“When will this gathering of Apexes take place?”

My companions are discussing our next moves as we finally totally relaxed after the weeks of tension, after weeks of waiting for the Risen Throne to strike. Cad had been interested, and in fact had looked like we were talking about A-List celebrities from back on Earth, judging by the look on his face.

It was certainly an interesting experience being around somebody less used to that level of power; my first introduction had obviously been Walker wiping out a huge army, which was decidedly on the more impressive side of thing. The leader of that army had thought they had a chance against an Apex, but they did have a couple of hundred thousand people, so I could see where the hubris came from. Beyond that, I’d mostly been around people who knew them personally, so perhaps some of the shine had rubbed off. Either way, the topic of their meeting had come up, and Cad was talking about taking a leave of absence so he could come back with us and maybe meet some of the legendary figures. And that conversation had seemingly led to the Elder’s question.

“I don’t know, exactly, your Elderness; they started gathering them all about... a month and a half ago? I’m losing track of time.”

“In confident confirmation, that is largely accurate, Hunter.” Reff as the only one of us not sat, though his tone was certainly lighter than it had been. I think the fact that everything was no longer on fire was helping his mood, but it can be tough to tell with the risi, sometimes.

“Thanks, Reff. I’m not exactly sure what that means for the when, but I imagine it would be... soonish?”

“I will attend; this group has attacked my home and stolen my child. I will assist in their annihilation. Once my child is born, I will fly to this ‘Blacksand Citadel’ directly.”

“Uh, I’m sure they’ll be grateful for the assistance?”

I actually had no idea how a random Elder showing up would be received, given how the topic of their rampage had come up a couple of times. That is why my statement ended up as more of a question, my head tilted in Darina’s direction, my eyebrows raised slightly in query.

“...Please allow us enough time to return, so as to announce your attendance properly, Honoured Elder Flame Ever Dancing.”

“Of course; I would not enter the hunting grounds of another Elder without announcing my presence. I am not a monkey.”

The mention of a monkey reminded me that we had to gather some fruit for the Rainmaker before we headed back that way.

“Uh, your Elderness, Elder Rainmaker gave me a fruit that originated from your territory, a Thousand Year Pineapple? It was very helpful to me, and if possible, I would like to give him one back in return?”

“That idiot monkey... I told him that he need only ask and I would provide him, but he insists on absconding with them. It is most annoying. As you have done me multiple services, which I may never be able to fully repay, I will provide you with a Thousand Year Pineapple to take back to the idiot.”

“Thanks! He instituted a fruit tax for people passing through his territory, so that’ll help.”

“A fruit tax? Perhaps My flock and I should move... Never mind. Hold out your hand, Hunter.”

With a shrug, I held my hand out and a moment later a large, golden-fleshed pineapple dropped into my open palm. Looking up, I saw a phoenix gliding away, its golden, sunset plumage catching the light and its long tail spreading out like a bridal train.

I called, “Thank you!” up at the rapidly departing bird and slipped the Pineapple into storage.

“With nervous caution, we should check to see if V remains beneath the statue, Hunter. It is... unlikely, but still, we should seek confirmation.”

I felt my mouth drop open as I looked up at my giant friend; I had completely forgotten about my former torturer’s position beneath Reff’s stone ass.

“Shit, you’re right. We should get going. Uh, before we go, I don’t suppose you’ve ever heard the name, ‘Anan Al’monhad”, have you, your Elderness?”

“I have not.”

“Well, that would have been too easy, I guess. We’ll see you in about a month and a half, then?”

I looked at my companions for confirmation and the apprentice spoke up once more.

“We may not be able to secure transport, as we did coming in this direction, or at least I hope not. Two months would be a more appropriate length of time, Honoured Elder Flame Ever Dancing.”

“Two months then. Thank you all again for returning my egg to me; twice.”

The phoenix Elder looked down at their egg once more as they spoke, a look of profound love clear on their beautiful, face. I felt a surge of pride, knowing that I had had a hand in it, and even though it had been a job given to me; it felt pretty good.

“I’d say any time, but I doubt it will happen again. Their first plan failed, and their second was only possible by sheer luck. See you soon, Elder Flame Ever Dancing.”

My companions said their own polite goodbyes, and the phoenix leapt to sit atop their spire without sparing us another glance; as human as they – sort of – looked, they were still a beast at heart.

With my wave goodbye being ignored, I grinned and the five of us headed West once more.

*

***

*

We arrived at the place we had left our captive in relatively short order, but as we had suspected, the asshole that had been lodged under the stone butt was well and truly gone, with the inanimate statue of Reff’s Megaform shattered, only the feet still recognisable.

“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair...”

“Is that a person from yer homeland, Sparky? Ozzymanthingy? Is he related to name ye asked the Elder about? Anom Amamama?”

I had been reminded of something I had read, back on Earth, but the site of two giant stone feet, but I had also inadvertently spoken it out loud. Maybe Darina was right, and I really was an idiot... but as dumb as I could be, I was not about to answer his question about my quest.

“It’s from a poem. The passage is about the transient nature of the things we build. All things fade, in time.”

“In agreement, all we are is dust in the wind.”

I looked at Riffa sharply, as I was pretty sure that was a fairly exact saying from Earth. Seeing my look, she continued.

“In vague remembrance, it is a family saying from our home world. As you know, we were originally a caste of artisans; my family worked mostly in stone and even as enduring as it is, eventually even stone is naught but dust.”

“With muted grief, I recall our father saying it many times, sister.”

Reff wrapped one massive arm around his sibling’s shoulder and pulled her close, the two clearly lost in memories for a second. I felt kind of bad for reminding them about their dead dad, but on the plus-side it seemed to have pulled Cad off my back, and even Darina looked hesitant to latch on.

