My mind cleared from the unexpected threat, and I just raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you think I am not one of your people?"

I only just managed to dodge to the side and seek refuge behind a small table as one of the fireballs was flung at my head. No more came, and I slowly looked across the table. The Gurossa stared at me, her eyes as bright as the fireballs. With a quick move, she resummoned the fourth.

"I ask the questions, you answer. Now! Who, or what are you?"

It seemed I wasn't getting out of this easily, not exactly what I had hoped for when heading to the Grablons. Wondering what had given me away, I sighed and stood up, patting my legs of non-existent dust.

I tried to think of a way out of this mess and almost concocted an elaborate lie. Then I remembered that if all went well, hundreds of thousands or even more humans might change into Grablons. Perhaps it would pay to pave the way for them.

"What do you know of Rathica?" I said, hoping she wouldn't see it as another question to evade the issue.

"Who?"

"The Deity you just spoke about," I said, trying not to sound too dismissive.

"Only that she came out of nowhere with a single follower who has been gravely angering Cinderage’s faction," the Gurossa said. Although she seemed fine with answering this question, the tension she exuded hadn't diminished in the slightest.

"Do you know anything about Guidar?"

The Gurossa hissed, and her eyes narrowed.

"I see that you know something about them. Do you know that they are evil and care little for any life outside their own?"

The Gurossa shook her head as she looked at me in disbelief. "The Guidar are the stuff of legend, things to scare children. They are not real!" she said, and I could feel the tension mount again.

"They are real!" I quickly said, holding two hands up in a bid to stave off any more violence while trying to convey as much sincerity as I could.

It was quiet for a while as the Gurossa looked at me. For a moment, I thought she was going to attack, then she snuffed out one fireball and cast another spell. A wobbly blue flame hung above her outstretched hand, and she seemed to strain to keep it there.

"Speak plain words, and answer questions with yes or no."

Staring at the flame, I frowned then nodded. Some sort of truth spell?

"Are the Guidar real?"

"They are- yes!" I quickly changed my answer when she glared at me dangerously. Immediately, she looked intensely at the blue flame, but it seemed to remain the same.

"Do you have proof?"

"No," I said automatically, and the flame turned red.

"Don't lie! If you have proof, show me!" The Gurossa snarled.

I blinked, confused. "I'm not lying. I don't know what proof I should have..." seeing the flame turn red again, I frowned even more. What was going on? The thing was obviously some type of lie detector, but why did it say I was lying?

"Think well and good about your next answer," the Gurossa said.

"Do you have anything that can prove they really exist on you?"

This time I didn't reply immediately, trying to think of anything I could have. I had no items from Earth or from any of the Guidar. I had barely anything more than the naked body I had when I first arrived in this world.

My eyes widened. My body!

"I am not sure how to explain, but perhaps my body can stand as proof," I said carefully. This time the flame remained blue, and the Gurossa looked at it with as much confusion as I felt.

"What do you mean with that," she finally said, looking at the flame as if she doubted it.

"I am not sure… but I am not from this world," I said, waiting as I stared at the flame. It remained blue.

"The Guidar took me from my world and put me in this body... apparently, there is some way to verify this."

Again the flame remained blue, and I sighed in relief. Then I frowned. How was I ever going to prove this, and what would the repercussions of it be?

The Gurossa waited for a while, looking at the flame and examining me. Then, with a tired sigh, she straightened, and the flame disappeared. The three fireballs remained, though, as did her wary look.

"Say for a moment I believe what you tell me. Why would these Guidar do this, and what does... Rathica have to do with any of this?"

I wasn't sure how to answer her second question, so I quickly thought of an answer to the first. After a few seconds of ordering my thoughts, I began explaining how the Guidar were trying to take over my world. The Gurossa quietly stared at me, her face not giving away what she was thinking. When I had finished, she was quiet for a while longer, and then she moved to the door.

"Get in here."

Her words were barely in the air before the door opened, and two angry-looking guards barged in. They looked at me with an intensity that made me shudder.

"Take him to the holding cell. I need to get in touch with the others so we can decide what to do."

