raped by goblins. That''s not a situation you''re going to end up in again, sick or not. I won''t allow it. I can barely keep you safe as it is, and I''m not about to lose another one of you. You''re staying put, and that''s final. Do you understand?"


    Madeleine''s expression was difficult to read. After a moment, she looked away, her jaw clenched in frustration. "Fine."


    "Good. I hope you do get it. Because I really don''t want to have to explain to Farien why I''ve chained you to this cot if you don''t" Jack said, standing. He looked down at the frowning girl in front of him.


    "I tell you what- after we return from this raid-"


    "You mean ''if''" Maddy interjected.


    "After we return from this raid" Jack continued, ignoring her comment, "I''ll make this up to you. However you want. That fair?"


    Madeleine looked at him, her expression unreadable. Slowly, an unsettling grin spread across her face.


    "Oh, you definitely will." She said, nodding.

 Chapter 124 Preparing For Departure part 2

    After a few more moments with Madeleine, Jack set about making whatever other preparations he could make. That meant a trip to the Terminal.


    It took him a bit of effort to get away from the encampment without drawing any obvious attention or being tracked by the outlying guards, but when he was finally sure he was alone, Jack put the small golden whistle the Terminal had given him between his lips and blew.


    As soon as the whistle sounded, Jack felt himself being pulled and folded inside out in what could easily be labeled as the most bizarre and unpleasant feeling he''d ever experienced. Then, seemingly instantly, he popped into the air a few feet above the polished marble floor in the Repository, not far from the Terminal''s outstretched hand.


    Looking around, everything seemed as he remembered it, although there was a distinct lack of Frumpkin. While he logically knew Frumpkin wouldn''t always be surrounding him due to his other duties as a deity, the space did feel oddly empty without him there.


    Jack walked to the Terminal and activated it, receiving the now familiar greeting from it before it displayed his notifications screen.


    Right at the top a flashing notification read "1 unread message".


    With a command, the Terminal opened it, and Jack read:


    "New user function available- [Inventory Management]


    Within the Inventory Management function, a user can store items and currency in the Repository for safe-keeping, and withdraw them at any time via Terminal access.


    While within Inventory Management, a User can also see all pertinent information about items, their magical or alchemical properties (if any), and their relative base value in the world.


    For convenience, Users may also sell items stored in the Repository directly into the Terminal''s shop database for 65% of their given real-world value in currency, or transfer items to other individuals with access to the Terminal directly."


    It seemed odd to him that the Terminal hadn''t offered this option from the get-go, since it''d offered him all other aspects of the shop service. Maybe it was designed to only give him access to things at a specific time, or when specific circumstances occurred. That''s the only thing that could make it make sense in his head.


    And what was this about sending items to other people with access to the Terminal? Who else had access to it, besides Frumpkin? Were there other users of it in the world with him that he wasn''t aware of? It was puzzling, and made him uneasy. He''d have to come back and dig into that later when he wasn''t pressed for time.


    Opening the Inventory Management function for the first time, Jack was greeted by a familiar menu setup that reminded him a lot of old RPGs like Ultima. The paper doll version of himself from the Injury Treatment function was there on the left, and on the right were a bunch of pixel art boxes, each of which contained something that he owned. There was his armor, his personal items, his broken axe, his new sword, the amulet around his neck, and some other odds and ends. There at the end he saw a small black shape he didn''t recognize. When he had the Terminal enlarge the image, it showed the small black figurine of a knight he''d gotten from Madeleine. He''d completely forgotten he even had that. Selecting the item in the inventory brought up a small display window of the item''s various properties:


    "[Figurine of Power (Black Knight)]


    Rarity: [Uncommon]


    Aura: [Strong Transmutation]


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    Base Value: [3000 gold]


    Command Word: [Kilcoin]


    Function: [Containing the spiritual essence of a knight, this Figurine of Power, when activated by the Command Word, will summon the avatar of a knight renowned for his bravery in battle. In all respects and abilities, this avatar is equivalent to a 2nd-level Human Fighter, and when summoned is equipped with a longsword, half-plate mail, and a heavy wooden shield, with which he is proficient. As with all Figurines of Power, the summoned avatar views the possessor of the Figurine as their oathsworn master, and will follow any instructions give to them to the best of their understanding and ability, so long as the command does not actively opposed the avatar''s alignment. A summoned avatar will persist for 24 hours or until it has taken damage sufficient to dispel it. Once it has run out of time or been dispelled, the Figurine will be rendered inactive for a period of one week before it will become usable again.]"

 Chapter 125 Preparing For Departure part 3

    Jack couldn''t believe his luck. This would be a huge help in the coming conflict, if he was reading this right. He glanced down at his leg. Having known about this earlier may have kept him from getting almost killed in the last fight. Then again, if he used it then, he wouldn''t be able to use it in the next engagement they had coming, so perhaps it was for the best he''d not known until now.


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    Clicking out of the item''s Inventory Management window, he brought up the window for his axe. There, in the center of the screen, was his old friend, now in two pieces. Having looked at it now, he realized for the first time that he''d never actually seen what its stats were, or if it had any special abilities. Looking things over, he saw that it was called a [+1 Rending Battleax], and in addition to being able to harm non-corporeal entities and do additional damage to enemies, it also had a knack for tearing through any non-organic object its blade came in contact with.


    It made sense, really. He''d noticed that carving into gnoll armor seemed abnormally easy when he was using it. He was going to miss that.


    Looking over the menu, he was faced with two options:


    [Repair]- Restore this item to its original state for 2500 gold.


    [Sell] - Exchange this damaged item for 2500 gold in Terminal credit.


    Looking at the two options, he knew which one he wanted to select. His trusty axe had been with him through so much thus far, and it seemed wrong to get rid of it after all of that, even though it was no longer usable. But he did not have 2500 gold, and he had no idea how he would get it.


    Well, he COULD sell the Figurine of Power he had, or the new sword he''d just been given. He mulled over both options. The Figurine of Power was just too useful to pass up, so he ruled that one out. The question was if the flower-hilted blade was any better than his axe. If it was, it would make no sense for him to sell it to repair a less-good weapon, no matter how sentimental he was about it.


    He selected the sword''s inventory card, and it displayed up in front of him.


    "[Harrowbloom (Mythril Scimitar)]


    Rarity: [Unique]


    Aura: [Extreme Transmutation, Moderate Necromancy]


    Base Value: [35,000 gold]


    Function:


    [Forged in the Second Age by Elven master smiths, Harrowbloom is a +2 Keen Dueling Mythril Scimitar wielded by Feanor the Blessed as he defeated the Dark Lord Halderghast at the end of the Second Age. In addition to being a masterwork blade, Harrowbloom is infused with a fragment of Feanor''s spirit, granting the wielder additional Prowess and Perception in combat so long as they possess the drawn blade in hand. This benefit lasts for a duration of 30 minutes within a span of 24 hours, after which blade''s spirit is drained of power and must recharge in the scabbard for an uninterrupted period of 24 hours before being usable again. While inert, Harrowbloom functions in all respects like a standard +2 Keen Dueling Mythril Scimitar. This 30 minute period can be extended by slaying creatures of evil alignment, with each kill extending the lifespan of the spirit''s energy by 2 minutes."


    Jack''s eyes widened as he read the weapon''s description. It was somehow even more unique and powerful than he''d expected. It''s no wonder the Gnoll Champion had been so difficult for him to face. He suddenly felt more than a little guilty. If Urien had known the kind of weapon he was holding, would he have still given it to him?


    Jack shoved those feelings aside. It didn''t matter. That sword was his now, and with it he now had a much better chance of saving Eleanor.


    He went back to the inventory card for his broken axe, and hesitated for one final moment before he selected the "Exchange" option.


    "Goodbye, old friend." He said, giving the command.

 Chapter 126 Preparing For Departure part 4

    With a faint chime, the small gold counter in the top right of the Terminal''s display jumped up 2500 gold while the small icon of his broken axe vanished from the inventory screen.


    Now that he had some gold to work with, he could start looking in the shop and see what he could purchase with his new-found wealth. Maybe a magic item or two, and some other supplies. At this point, anything was better than nothing.


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    Opening the shop interface in the Terminal, he was immediately greeted with an unfamiliar window that popped up in the middle of the screen. The advertisement flickered and shimmered, proclaiming in shining gold letters "Super Item Lottery Extravaganza! Win Rare and Unique Prizes!"


    Directly below the proclamation was a small marquee that showed four levels of lottery ticket available- Copper, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Copper tickets were 100 gold apiece, and each rank increased by 10 times the previous value so that Platinum tickets were valued at an eye-watering 10,000 gold.


    The advert triggered two immediate reactions in Jack''s head almost simultaneously. The first was a near overwhelming desire to play it. The second that followed immediately after was the near PTSD-level trauma of every Gatcha game he''d ever wasted endless money on trying to randomly obtain the item or character he really wanted. After this last "waifu collector" he''d gotten addicted to to the point of not being able to afford food, he''d sworn off "loot boxes" entirely.


    Not letting himself be tempted by the gambling trigger, he closed the pop-up. Maybe he''d allow himself a Copper Ticket after he''d spent the rest of his gold. Maybe.


    Now, what to spend his money on?


    He needed to focus on what was most important first. Nothing fancy. Just the most essential things. That was probably going to be hard for him.


    The first thing it occurred to him to get were some potions. He''d neglected getting them up to this point, largely out of a combination of ego and ignorance, even with all of his years of chugging health potion after health potion in MMOs and tabletops. He wasn''t about to make that same mistake again.


    Opening the Alchemical Goods section of the shop, he selected the two available health potions and added them to his purchase list. They were the second lowest tier, and cost 100 gold apiece. While they probably wouldn''t mend bones or other serious injuries, they''d definitely patch all of the lesser wounds he suffered, and that would probably be enough. He also also bought the single available Potion of Vigor for 100 gold as well. Based on the description, it would restore physical energy drained by fatigue, exhaustion, or magic use. Considering he expected to be in combat for a while, the ability to be able to elongate his effectiveness and increase his magic usage would be ideal.


    Looking through the potions list, he considered the rest of the available stock, but ultimately passed on them. The ability to temporarily buff his attributes would helpful, but even the cheapest one ran for several hundred gold and only promised a duration of a few minutes. The others would grant him unique single-use abilities like flight or fire breath, but these were even more expensive still. While he had 2200 gold left, that wasn''t much, relatively speaking. He had to be careful with how he spent it if he was going to get the most value out of it.


    The only one he hesitated on was the Potion of Fire Immunity. But after a moment of wrestling himself out of fantasyland, he passed on that as well. He could come back to after he was a successful hero, not before.


    Next, he navigated to the magic items list, and began perusing what was available. As expected, even with 2200 gold, a lot of what was available sat out of his price range. However, when he reached one item priced at 1000 gold, he froze in place, and without a second though spent the gold and added it to his list.

 Chapter 127 Preparing For Departure part 5

    With another faint chime, the 1000 gold vanished from his reserves, and the cloak on his shoulders vanished. A moment later, with a flash and a rustle of fabric, the dark green wool was replaced by a deep red cloak trimmed and patterned with gold. Reaching down and grabbing the edge of the cloak and pulling it up in front of him, he willed it to harden. Immediately the cloak seized in place, forming a hard, shield-like barrier. Reaching over and knocking on the hardened cloak with his free hand, it clanged with a reverberating sound like it was made of steel. With another thought, he left go of the cloak hem, and it immediately fell back into limp fabric, swishing gently behind him.


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    Shield Cloaks were always one of his favorite items in the tabletop games he used to play. They gave the wearer all sorts of options for self-protection, without the limitations or weight of a regular shield. All you had to do was will the cloak to harden, and it would become hard as steel in whatever shape you currently had it in, without the weight. Now granted, they were simultaneously a lot more expensive than a standard shield, and also a lot less durable despite being magical. But that didn''t matter. He now finally had a means to protect himself against blows he couldn''t deflect with his weapon, and even if he only managed to prevent one or two of those before the cloak was destroyed, it''d be more than worth its cost in gold. His last fight had shown him just how vulnerable he was to harm despite his skills. The best thing he could do right now would be to make sure he didn''t leave himself nearly as defenseless as he had been.


    Next came a hardened steel breastplate for 200 gold, which he used to replace the leather chestplate of his current armor. It wasn''t a significant upgrade, but would be far more effective at keeping enemy weapons out of his vital organs. He also tried on several helmets, but nothing he tried felt right. Eventually he settled on just forgoing proper head protection and using the hood of his Shield Cloak. It wasn''t the best, but after some thinking, he decided that with the other equipment and abilities at his disposal, if an enemy could land a clean hit on his head, that same enemy would be just as likely to be able to kill him with the helmet on as without. So it made sense to focus on not doing anything to hamper his own abilities, no matter how practical the reason may be.


    That left him 1000 gold to work with. Not seeing any other items he could afford that interested him, he closed out of the shop console, and switched over to the skill tree. Now that he had decent money to work with, he looked through to find the picks that would give him the greatest benefit for the least cost. After a few minutes flicking through options, he finally settled on a few that seemed like they''d be the best.


    [Magical Aptitude I] cost 500 gold and decreased the drain that his spells would put on his body by a small percentage. It wouldn''t be a huge boost, but would mean an additional spell or two before he would be tapped out, which could mean life or death in the coming fight.


    He also picked up [Weapon Focus: Scimitar] for 250 gold. While he instinctively knew how to use Harrowbloom due to his Martial Weapon Proficiency ability, it made sense for him to gain any additional prowess in its use that he could, and if it stacked with the spirit bonus contained within the blade, all the better.

 Chapter 128 Preparing For Departure part 6

    With 250 gold left, he bought a few Magic Missile scrolls for 50 gold apiece that he slid in to his belt. While maybe not the most efficient usage of his remaining gold, having additional combat spells he wouldn''t have to spend any of his magic on would be a huge boon.


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    He then settled on a Copper Lottery Ticket for the last hundred gold. He was more than a little curious as to what kind of thing he could win, and 100 gold was too little to buy much else of use. He navigated to the lottery screen in the shop, and selected the Copper Lottery Ticket. When he did so, the last 100 gold vanished, and the Terminal screen was replaced by a floating spinning wheel with different things marked on different sections. Most of the sections were marked with different amounts of currency, mostly lower than 100 gold, with a few higher. There were also about a dozen panels marked with different item names, like healing potions or bits of armor, as well as silver and gold panels that were much smaller than the others and showed magic items. The smallest of all was a narrow black sliver that was marked with nothing but a single silver question mark.


    Following the prompt next to the wheel, Jack reached out and grabbed onto the wheel, which felt surprisingly solid, and gave it a hard spin. It whirred into a rainbow-colored blur with a rapid clicking sound. It spun for a solid 20 seconds before it began to slow, the clicks coming further and further apart until the disk finally clicked to a halt.


    There, right in the center of the tiny black sliver, stood the wheel''s selector needle.


    Before Jack could even process if this was a good thing or a bad thing, the Wheel disappeared with a blast of confetti and a blast of trumpets, and was replaced by a small, floating black box that hovered in slow, rhythmic circles above the palm of the Terminal pedestal.


    Curious, he walked over and reached out for the small box, which dropped gently into his hands as he did so. The box shook softly, before it popped out with a small fanfare and a jet of colored light.


    There, in the bottom of the box, were two rolled up pieces of parchment.The first, when unfurled, indicated it was a free ticket for for the Silver Lottery. The second one, somehow even better than the first, was a ticket for a free random 10 point Attribute increase through the Terminal.


    Jack''s jaw dropped. Well. THAT was lucky.


    Feeling flush from his sudden unexpected luck, he immediately rushed to the lottery screen again and spent the Silver ticket. A wheel similar to the first popped up, and Jack eagerly grabbed the wheel and gave it a hard spin. To his disappointment, however, it landed on one of the standard magic item prizes. The wheel vanished, leaving a small silver cube resting in the palm of the Terminal pedestal.


    Puzzled and more than a little deflated, he picked the small item up, and opened the Inventory Management function to examine it. The menu display told him it was an [Arrow Magnet]. Apparently if he threw out on the ground next to him, it would attract all arrows and other missile projectiles fired in his direction until it was destroyed or a minute elapsed, whichever came first.


    It was definitely useful, if a bit situational, he thought. He shrugged and put the cube into one of the leather pouches on his belt. It could certainly get him out of a pinch in the right situation.

 Chapter 129 Preparing For Departure part 7

    Unrolling the Random Attribute Boost ticket, he examined it closer. According to the script on the ticket, the boost would be instant and permanent, and not count as part of the 100 point purchase limit in the Terminal.


    As strange as it seemed, his first instinct at this point wasn''t to use it, but to instead sell it for gold for more equipment and items. Something like this had to be worth a big stack of gold, and when he thought about it, there was only really about a 50% chance of him getting a boost in an Attribute that would be even slightly helpful in the upcoming confrontation. Abilities and items, however, would always be useful.


    To his mild disappointment, however, on the back of the ticket in small golden script near the bottom it informed him that it "has no gold value and is not for resale".


    So much for that, then. Guess he''d better hope his luck would hold.


    With a command, he spent the Attribute Boost Ticket and watched as his Status menu popped up. To his disappointment, his Persona Attribute jumped 10 points, functionally doubling its value. He should be grateful for being able to get his hands on something this useful and rare, but unless he suddenly had a way of talking the gnolls into just giving up out of nowhere, he wasn''t really sure how having a higher Persona was going to help him right now.


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    Who knows? Maybe it had some other benefits that weren''t obvious to him. Frumpkin had said that the changes would be most dramatic at lower values, so maybe he''d just gained some new latent abilities he wasn''t aware of. Not likely. But he could hope, right?


    He closed out of the Terminal, and with another blow of the golden whistle, felt himself folded inside out again before he popped back into reality in the woods some distance outside the camp. To his surprise, it was already heading towards evening from the look of things. Had he really been gone that long? From his perception, he''d only been gone about 30 minutes, if that. Maybe time flowed differently between the dimensions? If that was the case, he would need to keep that in mind. It would be very much of a problem if he expected to be back in a few minutes, only to return hours later.


    It took him a moment to get his bearings. Once he figured out where he was, he set off towards the camp. When he arrived, whole area was alive with activity. Several makeshift smithies had been set up to one side of the clearing, and several smiths pounded away at various weapons and pieces of armor, working them into shape for the coming fight. As he watched, one of them took the piece of steel they were shaping and thrust it into a barrel full of water, sending a jet of steam into the air with a harsh hiss.


    Cooks stirred several large cauldrons over makeshift cooking circles, doling out spoonfuls to a line of bodies waiting for food. Scattered in the midst of the familiar green-clad members of the Company, nearly two dozen new faces stood, clad in various colors and styles of armor and dress. Probably members of the various adventuring guilds that Farlo had called in. There were far more here than he''d expected. The sight of so many well-armed adventurers gave Jack a small thrill of excitement. If all of these adventurers were coming with them, they''d have a legitimate chance at winning. They''d have to. There was no way a crew this formidable could lose, right?

 Chapter 130 Eleanor Conspires

    "Why would your son keep you trapped here?" Eleanor asked.


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    Marg''faz sighed and shifted in her seat.


    "Rawgh''faz is powerful and cunning. He is also vain and endlessly wicked. I wasn''t always held like this, but when I spoke out against his actions, he silenced me. And when I attempted to amass support to oppose him, he had me imprisoned here. Now I cannot access my Gifts, nor can I leave. If I set even a single hair past that threshold, I''m sure you can imagine what that sigil will do to me."


    Eleanor looked at Marg''faz, surprised.


    "You tried to overthrow your son?"


    Marg''faz nodded, a look of grim amusement on her face.


    "Once upon a time."


    "But why?" Eleanor asked.


    The gnoll woman shifted in her seat again, and picked up her cup of tea from a small table next to Eleanor''s cot.


    "Because I don''t adhere to the notion that the different races are somehow inferior to our own. Or superior, for that matter." She said, taking a sip before continuing. "He, however, is firmly convinced that non-furkin exist for subjugation, and that only a world where furkin rule and enslave the others is a world worth having. Hence why you are here, having been taken and used for his whims, and the reason why wherever you come from was attacked."


    "And why don''t you feel that way?" Eleanor asked.


    "Because I have eyes, and ears, and a mind that isn''t tainted by fear and pride." Marg''faz replied. "Once, Rawgh''faz was the same as I. But that was before the greater darkness reached him. When the emmisaries came to our tribe from wherever they came from, they offered power in exchange for subservience. The previous chieftain, being of mind like mine, refused their demands. He was shredded into oblivion in front of us. Our tribe requires that at the death of our leader, the strongest of us rise to take their place. My son stepped forward to accept. Many other strong furkin opposed him. They were defeated. I had hoped that, knowing my son as he used to be, that he would uphold greater values and oppose them. But I was wrong. Something changed in him when he accepted their terms, and he has fallen further and further into madness. Now, there is nothing I can do but watch as he turns our once largely peaceful people into a tribe of war."


    "So what do you want from me? Do you want me to try and break those sigils on your mantle?" Eleanor asked.


    Marg''faz nodded. "Among other things. Once I am freed, I intend to make a move on the throne. I have enough support amongst the fighters of our clan to have a chance. And my son learned everything he knows about communing with the spirits that he knows from me. I don''t know if I can stop him. But at this point, I cannot tolerate living any longer if I don''t try. If I fail and lose my life, I will have at least done the right thing."


    "And you want me to help you take him down." Eleanor said simply.


    "I expect nothing from you, child. But I can imagine you would like the opportunity to redeem your honor against him." Marg''faz said.


    Eleanor''s eyes flared. "You''re fucking right I do."


    The gnoll woman smiled. "Well, then joining me in this little plot is your best chance. Are you interested?"


    Eleanor looked at her. "I will help you on one condition- He''s mine to kill."


    "Done." Marg''faz said, finishing her tea. "Drink your medicine. I will call the guards. And between now and when they arrive, you will tell me what components you would like me to smuggle you."

 Chapter 131 Eleanor Conspires part 2

    In the few minutes between her drinking the medicine Marg''faz gave her and the time the guards arrived, Eleanor and the gnoll woman planned in low, hushed tones. The move was to take place within the next two days. Within that time, Eleanor would need to have what spells she needed figured out and prepared, disguise herself, escape her fetters, make it to where Marg''faz was held, and break the seals binding her and her abilities. They''d then rally to the members of the clan loyal to Marg''faz and launch their attack.


    Even putting it as simply as possible, Eleanor couldn''t see how in this world she''d be able to pull all of it off, much less how the attack would succeed if she did. But at this point, she was being driven as much by a desire for revenge as she was by a desire to escape. Her time sitting in pain and reflecting over what had happened to her had hardened something in her. She was angry. Truly angry. And something about Marg''faz made her want to stay and fight. Was it that she could relate to her somehow?


    Ultimately it didn''t matter. She was going to help, if for no other purpose than because it seemed like the right thing to do. And maybe, just maybe, she''d make it out of it in one piece. Hopefully with the pelt of that flea-ridden monster slung over her shoulders like a cape.


    The guards carried her back to her holding room and chained her back to the post less than gently. The restoration potion she''d drunk was already starting to work its way into her leg, causing it to throb with a grinding ache as it felt like thousands of tiny splinters worked their way through the bloodstream in her thigh. At a bark from the lead guard, the rest of the guards left the holding cell, leaving her alone with him. The guard removed a cloth bundle from inside its armor, and tossed it to her.


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    "Mistress says you need this. More to come tonight with food. Hide them well." It said gruffly, before turning and leaving her alone. In spite of her rapidly growing pain, Eleanor scrambled to open the bundle. As she unfurled the fabric, a myriad of small odds and ends poured out into her lap and onto the cave floor: buttons, herbs, a few feathers, and a myriad of other small things too small or too benign to be of value to anyone else. To her, however, it was a veritable goldmine of potential. There, in the bottom of the bundle was a small folded bit of parchment. She looked at it curiously, and carefully unfolded it. On the two pages of paper, in neat little rows of magic script, were dozens of arcane formulae. She didn''t have to use Read Magic to know that much.


    She suddenly had the overwhelming urge to scream for joy. She now had her way out. She would have to study them, and practice like crazy through her sleeplessness and pain, but she now had nothing keeping her here but the time it took to find her way out. She could even escape while most of the clan was asleep. And with this many tools at her disposal, she could easily dispatch what gnolls tried to stop her, even without the augmentation powers of her staff.


    Yes, she could run, and no one would blame her.


    She looked at the arcane formulas again, and noticed for the first time the small, hastily written script down at the bottom of the page:


    "I have given you what you need to escape. I don''t expect you to stay and fight if you don''t want to. But my word stands- if you fight with us, Rawgh''faz is yours. Should you decide to stay, I will see you soon. If not, may you always remember that not all of us are monsters.


    -Marg''faz"

 Chapter 132 Preparing For Departure part 8

    Preparations for the coming raid lasted well after dark, with smiths working bellows and hammering steel, to fletchers making arrows and winding bow strings, to healers packing health kits and cooks preparing travel rations.


    When he''d first returned, Farien, Urien, and Abigail all gave Jack cryptic glances as they appraised his new armor and other gear, but said nothing of it when they spoke to him. Only Farlo seemed to acknowledge the changes.


    "You prepared?" He asked under his breath as he sidled up next to Jack.


    "As well as I can be." Jack said, watching one of the smiths at work. "Your advice about my axe was useful. Thank you."


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    "Good. Within the hour, we''re having a gathering of all of those who will be coming so we can go over final plans. They all know you''re responsible for this attack being possible, so more than a few of them want to meet you." Farlo said.


    "I''ll do my best to impress." Jack said calmly, casting his glance sidewards to the old man.


    The old man smirked and raised an eyebrow at his response, but said nothing.


    Jack surveyed the clearing. Including him and Rose, all members of The Green Company, and the various adventurers who would be joining them, their numbers sat close to 50 strong, if he was counting everyone correctly. That was far more than he could have dreamed of, even earlier today. He couldn''t help but be grateful for the help, even if they were, as Farlo and Urien had said, weren''t really doing it for the same reason as him.


    As the evening gathered, Farlo and Urien gathered everyone, and began making introductions. Every guild requested sent some of or all of their members, including the full roster of The Stout Brothers, who seemed to be a guild made entirely of burly, bearded men. The names and faces went by too quickly for Jack to catch most of them on the first pass. The only couple who were instantly unforgettable were the duo from the Circle of Seven. The woman in the pair was well over seven feet tall and built of layers of corded muscle beneath ruddy, olive green skin and coarsely-stitched layers of leather. Her intense gaze was all the more so because of her bright yellow eyes, and two tusks stood out from her lower set of teeth, giving her face the look of a permanent snarl. An orc, he guessed. Or, at least a half-orc. She wasn''t nearly monstrous enough to be a pure-blood by any metric for orcs he was familiar with. Her hands and forearms were wrapped in knotted rope to form makeshift fighting wraps, telling everyone who saw her that her hands were most definitely the weapons she was taking into combat. Jack couldn''t help but feel grateful to be on the same side as a woman that fearsome. The thought of staring her down as an enemy sent a shiver down his spine.


    Perched on her shoulder sat the other part of this strange pair. He was a short, waifish creature, maybe three or three and a half feet tall, with utterly flawless skin the color of lavender, abnormally large, jewel-colored eyes, and a shock of bright orange hair cut in a mowhawk that stood up seemingly on its own. A gnome, Jack speculated. Apparently all of the fantasy races he was aware of existed here as well. The gnome wore a multi-colored outfit that looked built as much for aesthetic purposes as it was for functionality. Sitting in both of the gnome''s small arms was a large crossbow, and across his back slung an equally large quiver of bolts.

 Chapter 133 Preparing for Departure part 9

    Seeing Jack appraising the two of them, the gnome grinned impishly and lifted his large crossbow up on his shoulder as he gestured towards Jack with his free hand.


    "I fink ''ees interested in us, Rezza." He said to the orc woman, intentionally loud enough for Jack to hear.


    The half-orc directed her attention towards Jack for the first time, and gave him an appraising snarl.


    "Don'' rec''gnoize ''em. Mus'' be freelance."


    "Forgive me. I don''t mean to offend. I''ve just never encountered a gnome or a half-orc before, and was assessing the two of you." Jack replied to the two of them.


    "You like wha'' you see then, humie?" The gnome man asked, staring at Jack as he shifted in his perch on the half-orc''s shoulders.


    "Well, I''m certainly glad we''re on the same side, that''s for sure. I imagine you two make quite a pair on the field." Jack replied graciously.


    The gnome man laughed.


    "Ya damn right we do! People don''t call us the ''Two-Headed Terror'' for nothin''!"


    He sprang off of his perch, landing with barely a sound, before walking over and offering Jack his free hand.


    "Name''s Jemeni. Work for the Circle o'' Seven, ''long with Rezza ''ere." The gnome man said, offering his hand up to Jack.


    Jack took Jemeni''s hand and shook it.


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    "Jack. Glad to have you helping me on this little adventure of mine." Jack said.


    The gnome''s eyes brightened. "Oh, so it''s you tha'' Farlo''s gott''n our merry little army togeth''r for."


    He looked Jack up and down in an exaggerated manner, and then added. "Th'' way th'' old man was talkin'' about your ''bilities I thought you''d be more... intimidatin'' or somethin''. ...Meanin'' no offense, of course."


    Jack laughed. "Well, sorry to disappoint. I''m still pretty new to this whole adventuring business, so I haven''t quite figured out the whole ''intimidating'' thing yet."


    The half-orc woman walked over and stood next to Jemeni, staring down at Jack with her corded armed crossed.


    "Reza''nek", she said, beating her fist against her chest twice.


    Jack looked up at the woman, trying not to show his discomfort as he did so.


    "Nice to meet you." He said, nodding. Almost without thinking, he then added "I will definitely be coming to you for intimidation lessons later."


    The half-orc glared down at him for a second, before breaking into a low chuckle.


    Looking down at Jemeni, she said, "I like ''im."


    Somewhere behind Jack, Farlo spoke loudly over the din of the chatter coming from the collected adventurers.


    "Now that we''re formally introduced, or as close as can be managed in such a short time, let''s get started. We don''t have much time left, if all of you plan on sleeping at any point tonight." He said, drawing a few chuckles from the older members of their assembled group.


    With a bit of cajoling and a few minutes of effort, the group finally quieted down, and Farlo continued.


    "I would like to thank you all for coming. I have to say that I didn''t expect this many of you to show up. Consider me pleasantly surprised some of your could find it in you to do charity work for a change."


    More chuckles and a few cheers rose out of the group at this remark, and Jack mused to himself that if he didn''t know these were supposed to be the good guys, their responses might impress him otherwise. The gathered adventurers, with only a few exceptions, also seemed completely at ease, as if what they were preparing for was as mundane as going on a shopping trip. Those few that didn''t, he noted, were all very young compared to the rest. He could relate.


    "Now, let''s get to business. We''ve got a lot to do."

 Chapter 134 Final Moments In the Clearing

    The meeting with the assembled adventurers and Company members lasted about an hour. Several seemingly senior adventurers shared thoughts and strategies, others recounted their past encounters with the Iron Hounds and what could be strategically gleaned from them. Several told of a subset of the Hounds far more dangerous than the rest, a cabal of giant gnolls that dwarfed other members of their species, and wore elaborate, masterwork armor. The way some of them spoke made it sound like they stood even taller than Rezza. Jack shuddered at the thought. Regular gnolls he could handle well enough, but monstrous ones the size of storybook giants made him feel more than a little queasy. These monstrous gnolls apparently served as some sort of honor guard for the chieftain during formal warfare, and, as Jack speculated aloud to the nods of the other adventurers, served to guard the chieftain''s throne room, much as other honor guards tended to do.


    Others told of a second shaman who apparently served the chieftain. One insisted it was a female, which drew disagreements, and another insisted this second shaman was even more powerful than Rawgh''faz, which drew jeers and a few laughs, including from Farlo.


    Jack, for his part, told of his encounter with the Shaman, brief though it was, and gathered nods and looks of approval from the older adventurers, and looks of admiration from the young ones. He couldn''t help but feel a little embarrassed by it all. As far as he was concerned, the encounter was a complete failure on his part. After all, if it wasn''t for him being such a loser, he wouldn''t even be here to tell everyone about it. He''d probably be snuggled up in a bed in some inn somewhere. Maybe with Eleanor beside him, even.


    Yeah, right.


    He could just hear the sizzling sound of his skin melting as she snuggled her face into his chest. And that''s assuming she didn''t just try to turn him into the vampiric equivalent of a juice box first.


    Funny thing was, even in spite of these things, he still couldn''t shake her from his mind. It''d been less than a week since he''d seen her last, and yet it felt like months. He missed her. He missed the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, or the way her eyes almost disappeared when she smiled. Or the way she seemed to take the greatest pleasure in teasing him and making him feel flustered and awkward over the littlest things.


    I mean, he really barely knew her, if he was honest. They''d know each other less than a month.


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    He was probably just crazy about her because he''d died a damn virgin and she''d made a point of going out of her way to provoke him sexually. He probably only liked her because she had great boobs and treated him like he wasn''t inherently disgusting.


    But then, why was it that when he thought of her, it wasn''t with lust? ...Well, not ONLY lust, anyways.


    When he thought of her, outside of a desire to rescue her and keep her safe, the things that dominated his mind were quirks and cute little things she did, like picking wildflowers and weaving them into her hair, or tying pink ribbons onto the dark brown spirals of her horns, or the way she''d hum to herself as she cooked. Her tail always used to swish back and forth rhythmically when she did that.


    Those were the things he couldn''t get out of his head. Those were real. And its those things that he was fighting for. He wasn''t going to stop until that beautiful blue-skinned devil was back where she belonged.

 Chapter 135 Final Moments In the Clearing part 2

    After the meeting ended, to Jack''s surprise, the entire gathering dissolved into what could only be described as a party, with wine and ale being served, some of the adventurers and Company members breaking out musical instruments, and others dancing to the jaunty tunes they provided the gathered masses.


    He was generally content to sit on the sidelines and laugh at the increasingly drunk revelry going on, but before he knew it, he was being offered drinks and being asked to dance by several of the female adventurers, as well as one of the male adventurers, all of which he politely refused. The person who finally managed to get him off his behind was Rose, who grabbed his gloved hand with hers and with a wild, playful look pulled him to his feet and tried to drag him into the dance circle. He playfully tried to resist, but at the cheers and jeers of the others around him, he finally relented and joined her.


    He did his best to keep up with her, but while he was able to at least move on beat, she moved like a well-practiced expert, her lithe muscular form shifting and twisting in time with the music, her eyes closed as she lost herself in the rhythm. One more than one occasion, he caught himself just standing there, watching her, before he realized how he looked and started dancing again to avoid drawing attention to himself. The moves she made had all the power and grace of a fighter''s strikes and parries, and even shared many of the same angles and forms. Looking around, he could see he was far from the only person paying her a lot of attention. She was absolutely mesmerizing.


    As the song came to an end, her eyes shot open and glanced over at him as she grinned, her chest rising and falling as she worked to catch her breath.


    "This is fun!" She said.


    "You like dancing, don''t you?" Jack said.


    "I don''t get to do it nearly enough. It''s like all of the fun of fighting with none of the drawbacks." She said, wiping faint beads of sweat from her forehead. "After we get Ellie back, we need to go dancing in Hawkport. I think she''d like that."


    "Sounds good to me." He replied.


    He was about to turn and head back to his old seating place, when the band started playing another tune, this one much slower and softer than the last. He felt someone grab his arm, and he turned to find Rose holding him, looking at him pleadingly.


    "Dance one more with me?" She asked, her large golden eyes shining.


    The look on her face made his heart stop for a moment. He hadn''t ever seen that look from her before. He''d always been attracted to her as well, and he had gotten the sense she''d been flirting with him in the past, but he''d never once gotten the sense she might actually be interested in him. Like, actually interested as more than a companion.


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    This was different, and he suddenly felt his heart starting to race. He swallowed hard.


    "Yeah, uh, sure. Be happy to." He said, turning and heading back into the circle with her.


    Without prompting, she grabbed him around the waist and pulled him close to her, before guiding his hands into what his dorky brain would identify as the "80''s movie slow dance position". The only thing lacking was teased-up hair and a Spandau Ballet song.


    He was grateful to be wearing gloves and armor. It actually made it possible for him to have physical contact with her without pain. Thinking of this, he remembered Frumpkin''s comment about "forge gloves" when he''d first made his wish. It ws infuriating how often the old man was right.

 Chapter 136 Final Moments In the Clearing Part 3

    As the slow ballad progressed, Jack suddenly found himself eye to eye with Rose, her golden hazel eyes looking at him in a way that made his face flush. This close to her, he could feel the heat radiating off her hips through his gloves, and her hands even through his layers of clothes and armor, and his pulse pounded in his ears as the two of them moved gently to the music.


    Seeing his redness and the stiffness of his movements, Rose''s expression shifted a little as concern crept into her eyes.


    "Are you okay?" She asked softly, probing his gaze with her own.


    "Oh, yes, this is more than fine." He said gently, with a warm smile. Internally, he was screaming, but for some reason separating his countenance from the fact that he felt like he was about to have an excitement-induced heart attack was a lot easier than he remembered it being. Maybe it was his Persona increase... but wouldn''t Composure be what made it easier to remain calm with his emotions? Or was Composure internal while Persona was external expression? He had no idea. The Terminal, despite all the information it''d given him, hadn''t really been clear on that.


    Rose didn''t look like she fully believed him, her brows furrowed in a quizzical glance.


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    "Are you sure? You look uncomfortable..." She said, then looked to her hands resting on his shoulders. "I''m not burning you, am I?"


    "No, no, not at all. I''m just... a little nervous to be dancing with you, honestly. So I feel a little awkward." He said, shrugging.


    She smiled at him, and raised an eyebrow.


    "There''s no reason to feel awkward, Jack. I asked you to dance with me because I wanted you to dance with me." She said.


    "I''m not sure why you want to. I''m not really a very good dancer." He said sheepishly. "Not as good as you, anyways."


    "I didn''t ask you to dance with me because of your dancing skills, Mister Eames! I asked you to dance with me because I wanted to have fun with you! Because you''re you and I want..." She trailed off all of a sudden, and averted her eyes. Was he losing his mind, or was she blushing? She cleared her throat, and her tone shifted from soft to assertive.


    "We''re heading into somewhere dangerous, and I''m afraid something will happen to one of us, and I want to be as close as possible to you while I can... you know... in case something..." She trailed off again, seemingly unable to bring herself to finish what she was trying to say. After another pause, she continued on, softly enough that he had to lean in closer to hear what she was saying.


    "I just.. really care a lot about you, okay? We''ve been through a lot this past week, and I was scared to death I, er, we were going to lose you after you got stabbed. I was really worried.... And before we head into another situation where you could die, I just want to have a moment with you where I''m not worried about what has happened, or what is going to happen, and just be close to you, alright?" She finally managed to get out, seeming incredibly flustered about what she was saying.


    Jack could feel his face flushing even harder. She looked directly into his eyes again, and for the second time in only a couple of days, saw tears welling up in Rose''s eyes.


    "So please," She said "please just dance with me right now. Please."

 Chapter 137 Final Moments In the Clearing part 4

    The two of them danced in silence for the remainder of the song, Rose''s head resting gently against Jack''s breastplate. His heart continued to race, but now that they''d fallen into a rhythm with each other, his mind cleared enough that he had a chance to think.


    When he''d first wished for a harem, all he had been thinking about was what his hormones told him would be a great idea. Who doesn''t want a collection of compliant, perpetually-available sex partners? Especially as a permanent member of the V-card club.


    But for the first time, he was now beginning to realize what the reality of what he wished for really was. He had strong feelings for Eleanor, and now he was developing feelings for Rose too, and to his absolute befuddlement, both of them seemed to have feelings for him too. In a vacuum where feelings didn''t exist, that would be great. If this were an anime, all of them could be equally pursued by him, without anyone''s feelings getting hurt.


    But he knew better than that.


    This world worked exactly like the real one. Well, almost exactly, anyways. And that meant people would react naturally to things in the same way they would in the real world. It was very likely, that before the end of his time in this world, he would break one or both of their hearts.


    There was almost certainly never going to be a "we''re all completely fine with sharing you" relationship with them. And, if he was truly honest with himself, now that he knew them both as well as he was beginning to, would he even be happy with that even if it was somehow offered to him?


    As if on cue, the music playing wound to its end, and the various members in the clearing clapped as the musicians took their bows and began to pack up their instruments. One by one, the dancers left the circle and began filtering off in twos and threes to their respective groups for the night. Rose, however, still clung on to him as they stood in the middle of the clearing. She pulled him closer and squeezed him after several long moments of silence, before turning without a word and quickly leaving the dance circle to head into the woods.


    Jack went to follow after her, unsure of where she was going but he was stopped short by a hand clapped on his shoulder. He turned to see Farlo standing behind him.


    "It''s getting late, Jack. You might consider turning in for the night. We will need you well-rested for tomorrow" He said.


    "But I have to see where Rose is going. She''s leaving the clearing by herself." Jack said, trying to shift out of the old man''s grip.


    "I know why you''re going after her, Jack. But trust me when I tell you that she is leaving for her own reasons, and from what I''ve seen, is more than capable of taking care of herself while doing so." Farlo said.


    He then leaned in further, speaking softly enough that only Jack could hear him.


    "I''ve that look she was wearing before. On the the face of the woman who bore me my sons. I''m not here to tell you what to do or not do. But trust me when I tell you she needs to deal with something, and you following her would not give you, or her, what either of you are looking for right now. The best thing you can do is give her space."


