Bastian's long legs carried him forward quickly, and I had to jog to keep up as he strode through the city's crowded streets. I had expected him to bring me to some remote area. However, looking around the bustling mass of people, I knew this had to be a central trading area, perhaps even the city center.

Shops lined the walls everywhere I looked, ranging from interior decorations and cooking utensils to a whole side filled with a massive assortment of swords and daggers.

"There's only one place you might be able to get seeds," Bastian said as he pointed ahead. "Most people have no use for them here."

Makes sense, I thought as I looked around. There was barely any space in the city, each filled with buildings of some sort, creating a patchwork look.

Being one of the tallest people around, Bastion could become easily look across the heads ahead of us, but all I saw was heads and hair. I debated jumping to see what he was pointing at but decided against it. We were drawing enough attention as it was. I didn't see any Grablons around, and most of the other Goliarn were moving around at an average pace.

Dammit, I shouldn't have said I was in a hurry, I thought as I gritted my teeth when a duo of guards eyed us.

Before they could decide to investigate what we were up to, Bastian pushed himself through a crowd, and as I followed him, I was suddenly out of the mass of people, standing on the edge of a clearing in front of a large building.

A large and expensive wooden slab hung above the door that read Antoni's Wood Emporium. It was written in gaudy green and golden letters. Through the thick, blurry windows, I could make out beautiful wooden chairs and cupboards, and between those, a smattering of other wood-crafted items—more than I'd seen in any single place.

Bastian stomped across the paved clearing and towards the closed double door. Beside them stood a tall, lanky Mirolon, heavily armored and with his arms crossed. He was taller than me, and almost eye to eye with Bastian, impressive as most of his kind were small and lith. As we stepped towards him, he put his hand on the handle of a longsword that hung from his waist.

"Greetings, what can Antoni's help you with?" he said, his voice as smooth and oily as I'd come to expect from Mirolon.

"My friend here is in search of seeds and saplings," Bastian rumbled, narrowing his eyes.

"My apologies, we only buy those," the Mirolon said as he waved his hand as if we were flies. "Please try your luck elsewhere."

Bastian grunted and stepped closer. "I'm sure they will make an exception for us."

The guard didn't back down, but I saw his hand grip the blade handle.

"I'm sure we won't," he said, his voice lowering dangerously.

The hell are you trying to pick a fight for? I thought as I stepped forward, my hands itching. I kept them to my side, though. It wouldn't help us get seeds if we beat up some guard.

"Tell them that if they sell me some, I'll grow a tree for them," I said, praying that Par's changes to sprout life were potent enough for that.

The guard kept Bastian's stare for a few moments before turning and examining me. He frowned when he saw my ax, but when his eyes fell on my chest plate, they widened.

"One moment," he said, then turned on his heels and moved towards the doors. He banged on them until a small section slid open and another Mirolon head poked out.

"What? You know we are busy-" the Mirolon's angry snarl cut short as his eyes fell on Bastion and me.

"Customers?" he asked, a wide smile wiping away his previous anger, his voice turning more oily than that of the guard.

"No," the guard said. "But that one says he can grow us a tree if we sell him seeds. I would say that if he can't make good on his claim, he can pay for his hubris with that chest plate."

What? I thought as I glanced at the guard, nothing his sparkling eyes on my chest plate. Hubris, huh?

Through the slit in the door, the other pair of eyes looked at my chest plate and instantly started glistening. "Indeed! That seems fair," he said, sounding incredibly pleased with the idea.

We'll see about that, I thought as I decided I'd need to cover up my chest plate.

The small view section was quickly slid closed, and the door opened. A much smaller, sharply dressed Mirolon smiled and beckoned us.

"Come inside, come inside! My name is Antoni!" the Mirolon said, his greasy smile widening.

Lovely, I thought, wondering why all salesman were alike. I looked at Bastian and raised my eyebrow, wondering if there was another way. He just shrugged and stepped inside.

I followed him into a large room that smelled of freshly oiled wood and sawdust with a weary sigh. Wooden carvings, stools, chairs, closets, and even weapons stood and hung all around us, creating a cramped and chaotic atmosphere. On the far end of the room were two doors, one that led into a crafting area and another through which daylight streamed. Behind that one, I saw bushes and saplings.

"Good," Antoni said as he rubbed his hands while staring at my chest plate. "Such a wonderfully large piece of Basil wood. Sadly the craftsman who made it into a chest plate is a fool! I can see the edges have already tasted demon blood," Antoni said sadly before focusing on me.

"No matter, let us get down to business! If you grow a tree from one of our seeds, I'll sell you some. If you fail, you will give me that chest plate!"

I laughed and shook my head. "You are dreaming. Give me a seed so I can grow it for you, and after that, we will discuss what you will pay me for growing you the tree."