I flinched and took a step back, which got me a dangerous look from the guards.

"Wait. You can't. I need to get my people new bodies, or they will all be left at the whims of the Guidar," I said, readying myself to resist if I had to.

"Either you go with them quietly, or I will force you. I don't trust you and need to verify what you've said," the Gurossa said, as she and the guards turned towards me.

Shit, if they put me in jail, who knows how long I'll be there? Backing up, I wondered for a moment how large the chance was that I could escape some cell, then I shook my head. Fine. I didn't want it to come to this but…

"Rathica, some assistance?" I said, at the same time, sending out as loud a prayer as I could.

The guards looked at me in surprise, while the Gurossa looked at me in ridicule.

"Ridiculous, what are you even trying! Not even the most powerful Primes of the deities can request…" her voice trailed off as a ruddy glow appeared in the middle of the room, quickly followed by a four-armed version of Rathica. She looked at me, and raised an eyebrow.

"Really, Est? Can't you even talk your way out of something like this? I told you I am busy cultivating that tree of life."

I snorted and shook my head. "You could have told me where I was and what I could expect," I retorted.

"You have to learn to stand on your own two legs. After I get more Primes and millions of followers, I can't constantly be here to hold up your trousers," Rathica said with a twinkle in her eyes.

I shrugged. She was right, which was why I didn't feel like asking for any help to start with. Still, it was interesting that she did come, I hadn't really expected it. My secondary plan had been to just battle my way out. Turning to the door, I looked at the three totally stunned Grablons. The Gurossa was looking at Rathica with wide eyes. When she saw me look at her, her eyes narrowed, and she moved her hands a fraction.

"Don't do that... I am not here to show you how powerful I am," Rathica snapped, disappearing from where she stood and arriving in front of the Gurossa. With three hands, she snuffed out the fireballs as if they were matches.

The Gurossa swallowed audibly and took a step back.

"Now, send those two away and sit down. It isn't too bad to have a discussion with you now. I'd planned to contact you at some point anyway."

She did? I thought, slightly confused.

The two guards got a far-off look in their eyes, and as one they moved through the door, the last of the two closing it resolutely behind him.

The Gurossa swallowed again, then moved towards a couch in the corner of her room. She thudded down on it as if she had a hard time remaining on her feet. Then she just stared at Rathica.

"Could you stop imagining me killing all of you?" Rathica said as she waved her hand and sat down on a straight-backed wooden chair that popped up out of nowhere.

Seriously? I laughed at the act before sitting down on the ground with a half-smirk.

"So, let's get the easy things out of the way. No, Est is not a natural Grablon, yes he can be trusted, and no, I am not a Grablon only deity...satisfied? Good."

I had a hard time holding in my laughter as I looked at the quickly changing face of the previously so austere Grablon Gursossa. It felt great to have someone else experience having their minds read and questions answered before they had even realized they had any in the first place.

"Now, to the more important thing at hand. I need you to do something for me…well for Est really, but that's about the same thing right now."

I lay down on one elbow, looking up at Rathica's majestic figure. She had piqued my curiosity. What could she need help with?

She barked a laugh, and I looked at her in surprise.

"Both of you just thought the same thing at the same time!" Rathica said before turning to the Gurossa.

"Your first question is easy. The Shallow Gale mountains, do you know of them?"

The Gurossa tried to say something, grunted and coughed, then tried again.

"Yes, they lie in the most northeast area of Gramanite. Inhospitable, dangerous, and shrouded in perpetual demon blood rains." The Gurossa blinked when she finished talking, appearing surprised at how much she had divulged.

"Indeed. It is unfit for your people to live, so I propose the following. You will speak with your council of elders and surrender the entire mountain range to my followers."

I wasn't sure who was more surprised at her request, me or the Gurossa. But the Gurossa was the more vocal.

"Impossible!" She snarled, pushing herself up. "Why would we-"

"Because I will return the name of your Deity to your people, allowing you to reconnect with him."

The Gurossa fell silent, a look of utter shock on her face, quickly changing to one of intense desire and hope.

