I stared at the raging True Vampire for a moment in shock.

“I never told her to do that…” I muttered.

“Are you really all that surprised?” Auto responded, “Eaten alive, almost enslaved, set an a warpath, ambushed and injured by the allies she sought and then surrounded again by those ‘allies’ in a hostile manner. She has almost always made her own way with violence. Why would she react differently now?”

I listened somberly for a moment, considering Auto’s observations seriously for the first time.

***

“Stop!” Shaman ordered.

Raymond halted her advance, looking back at the goblin leader. The old goblin was brimming with authority, her eyes a burning inferno as she stared Raymond down.

“Vorg’s group has this tent surrounded with weapons drawn.” Raymond hissed.

“And what do you expect to do about it?” Shaman demanded, “You were easily beaten by Trog, what makes you think you can take on Vorg’s group alone?”

Raymond glared at the old goblin. Her simmering bloodlust was palpable. Bloodlust and confidence… she really thought she could do it.

*ring, ring* *ring, ring*

Raymond paused as she was about to respond to Shaman and then opened the connection.

“What?” she asked, sounding impatient.

“What are you doing?! I never asked you to purge dissenters. I wanted to gather followers not launch a crusade.” Legion replied, his voice rising with each word.

“But… you said you wanted your enemies to fear you...” she replied uncertainly.

“It’s good that you want to give people a choice but are these goblins my enemies? Or are they simply ignorant? Remember that these goblins won’t respawn… they will die if they are killed.”

“Well?” Shaman demanded.

Raymond hesitated, her mind filling with uncertainty. In the few days that she’d been aware, she had been faced with several difficult circumstances. She’d had to make choices and move forward… and so far she thought it had worked out for her. But now, for the first time, she wondered if she would be making the wrong choice.

“I...I’m not sure…” she mumbled, her shoulders slumping as her bloodlust drained away.

Shaman stared at the dejected girl for a moment before donning a warm, kindly smile. She rose from her wobbling throne and walked forward. She placed a gentle hand on Raymond’s shoulder.

“Come, let me show you.”

Raymond followed after Shaman, her head hanging dejectedly.

“But hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?” Legion said in a softer tone, “We’ve only known each other for a few days, so it’s not surprising that there are a few kinks to work out.”

Raymond nodded, but didn’t respond. A war was raging inside her heart and her mind and perhaps the only person who could understand it was Legion. She felt terrible… sad… she wanted to cry. She wanted Legion’s approval… yet at the same time, she still yearned to teach those goblins not to threaten her… to drink their blood and to hear their agonized screams.

As she exited the tent, bright sunlight blinded her for a moment. She felt a comforting arm wrap around her and her rage bled away.

“Thanks, Lexi.” Raymond whispered.

The catgirl didn’t respond.

Raymond’s eyes focused on the crowd and she shivered with a bit of fear. She had nearly charged out to fight this…

There were sixteen armed goblins surrounding the tent. Vorg stood opposite the entrance flap, a feral grin in his eyes and a small, serrated dagger held out as he crouched, looking ready to pounce. Next to Vorg stood Jug with a sword in his hands. Directly between the entrance and the group was Trog. Urg covered the back left side of the tent and Frog the back right.

Mort casually flew down and settled on Raymond’s shoulder.

“My Lady, what is your will regarding these degenerate creatures?” he asked.

She shook her head, “I don’t know…” she said softly.

“I suggest…” Mort started when he was interrupted.

“Shut it, you cocky piece of shit” Lexi snapped.

“I dare say! Your foul feline has an even more revolting tongue… How repulsive!”

Raymond ignored the exchange as her eyes settled on Shaman. The old goblin walked up beside Trog, her gait strong and confident. She raised her staff and rapped it against the ground. As if striking metal or a hollow surface, the sound reverberated throughout the camp and drew all eyes to her.

“What is the meaning of this?” Shaman demanded.

Vorg stepped forward. “I discovered that you were meeting with the Tether of Legion, the Great One. I simply wished to take part in the meeting as a representative of the Gobber Goblins, but your assassin squad barred the path.”

Shaman sighed, “I ordered them not to allow any interruptions. Why did you draw your weapons? Who drew first?”

Trog grimaced. “It was my fault. I lost my temper and drew first.” he admitted.

As Raymond listened, she felt her heart sink. She had almost jumped into a fight that she couldn’t win against people who wanted to speak with her… because of a misunderstanding!

“Don’t worry about it anymore. What matters is that you didn’t do it. Nobody expects you to be perfect… I’ll always be here to help you and we’ll surround you with good monsters that can help you avoid any mistakes you would make. You don’t have to do this alone.” Legion comforted her.

Raymond felt a tear run down her cheek. She hadn’t cried when she was being eaten alive. She hadn’t cried when she was purged by Divine Retribution or when she had been cut up. She hadn’t yet cried since becoming aware on that mountaintop.

But now, she knew that she had almost messed up badly and for the first time, Raymond cried.

Lexi hugged Raymond tighter and Raymond felt warmth fill her even as her frustration fled through her tears.

All the goblins put their weapons away as Trog stepped back. Vorg turned to look at Raymond and then hesitated when he noticed her tears.

“It seems now is not a good time…” he observed, “Evelyn Raymond, I would speak with you when you have a moment.”