"What, and have you waste my time?" Antoni said, putting a hard on his chest. "That's not really a-"

Bastian stepped forward, towering over the smaller man. "See it as you paying back your misconduct of talking back to two Primes," he snarled as he lowered his head.

I looked at Bastian, startled by both his words and the intensity with which he spoke. There was a deeply rooted hate in his tone that was worrying.

Antoni's eyes widened, then he took a step back and glared at us.

"Everyone can say they're Prime. Prove it."

Bastian sniffed. "You must have heard of me and probably even seen me when that fool paraded me around.

"No idea," Antoni sniffed, and I saw Bastians face darken.

Before he could snap, I stepped forward while at the same time grabbing a random ring from the pouch that hung from my crafter's belt. I raised it in the light, and Antoni's gaze snapped towards it. For a moment, he seemed confused, then his eyes widened, and he stepped closer, his hand stretched as if to grab it.

I still didn't know what type of wood it was, but Antoni obviously did. He was practically drooling as I closed my hand around the ring.

A bit strong of a reaction, I thought as my eyebrows rose.

"Deific wood… where did you get that?" Antoni whispered as his gaze remained on my hand.

"Somewhere dangerous," I said. I pondered using the ring to buy the seeds for a moment, then resisted the temptation. I could almost freely grow trees, but I had no idea when I'd come across more of this wood. Still, I could use it as leverage.

"How about this. If I can't live up to my promise, I'll give you this."

Antoni licked his lips, his gaze flicking between my fist and my eyes. Then he relaxed. "Deal. Follow me," he said as he turned towards the door, taking one more look at my fist. As soon as he turned, I put the ring back with the others.

Bastian was gaping at me, his eyes flickering to the pouch belt for a moment. So he knew this wood too? That was good. I needed more information about it.

Antoni walked through the room, expertly navigating the maze of furniture, glancing over his shoulder every few steps.

"Why didn't you tell me you had that ring?" Bastian hissed as he gave me an unbelieving look before turning and walking away.

Because I didn't know it was this important, I thought. But I kept my words to myself. I'd ask about it when we were back outside.

On the other side of the room, I got a good glimpse inside of the tree-growing room. It was a beautiful green mess, so densely populated with trees and bushes that I couldn't even see the other side. Nevertheless, the afternoon sun flooded it, creating a picturesque scene.

Antoni stood before the door, staring at us. For a moment, his eyes narrowed, and I saw a tiny glint in them as he gazed at my bag. Then his previous slimy smile returned, and he turned and beckoned us.

"Please follow me into Antoni's beautiful garden," he said as he stepped through the door.

I wonder if he is stupid enough to try something, I thought. The way he had looked at my pouch promised nothing good.

Before I could warn him, Bastian stepped into the room, and I was left alone. The room ahead blurred a bit as if something drifted across my vision, and I wiped my eyes. When I looked again, it was gone, and I watched Bastian walk after Antoni.

Yeah... That wasn't normal, I thought as I looked around.

Besides tables, stools, and ornaments, nothing seemed dangerous. Still, too many odd things had happened since we walked into this place. It was time to get Bastian, the seeds, and leave.

I clutched my ax and stepped through the door opening. Instantly a soft rustling of leaves surrounded me, and the chatter of the city returned, and I right away knew one of the things that had bugged me. I hadn't heard Bastian's footsteps! They had cut off as soon as he had entered the small courtyard. There was also a thick, humid stench to the place, and as I drew in another breath, I felt a slight tickle in the back of my throat. A ping from my status didn't help to ease my rising tension.

Bastian stood beside Antoni a few feet away, looking at his hands. His face was slack, and a bit of drool dribbled over his chin.

Shit, I thought as I stepped towards Bastian, keeping my eyes on Antoni. The Mirolon was staring at Bastian with a sly smile, his hands behind his back.

"Don't worry, my tall friend. Just relax and savor the beauty of the trees around you," Antoni said. His voice was even slimier than before, and the way his grin widened made my skin crawl.

Bastian swayed, almost as if he was going to collapse, and I jumped forward, grabbing his arm.

"Bastian?" I whispered. He didn't respond, and I shook him, which only got me a blink as more drool ran down his chin. Then he slowly sagged down, almost as if his bones turned to jelly. A quick look showed he was breathing fine but just looking into the distance, unfocused with bleary eyes.

Poison or gas, I thought and quickly looked around for its source.

A few odd, unfamiliar trees stood amongst a dozen more, which I recognized from the Howling forest. Nothing seemed overly dangerous or demonic, but between the itch in my throat and Bastian's reaction, I knew something air-born had to be causing it.

"Oh my… you have a sturdy constitution, don't you?" Antoni exclaimed.

He gently tapped his pale chin with a long, black nail as he inspected me. The two white horns that poked through this black hair were gleaming, and I thought I saw a spark run across their length.