She will? I was getting even more confused as I recalled what I knew about Deities. Either that Deity had to be gone, like Rathica had been, and needed to be reformed, meaning a name would be useless, or it shouldn't need help connecting with its followers...should it?

Keep silent, Rathica's voice whispered in my mind, and I blinked.

You might want to explain what is going on?

I will after we are done here.

"How can I know you can deliver what you promise?" The Gurossa asked, but I knew it was no more than a formality. Her gaze showed that she would be delivering upon the request and praying the result came through.

"Simple. Because I will create a bastion for my followers in the Shallow Gale mountains, making us neighbors. I suspect many of them will turn into Grablons, making it the ideal location.

This time my eyebrows shot up. Why would many of them become Grablons? I asked. The answer was somewhat disorienting, as Rathica began answering some questions on the minutia from the Gurossa while at the same time speaking to me.

Because we won't give them a choice? Rathica's voice echoed through my mind, with a slight amount of humor in it.

And why not? I asked, trying to figure out how I felt about forcing something like that on Rathica knew how many people.

Because your people don't work well if they are too divided. I've been roaming around your world, watching what your people do, and I have to say, they aren't all as nice as you.

You can go to Earth?! I barely refrained from jumping up, completely forgetting what she said about Earth's people being divided.

I hadn't thought of what was going on there for a long time, mainly because there wasn't much I could do about it, but also because I didn't have that many people I really missed. But there were some, amongst whom were my old Nana. If Rathica could go to Earth, she could see if she was alright and perhaps look into a few other acquaintances I had.

I'll see what I can do, but going there is starting to get dangerous, Rathica finally said.

It took me a moment to calm down, and I realized that the Gurossa was writing something in a book, staring at the page with great intensity.

"They want to speak to you," she finally said, looking at Rathica.

Rathica just nodded, but nothing happened. After a few moments, Rathica nodded and got up.

"I am in conclave with them, but it will probably work out. In the meantime, I need you to release Est so he can continue on his mission."

The Gurossa nodded fervently, all previous reserve gone. "As you command, Great one!"

I raised my eyebrows, but a look from Rathica stifled the questions the title prompted.

Rathica turned back to the Gurossa. "Keep your book close. As soon as the deal is struck, you will get more things to do." Then she whisked out of existence, leaving the Gurossa and me alone in the room in stunned silence.

After a few seconds, I sighed and moved towards the door. "Right, glad to meet you, but if you don't mind, I'll be off now."

The Gurossa stared at me for a while, then nodded. She walked towards the door, casting covert glances as we moved, making me slightly uncomfortable. The two guards outside were looking at her, still slightly muddled.

When they saw the Gurossa, I could almost see the fog clearing from their minds, and they jumped towards me.

"Stay your hand!" the Gurossa said, stepping between us.

"Bring him outside, and-"

"Can I get some food?" I asked, deciding if we were on good terms now, I might as well take more advantage of it.

The Gurossa frowned and looked me over. The guards seemed utterly confused, looking from her to me and back.

"Bring him to the barracks, so he can wash. Then provide him with a new set of clothing, a meal, and provisions for…" she looked at me.

"From here to the Harrowing Hills," I said.

She blinked, seemed to think for a bit, then nodded. "Get him provisions for a week then, and when everything is done, escort him to the docks. The Foul Breath should be about ready to head to Orlion. Tell the captain he is to take Est safely to Orlion."

I almost whistled at the change of treatment but refrained. Instead, I nodded to the Gurossa. "Thanks, and sorry for the mixup earlier."

Ok, perhaps not so much different, I thought as I looked at the door for a moment.

The guards silently waited for me to follow them.

I wonder if Rathica would help me like this more often, I thought, wondering how much mind-addling she had done to the Gurossa to get her pliable at the start.

A soft laugh tinkled through my mind. Not that much. They just really want that geezer back. Now, get a move on. The tree is growing nicely, even with these disturbances, but one tree will get us perhaps a hundred thousand bodies a week.

I nodded, silently following the guards and eagerly looking forward to a bath and a hot meal.