They hunted during those five days. It was their way of stretching the time they had before Nero had to depart, abusing the Dungeon's time dilation effects. Each of these days was productive and profitable. The party earned between six and eight Accolades each day of mushroom killing. Nero gained three points of Dexterity and Perception, plus a point of Willpower. Altia got two on Reason, Willpower, and Perception. Even if they stretched their time together the most they were comfortable with, the day came all the same. It was time to move to the field camp. They removed all objects from the shelter except Nero's workshop, pets, and the house-tree. Everything went into Crystal's dimensional pouch.

Prince Tyre didn't come to pick them up. The job was delegated to Captain Valanaegornif. He was brimming with dismay when he showed up at Nero's door. It was one thing Nero found odd from the prince's visit. The elf was being punished for something, and the Prince said as much during their interview. Whether it was a demotion or some kind of internal conflict, he wanted nothing to do with it.

Nero took Daisy out of the shelter and everyone gathered at the living room to say their goodbyes.

"Time to go," Nero told Altia with a heavy voice. "I'll write every day. I know the letters will be read by the prince's spies but I still think they'll be delivered."

She didn't answer. After a minute, Crystal peeled her off to let Nero say his goodbyes.

"Take care, son," Rhynne kissed him. "And don't fall into their taunts. They might provoke you, tell jokes. Keep your wits about you."

"Yeah. It is a shitty job," Byron nodded at what his wife said. "But it is a well-paying job. They won't dare piss all of us off. Keep your head down, it is not the time to be proud. The prince has that for the whole army."

"He will keep his word," Crystal reassured both Nero and Altia. "He can't afford to tarnish his reputation further."

After that, he turned to the eanlings. Now that the edict is valid, they were able to stay out of the shelter without fear of being captured.

"Nero, we are forever in your debt. If there's anything we can do to help, just say the word," Knazer shook his hand.

"Well, don't say it as if you're going away after I'm gone," Nero joked. "You are only protected from the draft while you work for me."

"We know," Fotia elbowed her twin brother. "We'll work hard here as part of your family."

"I know. Thank you. I do have a task for you two," Nero replied. "Keep these two young ladies here," He put one hand on Crystal's shoulder and another on Altia's crown. "Delve with them and grow stronger. Keep them safe. Don't die. Any of you."

Knazer grinned. "You got it, boss."

Fotia curtsied. "Stay safe, milord," she tested the waters with the word.

"Nothing of that," Nero glared and then beamed. "I'm no lord."

He hugged Altia again and did another round of hugs, kisses, and handshakes.

"Good, good. We shouldn't keep Mr. Knight waiting or he'll grow wrinkles," Amaryllis pulled Nero away from his family. "Don't worry, professor Glom and I will keep an eye on him until they are leaving Honeywitch!"

Amaryllis and Glom went outside with Nero. Glom got a ticket on a nightly military train - all trains were military now - going to the capital from Honeywitch, carrying mail, and other documents.

"Good. You are all here," Valanaegornif said curtly, visibly annoyed. "Let's get moving, His Highness is waiting for you in Honeywitch."

Nero wondered what made the smug elf like that. They weren't late but he clearly wasn’t enjoying picking them up. It seemed he'd have to endure Valanaegornif for some time. He was conflicted between finding out or letting it go. Not knowing could come back to bite him, but snooping on someone else's business was also bad. Nero picked up Glom's trunk-house-workshop and went with them.

They walked in silence down the road to the station, the elf and his guard ahead of them, Glom bounding along and Amaryllis sitting on Nero's shoulder.