I slowly rose, gripping my ax handle as I glared at him. "What have you done?" I said as I stepped between him and Bastian. I tried to ignore how corny it sounded.

"What? Me? Nothing deary, nothing," Antoni crooned as he took a few steps back and twirled around, his arms outstretched. "It's just a little side effect of an experiment, that's all!"

Soft snoring came from behind me, and I risked a quick look. Bastian had curled up, his head close to his knees like a child, sleeping in the mud. His eyes were closed, and he seemed fine.

"Weeeeell, I guess your big friend wasn't completely lying," Antoni said, and I snapped my attention back to him.

Antoni sat on his haunches a few steps away, making circles in the mud with his finger while smiling at Bastian.

"Don't worry," he whispered as he intently stared at me. "I'll make sure to have him dropped somewhere in the city, none the wiser! Can't have an angry prime running around, now can we?"

I felt my anger rise, and I took a step forward. Almost as if in reaction, quick footsteps came from the side, and another Mirolon guard approached us from between the trees. He had fiery red hair, dark skin, and burning red pupils inside pitch-black eyes. He also had a long sword on his hip, his hand clasped tightly around the hilt, staring at me with a nasty grin.

Fine, a fight it is, I thought. I should have made some bloody thorn casters.

As the guard approached me, I growled softly raised my ax, taking out his sword. Antoni stayed where he was, humming softly.

The guard moved forward in a flash, his sword flickering to the air. He was fast; I had to give him that, but nowhere near as fast as Libidi. I sidestepped into his blow with my ax forward, pushing outwards. The sword bounced off, but I was moving already, jumping forward and closing in on the guard whose eyes widened. Before he could act, I had one hand around his throat, one on each wrist, and the edge of my ax against his throat.

"Now," I hissed as I turned to Antoni, who was gaping at me. "How about we do this my way now. You give me some seeds, and I'll let go of your friend here!"

"Hold on, hold on," Antoni said as he stepped forward, holding his hands out as if to calm me down. "This is all just a horrible misunderstanding! I was merely trying to-"

"Enough," I said, my anger at his slimy nature and Bastian's predicament making my words come out as a snarl. "Seeds."

"Alright, alright," Antoni said as he stepped back. "Let him go, and he'll get them."

I smirked and spread my arms wider, causing the guard to groan as a layer of sweat came to his forehead.

"You get them?"

Antoni hesitated, his eyes flickering to the guard, then to me. "If we do it like this, you will only get some simple seeds," he said quickly, continuing even faster when I glowered at him. "Your movements show you are a Prime, and if you are that and still standing, that means you have to be powerful!"

I felt a deal coming up and just stared at him, wondering what he was going to offer.

"Can you really grow trees?" Antoni asked, seeming to realize I was listening.

I just nodded, and he swallowed.

"Alright. If you let him go and grow me a tree, I'll make sure you get very good seeds."

That's it? I thought, snorting. I'd thought he might offer money or information. But most seeds would do for what I had in mind, as I didn't expect him to have anything compelling.

"I've got rare seeds," Antoni said, seeming to see my reaction. "Even Torpel seeds from the Gramanite empire!"

I blinked in surprise, and Antoni nodded quickly. "I'll give you two!"

I hesitated for another moment, then removed the ax blade from the profusely sweating guard. "Those two and my pick of what you have," I said.

Antoni flinched, then nodded. "Sure, sure!"

I looked at the guard, noting to my suprise he had somehow managed to keep a grip on his sword.

"Drop it," I snapped.

The guard's eyes flickered to Antoni, who nodded. He released his grip, and the longsword thudded on the ground. I let go and shoved him away.

The guard staggered back until he stood beside Antoni.

As I turned to Antoni, I vaguely noticed that the itching sensation in my throat had receded. The smell had become more prominent, now thick enough that I would have expected a fog to permeate the place.

"First, tell me what is wrong with Bastian."

Antoni relaxed and began moving his arms around jittery. A quick look at his hands showed his fingers weren't making any gestures.

"Nothing to worry about! Just some gas in the air that puts Primes to sleep," he said as his slimy smile returned. "You must have an incredibly high resistance to mental interference! I've never heard of a Prime that remained standing while breathing in Demon Magot gas!"

Magots, I thought as my eyes widened. He couldn't be talking about real maggots, could he?

"I'm somewhat interested to know how you are doing this," Antoni said, glimpsing at me. "Just so I know if I can expect more of this, you know," he muttered as I glared at him.

I had a good idea why it didn't work on me, as I had one thing that no other Prime had by my knowledge. That bloody mindscape again, I thought.

"Bring the two small boxes of seeds," Antoni said as he turned to the guard.

"All of them," I snapped reflexively. "I'll decide what I want."

Antoni grimaced, then nodded at the guard, who quickly retreated. I had no idea if he would truly do so, but I wasn't interested in going along to find out.

