As I walked, my stride lengthened and my pace increased. Before I knew it, I was running through the streets.

"Hey, why are you running?" Bila yelled out.

A few blocks later, I finally stopped. I felt empty. I felt drained. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. I had a tremendous adrenaline rush while fighting against the dragon yesterday. I was in a fairly good mood this morning. Bishop Canterbury warned me, during our meeting, that the body of Hleandros will bring danger to Tregome. He wanted me to convince Kalistra to sell the remains to the Church. He felt an urgency to remove the body from Tregome altogether. What did I do with his warning? I disregarded it.

Deep down inside, a part of me felt that the arrival of the elder liches to steal the body of Hleandros was partially my fault. For not pushing Kalistra harder to sell to the Church. The guilt was compounded by all the undead zombies and skeletons that entered the dojo. As I tossed fireball after fireball at them, I saw so many familiar faces. All of them had belonged to former residents of Tregome.

I felt something in the pit of my stomach. An anger, which slowly burned as my mind started recalling the faces of the former town residents that I had to burn with my spells in order to protect the unconscious fellow members laying on the ground. It was a damned if I do, damned if I don't circumstance. In my mind, I knew that I made the right decision in protecting the students of the dojo, but my heart felt otherwise.

Suddenly, I felt thin but strong arms wrap around my chest. I looked down and saw the arms were covered with yellow fur. It was Bila! "What are you doing?" I asked gruffly.

"Comforting you, master," the cat girl replied. "This is your hometown, isn't it?"

"Yes," I admitted.

"Seeing all those people turned into zombies must have been so awful," she observed sympathetically.

Suddenly, Van stood in front of me. Without warning, he punched me in the face!

The punch knocked my head back and my skull slammed against Bila's head.

"Ow!" she cried out. But somehow, she stayed on her hind paws and kept me upright. Bila pivoted and pulled me away from Van. "Do you have a death wish?" she hissed at the attacker.

The paladin grinned. "Not at all, my friend. Brother Mulligan here was feeling sorry for himself. I simply helped him see the error of his ways," Van explained nonchalantly.

I ignored the pop-up message and quickly healed my broken nose. I turned around and asked, "Should I heal you?"

Bila shook her head and finally released me. "No need. You took the brunt of that idiot's punch." Suddenly, she grabbed Van's left hand. "If you want to press charges against your attacker, I'll be happy to take him to the Watch Headquarters," she offered.

"Yeah, right!" Van chuckled and tried to shake off her paw.

However, the cat girl had a tight grip and she would not release him.

Van shook his hand and then used his right hand to pull her paw off. But it was proved fruitless. "What do you cat people eat? How are you so strong?" he grumbled in defeat.

Bila ignored him. Her pale green-yellow eyes were trained on me.

I sighed. "Please let him go," I requested.

Finally, she released him with a "hmph!" Her tail lashed back and forth dangerously.

I had to admit that I was no longer feeling guilty for the death of the town residents. "I need to report to the bishop," I said and started running up the street.

"Not again!" Bila complained and ran after me.

I was upset again. This time at the fact that I was separating from Kalistra, my main protector ever since I arrived in this gaming world over two weeks ago. While Bila was quite different from Kalistra, the two were still cat girls and I couldn't help feeling sad at the fact that I won't see Kalistra again. Perhaps, even forever.

Somehow, I ended up standing in front of The Noble Lady. During my running, I had taken notice of the damage that the outbreak of black flames had caused to various buildings in town. Mardus the Blasphemer had called down black lightning to strike the town. The lightning bolts then started fires and the elder lich used the corpses of the burned town residents as components for his undead horde.

There was no real pattern to the damage in Tregome. Some blocks were completely unmarred while other streets had multiple buildings which burned down. My heart was pounding as I stared at The Noble Lady. I breathed a sigh of relief because the inn was not damaged at all. Praise Lady Luck for her protection!

When I thought this in my mind, I felt a warm sensation from the Goddess' divine brand on my forearm. Apparently, she had read my thought and responded to it. I wasn't surprised because The Noble Lady was owned by Amelica, who was a fervent follower of the Goddess. Thus, Lady Luck had probably rerolled the odds to spare the building from harm by the lightning bolt since the building directly across the street was damaged severely.