The pixie grasped a tuft of his hair to balance herself and leaned to whisper in his ear. "It's safe to talk between us. I set a wind barrier. Listen, there are nine factions in the Knights. One for each prince, one for the King, and the last for the Queen. Valanaegornif was part of the prestigious King faction but he was transferred, no, demoted, to Tyre's group and sent to a front they have no hope of winning because they didn't commit enough soldiers. Coriander will take Honeywitch."

it could be one of two things. Either Valanaegornif was demoted or he was sent to keep tabs on the prince. It would explain how Tyre treated the elf if the prince was aware of that. But that wasn't Nero's problem so he shelved it. His opinion of the elf was heavily biased. The man tried to hit on his woman and mother on the same day. Nero's top ten "rule three future targets" list included Valanaegornif and prince Tyre.

"What about me blowing up a Dungeon?" Nero asked, still annoyed at her scheming. But she did say something about a vision she had so he was curious.

"That would stop Coriander and give Bast a breather to rally. You won't do that, I hope. Your father's advice is solid, I hate to admit. Keep your head low. Think of your payment. That pardon is no small thing. The leonals are big on their concept of honor and almost never back down on their word once given. Crystal and the twins are safe now."

And Altia had a trustworthy party to delve with. She would need that support. He was not ten minutes away from home and already missed her. But Amaryllis was right. He was doing that for them.

Two soldiers slowed down and boxed Nero. Even though the wind barrier prevented them from eavesdropping, the lack of sound coming from Nero was enough to make them know they were talking about something. Nobody spoke until they reached the train station. The knights were walking fast and Nero had to struggle to keep up with them.

The train was there, waiting for them but it wasn't the normal passenger train. The engine was the same but it only pulled three armored wagons. Thick plates of metal protected the sides and left just slanted slits on the top for ventilation of the inner carriage. Arrow slits between the plates would allow archers or gunners to shoot through. Finally, two turrets above each of them held a squad of watchful soldiers each, scanning the surroundings.

"You civilians take the one in the middle," Valanaegornif ordered with notes of anger in his voice. It was obvious he thought himself above the job of fetching someone in the middle of nowhere. It was strange that the prince sent the captain to get Nero and that reinforced his suspicion. The two didn't see eye to eye.

"Not bad," The pixie mused. "At least it is the safest one."

The interior of the wagon was spartan. Wooden benches facing each other in groups of two for middle-sized people occupied sixty percent of the vehicle. At the back some single-seats for bigger races and at the front a raised stand built above some cabinets for small races. The benches' seat and backrest had a cushion covered with leather affixed with rivets to the wood.

Two people sat at the end of the rows of middle-sized benches with their backs to the entrance, guarded by two soldiers. Probably prisoners by the rattling of chains coming from there as they moved.

Nero placed Glom's trunk between two benches on the right side of the wagon where it wouldn't move too much and sat where the window should be on the left side of the same row. The frame where a glass pane once sat was still visible from this side, showing that it was a converted civilian wagon. He was startled by a sudden wind on his ear followed by a giggle.

"Don't sulk," Still on his shoulder, Amaryllis tried to cheer him up. "Glom and I have a couple surprises for you when we get to the city. You'll like it." She looked at the squiig across the bench and winked. "I'm your fairy godmother, I'll protect you with my magic. We just need a pumpkin now."

Amaryllis flew from his shoulder and landed next to Glom, taking one of the small seats.

"Why a pumpkin?" Nero asked.

She smirked mysteriously and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "You wouldn't understand. It's a story I once heard several centuries ago from a traveler from a very distant land."

"You have nothing to fear, Nero," Glom reassured him. "If the prince wanted to harm you, he'd not seek official channels and leave a document trail behind."

The chains at the end of the wagon rattled noticeably. The two male prisoners talked in hushed voices for a while before a smack from the guards made them silent again.

"You may be right but I still don't like it," Nero ignored the commotion and continued.

"It's a job. It wouldn't be work if you liked it," Glom joked. The engine hissed and the train shook. "Oh, we're departing. Enjoy the trip, Nero."

Another commotion from the back. Nero didn't turn around and instead sank into his own thoughts.

