The cat girls quickly finished their meals and we left the tavern with Iunicus. From past experience, we knew that the man didn't appreciate our presence in the city and tolerated us only because the Leadership Council had welcomed us. Thus, we wanted to hurry and spend as little time with him as possible.

To our surprise, however, the white mage was in no hurry to return. Instead, he walked slowly.

As we walked, the adoring crowd of commoners continued to cheer and applaud us.

I soon realized that Iunicus was graciously allowing us to receive the proverbial victory lap around Southampton. Of course, I recognized that the white mage had an ulterior motive in doing so. By allowing me to soak up all the attention from her citizens, I was drawing unwanted attention away from the impotency of the Magic Guild in protecting the same people.

Thus, Iunicus was willing to walk as slowly as necessary to allow the commoners to thank my party for coming to their rescue. No doubt the word had spread regarding my decision to defend Southampton on the streets despite a lack of my personal obligation to do so. Furthermore, it served Iunicus' personal interest to walk as slowly as possible and create the wrong impression among the common folk that the mage was generous and humble when he truly wasn't.

I waved at the crowd as I walked. I tried to pretend that this experience was a mere taste of the crowd's reaction when I will finally be coronated as the new King. Of course, there were a million steps to reach that point, such as advancing my character level, undertaking more challenging quests on behalf of the Church of Britannia in order to change my alignment to Lawful, gaining more support and followers by performing more heroic deeds and increasing my reputation, and fighting whoever was the Champion of Chaos for the right to rule the Kingdom of Merlin.

For now, I had to return my focus to completing the quest to unlock the four Ph'laen Ruins. In order to do that, I needed to secure whatever aid I could receive from the Magic Guild in Southampton, including a promise to eventually cast a Gate spell to transport us to another branch of the guild near the location of the next Ph'laen Ruins. Whatever rewards the Leadership Council may plan to offer me had to be secondary to securing the casting of this Ninth-Tier spell.

As we walked, I surveyed my surroundings. All the prisoners had been pulled from the streets. The citizens were already busy making repairs to their properties such as fixing doors, locks, windows, and roofs. Some of them still wore bandages and were clearly injured. Despite their injuries, the commoners were persistent, focused, and dedicated to their work. By the time we reached the dock, I wasn't surprised to discover that the common folk was no longer approaching me to offer their thanks because they were simply too busy working. Their urgency was understandable given that it was already late afternoon and less than a handful of hours of daylight remained.

"Iunicus, is the city safe at night?" I asked him. I was concerned that there was another reason for the rush to finish repairs ASAP. However, I wasn't sure how forthcoming my guide will be regarding this matter.

The white mage immediately stopped walking and whipped his head back toward me. "What makes you think our streets aren't safe at night?" he asked with rising tension in his voice.

I noticed his hands were clenched into fists and I raised my palms to calm the man down. I spread my hands toward the buildings nearby. "I assumed the people are anxious to busy their repairs by sundown. Otherwise, why are they rushing to finish repairs for their homes?" I pointed out.

Iunicus' lips curled as if he had sucked on a lemon. "Brother Mulligan, I wouldn't presume to make any assumptions of these simple commoners. Now, if you don't mind hurrying, the Council is awaiting your return." The white mage spun on his heels and resumed his fast pace again.

"You can investigate later," Kalistra said and pushed my back with her paws to prod me onward.

I kept a neutral expression on my face and I nodded. I could ask Bernetta later. It was a mistake to ask Iunicus when I should have known better.

My entourage kept up with me as I jogged to catch up to Iunicus, who was already a half-block ahead.

Some kids on the street tried to thank me but Van and the cat girls motioned for them to stay back. "Sorry, we're in a hurry," the paladin apologized.

When we arrived at the entrance of the Magic Guild, Iunicus was tapping his foot impatiently. "Please hold hands," he requested. Once we obeyed, he used a power word to teleport us to the Council Room.

The world turned into a kaleidoscope and it took a moment for me to regain my bearings.

"Ah! Our heroes have returned!" Delkon, the blue-robed Councilor, said. He was seated at the center of the council table. The mage stood on his feet and clapped.

The other councilors followed his lead and applauded us. Everyone else in attendance did the same.

Delkon applauded for a few seconds and then held up his right hand to signal the end of the applause. "Please be seated. We have much to discuss," he said. "Brother Mulligan, please step forward and report what happened during the pirate raid."