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    And without another word, he nodded and walked on past, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts.


    Sooner or later, he was going to be forced to make a choice when it came to Rose and Eleanor, even if that choice meant choosing neither. That choice could be years away, but it was coming one day, and at this moment he had absolutely no idea how he was going to deal with it when it did.

 Chapter 138 Eleanor Conspires part 3

    The button in her hand flashed in a burst of white light, and there in its place, hovering in the palm of her hand, was a small tongue of blue flame, dancing and guttering like torchlight. Then, with a flick of her wrist, the small blue dart of fire flew from her hand and struck the far wall with a faint thump, leaving a scorched hole where it impacted.


    God did it feel good to have her spells back.


    She''d practiced as long as she could the day before, until the pain in her leg got too unbearable to focus. She tried a few spells to see if she could numb the pain, but nothing worked, leaving her gasping and gritting her teeth. Finally, after several hours of being in misery, she concealed all of her remaining components and used the one of formulae Marg''faz had written for her to cast Sleep on herself. Allowing herself to succumb to it without resistance, she finally escaped the pain by drifting off into a long and dreamless sleep.


    When she finally awoke an undeterminable amount of time later, the pain had mostly subsided. She gingerly tried to move her leg. Her thigh was still sore, and ached a bit, but it was obvious the potion she''d taken had worked its magic properly. As she shifted positions, she felt a lumpy something stuck between her legs. Curious, she reached under the skirt of her dress to find another bundle. When she opened it up, she found another collection of odds and ends, causing her to smile to herself. Then, realizing someone had had to put it where she''d found it, she got flustered, and bundled everything back up.


    With her leg no longer an issue, she resumed her study and practice in earnest. Being careful to keep her noise to a minimum, and a sharp ear out for approaching footsteps, she worked through the different spells she''d been provided until he had the general gist of each memorized. She then set about experimenting with the tools she now had to come up with other means of aiding her in the coming events.


    On several occasions, guards interrupted her, forcing her to scramble to hide everything and make herself appear as she had been before they made it to her. On two of the occasions, it was to bring food, and give her vile, suspicious looks as they watched her eat. On several others, they seemed to make a point of trying to avoid her detection, moving quickly and quietly as if trying to catch her in the act. If her hearing wasn''t preternaturally good thanks to her race, she''d have been caught by these attempts. When they arrived, they seemed almost disappointed to not find her practicing, and during one of these surprise inspections, the lead gnoll saw fit to strike her across the face when she asked why they kept coming back to her.


    But by the third meal, after what had to have been 12 consecutive hours of practice, maybe even more, she was ready. As ready as she could hope to be. She assembled all of the remaining supplies she hadn''t used and gathered them in one of the bundles, before tying this bundle to her dress waist where her components pouch had once sat. A quick flourish of Prestidigitation and some clever rearrangement of the fabric, and no one but the sharpest eyed would notice the difference.


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    Assuming she hadn''t been asleep longer than she expected, there would only be one more meal to go before it would be her time to act. As she closed her eyes and laid back against the pole for what she hoped would be the last time, she hoped her fear and excitement wouldn''t keep her awake for too long.


    It didn''t.

 Chapter 139 Travelling to the Gnoll Camp

    Jack''s sleep was fitful and restless for the first couple of hours, until he was finally too tired to let his mind keep him awake any longer.


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    At some point during the night, Rose returned to the cave room they were staying in, because she was fast asleep in her bedroll when he gave up on sleep sometime before sunrise. He looked down at her peaceful face as her breath rose and fell in gentle whispers. He was glad she was alright.


    While the sun had not yet begun to rise, much of the camp was already awake and gathering their gear for the trip. The ones who weren''t stood in the makeshift kitchen, tearing chunks of bread off of an oversized loaf on one of the tables, and grabbing bowlfuls of something steaming from the giant metal cauldron.


    Keeping mostly to himself, he walked over and helped himself to some of food. The bread was a bit stale, and the soup thin and not particularly tasty this time, but the bread was filling and the soup was warm, and he was grateful for both.


    When Rose finally awoke, she acted as if nothing had happened, and they quickly fell into their comfortable, playful routine. He wanted to know what she''d been dealing with, but he thought better of it. She would talk more about it with him if and when the right time came for her to do so.


    The entire assembled team departed just as the sunlight began filtering in through the treeline to the east. Before departure, Jack and Rose made one final check-in with Madeleine in the hospital tent. She was fast asleep, her chest rising and falling gently in gentle snores. Jack gently tussled her hair, and Rose kissed her on the cheek, before the two of them bid her and the healer watching over her goodbye. Jack hated leaving her behind, but it was for the best. Out of all of them, she was the least capable fighter, and her health being poor only served to make her more of a liability. But she was in good hands with Farien and the rest. And he owed her. He had no idea what that was going to look like, but he was going to keep his promise.


    The adventurers and Company members traveled quickly and in relative silence, leaving Jack largely alone in his own head, and forcing him to push himself to keep pace with the rest of them. By mid- morning the trees thinned, then filtered out completely into a wide, open expanse of swaying golden-green grass, trodden in a wandering line by a beaten dirt path perhaps five or six feet wide and a few feet deep. In the faint distance, he could see a flickering twinkle of light twisting and snaking across the horizon line. The Shimmerwind River, he suspected.


    Once out of the woods, they took a short rest. Rose offered him some pemmican, which he ate, and they shared his waterskin. The water was still quite cold, and very sweet, having been pulled from one of the small brooks outside of the clearing the night before. After a short pause, the company resumed, keeping the same quick and steady pace. At intervals, scouts would run ahead and to the side of the party, presumably keepin an eye out for approaching enemies or unexpected pitfalls. As they drew closer to the river, and its broad, flowing shape was clearly defined, one particular scout, a young man that Jack thought was named Malthus, ran ahead to check the status of the ford, and investigate both banks, before reporting back. He was expected to only be gone a few minutes, so the company halted, and waited for him to return.


    A few minutes passed. Then a few more. Then a few more.


    Then a dark shape fell from the sky, landing with a wet thump a couple dozen feet from the assembled mass. One of the other adventurers walked over to it, accompanied by some his peers. Jack saw the man bend down to investigate it, before he stumbled back in shock and fell over. One of the others whistled and motioned the rest to come.


    Jack, not wanting to miss seeing what it was, got there the same time as Urien. But when he was what it was, he gagged, and immediately regretted his decision.

 Chapter 140 Traveling to the Gnoll Camp part 2

    There, lying in the grass, was the scalped and mangled head of the scout.


    The energy within the party shifted immediately as hands went to weapons and eye began to dart around, scouring the horizon for any signs of the cause of this. Jack did so as well, but he saw nothing but tall, swaying grass and the glimmer of the riverbank in the distance.


    Whatever was out there, it was either invisible, or obscured by the grass. Considering in some places it came up to the tops of his shoulders, the grass seemed like it''d be a relatively easy place to hide even a decent-sized force. Did the gnolls know they were coming and set an ambush?


    Some of the adventurers in the group clamored to rush ahead and confront whatever was lying in wait for them at the riverbank. Others, older than the rest, urged caution. After deliberation, it was decided they would proceed in formation to prevent being caught entirely off-guard, with the keenest among the group serving as the eyes and ears on the flanks and rear of the company. Whatever was waiting for them, they would be best served to face it together.


    Jack took point near the front, alongside Urien, Farlo, Rose, and Abigail. It was strange. As they advanced and kept their attention focused around them for any signs of hostility, he felt a strange sense of tension and excitement alongside the typical fear. There was some part of him that was beginning to adapt to the threats in the world around him, making it easier for him to focus on what needed doing, rather than being crippled by terror. He almost hesitated to think it, but he almost looked forward to there being a fight. He was eager to try out his new gear. And he felt more proficient than ever.


    He still felt a far cry from a real hero. He doubted he''d ever actually feel like one, no matter how competent he became. But he was starting to feel like he had a bit of a handle on being an adventurer at least, and considering the person he was two weeks ago, that was massive progress.


    Despite everyone remaining on high alert, no signs of enemy activity were detected as they approached the riverbank. There, perhaps twenty paces from the water line, sat the headless body of the scout. His leather armor was torn and punctured in a dozen different places, and all of his other equipment, including his weapons and supplies, were gone. Leading away from the body back to the river edge, easily a dozen pairs of large prints pressed into the soft earth, alongside scattered flecks and splashes of blood.


    Farlo appraised the prints, and grunted.


    "Scouting party. Left in a hurry, from the looks of it. Likely they saw us in the distance after they ambushed him and fled back to their encampment." He said.


    "So they likely know we''re coming, then." Urien said grimly.


    "Likely. I would plan for it." Farlo replied.


    "Well that complicates things." Jack said.


    Urien shook his head.


    "The odds of us making it there completely undetected, especially with a group this size, were very small to begin with. Then again, I was hoping we''d at least be well past the river before we ran into some of them. Now they have more time to prepare." He said, frowning.


    "Well, not much we can do about that now, right? You think we can still take them if they''re ready for us?" Jack asked.


    Urien smiled.


    "If I thought we wouldn''t still, I''d have already started walking back home."


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 Chapter 141 Travelling to the Gnoll Camp part 3

    Fording the river took the better part of an hour for the entire company to cross. The river was only a couple dozen yards across, but chest-deep and freezing cold, with a strong current. The best swimmers in the group crossed first, driving large stakes deep into the ground on both banks before tying off a length of rope at both ends. Then one after the other bodies crossed, half walking-half dragging themselves through the water with the newly-fastened hand line.


    By the time Jack reached the far end of the river, he was completely exhausted. By the look of the heaving chests and gasping faces of those around him, he obviously wasn''t alone. Seeing many of the hardened fighters around him shivering made him even more grateful that cold no longer affected him in the way it did them. Otherwise, he might not have even made it across.


    Once everyone was across, it was quickly agreed across the gathered mass that lunch and rest was in order. Rose pulled out some dried meat and cheese, as well as bread. Looking around, Jack noticed that no one was making fires, which upon reflection made sense. Fires meant smoke, which meant announcing their current location to anything that might be interested in it. Which was a shame, really. Being soaked through sucked. He could already feel his hands and feet getting all pruney, and that damp feeling in his pants wasn''t the slightest bit pleasant either.


    Not content to sit in wet clothes, he starting running through spellwords in his mind to see if he could come up with something to help him dry off. If he couldn''t sit next to a toasty fire or have a hot meal, the least he could do would be to rest without puddles in his boots. With a muttered word and a quick gesture, the water evaporated from his clothes and hair, and congealed into a floating sphere of water that floated lazily in front of him.


    He looked over at Rose, who was in the midst of wringing the water out of her tunic, and then back at the globule of water in front of him. He grinned as the idea came into his head, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent the water ball flying at Rose.


    It landed square upside her face with a splash, and she gasped as her eyes shot open and her limbs stiffened from the sudden shock. Her head jerked around to look at him, her expression a mixture of shock and irritation.


    Jack laughed and stuck his tongue out at her, and she scowled at him. Then, without a word, she leapt up from her sitting position, and his expression quickly faded from one of amusement to one of concern as she dove through the air and tackled him to the ground before he had a chance to react.


    He tried to resist as she grappled with him, but her strength easily outclassed his own, and soon he found himself pinned as she sat on top of him, pinning his arms to the ground with her knees. Rose looked down at him, a look of triumph on her face.


    "That wasn''t very nice of you." She said.


    Jack shook his head, and then grinned again. "Nope. It wasn''t. But it was funny."


    "Say you''re sorry." She said.


    "Not a chance, lady" Jack said, mock-grimacing as he tried to free his arms from underneath her kneecaps.


    Rose shifted her weight, driving her knees harder into the soft of his arms.


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    "Say it, mister hero, before I bruise your arms." Rose said, leaning forward and staring into his eyes with a playfully threatening expression.

 Chapter 142 Traveling to the Gnoll Camp part 4

    "Never!" Jack said, writhing underneath her to try and free his limbs. He couldn''t lie- his arms were seriously starting to hurt, but he''d be damned if he gave her the satisfaction of beating him. Then an idea came into his head.


    "I''m not going to apologize, but if you want, I can get all of the water out of your clothes too." He said, doing his best to appear as innocent as possible.


    "Oh really? You''re just gonna give in, just like that." She said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you''d have more backbone than that."


    "My arms hurt. And I''m too proud to admit defeat. So this seems like the next best thing to offer. But the only thing is, I can''t help you until you get off of me. I need my hands free to cast the spell correctly." He said. Everything he said was true, but with what he intended, he still couldn''t help but feel like he was deceiving her.


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    Rose eyed him suspiciously.


    "And how do I know you won''t just walk away and leave me here soaked? Or vanish like you know how to or something? I need some assurances, Mister Hero."


    "I tell you what- If you let me up, and I don''t immediately remove all of the water from your clothes as soon as I am free, you have my ironclad permission to do whatever you deem appropriate to me as revenge." He said, then, on a whim, added out loud "Hear that, Frumpkin? If I don''t do as I''ve just said, you have my permission to render me unable to resist Rose''s punishment."


    To his surprise and mild horror, and Rose''s glee, Frumpkin''s voice responded audibly almost immediately.


    "You got it, kid."


    Jack had to admit that he honestly hadn''t expected a response. Then he spent half a second thinking about who Frumpkin was, and wondered why he''d expected something different.


    Rose''s eyes sparked with mischief, but she relented.


    "Okay then. Up you get." She said, shifting her weight off of him and standing up. There was a wet spot on his clothes where she''d been sitting, and his first instinct was to dry it off. He went to speak the spellword, and then stopped short as Rose eyed him expectantly.


    He''d almost just done something else before doing what he promised. And knowing Frumpkin as he did, the pedantic asshole would absolutely exploit that for his misery. He stopped, and then redirected the target of the spellword at Rose. It may have just been his imagination, but he could swear he heard Frumpkin sigh in disappointment somewhere in the distance.


    The water in Rose''s clothes all slowly drained out of them, gathering together into another sphere that floated lazily in between the two of them, leaving her outfit dry as a bone. Jack noticed that the amount of water was a good bit less than he''d pulled from his own outfit. Probably because her body temperature had caused a lot of it to evaporate. There''d been steam coming off of her from the moment she''d left the river.


    "How''s everything feel? Did I get it all?" Jack asked.


    Rose patted her self around in several places, inspecting to ensure everything was as it should be, before nodding.


    "Yep, feels like it." She said, smiling.


    "Good."


    Unintentionally, Jack''s eyes shot to the sphere of water still floating in the air between them, then back at Rose. Rose followed his gaze, and her eyes widened when she saw the evil grin forming on his face.


    "No! Jack, don''t you dare-!"


    The sphere of water doused her square in face before she could finish, drenching the entire front of her newly-dried clothes, and turning what she was about to say into a roar of frustration.


    "Oh my god, I am going to KILL you!" She said, her eyes wild as she sprang for him.


    Jack dove out of the way, laughing hysterically as she chased him around the amused and bewildered members of the rest of the company.

 Chapter 143 Traveling to the Gnoll Camp part 5

    The collected company finally stopped shortly before nightfall at the edge of a small copse of trees perhaps half a mile from the base of the mountain, and set about establishing a makeshift camp.


    Jack groaned as he shifted the pack off of his back onto the grass. Everything was sore from the less than playful thrashing Rose had given him when she''d finally caught him. To be fair, it''d turned into a right proper tussle, and he''d gotten a few good shots in too as they''d wrestled, but she''d definitely come out on top. She only finally relented from trying to pull his arm out of his socket when he promised to never do it again.


    He did, of course. But he was probably lying, and she probably knew that, too. This wasn''t the first time they''d teased each other like this, and it was almost certainly not going to be the last.


    Everything was set up, bedding was in place, and food in the process of preparation when the scouts sent ahead to the base of the mountain returned and reported to Farlo and the rest. Shortly after, Urien called Jack and Rose to meet with him and some of the other leaders. Once everyone was assembled in a small circle, Urien began.


    "As is to be expected, the gnolls are waiting for as at the base of the mountain. Scouts counted at least four dozen, perhaps more, with some preliminary defenses set up. Barricades and a few archers towers, at least. We don''t know if they have any casters or reinforcements waiting in the wings, but none were reported as visible during reconnaissance." He said.


    "I suspect there''s three times that still in the cave, should we get past that lot." Farlo said.


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    "It''s likely." Urien replied, nodding. "And they''ll probably come running at the first sign of the garrison being attacked."


    "Are all of the gnolls in the Iron Hounds fighters? The way you all talk about them, it sounds like they''re a nomadic tribe of families, rather than a group of raiders." Jack said.


    "Yes, that''s true, Jack. Among that remaining number will be a fair number of gnoll elderly, women, and children as well. The amount of stout fighters will probably be half that, maybe even less." Farlo replied. "Though, all of them are just as likely to fight as the men."


    "Wait, we''re going to be attacking women and children? I didn''t agree to that." Rose interjected, her face hard.


    "I''m not really comfortable with it either." Jack added.


    "I understand your ethical concerns, but I''m afraid if you want to save your companion, it is very likely going to be necessary. Gnolls are known for their ferocity and their martial prowess. Rarely are they known for things like negotiation, common sense, or empathy. The young ones would as soon bash your skulls in with a rock as they would accept your kindness or offer their own." Farlo said grimly.


    "I''m afraid my father''s right." Urien chimed in. "I once thought and felt the same as you two do. But after seeing some of my men butchered by younglings and she-dogs during a raid, I''ve come to the same mind he has. You both need to prepare yourself for the possibility of having to face them, no matter how repugnant as it may seem to you now."


    Rose looked away and pursed her lips. Jack nodded, but said nothing. He knew the two of them were probably right, but he couldn''t help the sense of discomfort the idea caused him. Surely other species weren''t just destined from birth to be evil. Every intelligent being had a choice to be evil or not, didn''t they?


    They DID have choice...right?

 Chapter 144 Eleanor Conspires part 4

    The final meal came and went without ceremony. Eleanor''s nerves were so keyed up by the time it arrived that she could barely force herself to eat. Had the gnoll guards not been standing watching her, and she known she would need all the strength and energy she could get soon, she probably would have refused food entirely.


    After the guards left her alone again, she laid back against the post, closed her eyes, and set about mediating to focus her mind and calm her nerves. In few hours time, she''d be free, or die trying to be. The prospect of the first excited her. The prospect of the second, however, terrified her. She''d been in danger before, but never had it felt so real.


    As she thought about it, the fight with the Shaman was the first time she''d ever really experienced defeat. Well, at least outside of an educational context. She''d lost magic duels in the academy before, but the instructors prevented real injury in these test bouts. A bit of pain was instructive, they said. Crippling wounds were not. It would be of no benefit to anyone for students to suffer or be rendered unable to study and practice.


    Having now experienced real pain, and real incapacity, she couldn''t help but resent them for not having prepared her better for it.


    She drew a deep breath, and measured it out slowly, willing her hands to steady and her stomach to calm down. 10 seconds in, hold for 3 seconds, 15 seconds out, pause for two seconds, repeat. The mechanics of why this worked had something to do with the balance of the elements in her blood. She didn''t have to remember the academic explanation to know that it worked. Before too long, she found her anxiety starting to lessen, and she was able to focus better and keep her hands from quivering as she practiced forming her spellsigns with her fingers.


    The plan for how things would progress, once she got out of her neck fetter, would be simple enough. She''d meet several guards friendly to Marg''faz at the end of the corridor, where they''d guide her to the hovel under the appearance of her being moved under arrest. Once there, she''d dispel the wards over the lintel of the door, and collect whatever else Marg''faz had to offer her. From there, assuming nothing had gone wrong up to that point, they''d gather all members of the tribe loyal to the cause, and set to work suppressing resistance before storming the throne room and wresting control from the Shaman.


    When laid out in sequence, it all sounded so easy. Deceptively so. She was reminded of some of the lessons she''d taken where the instructor would show the first few steps of a complicated spell, then show them the end result and tell them to simply fill in the rest. The most popular example of this in the academy was when Magus Jermaina would give her lectures on polymorphing spells, and would turn a rat into an owl in front of the class. She''d give the creature a beak and feathers, then in a flash of movement and a flurry of words spoken too fast to be comprehensible, she''d complete the rest of the owl transformation without explanation. This lead to the student referring to any lesson or problem that lacked crucial middle steps as a "rest of the owl" problem.


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    And this situation, as she was thinking it over, was very obviously a "rest of the owl" problem. It was fine and great to detail things out like this. It was another thing entirely to figure it out in real time.

 Chapter 145 Escape

    The time was finally here. The final meal came and went without fanfare, and after taking few breaths and removing the proper components from her makeshift component pouch, Eleanor uttered a few words of Infernal and burst the collar around her neck with a quick flourish of her hand.


    Free from the bonds for the first time in nearly a week, her neck felt strangely exposed and a little raw. She gently rubbed it as she stood, and walked to the side of the exit of the room. She paused, her back pressed against the left wall by the doorway, listening for any sound of approaching footfalls, but heard nothing. After feeling assured no one was coming to investigate the noise, she gingerly stepped into the narrow, dimly-lit corridor and crept towards the end where the guards she was meeting with would meet her.


    Creeping around the final corner, she peeked her head around to investigate the next chamber. Ordinarily, from what she could remember, this room served as a guard room for her holding cell, as well as several others, with multiple guards on duty. But to her confusion and surprise, there was no one in the room. The rough-hewn tables were empty, and she could here no one down any of the other corridors. The unexpected emptiness made her uneasy. Had their plan been found out somehow? But if it had, why not ambush her as soon as she tried to escape? Or take all of the components she''d been smuggled? Or had something else happened entirely.


    The thought shot a quiver up her spine. What if Jack and Rose and Madeleine had come for her? What if there were no guards here because they were busy dealing with intruders?


    She brushed the possibility aside. Even if that were what was happening, which was unlikely, she couldn''t rely on the three of them to somehow defeat an entire tribe by themselves, no matter how talented Rose was with a blade, or how gifted Jack had become. But that assumed they were even still alive. It occurred to her at this moment that she''d never really considered the possibility that her sisters and Jack were gone, fallen to some horrible fate worse than her own. They could be in a ditch somewhere, staring blankly at the sky for all she knew.


    No, she could hope, but she was going to have to find her own way out of this. But not before finding that drolling, dog-faced bastard and pulling his spine out through his throat. She wasn''t leaving until she was certain he would never be able to harm another creature ever again, especially not another girl like her.


    But how would she get there? The original plan was clearly no longer in effect at this point, whatever the reason. So then, it was time to improvise. She reached into her components pouch again, and removed the tuft of gnoll hair she''d saved from before. She gathered it into her left hand began to recite the formula for Polymorph, one she''d never bothered to memorize before her time practicing in chains. Dragging the fur slowly across her exposed neck and forming spellsigns with the other, she chanted as the fur left her fingers and began to magically embed itself in her skin.


    The Polymorph process was never a physically pleasant one. While not usually painful, the feeling of ones bones realigning and enlongating, or growing wings or new limbs or fur were all very, very unsettling. Eleanor had to bite her tongue and brace herself against the nearest wall to keep from crying out or falling over while her limbs felt like they were being placed in a stretching rack.


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 Chapter 146 Escape part 2

    The fur. Oh god, the fur.


    The transformation only took about thirty seconds, but by the time it was finished, Eleanor already wanted to physically tear her skin off. Why on earth did having fur always itch so bad?! She dug at the nape of her newly-hairy neck with the points of her nails, trying to get the sensation to stop. The resulting satisfaction from doing so was so intense she felt her leg tremble and she threatened to fall over. After nearly a minute of this, it took every bit of willpower in her body to pull her hand away and get back to trying to escape.


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    Well, now she understood dogs a little better, at least.


    She opened and closed her hands, shifted her weight and lifted her legs. Everything seemed to be in working order, if a bit gangly and unruly feeling. Looking down, she realized that the shift in her body had managed to destroy what was left of her dress, leaving her with nothing but bare fur. She didn''t know the gnoll conception of social decency, but she suspected that if she went out with nothing on, it would attract the same level of attention she would normally get if she walked naked through Hawkport as a tiefling.


    Thinking back over the list of spells she had available, nothing immediately presented itself as an option for creating clothing. That, sadly, wasn''t something that was a common problem for most mages, and the ones who did have it as a problem typically had far more pressing concerns, such as not dying. Somehow, she had ended up in a situation where her pressing concerns involved both not immediately dying AND being fully clothed.


    Figures.


    She looked around the guard room for something, anything to cover herself up with, but found nothing. Finally, lacking a better option, she took one of the side passages leading off the guard room to try and see if she would have better luck somewhere else.


    The corridor she selected led generally away from the direction of the village, and was wider and better lit than all of the other options. After several meandering turns, she arrived in a smallish, mostly circular room. Several large wooden beds sat in a semi-circle around the back side of the chamber. To the right was a table with half a dozen rough-hewn chairs, and behind it, a small cooking area with makeshift spit and several kettles hung over an unlit, blackened fireplace. The smell of burnt meat hung faintly in the air, and she found herself having to fight the urge to start drooling.


    Against the left side wall of the chamber, Eleanor saw a large chest. Opening it, she found it filled all sorts of odds and ends, including a pair of boots, a dagger, a purse, some papers, and a bunch of other paraphrenalia. To the left of the chest, near the bottom, she finally found a large pair of linen breeches, and a baggy cloth tunic. Pulling them out, she found to her relief that they fit her new body well enough. The tunic was a little baggy, but was workable once the front laces were tied. The pants fit nearly perfectly, except that they clearly weren''t made for a creature with a tail. Using the dagger to cut a hole for it solved the issue.


    Seeing the items in the chest, she wondered who they belonged to, but that didn''t stop her from taking what she could use. Whoever had owned them before needed them less than she did now.


    The purse still had some coin in it, and she stuck it in one of the belt pouches of her new belt. She then fastened the dagger to her side, and tried on the boots, which were sadly too small to be comfortable. Not that it mattered too much for the disguise, considering many of the gnolls she''d seen hadn''t been wearing any.


    Having taken what she could find, and now not stark naked, she left the guard chambers and made her way down the corridor heading towards the village proper.

 Chapter 147 Escape part 3

    Eleanor exited the next passage and entered another, larger open room that seemed to serve as a routing junction for a lot of the paths in the cave. She was about to head down the pathway she remembered being carried down previously, when the sound of a large number of bodies approaching from the right-most passage interrupted her. Looking around for somewhere to hide and not finding a better option, she quickly dashed back inside the passageway she''d just come from, and hid herself behind a small lip of rock just inside the exit.


    After hiding, she remembered that she looked like a gnoll, and that it probably wouldn''t matter if she was seen, but she wasn''t about to take that risk, if she could help it. If this tribe was only a couple hundred members large, then it was likely everyone in it was at least familiar with everyone else in it. If anyone paid attention to her for long, she had the sneaking suspicion she''d end up caught. After all, she either looked like a gnoll no one knew, or, far worse, she looked exactly like another gnoll that many of them knew. And she had no idea which it was. Best to keep any direct attention she might draw to a minimum, just in case.


    Peeking her head gingerly around to look, she watched as two dozen or so gnolls in armor and carrying various types of weapons marched through the chamber in some semblance of attempted marching order. There were at least two of the gnolls in the group she was sure she recognized as guards who''d been helping her. The one who''d smuggled her the components package had a very distinct, wedge-shaped notch near the tip of her left ear. The one who watched her eat when the bowl and spoon had been left for her had a line of several white spots along the base of his neck the rest of the gnolls she''d seen lacked. While she couldn''t be certain others didn''t have these traits, she felt confident she had the two of them pegged correctly.


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    After a minute or so, the sound of the marching gnolls receded into the distance of the passage on her left, and she slid out from behind the passageway entrance and crossed the room into the far corridor before any others arrived to impede her progress. This passage ascended rather steeply in several points, and on more than one occasion she had to use the walls of the passageway for support. She had no idea how the guards who''d carried her up these slopes had done so with her on their backs without once having to stop or rely on something else for balance.


    Finally reaching the end of the corridor, the exit widened out onto the familiar ledge that overlooked the makeshift village below. Being careful not to draw much attention to herself, Eleanor crept to the edge of the overlook and peeked over the side into the camp.


    The entire thing was ablaze with activity in a way that she had never seen it before on any of her previous times seeing it. Gnolls scurried to and fro carrying supplies. Some were helping others fit their armor. A couple were assembling and stacking piles of rough-made arrows, while others still honed and sharpened axes and sword blades.


    Eleanor had never been to a war camp in person, but she knew what they were like from the stories she''d heard. And this, this was most definitely a war camp. They were preparing for a siege, or a large-scale battle, which confirmed her suspicion she''d formed when she''d entered the empty guard room.


    Someone was coming to attack the camp.

 Chapter 148 Escape part 4

    Eleanor crept down from the ledge, and followed the pathway down into the camp, doing her best to keep her head down as as she did so. Working her way through the outskirts, she drew a few momentary glances, but thankfully no one seemed to care enough to pay her any serious attention with all of the other activity going on. She was grateful. The anxiety the possibility of getting caught was making her tremble. She doubted very seriously she''d be able to talk her way out of it if someone confronted her in this state.


    It took her several long minutes before she was able to finally locate Marg''faz''s hut. She assumed it would be easier to find, but having only been there once, and not really able to look around the outside easily while slung on a guard''s back made things harder than expected. She was finally able to locate it not really by recognition, but rather by noticing that everyone in the camp seemed to give on particular hut a bit of a wider berth than normal, and seemed particularly averse to looking at it. That had to be it.


    Getting closer proved her to be right. Quickly heading to the door, she rapped against it gently with the back of her hand, and then again a few moments later when no reply came. Finally, after the third attempt, she heard movement inside, and a few moments later, the door creaked open a crack, and a shining eye peeked at her from the darkness on the other side.


    "Who is it? What do you want?" Marg''faz hissed.


    Eleanor glanced around furtively, before leaning in closer.


    "It''s Eleanor. The girl you helped." She whispered.


    The eye studied her for a moment, then flickered in recognition.


    "So it is. Come in. Quickly." The gnoll woman said.


    The door swung open just long enough for Eleanor to duck inside the hut before it shut behind her with a click, followed by the metallic scrape of a bolt being fastened.


    The room contained no light sources, so Eleanor could see perfectly fine, but only in black and white. The inside of the hut was disorganized, even messy, as if it had recently been turned over or ransacked. Marg''faz, for her part looked disheveled, and generally displeased as she returned and sat on the bed on the left side of the hovel.


    "I see you''ve managed to get out." Marg''faz said, appraising Eleanor. "The Polymorph is well done."


    She sighed, and sat silent for a long moment before continuing.


    "Unfortunately, you''ve wasted your time coming to see me. The things I have been planning can no longer come to fruition as I have hoped." She said.


    "What''s happening? It seems like everyone is getting ready for war." Eleanor said.


    "They are. The camp will soon be under attack from an outside force. And my son, seeming to have known what I was planning, has ensured that every clan member who has privately declared their loyalty to me is now outside of the camp with some of the others, preparing for the attack. So, we are alone, my dear." She said.


    "The camp is under attack? From whom? Who is the attacking force?" Eleanor asked.


    "The only information I have is that there are a large group of adventurers coming for the camp. All human, it would seem, except for some humanoid woman that one of my eyes tells me has orange hair and skin red as a cherry." She said.


    Eleanor''s eyes shot wide. She couldn''t believe what she was hearing.


    "Wait, you said this woman had red skin and orange hair? Was she wearing armor and carrying a sword?" Eleanor asked, her body suddenly tense with excitement.


    Marg''faz looked at Eleanor with a puzzled expression.


    "...Yes? Why? Do you know someone by that description?" She asked.


    "Yes!" Eleanor said, beaming. "That''s my sister Rose!"


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 Chapter 149 Escape part 5

    Marg''faz stared at her for a moment, then clicked her tongue and turned away.


    "Well, I can''t say I can see how that''s possible, but I''ll take your word for it. But what good does that do us? Either your sister and her friends will die trying to kill my clansmen, or your sister and her friends will kill everyone loyal to me before they come in and butcher everyone else as well. I can''t say that either of them sounds like a winning proposition, do they?"


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    She sighed and sat on the bed, her expression grim.


    Eleanor had to agree. Neither option was a good one. But surely there had to be something they could do. But what? What could a polymorphed tiefling and an imprisoned gnoll woman possibly do?


    Eleanor walked over and slumped onto the bed alongside Marg''faz, trying to puzzle out what to do. She could just leave, sneak past the gnoll line, and reunite with Rose before the attack. She had every right to, and she doubted Marg''faz would judge her for doing so. But the very idea of doing it felt wrong. Her and her followers had already done so much to help her, and for her to just run away and abandon Marg''faz as soon as things got complicated, much less take up arms against the guards who''d risked their own lives to bring her supplies. What kind of person would she be if she did something like that?


    They sat in silence together for several long minutes, the air dense and hot in the tight interior of the cramped hut. Eleanor played over possibility after possibility in her mind, but nothing seemed possible or reasonable, until a sudden thought occurred to her.


    In a sense, both the adventurers and the loyalists were on the same side. They both wanted to kill Rawg''faz and end the reign of the Iron Hounds. They both wanted her freed. And neither of them knew that about the other.


    But what if they did?


    What if, somehow, both sides could be convinced to work together to attack their genuine common enemy, rather than each other?


    It seemed inherently ridiculous at first, but the longer she thought about it, the more it started to make sense. She could go to the adventurers camp while Marg''faz was snuck out and met with the loyalists. Then the two of them could bring their groups together and mutually agree to focus on their mutual foe. But, then again, that required them being willing to not immediately kill each other and take time to listen to reason. And if she knew anything about angry adventurers, or gnolls for that matter, neither was very much inclined to do that sort of thing, even if doing it would benefit them greatly in the long run.


    But, none of the points of possible failure mattered. Attempting to do it was the only chance they had of coming up with a better outcome than one of the ones that Marg''faz had just stated. Even if they failed, at least it would be in the process of trying to do the right thing. And maybe, just maybe, she would get to see her sisters one last time. And Jack, if he was there. She had a lot she wanted to say to him, if she ever got the chance. But those things could wait until after the two of them were alone, if she got so lucky.


    Eleanor turned to Marg''faz, and placed her hand on the gnoll woman''s shoulder.


    "What I am about to say is going to sound crazy, but I have an idea."

 Chapter 150 Escape part 6

    When Eleanor finished explaining her plan, Marg''faz stared at her for several long moments.


    "I''ll be a long shot" She finally said.


    "I know. But what other choice have we got that is better than trying it? If you have one, I''m all ears." Ellie said.


    Marg''faz shook her head.


    "No, I don''t. But how do you propose we make you plan happen? I''m still trapped in here, for one thing. And with the camp being on alert like it is, there I no way you will be able to break the wards on this place without drawing a lot of attention. And, as you may recall me saying earlier, spells don''t work inside it, so dispelling it from the inside won''t work. Trust me when I say I''ve tried. And once I can leave, I hope you aren''t under the delusion I can just walk out of here unnoticed. This place is being watched obsessively. Your presence entering has already been noted, and has likely been reported to my son, though he may not realize who you are."


    Eleanor pursed her lips as she thought about that for a moment.


    "Well, the way I see it, we have two options- I can try to covertly break the seals, then polymorph you and try and sneak out together, which has a good chance of not working, or we can just skip the pretense of trying not to draw any more attention and just force our way out. You said your son is the only other magic caster in the clan, right?"


    Marg''faz seemed to weigh her answer for a moment before replying.


    "He is not the only one, but he is the only one of note. The rest have the Gift, but lack any training in its use, so their abilities are limited. I do not suspect any of them to be of much use against a caster of even middling talent." She said.


    "Well then it seems to me that unless your son personally intervenes, there probably isn''t much that can stop us if we move quickly and take everyone off-guard. We could be out of the cave and with the others before any of your son''s followers could try and formulate a serious effort to stop us." Eleanor replied.


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    The more she talked about it out loud, the less unreasonable the idea seemed. They were going to fight their way out, and then once everyone was rallied together, fight their way back in. And then she would be with her family and Jack again. And then she''d burn every single one of that bastard Shaman''s followers until there was nothing left but ashes and dust.


    Marg''faz scratched at her ear, and gave Eleanor a sidelong glance.


    "Yes, I suppose you''re right. Well, let''s do it your way then. If we are to act, time and speed are of the essence."


    Eleanor nodded, and stood up from the bed.


    "Grab whatever you need or is of value. I will step outside and work on getting these bans lifted." She said.


    Marg''faz looked wryly around at the ransacked interior of the hut.


    "Right. I will get right on that." She said.


    Ellie opened her components pouch, and gathered the items she would need for a proper dispelling. She used the small ball of waxy fat she''d kept from the soup as the oil, then rosemary and tobacco, then a small piece of stone.


    Once everything was gathered, she waited for Marg''faz to indicate she was ready. She did not have to wait long. As soon as she knew, Ellie stepped outside the hut, and made the first dispelling gesture.

 Chapter 151 Escape part 7

    The seals exploded in a thunderclap of sound and a shower of debris when the spellweave holding them together finally failed under the pressure of Eleanor''s dispelling efforts. When the dust cleared, the majority of the doorframe had been destroyed, leaving the remains of the wooden door to the hut hanging loosely by a single hinge.


    Marg''faz stepped out of the hut and coughed.


    "Well, that''s one way to do it." She said. She glanced around them. Nearly a dozen nearby clan members stared in their direction as more peeked out of their homes or walked closer to see what happened.


    "We need to go." She said.


    "Agreed." Eleanor said.


    Before any of the gnolls around them could call for the guards or try to intervene, the two of them dashed past the nearest ones and ran for the sloping ramp that led to the ledge that overlooked the camp. One armed gnoll, whose attention had seemingly been drawn by the explosion, saw them running and stepped in to stop them before they reached the ramp. Eleanor reached into her component pouch and pulled a button from it. With a flourish and a word, a sphere of blue flame knocked the dogman flying backwards. It sailed half a dozen feet through the air before landing square on its back, a smoking hole where the firebolt struck him.


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    Near the base of the ramp, two more guards drew weapons, seemingly alerted by the sound of their comrade''s yelp, and rushed towards the two of them. Marg''faz emitted a low, sonorous tone from the base of her throat, and with a sweep of her hand, a jet of black smoke erupted from her fingertips. It swirled and congealed into black tendrils that wrapped and bound both of the guards, before constricting tight around them and toppling the two of them to the ground as they struggled against the bonds.


    They reached the ramp and ascended, bounding as fast as their legs would take them. An arrow clicked off the stone near Eleanor''s feet, and then a second whistled past their heads before clacking against the cave wall to their left. As they dove into the tunnel at the top of a ledge, a third struck the ceiling only a few inches above Marg''faz''s head.


    Running down one tunnel, then another, they finally reached the central hub of paths Eleanor had been through earlier. Marg''faz motioned to one of the pathways to the right, which Eleanor recognized as the one the convoy of fighters had traveled down when she''d hidden, and the two of them proceeded down it.


    Eleanor''s lungs burned, but she couldn''t bring herself to slow. She was so close to being free. After what had felt like an eternity, she could feel herself getting closer and closer with each step to getting out of this horrible place and back to the people she loved. They rounded another corner, and there, at the far end of the corridor, was sunlight. Actual, real sunlight. She felt her heart flutter in her chest, and she willed herself to run ever faster, even as her legs and lungs burned in protest.


    Just a little bit more, Ellie. You can do this. Cmon. Don''t stop now.


    Their feet slapped against the stone floor. The light at the end of the tunnel grew closer. Ever closer.


    Just a little further. Just a little further. Just a little further.


    In the distance behind them, she could heard the sound of bodies chasing after them. But they were too late. Nothing was going to stop her now.


    Five steps. Three. One.


    And then, sunlight.

 Chapter 152 The Night Before

    Laying in his bedroll the night before the assault on the gnoll garrison, Jack found himself once again unable to sleep. Maybe it was his nerves from the coming battle, or the conversation he''d had with Urien and Farlo at the last meeting. Either way, sleep eluded him, and after an hour of tossing and turning, he finally gave up on trying and walked to the nearest fire.


    After all the caution about not lighting fires up to this point, it''d taken him a moment to understand why it was suddenly okay to now, but upon reflection, it made sense. The gnolls already knew they were coming, and pretty much exactly where they were, fires or not. Gnolls had the ability to see comfortably in darkness, humans did not. At this point, efforts at discretion would only put them at greater risk if they were ambushed. So fires were lit, and for the first time since leaving the clearing he''d finally gotten a belly full of hot food. It was nice to eat something besides dried meat and cold bread for a change.


    Sitting down at the fire, he glanced over to discover Rose sitting a short distance away, staring into the flames, a cloak wrapped tightly around her body and head. He walked over and sat down beside her.


    "Can''t sleep either, huh?" He said.


    "No." She said, shaking her head. "I can''t calm down enough, even with how tired I am."


    "Same." Jack said, looking into the fire.


    They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the crackling of the campfire, before Rose spoke up again.


    "Do you think Ellie is doing okay?" She asked.


    "If I know Ellie half as well as I think I do, I''m sure she''s fine. I''m more worried about her captors, to be honest." He replied.


    Rose gave him a sidelong glance, but said nothing. She shifted on her seat and pulled the cloak closer around her.


    "I can''t seem to get warm. I don''t understand. It''s not even that cold out tonight." She said, shivering almost imperceptibly.


    "You''re stressed. I used to have the same problem. When people get really stressed out, their bodies force the blood from their extremities and surface further into their body. It''s part of the fight or flight response, although I can''t really remember what it''s good for." Jack said, moving over to sit closer to her.