The train moved faster than normal. Probably because it is armored or they improved the security along the road. Less than two hours later, they arrived at Honeywitch station. Nero didn't even see the gate before the shadow of the wall covered them.

"We've arrived! Let's go see what prince Tyke wants," Amaryllis flew up and around them.

Nero picked up Glom's large trunk and they got out of the train. The station was deserted, save for some soldiers loading crates from the back wagon into some horse-drawn carts. The elf Captain appeared from the first wagon's door and called them.

"This way. His Highness is at the Count's castle."

The once lively and busy city was almost deserted. Whoever could move to a safer place did and only soldiers and the destitute walked the streets. Their escort prevented any of the beggars from joining but Nero saw clear signs of starvation and disease among those brave enough to remain on the edges of the alleys as they walked by. Most notably, the fur on the arms of some of the beastfolk was falling, leaving spots of exposed skin.

Nero pointed at some of the beggars, drawing Amaryllis' attention to them. The pixie closed her eyes and shook her head. "There's little we can do for them," She whispered. "And if you do anything, they'll latch onto you. It's tragic but that's how life is. They could go out into the countryside to try their luck foraging or anything else but chose the apparent comfort of the city walls."

The group didn't pass near the places they visited during their family trip but Nero was sure they were closed. Once they reached the upper city, things got better. Guard patrols were frequent, and the well-to-do city folk walked and talked around the market and shops as if there wasn't a bloodthirsty army a couple hundred miles away ready to take over their city. Some ladies even greeted the elf captain, finally drawing a smile from him.

Glom called the captain's attention. "I must make a quick detour. Would that be a problem, captain?"

The elf shook his head. "No. Some business in town?"

"Yes, I'd like to see some acquaintances before departing tomorrow."

"Ferandas, escort the professor," Valanaegornif ordered. One of the knights with him saluted and moved to Glom's side.

"I'll need my trunk, Nero," Glom said. "I'll find you at the castle's waiting room once I'm done."

The knight easily took the heavy trunk and walked after the bounding [Gadgeteer].

Glom was perfectly capable of walking, but in places with lots of people, he moved in leaps so people could see he was there. Nero watched him go for a while and then looked ahead and up to see Honeywitch's most imposing building. The count's castle was at the highest point of the city, with its own set of walls. The tall towers built with gray-white stone blocks granted great visibility to all of Honeywitch Valley. It was hard to believe this castle was destined to fall if Amaryllis' prediction was correct.

Maybe even Hom could be seen from the top of those towers, Nero thought. They crossed the gatehouse without stopping, the guards with the count's livery snapping into attention as the knights passed.

Prince Tyre was at the main hall, brimming with expectation. The grin in his feline face felt more like a predatorial snarl, showing his sharp teeth at the sides of his muzzle but his body language seemed friendly enough.

"There you are, the famous Nero Zero! Glad to see you. Captain, you are dismissed. Here, this way."

Nero stole a glance at Valanaegornif's face as he walked past the elf. The knight was literally grinding his teeth. The young man fought to suppress a chuckle and followed the prince into an atelier on the second floor of the castle. An elven painter bowed when the prince entered. A series of paintings of a tent pavilion in a summer savannah occupied the entirety of the atelier. Nero examined the one closer to the door and as he suspected, it was made with [Magic Ink] just like his.

The prince reached the painter and introduced them. "Nero, this is master Niven Grennan, a painter of great renown. Master Grennan, this is Nero."

"Your Highness! Is this the lad that will make my art come alive?" The elf asked, pointing at Nero. He seemed happy and eager to see Nero's shelter.

"Indeed he is," Tyre said, spreading his arms. "Nero, can you do it?"

"I can do the scenery and the plants. The tent, however, has to be a real object," Nero said. "I'll need a day or two to get it perfect. I'll also need to stay alone in this room while I work. Once I get the gist of it, I'd like to ask master Grennan to come inside and give his approval before we show it to you, Your Highness."