"Yes, Council Delkon," I replied. I walked down the aisle and stopped when I stood near the table where the council members were seated. "My party was enjoying our meals at The Trade Wind when we heard the alarm. With Bernetta as our guide, my party slowly made its way to the dock. Along the way, we attacked and disabled any raiders we came across."

Winei Haverstorm, the beautiful red mage, waved her hand impatiently. "Yes, yes. We want to know exactly what happened when you reached the dock. And we do mean 'exactly,'" she emphasized while pointing at Iunicus, who was standing next to me.

I bowed to the councilor and continued. "We attacked the group seeking to maintain their beachhead. There were strong mages and fighters among these raiders and we were compelled to use deadly force against them."

A man sighed aloud. He wore a green robe. "We want to know two things in particular: One, how and why were we all knocked unconscious? Two, why did heavy rain appear and put out the fire? These are the focuses of our investigation," said Edgrin Silzi.

"Please forgive their rude interruptions, Lord Mulligan," said Urru the black mage. She bowed her head deeply to me. "My fellow councilors are frustrated because they don't understand how we survived the pirate raid when we were losing badly."

The room gasped at her astounding admission. No one wanted to admit that the Magic Guild of Southampton needed outside assistance.

I bowed deeply to Urru in appreciation. She wanted the truth as much as her brethren. But she was far more honest and open-minded regarding the power of her guild, or, in this particular instance, a lack of. At that moment, I decided to tell the Magic Guild the entire truth because they deserved to know. "You were hit with a Mind Blast," I began to explain.

"Is that a spell?" Winei interrupted me.

Delkon knocked the butt of his staff on the ground. "The next person to interrupt Brother Mulligan will be booted from this meeting," he warned. "Please continue," he nodded.

"The Mind Blast is a psychic ability unique to an alien race known as the Zorxilix," I revealed. "They came from beyond the stars. They came here to enslave the inhabitants of this world and to use us as laborers. There was one Zorxilixian slavemaster among the pirates and I was able to defeat her. With her defeat, I also disabled her command device and freed all the slaves. As for the rainfall, I had to ask for divine intervention."

The room suddenly erupted! "You're lying!" "The Gods have forsaken us!" "No mortal can summon the Gods!"

"SILENCE!" Delkon yelled. The chairman of the council turned toward Iunicus. "Is the witness telling the truth?"

All eyes turned on the white mage.

Iunicus nodded. "Yes." He was extremely unhappy to admit this.

The room erupted again.

I decided to take control of the situation--by summoning the gods again. I raised my arms and yelled, "Lady Musa! Lord Bane! I summon you!"

A blue-white flash struck the room, blinding everyone. When the light vanished, Lady Musa floated above us.

A portal of flames appeared next to her. Lord Bane stepped through and closed the portal.

The mages all knelt down before the two Gods. My party did the same.

"Did you help put out the fire?" I asked in a loud voice.

"Yes, I did. I summoned a brief rainstorm to extinguish the flames. The rain also had rejuvenating properties and helped awaken everyone," Lady Musa replied.

"Kekeke. I took away that naughty alien," Lord Bane added with a grin.

Delkon rose to feet. "We thank you for your divine intervention, Lady Musa and Lord Bane."

The demon lord flapped his wings. "And now, we need to discuss the price of our intervention."

The blue mage's face was crestfallen. He was hoping it would be free. How foolish of him!

"We're not asking for much," Lady Musa added in a soothing tone of voice. "We only want a small shrine dedicated to us. It will serve as a reminder to everyone here that man cannot live without divine guidance."

Bane wagged a finger. "It better be a nice shrine, though. Otherwise, I will burn it down and make you build another one," he warned.

"Yes, Lord Bane," Delkon agreed and bowed deeply.

"Very well. We will take our leave," Lady Musa said and vanished.

"See you around, Larry!" Lord Bane grinned and waved his hand. He reopened his portal and stepped through, closing it behind him.

The mages in the room released their collective breath.

"Do you have any further questions?" I asked.

The council members glanced at each other nervously. There was a lot they wanted to say. But no one wished to anger the Gods nor their representative.