    Rose looked at him, puzzled.


    "How do you know that? Did you read that in a book or something?" She asked.


    "Well, not exactly. It''s more like..."


    He trailed off for a moment, realizing he was about to try and explain the Internet to someone who had no idea what a computer was.


    "Well, there were these objects in my other world that people could use to create and store information. And then an inventor figured out a way to magically connect them so they could share information between them almost instantly. Then someone else found a way to make that information easy to search for across all of the objects. So, I guess you could say I got bored one day and used one of these objects to try and find out why I would always be cold. Turns out I was always anxious." He said.


    "You were? You never seem anxious to me." Rose said.


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    Jacked laughed out loud, before immediately stifling it and looking around to make sure he hadn''t woken anyone.


    "I''ve been anxious for most of the time I''ve been here. I''m anxious even now." He said, amused. "I can''t believe you can''t tell."


    "Really?" Rose said. She looked genuinely surprised.


    "Yes. Constantly. I used to take medication for it." He said.


    "...Medication?" Rose said, looking confused again.


    Oh right. You don''t know about that either.

 Chapter 153 The Night Before part 2

    "So, they''re basically like potions then." Rose said.


    "Sorta, yeah. Except they''re not magical. They just do things to the chemistry in your body to cause different effects." Jack said.


    "And you took one that made your body not be anxious?" She asked.


    "Well, it didn''t keep me from feeling it, so much as it kept me from feeling it at the wrong times, or from it being unmanageable." He replied.


    "Was that a problem people from your world used to have?"


    "All the time." Jack replied.


    "Why?"


    "Because life is hard, and made people really stressed out all the time, I guess." Jack said


    Rose frowned. "That sounds miserable. Why would anyone want to live like that?"


    Jack shrugged.


    "Who knows? I used to live that way because I didn''t have a choice. Or, at least, I didn''t feel like I had one. I was ugly and fat and lazy and a loser, so I just accepted that my life was gonna be miserable and I was going to be depressed and anxious all the time."


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    Rose looked at him, confused.


    "But you aren''t any of those things. You''re capable and you work really hard... and... you''re handsome too." She said.


    "Well, I''m glad you think so." Jack said sheepishly. "Though I suspect that''s because I wished for you in my harem when I was being an idiot. Frumpkin probably made you like me and think those things so my wish would come true."


    "No." Rose said, shaking her head. "He didn''t. I didn''t always think that way about you."


    "Really?"


    "Yes, really." Rose said. "I thought you were the least impressive hero I''d ever seen. It was obvious you were skilled, but you had no confidence. You were an out of shape coward. But after living together for a bit, and training together, and then seeing how you''ve changed since we''ve met, I don''t think that way anymore. I feel the way I do because you''ve earned it through your actions, not because you wished for it."


    "Oh..." Jack said, taken aback.


    "And Maddy likes and trusts you. And she''s the least trusting person I''ve ever known, so that counts for something." She said. "And Ellie, well...."


    She trailed off for a moment. There was a look on her face that Jack couldn''t read.


    "Ellie is a good judge of character too. And she is obviously smitten with you." She said. "So don''t be hard on yourself. You''ve clearly made all of us like you."


    Jack stared out into the fire for a moment, processing evething. Finally he spoke up.


    "Thank you, Rose. That means a whole lot." He said, smiling.


    "You''re welcome." She said with a smile.


    He reached out and put his arm around her. She was very warm, almost hot, but not her typical scalding self.


    "Well, there is one small benefit to you being anxious. I can actually hug you without losing a limb." He said, giving her a squeeze.


    She leaned into him and squeezed back. He felt her sigh gently as she tucked her head underneath his chin.


    "This is nice." She said after a moment.


    "Yes, it is." He replied.


    He felt his heart thumping in his chest, and wondering if she could tell that it was pounding at a million miles an hour. She squeezed him harder, and turned her face uptowards his, looking him directly in the eyes.


    "Whatever happens tomorrow, I want us to remember tonight, even if it''s the last time we see each other. So let''s make the most of it, okay?" She said.


    And with that, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

 Chapter 154 Free at Las

    Eleanor ran as far from the cave entrance as she possibly could, until it''d finally receded out of sight, before dropping breathlessly at the base of a small, dead tree. She sat there, heaving and shaking, her vision swirling and legs aching.


    She was free. She was finally free.


    He wanted to scream and yell and dance around for joy. In the grand scheme of things, she''d not been a captive for long, but it felt like an eternity. And now that she was out, the relief of being free again was so strong she couldn''t stop the flow of giggles and tears that overtook her as she tried to catch her breath and stop the world from spinning.


    Within moments, Marg''faz tumbled down beside her, her chest heaving in great gasps as her tongue lolled out of her mouth. The two of them lay there for several minutes, saying nothing, until their bodies finally pulled themselves together, and they found themselves able to speak.


    "Do you hear anyone coming?" Eleanor asked.


    "I don''t." Marg''faz said.


    "Me either. Do you think they''re letting us get away?" Eleanor asked, rubbing her legs.


    "Doubtful. At least in the long term. As soon as my soon gets word we have escaped, he will have his men out in force to bring us back." Marg''faz said between pants.


    "Do you feel able to keep running?" Eleanor asked.


    "Running? No. I''m too old for that sort of thing now. But, I do suppose I could fly, with a bit of time." The gnoll woman said, scratching her ear with a pointed nail.


    "Flying will draw too much attention. They''ll be able to see us in the air from a long way off." Eleanor said, furrowing her brow.


    "No dear, I don''t mean up high. I mean close to the ground not much higher than walking height. I don''t have much vigor left in these muscles of mine, but I do have plenty of magic to spare, and we could both cover much more ground if we''re not fighting exhaustion." Marg''faz said.


    "Makes sense to me. Do you have the components you need, or do you need to look through my pouch?" Eleanor asked.


    "No need for components, dear. I''m a shaman, after all. All I need is time and space to meditate and commune with the right spirit." Marg''faz said, patting Eleanor''s cheek before instinctively flinching away.


    "Goodness child, you''re burning up!" She said, her eyes wide.


    Eleanor shrugged.


    "I''m a fire tiefling. It''s just my natural body temperature."


    She looked at the gnoll woman''s hand.


    "Are you okay?"


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    Marg''faz gingerly rubbed her palm.


    "I''m fine, dear. More surprised than anything." She said.


    After a moment, she crossed her legs and leaned back against the tree trunk, before closing her eyes.


    "Give me a few moments of silence to focus, and I should be ready to leave." She said.


    "I''ll get ready, then." Eleanor said with a nod.


    She reached into her components pouch, and started digging around for the right supplies. There were many different ways to fly, but she only knew the simplest one, which was to give herself wings for a bit. More talented mages could do so by simply magically lifting themselves off the ground, rocketing about and flitting about like fairies without need of wings. It was a good trick, but required relatively expensive components to use, and a good deal more training in transmutation than she''d bothered to study.


    That was alright though. Wings would work perfectly fine.


    She needed a feather that was either brown or grey, a short length of string, and some part of her, like a hair. Then there was the incantation, which she didn''t remember, and the spellsigns, which she thankfully did. With a small bit of trial and error, she finally settled on what was likely the correct formula, and, with components in hand, turned her attention back to Marg''faz.


    The gnoll woman spoke softly and quickly in a language Eleanor didn''t recognize, her face stern and hard. As she muttered, she drew signs in the air, sometimes punctuating a specific word or phrase with a sharp jerk of one of her hands. Finally, her face slackened, and she let out a long sigh as she opened her eyes.


    "That took more effort than I expected. One of the unfortunate drawbacks of being a shaman who shares the same ancestral spirits with others is that their loyalties are frequently divided between each shaman, and if their summoners are divided or opposed in a course of action, one must bribe or plead or threaten the spirits into siding with you over the others." She said.


    "And you share the same spirits as your son." Eleanor guessed.


    "Correct." Marg''faz said, forcing herself to her feet with effort and a faint groan.


    "So what did you tell them? You seemed pretty angry." Eleanor asked.


    "I told them that if they refused to side with me over my son, I would break blood ties with any of them that did once I took the throne. If I did that, I would lose access to their power forever. However, they rely on such a bond in order to not fade out of existence, so it is generally in a spirit''s best interest to keep someone making such threats as happy as possible." Marg''faz said.


    "How many of them sided with you?" Eleanor asked.


    "Three. Out of forty-seven." Marg''faz said flatly.


    Eleanor frowned.


    "That''s disappointing." She said. "I would have expected more."


    "It''ll be more than enough. I can''t say I blame them wanting to be on the right side of a conflict, especially when it seems like one side has all of the advantages. But, it does mean the inside of my head will be a lot quieter in a few days time if we succeed in this plan of yours, though. I can''t say I will be too upset about that." Marg''faz said with a chuckle.


    She closed her eyes and took a deep, long breath, before exhaling slowly.


    "Alright, dear... are you ready to go?"

 Chapter 155 Free At Last part 2

    It took Eleanor a few tries to get the incantation exactly right. The first time did nothing, and the second did indeed cause wings to sprout, but from her head rather than her back. Marg''faz chuckled quietly to herself as Eleanor grimaced and banished the spell with a huff.


    The third attempt finally worked, and a large set of brown, feathered wings stretched out from between her shoulder blades. She tested to ensure they were working properly by stretching them out and giving a few test flaps. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, she nodded to Marg''faz.


    "Ready when you are."


    Marg''faz nodded and shut her eyes. Slowly, imperceptible at first, but growing louder and deeper over time, a low rhythm of tones rose from the gnoll woman''s chest. Her body began to alter shape, bending and contorting in odd angles as the volume increased. With a sudden flash and a snap of sound, the spell completed, and a large hook-billed bird stood where the shaman stood only moments before. The creature inclined its head towards Eleanor and blinked inquisitively, before spreading its wings and launching off the ground with powerful gust.


    Eleanor followed suit, feeling the muscles in her back and chest ripple as her new wings beat against the air and lifted her off the ground. Finding just the right amount of pressure to keep herself off the ground while not cresting above the treeline took a minute or two. If she allowed herself a full flap on every stroke, she easily flew higher than intended. Once she found the rhythm she needed, the two of them set off southward at as fast a pace as either of them could muster while keeping a low profile.


    They worked their way down the slope of the mountain face, being sure to remain out of sight of the top. At times they coasted along the air currents without having to exert any effort, and in those moments, Ellie found herself lost in the moment as she felt the wind whipping its way through her hair. For all of the discomfort that had come from being covered in fur, the feeling of the air rushing through it as she soared gently down the side of the mountain made her heart flutter.


    They flew for the better part of an hour before Eleanor finally spotted the huddled mass of gnolls in the distance in the fading light of the setting sun. They looked like a gathered crowd of black ants scurrying to and fro from makeshift wooden bulwarks and towers to the treeline and back again. Seeing them, Marg''faz quickened her pace, choosing for the first time to fly up and out of cover as they approached the camp. Eleanor followed suit, breaking out of the treeline and following the shaman as she dove towards her followers.


    As they approached, some of the gnolls stopped and pointed skyward, and more than a few readied weapons. Changing course for the rear edge of camp rather than the center, Marg''faz wove her way downwards, before finally alighting at the base of a large tree near the approach trail that led upwards back to the camp they''d just fled from. Eleanor followed suit, and landed beside her.


    Within moments, the two of them were surrounded by over a dozen fighters. Some of them seemed curious. Others, however, didn''t seem interested in giving the giant bird and the winged gnoll much chance to talk as they approached with weapons drawn.


    With another flash of light and a crack like thunder, Marg''faz returned to her normal form, and held her hand up to the approaching fighters.


    "Stay your weapons." She said, looking from one to the next.


    Seeing Marg''faz transform, the lot of them froze in place, before one near the front carrying a rather intimidating looking mace furrowed his brows.


    "Mishtress? Ve thought you could not leave ze hovel." He said.


    Marg''faz nodded, and motioned towards Eleanor.


    "I couldn''t. But I aided out mutual friend here in her escape, and in exchange, she helped me in mine." She said.


    Sensing the time was right to do so, Eleanor dropped the polymorph spell for the first time since leaving the cave. As she did so, she suddenly discovered that without the larger frame and fur her previous form had given her, the tunic and pants she was wearing were far too large to stay up on their own. Flustered, she snatched hold of her pants and the front of the tunic to keep them from tumbling off of her into a heap on the ground, and grinned sheepishly at the gnoll staring at her.


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    "Uh, hiya!" She said, making a quick wave with her tail.


    The gnoll looked at her in confusion, clearly unsure of what to think. Seeing the lull, Marg''faz stepped forward and spoke up.


    "I need to speak to Graf''ahl. Plans are changing, and we need to move quickly if we are going to have a chance to make things work in our favor. Where is he?"


    The gnoll with the mace pondered for a moment, before turning and pointing towards one of the nearby makeshift towers.


    "Lasht I''ve seen of him, he vas surveying ze enemy camp to ze south from ze top of zat tower. Perhaps he ish shtill zere." The gnoll said.


    Marg''faz nodded, and turned to Eleanor. She leaned in close and spoke quickly and quietly.


    "There is a chance I might not be able to convince them to send an emissary in time before an attack. I need you to go to the camp where your sister is, and attempt to forstall the coming attack. If you can, convince them to prepare an emissary to meet here after sunrise tomorrow. If we are able to get both sides to talk, we should be able to get things to work out as you hoped. If not, then I fear you and I may not see each other again, my dear."

 Chapter 156 The Night Before part 3

    All of the blood rushed to Jack''s face as Rose''s tongue flicked gently between his lips. Her mouth was hot, the temperature radiating from her lips and face setting all of the nerves on his skin alight as she she pressed her mouth more firmly into his and threw her arms around him. He froze for a moment, so taken off guard by what was happening that he didn''t know how to react.


    He still wasn''t used to being kissed by girls who actually wanted to kiss him. Well, I mean, besides being kissed by his mom. But that was different. And not on the mouth either, thank god.


    He returned her advance, leaning down into her and pulling her tighter in his arms. His head felt light, and his heart pounded in his chest as she kissed him even more deeply than before, running her hand across his chest as she gently licked the edge of his lips.


    After a moment, she pulled away and looked at him, before suddenly becoming bashful and turning away.


    "Sorry... I just... had to. I hope that was okay."


    Jack looked at her in bewilderment.


    "Why would that not be okay?"


    Rose looked down, chewing on her lower lip anxiously.


    "I don''t know... I just know you and Ellie have feelings for each other, and I don''t want to get in the way of that. But...."


    She trailed off for a moment, staring into the fire, before continuing.


    "I wasn''t sure of you at first. But you''re kind, and courageous, and are constantly trying to get better, and somehow, in the midst of all of this, you''ve done everything you can to take care of Maddy and I, and to save our sister, and that means a lot. And I don''t want to go another day without telling you how I feel. I don''t expect you to choose between us, or to pick me over her if you do. But...."


    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she looked at him again, her golden eyes were lined with tears.


    "I really like you, Jack. Like, a lot. And I want you to like me in the same way. I know I''m not pretty or clever like Ellie is, but I can help keep you safe, and I can learn to be the other things a man wants a woman to be if that''s what you want from me. I just...."


    "Stop." Jack said.


    Rose stopped short and looked at him, uncertain. Jack took a deep breath, and continued.


    "I don''t want those things from you, Rose. I want you to be you."


    "But...." She protested.


    Jack raised his hand.


    "I... like you too, okay? Exactly as you are. You''re strong and brave and funny and sensitive and a really great kisser. I don''t want you to be anything different, or else you wouldn''t be the you I like."


    Rose laughed gently, causing a couple tears to fall.


    "And yes, it''s true that I have feelings for Ellie. But those don''t change the way I feel about you either. You''re both special to me in your own ways."


    He paused.


    "The truth is, Rose, I don''t want to have to pick between you. I don''t want to pick between you because if I do, I know I will lose one of you. I want to be selfish and have both of you because the thought of losing either one of you terrifies me. I don''t want to give either one of you up. I like you both too much. You''re honestly probably the best friends I''ve ever had, and you''re the only girls to ever like me in any way whatsoever."


    Jack sighed, scratching the back of his head.


    "I don''t know what to do, because I know eventually one of you or both of you are going to want me to choose between you, and I just can''t. The thought of losing one of you makes me...."


    He trailed off as his voice broke. He didn''t want to let his emotions get the better of him, but despite his best efforts, he felt tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. He cleared his throat and wiped them away with his fingers.


    "Sorry." He said.


    Rose reached out and rested her hand gently against his cheek. Her golden eyes were soft.


    "I don''t know what the future holds, but I promise you will never lose me, no matter what happens, alright? I care about you as a person more than I want something more, and I am sure Ellie feels the same way too."


    "But what if...." Jack started, but Rose rested a finger on his lips.


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    "Ellie and I will have our own feelings to deal with, no matter what. But there is nothing you can do that will make us care about you less, even if we can''t have what we really want from you. So be here with us, and let things be as they are. Who knows? Maybe the future has something planned for us that we can''t imagine yet." She said.


    She smiled.


    "Just knowing you feel the same way about me is enough. ...For now at least." She said, adding a wink at the end.


    She leaned in, and gently kissed him on the cheek. Jack felt his face flush.


    "Thank you for being honest with me, Jack. I know saying all of that wasn''t easy, but I''m glad you did."


    She pulled back and looked at him.


    "Promise me you will still be the same person you have been with me, and not let things get awkward between us. And that you will be the same person you have been with Eleanor too. Don''t feel like you have to guard yourself around either of us just because you''re afraid of hurting us. Ellie and I are big girls. We can handle our own feelings. And we are strong enough to tell you the truth if we need to. Okay?"


    "But, are you sure?" Jack asked.


    Rose looked at him more intensely.


    "Promise me, Jack."


    Jack swallowed hard, and nodded.


    "I promise."


    "Good." Rose said, leaning in and pressing her lips to his again.

 Chapter 157 Free At Last part 3

    "Are you sure everything will be okay if I leave? You don''t have access to most of your powers anymore." Eleanor whispered back.


    "Yes, but they don''t know that. And besides, they''ve all pledged me their fealty. They believe in the changes I want to make. Everything will be fine, precious one." Marg''faz said, patting Eleanor''s head.


    She looked down at the tiefling''s oversized clothing, and with a flick of her wrist, the fabric shifted and tightened until it fit more properly.


    "There. Now go, child. Our time is short." She said.


    Eleanor turned to go, then stopped. She turned back to the gnoll, her eyes damp.


    "Thank you, Marg''faz¡­ for-for everything." She said.


    "I only did what was right to do. Now go! Thank me after we''ve made it out of this alive." The gnoll said, shooing Eleanor away.


    Eleanor turned to leave, drawing the eyes of many of the nearby gnolls. She turned and gave one final look to her rescuer, before spreading her wings and lifting into the sky.


    As the ground receded beneath her, Eleanor felt a strange mixture of emotions overtake her. She didn''t want to leave Marg''faz behind, partly out of gratitude, and partly out of a fear that something would happen to her in her absence. But with each flap carrying her towards freedom, the joy in her chest grew. It was becoming real. She would actually make it out of this alive. She would actually make it back to her family in one piece. She would be really and truly free.


    And maybe, just maybe, she''d be able to see Jack again.


    As twilight dimmed towards night and the stars peeked their heads out, the small campfire lights of the adventurers'' camp came into view, little orange-red flickers shimmering in the field in the distance. Most of the camp was unmoving, probably sleeping, but some bodies sat close around a few of the fires, and she could see sentries around each of the camp''s sides keeping an eye out for anything approaching. Eleanor frowned. There were probably fifty or sixty bodies in the camp total. That was less than a third of what she''d seen in the gnoll camp. Even if everyone in the adventurers'' camp was an expert fighter like her sister, would they really be able to have bested three to one odds to rescue her?


    Looking around, her heart skipped a beat when she saw what looked like Rose sitting next to one of the fires, whetting her sword with a stone. She wanted to scream out to her, but thought better of it. She''d already be drawing enough attention as it is just by showing up. The last thing she needed to do was rouse the entire camp in the middle of the night by shouting. Come to think of it, she''d probably better land and walk in as well. A man-sized flying anything would probably just as likely be shot down by a nervous archer as it was to land safely.


    As she got within a thousand feet or so, she gently descended to the dewy field below, alighting softly amidst the chest-high grass. With a word and a gesture, she banished the wings on her back, and walked slowly towards the lights of the camp.


    With each step, she felt her pulse and breathing quicken. Her hands were shaking, and she felt numb, as much from the nervous anticipation as from the chill in the air. Almost there, Ellie. You''re almost there. Just take it easy. You have all the time in the world.


    Then in the distance, she saw something that froze her in her tracks.


    It was Jack.


    He was standing near the one of the closest fires, leaning on the handle of his axe, talking to someone else. He was laughing and smiling, his soft face twisted into a warm grin. Seeing him in the thin shirt and short pants he was wearing, she envied his immunity to cold. She''d be shivering to death in clothes like that.


    A few more steps, and she''d be close enough to call out to him.


    Three more. Two. One.


    With her final step, she felt her body collide with something firm. She looked at the spot in front of her, but there was nothing there. She reached her hand out, and met resistance, like an invisible barrier prevented her from moving further. Perplexed, she pulled the components for a dispel out of her pouch, and with a few words and a flourish, attempted to banish the barrier.


    Nothing happened.


    Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.


    Feeling a sudden sense of panic, she tried calling out to Jack, screaming his name, but the words seemed to to muffle and fade as soon as they left her mouth. The harder she screamed, the more quickly the sound seemed to die, as if something were forcibly stealing the sound from her lips as soon as she spoke.


    Then all at once, a booming voice resounded all around her. A voice she recognized all too well. A voice that made her blood run cold.


    "Zurely you did not zhink it would be zhat easy, devil girl." Rawg''faz said, then laughed wickedly. "I zhought you were smarter zhan zhat."


    All at once, the vision of the camp in front of her began to dissolve and fade like ash from a fire. She screamed for Jack, but he just turned and smiled as he melted away like smoke. The world distorted, growing darker and darker until nothing but blackness surrounded her. She screamed and screamed, but soon, nothing came out.


    "Now, I zhink it''s time ve bring you back to reality, my zweet." The shaman said, his booming voice sickly sweet.


    The darkness dissolved around her to reveal a painfully familiar throne room, with Rawg''faz sitting on the throne. He was grinning wickedly, his tongue flicking across his yellow canines.


    She looked down to find herself in her old dress, now torn into nothingness, in the chair from before. Her shattered leg throbbed and ached, and she shook uncontrollably as tears rolled down her cheeks. The warm spot building between and beneath her legs told her she''d just involuntarily wet herself.


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    "Now, let''s rezume, zhall we?" He said, leaping down from the dais.

 Chapter 158 - Battle Lines

    By dawn, the assembled adventurers were already breaking camp and preparing for the assault on the gnoll forward defenses. Jack woke to the sound of shouts and movement and went to sit up, only to find Rose''s sleeping head resting gently across his chest. They were both clothed, and in separate bedrolls, but somehow during the night she''d slid over and started cuddling with him. He could feel the intense heat from her skin radiating through the bedroll, and he was certain there was probably sweat pooling in his sternum. But he had no desire to move.


    Rose m.o.a.ned gently, before shifting in her bedroll and squeezing him tighter.


    This was nice. He could get used to this.


    He watched her for a moment, uncertain of what to do, when she took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Seeing him looking at her, she seemed to realize where she was and sat up, fl.u.s.tered.


    "Oh, good morning." She said, her face flushing.


    "Morning." Jack said, yawning and stretching. "Sleep well?"


    She nodded, then smiled sheepishly.


    "Yes, I did."


    "Good. I''m glad." He said, sitting up and throwing off the top layer of his bedroll, before reaching for his boots and pulling them onto his feet.


    What tents there were in the camp were already disassembled and loaded into packs, and most of the assembled group already wore armor and were making final preparations to leave.


    "We''re running behind." Jack said, sliding his other boot on and picking up his bedroll. "We need to hurry."


    "Well, it''s not like they''re going to leave without us." Rose said.


    It took several minutes to pack everything up, and get their armor and weapons sorted, taking turns helping each other don chestplates and pauldrons. He couldn''t help but notice how bashful Rose seemed to be during the process, which amused him to no end.


    Once everything was gathered and packed away, Jack fastened Harrowbloom to his side, and glanced down at the weapon''s ornate, flower-covered hilt. It was going to be strange fighting without his axe. He''d gotten very used to it since he''d arrived, and to head into a dangerous situation without it to keep him company felt a little like sacreliege. But even in the scabbard on his side, he felt the faint hum of the sword''s energy. There was something inside it begging to be let out. He looked forward to finding out just how good the blade really was.


    Once everything was stowed away nad he felt confident that he was as ready as he was going to get, he mentally walked through a checklist of everything he was going to need or have available, and made sure each was easily accessible.


    Harrowbloom? Check.


    Healing Potions? Check.


    Shielding Cloak? Check.


    Arrow Magnet? Check.


    Magic Missile scrolls? Check.


    He went back over the list again. Something was missing from it... but what?


    After a moment, he remembered the black knight he had from before. Reaching into one of the pouches on his belt, he pulled out the small figurine and inspected it again. It would last either 24 hours or until it ran out of health, at which point it would be dispelled and need a week to recharge.


    He considered putting it away again, but given the situation at hand, he would need all the help he could get, and he highly doubted the entire campaign would last more than 24 hours.


    Oh well. The more the merrier. Here goes nothing.


    Rose looked at him intently.


    "What are you doing?" She asked.


    "You''ll see. Watch."


    He held the figurine out in front of him, and spoke the word of power.


    "Kilcoin."


    As soon as he spoke it, the figurine began to glow with a faint light, before lifting gently off of his hand and into the air. As soon as it reached eye-level, it drifted away from him, and with a blinding flash disappeared from view with a loud clap.


    When Jack re-opened his eyes, he found himself standing in front of a knight, wrapped in menacing black armor, its hands resting on the pommel of a large, immaculate-looking sword stuck point first into the ground in front of it. The knight remained immobile for a moment, before its helmet snapped towards Jack with a creak.


    "Is it you who have summoned me, my lord?" The knight spoke, his voice deep and booming. "Tell me how I may serve you, for the life of Sir Dawson the Daring is yours to command!"


    "Whoa, how did you do that?" Rose asked, looking at the knight in wonder.


    Jack shrugged.


    "Magic item. It''s what I got from Maddy when she looted the gnolls." He said.


    He turned his attention to the knight.


    "You said your name is Dawson the Daring?" He asked.


    The knight nodded, slamming one of his armored fists into his chestplate with a loud clang.


    "At your service, Lord!"


    "What are you good at, Dawson?" Jack asked.


    The knight paused for a moment, before tilting his head slightly in the same way a dog might when it was confused by something.


    "...what do you mean, Lord?" He asked.


    "How do you fight? Do you know any magic? Would you benefit from a shield? That sort of thing." Jack said.


    Dawson the Daring straightened.


    "I see. Well, my lord, I am adept at the use of the greatsword I am in possession here. I know no magic, nor am I protected against it, though both my blade and armor are magical. I have no use for shields, as they impair my ability to heroically slay the enemies of my liege. I can and will follow any directions given to the best of my understanding and ability, even if doing so would result in my manifestation being destroyed." It said.


    Dawson the Daring then turned his attention to Rose, who seemed generally amused by the whole thing.


    "I am also knowledgable of and adept at the various methods of wooing a courtly damsel, including the playing of a lute and the recitation of romantic verse. Shall I provide a demonstration?"


    Jack snorted and shook his head.


    "No, Dawson, but thank you."

 Chapter 159 - Battle Lines (part 2)

    As they spoke, Urien walked up, appraising the black knight with a puzzled expression. He turned to Jack, and motioned towards Dawson the Daring.


    "Friend of yours?"


    "A summoned ally, actually. I got a figurine of power that allowed me to summon him from when we fought the gnolls in the town." Jack said. He turned to the black knight.


    "Introduce yourself."


    Dawson the Daring bowed elaborately, his plate armor squealing and creaking in a way that made Jack''s teeth hurt.


    "Greetings! I am Dawson the Daring, bound bannerman to Lord...." He hesitated for a moment, before awkwardly turning towards Jack.


    "Your name, lord? What is it?" He whispered, not nearly quiet enough to avoid being heard by everyone else.


    "Jack." Jack said.


    Dawson creaked back into his elaborate bow.


    "Bound bannerman to Lord Jack!" He boomed with pride.


    "Just call me Jack. I''m not a lord." Jack sighed, rubbing his eyes.


    "Of course, Lord Jack!" Dawson boomed happily.


    Urien looked from Jack to Dawson and back, raising an eyebrow. Jack shrugged.


    "We need all the help we can get." He said.


    "We''ll take it." Urien said, then added, "We march in a few minutes time. If you have any final preparations to make, now is the time. it is very likely we will enter battle as soon as we are within range of the gnoll encampment."


    Jack nodded.


    "We are as ready as we can be, which is a good bit more than we were the last time we fought with you." He said.


    "Aye, that''s true. Steel yourself, you two. We very likely have a very long day ahead of us." Urien said, walking past Jack and Rose towards the edge of the camp. As he did so, he gave Dawson the Daring one final look before shaking his head.


    Dawson the Daring turned his attention back to Jack.


    "A battle is forthcoming? Huzzah! A glorious moment for me to prove my worth as your sworn sword! What are your orders of me, Lo- I mean, Jack?" The armored man asked.


    "Keep her and I safe. Our enemies are gnolls. Are you familiar with what a gnoll is?"


    Dawson nodded.


    "Of course! Flea-ridden mongrel men with faces like hounds. They''re utterly immistakable!" Dawson said, sounding proud of himself.


    "Good. Your job is to kill any gnoll you see attempting to harm either on of us, or any of our friends in this camp. Do you understand?" Jack asked.


    Dawson nodded again, more enthusiastically.


    "Absolutely! I will make your protection my sole and unyielding responsibility!" Dawson said, slamming his armored fist into his chest again with another loud metallic boom.


    Jack snorted.


    "Thanks, man."


    He turned to Rose.


    "How are you feeling?"


    "Nervous." Rose said, fidgeting with the pommel of her sword. "This will be the riskiest thing I''ve ever done, and even though I''m with you and all the rest of these adventurers, I still can''t shake the feeling that something bad will happen."


    Jack put his hand on her shoulder, and locked his gaze with hers.


    "Nothing bad is going to happen. I won''t allow it." He said. "Never again will I fail to keep one of you safe."


    Rose searched his eyes for a moment, then smiled.


    "I''m going to hold you to that, mister hero. So you better not let me down!" She said, playfully clapping him on the shoulder.


    The disassembly of the last of the camp took less than three minutes, and soon the assembled mass was on its way, with Jack taking point to lead the way, accompanied in the front by Rose, Urien, Farlo, Abigail, and the newly summoned Dawson the Daring, who was the focus of a lot of confused and sideward glances as he clanked merrily through the field with the rest of them.


    Within the hour, they crested the top of a flat-topped hill, and in the distance, Jack saw the mountain, and at its base, a fortified position in front of a narrow strip of forest, bisected by a wide path that appeared to lead up the mountainside.


    There, in the midst of the assembled barricades and archery towers had to have been at least a hundred gnolls, perhaps even more. Far more than the scouts had indicated the day before, regardless of the actual number. Farlo whistled gently.


    "I don''t think they''re very interested in letting us go any further." He said flatly as Jack walked up beside him.


    "Doesn''t look that way, does it?" Jack said.


    Below them, at the fortifications, there were four archery towers, each of which were probably be enough to hold three or four archers each, and give them carte blanche for targets across the entire battlefield. Across the front perimeter of the defensive line, a set of spiked bulwarks made of wood sat behind what appeared to be a dug trench, limiting easy approach. There was really only one clear way in, and that was across a wooden bridge set across the trench that led to an opening between the barricades perhaps 18-20 feet wide. And with the way the arrow towers were staggered, with the center two placed further back, it was obvious to him that they existed first and foremost to turn anyone crossing the bridge into a pincushion from four different angles.


    It was, to say the least, not a very advantageous position to attack, even if they had far superior numbers. And they didn''t, which just made things worse.


    He studied the defenses for a long moment, puzzling over what to do.


    The single largest weakness to the defensive line was that everything was made of wood. And he could hurl fire, which the gnolls were probably not expecting. If he could safely get in range, he could light up the archery towers, at the very least. That woud certainly make things a lot easier.


    That is, of course, assuming he was ever given a chance to get close enough.


    Come to think of it? Had he ever really tested just how far he could project his magic?

 Chapter 160 - Battle Lines (part 3)

    Urien walked up beside the two of them and scanned the region below with a frown.


    "Worse than reported." He said flatly. "We don''t have the numbers for a siege break. Not if we want to have any chance at attacking the camp proper afterwards."


    "I think the main issue is going to be the archer towers. If we can get those down, things should be a good bit easier." Jack said.


    Urien turned his attention to Jack.


    "You sound like you have a plan." He said.


    Jack nodded.


    "I do. I''m not sure it''s a great one, but its better than nothing." He said.


    Urien crossed his arms.


    "I''m listening."


    Jack motioned towards one of the towers.


    "The towers are made of wood. I can cast magic. If I can get in range long enough to cast my spells, I can set the towers on fire and take them out of the fight." He said. "I just need help getting close enough and staying alive long enough to make it happen."


    Urien thought for a moment, then nodded.


    "That would work. And we can definitely keep you safe from a ground assault. But, their archers are going to be an issue. Not many of us are adept in the use of shields, and if I''m thinking correctly, any shield that can block an arrow from striking you is also a shield blocking your aim to the target. Do you have the ability to shield yourself with your magic?"


    Jack shook his head.


    "I don''t. Abjuration magic is not something I know how to use, unfortunately. But, I do have this" He said, pulling the small silver cube out of one of his belt pouches.


    Urien looked at the object and frowned.


    "What is it?"


    Jack inspected it, turning it this way and that as he spoke.


    "It''s called an Arrow Magnet. It will apparently redirect anything fired at me away from me and towards itself instead until it''s destroyed. I don''t know how long it''ll last, though, so I may not be able to rely on it for more than a few moments." He said.


    "I see. Well, it''s better than nothing. But I would be hesitant to expect much from it if you''ve never used it before." Urien said. "Magic items vary wildly in quality."


    "Well, that''s what I''ve got." Jack said pocketing the cube again. "I would try to attack the towers from here, but that''s easily a half mile or more away, and even if my spells could reach that far, I doubt I could accurately hit my targets from here."


    "Maybe we could create a distraction?" Rose said, speaking up for the first time. "Like, keep the archers'' attention focused somewhere else so Jack can have a chance to act?"


    "Maybe." Urien said, then added "Though that does place whoever is providing the distraction in the unenviable position of being the focus of all of that arrow fire. Which returns us to the core problem."


    They all stood in silence, puzzling over what to do, when Jack spoke up.


    "I have an idea of how to fix that." He turned to Urien. "Have every person who is adept in the use of a shield, whether they currently have one or not, to separate themselves out from the rest of the group. We''re gonna use some old-fashioned Roman siege tactics."


    Urien turned to his father for an explanation, and Farlo frowned.


    "What are Roman siege tactics?" He asked. "I''m not familiar with this term."


    Jack hand-waved the question away.


    "Don''t worry about it. That part''s not important. Can you get them together?"


    Urien sighed and nodded.


    "Aye, we can do it. Give me a few minutes time." He said, before turning and heading back down the hill towards the rest of the assembled mass.


    Within ten minutes, two dozen or so of the assembled mass had been separated from the rest. The majority of them seemed generally confused by the whole thing, and murmured amongst themselves about what was going on. Jack surveyed the group. Many of them didn''t have shields at all, and of those that did, the majority were either bucklers or triangular heater shields, which wwould not really work for what he was hoping to do. Finally, near the back, he spotted a single person carrying a large, curved rectanglar shield. Perfect!


    He motioned for the young woman to step forward, and when she stopped in front of him he asked "Can I borrow your shield?"


    She looked at him, confused, before handing him the large wooden shield. It, when rested on the ground, rose to about his collar bone, and was shaped in a roughly semi-circular manner. All told, it was pretty similar to an old Roman scutum, which meant it would be exactly what he needed.


    Now, the question was- just how much magic was it going to take him to duplicate it? And would that leave him enough to take down the towers? There was only really one way for him to find out.


    As a test, he ran through spellwords in him mind until he landed one ones for "copy object", and recited them out loud as he focused his attention on the shield.


    To his surprise, he felt almost no drain whatsoever as the shield magically separated into two copies of itself. He handed the copy to the now even more confused woman as he cast the spell again. Within a few minutes, every member of the assembled group held matching, identical copies. Based on how he felt, Jack estimated he''d used about 20% of his magical reserves in the process, which was less than he''d expected, but more than he wanted to use. At least he still had the Potion of Vigor if he needed it.


    Now that everyone had what they needed, Jack motioned for everyone''s attention again. It took a few attempts to get silence, but once everyone''s focus was on him, he spoke again.


    "Alright everyone! I''m going to show you how to form a Testudo!"

 Chapter 161 - Battle Lines (Part 4)

    It took several minutes for all of the adventurers to start picking up what Jack was trying to explain to them.


    The Testudo was an old combat formation Roman legions would use to protect themselves against arrow fire as they approached an enemy position, typically during a siege. When a unit performed the manuever, the soldiers to the front and sides of the formation would raise their large rectangular scutum shields to eye level in such a way that they covered each soldier''s entire body. They would then layer their shield slightly onto the shield of the soldiers adjacent to them, completely removing any gaps that an arrow could penetrate. Then, all soldiers in the center of the formation would raise and interlock their shields over their heads and the heads of the soldiers providing coverage to the front and sides. Once every soldier''s shield was in place, the resulting formation was functionally arrow-proof, with the whole group operating like a giant shield-covered turtle.


    After he explained the intricacies of the formation and how it would need to be assembled, he left the group to decide which position each adventurer would assume, and how they would coordinate their advance.


    As he watched the group practice, Urien walked up beside him.


    "I didn''t peg you for knowing anything about army formations. You continue to surprise me." He said.


    "Well, I don''t technically have any real experience with commanding real troops. I just used to play a lot of real-time strategy computer games. Rome was always one of my favorite factions, and I learned a lot about how they commanded their armies while playing, I guess." Jack said.


    Urien looked at like he only understood about half the words he''d just heard, and gave Jack a look that indicated a need for him to explain further.


    "I know theory." Jack said. "I have no practical experience myself. But I know that the theory works because other people have used it. So, we''re gonna give it a shot."


    "If you say so. I trust your judgment." Urien said.


    After about twenty minutes of practice, the group seemed to be able to move relatively in a cohesive whole with the shields in place. Once it appeared everything was as coordinated it was going to get under the circ.u.mstances, he called Urien and Farlo back over and had the group demonstrate. Satisfied, the three of them met with the other leaders, and set about planning the rest of the attack.


    After some deliberation, it was agreed that the Testudo would be flanked and accompanied by the majority of the attacking force as it was far more likely to draw attention from the defenders. What archers they had would remain towards the back of the battlefield and rain as much fire as possible into the camp defenses until the Testudo reached the bridge, at which point they would transition to skirmishers and provide melee support. While this primary offensive would draw most of the camp''s attention, a small group of adventurers, led by Jack, would cut their way into close proximity to the camp, and once in place, would focus on targeting the arrow towers on the right side. Urien and Abigail would lead an attack on the left towers, while Farlo commanded the center. Once numbers were accounted for, there were half a dozen arcane casters available on the adventurers side capable of casting fire magic. To increase the chances of success, they would be divided equally between the two flanking attacks so that the burden of taking down the towers didn''t rely solely on Jack or Abigail.


    Once the towers were taken down, the flanking parties would then attempt to punch holes in the barrier surrounding the gnoll defensive line, and put pressure on the defenders from two other angles while the main force drive into the center across the bridge, following the Testudo.


    That was the general idea, anyway.


    The key issue would be if the gnolls had any tricks planned that the scouts hadn''t been able to uncover ahead of time. Considering they had been less than accurate about the total number of defenders, Jack didn''t know what to expect. So it was better to plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised than to expect nothing to go wrong.


    Once the defenders were routed, the survivors of the attack would rendezvous at the base of the mountain and prepare for the next wave of the assault. That was, of course, assuming they were successful in their attack. If their attack failed, however, he wasn''t sure what the next move would be. If an actual armed force couldn''t succeed in breaking through the gnoll llines, how could he as a single man hope to do any better? He couldn''t entertain that thought. They HAD to break through if he was going to save Ellie. There were no other options. He had to make sure the attack succeeded, even if it might kill him in the process. At this point, he''d do anything to get her out of there, even if it cost him his life. That would be a small price to pay to make sure she was finally okay.


    Once all of the plans were finalized and disseminated among the attackers, it was agreed to take thirty minutes for final preparations, and then the attack would begin. Just enough time for him to meet his support team, and mentally steel himself.


    He noticed that with every consecutive battle, the nerves leading up to them seemed more distant and detached. They didn''t ever go away, but it seemed like his ability to separate himself from being overwhelmed by them continued to grow and grow. Perhaps it was acclimation. Perhaps he had just become too innured to care anymore. Either way, he felt his belly flopping like always, but this time his hands were steady, and his mind mostly clear.


    Hold tight, Eleanor. We''re almost there. Don''t lose hope.


    I will be there soon.