Tyre listened carefully then nodded. "You have today. At night, Master Grennan will stay with you as long as it takes to get the place perfect. Tomorrow morning, we depart."

Nero frowned a bit. It was almost noon. He would need Once he was done brooding, the prince and the painter were gone. The doors to the atelier were closed. He found himself alone with Amaryllis.

"I guess it is time to work," Nero said with a frown.

"Oh. Wait," Amaryllis said. "Let me seal the room against eavesdropping first." She flew around, casting some kind of spell at the eight corners of the room. She returned and landed on a table. "Nero, since you are going to work on your shelter now, I'm going to give you my gift now."

Nero grinned. "Yes, fairy godmother," He snorted with joy.

"You like that title so much, don't you? It's no big deal," She said, a bit bashful. "Well, I am a fairy and your godmother. Can't be helped. Wait a moment."

She took her magical box of cards, the one that shares a subspace with every other guildmaster in the continent. Or the world. Nero had no idea of the box's scope. She pulled a card and held it with its back to him.

"Here it is. I think it is a worthy gift to earn your forgiveness for this whole mess."

She showed him the card. [Chains of Kherghak], the title read. As orange as the first time, he saw that. Nero took a deep breath. He was hoping to negotiate that card with Amaryllis after this job, but to get it as a gift?

"Are you sure?" He asked, wary.

He felt a bit numb. Truly, he scoffed at the card when he was negotiating, saying he could go and farm as many Accolades in a single delve, but it was all bravado. The mental fortitude to attain that would be insurmountable. His biggest record of Accolades in a single delve was still eleven, the delve when he killed the yellow-grade goblin alone.

She splurted, something between a laugh, a snort, and a blown raspberry. "Of course, silly! This card would rot in that box for who-knows-how-many-centuries! Come on, take it."

He took the card and admired it.

[Chains of Kherghak] - orange Skill. No requirements.

+[3*X] All Attributes.

"True power lies not in raw power, but in control."

Special: This Skill requires no Skill slot.

Effect: When first equipping this Skill, permanently divide your level cap by X - an integer between 2 and 5 - and apply this value to the Attribute bonus. Increase all your resource pools by 5*X.

"C'mon, use it!" She tugged his sleeve. "Show all those chickens that never got the guts to pay for the card to test it on some sorry bum how it's done!"

Nero paused. That was a loaded statement, something related to the backstory of that card. "Do you mean nobody knows how this card works?"

"None of them. There are some cards from this Kherghak fellow that do the same thing. Divide your cap to gain some crap. Not me, a bard made that verse. But go ahead, we're making history here. And you don't have much time to waste dawdling."

He inserted the card into an empty slot of his Arbitrium. "Here it goes. [Chains of Kherghak], I choose five for the variable value."

The card activated. Nero felt a jolt down his body, and everything went out of order. His senses overloaded, his body twitched and tingled. He felt like he was cooking and freezing at the same time. Amarillis cast a spell and his body froze in place after a moment. Once his senses returned and he regained control of his body, He checked his Status.

Nero [jester 0/0]

Strength: +54

Vigor +80

Endurance +60 [Stamina: 85]

Agility +53

Dexterity +64

Reason +51

Willpower +63 [Mana: 88]

Perception +46

Charisma +37

The list of Special traits and his slot-less Skills followed underneath. [Chains of Kherghak]'s effect was listed where it should.

"It worked. Everything went up as it should. Here, check it out," He changed the visibility setting to anyone and showed it to her.

"Wow. That's awesome. Next spring, we're going to track down more of these for you," she said with the weigh of a promise.

"I think I can fudge the shelter now. Maybe keep my oak tree-house and do Tyre's wild retreat as separate environments. Let me calculate the size again."

Nero took the [Scout] card he used to create the shelter and checked its traits.

[Scout] - green - bound to Nero.