"Will the gas harm Bastian?" I asked, slightly worried by the name.

"No, no! He'll be perfectly fine!" Antoni said. "Perhaps a bit of a headache, a cough, and of course amnesia!"

"Of course," I grunted. That sounded perfectly normal.

"What tree do you want," I said, deciding I'd about had my fill of this place.

Antoni suddenly laughed as he clapped his hands and took a step closer. "I'll show you, but a question first! Can I interest you in anything besides seeds? Something you would trade some of that Deific wood for-"

"No," I snapped, shaking my head. Antoni was quickly reverting to his slimy self, and I had no interest in it.

Besides, I had no idea what the Deific wood was good for, but it was obviously rare beyond belief. Remembering how much I wasted by creating thorn casters, I felt slightly nauseous. I wasn't going to part with it anymore until Bastion had a chance to tell me what it was.

Antoni's smile disappeared, and he frowned. "Are you sure? You seem to use wooden armor, and I have some of that.."

"It belongs to the Stone," I lied. "If I give you any, his Primes are going to come looking for it."

Antoni stared straight into my eyes, so directly it was disconcerting. A bright twinkle appeared, and another ping rang. Antoni sniffed in disgust as he glared at Bastian.

"Curse your resistance… I can't find out if you are lying. Fine, never mind. It's just not worth it. Especially with how hectic all of those mind-addled fools are right now."

His change of tone made me raise my ax, and I growled. "What did you just do?"

Antoni stepped back, shaking his head. "Nothing! Just trying to see if you were lying, nothing more!"

I wasn't sure if he was lying again, then I realized what he had just said.

"What did you mean with mind-addled fools?" I asked.

"What? He didn't tell you?" Antoni said with a thick mock wonder in his tone.

He held out his arms in a grand gesture, his voice turning full slime again.

"A few months ago, a major event transpired, and ever since, all of those pesky Deities have been abuzz. New ones keep popping up, old ones disappearing at a rate unheard of. From what I've heard, soon the Stone might not be a favorable patron to follow anymore!" he cast a glance at Bastian, and an evil smile flashed across his face before disappearing just as fast.

How does he know all of that? I thought amidst a mingling of worry and surprise.

He was obviously talking about when the Guidar had left for Earth and left the deities with their final trick. A sudden insight popped up as I realized it might not even be all that odd. Many people, wizards, and whatnot could have noticed the magical maelstrom. But that didn't explain how Antoni knew something was happening right now?

What are the odds that I'd just head towards the first woodshop in this town and find someone like this? I thought as I examined Antoni. All of this was just far too coincidental. Almost as if someone was pulling the strings.

I blinked as it hit me. All of this was very similar to before I'd first encountered Rathica. She'd still been nameless and in her egg form, with little power to influence the world around her, but she had still been able to manipulate enough things to make it so that I found her. Could some deity, perhaps Rathica even, be doing the same thing again? It didn't make much sense, but neither did just running across people that knew so much left and right. Or was I just overthinking it? Perhaps this knowledge was more common?

Antoni was quietly watching my reaction, and the longer I was quiet, the wider his smile became.

"Starting to realize what might happen if you follow the Stone? You know, I could use another guard, and although I usually don't hire your kind," Antoni said, looking at my arms.

The corners of his mouth curved up until they almost hit the tips of his ears. "With your interestingly high mental fortitude, I can make an exception! Perhaps you can also tell me where you found the Deific wood? I'm sure I can make it worth your while!"

I shook my head, looking around. How long did that guard need to get those seeds? A slight worry grew, and I grabbed my ax, stepping towards Antoni.

"Enough. Where are the seeds."

Antoni raised his arms and stepped back. "He'll be back soon! The seeds are in the vault. It takes a bit."

As if on cue, footsteps came from the side, and I saw the guard move towards us. He had one massive chest and two small ones in his arms, lumbering forward. His face was warped with strain.

"See? No need to worry," Antoni said. "Now, let's go to the saplings.

"Fine," I said. "Where are they?"

Antoni smiled as he clapped his hands. With a theatrical motion, he turned and moved deeper into the woods. I turned to Bastian and quickly inspected him. He was sleeping like a baby, but beyond that, he seemed fine. I lifted him, grunting as my legs almost buckled from the strain as he placed him across my shoulder. I knew if I did have to fight again, I'd just have to drop him.

How much does this guy weigh? I thought. I had reasonably high strength, and if I had this much difficulty, nobody normally could even lift him! As soon as I thought that, I realized I needed to check my fat level. I'd been eating healthy lately, and hopefully, it was going up.

Nana would never believe me if I said I wanted to fatten up, I thought with a crooked smile.

Antoni stood, waiting for me between the trees, the guard next to him. Wondering what seeds he had, I stomped after him.