 Chapter 162 - Realization

    Eleanor awoke to find herself chained back to the all too familiar post in the cavern. Everything hurt even more than she remembered, with her left leg throbbing in such pain that she could barely think. She couldn''t open her left eye either for how swollen it was. She tasted metal and salt in her mouth, and when she tried to spit, rivulets of red, stringy saliva slipped their way out of her mouth and onto the shredded remains of her clothes. Her dress was more of an idea than a piece of clothing at this point, with front of it torn almost completely open from neckline to bottom seam. She gingerly pulled the tattered remains of the fabric around herself to try and cover what she could, before closing her eyes and leaning back against the wooden post.


    Before she knew it, she was sobbing, the tears congealing and burning the inside of her swollen left eye as they stream down her face in a torrent.


    She had been out. She had been free. She had seen Rose and Jack again. She had finally managed to escape.


    But it was all a lie. All of it. There was no Marg''faz. She probably never even existed. There was no uprising within the gnoll camp. No one was going to save her. She was truly and completely alone. Every thing she had done... all of the planning, all of the practice, all of the subterfuge and the growing of hope... none of it had actually been real.


    He''d been in her head this whole time, using her own memories against her. Including enough truth to keep her believing that she had a chance to escape.


    Lacking any other option but defeat and suffering, she wept bitterly until sleep finally came upon her again a short time later.


    She awoke next to a new kind of pain. A fresher, sharper kind of pain as something roughly and unceremoniously man-handled her broken leg. She opened her eyes to find herself nearly face to face with a small, nearly skeletal looking gnoll with a leather bag on the ground beside it. Her leg had been pulled straight and framed with rough cut chunks of wood, and the creature was now binding the makeshift splint into place with strips of unwashed linen. When she started and moved to sit up, the little gnoll gently but forcefully pushed her back down.


    "No. If you move, it will ruin the splint. Be still and let me finish." It said, its voice high and raspy. She was relatively certain the voice was male. The gnoll cinched the strip he was tying into place with a jerk, send a spasm of fresh pain up her thigh and making her yelp.


    The gnoll clapped his hand over her mouth


    "Be silent!" He hissed.


    He snapped his attention to the entrance of the small cave room, both of his large ears trained for any sound of approaching movement. After a moment, seeming satisfied that nothing was coming, he lifted his hand and resumed work. Ellie watched him, gritting her teeth with each motion he made to keep from letting out another cry. With a couple more cinches the makeshift splint was completed, and the gnoll packed the supplies beside him back into the leather case.


    "Why are you doing this?" Ellie asked as the gnoll closed the case back up.


    "If your leg is not set, it will be permanently twisted. Given the days between the break and now that it has gone untreated, it is possible the damage may already be done. But it seems best to try regardless." The creature said.


    "But why are you helping me?" She asked. As she said the words, the whole situation in some ways felt eerily familiar, and she suddenly found herself doubting what was happening. Was this just another illusion meant to make her believe it was real, or something real that she couldn''t trust wasn''t an illusion?


    "I am helping you because despite my brother''s barbarism, it is not fit for you to spend the rest of your days a bent-legged cripple. He apparently enjoys you far too much for that."


    There was a bitter, cynical edge to the gnoll''s voice, as if it were tinged with resentment.


    Eleanor''s eyes brightened in recognition.


    ""So you''re another one of Marg''faz''s childen."


    The gnoll froze and looked at her, his expression taken aback, before something seemed to click in his head. He frowned grimly and nodded.


    "Yes, I was."


    Eleanor''s expression dropped slightly.


    "You mean she''s..."


    The gnoll nodded.


    "Yes. Dear Rawg''faz saw to it her death was prolonged and painful when he uncovered her plan to overthrow him years ago, with the help of a Gifted prisoner much like yourself, no less. I see that he has taken to using her spirit as a means of warping your reality. There really is nothing he won''t do for his twisted enjoyment." He said.


    Faced with the realization that her friend and savior had failed in her goal, and that she was now being exploited as a tool to warp another''s reality made Eleanor sick. Unable to help herself, tears started rolling down her face.


    The gnoll appraised her emotionlessly.


    "Be grateful none of the rest of them see you crying. It tends to raise their l.u.s.t even higher." He said offhandedly. "They can be even worse to you if you aren''t careful. I''ve seen them do things no creature should ever have to witness or experience once their victims start weeping."


    Ellie looked up at him. There was no malice in his words, or in his eyes. In face, he looked a little sad. Before she could stop herself, the words came spilling out of her mouth.


    "Please, I need your help. Please. Please help me escape. I can''t take this a moment longer." She pleaded, grasping out towards him.


    The gnoll took a step backwards out of her reach.


    "That''s not going to happen." He said.

 Chapter 163 - Realization (part 2)

    Eleanor sat back.


    "But why? Why won''t you help me?" She asked, her voice shaking.


    The gnoll sighed bitterly. He said nothing for a long moment, but finally dropped his bag on the cave floor and sat down beside her. He looked at her sadly.


    "Look, my brother didn''t send me, alright? He doesn''t know I''m here. I''m only doing what I have done because it''s the right thing to do. But it''s as much as I can help you. I can justify keeping you from being a cripple because I can appeal to his worse instincts by doing so. But if I remove these chains from you, even if I was able to, there would be no chance of me hiding that I was the one responsible." He said.


    When he saw her start to cry again, he continued.


    "Look, I clearly want to help, otherwise I wouldn''t be here. You can at least be grateful I''ve given you a chance to walk again."


    "But I.... I...."


    There was nothing she could say. Her words failed her, and all she could do was slump down against the pole and sob helplessly to herself.


    The gnoll sat with her for a long moment in silence. Finally, spoke up again.


    "What am I supposed to do? I can''t carry you out of here. I''m not strong enough for that. There''s no one in this camp that will help me help you. Your leg is broken so you can''t run, which means even if I did get you out you wouldn''t make it to the end of the hall before you either got caught or passed out from the pain." He said.


    He sighed.


    "Don''t think I don''t want to get you out of here. I want to free everyone held captive in this place. But I can''t. Pretty much all of them are even worse off than you are." He said, casting a gaze across Eleanor''s battered, barely clothed form. He cleared his throat and averted his eyes.


    "So what do you expect me to do?" He asked. He sounded genuine, though his face looked grim and resigned.


    She didn''t know what she wanted him to do. Save her. Rescue her. Take her far away from this horrible place and these horrible monsters who treated her like meat for their pleasure. Do anything he could to get her out. But she couldn''t ask that of him, and he couldn''t grant it even if she did. She didn''t even know his name. But if this was real, and she wasn''t dreaming or having her reality bent and twisted again, then this creature next to her would be the first one to have genuinely extended some kind of kindness to her since she''d been taken prisoner.


    "Please, anything... anything you can." She said. " Please... I just want it all to stop."


    The gnoll man look at her, emotion twisting the corners of his mouth. After seeming to fight with himself for a moment, he gently placed his hand on her leg, careful to place it over a part covered by the remains of her dress.


    "I can tend to your pain and your injuries. As I do so, I may be able to bring you things you can use. You''re a wizard, right? What is it you need to be able to make it out of here?" He asked.


    Another pang of memory from her delusions shot through her head as he said this, and a sudden sense of mistrust flared up in her. This all seemed just a little too familiar, and she found herself instinctively pulling away from him as he said this.


    He appraised her, then sighed heavily and nodded in recognition.


    "In the visions he gave you, you escaped by being brought spell supplies from an unexpected ally, I take it?" He said more as a statement of fact than a question.


    Eleanor looked at him and nodded. Having the truth spoken so plainly to her had the stange effect of calming her nerves a bit.


    "I see. That explains the reaction." He said, sitting back. He crossed his arms.


    "Well, I don''t expect you to find this any more trustworthy, considering that, but that''s what I can do. It''s all I can do." He said, shrugging.


    Ellie looked at him, wiping away the tears in the corners of her eyes.


    "How do I know you''re not just another illusion he''s using to make me have hope again?" She asked.


    The gnoll snorted.


    "You don''t. That''s why he does things like that. He''s trying to break your will to leave by making you distrust everyone who could help you." He said.


    He grabbed a chunk of flesh on his face and pulled so the cheek lifted away from the gums and showed a few of his teeth, before dropping it again.


    "I can''t prove it to you, but, I''m real. Well, unless we''re both stuck in an illusion together and both think we''re real when we''re both each others dreams or something." He said, then shrugged. "But I doubt it."


    He looked at Eleanor.


    "So, you can believe I''m real or not, but I''m currently the only one here to help. So tell me what will help you get out of here, and I will do what I can to bring it to you." He said.


    Eleanor looked at him with mistrust. He seemed genuine enough, but there was something a bit too convenient about the situation for her to lower her guard completely. If he was telling the truth, she would lose nothing and gain eveything by trusting him. If he was just another deception, however, then escaping twice and finding out it was all a lie twice would be enough to break her.


    But what choice did she have? If she refused his help after just asking for it, she''d be passing up any chance of escape. She couldn''t even tell how long she''d been captive anymore. It could have been a few days, or weeks, or months. If she had any hope of Rose and Jack and Madeleine coming for her, it was all but gone.


    They weren''t coming for her. Or if they had, they''d never made it.


    She was all she had left. And this was her final chance.

 Chapter 164 - The Battle Begins

    Once everyone was divided up as they needed to be, and plans for each arm of the attack were disseminated and finalized, the adventurers split up into their respective groups and moved into position for the attack.


    Jack was placed in charge of his wing of the assault, and would be accompanied by Rose, as well as the gnome and half-orc duo of Jemeni and Rezza he''d met a couple days earlier. He''d also be accompanied by a trio of young men, each of whom bore a striking resemblance to each other. Based on their age range, they were probably siblings. None of them spoke, and when Jack inquired as to why, the oldest of the three opened his mouth to point to a complete absence of a tongue. Finding himself suddenly disinterested in knowing anymore, Jack nodded and told them to whistle if they needed his attention. The eldest one nodded, and showed he understood by shoving his first two fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly.


    Once everyone was in position, it was determined that the assault would be signaled by a fire arrow shot from the center formation. Farlo insisted on doing the honors. Once the arrow was in the air, the center would march first, followed by the flanks. The center would try and draw most of the attention while the flanks set about their tasks.


    Jack sat impatiently waiting for the sign, finding himself increasingly stir-crazy and restless the longer he waited. Jemeni and Rezza watched him with amused expressions as he paced back and forth. The two of them seemed completely non-chalant about the whole situation, with Rezza cleaning under her nails with the pointed end of a piece of straw while Jemeni sat on her shoulder and played with a small toy of some sort, trying to land a ball connected to a string onto a narrow circular platform it was attached to.


    Rose said nothing as she sat with her eyes closed, breathing rhythmically. Out of everyone in his little band, she seemed the most focused on the task at hand. As he watched her, a small butterfly flitted by, before landing gently on the end of her nose. She did not move or alter her breathing, but just gently opened one of her eyes. When she saw it, the corner of her mouth turned into a smile and she closed her eye again, seeming very pleased with herself.


    Jemeni pointed into the air behind Jack''s head, and when Jack turned, he saw that the signal had been sent.


    "Alright then. Let''s do this." He said. more to himself than anyone else. And, as if by instinct, he drew Harrowbloom from its sheath.


    As the blade left the scabbard and settled into the palm of his hand, a sudden sense of calm and focus overtook him, as if his nerves had been replaced by someone else''s. He was suddenly aware of his body in a way he hadn''t been before. He could feel the the faint bit of moisture in his palm from his sweat, the faintest tickle of the wind through the tips of his hair. But most of all, the blade in his hand felt alive, as if it were an extension of his arm. As he gently slid the tip of the blade through the air, he could sense the faint bit of resistance from the air itself, where it most and least resisted, how it affected the balance of the blade. He could acutely and instinctively tell when the blade''s edge alignment for a stroke wasn''t exactly precise.


    The amount of information he felt pouring into his senses from the weapon overwhelmed him. It was as if every single sense in his body had been wound up to the maximum.


    He felt... powerful.


    And just like that, his restlessness was gone.


    He motioned for Rose and the rest to follow him, and walked methodically up the crest and down the hillside towards the gnoll camp in the distance. Looking to his left, he saw that the center had already pulled ahead, the huddled group of shield-bearers in the center, surrounded on all sides by the motley assortment of gathered fighters, rangers, rogues, and other adventurers.


    Looking the thousand feet or so ahead in the distance, the once relatively calm atmosphere of the gnoll camp was now alive with activity. Bodies were already mounting the archer towers, and a large contingent of the defenders were already amassing and sallying forth. Somehow, it looked as thought their numbers had grown even more since they''d inspected the camp not an hour beforehand. This was going to be hard-fought.


    The center reached the defenders outside of the defensive perimeter first. Jack couldn''t help but think that the clashing of the two forces sounded less like the battles he''d watch in movies and more like a bunch of toddlers wrestling in a cupboard full of metal pans. Directly ahead of their small flanking group, a dozen or more gnolls loomed in the distance, moving at an angle to intercept them as they split further and further from the main body ofthe attack.


    As they drew closer, he could hear Jemeni cackling gleefully from atop Rezza''s shoulder, followed by the mechanical clack of the crossbow c.o.c.king. As soon as they were in range, Jemeni fired his first shot, knocking one of the gnolls clean off its feet as the bolt slammed through its snout. The gnoll giggled even harder as he went to reload again, and Rezza roared as she sprinted the final hundred or so feet into the gathered gnoll defenders.


    Jack followed in after, Rose close to his side, as they waded into the gnoll flank.

 Chapter 165 - Realization (part 3)

    "The only things I need are a white feather and a piece of bone. And maybe a couple buttons." She said, grimacing as she shifted her position slightly. "And some gnoll fur."


    The gnoll looked at her for a moment, before reaching down to the front of its tunic and pulling a pair of buttons off of each sleeve. He then grabbed the end of his tail and pulled a small tuft of fur from the end with an unceremonious jerk. He handed the fur and the buttons to her. He then reached around his neck and pulled out a thin leather cord necklace. Along a third of its length, there were various colored feathers, charms, beads, and carved pieces of wood or bone. Appraising it for a moment, he untied it, and slid everything off the string into his lap. He sorted through the items for a moment before he produced a single white feather and a carved ivory-colored bead and held them out to her.


    "Here. The bead is bone. Will that work for your purpose?" He asked.


    Eleanor inspected it for a moment, and nodded.


    "Yes, it will."


    The gnoll scooped up the rest of his necklace and dropped the pieces into a small pouch on his side.


    Ellie looked at him.


    "I don''t even know your name." She said.


    "Jaang''faz". The gnoll said. "That''s my name."


    "Thank you, Jaang''faz" She said. "I won''t forget this. I''m sure your mother would be proud of you."


    Jaang''faz grimaced, but said nothing for a long moment. When he finally spoke, it was low and quiet.


    "I wasn''t there for her before. I didn''t even have the courage to try and free her, or stop the execution. I''ve carried that with me. I don''t know if I can ever make her spirit proud of me, but maybe I can do something small to make up for all of my failings as a son." He said.


    He closed his eyes and sighed heavily before standing.


    "I need to leave. I wish you luck in your escape." He said, turning to leave.


    "Wait, how do I get out of here?" Ellie called after him.


    Jaang''faz stopped and turned back to her.


    "Follow this tunnel to the end. When you reach the first hub, take the second tunnel to the left. That will lead you directly out onto the sounthern side of the mountain. From there, the nearest settlement is perhaps three days or so south." He said, gesturing with his hand. He walked to the entrance of the tunnel, and gave her one final glance.


    "Good luck, devil girl." He said, before disappearing through the entrance.


    Eleanor watched the tunnel for several long moments after he disappeared from sight before looking down at the small collection of items in her hand. For a moment she had another brief pang of mistrust and fear. This all seemed too easy somehow. But Jaang''faz seemed authentic. It also didn''t make any sense in her head why something that was an illusion would openly admit that it could probably be an illusion. That just wouldn''t make sense... would it?


    She had enough supplies to mend her leg, heal some of her wounds, change her form to a gnoll, and enough buttons for magic missiles in case something went horribly wrong and she had to try and fight her way out. For the second time in what her brain believed was only two days, she was about to have to try and escape a cavern with nothing but her wits and a few trinkets.


    What she didnt know, however, is when the right time was to act. She hadn''t been fed yet since she had been conscious, and she didnt know what time it was. For all she knew, it was the middle of the afternoon.


    She could mend her leg bone, at the very least. Now that her leg was in a splint, she could easily hide the fact that it was in one piece again. And it would definitely take her some time to cope with the pain. Even with spells, mending a break was nasty, painful business. She was not looking forward to it.

 Chapter 166 - The Battle Begins (part 2)

    As Jack fell into melee with the nearest gnoll fighter, time itself seemed to slow slightly as the creature swung its axe. He gently stepped to the side of the strike as the axe swam slowly through the air, positioning his body to the gnoll''s unprotected side. Seeing a gap in the creature''s armor beneath its arm, he twisted and snapped his blade upwards in a spray of red. The creature tottered and stumbled, looking confused at the spurting stump where its arm had been, before falling face first into the grass with a gurgle and a whimper.


    The gnoll next to the slain one was already mid-strike when he brought his blade back in front of him to parry. The creature''s hooked sword clashed against Harrowbloom''s edge, driving relentlessly toward''s Jack''s head. Taking advantage of the creature''s forward momentum, Jack instinctively angled Harrowbloom''s blade down slightly as he side-stepped, letting the creature''s weapon glide down and off its length. With a snap of his wrist, Jack whipped his weapon around and through the unbalanced gnoll''s neck. With a fountain of blood and an unsettling sucking sound, the creature and its newly-severed head slumped into the dirt.


    Jack turned his attention to the rest of his team to see them all engrossed in their own battles. One gnoll near Rose''s feet pulled itself slowly away, leaving a smeared stain of gore across the ground from entrails dragging out of his split stomach. The second held her hard-pressed, dual-wielding a pair of long knives and attacking in tight arcs. Several small nicks on her arms emitted small trickles of blood that threw droplets through the air with every parry she made.


    Seeing this, he strode forward, curling his tongue in his mouth and whistling loudly in the creature''s direction. The noise caught the gnoll''s attention for the briefest of moments, providing Rose the moment she needed to get past the creature''s guard and carve her blade halfway through its torso. The creature wailed and burbled horribly as Rose planted her foot in the creature''s chest, kicking it backwards off her weapon. Then, almost non-chalantly, she walked over and buried the blade into the crawling gnoll''s back. Once it had stopped moving, she wiped her blade on the back of the creature''s head and walked over to join him.


    Even her movements seemed to be slower somehow. The overall effect he experienced as was if either time was a little bit slower, or he was a little bit faster. It wasn''t dramatic, but it did very much give him the impression of everything around him moving through water rather than air. It must be the effect of Harrowbloom''s magic. It was somehow even better than he had imagined it would be.


    "Thanks for the help," she said, sidling up beside him.


    "Don''t mention it." He said.


    He turned his attention to the rest of their group. Rezza lifted one of her attackers up, its face palmed in her hand as it struggled to get away, before unceremoniously using her free fist to smash its skull in a way that reminded Jack very much of a sledgehammer hitting a watermelon. While she did this, Jemeni added two more dogmen to his tally, his tiny arms reloading and rearming his crossbow so quickly that Jack could barely follow his movements.


    As he looked around, however, he realized that the brothers weren''t with the rest of them. He scanned the battlefield around him, only to see one of them some distance behind the rest of their group, slumping to the ground as a gnoll pulled its spear out of his body. Not far from him lay the bodies of the other two. Somehow, several of the gnoll flankers had managed to get behind them and catch the mages out while the rest of them fought.


    He cursed under his breath and sped towards them, cleaving the gnoll with the spear clean in half with a powerful swing of his blade. With a few more well-timed cuts, the three others that were with him joined him, and Jack rushed to the nearest brother. Finding no pulse, he checked the second, to the same result. Cursing again, he ran to the one he saw run through, and found him still breathing, but barely. Blood bubbled out between his lips and onto his chalk-white face with each breath, and when Jack leaned down over him, the boy stared at him in open-mouthed terror.


    "You''ll be fine. I''ve got you." Jack said, holding the boy''s arm with one hand as he reached into his belt pouch with the other and pulled out one of his healing potions. He pulled the cork out of the bottle with his teeth, before pouring the contents into the young man''s mouth. Within moments, the color began to return to his face. Jack inspected the boy''s wound. The opening itself was closed, if barely, but he couldn''t know if all of the internal damage had been mended as well. The boy could still probably die if he wasn''t treated in a more thorough fashion, but for now, at least, he was stable.


    Jack looked the boy in the eyes.


    "Stay here. Act dead. Once the fighting is over, we will come back for you. If you get up, there is a good chance you won''t leave this field alive. Do you understand?" He asked.


    The boy nodded in mute fright, and Jack nodded.


    "Good. I will be back soon." He said, before standing and returning to the fray.

 Chapter 167 - The Battle Begins (part 3)

    By the time he made it back to the others, they were under attack by another contingent of the furry creatures, these a bit larger than the last. They also didn''t wear armor, and each carried massive maces with carved stone heads that they swung in broad sweeps at Rose and the other two. Two of them ganged up on Rezza, one of them managing to smash her across the back with their mace as she dodged the other''s attack. Jemeni went sailing head first through the air and augured into the dirt as Rezza slammed face first into the ground. The larger of the two gnolls lifted his weapon bove head, ready to deliver a finishing blow on the downed half-orc.


    Speaking the spellwords, Jack sent a surge of power through his body, bursting into a sprint as the magic took him faster than was physically possible. With a diving leap he dove past the gnoll, sweeping Harrowbloom in a wide arc above him. The blade resisted slightly as it bit into the bones of the dogman''s forearms before it carved through and severed just below the creature''s wrist. Catching himself, Jack tucked his arms and legs into a roll, before springing back to his feet and turning to face his new opponents, bewildered.


    He had absolutely no idea how on earth he''d just done that.


    The largest gnoll stumbled backwards, turning its attention towards its missing hand, then back to Jack, before snarling loudly and launching itself at him. One swing, then another whistled past Jack''s head as danced out of their way. Between the magic in his veins and Harrowbloom''s enchantment in his hands, he felt like everyone else was moving through paste by comparison. Finding himself having a little too much fun, he set about lopping off the gnoll''s toes one at a time between attacks, until the creature finally lost balance and fell over. He buried the sword between the creature''s shoulder blades, and it spasmed twice before lying still.


    As he straightened up and turned his attention to the rest of the fight behind him, he found himself face to face with the giant stone head of another gnoll''s mace. Panicking, he threw the Shieldcloak up in front of himself as the massive weapon impacted it with a thunderous boom.


    The blow knocked Jack flying through the air nearly a dozen paces before he plowed into the earth and tumbled end over end. He wound up on his back, disoriented and completely unable to catch his breath. He leaned up to see the gnoll walking up through blurry vision. He willed himself to move, but as soon as he tried to move, his vision swam and he fell onto his side. The gnoll stopped a few paces in front of him.


    Jack lifted his hand, willing spellwords into his mind, but everything came out a jumble in his brain, and he stumbled over the words. Nothing happened. He tried again, and this time a small jet of water shot from his hand and hit the gnoll in the face. The creature snarled and raised its weapon. Jack raised his hand one final time, willing literally anything to happen so that he didnt get buried in the dirt like the seed of a Jackfruit tree.


    To his surprise, the gnoll froze, looking confused for a brief moment, before its head promptly exploded in a fireball. The furry corpse tottered and fell, and Jack threw his body out of the way to avoid getting crushed beneath it. He looked down at his hand as his vision slowly reoriented itself. That hadn''t been him. But then...


    The young mage shuffled up, one arm holding around his stomach as he lowered his free hand to Jack. Jack grabbed the boy''s hand, and stumbled to his feet. The boy grimaced and whitened as he pulled him up, but held his ground and provided a balance point for Jack until he got his feet back under himself. The boy glanced down at the corpse beside them, then patted Jack on the arm and smiled weakly.


    Jack nodded.


    "Thanks. Looks like I owe you one now." He said.


    The boy shook his head gently, and made a flat line gesture with his hand.


    "Even?" Jack asked.


    The boy nodded.


    "Can you keep fighting?" Jack asked.


    The boy shook his head. He looked nearly as pale as before, and looked like he was struggling to remain on his feet. Jack put his hand on the young man''s shoulder.


    "Rest. Do what I told you. We will come back for you." He said.


    The young man nodded again, before gingerly sitting down on the ground beside the dead gnoll. Jack gave him one final nod, before turning to go check on the others.

 Chapter 168 - The Battle Begins (part 4)

    As he made his way back to the rest of the group, he heard someone call out to him. He turned his attention towards the sound of the voice to see the top half of a severed gnoll torso sailing through the air towards him. He side-stepped out of the way to see Dawson the Daring wave enthusiastically to him past the other half of the gnoll. The lower torso and legs crumpled into the dirt in front of the black knight with an unceremonious plop as Jack joined his ally.


    "Apologies for the near miss with the body, Lord. It flew a bit further than I was anticipating when I made the swing." Dawson said, his voice unyieldingly chipper.


    "You''re fine, Dawson. I''m grateful for your help." Jack said, looking past the metal-clad man.


    Rezza was sitting up now, seemingly not fully aware of where she was. Jemeni stood nearby, and down gnoll after gnoll from beside her. Rose stood to the other side of the duo, a small number of furry corpses lining the ground around her.


    Further down the battlefield toward the center, the Testudo was now active, and perhaps two-thirds of the way to the leading end of the bridge. All around it, adventurers were hard-pressed in keeping the gnolls away from the armored center. Despite the numerous dead dogmen strewn across the field, it was obvious that they were still very outnumbered, and despite their best efforts, attrition was not going to be in their favor.


    He and his party needed to hurry and start downing towers, or else, between the overwhelming numbers and arrow fire, their attack was going to break before it had even fully begun. He rejoined the other three, Dawson the Daring in tow.


    "We need to get closer. We are running out of time before the center is in accurate firing range of the arrow towers." Jack said.


    Jemeni turned his attention towards Jack, firing his crossbow blindly over his shoulder. In the distance, perhaps a hundred feet behind him, a gnoll toppled to the ground with a bolt in its throat.


    "''At''s fine an'' great an'' all, but me ride''s a bit dinged at the moment, as you can see." Jemeni said, motioning to the sitting half-orc beside him. Looking her over, Jack didn''t have to be a medical expert to know she was not in great shape. The mace blow had torn a large portion of her back wide open, and a steady stream of dark blood seeped from it down the rest of her back and into the grass. In at least one place, part of her rib cage was visible. Her face looked oddly vacant, which made him think she was either still in shock, or had suffered a concussion from the impact as well. She looked bad. Really bad.


    Jack stifled a gag and averted his eyes for a moment until he could regather his composure. He inspected his belt pouches. He had two healing potions left. He had anticipated saving all of them for his confrontation with the Shaman, but seeing those around him hurt and suffering like this made it hard to prioritize his own plans. He would have to save the last one, but he could spare one more.


    He pulled one of the vials out and pulled the cork before handing it to Jemeni.


    "Here," he said. "This should get her back on her feet, at least."


    The gnome inspected the potion as he took it from Jack''s hands.


    "Ah, cheers ''en." He said.


    He walked over to Rezza, and after mumbling something to her, tilted the potion into her mouth. Jack watched as the flesh on her back began to knit itself back together, first re-covered her skeleton, then slowly sealing up the rest. By the time the potion was finished working, the wound was still present, but it was noticeably less severe, and had largely stopped bleeding. It would be enough to keep her in the fight, if only for a little while, he suspected.


    Rezza shook her head, seemingly trying to shake off whatever she had just experienced, before working her way back to her feet. She twisted her neck back and forth in a series of thunderous cracks, then gave Jack a sidelong glance.


    "Fanks." She said.


    She bent down and hefted Jemeni back up onto her shoulder, and the two of the resumed their path towards the nearest tower position, accompanied by Jack, Rose, and Dawson.

 Chapter 169 - The Battle Begins (part 5)

    It took the lot of them several more minutes of sustained fighting to make it within a reasonable range of the nearest arrow tower. Thankfully, for the moment at least, its attention was trained on the center of the battle, rather than on them.


    Pulling one of his magic missile scrolls from his belt, Jack broke the seal and ripped it open. As he did so, three darts of pinkish-purple energy surged out of the parchment, leading it to char and crumble into dust. The three bolt of magical energy floated slowly and delicately around his hand like a school of magical fish. He pointed his hand at the top of the nearest tower and thrust it forward. As he did so, the bolts flared to life and flew from his hand, streaking to the top of the tower like a gunshot and slamming into the trio of gnolls firing their bows from the peak. The blasts knocked the three dogmen backwards, causing two of them to fall backwards and plummet from the tower top to the ground below. The third staggered but remained standing as it immediately set its sights on the area where he stood.


    Seeing this, Jack flung his body to the side just in time to avoid the barbed arrow that passed through where he''d just been standing. Tucking into a roll and springing to his feet again, he threw his hand back up at the tower as he felt magic surge into his hand.


    "RACHMANINOFF!"


    A red, searing hot sphere of fire burst from his hand and rocketed towards the base of the tower top, where the pole legs of the tower connected to the archery platform. It impacted in a large explosion, causing the entire structure to shudder from the blow and knocking the remaining archer on his back. Within seconds, the entire top of the tower was ablaze in a roaring crackle of magical fire. The last archer, finding himself suddenly standing atop a flaming death trap, leapt from the top to fall the forty or so feet to the ground below. Jack had a hard time imagining a shattered spine from the fall was preferable to burning to death. Then again, he hadn''t yet had to face that decision, so who was he to judge?


    The reaction from the camp towards the arrow tower being destroyed was both obvious, and immediate. A new contingent of gnolls, seeing him and his little group as the cause, broke from the center and rushed them. Meanwhile, the next nearest tower turned its attention fully towards them, and Jack and the others suddenly found themselves the targets of a sustained hail of arrow fire.


    Jack turned towards the others as he ducked out of the way of an incoming arrow.


    "I''ve gotta get close enough to take that other tower down. You three keep those oncomers off of me. I will handle the arrows." He said.


    Without waiting for a reply, he charged forwards towards the gnoll defenses, the sound of incoming fire whistling in the air all around him and sinking into the earth with meaty thuds. The oncomers closed the gap quickly, and soon he and the others found themselves not only under fire, but locked in melee with nearly a dozen more of the defenders. Finding a way to slip past the nearest gnoll fighter, Jack dashed the final distance he needed to, before reaching into another pouch and pulling out the small silver cube he''d won from the Terminal Lottery. He tossed it the the side a short distance from him as he drew to a halt. The cube flared to life, glowing gently with a pale yellow light before lifting into the air several feet off the ground. It hovered in place, spinning rapidly, and Jack watched as several more arrows aimed at him suddenly redirected in mid-air and slammed into the spinning cube with a small boom and a spray of sparks.


    Not waiting to watch any longer, Jack summoned the magic energy into his hand sent another fireball soaring into the second tower. The sphere struck and exploded with a brilliant flash, setting the entire top third of the structure on fire in one fell swoop. He watched as the gnolls on the tower top began to panic, one of them attempting to climb down, only to catch ablaze and fall off the ladder with a horrible shriek. Seeing the fate of their companion, the other two decided to risk the jump, and dove from the top.

 Chapter 172 - The Battle Continues

    As the second tower collapsed, Jack turned his attention to the rest of the gnolls in combat with his allies. Once they were handled, their small band turned their attention back to the rest of the battle.


    In the distance on the western side of the battle front, the other two arrow towers burned, sending columns of grey smoke skyward. The center was nearly to the bridge, and the gnoll skirmishers had fallen back, leaving an organized unit of dogmen with spears blocking the bridge entrance as the testudo marched ever so slowly towards them.


    Watching the whole situation unfold, his confidence slowly started to build. They were winning, at least for the moment. The real telling point would be once they managed to get inside the defensive barricades. Well, IF they made it inside the defensive barricades, if he was honest. Nothing was a foregone conclusion, even if they did currently have the leg up over the defenders.


    Maybe he could make things a little easier. He was magically gifted, after all. He''d never really tested just how far he could push a single spell. Maybe now was the time to test up just much power he could funnel out of himself in one go.


    He took a deep breath, willing his mind clear, and envisioned a blast of fire far bigger than anything he''d created previous. No wait, better yet- a firestorm. He would evoke a storm of fire on the enemy camp. That should help the odds a bit.


    He had no idea how his body was going to react to casting a spell that large. Come to think of it, he wasn''t fully sure what would happen if he pushed his body past its magical limit. Would he just pass out? Or would the effort actually seriously harm him? He wasn''t sure what to expect, and thought bot made him uneasy and weirdly excited him.


    Oh well. When had ever been the type to take things cautiously or fully think them through?


    He let the spellwords flow into his mind, picking out the pieces for "many", "fire", "large", and "falling". That should do the trick.


    "Welp, here goes nothing", he thought to himself as he shouted the spellphrase aloud and willed the energy out of him, pointing his outstretched hands in the direction of the enemy encampment.


    "MANRACHCERERAK!"


    No sooner had the last syllable left his lips before the overwhelming surge of the energy drain hit him like a truck. It felt as though he''d just spent his entire energy reservoir in one fell swoop. He tottered as his muscles turned to jelly, and he flopped down on the ground as he struggled to keep his vision from tunnelling into darkness.


    This was stupid. This was a stupid idea. Way to go, Jack. You just had to go too far, didn''t you?


    He looked up at the camp in front of him, the edges of his vision going fuzzy as numerous points of glowing light appeared in the sky. At least he was going to get to take a lot of them with him before he passed out. That was good, right?


    ["You remember you have a Vigor Potion, right?"] Frumpkin said out of nowhere. ["Or are you just wanting to go into a coma for the kicks?"]


    Jack startled when the deity''s voice popped into his mind. It didn''t seem her was ever going to get used to that. He went to speak, but found his mind struggling to put together the words.


    ["Uhm, hello? Is this thing on?"] Frumpkin asked, his voice sounding suddenly uncomfortably loud. There was a sound in his head like someone slapping a microphone, followed by a high pitched squeal of feedback that made Jack''s eyes water.


    "God! Yes, I can hear you! Jesus!" Jack said, instinctively covering his ears despite the sound being entirely in his head. Apparently his reaction to pain still worked fine.

 Chapter 173 - The Battle Continues (part 2)

    Jack sat up and fumbled clumisly from one belt pouch to the next until he found the bottle he was looking for. Sticking it in his mouth, he pulled the cork free with his teeth and chugged down the contents in one giant gulp. Immediately his face twisted in revulsion. The fluid was thick, sticky, and lumpy, and tasted like turned milk. He swallowed and gagged. Immediately after the potion made it down his throat, he felt a rush of energy returning to his limbs, and his head cleared enough for him to climb back to his feet.


    ["There you go."] Frumpkin said, then asked ["so, do you just like pushing yourself to the edge for fun, or do you seriously not think far enough ahead to plan for things like this?"]


    Jack spun Harrowbloom around as his muscles surged back to life.


    "Honestly, a little bit of both. I really need to do better about the second one." He said.


    ["Well, step one is admitting you have a problem."] Frumpkin said, then laughed.


    There was suddenly the sound of a blender running, then a few seconds later the wet plopping sound of something thick being poured into a glass.


    "Making a margarita?" Jack asked as watched the first wave of the firestorm impact the camp in the distance.


    ["Pina Colada, actually."] Frumpkin said before loudly slurping something. ["You want one, kid?"]


    Jack smirked as he watched a fireball slam into one of the gnoll tents, sending it flying to charred pieces in a spectacular red-orange explosion.


    "You know what? Sure. Why not?" He said.


    A moment later, Frumpkin poofed into the air next to him in a Hawaiian shirt and oversized sunglasses, holding two c.o.c.ktail glasses with matching little umbrellas and plastic crazy straws. He reached down and handed one to Jack.


    "Lawn chair?" Frumpkin asked.


    "...Absolutely." Jack said.


    With a flourish, Frumpkin beckoned a pair of brightly-colored plastic chairs from the aether, and dropped them on the ground. Jack picked the left one and flopped into it, picking his feet up and sticking the neon pink crazy straw in his mouth.


    By now, the firestorm was in full effect, with fireball after fireball raining from the sky and exploding in the midst of the enemy defenses. Much of the protective wooden barrier was fully ablaze by now, and all of the tents and makeshift structures inside either burned or had collapsed completely. The adventurer Testudo paused at the close side of the bridge, waiting for the magic to end, while the gnolls on both sides of the defense barrier had a full-blown panic and attempted to flee in every direction from the conflagration.


    One in particular, seeming to either not notice or not care about the two of them, ran straight towards them, its face twisted into a look of abject terror as its tongue lolled limply out of the side of its mouth.


    Frumpkin and Jack watched lazily as it drew closer.


    "Do you wanna take care of that? Or should I do the honors?" Frumpkin asked, tucking one arm behind his head and resting his drink on his stomach.


    "I''ve got it." Jack said. He pointed a finger-gun at the gnoll absent-mindedly and mumbled something. A bolt of purple energy shot from his fingertip and slammed into the dogman''s chest, knocking flying several feet backwards with a loud yelp.


    "Good shot." Frumpkin said, clinking his c.o.c.ktail glass against Jack''s.


    "Thanks." Jack said, sticking the straw in his mouth again.


    The two of them sat in relative silence for several long moments as the aftermath of the rain of fire crackled and screamed in the distance.


    "You know, I gotta tell ya kid, you''ve come a long way." Frumpkin said, sucking the last of his drink out of the glass.


    Jack looked over at Frumpkin and raised an eyebrow.


    "Have I?"


    Frumpkin nodded, tossing the empty c.o.c.ktail. It rocketed through the air a couple hundred feet before beaming another running gnoll in the head and knocking it unconscious.


    "Nice shot." Jack said. "10 points."


    "I didn''t have high hopes for you after the goblins, or the several weeks afterwards. But this week or two, I''ve changed my opinion. I still think you still have a long way to go, especially considering your competition. But I now think you could actually end up having a shot at winning. At least as long as you don''t go back to being pants on head retar-"


    Frumpkin stopped mid-word, then cleared his throat.


    "Stupid."


    Jack laughed.


    "Thanks, Frumpkin. That means a lot, coming from you." He said.

 Chapter 174 - The Battle Continues (part 3)

    Within minutes, the entire camp was a flattened wasteland of fire and ash. As he sat in the lawn chair with Frumpkin and watched it smolder, the gathered mass of the adventurer center mopped up any gnolls that made the mistake of fleeing out of the camp into them. Before long, nothing moved within the gnoll defenses besides wisps of smoke, and Jack slid off his chair to go join the rest of the attackers.


    "Thanks for the drink, Frumpkin." He said.


    The little man nodded as another drink apparated in his hands.


    "Ehh, don''t mention it. The way things have been going recently, I figured you could use one." He said. He laid further back into his chair and kicked his feet up on an inflatable ottoman that appeared with a poof beneath them.


    He stuck the crazy straw back in his mouth.


    "Good luck with the killing of the gnolls and the rescuing of the damsel." He said. He paused for a moment, and added, "oh, and you have done enough to earn another reward. So here."


    He non-chalantly waved his hand, and a small piece of paper appeared in Jack''s hand. On its front was a cartoon drawing of Frumpkin''s face, drawn into a doofy grin. Across the top and bottom read the words "Frumpkin Lottery Ticket. Good for one spin of the Frumpkin Lottery."


    Jack raised an eyebrow.


    "You have your own lottery now? What, so I don''t get the hands-on treatment for my rewards anymore now that you''ve given me the Terminal?" He asked.


    Frumpkin waved the comment away.


    "Bah, of course you still get the hands-on treatment for the big things. But I figured you might want the ability to get more rewards from me personally for doing something above and beyond, and frankly I''m too lazy to put in more than the minimum effort to care if I don''t have to." Frumpkin said, stretching.


    "I see. So you think I did something exceptional just now?" Jack said more than asked as he crossed his arms and appraised the little man with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    Frumpkin raised his sunglasses and looked at Jack flatly.


    "You single-handledly destroyed an entire gnoll encampment and scattered an entire army with a single spell. That gets you cool points. Cool points equals lottery tickets from me. You''re welcome." He said as boredly as possible.


    "Oh. Well cool." Jack said, sticking the ticket into his pants pocket. "Thanks."


    "Now is the time you go and join the rest of your friends. I''m sure they all want to pat you on the back or something." Frumpkin said, shooing Jack away with the back of his hand. "Begone."


    Jack laughed as he sat Harrowbloom onto his shoulder and turned to leave.


    "Bye Frumpkin."


    He walked towards the gathered mass of his allies in the distance, feeling strangely light and exuberant for the first time in a while. As he walked, he caught a glimpse of some of the gnoll corpses scattered around nearby, and then noticed that the other adventurers had begun the process of picking through the corpses in the distance.


    Remembering Madeleine''s admonition to always loot the dead, he set about doing the same, heading to the nearest body and digging through its pockets and gear for anything useful. While the big ones with the massive stone maces carried nothing of any use, he was able to gather a small purse of seventy-five or so gold, as well as a small bottle that looked suspiciously like it might be some kind of potion. He also found a very well-made dagger with a thin, tapered blade that looked almost flawless. A cut green gem of some kind sparkled in the pommel. He doubted it was magical, but it did look cool, and he did need a small side weapon. He removed the scabbard from the side of the dead gnoll and fed onto his belt, putting in at the small of his back and easily accessible to his left hand. He tested the draw a couple times to ensure it was easily accessible and slid easily from the sheath. Satisfied, he stuffed the bottle and and gold into the pouches of his belt, and went to join the rest of the adventurers in the middle of the battlefield.

