Levi allowed Laurence an extra hour of questions to make up for the many interruptions, but even then the day came to an end without any sign of Charles returning.

"He's not trying to cheat you, is he?" Gordon asked. "You shouldn't have let him run off with your agreed-to payment in the first place."

Levi frowned. Doug hadn't returned either, leaving them in peace. "Anyone here know how to get in touch with Charles, jog his memory?"

"I would probably only piss him off," Laurence said. "We've never agreed about his management style."

"I can call." Rachel headed to the exit portal, hand already going to her pocket.

Laurence immediately turned back to Levi, flipping open his notebook and asking for clarification on some of their more hastily-covered topics from the previous evening.

Rachel returned several minutes later, a scowl on her face.

"What did he say?"

"He didn't answer. But you should come up. You need to hear this."

They left the dungeon, Levi hanging back so his aura wouldn't kill the phone. Rachel put it on speaker, then tapped her contact.

It rang, several times, until finally switching to voice mail.

"Charles is no longer responding at this number. If you need his new one, you already have it. If you don't, feel free to hang up." The line went silent, but there was no beep for leaving a message. After several seconds, Charles started laughing. "And if you're any of the 'Doom Raider' losers, have fun with your new boss. I hope he's worth it."

Laurence and Tom exchanged a hurt look.

The audio continued with quiet laughter for almost a minute, before Charles got his amusement under control.

"Just have to say, thanks for putting in so much time for me. You did great. I admit, until this nonsense happened, I really thought we could make it work. But now I've seen the light. You were never loyal. You never cared enough. Real life? What does that matter any more? This was the wake-up call I needed to finally let go of the chains holding me back. So, if you're listening, Mr. I-Know-So-Much, thank you. From the depths of my soul, I appreciate you coming and showing us all what really matters." He burst out laughing again. The recording ended abruptly, followed with the usual beep.

Levi could hardly believe anyone could be that petty. He was used to humanity working in concert, sharing resources as necessary to do what needed to be done. No one would try to steal or cheat from their fellow warriors. It was disappointing more than anything.

Was everyone in this time going to be untrustworthy, greedy, bickering? No. He refused to believe it. They may be squabbling like children now, but when it really mattered, humanity deserved the chance to fight on. They would show their true nobility before the end.

Rachel hung up, her glower even more pronounced now. "I still can't believe it. After all this time, he ditches us like this? What a complete loser. I wish I could strangle him. I'd show him--"

"Just forget about Charles," Levi interrupted. "You don't need him. Laurence here knows how to run things. Listen to him and you'll do just fine."

"Actually, I was hoping you'd allow me to accompany you," Laurence said, a little sheepishly. "I know it's a lot to ask..."

Levi considered a moment, then shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it, if Gordon doesn't."

"A second car would make things easier," Gordon admitted, glancing at Becca. "But do you really want to leave your life behind to follow a couple of strangers?"

Laurence's expression brightened. "We're not strangers, we're companions! How about you, Rachel? You coming?"

"I wish I could, but I have work tomorrow--"

"You heard Charles," Tom said, speaking abruptly. "None of that matters any more."

"And you are not coming," Levi said firmly. "You are staying with your mother. If you can convince her to start leveling, all the better, but at the least you should stay and protect her."

"I'm not a kid!" Tom protested.

"Be that as it may, Levi's right, you need to stay and look out for your family," Gordon said. "You're the best chance they have. Keep working with the others locally, keep leveling, and be ready."

"Fine. But you'd better stay in touch. If you're just coming up with lame excuses to leave us behind..."

"I'll stay in contact as long as possible," Laurence promised.

Levi wished he could give them access to the shared datasheet he'd found, but whatever method Theo had used to distribute it was long lost in the haze of years-old memory. He'd tried getting Laurence to access it, but whatever they tried came to nothing.

It would be so convenient to set up a system-run global communication system, but whatever trick there was to it he didn't know how to replicate it. No universal wiki, no easy communication.

Not yet, at least.

But if they were bringing Laurence along, he might be able to replicate Theo's research. He seemed better suited to this kind of thing than either Levi or Gordon. They'd both been normal people before the system, and Levi's heavy fighter training hadn't done any favors for his tech-savviness. Laurence, though, was exactly the sort of inquisitive who could actually figure things out, rather than relying on brute-forcing a solution and optimizing with known factors.

"If you're coming, then pack up. Do you want to send anyone to check on your storage?"

"They took everything, I have no doubt, but I'll check." Rachel hesitated, then waved to Laurence. "And stay in touch, okay?"

"I will."

"At least until he levels high enough to kill his phone. Mana and electronics don't play nice."

Laurence didn't seem concerned. "Awesome. The eternal battle of magic and technology continues. You want to ride with me? We can talk while we drive."

Levi shook his head. "I need to go over the levels my minions have earned in the past couple days, and I'll do that best if I can hear myself think."

"I don't talk that much."

"You kinda do," Rachel put in.

"And where are we going, anyway? I thought you really wanted whatever that thing is Charles has."

"I do. But there's something more important I need to get before something like this happens again. We're heading for Michigan."

"What's in Michigan?"

"The fourth piece of the puzzle. The last Seed Fragment to complete my set."

Laurence stared in disbelief. "You mean you're not going after Charles? Even though he cheated you, after you came all this way?"

"There's a decent chance he's going after the same thing I am, if he stole your copy of your map. We might find him there. And even if not, I'm pretty sure the finished seed will be usable without the framework. From what other map treasures I've found, most are component pieces that are highly flexible."

They reached the spot where they'd parked the cars, a beautiful scenic overlook, and set about splitting up the minions between Laurence and Gordon's vehicles.

"You're sure about this?" Levi asked, as Laurence folded down the back seat of his Forester to make space for Becca to lie down in the trunk. On the off chance that Laurence was planning to kidnap her, she could rift-jump out and follow on foot. "Leaving everything with no warning?"

"You're the only man I've ever met who knows how I can become a wizard. Of course I'm in." Laurence ruffled Becca's ear, causing the big cat to twitch and lean her head into his hand.

The others stood around, looking lost or uncertain.

"You're not coming back either?" the ranger asked.

"Of course I'm coming back. But not until I'm a wizard, and this quest is accomplished. My honour is on the line here. As the only Doom Raider capable of righting this wrong, I must see this quest through!"

"I can come," Tom insisted. "Really. It won't be a problem. I can tell my mom I'm with a friend."

"Sorry," Laurence said. "But that would legally be kidnapping, and I don't want to start my wizard career with kidnapping. Maybe once I'm older, I could come and be your mentor, but for now you have to stay in your village."

Tom stepped away with great reluctance, allowing first Levi and Gordon then Laurence to pull out onto the road.

Rachel put one arm around Tom comfortingly, the other raised to wave farewell to her departing friend.

Levi hardly noticed. He was already pulling out the maps from the glove compartment, plotting their way north to the final piece of his treasure hunt.