It was a shame that V had managed to escape – again – but we would get him eventually; I had gone from being completely harmless in front of him to, okay, I was probably still mostly helpless, but maybe not for long. We – or rather Reff and Riffa – had beaten him once, we could do it again. If he even showed his stupid face again.

The siblings seemed to emerge from their reverie quickly; they were not a very outwardly emotional people, and even Reff, who was apparently one of the more bohemian examples was still pretty taciturn by the standards of, well, everyone else I had ever met.

“We’ll get him again, guys, and every other one of his rancid little cult.”

Darina and Riffa nodded, and I thought I caught a spark of anger in Reff’s eye, and I knew that if we did catch up to V, or any of this people, there would likely be little mercy forthcoming from the big buy.

“Cult? Aye, ye mention they were a bunch of demon worshippers, didn’t yet? How grown folk can believe in Void Born myths is beyond me.”

I almost pointed out that demons were not really that much less believable than everything else I had seen, but for once I caught myself. Xiournal had said there were actual gods on this world, or in this plane – whatever – and if there were gods, why not demons? Of course, I had spent a lot of time around some pretty knowledgeable and well-travelled people, so who was I to argue with them?

“My Master says it should be impossible for any being to be able to travel between worlds as frequently as Shade does, it should also be impossible to drain Experience directly from a living being. Perhaps they really do serve a demon, or perhaps it is something pretending to be a demon?”

“I can’t say much about traveling’ ‘tween worlds, lass, but I’ve walked far and wide on this world and never have a seen a thing that could rightly be described as a demon... except me eldest sister after a after I puked in her shoes, but I doubt she’d have anything to do with this lot.”

“With piqued curiosity, what about other worlds? Hunter, you said they did not cultivate on the world you visited, did you not?”

“Yeah, I mean no, they didn’t. They used what they called sigils; they basically drew in the air using light and it did... things. They shot volleys of red light at a giant flying spider-plant-thing, so it seemed like the sigils were the same for everyone.”

“In continuation of my sister’s thought, if there exists worlds in which their energy system differs from our own, is it not possible there are worlds on which systems for the absorption of Experience have been developed?”

“I don’t know, Reff. Walker and Sonja-”

“Honoured Apex Sonja.”

“-have probably been to way more worlds than I have. They’re more likely to know, and they said it should be impossible.”

“It’s pointless to speculate. Perhaps once the Risen Throne has been gutted, we can ask whoever is in charge.”

Darina was right; with the information we had, it was impossible to make any concrete guesses, so I shook the topic free of my mind and instead turned my attention to paying the fruit tax.

“We need to collect a bunch of fruit for Rainmaker. What’s good Darina?”

“Well-”

“Actually, and sorry to interrupt ye, lass, the farms up North have been growing some custom varieties o’ some speciality fruits. Maybe ye could, uh, buy some, if ye come to the North wi’me? I, uh, don’t have me proof anymore, as ye may recall.”

Darina looked irritated at being interrupted, which was funny as they interrupted her quite a lot, but it did not seem like she was going to make a big deal of it, for which I was grateful.

“I don’t see why not; I don’t think we’re on a particularly tight timeline anymore. Guys?”

“With assurance, I would happily add my word to your own in this matter, Cad.”

The girls quickly added their own assent – though the apprentice was somewhat grudging – and we began to head north.

As we were traveling, and no-longer running up against any kind of definite deadline, I decided to ask Cad a question that had been bugging me since me met.

“Cad, what’s with the hammer?”

“What do ye mean? ‘Tis but a weapon?”

“I mean, the head seems like a fairly normal sized warhammer, but on a staff? I guess my question is why? It just seems a bit odd.”

“Well, as ye know, me Focus allows for the reproduction and output of certain chemicals, leading – by majority – to people getting smashed around me. The length o’me hammer lets me trip folk and take advantage of their state of inebriation. Me Path manipulates fate, and I use me hammer in much the same way to take advantage o’that. Ye never know when fate’l strike, and I may not always be close ‘nough with a shorter weapon.”

“That makes sense, but wouldn't a spear or something you can jab be better for that?”

“Not for trippin’ it wouldn’t, Sparky. But, if I’m being entirely, one-hundred percent honest ‘ere, it all stems back to the reason I was fired from my first mercenary guild: This giant of a man – though not quite so giant as Biggun – rolls up’t me as I’m just getting' in my cups for some really intense, uh, chemical research. So there I am, minding me own business when the sod grabs me by my shoulder and pulls me up t’dangle. He looks me dead in me eyes and says, ‘Oi, ye be the one causing all the trouble? Ye can get out, and don’t ye be comin’ back!’ So, I looks him back in his big stupid eye, and I says, ‘What in the Void did I do t’deserve that, ye big stupid arse?!’ ‘People around ye have an unfortunate tendency to be gettin' hammered!’ He says, and just like that, like the hand of a god reaching down from the sky and giftin’ me me future, it hit me; hammers.”

Darina, who had also been listening to the story rubbed at her eyes and nearly tripped over a root hidden beneath a patch of particularly dense brush as Cad finished telling his story, before speaking with a groan in her voice.

“Great, we’ve collected another idiot. Why do I have this horrible feeling I’m going to be stuck with you?”

“That’s Void Blasted eerie, that is, lass. That’s exactly what me second guild-head said t’me.”

The apprentice groaned audibly and I laughed out loud as we ran; I thought I even caught a chuckle from Reff, though that could have been my imagination. It felt nice to be out from under that last quest, and to be around people I liked. Now, if only I could work out who Anan Al’monhad was and renegotiate my deal with Xiournal, I think I could really be genuinely happy.