 Chapter 175 - Second Escape (part 3)

    Eleanor wound through the first part of the corridor, running now that she was out of sight of any possible prying eyes. Rounding another corner, she drew up short as she heard the sound of numerous approaching footsteps rushing down the tunnel in the opposite direction towards her.


    Her first instinct was to duck and hide, but stopped herself. That would only look suspicious if they were gnolls. Instead she slowed her pace, and waited to see who or what was coming.


    Within a minute, one gnoll after another ran past, their breath coming in deep gasps as they dashed past her. Some bore visible wounds. Many were covered with ash or had bits of fur missing, like they''d been burned off. All of them were disheveled, and openly wore fear on their faces.


    Once the first group made it past her, she persisted down the tunnel for several dozen paces before she encountered the next group. This one was made of larger, hardier gnolls carrying giant, two handed clubs. They came on slower than the rest, the majority of them keeping pace with the biggest, who was limping slowly and bracing his weight on the shoulders of two others. Behind every deliberate step he left behind a faint trickle of dark blood that ran steadily from the large open wound in his right thigh.


    When one of the larger one caught sight of her heading the opposite direction from them, it stopped and called out to her.


    "Forward camp''s lost, runtling. Some wizard just burnt the whole thing down." It growled. "Chieftain''s called everyone back to prepare for the next attack."


    "Who''s attacking?" Eleanor asked. Her voice came out deep and raspy, to her relief.


    The large gnoll scowled at her and snarled.


    "The f.u.c.k you been, lastborn? There''s an army of adventurers coming to raid the clan. This has been clan known for days."


    Eleanor shrank away from the creature as he shouted at her. It was not a voluntary reaction, but seemed to be appropriate for the occasion regardless, so she did not object to it happening.


    "Sorry. They don''t tell us prisoner guards much." She replied, adopting a pose of deference.


    The large gnoll snorted.


    "Don''t suppose they would, since you lot are too weak for real fighting."


    He shoved past her to the snorts and snarls of the others with him.


    "There''s nothing that way but death for a rat-dog like you. You''d be wise to get back to your kennel before the humans out there make you a pet." He said, and several of the others chuckled nastily.


    She kept her head down and stayed silent until they all passed. Once she was confident they were out of eye and ear shot, she turned and resumed her run towards the outside. She rounded another corner, only to run right into another body. They collided with enough force that both of them were knocked to the floor of the passage. Eleanor sat up, rubbing her head, only to find herself face to face with Jaang''faz.


    The gnoll seemed equally caught off-guard and perplexed by this situation, and furrowed his brow.


    "I believe you''re going the wrong direction, friend. The fight is already lost." He said, rising to his feet and dusting off the front of his clothes.


    Eleanor stood, and did the same. She looked at him in the eyes for a long moment, and shook her head gently.


    "No, I''m going exactly the direction I need to be going. I have friends and family to get back to." She said gently.


    Jaang''faz looked her puzzled for a long moment, before a faint flicker of recognition passed quickly through his eyes. It disappeared almost as soon as it appeared, and his face settled into a stoic, bored expression.


    "I see. Well, as you know, the fastest path to the outside is the furthest to the right." He said non-chalantly, before moving to walk past her. "Now, if you will excuse me...."


    Eleanor reached out and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in place, before leaning over and gently whispering "thank you" into his ear.


    He nodded, but said nothing as he shrugged out of her grasp and continued down the hall.


    As he rounded the corner, he casually called back to her.


    "Good luck."

 Chapter 176 - Second Escape (part 4)

    When Eleanor reached the next fork a few moments later, she followed Jaang''faz''s advice and took the furthest right path. It curved steeply downwards and to the left, and in places was at a sharp enough angle that she nearly lost her footing and tumbled headlong down the slopes. After a few hundred feet the path straightened and leveled out, and she saw the shine of sunlight at the end of one of the path. A faint breeze drifted in from the entrance, and flickered gently through the fur on the ends of her ears and nose. She stood there for a short moment, taking in the feeling, before opening her eyes again and heading for the exit.


    As she drew closer and closer, the light brightened until she was having to squint and cover her eyes against the sunlight pouring in. When she finally stepped out of the cavern opening and into the open air, her eyes finally adjusted, and she could see further out in the distance below her.


    Perhaps half a mile, near the base of the mountain, something smoldered, sending fat columns of grey smoke into the sky. It looked as though an entire field had been set ablaze. As she stood there, still more gnolls trickled up past her in groups of twos and threes, many of them wheezing and struggling up the steep slope, large patches of their fur burned away. It was a pitiful sight, and one that made her stomach turn. While she resented everything that had been done to her, the sight of so many suffering creatures limping to safety like this made her wonder for a moment if the majority of those coming to attack them were really any better.


    She picked her way down the mountainside, weaving her way through the fleeing soldiers, pausing on several occasions to grab ahold of a tree to keep herself from sliding down the mountainside. Each step she took, the burning site in the distance grew closer, until she finally made it far enough down the mountainside that the trees of the forest near the base blocked it from view.


    Once inside the forest, the sounds of clinking armor and groans of the wounded gave way to the rustling of wind through leaves, and the chatter of birdsong. Once left in relative isolation with her own thoughts as she walked slowly between the trees, she found herself more than a little uneasy.


    Her first escape attempt had been so challenging, so time consuming, so much more... authentic, in a sense. It is what she actually expected an escape to feel like. This time felt... uncomfortably easy. As soon as she snaps out of the illusion, she is freed the same day by another suddenly present relative of the chieftain she''s never met before who has a strangely vested moral interest in helping her?


    She stopped beneath a tree, and looked up at the sunlight flickering through the canopy above. As she watched, a multi-colored bird flitted from one branch to the next before alighting and warbling gently. It was a red-crested bluebird. Her favorite from the days when she would sit out under the boughs of the willows during breaks at the academy. She listened to it sing for several long moments, its birdsong taking her back to her studies and the time spent learning everything she could about magic.


    There was only one problem- The red-crested bluebird didn''t exist naturally. In fact, it didn''t actually exist at all. It was a simulacru created by one of the conjuration professors oof the academy, and could be found nowhere else outside of the school grounds. The only way it could be here, now, in this moment, is if it was being pulled from her memories.


    She had to hand it to Rawgh''faz. This time felt even more real than the last.

 Chapter 177 - Second Escape (part 5)

    She felt a mixture of emotions bubble up inside of her. First, the crushing sense of still being trapped and the horror that brought. Second, was a sense of relief that she had figured it out and now had some small degree of control over what happened next. Third, she felt anger, both at herself for being so willing to accept something so obvious, and fury at Rawgh''faz for still continuing to manipulate her and warp her reality. It was getting to the place where she couldn''t trust anything to be real.


    Which is exactly what he was hoping for. He wanted to make the idea of her being rescued or escaping seem utterly impossible, so that even if she did have a genuine opportunity to do either, she couldn''t take it because she''d believe it was just another trick.


    She had to hand it to him. It was clever. Sick, and twisted, but clever.


    She stood and watched the bird sing above her as she contemplated what to do next. The very fact that the illusion hadn''t ended when she''d realized what she just had told her that either the shaman didn''t have access to her thoughts, or was intentionally not reacting to them. She suspected he could take memories, and insert experiences, but her inner monologue was inaccessible to him. If it was, then as far as he was concerned, she had no idea that this was another deception.


    That was good. That gave her room to decide what to do next. The question was, what exactly was she going to do next? If she made it all the way to where Jack and Rose would be, it was basically guaranteed the current illusion would end again. If she did anything out of the ordinary, or drew attention to her believing it to be unreal, it would also immediately end. What was less obvious was where she would end up when it did. Or, if she would actually be back in reality at all instead of yet another illusion. She had to think of a way to be able to determine objective reality to let her know what was real, all without giving it away to the shaman while he was still digging around inside her mind. If she did that, then she might be able to prepare an actual escape for real. Or maybe even fight back.


    But how she could do this escaped her. She couldn''t even be certain that if she tore his throat out with her bare hands that he was actually dead and she wasn''t just dreaming that too. But she was lucid. And fully aware of what was happening. That in and of itself meant she had a chance. It may not be much of a chance, considering the state her actual body was probably in, but a small chance was better than absolutely no chance at all.


    Then the thought occurred to her for the first time- if he was inside her head, then by default she would in some ways be inside his. If she was inside his, perhaps she could turn things around on him inside his own head. Perhaps she could find a way to break his mind in return. If she could make the illusion fight back against him, or collapse under her own control without him being aware of the cause, then she would know for sure that she was free.


    But how could she do that? The only way that would be possible is if she knew how to alter things inside it. And she didn''t.


    But really, how hard could it be?


    She watched the bird flit to another tree before continuing its song. As she looked at it, she intentionally thought to herself "no, that''s strange, the crest on its head should be gold, and not red."


    As she watched, the small tuft of feathers atop its head gradually shifted in color until they were the color of wheat. Which meant she could control the parts of the illusion that were generated from her own mind.


    Perfect.

 Chapter 178 - Second Escape (part 6)

    So, she could control any part of the illusion that derived from her mind. That was useful information, but by itself didn''t do much to change the game.


    The real question was if she could cause new things to appear in the illusion that she invented and pretended to remember? And if she COULD do that, what could she conceive of that would disrupt the illusion enough for her to know it was really and truly broken?


    There was only one way to find out, and that was going to be trial and error.


    And the greatest question of all was, could she affect the real world from inside the illusion? That one seemed much less likely, but it was something she would need to be sure of one way or the other if she expected to spend a lot more time in one. She wanted to believe that her sisters and Jack were coming, but even if they came for her now, how would she be able to know they were authentic?


    Well, in a sense she already had her answer.


    The shaman had only seen her, and maybe Jack. He had no idea what Rose or Madeleine would look like, which meant any form they appeared in would have to derive either from her most recent memories of them if he hadn''t seen them, and if he had seen them since then and the image she was presented was one not from her memories, then that would almost certainly mean they were coming for her. And if the image in front of her changed when she deliberately tried to make it do so, then she knew it was false.


    All of this seemed very tenuous, like she was grasping at fog while looking for a handhold, but knowing what her reality was, and finding ways to assert some small kind of control over it... that made her feel stronger. More confident. More able to face the horror of what she was in the midst of.


    She finally drew her attention away from the gentle warbling of the bird overhead, and turned back towards the direction of the burning camp. Now that she had this new information, there was no reason to continue this particular iteration any longer than it needed to go. She would get to the camp, encounter the heroes, have a reunion that appeared entirely authentic, have it interrupted, appear to be devastated, return to what she presumed to be reality but might not be, and start things all over again.


    It sounded absolutely exhausting. But it was what needed to happen to set her forming plan into action. Emotional resilience, and time. That was all. And when she was finally certain she was free, and she had a chance to get her revenge, it would be slow, and exquisitely horrible. The bastard and his dogs had taken her dignity, her happiness, her well-being, even her maidenhood. There was nothing she could do to them that could restore those things to her, no matter what. But she could make them suffer. She could drag the entire lot of them through the planes of Hell by their tails, and leave them as playthings for the l.u.s.t devils of the second circle. That would serve them right, Who knows, maybe she''d even be allowed to watch. That would come close to making her feel better about it all.


    She smiled to herself at the thought, and set of walking down towards the smoking remains of the camp at the far end of the forest. Now, at least, she had something more to look forward to.

 Chapter 179 - After the Firestorm

    After whatever could be scavenged from the slain, both adventurers and gnolls alike, Jack, along with the rest of the living made his way into the smoldering remains of the gnoll defensive line. Looking around, several things went through his head one after the other.


    The first was that he was glad they''d managed to avoid most of the worst of the fighting. The second was that he felt thoroughly impressed with himself. What he''d just done was the kind of thing he''d imagined having the ability to do the moment he accepted Frumpkin''s challenge, and had thus far been utterly unable to even dream of when he first arrived. It was really exciting.


    The third thing was that there was no way in hell he''d be able to do anything nearly that impressive again without a good bit of recuperation. Even with the Vigor Potion he''d taken and the break he spent with Frumpkin, he still only felt about 30% of his energy left. That would be enough for a decent amount of fighting, so long as he was sparing with his spells. But he was going to have to be careful.


    The fourth and final thing was the regret he felt for having torched everything in the firestorm. There was almost not a single bit of anything left to loot.


    He walked around, sifting through the ashes of some of the tents with the tip of his boot, but found nothing but charcoal and burned scraps of god only knew what. Here and there, he found a couple soot-blackened weapons, but nothing of any obvious value. The only luck he managed to have was to find a few scattered gold pieces pressed into the ash-mottled mud, probably scattered out of some gnoll''s purse in the midst of their retreat.


    The rest of the attackers spread out through the camp, but seemed to only have the same luck as him, and there were a few scattered grumbles.


    Once the area was thoroughly combed for both plunder and enemy stragglers, the remaining number gathered together around the far mountainside entrance of the camp and planned for the next phase of the attack. A recounting of the party''s numbers showed that over a dozen hadn''t survived the first wave, the majority of them comprising the younger and less experienced members of the group. None of the fire mages, with the exception of the one Jack had saved, made it. He had been recovered, and was put to rest in a small makeshift healer''s camp in one side of the burned out gnoll base alongside half a dozen other wounded. Two of the four party healers were left behind to tend them, and a pair of strapping fighters stood watch over them in case a gnoll scouting party came ranging and found the camp.


    This left about thirty or so healthy adventurers for the next push, including Jack and Rose.


    It was agreed they would spend an hour recuperating, eating, and planning, and would begin the arduous march up the half-mile or so of the mountainside to the entrance to the cave mouth where the main gnoll encampment would be located. From there, there would be no rest until the defenders were rooted out and slaughtered, or surrendered.


    Then, once inside, anything that didn''t give up or get out of the way would meet the same end until he found where they kept Ellie. Once she was free, as far as Jack was concerned, his role in the entire attack was over.


    However, if Ellie was dead, or horribly injured, he''d gladly stick around and make sure that whoever was responsible experienced even worse.


    But, he would cross that bridge if and when he got to it.

 Chapter 180 - After the Firestorm (part 2)

    Guards were placed on watch, and Jack and rose at and split some bread and dried meat while the rest of the group prepared for the next push. Sometime during the window they were eating, Jack felt the power given to him by Harrowbloom slowly fade away as the time window of its usage ran out. As it drifted away, he felt smaller, and slower, and it made him deeply uncomfortable. He hadn''t even realized it at the time, really, but the sword''s power had given him a sense of calm, confidence, and focus that he lacked on his own. Now that it was gone, he felt some of the same familiar anxiety and fear return.


    To calm his mind, and lacking a better way to keep himself distracted from the nerves clawing their way back into his body and brain, he set about pacing the perimeter of the gnoll defensive camp, picking his way through the charred corpses of fallen gnolls and through the debris of the fallen arrow towers and torched tents. After a few minutes of doing this and find it didn''t really help, he finally found a place isolated far enough away from the rest of the group, and pulled the golden whistle out. He might as well see what this Frumpkin Ticket got him.


    He blew the whistle and grit his teeth as he felt himself fold inside out, reappearing a moment later in the Repository, a short distance from the outstretched hand of the pedestal.


    He walked up to the pedestal, pulled the ticket out of his pocket, and activated the Terminal. The familiar projected screen flared to life in front of him, bringing up the standard array of available commands, as well as a flashing notification alert.


    He selected the notification alert. It opened, showing a brief message that said "New stat increases recorded. See them now?". Lacking anything else to do with his time, he opened the message, and looked at the readout.


    "Jack Eames


    [Class: Lvl 3 Fighter/Sorcerer] (LEVEL UP!)


    Prowess: 46 [+10]


    Fortitude: 30 [+3]


    Logic: 27 [+6]


    Intuition: 25 [+5]


    Persona: 20 [+11]


    Composure: 20 [+5]


    Spirit: 55 [+13]


    Tenacity: 45 [+5]


    Talents:


    - [Immunity to Cold]


    - [Martial Weapon Proficiency]


    - [Magically Gifted (Sorcery)]


    - [Magical Aptitude I]


    - [Weapon Focus: Scimitar]


    Recent Notable Accomplishments:


    - [Bested a Gnoll Champion in one on one combat]


    - [Coordinated a successful assault on a gnoll defensive position]


    - [Saved the lives of multiple comrades in combat]


    - [Single-handedly destroyed a gnoll camp with a firestorm]


    Overall Assessment:


    [Semi-Competent Nobody] (LEVEL UP!)"


    Then, down at the very bottom, below everything else, was a flashing red alert that read "You have new level up rewards! Claim them now?"


    Somehow, not only had every single one of his stats increased, some by quite a bit, but he''d managed to increase the Terminal''s opinion of him substantially. Had all of that really come from the last two days? It seemed almost excessive for what little he had done. Unless maybe he had a very inaccurate impression of what he''d accomplished.


    Selecting the level rewards alert, he was greeted with a pop-up screen that presented him with two available options:


    "[One free Talent upgrade]


    or


    [One free Silver Lottery Ticket]"


    He contemplated for a moment, then selected the free Talent upgrade. No matter how tempting the Silver Ticket may be, he needed as many guaranteed improvements as he could get right now. While the ticket could potentially get him something better, there was also a good chance it could get him something far less valuable than a free upgrade, and now was not the time to be playing those odds.

 Chapter 181 - After the Firestorm (part 3)

    Selecting the Free Talent Upgrade option brought up the massive talent tree he''d seen before. In the top right corner of the display, there was a little flashing indicator showing he had one level up point to spend. He spent some time looking through the lists of available Talents, unsure of what to pick. He couldn''t upgrade his Magical Aptitude or Weapon Proficiency again yet because those upgrades were apparently level-capped. He couldn''t increase his Armor Proficiency any more either for the same reason. His primary options at the moment were to focus on practical non-combat abilities, some form of physical resistance, or maybe expand his combat ability skill list.


    Non-combat abilities were the first ones that he decided against. He could focus on those later, once this current conflict was over. It wouldn''t do him any good to be a decent blacksmith when he was faced with an army of murderous dogmen, unless he planned on forging their heads into drinking cups or something.


    Come to think of it, he might have to look into that.


    Brushing his amus.e.m.e.nt at the thought aside, he started rifling through the list of available combat abilities. He didn''t use any ranged weapons, so that ruled out a solid third of them right off the bat. He also didn''t currently have the means to be stealthy or sneaky, so that ruled out a whole lot more. Many of the remaining amount were for weapons he didn''t wield, or for fighting styles he didn''t plan on utilizing any time real soon. There was a Talent for Unarmed Combat Proficiency that he made a mental note of to come back to later, as well as Weapon Quick-Draw that he noted as well. While maybe not the best choice for now, both would definitely be things that he was going to need to pick up at some point, if not today.


    He tried to upgrade the schools of magic he had access to but they appeared to be locked until he increased his Magical Aptitude further, which was frustrating, but understandable. He already had Evocation, Conjuration, and Transmutation, so he would have to make do with those for the time being.


    The last thing he looked at were innate resistances, which would always be useful regardless of situation. He saw that he was already marked to the highest possible level on Cold/Ice resistance, thanks to his first major reward from Frumpkin. That left him with picking up the first resistance rank in Air, Earth, Lightning, Sonic, Radiant, Necrotic, or Heat/Fire. His eyes fixated on the last one.


    Now would be the right time to get it. It was free. And it would be useful in the upcoming battle with the Shaman. The fact that he would be able to make contact with the girls without risking personal harm was totally not at all important and had absolutely no impact on his desire to pick it.


    As if on auto-pilot, his hand reached out and selected [Heat/Fire Resistance I] from the Talents menu.


    There was a brief flash of light, and Jack felt a surge of warm energy wash through his veins, starting at his finger tips and spreading throughout his entire body. And then, as soon as the sensation was present, it was gone.


    "[Heat/Fire Resistance I] acquired!"


    Jack looked down at his hands. He saw and felt nothing different, but there was a sudden fluttering in the pit of his stomach, like when he was about to go down the biggest drop of a rollercoaster.


    He finally had it, after all of this time.


    He swallowed hard.


    Now what?

 Chapter 182 - After the Firestorm (part 4)

    As if on cue to his internal question, Frumpkin poofed into the air beside him with a very smug, satisfied look on his face.


    "So you finally broke down and bought it, huh? I gotta be honest, I genuinely didn''t expect you to hold out this long. Especially considering, well, you know..." He trailed off, before raising his eyebrows suggestively and clicking his tongue against his teeth.


    Jack looked at him with an expression that very clearly said "could you not?"


    Frumpkin laughed.


    "I''m kidding, kid. I know that isn''t actually the only reason." He said.


    He kicked up his feet and put his arms behind his head and a sunbathing chair poofed underneath him in a tuft of pink smoke.


    "So, you managed to spend your shiny new lottery ticket I gave ya? If not, care if I spectate when you do? I''m as curious to see what happens as you are." He said.


    "That''s not really a sentence that inspires confidence, you know." Jack said, looking at Frumpkin with mistrust.


    Frumpkin waved Jack''s comment away with the back of his hand.


    "Relax. I didn''t put anything bad in there. I can assure you that you will not end up missing any limbs, or get blown to kingdom come." He said.


    "That''s not any more reassuring." Jack snorted, pulling the ticket out of his pocket.


    Seeming to sense the presence of the ticket in his hand, the Terminal screen flickered and transformed into a new lottery wheel hovering in mid-air in front of him. In the dead center of the wheel, and taking up most of its flat space, was the same stupidly grinning portrait of Frumpkin that was on the lottery ticket. Around the outside of the portrait, the wheel was broken into dozens of identical tiny panels, each of which was covered with a small, impossibly shiny gold star. The ticket vanished from his hand, and the wheel spring to life, with the portrait of Frumpkin springing to life and laughing gleefully.


    Jack stared hesitantly at the wheel for a long moment, before casting a side-long glance at Frumpkin.


    Frumpkin shooed him with the back of his hand.


    "Well go on! Spin the thing!" He said.


    Jack sighed, and gave the wheel a firm spin. It spun, and spun, and spun for what felt like an unnecessarily long time, until it finally slowed to a crawled and stumbled to a halt over one of the numerous golden stars. As soon as it did so, there was a deafening fanfare of trumpets as dozens of confetti cannons appeared in the air all around Jack. He had just enough time to process what was about to happen as the amassed arsenal opened fire, their barrels exploding in a deluge of technicolor tissue paper like a bomb just went off in a pinata factory.


    After Jack managed to extricate himself from rainbow avalanche he''d been buried under, Jack calmly conjured the shovel Simon kept in the barn and unceremoniously smacked Frumpkin upside the head with it. The little man sailed through the air before slamming into his own face on the floating lottery wheel. He hung in the air for half a moment, before slowly sliding down the surface of the wheel with a prolonged squeaking sound.


    He dropped onto the ground with a cartoonish splat, before popping into the air again over his chair. There was an equally cartoonish lump on the side of his head, and he looked less than pleased. He snapped his fingers, and the giant pile of confetti, the cannons, and the shovel all vanished. Jack hoped the shovel got sent back where it belonged, or else poor Simon was going to spend hours looking for the damn thing at some point.


    Frumpkin cleared his throat, looking at Jack with pursed lips.


    "So, now that we''re equal, you gonna collect your prize, or what?"

 Chapter 183 - After the Firestorm (part 5)

    Jack walked up to the floating spin wheel. As soon as he came within a few steps, the wheel and everything else vanished, leaving the small black tile with the gold star floating in the air above the outstretched hand of the pedestal. He reached out and took it from the air. Upon close inspection, it was actually a small shiny envelop with a red wax seal on the flap, once again depicting a crude rendering of Frumpkin''s grinning mug.


    Jack had to hand it to the guy. He sure knew how to maintain consistent branding.


    He slid a finger under the envelope flap and pulled. As soon as he did, the envelope exploded in a cacophony of sounds and glitter, leaving a familiar flashing marquee sign floating in the air in front of him. In giant black letters it read "Cosmetic Makeover".


    Jack stared at the sign, trying to process in advance just how unpleasant Frumpkin could make the concept of a "Cosmetic Makeover", but to his surprise Frumpkin just yawned.


    "Aww, you got one of the lame ones. Have fun remaking yourself. I look forward to seeing what you end up changing. In the mean time, I''m not gonna sit around for hours waiting for you to figure out what you want. Ta-ta!" He said. And as soon as he''d come, he vanished, leaving Jack alone with the floating sign and no idea of what to expect.


    Before he really had to wonder, the sign faded away, and he suddenly felt his perspective pulled outside of himself, giving him a full exterior view of himself that he could mentally move and rotate so that every part of himself was visible with a single action. After he fiddled around with getting used to the weird out of body sensation seeing himself like this gave him, a vast array of control knobs, sliders, settings options, and other tools appeared in the air in front of him on a large user interface that was functionally identical to any number of character creation screens he''d seen in RPGs and MMOs over the years. It was then that he fully understood what he''d just been given.


    For possibly the only time in his entire stay in this new world, he was being given the chance to remake his appearance, seemingly into whatever he wanted. As he looked through the seemingly endless amount of options available, he felt more than a little overwhelmed by the range of choices available.


    Not only could he change his skin tone, eye and hair color, height, weight, and body structure but also his gender, his s.e.x, his race, he could give himself wings, or horns, or a tail, or scaly skin. Out of morbid curiosity, he starting fiddling with each, watching his appearance get more and more bizarre with each setting tweak until he was a nine and a half foot tall purple-scaled demon woman with seven horns, thirteen eyes, and a quartet of wings patterned green leopard print. Once he was thoroughly done amusing himself with hpw ridiculous he could make himself look, he reset everything to default. He liked the idea of having wings, but the adjustment console made it abundantly clear the wings would be cosmetic only, and would not grant him the ability to fly. That kinda defeated the entire point of having wings then, didn''t it? At that point, all they''d do is be giant awkward things that would get in his way all of the time.


    And besides, while he didn''t feel particularly attractive, he had kinda grown attached to his humanness. And maleness. And he clearly had managed to get himself a couple of very attractive women who seemed to like what he had going on, so it didn''t make much sense to him to go and screw that all up for his own vanity.

 Chapter 184 - Covid-19 update

    So, you may have noticed my upload schedule has been relatively erratic as of late, and that I haven''t posted any updates in several days.


    The honest truth is that right now, with everything going on, writing is hard.


    In my day job, I work as an independent contractor. About half of my income relies on me going out and interfacing with the public on a day to day basis. However, my wife is six months pregnant, and in one of the highest risk categories for the virus. Per her medical team, the only way I can maximize her safety and that of my unborn daughter is to quarantine myself. This is not a problem for me, except that I have to functionally do twice as much work to maintain our income.


    This eliminates whatever energy and time I normally spend working on my various writing projects, including Second Life. Which, lemme tell ya, kinda sucks.


    I fully intend to continue to work on this project and others, but know ahead of time that for the foreseeable future, updates are going to be more sporadic as I deal with the more imminent problem at hand.


    So here is what is going to happen for the time being:


    1. Sunday at 8 PM EST is now the sole release day for Second Life until this situation changes.


    2. I will write as much as I can each week, and release everything written that week on Sunday.


    3. Readers are guaranteed at least 1 chapter a week. If I write more, you get more.


    4. The regular daily posting routine will resume as normal the instant quarantine is over.


    5. I will be posting weekly updates along with the chapters so you all know how things stand.


    I cherish and appreciate all of you. I know this is not the kind of update you wanted, but I want to be forward with you all from one moment to the next so that I don''t let anyone down.


    I hope you are all staying safe out there. I will catch up with you all again soon.


    -Clowniac

 Chapter 185 - After the Firestorm (part 6)

    After thinking it over a moment, he finally settled on a couple small changes that he''d always wished for back when he used to live in his last life.


    Using the sliders, he increased his height by several inches, taking him from an unremarkable five-foot nine to a much more respectable six-foot three. He then adjusted the broadness of his shoulders, widening them slightly, while narrowing his waist a bit. Finally, he found the sliders that controlled his body fat and muscle mass percentages, and set about resculpting his body balance. Since the time he''d been in this new world, he''d lost a lot of his spare fat and put on a decent amount of muscle, but he was still a bit thick around the middle, and his arms, legs, and core were not well-defined. Seeing a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get all of the benefits of eight hours a day in the gym with none of the sweat, suffering, or calorie restrictions involved, he couldn''t stop himself from improving what he saw, even if just a bit.


    When he finally finished, he couldn''t believe what he saw was actually him. He honestly kinda looked Photoshopped.


    He had pecs now, and defined abs, and arms and legs that were each a few inches thicker than before. He has a distinct V taper from his shoulders to his h.i.p.s, and now that his body fat was a lot lower, he saw for the first time that he actually had a pretty decent jawline naturally, which made him feel pretty good about himself. The cosmetic program told him that while his appearance had changed, his underlying stats had not, which meant he probably actually looked a little stronger now than he actually was. But that didn''t matter to him. He was going to keep getting stronger and stronger as things went, and once he got past the point he''d changed the settings to, he''d get even stronger looking, apparently.


    Once he finally felt comfortable with the changes he''d made, he gave the confirm command to the console. When he did so, he heard a small chime, and then felt and immediate and deeply unpleasant stretching feeling throughout his body, like every single pat of it was being pulled directly away from the center. After a few seconds, the sensation faded, and another chime sounded. The Terminal then flicked back to life, showing him a direct mirror reflection of himself.


    He looked identical to how he''d modified things, and inexplicably found himself getting a little weepy for no obvious reason. Apparently looking better mattered a lot more to him than he''d ever let himself be aware of previously.


    Once he''d composed himself, he dismissed the screen, and opened the item store. He had some gold, and also a few new items to check out. Opening things up, he saw that in addition to the 100 or so gold he''d acquired from the battlefield, the Terminal had also awarded him an additional 250 gold for winning the battle. The first thing he attempted to do was buy more health and vigor potions, but to his disappointment and frustration the store had not restocked its supply of either yet. He spent 100 gold on the final available Minor Health Potion and tucked it into the belt pouch along with the other. He then opened the menu and inspected the dagger and the potion he''d found.


    They were both unidentified in the Terminal, with their names and descriptions each blank save a single question mark. The Terminal offered a prompt to have each of them identified. When he selected it, it informed him there would be a 50 gold identification charge for each item identified. Lacking a better option, he spent the 100 gold to see what each of them was.

 Chapter 186 - After the Firestorm (part 7)

    After another confirmation chime, words began to flow into each of the name and description boxes for the items.


    The potion, according to the information box, was not actually magical, but rather a roughly made alchemical mixture combining various herbs, gnoll blood, powdered troll bone, and the caps of particular kinds of mushrooms known for their painkilling and mood-altering effects. The total effect, according to the readout, was that drinking this particular concoction would temporarily render him insensitive to pain, give him increased natural healing and energy, and increased aggression and reduced inhibitions. The time it would actually last for him was stated as "unknown", and below the effects, a giant block of text written in bright red warned him of possible side-effects including nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations, headache, fatigue, delusions, and hallucinations once the positive effects began to wear off.


    So, it was basically something like alchemical methamphetamine. It reminded him a lot of the stories he used to read about the mushrooms Viking berserkers would eat that would send them into a rage during battle. He had no idea if that was actually true or not, but this was apparently a real-life equivalent of something very similar. He was hesitant to use it because he was sure there were other drawbacks or side-effects the Terminal wasn''t telling him about. But, in a last ditch scenario with no other options, he figured having it was better than not having it. Who knows? Maybe the mysterious alche-meth would save his life at some point.


    The dagger was, as he''d expected, not magical, though it was identified as a masterwork-grade weapon. It was worth a few hundred gold, but he decided against selling it. He liked how it looked, and playing games for as long as he had told him having a backup weapon for worst case scenarios was always a good idea.


    After a minute or two of browsing, he opted to keep the remaining 150 gold in the Terminal for later. No sense spending what he had on something that wouldn''t matter in the immediate future.


    Once he finally finished, he closed the Terminal and gave the little golden whistle another blow. With another gut-renching fold of his body and another cork pop, he was back in the far corner of the camp. From his vantage point, he saw that the assembled mass of adventurers had already cleaned up, regathered their equipment, and were already exiting the camp towards the base of the mountain. So either he''d been in there longer than he''d thought, or time worked differently at the Repository than it did in the real world. He made a mental note to experiment with the difference and figure out what the exact exchange rate was sometime in the future.


    He walked in the direction of where he and Rose had been sitting previously, only to spot her sitting in the same place as before, right next to both of their packs. As he approached, she turned her attention his direction. When she saw him, her eyes squinted, then widened in shock as he got closer.


    "Hey Rose." He said, smilling as he walked up.


    She looked at him dumbstruck for a long moment, her mouth hanging open, until she finally blinked herself back to her senses and cleared her throat.


    "Jack, I, uh.... wow. You, uh, look..... different?" She said, seeming unsure of how exactly to react.


    Jack scratched the back of his head awkwardly.


    "Is it too much?" He asked.


    Rose quickly shook her head.


    "Oh no no, not at all! You look... You look... very..." She stammered, trailing off as her face flushed intensely.


    Jack stepped forward, and place his hand on her cheek. Her wide eyes darted from his hand to his smile and back.


    "Thank you, Rose." He said, before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.

 Chapter 187 - After the Firestorm (part 8)

    Rose froze in shock for half a second as his lips touched hers, before she threw her arms around him and forcibly pulled him into her. After several long moments of being locked together, she pulled away and asked, "I''m not hurting you?"


    Jack shook his head with a grin.


    "Nah. I''m resistant to heat now. You still feel very warm, but it''s not uncomfortable or painful any more. More toasty than anything." He said.


    "Okay, good," she said, before pulling him in again.


    Once he was thoroughly light headed and flush faced, he finally managed to find the will to separate himself. As if on cue, Urien called out in the distance from the front of the party.


    "Jack! Rose! Are you two coming?"


    "We need to get going. Everyone is waiting on us." Jack said.


    Rose nodded but said nothing. Her face was the brightest crimson he''d ever seen it, and she cleared her throat awkwardly before turning away and hurriedly gathering her things together. Once everything was assembled, stowed in their packs, and back on their backs, they set off to join the rest of the group.


    As Jack rejoined the rest of the party, a slow wave of murmurs began to sweep through the assembled mass, and he saw more than one adventurer furtively point at him. He walked up to join the head of the group where Urien, Farlo, and Abigail were waiting. The three of them watched him approach. Urien and Abigail both seemed taken aback by the changes in his appearance. Farlo seemed amused, and gave him a knowing look.


    As if to answer the question of Urien and Abigail''s minds, Jack motioned himself and said "I got some upgrades. That''s all. Everything else is exactly the same."


    Urien appraised him pensively for a moment, then nodded.


    "I understand. They suit you." He said. "Shall we get going? If we delay much longer we will give them an opportunity to regroup in force."


    "I am ready whenever you are." Jack said.


    Urien gave the order, and the collected mass began its march out of the destroyed gnoll camp and on towards the base of the mountain. Within a few minutes marching, they entered the thin band of forest that circled the mountain''s base, and found themselves surrounded by chirping birds and sun-dappled forest floor. Under less pressing circ.u.mstances, Jack would have stopped and spent a few minutes enjoying the atmosphere. He glanced over at Rose, only to catch her staring at him. She smiled and blushed, before turning away. As they reached the far edge of the woods, the trees tapered out and shrank in size, eventually giving way to tumbled rock and scrub grass as the incline of the path grew steeper and more treacherous. In places, Jack found himself having to half walk half climb up parts of the path on all fours, and one occasion had a stone skid out from underneath his foot and nearly send him tumbling backwards through the air into the mass of bodies perched on the sloping path behind him.


    After a few hundred feet of slow moving across a steep switchback, the slope leveled out a good amount, and remained relatively mild for what look like the rest of the way to the cliff face where he knew the cave opening was located. Ahead, in the distance, he could see faint moving shapes that he assumed were probably the stragglers from the camp either fleeing into the cave or forming some last line of defense to stop them before the party reached the main entrance.

 Chapter 188 - Quarantine Update (03/29/20)

    Hello friends!


    As promised, here is the weekly update for how things are progressing on my end.


    As you can see, I was able to get a decent amount written this week. This is partially due to a lucky break with work, as well as good ole fashioned writing when I''m tired and don''t feel like it. We''re now getting within spitting distance of the first volume being completed. I expect it will be finished before the end of April, even with me writing less.


    That said, once the first volume is completed, I fully intend to take at least a couple months off from writing new content for this story. This is both to give myself time to recharge, but also to plot out the next leg of the story, and revise Volume 1 for hardcopy publication. I also want to spend some time working on other projects to scratch a few itches I''ve been having for a while now.


    As I have mentioned previously, I would be creating a site online for this story with bonus content. In the last several months, I have founded a new indie publishing firm called Paperwing Press, where myself and other writers you may recognize from WN and other writing sites will be releasing exclusive extra content like side stories and art, a shop with hard copies of our books as well as merch centered around our stories and characters, and other cool stuff. The initial launch of Paperwing Press is expected to launch publicly by the end of May, and will serve as the resting place for all things Second Life once it goes live.


    I look forward to seeing your reactions once everything is finished!


    I hope you are all having a lovely week, friends. Stay safe out there!


    -Clowniac

 Chapter 189 - The Shaman Takes Command (Interlude)

    Rawgh''faz sat on his throne, leaning back and sneering down at the captain in front of him with derision as his pink tongue flicked hungrily across his teeth.


    "I expect an explanation, Frang''gar. I suggest you make it a convincing one." He snarled.


    Frang''gar flinched and bowed lower.


    "Chieftain, the approaching party was more... capable than we expected. They were through our line before we had the time to formulate a proper counter-attack." The captain said, his voice quivering.


    He was not a small dogkin, standing a head and shoulders above most of his peers, but in the shadow of the beast on the throne, he looked frighteningly small.


    Rawgh''faz leaned forwards, the claws on the ends of his free hand tearing shavings out of the wooden handrest as he lifted his staff out of his lap.


    "Tell me. How is it that the best fighter under my command, a tactician revered amongst our kin, can fail to predict the obvious display of power from an enemy I warned you could be coming? How does a dog of your cunning make such a mistake, Frang''gar?" He asked.


    Frang''gar raised his eyes to meet Rawgh''faz''s for the first time, but blanched and jerked his gaze back to the ground when he saw the look on the chieftain''s face.


    "It was believed by our scouts that the individual you were referring to was slain in our raid in Darkshire Woods. Saml''san was seen delivering a deathblow to the boy before he was slain. We had no reason to believe otherwise until now." The captain said, his voice quavering.


    "Demethros has warned that a champion would be coming that would possess powers similar unto his own. Powers that include the ability to recover from wounds that would have slain even the strongest among us. I believe it is possible that the champion he was describing is leading the raid that just made a mockery of your defensive planning. And had you bothered to have any foresight, you might have predicted him and planned accordingly." Rawgh''faz said.


    The shaman stood from the throne, and walked the few steps down the dais to stand in front of the supplicating warrior.


    "Straighten up, whelp." He growled, tapping the end of his staff forcefully against the ground.


    Frang''gar took a ragged breath and straightened up, mustering what resolve he could as he met Rawgh''faz''s eyes again. The shaman stood nearly a foot taller than even this giant among gnolls, and his gaze bored into Frang''gar''s so intensely that the dogman felt his legs threatening to buckle beneath him. After what seemed like an endless moment, The shaman spoke again.


    "Your time leading our tribe''s forces is at an end. It is time that I take things over directly." He said, the softness of his voice causing the hair on the back of Frang''gar''s neck to stand on end.


    Frang''gar swallowed, and nodded.


    "Yes, chieftain. But what, may I ask, would you have me do now?" He asked.


    Rawgh''faz''s lip twitched almost imperceptibly, before he bared his teeth in a vicious grin. He reached out and placed his hand heavily on the small dogman''s shoulder.


    "Fear not, captain. I have a very special use for you." He said.


    He raised his staff over his head and began to howl out a rhythmic mantra, his eyes flickering with light and sinister purpose as the sound of a myriad of other spectral voices joined him in chorus.


    Frang''gar''s eyes widened in horror, and he tried to pull away and run, but the shaman''s grip was as hard and unmoving as iron, and even in spite of his immense strength he couldn''t seem to get away. Then something jerked inside him, like a child had been implanted inside his body. Then a sudden, overwhelming pain as every fiber in his body began to tear and stretch and distort, until at some point it all faded into a blur, and his sense of self vanished into the horror he was becoming.


    Rawgh''faz watched the transformation with a sense of satisfaction as the captain writed and groaned, his body becoming an increasingly distorted collection of limbs and angles. The Forbidden that was taking the captain''s body for its own had not come cheap. Demethros was not one to give boons or favors lightly, or without expectations. This one had cost him dearly, and until this moment he''d never had a purpose for its use, nor an adequate vessel for it to inhabit.


    But the coming champion changed that. There would be no conserving resources. The boy would have to die.


    And he would have to die now.


    The completed Forbidden loomed over him now, its large glassy eye eering at him balefully as it awaited instructions. The shaman pointed towards the throne room doors.


    "Kill anyone who is not one of us. Make it as merciless as possible."

 Chapter 192 - Fleeing the Bedchamber (part 3)

    She took a step that direction, and then hesitated. She didn''t know what to expect down below, but it was a certainty that she''d have to pass through the gnolls before she made it to anyone who might be more friendly. Perhaps it might be best if she disguised herself as one of the furbags, if for no other reason than to avoid drawing attention on her way. One thing she was sure of, at least, was that no one was immediately on the way to check on her. That meant she had more time to prepare.