+4 Dexterity [+2]

+12 Reason [+6]

+6 Willpower [+3]

+8 Perception [+4]

Special: Add a quarter of your Dexterity to Perception.

- [Boundless Mana] - Increase your mana pool by 25%.

- [Sharp Senses] - Add a fifth of Reason to Perception.

- [Agile Mind] - Add half of your Agility to Reason to determine the effect of your Spells.

- [Mens Sana in Corpore Sano] - Add half your Vigor to Reason to determine the effect of your Spells.

- [Fickle Intellect] - Reduce your Willpower by half. Increase your Reason by the same amount.

- [Enlarge Spell] - Spend 1 point of mana and stamina in addition to other costs as part of casting a spell. Multiply the area or volume of a Spell by Reason / 3.

He did the math and couldn't believe. His multiplicative Skills compounding made the new shelter's size grow to alarming thirty-two hundred feet of radius to fourteen hundred in height. It was more than ten times the previous values. The area alone was more than a square mile. His specialized build felt like a cheat.

"So, how big will it be?" Amaryllis asked. She was hovering over his shoulder.

"A square mile of ground, fourteen hundred feet high."

He looked at her, she didn't seem surprised or alarmed. "It's huge!" He exclaimed, surprised and alarmed.

"It is a bit above what you should get for your current Attributes, but not impossible. My pouch has more room than that."

"No way," He gasped.

"Yes, way. How do you think I was able to loot a castle?" The smug pixie retorted.

"The minotaur king's?"

"It's Tyre's now. I sold it. One of the reasons I'm following you is to deliver the thing.

His eyes went down to the tiny belt at her waist. "You have a castle in there," he said in disbelief. She nodded. "A building like the one we are in right now."

"A bit larger," She quipped with a huge grin. "And maybe I don't have only one."

He stared at her tiny iridescent eyes for a while. "I should give up on understanding, shouldn't I?"

"That would be wise. Don't you have a job to do?"

Nero snorted then chortled. Amaryllis laughed with him. Once he exhausted his breath, he focused.

"I'm going to recast the shelter to change its size now. Wish me luck."

"Luck!" The pixie giggled.

Nero didn't use the whole radius. He set it to six hundred feet, double of the original. It was stupid of him to expose his whole hand. So he imagined the shelter with two spaces. One, the original one at the bottom with a ring of granite three hundred feet thick, the strongest rock he could think of, surrounding the beach and the oak tree. Then a block more than seven hundred feet thick of solid granite on top of the first space, fifty feet of dirt over the granite. There was a bit less than four hundred feet of height left. On that top space, Tyre would have twenty-five acres of space for his camp.

Nero looked at the paintings and painted inside the shelter with his imagination. A vast savanna valley, surrounded by tall mountains in the distance was the backdrop of the walls. A hot blue tropical summer sky with sparse clouds and a lot of wind. The ground was covered a knee-height verdant grass, perfect for prowling. It was the same grass he captured the badgers at the Hyena Dungeon. Acacia trees dotted the sea of grass at sparse intervals. He added a lake twenty feet deep by four acres of surface, a hill with a copse of evergreen trees from which a stream brought fresh water to the lake.

He finished picturing everything in his mind and let the spell do its magic. He felt the tug as the spell drained thirty-five points of mana and changed the inside as he pictured. Nero opened his eyes. He was drenched in sweat.

"Wow, that took a long time," Amaryllis commented. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, fine. It took half my mana pool. How long was I out?"

"More than an hour. Now lie down and rest for a while. I'm going outside and will be back soon with the painter."

She flew outside. Nero didn't lie down on the ground. He swapped Classes, opened a portal to the upper environment, checked everything inside. He left, opened another to the lower shelter, and found his pets waiting for him. The illusions of the walls and roof remained the same, despite the fact the same surfaces were now breakable. He ran around and everything was just like he remembered. Nero went outside, shut the portal before any pets could escape, and laid down on a chaise longue to rest.

He fell asleep.