Vorg signaled his Gobbers and they backed off, moving towards another large tent that emitted the stench of food.

Shaman and Og walked over to Raymond.

“Violence doesn’t solve everything, young one.” Shaman said, “Simple misunderstandings and flared tempers can and should be resolved easily by figures of authority. If you walk the path of the Tether, you will lead many more than I do. You have much room to grow.”

Raymond nodded.

“Og, take her to the training area and teach her how to let out her emotions the goblin way. When she is composed, introduce her officially to Vorg and the Glitter Court.”

Og bowed, motioning for Raymond to follow him.

As they were leaving, Shaman grabbed Lexi by the arm and pulled her back towards the tent.

“Now, let’s see about unlocking that Acolyte class for you, meek one.”

***

Lexi followed Shaman back into the tent. She was reluctant to leave Raymond by herself but figured that they were past the most dangerous part.

She had only known Raymond for about a day, but she had already grasped that Raymond was a little unstable. She didn’t know all the reasons and she didn’t care to ask… Raymond was her savior and Lexi would respect and follow her until Raymond didn’t want her around anymore. It was really as simple as that.

She didn’t know what had triggered her to hug Raymond, though. Many times as a slave, she had observed her masters in a state of vulnerability. They always seemed to cheer up when someone hugged them, so she figured she would try it. Perhaps it might also be because until she had met Raymond, she couldn’t remember having received a real hug in her entire life... The feeling and sense of security conveyed was blissful and comforting in the extreme.

Raymond and Legion had become Lexi’s support today. It seemed only fitting to Lexi that she would support them as well… and to further support them, she needed to learn magic.

“Meek one, the path of magic is difficult but rewarding. If this is the path that you desire for yourself, I will teach it to you.” Shaman said, “But do not choose it because others want it for you.”

Lexi thought about that for a moment. Did she want this for herself? She’d already been offered the Fighter class but she turned it down in favor of Legion’s offer. The tantalizing lure of being the first non-human to hold a divine class was almost as alluring as a plate of fish… or a bird.

Lexi nodded. “I want to learn.”

Shaman smiled. “Then sit, make yourself comfortable.”

Lexi complied.

“Close your eyes and search within yourself. Every living being has a core. Some call it energy, others call it mana and some call it ki. It is all fundamentally the same and can be harnessed in different ways for different types of magic.”

Lexi closed her eyes, searching inside of herself. She wasn’t really sure what to look for, though.

“What does the core feel like?” she asked.

“Every mage describes the feeling differently. Mine is somewhat tangy.”

“Tangy?” Lexi asked, curiously.

“When I use my mana, it feels like I’m sucking on oranges.” Shaman replied.

This was the first time Lexi had heard anything like that about magic. She searched for something ‘tangy’ within her, but to no avail. Then a thought came to her.

“Do you like oranges?” Lexi asked.

“Indeed. Oranges are my favorite food.”

Lexi smiled. She could work with that. She didn’t particularly care for oranges so searching for a ‘tangy’ sense was probably not the best for her. Instead, she focused on the deliciousness of fresh salmon. She pursued the sense, following it through her mind and letting her love for the delicious fish fill her body.

She felt something shift and then a warm sensation filled her. The scent of fresh salmon permeated the air as she felt a well of power spring up inside of her.

Shaman coughed in surprise.

“Incredible! You are already emitting a magical aura!”

Lexi grinned, especially as she noticed that the smell of fish persisted.

“What’s next?”

“There are only two requirements to unlock the Acolyte class. Learning to sense your aura and then using it to cast a spell. I was expecting this to take you a few days, but it seems we can move on already…”

Lexi purred with excitement. This was the best day ever!

***

“Hey Auto…”

“Yes?”

“What is a god?”

“Please provide context behind your inquiry.”

I pointed at Raymond’s hunched form as she followed behind Og. “She is my Tether and my follower… and I am her god. I can feel her sadness and pain… and I can’t do anything about it!” my voice rising in tone until I was practically shouting.

I took a moment to calm myself, then spoke again softly. “What is my purpose here? Why do Overseer’s exist? Why did I become an Overseer?”

“I cannot answer.” Auto replied evenly.

“Cannot, or will not?” I challenged.

“I cannot. I am not authorized to access data on the purpose of Overseers and I do not know why you became one. They simply exist.”

“I can’t accept that. Who controls access to that data? It sounds like there is someone more powerful than Overseers running the show.”

“Of course.”

Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me.

“What kind of entities could be greater than the gods?”

“Precursors. The entity known as ‘Demestrix’ that these goblins mentioned is one such being. There are currently four Precursors that reside on this world.”

“Are any of those four your boss?”

“Negative.”

Figures.

I sighed. The more I learned about this world and the universe, the more curious I became about what else is out there and the more nervous I became about the future. I had the feeling that Raymond hasn’t encountered anything truly dangerous yet… whatever was out there, it forced Evelyn, presumably the most powerful assassin in the world, to risk everything on some sort of ritual to gain true immortality.

Though I knew very little about Evelyn, so it’s difficult to judge what level of threat that might be.

I remembered that I had promised Raymond information about Evelyn anyways, so I might as well ask.

“Auto, what can you tell me about ‘Evelyn Raymond’?”