    Eleanor ducked back inside the bedchamber, and set about gathering anything that would be of use to her in the coming encounters she was likely to have. In addition to the components she''d taken from Jaang''faz''s necklace, she quickly scanned the shelves and racks of alchemical and arcane supplies, grabbing whatever she thought might be of use. To her surprise, there were components she''d not seen since her time at the Academy in some of the bottles, including treant sap, manticore blood, and shade ashes. The rarest she took on principle, grabbing a small satchel from the chest at the foot of the bed and throwing everything inside. She then set about tearing through the bookshelf, where she found several useful arcane scrolls, as well as a couple spellbooks. She swept the lot into the satchel. Finally, she bent down to one of the pelts on the ground and inspected it. Once she was closer, there was no doubting that the pelts were gnoll pelts, perhaps of those who had made a point of opposing him. She had to hand it to Rawg''faz¡­ making a point of decorating with and walking on the skin of his enemies had to be very effective at keeping the rest in line.


    She reached out to pull a tuft of fur from one of them, and stopped short when something struck her. Something about them seemed familiar, although she couldn''t place why. As she looked at them further, both of the pelts looked pretty small, by gnoll standards. And then she saw a spot of fur on the smaller of the two pelts, near what would probably have been the shoulder of its previous owner. There, plain as day, was a dark patch in the distinct shape of a crescent moon, identical to the crescent shape of the earrings she was carrying. And it was in that moment Eleanor knew why something about them seemed familiar. She was looking at the pelts of Marg''faz and Jaang''faz.


    Eleanor reeled back in horror, nearly falling over herself into the door behind her. She grasped onto the door latch to steady herself, the sense of rage that she''d thus far tamped down frothing over into a seething fury.


    She may not have known them in person, in real life, but real or not, she owed each of them a debt. While Rawg''faz may not have known it, having them in the deception to help her had given her just enough support and connection, just enough hope, and just enough resolve to make it through thus far. Without them, if she was honest, she would have despaired a long time ago.


    She didn''t know what she''d expected, but seeing them disrespected and degraded in such a brazen manner was unconscionably evil, even for a creature as sick and twisted as Rawg''faz had shown himself to be. She let go of the door latch, leaving a crushed handprint in the metal, and bent down, plucking a tuft of hair from Marg''faz''s skin.


    "I''m sorry, dear friend. Thank you, for everything."


    With a flourish and a flash the Polymorph spell took effect, enlongating and distorting her body and face until she found herself wearing the skin of a gnoll for what felt like one too many times. Glancing at her shoulder, she saw the distinctive dark crescent on her shoulder. Something about that gave her hope, and steeled her resolve. She wasn''t just doing this for herself. She was doing this to make their deaths mean something more. And what could be more meaningful that by bearing their emblems, items, and appearance into battle against the monster who''d tried to destroy them all.


    Now that she was wrapped in mottled fur and had grown a bit, she adjusted the clothes she was wearing. They were still baggy, but no longer threatened to drown her in fabric or tumble off her at the slightest movement, belt and knots non-withstanding. Once he was prepared, she pulled a red glass bead out of her components pouch, stepped out into the hallway again, and turned towards the open bedchamber. Rawg''faz would not disrespect another in this room again, living or dead. That much, at least, she could make sure of. With a flurry of sigils and a snarl of deviltongue the bead flared to life in a sphere of crackling sky-blue fire before she hurled the fireball into the middle of the room. The bedchamber exploded in a cacophony of noise and light and hurled fragments of wood and stone in a jet out of the doorway. Almost non-chalantly, she made a barrier sign with her off hand, causing the debris to slam to a stop against and invisible wall a foot or so in front of her.


    Satisfied that the room was now thoroughly a crater, she set off down the corridor, giving one final glance behind her before she turned down the descending slope and out of sight of where she''d just been.

 Chapter 193 - Fleeing the Bedchamber (part 4)

    The pathway curved steeply, in a similar manner to one of the other pathways she''d traversed in the illusions, and it took a bit of effort to keep herself from losing her footing as she half walked, half ran down the the corridor. It finally leveled out into a flat straight hallway that led directly into what looked like a large chamber of some kind, at least from this distance. As she proceeded towards this room, the distant sounds of battle gradually grew closer. Right before the far mouth of the corridor she drew short, and gingerly peered her head out to take in the view of her surroundings.


    She was at the far end of a much larger corridor that she recognized all too well. Carved depictions of various bits of gnoll mythology and gnoll lore flickered and danced in the guttering light of the torch sconces that sat at intervals down its length to her right. The massive armored guards she''d seen the last time she''d traversed this hall were conspicuously absent. The sounds of battle came clearly from the far end, which she knew connected to the central hub of the gnoll village. So it was under attack then. But by whom?


    Her heart pounded even faster. What if the things she''d been seeing of an approaching army led by Jack and Rose weren''t delusions, but were actually truths? What if, in the midst of all the lies she''d been fed, she had actually been seeing their progress of trying to rescue her this whole time, probably from the Shaman''s perspective.


    Then....


    She felt light-headed from the anxious excitement and fear pounding through her veins. If what she surmised was correct, then it was quite possible that there, less than five hundred feet from her Jack and Rose were locked in combat, fighting for her life as well as theirs. She felt an overwhelming desire to sprint towards them. Towards the possibility of finally being free. She took the first step. But something stopped her.


    She looked to her left for the first time. There, perhaps fifty feet in front of her, were the doors to the throne room, standing dark and ominous within their carved recess. She didn''t know for sure if he''d be in there. She didn''t know what to expect from the encounter if he was. She didn''t even know if she did fight him again if she''d have any chance of winning after the time she''d spent imprisoned and tortured. It was quite possible she wouldn''t walk away from another encounter with him. He may simply be able to throw her into another delusion the instant he saw her.


    But she knew what she felt she had to do, for her own dignity, for the lives of Jaang''faz and Marg''faz, for her desire for revenge. She had to face him again. And this time, she had to win, no matter the cost.


    She turned her attention towards the throne room doors, and walked with determination towards them. She made it about four steps before she was frozen in her tracks by an unearthly, head-splitting shriek from somewhere inside the throne room, like some eldricht abomination had just been stabbed. Even at this distance, the sound was enough to make her eyes water and her legs beneath her. She stumbled up against the wall to regain her stability, and listened in growing horror as massive footfalls drew closer from the other side of the throne room door, accompanied by lower, disturbingly harmonic cries. Reacting instinctively, she pulled herself back into the side corridor, and dug frantically through the components at her waist. She found a usable piece for invisibility just in time for the throne room doors to explode outwards into the carved corridor in a shower of splinters and beams that tore large chunks out of all of the nearby story carvings.


    Even in spite of her invisibility, Eleanor found herself pressed as flat as possible against the stone wall of the corridor as the creature responsible for the shriek and the shattered doors shambled past the corridor entrance.


    It was an unholy terror to behold, shambling nearly ten feet tall on clawed legs thick as tree trunks. It stood hunched, its pale white fleshy skin covered with mottled patches of long hardened fur that reminded her of a porcupine''s spines. It had four massive clawed arms, and out of its back, neck and face dozens of grotesque fleshy tentacles hung and twitched, flicking and wriggling as if they had a mind of their own. And there, in the center of the head was a vast, pink-irised eye, below which hung a horrible, slackened maw filled with serrated teeth too numerous to count.


    Once it had cleared the doorway, the abomination roared and flew into a flurry of limbs as it flew towards the gnoll village, leaving a trail of shatterd stone in its wake. Once it disappeared out of sight, Eleanor dropped the invisibility, and stepped out into the shattered hallway towards the throne room.


    There, standing in the middle of it with a very pleased look on his face, was Rawgh''faz.

 Chapter 194 - Those Who Fight

    The adventurers finally reached the cave entrance to the gnoll camp perhaps twenty minutes later. It looked exactly as Jack had seen it in his visions, complete with a litany of skulls of all kinds framing the entrance, and more still hung on spears and spikes outside the entrance.


    Both inside and outside of the entrance, several rows of gnolls stood ready, and when Jack and the others finally came into view, they sent out whistles and yelps as they fell into defensive positions. These couple dozen were substantially better armored than the rest of the gnolls they''d seen previously, and were significantly larger. Each stood easily as tall as the gnoll berserkers Jack had fought, but each wore a full set of immaculately crafted matching plate armor and carried matching broad-bladed glaives. The lot of them snapped into well-coordinated formation, not a single limb out of place, as they waited for Jack and the others to approach.


    Jack pulled Harrowbloom from its scabbard, and spoke the spellwords to boost his Prowess as the adventurer''s line collided with the armored gnoll defenders.


    Jack immediately found himself beset by two of the creatures, each of them coordinating their attacks in rhythm with the other so that the second would strike in a place left defenseless by the parry of the first one''s attack. The only thing that kept him from catching a glaive blade was the magic coursing through his veins as he fought to keep himself on tempo with the two attackers.


    The pressure was relieved a few moments later when Dawson the Daring stepped in and engaged on of the pair, his greatsword spinning and whirling in great flashing arcs as he pummeled at the dogman''s defenses.


    Finding the odds now more firmly in his favor, Jack went on the offense against his other opponent, driving him back several steps as Harrowbloom flicked and darted at the creature''s body, trying to find some soft purchase in the gaps of the creature''s armor. The dogman finally overcompensated in an overhead parry. Seizing the opportunity, Jack softened his grip on his blade, letting it slide gently down the gnoll''s guard before tightening again and biting the blade deep into the side of the creature''s neck. The gnoll stumbled, instinctively pulling a hand up to stop the bleeding, and with a roar Jack thrust his blade into the soft leather of the creature''s armpit. Harrowbloom slid effortlessly through joint and sinew before punching out the other side and burying several inches deep into the soft flesh under the creature''s jaw. The gnoll''s eyes widened before glazing over in death. With a flourish Jack jerked the blade free, sending a spray of red through the air. As soon as he did so, he felt his senses and awareness suddenly heighten again, and everything seem to slow ever so slightly.


    Apparently, even if the time of Harrowbloom''s enchantment had ended for a day, he could still get the couple of minutes of re-enchantment by killing an evil creature. Good to know.


    Jack turned his attention to the other gnoll, only to find Dawson stomping its face into a bloody mess with the heel of his metal boot.


    "Dawson!" Jack called out to the metal man.


    Dawson the Daring turned his attention towards Jack as he continued to stomp on the ever more unrecognizable lump of soggy flesh under his boot.


    "Yes, Lord?" He replied cheerily.


    "He''s dead now. You can stop and help me with the rest of these." Jack said, rubbing his eyes.


    "Of course, Lord!" Dawson said, giving the splattered mess beneath his boot one final enthusiastic stomp before saluting and turning to find a new opponent.

 Chapter 196 - Those Who Fight (part 3)

    While the battle at the gnoll defense line had been relatively easy thanks to the firestorm and some effective planning, the second battle at the cave entrance was much more brutal and hard-fought. By the time the remainder of the gnoll defenders had broken and fled, well over half of the attacking adventurers were either dead or too wounded to continue, and the rest bore minor wounds or were fatigued, Jack included. In fact, only Dawson the Daring seemed none the worse for wear as he jovially whistled and helped the survivors collect the wounded and loot the dead. Jack, for his part, took nothing from any of the fallen adventurers. Something about it felt wrong to him, although from the looks of things many of the survivors had no such moral qualms about the matter and took whatever could be salvaged without hesitation.


    Within minutes the task was done, and the wounded that could walk made their way back to the makeshift hospital at the burned gnoll base. Those who could not were triaged, and a quartet of the healthier, less wounded were chosen to transport them to the hospital on makeshift gurney cots. Abigail took charge of this effort, coordinating the movement of the injured and performing whatever magical and non-magical healing she could provide before the wounded shipped off to the lower base.


    Once everything was in order, those still in good enough condition to fight gathered at the cave mouth entrance. Seeing how few of them were left Jack more than a little disheartened. Barely a dozen remained, and of those more than a few looked more than a little worse for wear. Farlo bore a nasty gash across one cheek, and Urien limped ever so slightly with every step. But both of their faces were twisted in determination and hard with purpose, and after Abigail cast her last spell giving a bit of healing to the group, they looked a bit better.


    Rose and Dawson sidled up beside Jack, and the rest of the group looked at him expectantly. Sensing that he was now in the lead, he nodded to the group and entered the main entrance tunnel. It was eerily empty, long, and unlit, running straight and dark for a long ways before reaching something lit in the distance. He held tight to Harrowbloom, expecting at any moment to be ambushed, but nothing happened. The corridor emptied out into a relatively round room, with a half dozen or so other paths branching out from it like spokes on a wheel hub. He paused for a long moment, looking from one path to the next, uncertain of which one was the correct one. Farlo walked up beside him.


    "Which one?" The old man asked.


    "I don''t know." Jack said, looking from one to the next. "My vision only took me as far as the entrance."


    Farlo furrowed his brows in thought, before stepping forward and crouching down. He inspected the stone, his eyes darting from one area to another across the surface of the ground. Finally, he clicked his tongue and stood up.


    "Of the 6 paths, only two are consistently used. That one, and that one." He said, pointing to a path on the left, and then a path on the right.


    "How do you know that?" Jack asked.


    "The way the stone is worn. Its ever so slightly smoother and more polished here, and makes a triangle of faint polish lines from the entrance to each of those openings, and from those openings to each other. So one of those two will for certain lead where we need to be." He said.


    "Makes sense." Jack said.


    He looked back and forth between the two tunnels Farlo indicated. Lacking a better idea of what to do, he picked the one on the right, and headed down it.

 Chapter 197 - Those Who Fight (part 4)

    The corridor led to a small hub and spoke like before. The largest of the openings led to what looked like some kind of barracks, with beds, chests and weapon racks, as well as a small square table with a couple chairs around it. The beds were tossed and the weapon racks mostly emptied by whoever normally stayed in this room. Tossing what was left of the place only took a few moments, and led to nothing of value.


    The next pathway led to a small circular cave room which was completely bare save a handful of large wooden posts driven into the dirt ground. Each one of them had a chain that extended from its top to a collar that hung to the ground. All of the collars hung locked except for the center one, which hung open. Where it hung, and the area immediately around it, was stained with what looked like patches of dried blood, and ruts that looked like relatively recent movement. Prisoners were kept here, and maybe even tortured here, from the looks of it. A vision of Ellie writing to escape while the collar in front of him choked her flashed into his mind, and he snarled angrily before turning and stomping out of the room, past the rest of the group.


    The remaining corridors led to similar sites, with more posts and more chains, more signs of struggle, but no bodies or living beings in sight. The whole thing struck Jack as more than a little odd, even given the circ.u.mstances. Perhaps there was a more permanent holding cell somewhere further in to the camp.


    Or maybe they''ve all been killed. Ellie included.


    He drove the thought out of his mind. He would absolutely not accept that as a possibility. Ellie was too clever and resilient to just let herself die like that.He had to believe that. How else was he to avoid despairing at the thought?


    Finding nothing else in any of the other paths, and lacking any other clear way forward from this direction, the group backtracked back to the central hub, and took the other path that Farlo indicated. It descended gradually, before slowly curving to the right and rising again, rather steeply.


    As the group of them rounded a sharp bend, they ran smack into a small contingent of gnolls who seemed just as surprised to run into an enemy as they were. After a brief scuffle, the gnolls were dispatched, and their bodies looted. Once again Jack found himself having to tell Dawson the Daring that an enemy was considered dead once their face looked like stomped-on lasagna. The black knight seemed utterly unperturbed about the whole thing, stopping with his same chipper demeanor utterly unaffected. Jack didn''t know whether to find the whole effect hilarious or deeply disturbing. He finally settled on a mixture of both.


    Finally, after another turn light was visible at the end of the corridor up ahead. It looked like cave opened up into something massive, and the path they were on led out onto some sort of ledge. For the first time, Farlo put his hand out and stopped Jack from taking the lead. Holding a finger to his mouth, he motioned for everyone to wait. Getting low to the ground, he crept noiselessly up to the mouth of the entrance. Once there, he peeked to check if the coast was clear before dropping down to his belly and peering over so slightly over the edge of the ledge. After a moment, he slid back, regained his feet, and returned to the others. For the first time since Jack had seen him, Farlo looked a little pale.


    "Well," he said, "we''ve found their main hideout."

 Chapter 198 - Throne Room Showdown

    As Eleanor approached Rawgh''faz, his attention finally diverted her direction. When he saw her, the c.o.c.ky grin on his face faded, only to be replaced by a look of confusion, followed by a look of outright fury as she stepped past the shattered doorway and into the throne room.


    She drew to a stop a dozen paces from him, her arms crossed gently behind her back, and spoke softly.


    "Hello, Rawgh''faz." She said, straightening up and staring him in the eye.


    The shaman snarled, baring his teeth and shifting his stance.


    "I suppose you''re wondering how it is that I''m standing here now, instead of still chained n.a.k.e.d to your bed." She said more than asked as she took another step towards him.


    "Hello, ''mother''." He said, the tone in his voice making it clear he knew exactly who he was talking to. His fingers squeezed hard enough around the shaft of his staff that the wood creaked in protest under his grip. He sneered, before turning his head to the side and spitting a mouthful of phlegm onto the stone floor.


    "I have to hand it to you, devil bitch," he said, giving her a look that mixed approval with disdain, "of the many I have kept in thrall, you''re the first to find a way out."


    "Impressed? Or disappointed?" Eleanor asked, dropping the pretense of Marg''faz''s appearance now that having it was no longer necessary. When the shaman said nothing in reply, she continued, take one gentle step after another towards him. "Your mistake was creating your illusions from the memories of the victim. All it took was seeing something I knew to be wrong for the illusion to break. Once that happened, it was easy to begin rewriting the illusion as I saw fit by telling myself what was and wasn''t real." Eleanor said. She drew to a stop half a dozen steps away from him, looking up at him in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "Clever." Rawgh''faz said, raising his staff. "It''s a shame you won''t be able to enjoy this new-found freedom."


    Eleanor c.o.c.ked her head to the side and put a finger to her cheek in mock confusion.


    "Oh? And why is that?" She asked.


    Rawgh''faz gave no reply. Instead, a jet of dark red flame shot from the end of his staff, striking the ground where Eleanor had stood just a second before. Weaving a litany of sigils in the air as she fell, Ellie pulled a small ribbon from the components pouch at her waist and snapped it out towards the shaman. The ribbon flew towards him at lighting speed, widening and thickening as it went. Rawgh''faz twisted to the side and threw up his empty hand to parry the Binding spell with a Barrier. At the last moment, the ribbon diverted its aim, instead targeting his staff. The bright red ribbon wound tightly around it, and with a strong jerk pulled it free of Rawgh''faz''s grasp. The staff flew through the air behind Eleanor, landing far on the other side of the throne room behind her with a clatter.


    She landed gently a short distance from him, her baggy clothes barely hanging onto her petite frame as she alighted onto the stone floor. Rawgh''faz howled in fury. As he did so, the air around him filled with a chorus of other voices that matched his tone and fury, and the air around him seemed to dark and thicken as he did so. Without warning, he sprang at Eleanor, soaring towards her with such speed and ferocity that she had no time to react before he was on her.


    His massive furred body bore down on her, tackling her to the ground and pinning her arms to the side. He leaned his massive, drooling maw down towards her, his eyes wild with magic and rage, before he smiled viciously.


    "Remind you of anything, devil s.l.u.t?"


    "Oh no! Someone save me!" She said, her voice sing-songy in mock terror. Rawgh''faz snarled and snapped forwards to sink his teeth into her face, but his snout met nothing but solid stone as the illusion into smoke beneath him. He shot back, placing the back of his hand against his nose to staunch the trickle of blood flowing out of it as he jerked his attention left and right for some clue as to where she disappeared to.

 Chapter 199 - Throne Room Showdown (part 2)

    The shaman''s gaze scoured the throne room, but saw no sign of his opponent. Invisible, most likely.


    He intoned a familiar spirit, and shifted his gaze into the ethereal plane. Sure enough, there was no trace of the girl''s spirit, but there, plain as stars in the darkness, were a set of footprints slowly working their way around behind him. Something about this felt eerily familiar to Rawgh''faz. He''d seen this trick before, and it''d nearly cost him his life the first time. He was not about to make that same mistake again.


    "I can see you walking behind me, little girl!" He snarled and he twisted and dove with fury toward the exact spot she stood. To his surprise, however, the footsteps vanished as soon as his feet left the ground. He adjusted his position and tucked into a roll upon landing before springing back to his feet. Growing increasingly angry and impatient, he howled, "Where are you?!"


    The reply came quiet as a mouse, and directly into his ear.


    "Behind you."


    Rawgh''faz spun around just in time to feel something solid crack against his face. The solid oaken staff in Eleanor''s hands smashed into his teeth with enough force that it knocked him stumbling and sent his head into a spin. She followed through, her mouth spewing a slur of arcane formulae as she brought the staff around again. Rawgh''faz hissed and threw up a Barrier spell to block the second blow. The staff exploded against the arcane barrier in a blast of blue and yellow energy, sending burning shrapnel flying in all directions.


    Blown backwards by the blast, Eleanor tumbled away, finally using a blast of air from her hands to bring herself back to her feet at the far end of the throne room. Once sse had her feet under her, she


    hurriedly used her hands to put out the bits of fire that were burning at the ends of her hair. It was now a good bit shorter on one side. If she wasn''t fighting for her life at this moment, she''d probably be pretty upset about it.


    Rawgh''faz reached his fingers into his mouth, grimacing slightly as he pulled a broken tooth free from his jaw. He studied it with an immutable expression for a long moment before flicking it to the ground beside him. He leaned over and spat a mouthful of blood onto the stone, before wiping his mouth.


    "Ordinarily, I would offer to spare you in exchange for you letting me go," Eleanor said, staring at the shaman, "but I''ve gotta be honest with you, dog... I think I''m past the point of leaving without killing you."


    Rawgh''faz spat more crimson into the ground beside him, and laughed.


    "Before I bound you and took you, I knew breaking you would be a rare treat indeed when it finally happened. Now, that inevitability is going to be even more sweet when you realize just how depraved our kind can be." He said, almost gently.


    As he spoke, the air around him seemed to thicken and darken again, and Eleanor felt a sudden chill crawl up her spine as it felt like every bit of warmth in the room seemed to recede and vanish into that growing darkness. As she watched, his body seemed to shift and contort. At first she thought it was just a trick of the light, but it rapidly became apparently something was actually changing with him as the bones and joints in his body began to crack and separate, his jagged, heaving breaths interspersed with demented, otherworldy growls.


    Then with a sudden, horrific tearing sound, the flesh on the shaman''s back split wide open.

 Chapter 200 - Throne Room Showdown (part 3)

    With a horrifying, baleful m.o.a.n, long fleshy tendrils erupted from Rawgh''faz''s back, spasming and thrashing about as the shaman''s body continued to distort and mutate. Eleanor''s eyes widened, and she instinctively took a step backwards. She had planned for a lot of possibilities, but something like this was not among them.


    Suddenly, everything on the dogman''s body congealed with a fleshy crunch, and the darkness faded. The gnoll was gone. In his place was a warped abomination of bone and flesh. The dogman''s head and arms still remained in some exaggerated form, but all else had been replaced. The giant fleshy tendrils erupting from the creature''s back now served as its primary mode of movement, as the shaman''s legs had been replaced by a second set of hairless, fleshy pink limbs, eat of which bore oversize, clawed hands.


    The creature roared, the booming, grinding sound of his voice reverberated throughout the room as he slapped and slid his way forward on his newly grown limbs. Lacking a better idea of what to do, Eleanor drew another colored bead from her components pouch, and hurled a fireball at the creature. The missile''s aim was true, but the blue fire splashed off the creature''s body without reaction. Seeing Eleanor''s expression, Rawgh''faz laughed.


    "Foolish girl! I would think you would recognize Infernal magic when you saw it. But it appears I am mistaken." He said.


    With a low, rumbling intonation, he brought his two upper hands together. A giant arc of electric energy flashed between them, before he threw his hand towards her. A bolt of lightning flashed from his hand, arcing and crackling across the stone as it rocketed towards her. Eleanor pulled her hands down towards the ground before throwing them skyward. As she did so, ground rumbled beneath her, and a sheet of earth ripped out from beneath the stone of the throne room floor and interposed itself between her and the approaching energy. The bolt struck the earth with a hissing crackle as it fused a large part of the wall into glass. Instantly the throne room filled with the deafening blast of thunder, causing the ground to shake and fragments of stone to rain down from the ceiling around both of them.


    In the interceding moments after the thunder began to fade, the shaman crossed the space between them in a whirling flurry of limbs before thrusting himself off the ground and leaping over the barricade Eleanor had summoned seconds before. He landed where he expected her to be, his vicious claws raking the air where she should be to be standing. But yet again, she was nowhere to be seen.


    "I grow tired of your games, devil bitch!" He roared, slamming the earthen barricade next to him to rubble in his rage. "Show yourself!"


    Turning his attention back towards the room behind him, he finally saw Eleanor near the entrance to the throne room, absent-mindedly kicking a piece of rubble with the tip of her boot as she whistled. She made eye contact with him, and waved cheerily.


    "Hey! You find what you were looking for back there?" She called, her face grinning widely as she brushed her bangs out from her eyes with the tip of her tail. She reached down and gingerly brushed some dust off the front of her green and white dress, seeming to pay him almost no mind as she did so.


    Rawgh''faz reared up to launch himself after her, but drew short almost immediately. Something about this seemed... off. How had she gotten to the far end of the room so quickly?


    And where did she suddenly get that dress?

 Chapter 201 - A Different Tactic

    "And?" Urien asked, seeing his father''s expression.


    "The main gnoll camp is directly below that ledge. There are easily a couple hundred of them in there. Many of them appear to be non-fighters, but knowing their kind, there really is no telling threat from non-threat by appearance alone." Farlo said, wiping the front of his forehead off with the inside of one of his sleeves.


    Urien grimaced. He turned towards Jack.


    "I don''t suppose you have another tide-turning spell in you, do you?" He asked.


    Jack shook his head.


    "Sorry, man. I used up most of my magic clearing out the first camp. There''s no way I can do that again without a lot of rest." He said.


    "Shit. Well, I don''t really know what our path forwards is. Even if one in five took up arms, they''d outnumber us over three to one. Those aren''t good odds, even for us." He said. "Especially if you''re not able to use the caliber of magic from before."


    Jack frowned. Urien was right. But they''d come too far to just back out now. But what to do.... If they just stormed in there, they would likely get completely overwhelmed. It was also incredibly unlikely they could sneak past without drawing attention to themselves. And if they did sneak past, what exactly would they accomplish? His plan was to rescue Eleanor, and maybe defeat the shaman. That''s all he cared about. The rest of them, however... they wanted to eradicate the entire tribe, right? Or at least, make it so they left the surrounding human towns alone. Jack was skeptical that killing Rawgh''faz and leaving a power vacuum would solve that problem for long. It was very likely another power-hungry leader would rise up to replace him, this one bent on avenging the losses their clan had suffered at the hands of the adventurers. What they needed was someone to fill that power gap. Or to integrate the gnolls in the camp into one of the surrounding towns in a way that made their raiding unnecessary. But god only knew how complicated that would be.


    The longer he thought about it, the more convoluted it all became in his head, until he finally growled and scratched the back of his head in frustration.


    "Why don''t we try talking to them?" Rose finally spoke up.


    Everyone''s attention turned towards her, most of them looking at her like she''d just suggested the sky was red. Seeing their reactions, she hesitated for a moment, but the statement suddenly gave Jack an idea.


    "Actually, that might not be a bad idea." He said. Suddenly he too was the focus of a lot of confused and bewildered glances, but he continued after giving Rose a nod.


    "Their front line was wiped out by a firestorm, and their best fighters were almost all killed at the entrance. The word has definitely made it back to the rest of the clan by those who survived. What fighters there are are either wounded or scared. The rest don''t want anything to do with this, most likely. And all of the ones in the main village have no idea how many attackers there are, which works to our advantage. They probably just want to live in peace. So don''t we make a point of offering it to them in exchange for certain demands?" He said.


    "And what happens when one of them decides to put an arrow in your skull in the middle of your parley speech?" Urien asked, frowning.


    Jack crossed his arms, and glanced over at Dawson the Daring, who seemed to be picking at a very interesting piece of stone in the cave wall.


    "Who said anything about me being the one to offer the terms?"

 Chapter 202 - A Different Tactic (part 2)

    Once everything was in place, the plan was set into motion, and everyone in the party found places to watch out of sight as Dawson the Daring stepped a bit over-enthusiastically onto the open ledge overlooking the village. He walked forward a couple paces until he was near the edge, and loudly cleared his throat as he raised his hands.


    "People of this gnoll camp! My compatriots and I wish you good day, and wish to speak to those of you in charge about the possibility of brokering peace." He said, the metallic echo of his voice echoing through the massive room. "We have no interest in continuing the conflict between us, and are willing to make concessions in order to obtain what we are hoping to achieve. Please select a delegation to parley with us, that we may find a more amicable resolution than continued bloodshed."


    Once he finished speaking, he turned towards Jack looking for feedback. Jack gave him a thumbs-up, which Dawson reciprocated before resuming.


    "I will remain on this ledge fully visible, awaiting your response. As soon as you have decided to speak terms, the members of our party who will be representing our interests will agree to hold negotiations within the village center, as a first gesture of good faith." He said. That being done, he stabbed his greatsword point downwards into the dirt, and rested both hands on the pommel as he and the rest of the party prepared for a long period of standing by.


    To almost everyone''s surprise, a cry of reply came up less than a minute later.


    "Ve agree to your inizhal terms. Select sree of your people. Ve vill gladly dizcuss peace." The voice called up.


    Dawson turned towards the rest of the group.


    Urien frowned.


    "I don''t like it. It seems too eager. Too easy." He said.


    Jack turned to Urien. They finally had the chance to stop future fighting after all the carnage they''d caused, and his first instinct was to assume that it was all a ruse.


    "Is there ever a time you like or feel good about a single thing anyone else in this party, especially me, comes up with?" Jack said, looking Urien in the eye. For the first time since they''d met, he was actually feeling frustrated with him.


    Urien crossed his arms and straightened his back.


    "Excuse me?"


    "They''ve offered to talk terms. They''re expressing a willingness to end this fight. They have made no effort to come and flush us out, or take Dawson down, and they have every reason to want peace because of the harm we''ve done them. Why do you have to automatically naysay it?" Jack asked.


    "Do you think you know these creatures?" Urien asked, stepping forward so he was nearly nose to nose with Jack. "Hmm? Do you think you have a better idea of how they operate than I do?"


    "I think any intelligent being, when faced with the prospect of certain defeat and death will look for a way to keep it from happening." Jack said. "It''s basic psychology. Just give them a chance and accept that you might be wrong for once."


    "I don''t know what this psychology is, but if you believe all other sentient race think and act like us, most especially those fur-covered mongrels, you are a fool." Urien said, stepping even closer so that his hardened gaze bored into Jack''s. After a moment, he turned and took a step away.


    "Farien and I had other siblings once. A sister named Ingrid, who was a masterful archer, and an older brother named Sigmund, who was a healer. And a mother too. Hannah was her name." He said quietly. He paused for a moment, and then continued pacing as he did so.


    "I saw Ingrid eaten alive by one of those dogs while another one r.a.p.ed her during a raid. My mother, she was hauled off as a prize and we never saw her again. I can still hear the sounds of her screaming my father''s name as her face disappeared into the underbrush. My brothers and I, as well as many of the men in our village, pursued this raiding party until we finally cornered them in a narrow ravine on the far side of this very same mountain. We had slaughtered nearly all of their number, and outnumbered the remaining amoung nearly three to one. My brother, being the gentlest and wisest, insisted on trying to talk to them, to offer them a chance at peace, to surrender without death. The dogs agreed immediately, and when my brother and serveral others went to meet with them, the hounds turned on them, hacking them all to pieces and then rushing our line before most of us had a chance to react. It was a slaughter. Nearly every man with us was either wounded or killed, and the dogs escaped. When I found my brother''s body, it was barely recognizable as a corpse."


    Urien turned and stuck his finger in Jack''s face, his expression hard and unyielding.


    "So don''t you dare think you know better than me. You''re a soft boy who is playing at being a hero. What have you lost, Jack? Hmm?"


    "The girl I''m trying to rescue from this cave." Jack said quietly, his voice cold. "A girl I spend nearly every waking second afraid I will never see again. The first girl to ever..." He trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence. Without warning, tears flooded his eyes, and he had to clear his throat and turn away for a moment. Once he composed himself, he continued.


    "Look, you''re right. I don''t have the experiences you have, and there is a chance I am being naive. But this working is just about the only chance I''ve got to get Eleanor back. And I will do anything to get her out of this place and away from these monsters, even if that includes me dying in the process. Why? Because that''s what a hero does. If you''re telling me you have no interest in being a part of the group that goes and meets with them, that is your choice. But I am going with or without you." He said. He turned to go, only for Urien to grab him hard by the shoulder and hold him in place.


    "No, you''re not. You''re not in charge here, Jack, no matter how much you think you are." He snarled.


    Before Jack could stop himself, a pulse of magical energy was already surging through his body. He turned, snatched Urien completely off the ground, and slammed him hard enough against the cave wall for it to knock the wind out of Urien''s lungs. For the first time, there was a look of genuine fear in Urien''s eyes as Jack spoke again.


    "Let me explain something to you. I am, without a doubt, the most dangerous person in this party. The only reason this expedition even happened is because I led the way because all of you have never been able to find it. The only reason you all didn''t die in Darkshire Forest is because I killed their leader. The only reason you all didn''t get shot to death or die in the trenches around the defensive line is because I trained you all in defensive tactics and then called a literal f.u.c.k.i.n.g firestorm and destroyed the entire f.u.c.k.i.n.g camp single-handedly while you protected yourselves. Or did you forget that already?" He said, his voice raising in volume and emotion as he spoke. He found himself trembling now, and whether it was from his emotions or the magic in his veins, he wasn''t sure.


    "I am tired of this world. Since I have been here I have been beaten, burned, feasted on, stabbed, drugged, disrespected, and disregarded. One of the only two bright spots for me in this entire time being here is currently probably the plaything of a megalomaniacal furbag somewhere in this cave. I am going to end this, I am going to get her back, and I am going back to the farm with her. And there is nothing you or any of the rest of you can do to stop me from doing that." He said.


    He stepped in towards Urien, staring into the ranger''s eyes hard enough to make the man blanche as his grip around the man''s collar grew tighter and tighter.


    "So either come with me, or get the f.u.c.k out of my way. Got it?"


    And without another word, he dropped Urien off the wall, and walked past the rest of the dumbstruck party as he walked to join Dawson on the ledge.

 Chapter 203 - The Showdown Continues

    Rawgh''faz shoved the tips of a dozen of his tentacles into the fabric of space around him before rending spheres of energy from the aether with them and hurling them in Eleanor''s direction. Eleanor dove to avoid the blasts, jumping this way and that until finally one collided with her as she attempted to avoid another. The sphere burst in a purple-black detonation and knocked her flying through the air a dozen feet until she tumbled to a stop on the hard stone of the throne room floor.


    Seeing this, he dashed to close the gap in a flurry of tendrils, trying to reach her before she could react. As soon as he got within three paces, however, she threw her hand up, shooting a dazzling ray of light that scorched his eyes, sending his world into darkness as he reeled from the intensity. He fought his eyes open just in time for a jet of freezing cold energy to slam into his torso and send him stumbling backwards. Several of his tentacles froze solid in the intense cold, snapping off with loud cracks and sending spasms of pain throughout his body as he struggled to regain his footing amidst the torrent.


    "So, do you wanna keep going?" Eleanor asked, putting one of her hands out in front of her as she prepared herself. "I could do this all day."


    Rawgh''faz looked her up and down for a moment, taking in her new appearance. She was wearing the same dress she''d been wearing when he''d taken her from the town square. And her hair, burnt short only moments before, was now back to its original length and tied into a long dark blue braid that fell gently over her shoulder.


    Was this another illusion she was creating? But why waste the magic and the components to do something so superficial as to change your appearance in the middle of a fight? It made no sense.


    Then it clicked with him, all at once.


    The casual changes in how she looked, her seeming ease with confronting him despite all she had been through, the comments she had made before.


    All of this was an illusion.


    Somehow, she''d managed to find a way out of the confines of the mental prison he''d created for her, and now seen her way into the inside of his own head. Which meant that she wasn''t actually standing in front of him right now. But the damage being done to the inside of the throne room in his attacks to take her down? That was probably real. And she''d done all of this without him having a single sensation that anything was amiss.


    It was brilliant. But foolish. So very foolish. If she was inside his own mind, then he wrote the rules inside it. And if he wrote the rules, there was no game he could design that she could ever win.


    The thought of it sent him into a fit of laughter, which reverberated throughout the stone chamber. As he did so, he willed his form back into its standard shape, and the tentacles and deformities began to fade and distort until he was back to his old self again.


    He clapped his hands together several times as he slowly walked towards her.


    "Very, very clever, devil girl.... Very clever indeed." He said, his applause ceasing as he came within a couple paces of her.


    "Finally figured it out, huh?" She asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow. "Took you long enough, considering I pretty much told you what was happening the second I walked into the throne room."


    The amus.e.m.e.nt faded from Rawgh''faz''s face.


    "You do realize the consequences of placing your spirit inside my head." He said. "Here I make the rules."


    Eleanor tilted her head, her smirk widening.


    "Oh? You so sure about that?" He asked, resting a figertip against the side of her face. On cue, her appearance shifted again, this time into some form of pale blue robes. Her hair was shorter now, with long bangs, but the rest cut page-boy trim. In her hand now rested a perfect copy of the staff she was wielding in the town square when they''d first encountered each other. She spun it in her hands in a tight arc, before bringing it down into a defensive position in front of her.


    Rawgh''faz smiled sardonically.


    "Yes."


    All at once, the world around them seemed to distort. The throne warped, then vanished, followed by the room itself. The ceiling dissolved away into a starless void, then the walls, then the floor, until the two of them stood suspended in a black abyss, with nothing visible but each other. Then, as soon as the darkness came, it was replaced with a new interior, this one seemingly carved entirely from black and white marble.


    To Eleanor, it looked a bit like the colosseum in Hawkport, with its giant flat space surrounded on all sides by an oval of raised bench seats. At consistent points all the way around the central ring area, vast braziers burned brightly and smokelessly, filling the whole area with bright orange-yellow light. Looking around, Eleanor saw that every single seat in the arena was occupied by a gnoll. Every single size, shape, and fur color she''d ever seen and more were represented. There had to be thousands of them.


    Rawgh''faz made a gesture in the air, and his staff appeared in his hand.


    "Welcome to the arcane training grounds for my bloodline, devil girl." He said, before spinning his staff around towards her.


    "Now, let''s see just how clever you really are."

 Chapter 204 - Peace Talks

    Jack stood out on the ledge next to Dawson, letting the magic ebb from his veins as his pulse and breathing slowed. He had no idea what had just led him to snap like he had at Urien, but having done it, he felt better for some reason. It wasn''t that he wasn''t grateful for all of their help. Quite the opposite. But when it came between Urien''s opinion of what should be done and what would actually get Jack the result he was looking for, then picking what would have the best chance of saving Eleanor was always going to take priority, even if it meant pushing back against those who had made this attempt even possible.


    As he stood there, Rose walked up and put her hand on his shoulder.


    "Hey.... You okay?" She asked. "I''ve never seen you be like that before."


    Jack stared down at the camp, and sighed.


    "I''ve never been like that before, even in my last life. I... don''t really know where that came from, but I am not sorry that I said what I said." He said, crossing his arms in thought. He turned to her.


    "You think I went too far?" He asked.


    Rose furrowed her brow for a moment in thought, before finally shaking her head.


    "Nothing you said was untrue. I think under different circ.u.mstances you would have said the same thing, but in a calmer manner, but considering the circ.u.mstances, I don''t think how you handled it was too much." She said. "Urien is pragmatic, and means well. He knows you are both as well. Just talk to him once all of this is done. I''m sure things will be fine."


    Jack sighed again, and nodded.


    "Yeah, alright."


    As he said this, Farlo stepped out of the cave entrance, his face an inscrutable mask. He walked within a couple paces of Jack and Rose, before stopping to appraise them. After a long moment of looking at each of them, he spoke.


    "Given the circ.u.mstances, I suppose it is appropriate I let you both know that the remainder of the party have agreed to hold talks with the gnolls, with the express requirement that I am one of the three representatives present. They have indicated that Jack must also be one of the three. The third they leave up to our joint discretion." He said. He looked at Rose.


    "I have a mind to bring her along with the two of us. Do you have any opposition, Jack?" He asked.


    Jack shook his head.


    "I''m not against it, but it''s her call. I cannot speak for her." He said. He turned to Rose.


    "So how about it, Rose?" He asked.


    She nodded without hesitation.


    "I''ll come." She said.


    Farlo nodded, then turned back to Jack.


    "It''s settled then. After you then, Jack." He said, motioning down the gradual slope of the ledge ramp.


    After an announcement from Dawson to the village below that the group''s representatives were on the way down, Jack, Farlo, and Rose descended the long circular ledge towards the ground at the far end of the gnoll camp. As they did so, a small contingent of gnolls dressed in what looked like finer clothes than the rest separated from the village to meet them, flanked on both sides by a pair of armed gnolls, all of which were visibly smaller and less aggressive looking than any of the one''s Jack had seen them fight previously. He suspected these were either gnolls too young to be considered full fighters, or too weak to be frontline.