Finally, Delkon spoke up. "No, our investigation has been completed. We appreciate your assistance and we will reward you for defending Southampton. We ask that you spend the night at The Trade Wind as our honored guests. I will ask Iunicus to summon you to return tomorrow morning."

"That's fine, Councilor Delkon." I bowed deeply. I wasn't planning to leave Southampton anyway until I talk to the hunter that Bernetta mentioned will be returning tomorrow. However, given our status as 'honored guests,' this meant that the Magic Guild will cover our expenses at the tavern.

"Iunicus, please escort Brother Mulligan and his companions back to The Trade Wind," Delkon ordered.

"Yes, Councilor." Iunicus nodded and walked out of the Council Room.

We quickly followed him out of the meeting and then teleported to the exit.

When we were finally out of the building, Iunicus turned around to face me. His fury was evident on his face. "Why did you summon the Gods to help us?" he demanded to know.

I was taken aback by his anger. I knew he wasn't happy with me but I assumed that he would be able to hold his anger in check. I held up my hands to calm him down. "I had no choice if I was to save Southampton. The fire was spreading out of control and I couldn't put it out by myself," I explained.

Iunicus tightened his grip on his staff. "You should have let the city burn to the ground!" he yelled.

Suddenly, Van brushed me aside and stood in front of the white mage. "Sir, what you are suggesting is treading very close to treason against this great city. If Brother Mulligan had chosen to stand idly by as the city and its people were burned, his refusal to act would be considered an evil act in and of itself. Since you are suggesting this course of action, I must pose this question to you as a paladin--are you evil?" The man put his hand on his mace.

Iunicus was shocked by the question. "How dare you!"

"No, it's how dare YOU to suggest that Brother Mulligan do nothing to save our city!" a voice interrupted us from behind.

We turned around and saw that it was Urru, the black mage and Council member of the Magic Guild.

"Iunicus, please head back inside. We WILL discuss your punishment. For now, I shall personally escort Brother Mulligan and his companions back to The Trade Wind," Urru ordered.

The white mage immediately bowed his head. "Yes, Councilor." Iunicus glared at me again and entered the building.

Once the mage was gone, Urru sighed aloud. "I apologize for his rude behavior, Brother Mulligan." She bowed deeply to me.

"No harm was done," I replied with a shrug. I didn't want to get involved in the guild's internal politics. "Why was he so angry?"

Urru intertwined her arm through my left arm. "I'll explain as we walk." The lovely young woman drew close to me and saw my embarrassment. She laughed but persisted anyway.

The pedestrians bowed deeply to us as we walked by on the street. However, no one spoke to us and the crowd separated to create a path for us.

"Why do the people fear you?" I asked.

Urru laughed. "Isn't it obvious? I'm a black mage. People associate us with evil."

"Are you evil?"

"Perhaps."

"Tell me about Iunicus and why he hates the Gods."

Urru smiled at me. "Very perceptive of you, Brother Mulligan. Iunicus was a major proponent of kicking the Church out of Southampton. In fact, he was a leader of the faction that demanded the Council to banish the Church. He is afraid that the Gods will demand the return of the Church as the price for saving the city," she explained.

I shook my head. "Musa and Bane only asked for a shrine in their honor."

"That's because they're too smart to ask for more in return," Urru smiled again. "As Iunicus fears, I believe the ultimate goal of the Gods is to be worshipped openly again in Southampton. Even though the Church was banished, most of the believers had remained in the city and worshipped the Gods privately."

"And that's illegal?" Van asked with concern.

"No," the Councilor laughed. "What Southamptonians choose to do in the privacy of their own homes are up to them. We haven't outlawed religious worship in the city and it would be foolish for us to do so. But with the creation of a shrine dedicated to the Gods, it would be seen as a signal to the citizens that it would be alright to openly worship again. Eventually, the citizens will petition us to allow the Church to return to Southampton."

"What would the Council do if the worshippers make a petition for the return of the Church?" Van asked.

"Hard to say," Urru replied. "I personally have no problem supporting their return. I don't know how the other Council members will vote, though."

"But Iunicus is afraid that the building of a holy shrine in Southampton will eventually lead to the return of the Church," I speculated aloud.

"Correct," Urru nodded.

Before I knew it, we had reached the front door of The Trade Wind.

"I thank you again for saving our city. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow morning. Until then, please rest and enjoy your stay." Urru bowed deeply and then left.