    The two groups met at the base of the ledge ramp. The young gnoll guards flanking the representatives looked both alert and nervous, with the one nearest Jack very visibly shaking despite obvious efforts not to. The representatives, however, seemed unbothered, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries motioned for the three of them to follow their group into the village proper for their discussions. The delegation led them through the edge of the village to the center, weaving and winding through dozens of closely packed homes. Out of the windows of many Jack could see the looks of frightened faces, many of which ducked out of sight when he glanced their direction. Some gnolls still remained outside, armed and appraising the three of them with fear and distrust. Of those visible, both inside and outside, Jack couldn''t help but notice that nearly all of them appeared to be either young children or immature males, old men, and women. There were only a couple fighting age gnoll men, and all of them were visibly wounded.


    They''re just like us, Jack thought, but said nothing. He wondered how he and the others must look to these creatures given the circ.u.mstances. Under slightly different circ.u.mstances, he could imagine a reality where the roles could be reversed. When faced with that kind of experience, would he be looking at them any different than they were looking at him?


    The procession finally stopped in an opening near the village center that could probably be considered the equivalent of the town square. Once there, Jack saw a ring of six seats, three on each side, set a couple paces apart and facing each other. Once they reached the seats, the guards protecting the gnoll delegation separated and stepped away to the edges of the clearing. The largest of the three gnolls, a creature nearly a foot taller than Jack despite his stooped posture, motioned towards one set of chairs. Jack nodded, and the three of them took a seat, with him in the middle. The gnolls took seats opposite, with the largest taking the middle. The stooped gnoll stroked the place on his greying muzzle where a beard would have been as he appraised each of them in turn.


    Once everyone was seated, a grim silence settled between the two groups, until it was finally broken by the largest gnoll.


    "Vell, I muzt zay, vhen I voke zhis morning, zhis iz not zhe day I expected." He said. He let the words hang in the air for a long moment before he finally continued. "I veel it iz reasonable to ask for zhe names of zhose with vhich ve are parlaying."


    "I''m Jack." Jack said, resting a hand on his chest. He motioned to his left and right. "And this is Rose, and Farlo. I''m the one responsible for this expedition, although Farlo here is in actual command of most of the forces."


    The head gnoll nodded, then did the same.


    "Gragh''mah is my name. This is Shegh''fan, and Harg''shez. Ve are, outzide of zhe chieftain, zhe ones in charge of zhis tribe."


    "It is a pleasure to meet you all." Jack said.


    Gragh''mah looked at Jack for a long moment, before finally saying, "we shall see."


    He cleared his throat, then spoke again.


    "We are prepared to cease hostilities, as it seems, are you. Considering the fact that you are seeking talks now, there are only two possibilities. Either you do not have the numbers to pursue the fight further, or you believe more can be gained from future cooperation than the annihilation of our tribe."


    He paused for a moment, seeming to gauge Jack and the others'' reactions, before continuing.


    "Lacking the ability to know for sure which it is, I shall take the more generous interpretation. We the elders are willing to seek cooperation. In fact, the path of war our chieftain has led our people down has been opposed by the majority of us from the start. But that counts for nothing when the chiefdom is seized by a leader with more powerl.u.s.t than sense, and more prowess than any who would dare oppose him. So we have been forced to play along with his whims, as even more and more of our number meet unfortunate ends." He said, his face grim.


    "But he is still in charge at this very moment. Where is he? And what''s stopping him from coming in here and overrulling you all as soon as he sees what is happening here?" Farlo interjected, leaning forward.


    "The shaman spends much of his time in trance. That he doesn''t spend in trance he spends toying with that blue devil he took from the last raid." Harg''shez, the smallest of the three gnolls, replied.


    Jack and Rose both sat forward at the mention of Eleanor.


    "That''s Eleanor!" Rose said.


    "Oh, you know this creature?" Gragh''mah asked.


    Jack looked at Harg''shez.


    "Where is she?" He asked.


    Harg''shez sucked his teeth.


    "Chieftain''s had her bound in his bedchamber the last few days. Reckon that''s where she still is." He said.


    Jack returned his attention to Gragh''mah.


    "That girl is the main reason we''re here." Jack explained. When Farlo loudly cleared his throat, Jack backpedaled and added, "well, one of the main reasons."


    "I see." Gragh''mah said, steepling his fingers. "Well, she is of no interest to any of the rest of us. She is solely his concern, and no one else''s."


    "But I don''t understand. If you''re not the one''s in charge here, how can you make any deals with us?" Rose asked. "What good does Ellie being no concern of yours do us if the shaman still rules the tribe?"


    "That is a valid question." Farlo said, agreeing.


    "I see your concern." Gragh''mah said, nodding. "Well, let me allay those concerns by stating simply that our ability to keep any agreements we make here will hinge on us being in charge at the time they are meant to take effect."


    "Which means for you to keep your word, the shaman will have to be removed from power." Rose said, filling in the blanks.


    "That is an accurate conclusion." Gragh''mah agreed.


    "And that''s where we come in. You are willing to agree to terms, so long as one of the terms we meet is ensuring your current chieftain is dealt with." Jack said.


    "In so many words." Shegh''fan, the third gnoll emissary said, speaking for the first time.


    "I personally agree to that term." Jack said. "I have a score to settle with Rawgh''faz, and if removing him makes the rest of this work, all the better." He said, sitting up in his chair. "But before we continue, now that I''ve made that concession, I need to know what we''re getting in return."


    Gragh''mah chuckled.


    "Not one for delicate negotiation, I take it." He said.


    He leaned back in his chair.


    "Very well. In exchange for the removal of Rawgh''faz from power, your party''s support in eliminating any loyalist troops he has here in the village, and your support of our claim as ruling elders, we will offer the following concessions- First, all prisoners taken by the shaman and his loyalists will be released to you, including your blue devil. Second, as a show of good faith, any wealth taken from the shaman''s personal hoard, or that of his loyalist subordinates, is yours to keep as plunder. Third, our clan will agree to cease raiding non-gnoll settlements, on the condition that our tribe is provided resources and support for agricultural development. This support will serve to remove the need for us to raid in the first place, as in most cases before Rawgh''faz, raiding was done solely for survival necessities, rather than prisoners or plunder."


    The gnoll steepled his finger again, and looked from one to the next at each of them.


    "Are these terms agreeable?"


    Jack looked to Rose, who nodded, and then to Farlo, who was looking hard at the gnoll trio. Finally, after a long moment, he nodded as well.


    "The Green Brotherhood and all affiliated parties accept these terms." He said.


    "And Rose and I accept them as well." Jack said.


    Gragh''mah smiled widely for the first time.


    "Excellent."


    He stood up from his chair, followed closely by the other two.


    "Shall we get started?"

 Chapter 205 - Within the Shamans Mind

    The first blast from the Shaman''s staff tore the air and ground inside the arena, sending Eleanor diving out of the way as the floor ruptured into a torrent of fire and flying stone. She wove a delicate strand of sigils in the air as she stood, before they dissolved into a swirl of multi-colored spheres of energy that orbited her in all directions. She hurled one after the other at Rawgh''faz, each of them leaving technicolor trails of incandescent light as they rocketed towards him. Each seemed to weave and bob, trying to find some gap in the litany of wards and barriers he continued to produce around him. Soon he was entirely obscured by the relentless barrage of explosions, the entire impact area a flashing strobe of raw energy that even Eleanor had to avert her eyes from.


    When the results finally cleared, however, the gnoll was nowhere to be seen. As Eleanor looked around, she suddenly realized where he was. Every single one of the thousands of spectators in the stands of the arena was a duplicate of him now. And each and every one of them were rising from their seats and making their way towards the arena floor.


    For the first time since the beginning of the fight, Eleanor felt significantly out of her depth. Her own power was as great as she could imagine it in this place. She could alter her form at will, conjure spells she could never have dreamed of attempting, and keep pace with every thing the dog could throw at her. But this was his world, not hers. And while she had no personal limits here, he had the ability do anything imaginable. He could bend every single rule of reality conceivable here, with the exception of what she personally could control. The fact that the world they currently occupied was his mind gave him an overwhelming advantage. But it also presented a unique vulnerability. If she could find a way to affect his mental stability, even for a brief moment, he might lose control over this world of his. And if he did, then there was a chance she could exploit it to escape the mental prison she had been in since the moment he''d first imprisoned her.


    Maybe, just maybe, she could trap him in his own head in the process.


    One after another, in a seemingly endless torrent, the copies of Rawgh''faz leapt from the bleachers and onto the floor of the arena, converging towards her as their chanting voices rose to a deafening cacophony of noise.


    She steeled herself, and began chanting in Infernal as she rapidly scribed a vast collection of spell formulae in the air in front of her. In reality, the odds are that everything she was doing would be useless gibberish, and probably do nothing at all. In here, however, it didn''t matter. Just believing they worked was enough.


    She completed the massive incantation a few seconds before the first clone would have reached her. The spell writing vanished in a flash, and instantly, the entire arena was bathed in an unfathomably bright pillar of white light. There was no noise. When the pillar cleared a moment later, 99% of the duplicates were nothing more than piles of rapidly disappearing piles of ash and dust. The rest, having managed to somehow protect themselves, continued their relentless march towards her.


    One by one, she set about dispatching those nearest, interrupting the ends of their spells with bolts of magic. The further ones, having finished their magic, began to shower her with fireballs, magic missiles, lightning bolts, and a host of other projectiles. Her barrier spell was absolute, and each crashed harmlessly against it like waves against a seawall, until finally something managed to shatter it and knock her flying. Gathering the energy shards of the shattered barrier, she hurled them in the direction of the remaining oncoming dopplegangers, flattening nearly a dozen more of them as the razor-sharp shards of energy tore off limbs or heads, or left gaping wounds in the center of torsos.


    Another jet of lightning crackled a few inches from Eleanor''s head as dove behind a shattered edge of the arena floor that had been torn up sometime earlier in the battle. Before she had a moment''s respite, one of the shaman''s dopplegangers appeared behind her, in a flash of orange-red light and smoke. It hurled another bolt just in time to score a jagged scorch mark on the stone she''d just been taking refuge behind. The doppleganger looked up at the sound of a whistle to find his target a couple dozen feet overhead. Before he could react, a shard of ice as large and as long as his arm slammed through his chest. The doppleganger groaned and gagged, before crumpling and dissolving into a pile of ashes and dust.


    Another two copies of Rawgh''faz appeared in the air on either side of her, swiping at her with their staves. Each rod swung to connect, but instead of making contact with solid flesh when they struck her, they seemed to pass through without resistance, leaving ripples through her body as if she was a pattern on the surface of the water that they were disturbing with the ends of sticks. The pattern resolidified, and each one of the copies suddenly found itself staring directly into one of the devil girl''s palms, before the bright blue flames of her Infernal fire tore their heads clean off and sent them both tumbling towards the ground in a pair of ash piles.


    A few more stragglers continued to level attacks, and she dealt with them one after the other, until finally there were none left, Not seeing any more of the copies in the immediate area, Eleanor called out, "that it, mutt? You ready to face me directly yet, or do I have to kill a couple dozen more of your clones first?"


    There was no reply. Instead, the sky began to dark, twisting and distorting as the fabric of reality folded inwards on itself. Then, without warning, it tore, and Eleanor found herself launched towards the tear with such overwhelming and unrelenting force that she could barely take a breath before she found herself hurtled into an endless white abyss. The wind whipped past her in a roaring torrent as gravity finally corrected itself to a new down, and textures and patterns replaced the white until she found herself falling at terminal speed towards the top of a snow-covered mountain. Willing her form to change, vast pair of feathered black wings shot from her back in a spray of fabric and pinions, and she beat against the wind until she finally was able to regain control of her momentum.


    Finally back under her own control, she altered her positioning to allow a gentle glide the last couple hundred feet to the snow below. When she finally set her feet down a few moments, she found herself not standing on top of a mountain, but instead in a sweeping and seemingly endless hall of black and white marble punctuated at equal intervals on either side as far as she could see in either direction by wooden doors painted red and trimmed with gold. Far, far above was a ceiling that was barely visible behind the natural cloud cover that appeared to develop somehow.


    And there, a dozen paces away, was Rawgh''faz, his hulking form seeming to dwarf the massive hall as he loomed nearly twenty feet above her. He looked more like a centipede or a spider than a dog now, his twisted and lengthened form bearing far more arms and legs than the rational mind could really process or accept as natural. He leered down at her, his twisted face bearing a wicked grin.


    "Sooner or later, you''re going to run out of willpower, little one. And when you do, your ability to continue to fight me will disappear." He said. He shambled forward a few paces and bent over, his warped form looming over as he spoke. "And if you think I have been needlessly cruel before, imagine how much further I can go now that you''ve gone this far."


    Eleanor instinctively found herself backing away in revulsion from him as he spoke. She didn''t want to admit it, but he was right. Every single thing she did in her was because she was able to mentally will things into existence inside his mental landscape. That took effort, and she had to admit that she could feel the effects of the sustained mental strain already. It wasn''t intense yet, but the longer this went on, the greater the chance her mind wouldn''t be able to handle the strain she was placing on it. She had no idea what exactly would happen when it finally gave out, but she had no doubts whatsoever that it wouldn''t be pleasant.


    "If you surrender yourself now, I might be willing to allow you to keep your mind when I am through with you." He said, a long strand of drool falling from his mouth onto the marble in front of her.


    Ellie continued to back up, stepping away from the ever-advancing monstrosity in front of her, until she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around to find herself face to face with a small, floating man with an elaborate beard and laughing eyes. The man looked at her quizzically, then up at the shaman. The little man raised an eyebrow as he looked back and forth as each of them.


    Eleanor''s eyes widened in shock when she recognized the face.


    "Frumpkin!" She said, grabbing on to the little man''s shoulders. "What are you doing here?"


    "In the flesh." Frumpkin said. He furrowed his brows. "And this is where I work. Why are you here?"


    Rawgh''faz shambled forwards, thoughtlessly shoving Eleanor to the side before encircling and leering down at Frumpkin.


    "And who might you be, tiny meat?" Rawgh''faz snarled, leaning forward until his fanged maw hung a few feet from Frumpkin''s face.


    "Name''s Frumpkin Snozc.u.mber. But you can call me God." The little man said, unperturbed.


    Rawgh''faz laughed viciously, his cackles echoing throughout the massive marble hall.


    "A god! HAH! The only god in here is me, little morsel." The shaman said.


    Frumpkin snorted, then motioned towards Rawgh''faz with his thumb.


    "This the guy who brought you here?" He asked Eleanor. "He the guy what kidnapped you?"


    Eleanor nodded, uncertain whether to feel relieved, or even more terrified.


    "I see." Frumpkin said, turning back to Rawgh''faz. He took a step towards the shaman.


    "I am not sure how you managed to gain access to this place, mister, uh... whatever your name is. We''ll figure that out later. In the meantime, I kindly suggest you find a way to beat a hasty retreat back to where you belong. You have five seconds to leave." The little man said grimly, his face expressionless.


    Rawgh''faz''s toothy maw spread into a huge grin, and he placed a massive clawed limb on Frumpkin''s shoulder as he leaned down to stare into the little man''s eyes.


    "I''m not going anywhere, tiny ''god''. And you''re not going to make me."


    Frumpkin smirked and cracked his knuckles.


    "Wanna bet?"

 Chapter 206 - Those Who Fight Further

    As soon as the peace talks ended, Jack and Rose set to work helping the Elders and their supporters subdue or root out any remaining loyalists to Rawgh''faz inside the village proper while Farlo relayed what had been agreed upon to the rest of the party.


    After a few brief scuffles and skirmishes, the most adamant of the resistance faded. Whatever threat the gnolls could place disappeared as soon as Harrowbloom felled the first. From there, carving them down as simple, and methodical.


    To Jack''s surprise, by the time they''d cleared all of the houses, there were still more than two dozen loyalist left. The remainder had fled to the edge of the town square closest to the ledge, using the shape of the cliff behind them as a form of crude defensive support while they assembled some form of last stand. However, despite their final show of force, their resistance caved almost immediately when a frighteningly enthusiastic Dawson the Daring leapt from the ledge, sailing downwards until he landed directly on one of the guarding gnolls. The resulting impact reminded Jack of the time he''d seen someone throw a watermelon off a building, only in reverse. In the aftermath of the horrific splatter, the remaining creatures all dropped their weapons and fell to the ground before the giant black knight , and Jack had to expressly forbid him from gleefully hacking the unarmed creatures to pieces before he could do anything else.


    As the Elders and their supporters rounded up the surrendered loyalists and sent them to be dealt with, Farlo and the rest of the party, including Urien, descended from the ledge and joined Jack and Rose in the central square. Within minutes, the work was done. Gragh''mah walked up to their party, his fingers again steepled in front of him.


    "The loyalists are contained. As soon as Rawgh''faz is removed, they will fall in line behind whoever the ruling party is. Such is the way for our people." He said. "I of course will be waiting for confirmation of his defeat."


    Jack nodded.


    "We''re on our way to deal with him now. With all of us together, dealing with him shouldn''t take long." He said, sheathing Harrowbloom. "Where is he now?"


    Gragh''mah pointed a long finger at a tunnel entrance at the far end of the massive cave they currently occupied.


    "Through there is the throne room, as well as access to his personal quarters. You will find both him and your blue friend there." He said.


    Jack clapped the gnoll on the arm.


    "Thank you, friend. We will speak-"


    He was cut short by a deafening roar emanating from the corridor. All eyes in the square shot towards it all at the same moment.


    "What in God''s name is that?!" Urien asked, pulling his sword from its sheath. The remaining party members drew their weapons or prepared spells, as did the dozen or so fighters loyal to the Elders.


    Gragh''faz took a step backwards. While Jack was certain it was impossible for a gnoll to look pale, if there was a gnoll equivalent, the Elder wore it plainly on his face.


    "That is not a sound I have ever heard before." He said.


    "Is it Rawgh''faz?" Rose asked.


    The gnoll shook his head quickly, before stumbling backwards.


    "I... I don''t know..." He said, scrambling backwards on his hands and feet


    Jack grimaced and pulled Harrowbloom from its sheath again, the spiritual energy of the weapon flooding into his body again in a rush. As soon as he did so, he heard another deafening roar, then a tremendous crash, like an entire building had just been smashed to pieces. Whatever it was approached down the tunnel towards them with thunderous, slapping steps, the sounds of tearing stone and falling debris following in its wake.


    He looked at the panicked gnoll, his face grim. He pointed at the ledge above.


    "Whatever is about to come through this tunnel, you need to take whoever you can and get up on that ledge and find a way out of here. If you stay, it is quite possible that all of you will die. We''ll do what we can to stop it. If you have any fighters who want to stay, we will be happy for the help." He said.


    Gragh''mah nodded shakily before clawing his way back to his feet. Without a word of response, he immediately began calling out to others, gathering everyone in earshot and sending them on their way as Jack indicated.


    In the meantime, Jack, Rose, Farlo, Dawson, and the rest of the party, along with nearly a dozen armed gnolls rushed for the edge of the village, providing an armed barrier between the fleeing villagers and whatever was on its way towards them. Jack found himself wanting to give the group some kind of rousing speech like the hero would do in the final battle of a gret movie, but the fear of what was about to happen drove his mind blank. All he could do was keep himself composed and focus on his breathing. Harrowbloom was charged. He''d regained a bit of magic since they''d last fought, even in spite of the small amount he used in his confrontation with Urien. He was supported by talented fighters. This was as good as he could hope for.


    And then, as if on cue, the source of the horrible cry tore itself out of the far tunnel and into the central cave room.


    The creature was an unholy abomination out of his worst nightmares. A giant humanoid thing, easily twice as tall as he was, with four massive muscle-wrapped arms and legs as thick as tree trunks. The whole thing was an awful pallid flesh tone, and covered with countless fleshly tendrils that reminded him of something between a sea anemone and an octopus. In the center of the creatures head was a single, unblinking red eye, and below that, a hanging maw of countless jagged teeth. The whole effect was so unnatural and off-putting that Jack felt himself get light-headed and queasy just by looking at it. Several of the gnoll fighters and adventurers with them blanched and immediately fled with the rest rushing up the ledge and out of the cave.


    The creature turned its attention towards Jack and the rest, roaring loudly again before breaking into a sprint towards the small assembled group.


    Jack pulled his last magic missile scroll from his belt and tore the seal. The familiar darts of magical energy congealed into the air, orbiting his hand. Casting a glance sidewards, he saw the couple remaining Gifted members of the party prepare spells. As soon as the creature crossed within fifty paces or so, he loosed the missile charges at it, and the other casters followed suite with their attacks. The missile bolts struck the creature square in the torso with a trio of faint thuds, leaving behind small scorch marks, but little else. A pair of fireballs crashed against the abomination''s body, but washed harmlessly away with no effect. Only the stone spear hurled by one of the other casters seemed to have any effect as it buried itself a couple inches into one of the beast''s massive legs. The creature howled in pain, before tearing the spike out of its thigh. It hurled it back towards them, catching its initial caster directly in the chest and sending him sailing a few dozen feet backwards before the spike buried itself into the dirt, his body still stuck to it.


    "Hold on everyone! Here it comes!" Jack called out as he settled into a defensive stance, the Shieldcloak in his left hand and Harrowbloom in his right.


    Within seconds, the beast was upon them. It hurtled into their midst, its four clawed arms swiping and tearing at anything near. Two of the gnolls supporting them were carried clean off their feet as the creature''s claws tore gaping wounds in their bodies and hurled them through the air into bloody piles in the distance. One of its blows struck Jack''s Shieldcloak with such force that it slammed straight to the ground like God had just hit him with a sledgehammer. He groaned as he fought back to his feet, forcing air back into his lungs. The creature wound up for another strike at him, only to be distracted by Rose and Dawson, who each chopped at the monster''s legs with their blades. Both of them could have been striking stone, however, as their blades bounced and glanced off the creature''s hide without mark. Only Farlo seemed to cause any harm with his weapon as its short blade bit with each cut, leaving small gashes that trickled oily black blood into the dust.


    More spells crashed into the abomination''s body, but with little effect. Seemingly fed up with the arcane intervention, the creature emitted a low gurgling sound before firing a gout of yellow-green fluid from its maw into the gathered mages. The spray doused all of them, sending each of them into fits of screaming as the flesh the bile struck melted and dissolved into sloppy bits of gore. Within seconds the three of them were silent, steaming piles of goo and meat. Jack felt vomit rise into his mouth, but choked it down as he brought his sword to bear against the creature''s leg. Harrowbloom bit deeply with little resistance, slicing a clean line form the creature''s kneecap to its ankle. The beast staggered for a moment, falling to one knee.


    "Now!" Farlo called, and everyone near rushed the beast, attempting to strike the head that was now in reach. In response, a flurry of strikes hit the creature everywhere that could be reached. Dawson managed to cleave a pair of tentacles from the monster''s body with a single powerful strike that managed to shatter the blade of his greatsword in the process. Rose managed to guide her blade inside the creature''s maw, where it pierced through one cheek. The abomination shrieked and roared in pain at the onslaught, swinging and flailing at its attackers as it stumbled back to its feet. One backhand managed to collide with Rose, sending her flying behind the creature and away from the rest of the group.


    Jack''s heart jumped into his throat, and he ran for her.


    "Rose!"


    Before he could get more than a couple steps, however, the beast stepped in front of him, its massive tooth-lined maw flinging strings of saliva and black blood in his face. Feeling the energy crackle in his hands as he spoke the words, Jack threw his hand up into the creature''s face and emptied a fistful of lightning into the abomination''s mouth. The bolt tore from his hand arced inside the creature''s maw, sending up the smell of charred meat as it crackled and scorched the beast''s mouth. The aberration screamed and howled, rising up and jerking away. Seeing a window of opportunity, Jack dashed past the beast, making a beeline for Rose''s body.


    When he got to her, she was already struggling to sit up. Her leather b.r.e.a.s.tplate had been shattered by the blow, and as she shifted to get her arms under her, she let out a growl of pain and fell back to the earth in a coughing fit as he fell his knees on the ground beside her.


    "Rose! It''s okay. I''m here. What''s hurt?" He asked.


    She looked up at him, her expression a mixture of fear, pain, anger, and relief. Her face was ashen grey, and her skin cold to the touch. She coughed again, and thick rivulets of blood shot from her mouth. After a moment, she spoke in thin, gasping sentences.


    "F.u.c.ker... shattered my ribs... I can''t...breathe, Jack.... One of... my lu...lungs is torn." She finally eked out, before falling into another gurgling bout of coughing that covered her lips and chin in more dark crimson.


    Thinking quickly, Jack frantically started digging through the pouches on his belt, trying to find the last health potion he had. Finally finding it, he jerked it free, tore the stopper from the vial, and poured the contents in Rose''s mouth.


    "Drink! Quickly!" Jack said as her eyes widened and she threatened to choke on the contents. She finally was able to force the fluid down in a few seizing swallows, and then fell back again as her eyes rolled back into her head. A small bit of warmth returned to her cheeks, but she was unconscious now, and there was nothing else he could do to help. Seeing her laying there on the ground, broken as he was, was almost too much for him to bear. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he grit his teeth and wiped them away with the back of his hand as he stood back up. He had to trust the potion would be enough to keep her alive until she could be taken out of here. He had to let it be enough. It had to be. He couldn''t lose her. He turned to the rest of the battle, his jaw set in cold fury as he returned to the fray.


    Most of the rest of the adventurers were down, and what remained of the gnolls helping them had been either slain or fled. Farlo, Dawson, Urien, and a couple others were all that remained, and each looked hard-pressed as they struggled to defend against the creature''s relentless onslaught. The beast was missing several more tendrils, and bore several new gashes on its limbs, but seemed uttely unperturbed as it flattened another adventurer with a stomp.


    Jack thrust Harrowbloom into the creature''s leg, burying the blade far enough that its tip came clear out the other side. The beast shrieked and flailed, jerking its leg away with such terrible force that it tore the weapon''s handle clean out of his hand and sent him sprawling face-first into the dirt. He rolled over in time to see the creature tear the blade from its leg and toss it a dozen feet away with one of its hands. It turned its attention towards him as he scrambled to try and get his feet under himself. Its massive claws bore down, ready to tear him apart, and despite every bit of aptitude and training he had, he flinched as he braced for impact.


    He instead heard a terrible clang as the beast''s claws struck metal, and he opened his eyes to see Dawson the Daring standing over top of him, blocking the creature''s blows with his broken greatsword.


    "Hurry, Lord! Retrieve your weapon! I shall hold this fiend at bay!" The black knight said jovially as his armor strained and creaked under the beast''s immense weight.


    "Thanks, Dawson!" Jack said, scrambling to his feet and dashing for his weapon. He reached Harrowbloom within a few seconds and snatched the blade up, feeling the ever-familiar flow of awareness the weapon gave him fall back in place. He turned his attention back to the fight.


    The creature, keeping Dawson''s block pinned in place with two of its arms, wrapped the hands of its two other arms around his torso and lifted the black knight into the air. Dawson thrashed and swung with his weapon, trying to score some kind of hit, but nothing connected. The creature flipped him sideways, and Jack watched as the creature tore the metal man in half with a horrendous grinding sound. Both ends of Dawson the Daring''s body went limp, and the creature dropped them unceremoniously into the dirt with a thud.


    "Dawson!" Jack screamed, rushing towards the creature again. As he watched it, Dawson''s body began to fade, dissolving into a pile of ash before vanishing entirely. The construct had sacrificed itself to save him. He only hoped that being torn apart like that didn''t mean he was gone for good. The creature turned in the direction of Jack''s voice and let out a bellow of rage when it saw he was still standing. It rushed towards him, completely ignoring the rest of the party, swinging and screeching as it tried to land a blow on him. The assault was so intense and relentless that even in spite of Harrowbloom''s blessing, he had magically pump his Prowess and pour every bit of concentration into dodging and deflecting the never-ending flurry of claws. Somewhere in the midst of the assault, the various remaining tendrils on the creature''s body flared to life, stretching and flailing in all directions to aid in the attack. Finally, one of the tentacles managed to slip past his Shieldcloak as he parried another attack and touched his arm.


    Instantly his left arm pulsed with blinding pain, before almost instantly going numb and completely limp. Instinctively, Jack spun and lopped off the tendril. There at the end of the flailing appendage was a thin, viciously-barbed needle.


    So, the appearance to an anemone was not coincidental. Great.


    His thoughts were interrupted by something tremendous slamming square into his chest, knocking him flying in a whirling corkscrew that sailed through air a distance before tumbling across the dirt. He lay there for a moment, trying to regain his bearings.


    He couldn''t breath. He reached a hand down to his chestplate. The metal was torn completely apart in four parallel lines that folded inwards where the creature''s claw had struck him, and flared out at the side of the plate where they tore out. Jack pulled his hand back. He was bleeding, and more than a little. There was little pain, but that was probably because he was in shock. Either way, his b.r.e.a.s.tplate was completely destroyed, and the crushed metal was making it impossible for him to get air into his lungs. He struggled with the binding straps on the side of the armor, but his fingers were shaking hard enough that he couldn''t manage the knots. Lacking a better option, he reached behind himself with his right hand and pulled the new dagger free. Severing the leather bindings only took a few seconds, and as soon as the last popped free, he found himself able to breathe easier again. He sat up to see the beast laying into the few remaining members of the party, and grimaced.


    He was wounded, though he wasn''t sure how bad. His armor was destroyed, and his left arm was still completely numb and non-functional.


    This... this was bad.


    He jammed Harrowbloom point first into the dirt and used it to push himself to his feet before he shrugged the destroyed b.r.e.a.s.tplate off his body and dropped it to the dirt. He was running low on magic as well, and the familiar feeling of fatigue was beginning to set in. Leaving the sword in the dirt, he checked each of his belt pouches, but one by one, they all came up empty. He was all out of tools and tricks. And then he felt one final vial in the furthest back one, and pulled it out. It was a small bottle filled with thick brown liquid.


    That''s right- he still had the drug c.o.c.ktail that the gnolls took. The potentially deadly last resort.


    Jack looked down at the vial, then in the distance to the ongoing fight. Another adventurer fell, this time to a tendril in the face. That left just Urien and Farlo. There were no other options.


    Jack tore the stopper out of the vial, and poured the contents down his throat.

 Chapter 207 - Return to Reality

    Rawgh''faz raised up to his full impressive height, his thunderous laughter filling the expansive space around them.


    "Yes, I do bet. Now begone, little pest!" He roared, hurling his massive frame forwards and downwards with blinding speed. His body twisted like a top as he wound up, before throwing the entirety of his speed, force, and weight behind a haymaker aimed at Frumpkin''s shiny bald head. Eleanor covered her head and ducked for cover as the blow collided with the little man''s head with a deafening thunderclap of sound.


    Rawgh''faz drew back to examine his handiwork, and fell into a fit of choking disbelief.


    There, standing in the middle of the floor looking very bored was an entirely unscathed Frumpkin, who yawned lazily as he looked up at the towering creature in front of him.


    "I gotta say..." Frumpkin said, finishing his yawn. "I kinda expected to actually feel something from that. But apparently you''re even weaker than you look." He looked down at a small device on his wrist and added, "you have three seconds left."


    Rawgh''faz stood there, seemingly unable to process what had just happened.


    "...Aaaand that''s zero." Frumpkin said, looking up from his wristwatch. "Toodle-loo, you mis-shapen freakshow." And without a single bit of ceremony, he casually stepped forward and flicked Rawgh''faz in the kneecap. The blow struck with such overwhelming force that the shaman rocketed down the vast length of hallway out of sight almost instantaneously. In one moment, the shaman was standing there. Eleanor blinked, and the monster was gone without a trace in a tremendous sonic boom.


    Frumpkin dusted off his hands and spit where the shaman had just stood a second before. He walked over, and offered Eleanor his hand.


    "You good?" He asked, helping her to her feet.


    Eleanor dusted herself off, and looked down at the little man.


    "I supposed so. Thank you." She said, inspecting herself to make sure everything was in order. Once she was satisfied, she looked down the hallway where Rawgh''faz had flown past only moments before.


    "So what did you do to him? Is he dead?" She asked.


    Frumpkin shook his head.


    "No no, I just sent him on a little trip around the Hallway. It actually loops. With as hard as I sent him flying, the whole trip should take him..." he paused, glancing down at his wristwatch again, "about five minutes, give or take."


    "But why help me? Aren''t gods supposed to be impartial or something?" Eleanor asked.


    Frumpkin laughed.


    "I can be partial to whoever I damn well please. I just can''t keep being partial to the same person, if you catch my drift. Consider this one a freebie. I think you''ve been through enough at this point." He said. "Still have no idea how either of you ended up here though. Imma have to look into that. It shouldn''t be possible. Either way, you''re welcome."


    Eleanor looked around.


    "What is this place?" She asked.


    "I don''t have a fancy name for it, so I just call it the hallway, honestly." Frumpkin said. "It''s used to keep the Respositories for everyone. But you don''t need to worry about that. It doesn''t affect you."


    He took a few steps and stopped, crossing his arms behind his back.


    "He''s crossed heaven and earth to get to you, Eleanor. I hope you realize that." He said.


    "Who?" Eleanor asked.


    "Jack. It''s all he''s been able to think about since the moment you were taken. And right this very moment, he''s in the village center right fighting for his life to save you. " Frumpkin said, walking back to her.


    Eleanor''s heart leapt into her throat. So he was her for her after all. It seemed almost too good to be true.


    "He''s here? Really?" She finally managed to get out.


    "Yes. He is currently fighting the Shaman''s abomination as we speak. And, if I''m honest, he is losing. I''m afraid before the end of all of this, he is going to need your help if he is going to make it out alive." Frumpkin said, a bit of the humor fading from his face.


    An image of the horrifying thing Rawgh''faz had summoned flashed in her mind, and the thought of Jack in his strange foreign clothes and pudgy body facing off against something of that size seemed completely impossible to imagine. He would be crushed, no matter how hard he fought.


    "But I can''t help him. Rawgh''faz has me in thrall in his bedchamber, and until I figure out a way out, I won''t regain control of my body to be able to help him." Eleanor said. "And I''ve been trying to find my way out for a while now."


    Frumpkin waved the thought away.


    "Ehh, don''t you worry about that. You''ve quite literally stumbled into a place you shouldn''t be, and as a result I have sole jurisdiction to decide when, where, and I how I return you back to where you came from. So, I''ll leave it up to you- You wanna go back in his head, or back to your captive body outside of his head?" He asked.


    "You''d do that for me?" Eleanor asked, unable to stop her heart from pounding in her chest.


    "What? Send you back, free of any illusions and able to act in reality under your own volition like nothing ever happened to you? Of course. Is that going to be a problem?" He asked.


    Eleanor ran up to the little man, sweeping him up into a giant hug as she spun him around and around.


    "Thank you, Frumpkin! Thank you! Thank you!" She said.


    "Hey, hey, it''s no big deal. ...Now can you put me down?" He said as she squeezed him tighter and tighter.


    Eleanor set the little man down, and he proceeded to brush himself off and clear his throat. He looked at his watch again.


    "Rawgh''faz has got about three more minutes before he finishes his orbit of the hallway. As soon as he makes it back here, he and I are going to have a little chat about how he knows of this place. Once that''s done, I''ll be sending him back. So when you make it back into your own body, might I suggest you don''t take long in getting yourself free?" He said.


    Eleanor nodded, her expression determined.


    "Of course."


    "Alright then." Frumpkin said, cracking his neck. He wiggled his fingers. "Hold on tight!"


    "Wait!" Ellie said, stopping him.


    Frumpkin dropped his hand.


    "Yes?" He asked.


    "If something happens to your body while your mind is apart from it, and your mind tries to return to it, what happens?" She asked.


    "You mean, if your body''s dead when you try to go back to it? Well then your spirit will just be stuck in whatever place you''re currently existing in with no way back." Frumpkin said, a faint smile cracking on his face as he seemed to catch the drift of what she was asking. "Otherwise, if the body''s still living, you''ll wake up in whatever state the body is in. So if it were tied to a chair in the middle of a burning building when you returned, for example... " He trailed off, and shrugged suggestively.


    "Got it." Eleanor said. "Okay, I''m ready now. And thank you again. For everything."


    Frumpkin looked a little sheepish.


    "Ehh, don''t mention it. Now, without further ado...."


    The little man raised his hand, and with a flash, she was gone.

 Chapter 208 - Those Who Fight Further (Part 2)

    The rage c.o.c.ktail seared Jack''s throat as he swallowed, and the taste made him gag, but the effects were immediate, and dramatic.


    Almost instantly the feeling returned to his arm, and his mana fatigue vanished. Every muscle in his body seemed to swell and tighten, and time and the world around him seemed to dilate as his vison literally grew red at the corners, and his skin seemed to burn with heat beneath his armor. Pulling the sword out of the ground, he began the walk towards the abomination in the distance. There was no fear. No anxiety. No doubt. He was going to destroy this monstrosity. He was invincible.


    Drawing within a couple dozen paces, he broke into a run, shouting words of power into the air as he charged at the pale-skinned beast. As he did so, magic surged and coursed through his veins, mixing with the drugs and his own adrenaline until it felt like his body would fly apart.


    The creature, rearing up from the body it was leaning over, turned at the sound of Jack''s voice. Jack brought Harrowbloom around, swinging the blade in a wide arc as he dashed past the creature. The blade sank into the creature''s pallid flesh and carved deeply, sending the beast into a bone-chilling shriek as he twisted the blade and lopped a large chunk of pale flesh out of the monster''s calf. He spun and dove, barely avoiding a trio of claw swipes that rent the air where he''d stood less than a second before. Then came one tendril stab, then another, whistling past within an inch of his head as he leapt up behind the creature and chopped wildly downwards, splitting a bloody rend from the creature''s shoulder blade to the small of its back. The beast howled and stumbled, spinning and flailing wildly as it tried without success to score a hit on this nuisance that was causing it so much pain. Jack dancing and weaved, his blade flashing as it bit and carved and lopped. The more damage Jack did, the bolder he became, and the more forceful his strikes grew. His heart pounded in his ears, his limbs pulsing and shaking with mana, his breath coming in forceful rasps as his mind singly and unerring fixated on the pleasure of the popping vessels and tearing fibers of flesh at the end of his weapon. He was death incarnate. Nothing could touch him. Nothing could harm him. He was invincible, the goddamn hero of legend.


    And then his luck ran out.


    He dodged the first claw and the two tendrils, parried the second claw, then the third. But he didn''t see the fourth. The blow caught him square in the back, and while he felt no pain directly, the immense pressure he felt inside his body from the blow and the tearing sensation in his back told him it''d done serious damage. Before he could react, another one of the claws snatched him up, knocking his weapon out of his hand and lifting him off the ground and towards its head, where the gaping maw waited to devour him.


    He didn''t know whether it was a result of the grievous injury he''d just received, or the sudden overwhelming threat of death, but terror gripped him for the first time in a way it hadn''t since he''d first come to this place, and his arms and legs grew cold and numb with fear as the few seconds before his death seemed to stretch on into a lifetime. He wrestled with what power he still had against the creature''s overwhelming strength, trying desperately to pull his dagger from the sheath behind him, but to no avail. The beast''s grip was just too strong.


    A wet, meaty thump struck the back of the creature''s head, and it reeled and screamed, nearly toppling over and taking Jack with it. Two of its claws grasped at the back of its skull, and when it turned, Jack saw the hilt of Farlo''s enchanted dagger blade buried a full foot into the monster''s head.


    Urien yelled up at him.


    "Get out of there, Jack! Now''s your chance!" He said, before screaming up at the Forbidden. "Come get me, you vile freak!"


    The creature turned like lightning, keeping Jack bound in its hand, and for the second time since the fight began, drew a deep, gurgling breath. This time, a jet of yellow-green fluid shot from the creature''s throat in an arc, and Jack screamed as it struck Urien square in the back, dousing him from head to toe in the yellow-green ichor. Urien fell screaming to the earth as the fluid dissolved his armor and melted his flesh like acid, thrashing and jerking for several long moments before finally falling still in a smoking heap.


    "Urien! URIEN!" He yelled, but the man didn''t move.


    The Forbidden returned its attention to him, snarling as it lifted him back towards its mouth. The growing pain of the wounds in his back, the delirium from the drugs wearing off, the exhaustion from his overuse of magic... It was all too much too bear. But he now had his dagger in his hand, and all he needed was a clear shot. Urien''s sacrifice had given him just enough of a distraction to get that much.


    The creature lifted him to its mouth, ready to force his body into its open jaws. But instead of trying to devour him, it inhaled deeply again, this time creating a crackling sound in the back of its throat. Jack''s heart seemed to stop in his chest when he realized what was about to happen. It wasn''t going to try and eat him. It was going to blast him with one of its jets to make sure he was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. This was it. It was too late. He screwed his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around his head. Goodbye, cruel new world. It was nice knowing you.


    The Forbidden exhaled, shooting a jet of blistering cold that tore at the air around Jack''s face, congealing the air into razor-sharp shards of ice that rocketed around and past him, tearing the ground behind him to shreds. He opened his eyes when he realized what was happening. He could feel the cold, but it didn''t hurt. And the ice couldn''t touch him, like it was repelled away by anti-ice magnets.


    He couldn''t believe his luck. Out of all of the possible things, the creature had chosen the one thing he needed. He couldn''t stop himself from smiling at the situation, even in spite of what was happening. After all this time, the gag reward from Frumpkin had finally come in handy.


    And that gave him an idea. He pulled the dagger free from its sheath, before deliberately falling limp into the creature''s hand. The creature, seeming to sense that it had done enough, cut the blast off, and lifted Jack towards its mouth. Jack remained unmoving, gauging the distance through narrowed eyes until he finally saw his moment. As soon as the abomination had him within a few feet, Jack rose back to life, raising the dagger over his head with a roar and plunging it into the unsuspecting creature''s giant red eye.


    The resulting sound was so ear-splitting that it made Jack''s eyes water as the creature shrieked and wailed in agony, its free limbs jerking and thrashing about from the pain. Jack pulled the blade and thrust it again, and this time the creature left go of him as it swatted at him. The blows battered him, nearly knocking him out cold, but he continued to cling onto the handle of his weapon which was still buried handle-deep in the monster''s eyesocket. Sending one final pulse of magic into his limbs, he pulled himself up until he was sitting on the creature''s shoulders. He held on for dear life as the Forbidden roared and thrashed, swatting at him to try and knock him off its head. Grabbing onto the hilt of Farlo''s dagged with his free hand, he pulled it loose, before burying it again and again in the creature''s skull.


    The Forbidden made one final grab at him, but the effort appeared to finally be too much for it, as it m.o.a.ned and stumbled, tottering and shambling as gouts of oily black blood poured from over a dozen new wounds in its head. With one final terrible cry the beast went limp, stumbled, and fell face-first into the dirt. Jack leapt off as it did, landing hard on the ground and tumbling a couple of paces until he wound up on his back.


    He lay there for a long moment, his head spinning and his body throbbing as he tried to catch his breath. Outside of his breathing, there wasn''t a sound left in the cave. Finally, he drug himself to his feet. Looking back at the spot he''d just been laying on, the whole area was soaked in red. So, it was as bad as he''d feared. He was weak, and felt a little dizzy, but he could manage. He would manage. He had no choice. He had no idea how he was going to face Rawgh''faz in this state. But he''d made it through worse, right. He''d pull through somehow. He found Harrowbloom a short distance away and picked it up. The energy from the blade restored him a little bit, and poured some strength back into his limbs and clarity into his head.


    He cast one final look behind him at the abandoned gnoll village, his fallen allies, and the slain monstrosity, and set off for the passage at the far end of the cave that led to the throne room. The passageway to his final confrontation, and the woman he''d lost.


    When he entered the passageway, he found it destroyed. At one point it had been covered with some kind of ornate carvings, but the creature had destroyed all of them beyond legibility on its way to the village. At the far end of the passageway, two shattered wooden doors that spanned nearly twenty feet in height lay lengthwise down the hall, the area all around them covered with bits of shattered wood. As he walked he could feel the warmth of his blood running down his back and the backs of his legs. The feeling slowly began to fade from his extremities, and walking became harder and harder, until he finally had to rely on using Harrowbloom as a brace for the last several steps into the open expanse of the throne room.


    There, in the center of the floor, was a shape. A body, with something over top of it. As he drew closer, he could tell even through his light-headedness and tunnelling vision that the body on the ground was that of a gnoll. And something was over top of it, stabbing it again and again with a small blade, the pool of its blood soaking the ground. He stood there silently for a moment, fighting to stay on his feet, as the second individual stood up, and he was finally able to see the head of the gnoll on the ground.


    It was Rawgh''faz, his dead eyes staring blankly up at the sky.


    Jack blinked again, struggling to keep his vision in focus as his light-headedness started to finally overcome his ability to fight it off. He had to be hallucinating that. He had to be. There was no way that the Shaman was dead, just like that, after all they had been through.


    Or maybe he was dying, and his mind was showing him things it wished was real to make everything easier.


    The shape that stood wore a dark green cloak, now soaked at the bottom with blood. As he watched, it raised its hands up and pulled the hood on the cloak back, revealing a long tumble of dark blue hair.


    And then they turned around, and Jack''s eyes all but refused to accept what he was seeing.


    Eleanor looked at him for a long moment as if trying to place where she knew him, gradually stepping closer, until her eyes widened in recognition.


    "Jack...? Is that you!?


    Jack smiled as he fought to stay on his feet. Yep, he was definitely dreaming.


    "Hey Ellie. I... I made it..." He said, waving gently before he tumbled to the ground.


    When Jack awoke, he found himself lying on his stomach, facing a distant stone wall several dozen feet away from him that he recognized as belonging to the throne room. Every fiber of his body ached, and he felt like he was about to puke. But, otherwise, he''d felt worse. There was still no pain in his back. And then he remembered the shaman''s body, and the other form turning around, and then...


    "Ellie!" He said, trying to push himself off the ground and into a sitting position.


    "Oh no you don''t, mister! You''re not nearly mended enough to move yet." A familiar voice said. He felt a hand press him gently but firmly back down to the stone he was laying on. Instantly his heart began to race. Was he still dreaming? Surely he had to be. Unless...


    He managed to flip his head around so he was looking in the direction of her voice, only to find him staring up into Eleanor''s face.


    "Hiya! Glad you''re finally awake. I was starting to get worried about you..." She said, her eyes nearly disappearing behind her cheeks when she smiled. Jack stared at her, his brain refusing to register what he was seeing as real. After he spent several long moments looking at her blankly, she waved a hand in front of his face.


    "Uh, you alright in there?" She asked. After another moment of silence she said, "will you say something already? You''re really freaking me out here."


    Before she could do anything to react or before he could even really process anything else, he shot up off the ground and threw his arms around her, squeezing her as hard as he could possibly manage until she finally protested enough for him to let go of her. He held her out at arm''s length, staring deeply into her golden eyes. She looked just as confused, overwhelmed, and excited as he felt.


    "Are...are you real? I''m not dreaming?" He finally asked, feeling his pulse pound in his throat. He felt like he was going to fly out of his skin.


    "I think so." She said. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are YOU real?"


    Jack couldn''t find the words for a reply. His eyes just filled with tears, and he pulled her tight again.


    "I was so afraid I was never going to see you again!" He said, choking his way through his words. "Are you okay?"


    A strange cloud seemed to pass over Ellie''s expression for a moment before she finally nodded and replied. "Yes, I''m fine."


    "I''m so glad..." He said, before caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I''m so sorry I couldn''t save you sooner!"


    Eleanor''s eyes darted in surprise to his hand, then back to his face where she seemed to get the answer to her question. She smiled gently, and leaned in closer so their foreheads were nearly touching.


    "That doesn''t matter. What matters is that we''re here, now, together." She said. "That''s enough for me."


    She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth into hers.

 Chapter 209 - Aftermath

    After their reunion, and another healing spell cast on Jack''s back, the two of them made their way out of the throne room and back into the main central chamber of the cavern again. To Jack''s surprise, the gnolls had already made their way back to the village, and were in the process of cleaning up the aftermath of the battle from before.


    In the village center, pyres for the fallen had been erected, and Jack recognized numerous familiar faces in their midst, Urien among them. The pyre he lay on hid most of the damage the acid had done to him, leaving a pristine front. If Jack hadn''t seen him die with his own eyes, he could have easily mistaken the man for sleeping. Walking amongst the bodies, he realized Farlo wasn''t among them. And to his relief, neither was Rose. When he finally tracked down Gragh''mah and asked, he was led to one of the huts the ringed the outside of the village square. Over half a dozen gnolls and adventurers lay wounded on beds. There, on a rough cot, lay a very battered but very much alive Farlo. He was still asleep, so the two of them left him be. Rose, however, was awake and eating soup when the two of them walked around the corner. She screamed at the sight of her sister and went to sit up, only to immediately fall back to her cot in a groan of pain. Eleanor rushed over to her and embraced her, the two of them both falling into fits of crying.


    The two of them decided to spend the night in the village, and Jack helped Ellie as she set about healing the wounded. Before long, Farlo and the other adventurers were on their feet again thanks to Eleanor''s spells. Farlo and Jack met briefly with the Elders to reaffirm the deal they''d made before, before Farlo and the others departed to join the rest of the party at the destroyed gnoll camp at the base of the mountain. As they went to leave, Farlo pulled Jack aside for a moment.


    "Thank you, Jack, for your help. Non-aggression between our company and the Iron Hounds has been a desire of mine for a long time, but has always eluded me. Thanks to what has been done here, I feel like we finally have shot at something different." He said, clapping Jack on the arm.


    Jack nodded and shrugged.


    "It was the least I could do. I never in a million years would have made it nearly this far without you and everyone else sticking your necks out for me." He glanced over at Eleanor, who was talking and laughing with Rose as they gathered food together for supper. "And I don''t know what I would have done if I''d never gotten to see her again."


    Farlo nodded knowingly, then added.


    "I encourage you to remember my advice about both of them. It is better to have two close companions than two distant broken hearts. Remember that." He said, looking Jack hard in the eyes.


    Jack''s face turned red, and he nodded before clearing his throat and turning away. After a moment''s awkward silence between them, Farlo spoke again.


    "Well, I suppose it''s best me and the others get moving so we make it to the base camp before nightfall. In the morning, we will be setting out for Darkshire. Should you decide to travel with us, you are more than welcome. If I remember correctly, you still have Madeleine to retrieve from our camp." He said.


    "We shall see you in the morning." Jack said. "And thank you again."


    Farlo nodded and departed, and Jack returned to the two sisters as they called for him to help them.


    The village, now free of Rawgh''faz and his supporters, seemed alight with energy. Groups of hunters returned from the outside carrying various kinds of wild game, as well as baskets full of fruits, nuts, mushrooms, roots, and other such things. As what felt like evening began to set in, the village square turned into a bit of a feast as meat was roasted on spits, forage was turned into stew, and ale was poured from large barrels that had been stowed away in one of the nearby huts.


    Revelry continued well into the night, until Jack could barely keep his eyes open or his feet underneath him. Rose, for her part, didn''t seem to be doing any better, and soon passed out so that Jack had to carry her to bed. Only Eleanor still had some of her wits left about her, and she led the two of them to a small, circular hut perhaps twenty or thirty feet in diameter. It looked much the worse for wear, as if it had been neglected for a long while, but Ellie led them in without concern, and lit a fire in the hearth. The entire interior of the place was covered with all sorts of trinkets and baubles, as well as shelf after shelf of dried herbs and powders and all sorts of other weird things Jack didn''t recognize. To one side of the small hut was a single bed, perhaps wide enough for two people sleeping closely, or three bodies crammed against each other. Jack set Rose down it after gently pulling off her boots.


    "It''s going to be a tight fit for three of us, but I think we''ll manage." She said, looking over the bed, then gave Jack a wink. "I don''t imagine you''ll be complaining."


    Jack felt the blood rush to his face, and he cleared his throat.


    "So, whose hut is this? Does it belong to one of the gnolls who died in the fighting?" He asked.


    "Actually, it belongs to a friend. Or, I suppose, belonged to a friend." Ellie said wistfully. "She was actually Rawgh''faz''s mother. She helped me deal with my reality while Rawgh''faz had control over me. If it wasn''t for her, then, well, we probably wouldn''t be talking right now."


    "I didn''t know you were able to build relationsh.i.p.s with anyone here." Jack said, surprised.


    Eleanor shook her head.


    "It''s not really like that. She was dead before I got here. But Rawgh''faz kept the spirits of both her and his younger brother in thrall, and while he tried to do the same to me, they helped me try and escape. I''m not really sure they even actually exist anymore, or if they do that they knew they were dead. But if it wasn''t for them....." She trailed off, a complex collection of emotions marching across her face.


    Jack took a step towards her, and placed a hand on her cheek as he looked into her eyes. There was warmth and happiness there. But there was also pain, and fear, and other emotions he couldn''t read. He hesitated to imagine what she''d been through since she''d been held here, and while some part of him wanted to know, he knew that there was a chance he never would. And that was fine. She was going to need to heal, and he would be here for here, in any way he could.


    "What is it?" She asked, seeming a little uncomfortable with how he was looking at her.


    "I''m just having a hard time believing this is real... that you''re actually here. I was so worried I would never see you again." He said. "Are... are you okay?"


    Eleanor looked at him and smiled sadly.


    "Yes, in time I think I will be. Just, no matter what you learn, promise me you won''t think differently of me, okay?" She said.


    "I could never think differently of you, Ellie. No matter what happened." He said.


    And then, out of nowhere, he remembered the amulet around his neck. He pulled it from underneath his tunic and into the light. Eleanor look at it.


    "Ooh, that''s pretty. What is that?" She asked.


    Jack unfastened it from around his neck.


    "It''s called an Amulet of Location. It allows a person attuned to it to know exactly where it, and anyone else attuned to it, is located at all times. And once per day, anyone attuned to it can scry the location of the person wearing the amulet to see the person and the world around them." He said, looking at it for a long moment. "I got it as a reward for something, and I haven''t really know what to do with it besides wear it. But now I know what it''s purpose is."


    He took a step forward and dr.a.p.ed the amulet around Eleanor''s neck before fastening it behind her. Once that was done, he spoke again.


    "I''ve already lost you once. If not for Frumpkin going out of his way to help me find you this time, there''s a good chance you would have been lost to me forever. I never want to take that risk again. Once you have attuned to this, I will be able to find you, no matter how far away you are, and I will come save you, okay? You will never have to suffer like you have ever again. I promise."


    Eleanor looked down at the amulet, and then back up at him. Her eyes were full of tears.


    "Thank you...." She said, before throwing her arms around him.


    Sleep, despite the incredibly cramped conditions, was easily found. When Jack awoke the next morning, he was surprised to see Rose and Eleanor had already risen and left the hut. He walked out to find the two of them in the village square, helping clean up from the night''s revelry. From the looks of things, the cleanup was just about finished. Lacking anything better to do, he set to work helping them.


    Once everything was done, he and the girls gathered what little they had to gather, and set about saying their goodbyes before they left. At Gragh''mah''s insistence, however, they waited a little longer until a trio of gnolls came out from a nearby building, each of them carrying something different. The one that stopped in front of Jack dropped a large leather pack at his feet. When Jack opened it, he nearly choked. The large leather pack was nearly full of loot, including a giant heap of gold coins. He looked up at the gnoll for explanation, his jaw hanging slack.


    "As promised, all wealth taken from the shaman and his followers is your company''s right to claim. This is your share. Each of your two companions have chosen different rewards, in lieu of gold." He said, gesturing to the other two gnolls.


    The gnoll in front of Rose unbound a large bundle to reveal a gorgeously filigreed b.r.e.a.s.tplate made of a white-silver metal in-laid with gold. She took it from the villager reverently, before sliding it over herself and strapping it in place with leather bonds and metal clasps. She bowed her head gratefully, and the gnoll backed away.


    The gnoll in front of Eleanor bore a long bundle wrapped in furs, and a leather satchel. Setting the satchel at her feet, it undid the cords around the bundle before removing the furs. It was the shaman''s staff. Or, rather, it had been. It appeared to have been modified a bit to fit Eleanor''s height, and the upended tree roots at the top now bore several charms and talismans hanging down from them, including a pair of crescent moons that looked a lot like earrings. The staff also bore a large collection of new rune carvings Jack didn''t remember seeing before down its length. The fur, it turned out, was actually the new shoulder and neck lining of the freshly-cleaned green cloak Ellie had been wearing before. Closer inspection of the fur made him realize it had once belonged to a gnoll, or multiple gnolls. There, in the direct center of where the fur hung over Eleanor''s back was a black patch of fur in a crescent moon shape that matched those dangling from the staff tip. Ellie drew the newly-modified cloak around herself for a moment, seeming to hug the fur into her, before she bent down and dug through the satchel in front of her. From where Jack stood, it appeared to be filled with books, rolls of parchment, and containers filled with all sorts of different things he couldn''t make out. Whatever it was clearly all there, because she closed the bag with a satisfied expression and nodded to the gnoll.


    Once each of them had been given their rewards, Gragh''mah nodded to each of them, dismissing them, and welcoming them to return any time they chose. They grabbed their loot, as well as the travel supplies they''d been provided, and set off up the ledge ramp. Jack couldn''t fully remember how they''d come, but Eleanor somehow seemed to know the path perfectly, and soon the three of them were out of the cave and into the early morning sunshine.

 Chapter 210 - Home (Epilogue)

    Jack lifted the stack of freshly-chopped firewood onto his shoulder, and set off back down the sun-dappled forest path. In the distance through an opening in the trees, the familiar farmhouse sat on its little sunlit rise, small tufts of white smoke curling lazily out of its chimney. Once he got to the edge of the woods he stopped for a moment and leaned against a tree, watching the sisters as they went about what they were doing. Rose hung up laundry, while Ellie washed it all in a large wooden tub. Madeleine, for her part, was inside helping with lunch as she was now apparently the best cook of all of them. As he stood there, he heard the familiar sound of Frumpkin popping into the air beside him.


    The two of them sat there for a long moment, taking in the beautiful day, until Frumpkin finally spoke.


    "So, you managed to do it after all." He said, crossing his arms. "I gotta be honest, kid, I wasn''t sure you had it in you."


    Jack snorted gently, and gave Frumpkin an amused sidelong glance.


    "To tell you the truth, neither was I. I still don''t really know how I was able to pull it off." He said. He paused for a moment, then added, "Ellie told me you helped her while she was stuck in the Shaman''s mind. Thank you for doing that. I know you didn''t have to."


    Frumpkin shrugged.


    "Ehh, she deserved it, after all she''d been through. Seemed only fair." He said.


    The two of them watched the girls in silence for several long moments, until Frumpkin finally spoke again.


    "So, I suppose I owe you your next milestone reward, since you managed to save the girl after all." He said, before clearing his throat.


    Jack smiled.


    "Yes, I suppose you do. But I''m not really worried about that right now." He said, leaning off the tree and shifting his weight.


    Frumpkin looked confused.


    "Wait, really?" He said.


    "Yeah." Jack said,setting the stack of wood on his shoulder down and stretching lazily. "I''m taking a little break from hero stuff, at least for a week or two. When I''m ready, I''ll head to the Repository to cash in all my loot. You can give it to me then." He said, picking the wood pile back up and setting off for the farm house at last. "In the meantime, I reckon it''s about lunchtime."


    "Alright, if you insist." Frumpkin said, scratching the side of his head. "I guess I''ll leave you to your relaxing then."


    "See you around, Frumpkin." Jack called back as he started up the hill.


    He crested the top and walked over to where the wood pile was stacked against the side of the house, before shifting the logs off his shoulder and stacking them neatly. Once that was done, he wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his tunic. The girls had apparently just finished their work, as the tub was now empty and leaned against the side of the house. As he rounded the corner, he found himself suddenly ambushed by Rose and Eleanor.


    "Well hello there, Mister Hero." Rose said, grabbing onto one of his arms.


    "Are you gonna join us for lunch?" Eleanor asked, grabbing onto the other.


    Jack grinned sheepishly as the two girls half-walked, half drug him to the door.


    "Of course I''m coming to have lunch with you two. I wouldn''t miss it for the world." He said.


    "That''s good." Eleanor said, grinning up at him. "Because if you didn''t I have to hogtie you and carry you here against your will."


    Jack raised an eyebrow and smirked.


    "You really think you''re up to the task, blueberry?"


    Eleanor frowned at him, and Rose thumped him in the back of his head.


    "I''d be helping her, you know. You can''t stop both of us." She said, smiling evilly.


    Jack laughed.


    "That''s probably true." He said, setting a foot on the doorstep.


    The door in front of the three of them swung open to revealed a messy haired Madeleine wearing a food-stained apron.


    "Lunch is ready." She said.


    "That''s why we''re all here." Jack said, smiling down at her as the three of them walked in and Rose and Eleanor let go of him to go take their seats.


    Madeleine shut the door behind them, and walked over to Jack at the washbasin as he washed his hands. She stood there staring at him for a long moment, and when he continued to not notice her presence, she cleared her throat.


    Jack looked down at her with a grin as he dried off his hands.


    "What is it, Maddy?"


    "You still owe me for leaving me behind." She said flatly, staring up at him with her customary blank expression.


    Jack laughed, and tousled her hair before tossing the towel back onto the counter.


    "So I do! I had completely forgotten about that." He said. "Tell you what, after lunch, why don''t you tell me how I can make it up to you? That sound good?"


    Madeleine nodded.


    "Don''t forget." She said, before turning to take her seat.


    Jack walked over to the table and sat down, looking at each of the girls in turn. The time since he''d been in this new world had been hard. Heck, it''d easily been the hardest time he''d ever had. But sitting here, in this moment, looking into the eyes of each of the women he''d grown so fond of and so close to, and feeling the latent power and sense of confidence he carried with him everywhere he went now, he wouldn''t trade the difficulties he''d experienced for anything.


    This was a tough world, but it was a beautiful one, and he planned to enjoy it to its fullest. There were hard times ahead, for sure. Somewhere out there was a villain looking for him, one that would be the ultimate test of everything he could ever hope to muster.


    But that was for another day. For now, it was lunchtime.


    "Alright everyone, let''s eat!"

 Chapter -1 - My Spirity Awards novel is now live!

Hello friends!


    My new novel "The Luck of a Devil" is now live! Since Second Life is on hiatus for the next couple of months, why not come give it some support while you wait?


    The book can be found here:


    #The-Luck-of-A-Devil


    I hope to see you all there!

 Chapter -2 - The Devils Graduation side-story on WPC 103

    Hey friends! Today, the first chapter of a short story about Eleanor''s final challenge to graduate from the Coltriss Academy is going live!


    This is my first time participating in a WPC, and chapters will be posted daily in addition to the standard release for Second Life.


    For those of you who vote for Second Life, if you wanna vote for The Devil''s Graduation instead for the duration of the contest, it will not only increase the chances of the story scoring well but also draw more attention and eyes to Second Life, which would be awesome.


    I appreciate you all very much! I hope you''re having a great week!


    -Clowniac

 Chapter 96 - An Escape Plan Forms (part 3)

    Eleanor didn''t know how much time she would have to practice before she would be drug up before the shaman and his cohort again, so she worked quickly. Pulling a couple small pieces of cloth from her dress, she set about trying to find a working formula for transmutation that would accomplish what she needed.


    Prestidigitation, like what she used to hide her components, only worked on small things, and could also only alter simple things about an object, like its color or texture or smell, but that was about it. There was no way to make it perform all of the complex re-arranging of her anatomy that would be required for a proper transformation, or cause her to sprout fur and claws. For that, she was going to have to piece together what she knew, and experiment with what she didn''t until she found something that worked, or she''d run out of options.


    In addition to that, she needed to take some time to remember some of her other cantrips. Then, at least, she''d have some more tools in her toolkit that didn''t require components. First on that list would be Mage Hand. With that, she could steal some things like more fur or other components from her captors without them realizing it, or maybe other things she could use in her attempt. She could maybe even steal a key, if the guard holding them was clueless enough. But she wasn''t holding her breath.


    Cantrips came first. At first, progress was slow, but gradually picked up as she started piecing some things together. The first thing she managed to determine was the activation sigils and invocation for a Light spell, which she discovered by accident while working her way through sequences of spellwords to find the formula for Mage Hand. Testing it again to be sure it worked, she then used Prestidigitation to mark the correct formula for it on the inside of her thigh beneath her dress so she wouldn''t accidentally forget it. Finding this formula also opened up other options, such as a Daze spell, or Blinding Flash, but those would have to wait.


    After what felt like hours, she finally found the correct formula for Mage Hand. To confirm she had it right, she tested it half a dozen times, shifting and moving the bowl covering her component stash around her small cave room, picking it up and tossing it back and fort in mid-air with only minute gestures of her left index finger. She marked the formula on her leg, alongside Prestidigitation, Light Dancing Lights, and Blinding Flash. She''d found Dancing Lights when trying to find the correct spell fragment for movement, and combined it with light, and Blinding Flash by adding a few choice words of Infernal to the Light evocation. Her practicing also uncovered a few sigils and words that seemed to generate some kind of incomplete response, as if they required another fragment or motion to activate fully. She marked those on the inside of her other thigh for later practice.


    It occurred to her as she looked down at the arcane sigils on the inside of both her legs that if the gnolls forced themselves upon her again, they''d find them immediately. But that wasn''t going to be an issue. She would not let herself be used like some slave by those gibbering beasts ever again. She''d make them kill her before she ever let that happen.


    After all of this practice, she could feel the constant mental strain and Spirit usage taking a toll on her, and she decided to take a break and try and rest. She had no idea when her captors would come back to feed her again, or drag her off before the shaman once more. Leaning her head back against the post, he closed her eyes, and for the first time since arriving, allowed herself a smile.

 Chapter 127 - Preparing For Departure (part 5)

    With another faint chime, the 1000 gold vanished from his reserves, and the cloak on his shoulders vanished. A moment later, with a flash and a rustle of fabric, the dark green wool was replaced by a deep red cloak trimmed and patterned with gold. Reaching down and grabbing the edge of the cloak and pulling it up in front of him, he willed it to harden. Immediately the cloak seized in place, forming a hard, shield-like barrier. Reaching over and knocking on the hardened cloak with his free hand, it clanged with a reverberating sound like it was made of steel. With another thought, he left go of the cloak hem, and it immediately fell back into limp fabric, swishing gently behind him.


    Shield Cloaks were always one of his favorite items in the tabletop games he used to play. They gave the wearer all sorts of options for self-protection, without the limitations or weight of a regular shield. All you had to do was will the cloak to harden, and it would become hard as steel in whatever shape you currently had it in, without the weight. Now granted, they were simultaneously a lot more expensive than a standard shield, and also a lot less durable despite being magical. But that didn''t matter. He now finally had a means to protect himself against blows he couldn''t deflect with his weapon, and even if he only managed to prevent one or two of those before the cloak was destroyed, it''d be more than worth its cost in gold. His last fight had shown him just how vulnerable he was to harm despite his skills. The best thing he could do right now would be to make sure he didn''t leave himself nearly as defenseless as he had been.


    Next came a hardened steel b.r.e.a.s.tplate for 200 gold, which he used to replace the leather chestplate of his current armor. It wasn''t a significant upgrade, but would be far more effective at keeping enemy weapons out of his vital organs. He also tried on several helmets, but nothing he tried felt right. Eventually he settled on just forgoing proper head protection and using the hood of his Shield Cloak. It wasn''t the best, but after some thinking, he decided that with the other equipment and abilities at his disposal, if an enemy could land a clean hit on his head, that same enemy would be just as likely to be able to kill him with the helmet on as without. So it made sense to focus on not doing anything to hamper his own abilities, no matter how practical the reason may be.


    That left him 1000 gold to work with. Not seeing any other items he could afford that interested him, he closed out of the shop console, and switched over to the skill tree. Now that he had decent money to work with, he looked through to find the picks that would give him the greatest benefit for the least cost. After a few minutes flicking through options, he finally settled on a few that seemed like they''d be the best.


    [Magical Aptitude I] cost 500 gold and decreased the drain that his spells would put on his body by a small percentage. It wouldn''t be a huge boost, but would mean an additional spell or two before he would be tapped out, which could mean life or death in the coming fight.


    He also picked up [Weapon Focus: Scimitar] for 250 gold. While he instinctively knew how to use Harrowbloom due to his Martial Weapon Proficiency ability, it made sense for him to gain any additional prowess in its use that he could, and if it stacked with the spirit bonus contained within the blade, all the better.

 Chapter 170 - Second Escape

    No sooner had the guards left with the remains of her meal before Eleanor set about the excruciating process of mending her broken leg. The spell was simple enough to execute, but execution was never the difficult part of the spell. Enduring the physical results as it did its work, that was where things got challenging.


    She had initially feared that the incantation and spell signs she remembered for it would be incorrect, but to her surprise, they were exactly the same as those she''d seen in the illusion. Best she could figure was that the illusion accessed parts of her own mind to make itself more real. How else would it have been able to show her Jack and Rose? As far as she knew, the Shaman had never even seen either of them, much less up close. Perhaps it had also found a way to inadvertently give her the means of escape by reminding her of the formulae she''d forgotten. She wasn''t one to complain about an unexpected bit of fortune. Especially not in this position.


    The mending of her leg took what felt like hours, but was likely far less. Time seemed to slow to a crawl when one was in severe agony. Once she felt comfortable with the idea of testing out the mend, she undid the splint and set about moving the leg around, before sliding it under her and gently adding more and more weight to it. Once she was confident that she would be able to walk on it, she sat back and stretched it again. Retying the splint on a healed leg felt silly, but since she''d now been seen with it on, suddenly missing it when he next meal arrived would look suspicious. To make it easier to get out of when the time came, she used a couple of trick hitches instead of regular knots. To someone who didn''t know exactly what they were looking for, it would appear normal. But all she had to do was tug one end to get it to pop free. When she went to make her move to escape, every second would count. She couldn''t afford to disable one of the guards only to spend the next four minutes undoing a bunch of unnecessary work.


    She knew what she would do. She would wait for the next time the guards visited her, and when he bent down to set her food down, she would put a magic missile through their throats. Once that was done, she''d tear the keys out of the jailor''s belt, free and heal herself, and disguise herself with polymorph. She''d probably also take the gnoll guard''s clothes as well. She was under the distinct impression that wandering around as a n.a.k.e.d gnoll would be counter productive. After thinking about it, she decided to go ahead and heal herself as well, and use Prestidigitation to simulate the appearance of injury instead. If time was really of the essence, the more she could preplan now, the better. The fake wounds wouldn''t show on her transformed body, so doing that was a lot easier than waiting after the fact.


    The next meal cycle came a few hours later. To her relief, the guard was alone. He looked smaller and younger than the others, and seemed a bit apprehensive entering the room where she was kept. Gripping tight onto the button held in her hand, Ellie waited until he bent down to place the plate on the ground beside.


    Then, with a snarl of Infernal, the button filled with raw power. The gnoll''s eyes widened when it saw the spell in her hands and stumbled backwards, but by then it was already too late. The bolt tore through its body with searing energy, leaving a smoking void where its throat had been only moments before.

 Chapter 171 - Second Escape (part 2)

    The gnoll guard slumped to the floor. As it did so, the creature looked at her with a mixture of sadness and fear. It was an oddly empathetic moment, and she suddenly felt bad for having done what she did. But, this was not the time for pity or empathy. None of the rest of them had extended a single bit of that to her while they''d toyed with her mind or treated her like a ragdoll. This one was no different from the rest, if for no other reason than it was associated with him.


    In the illusion, Marg''faz had told her to not assume every one of her kind were evil. That may still be true in spite of that experience not being real. But given the choice between remaining captive and the young gnoll in front of her still being alive, she''d kill him again in a second if that''s what it took.


    Eleanor tugged the trick hitches and pulled the splint off before reaching over and digging her hands into the gnoll''s belt pouches. The first two held random odds and ends, but she finally found the keys she was looking for in the third. She tested each one of the six, until she found the one she was looking for and the collar popped free of her neck with a gentle click. Standing up and rubbing her neck, she unceremoniously set about stripping the body of the gnoll before casting Polymorph on herself. She decided to use fur from the jailor''s body, rather than the bit that Jaang''faz had given her. She couldn''t know for sure if the fur she used would affect her final appearance, but if it did, she wasn''t going to take the risk of looking like someone who didn''t belong where she was coming out of.


    It took her a moment to recall the words and spellsigns for the casting, but once she felt confident she had them right, she followed them as she rubbed the tuft of fur she''d pulled from the gnoll across her exposed chest. Within moments the spell took hold, and she was once again faced with the all too familiar discomfort of fur sprouting out of every follicle on her body. She felt her facial bones twist and stretch into a long muzzle, and her teeth lengthened in a way that felt like they were about to be pulled straight out of her gums.


    The whole shift took only about thirty seconds, but it was a deeply unpleasant thirty seconds. And no sooner had it finished before she yet again found herself with an overwhelming need to scratch the itching across her entire body. Ignoring the desire to, she stuffed her new body in the jailor''s clothes, cinched his belt around her waist, and took any other effects he had that would help her blend in better. Once that was finished, she hurried out of the room and into the tunnel. She followed it through several winding twists until it emptied into a familiar chamber that she recognized as the central hub that Jaang''faz had told her about. It was another consistency from the illusion, and she could instinctively remember where each of the paths she had traveled led. Second from the left would lead out to the mountainside. To the right of directly across would lead to the center of the gnoll camp inside the cave. As she looked at the second for a brief moment, she wondered if Marg''faz''s little hovel still still where she''d seen it before. She doubted it. Rawg''faz didn''t give her the impression that he''d let anything like that remain.


    She didn''t give herself another moment for sentimentality. The Marg''faz she''d known was either a figment of her imagination or a deliberately manipulative spirit whod''d been doing the bidding of an evil monster. Either way, she wasn''t real, and thinking of her fondly was never going to change that.


    Without another thought Eleanor turned into the tunnel to her left and ran for the exit.

 Chapter 190 - Fleeing the Bedchamber

    When she finally forced the illusion to collapse, Eleanor expected to find herself either in the throne room or chained to the all too familiar post in her cell, but to her surprise, she wasn''t in either. Instead, she found herself in an opulently appointed bedchamber of some kind, wrapped in cotton sheets. The room was dimly lit, save by a pair of torches bruning in sconces on the opposite wall from the bed. On the floor, two furs that looked suspiciously like gnoll pelts served as carpets over the bare stone floor, and various trinkets and pieces of art hung on the bare stone walls. Some kind of incense hung in the air, perfuming it with a mixture of scents she didn''t recognize.


    She went to sit up, and as she did so, she noticed several things.


    First, she was completely n.a.k.e.d under the sheets. Second, her leg was mended, and while she bore a few new scars and plenty of fresh bruises, she was otherwise none the worse for wear. Third, the familiar collar was still around her neck, this time fastened by a much shorter length of chain to a large metal spike driven into the stone wall. Her arms were bound at the wrist by shackles that connected by chain to the collar around her neck, and her ankles were bound together by another set of shackles that bound to the foot of the bed. Looking around her as best as she could with the limited movement afforded to her, the color and texture of the stone walls and floor told her that she was still somewhere in the cave network. When she saw a familiar headdress sitting on a rack in the corner of the room, she realized she much be in the private quarters of the Shaman himself. Next to the headdress were rows of jar and bottles of all shapes and sizes filled with powders and liquids and herbs. Several more racks and shelves sat scattered around the wall space of the rest of the room, similarly appointed with everything from books and scrolls to collections of animal remains like bones and antlers, claws, feathers, and skins. It was there, on one of the racks, she saw two familiar sights- a set of Marg''faz''s earrings, and the necklace she''d seen Jaang''faz wearing in this past illusion.


    Which meant, as she had suspected and feared all along, that the two of them were probably dead. And that meant the versions of them she''d seen were either figments of his imagination he was using against her, or, as Jaang''faz had suggested, their actual spirits being controlled by him for his own purposes.


    The thought, coupled with her bondage and her n.a.k.e.dness, made her want to vomit. She grit her teeth and set about controlling her breathing, subduing the rage she felt building in her chest. She would deal with him in time. For now, she needed to figure out whether this was another illusion. And then she needed to find a way out of her chains. Whoever had bound her had done a good job. Her arms and legs both had very little mobility, and while she could shift her body a little bit and turn her head, she couldn''t do much else. The one advantage was that they hadn''t bound her fingers or mouth, which meant she could still access some of her spells, including, most importantly, Mage Hand. How stupid of them.


    Just to test if the formula in her head still worked, she made the gestures with her fingers and spoke the Infernal words. To her relief, the faint spectral hand flared to life a few feet in front of her, hovering expectantly for instructions. She dismissed it with a flourish. Now everything in this room would be accesible to her. All she needed now was to find a few components, and she could set herself free.

 Chapter 191 - Fleeing the Bedchamber (part 2)

    After spending a moment scanning her surroundings for potential components, she settled on Jaang''faz''s necklace. Summoning her Mage Hand again, she gently lifted it off the rack and brought it to herself. Once it was in her hand, she lifted it up to her eyes so she could see the various objects on the leather string. Finding what she was looking for, she gingerly untied the knots holding the necklace together and slid each bead and totem and charm off until a small piece of crystal fell into her palm. Holding onto it tightly, she swept the rest of the items off her chest and onto the bed beside her. Holding the crystal in her hands, she placed them on either side of the collar around her neck, and with a growl of devil-speak the metal of the collar shattered, freeing her neck and hands.


    Once she was able to fully sit up and move her arms, she dug through the rest of the components on the necklace for a second crystal. Not finding one, she took a pair of glass beads instead. With a bit more spellwork, she was able to break the chains connecting her ankles to the bed, careful to direct the rays she projected from her finger away from her legs and feet. To being able to directly remove the chain shackles from her arms and legs was less than ideal, but ideal was less important that getting away right now.


    Once she was loose, she slid off the bed and hurriedly scrambled for something to cover herself with. In a trunk at the foot of the bed, she found a large pair of breeches and several tunics, all of which were substantially too big to fit her. Thinking quickly, she slid the breeches on and cinched them as tight around her h.i.p.s as she could with a length of cord she pulled from another one of the shelves. The tunic completely swallowed her, but by lacing the front as tightly as possible and tying a knot of gathered fabric in the side, she was able to make it manageable enough to move in without it completely falling off at the first step.


    She couldn''t know for sure if anyone had heard her breaking her chains, but if they had, she probably had only a few moments before they would arrive to investigate. She snatched a leather pouch from one of the shelves and swept everything from Jaang''faz''s necklace into the pouch before tying it to the cord around her waist. She made for the door, stopping for one brief moment to grab Marg''faz''s earrings from the rack she''d taken the necklace from before she stepped out of the bedchamber and into the hallway.


    She didn''t recognize her surroundings. The grey-brown of the stone cave walls was familiar enough, but the corridor itself was not one she could recall being in before. To her left from the bedchamber entrance the corridor ran about forty feet before turning leftwards and angling down. To the right, it ran straight for a distance before taking a sharp right turn. She paused for a moment, holding her breath and listening carefully for any sound or stirring her keen ears could detect. Sure enough, faintly in the distance to her left she could heard the sounds of yelling voice, and the clash of metal, like there was a battle going on in the distance. That was a good sign. Perhaps there was more truth to the visions she''d been fed by Rawg''faz than she''d expected. Left it was, then. For better or worse.

 Chapter 195 - Those Who Fight (part 2)

    Turning his attention to the rest of the battle, Jack saw that things were not going well for them this time around. At least a dozen of the attacking adventurers lay dead nearby, with less than half that number of gnolls beside them. In the distance he watched as a gnoll was raised into the air by thick green vine tendrils, only to summarily pulled into pieces by them and thrown at others. One of the creature''s legs flew past him and slammed directly into the gnoll Rose was currently engaged with. The creature staggered and dropped its guard, and before it could recover Rose brought her sword onto the creature''s head with such force that its head split clean in two.


    Rezza and Jemeni stood out like a cliff face in the ocean of bodies surrounding them, the towering half-orc battering at the surrounding gnolls while the giggling gnoll on her shoulders pumped bolt after bolt into them with his crossbow. As he watched, however, something flew through the air and struck Rezza square in the chest. She roared and stumbled as another hit, and then another. They looked like javelins. Jemeni shouted something and fired in the direction of the projectiles, but it was too late. Rezza wavered for a moment too long, and several of the gnolls around her laid into her. Just before she fell, Jemeni jumped off her shoulders, disappearing into the sea of bodies around them.


    Jack went to dash in his direction, but was intercepted by another of the of armored creatures. This time, however, did not take long. Rather than waiting for the creature to make the first strike, Jack dove forward past the creature, snapping Harrowbloom around with his wrist and cutting through the back of the creature''s ankle. As it reeled and fell Jack caught it by the back of its b.r.e.a.s.tplate and slide the sword beneath the plate and into the dogman''s guts. After giving the blade a twist and a jerk, the gnoll went limp, and he dropped the corpse before resuming his dash in the direction that Jemeni had gone down.


    He reached the corpse of Rezza first. The half-orc had been hacked like a tree stump, with dozens of cuts criss-crossing her flesh. None of the creatures had been able to strike hard enough to sever or mangle anything, but the sight was still grotesque enough to make the bile rise up in Jack''s throat. The worst part of it all was the frozen look of fear on her face. She''d died terrified, and unable to do anything about it.


    Before he could reflect further, he had to dispatch another gnoll who mistook him for an easy target. This one was not armored or armed like the others, which told him that reinforcements must be arriving for the armored group from inside the cave. He cut the creature down almost mindlessly, giving it only minimal attention as he looked around for any sign of Jemeni. He finally spotted the body of the gnome on the ground a couple dozen feet away, lying partially buried under the body of a slain gnoll. Jack dashed to the fallen gnome''s side, shoving the gnoll corpse off of him. Jemeni was still breathing, but unconscious. His left arm and left leg were both broken and sitting at odd angles, and his crossbow in pieces around him. But he wasn''t dead. At least not yet.


    Jack pulled one of the two remaining healing potions out of his belt pouch and popped one into the gnoll''s mouth. As the fluid drained, he was concerned that the gnoll wouldn''t swallow, but fortunately instinct seemed to still be working as Jemeni unknowingly gulped down the contents of the vial. Within moments, some of the color returned to his face, but his consciousness did not return. With his body in the condition it was, Jack knew he would need to be treated with something much more potent, but for now this would have to do. He gingerly laid the gnoll corpse back over top of the fallen gnome so the body mostly obscured him from view, careful to place the body in such a way that its weight was directed away from Jemeni.

 Chapter 211 - I NEED YOUR HELP!

    Hey guys! I am currently competing in the MAL x Honeyfeed writing contest, and have made it to the semifinals. Public voting decides which two books move on to the finals.


    I am soooo close to snagging one of those spots, and it would mean the world to me if any of you who liked this book would be willing to vote for A Whisper in Scarlet on the official MyAnimeList app. Voting ends at 9PM US EST on 10/24, so time is running out!


    I love and cherish you all!


    -Clowniac