The divine ability I had received from Lady Luck was the right to "reroll" a negative saving throw or attribute check once per day. For instance, when I attempted to learn the Fireball spell and copy it into my spellbook, I failed the initial check against Read Magic. Lady Luck's divine ability automatically triggered and the reroll was successful and thus, permitting me to learn the important offensive spell. I suspected that Lady Luck used her divine ability to reroll very liberally because frankly, the damage to the town's buildings wasn't as bad as I originally feared.

Since I was standing in front of The Noble Lady, I decided to enter in order to check on my girlfriend. When I walked in, I heard plenty of noise. It was the din of multiple, heated conversations from the common room where the patrons sat while eating their meals and having their drinks. I quickly entered the room and made a beeline straight for Amelica.

The beautiful woman's dazzling blue eyes were surprised to see me. My girlfriend adroitly balanced her tray on her right palm. She then grabbed my arm with her free hand and pulled me into the kitchen. Once she was relieved of her burden, Amelica turned to face me. "I heard something terrible happened at the dojo. Can you please tell me?" she pleaded.

I kissed her forehead and gave her a reassuring hug. "Another lich appeared at the dojo and tried to steal the dragon's remains," I revealed. "But an ally appeared and defeated the lich. The students at the school repelled the minions that the lich had summoned. Your son is fine," I reassured her.

Amelica hugged me in return. "I'm glad Gendun is okay." She was very relieved by the news.

I released my arms and pushed her back slightly. "The new headmaster has announced that the dojo will move out of Tregome and she will establish a new village on the other side of the bridge," I told her.

The woman's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Some of the town residents blamed her for luring the liches to Tregome with the presence of the dragon's remains at the dojo. Essentially, they banished her," I admitted.

Amelica's eyes turned furious. "That's not fair! Kalistra's dad sacrificed his life to protect Tregome! How could they cast her out like this?"

Suddenly, Vern's head popped through the kitchen door. "Amelica, we need you to return to your shift," he grumbled.

"I'll be right out!" she replied with embarrassment. The beautiful woman turned back to me. "I'm fine with Gendun leaving town with the dojo. His apprenticeship has a few more years remaining and I know that Kalistra will protect him. What about you? Are you going to join her and build the settlement?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I'm actually on an important quest. My next stop will be London."

"I see," she replied. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. Then she released me and grabbed my hand. "I need to head back to work. And you need to leave the kitchen," she giggled.

When we walked through the doorway and returned to the common room, Amelica reluctantly released my hand and returned to work.

I nodded politely at the patrons, who were all staring at us. I quietly crossed the dining room and exited the building. I saw Van and Bila waiting outside.

"Took you long enough," Bila hissed.

"Sorry," I apologized. Actually, I was only sorry that I couldn't spend more time with my girlfriend. It was frustrating because I had looked forward to returning to Tregome and spending some quality time with Amelica. But evil creatures kept appearing in town for one reason or another. If I didn't know any better, I suspected that the Gods were conspiring to create events for me to overcome--all to entertain their own master, the Gamemaster himself. But then again, I couldn't blame the Gods for doing so because entertaining the overlord was the sole purpose for their existence.

Suddenly, the church bells tolled thrice. It was already three hours past noon. I was flabbergasted by how long we fought the undead horde. Once I deliver my report to the bishop, I want him to cast Recall to take me and my companions back to Southampton. From there, Delkon the Councilor of the Magic Guild will create a Gate to transport us directly to London. The later I arrive at the Church, the later I will reach London to resume my quest to find the next set of Ph'laen Ruins.

I turned around and said, "It's getting late. I'm going ahead to the Church building and deliver my report. Please wait outside. And if you can buy some mana potions for me, that would be extremely helpful." I opened my sack and took out a gold coin.

Bila accepted the coin and nodded.

I started running again. I ran through the Public Square and finally entered the Church building through the main entrance. I was not surprised to discover that the building did not suffer any damage from the black lighting attack. I suspected that the Church was full of clergymen who could combine their magic to protect the heart of Tregome. Sure enough, my expectation was met since there was no damage to the building.

There were many more Watchmen guarding the entrance. But my truth stone paved the way for entry into the heavily guarded building. Once I was inside, I waved at a nearby young page. "I need to deliver a report to the bishop immediately," I said.

The boy looked at me with a worried expression. "His Eminence is in the infirmary. I will take you there." He turned and led me through the main hallway and then down a smaller passageway. As we drew closer to the infirmary, I smelled the fragrance of poultice in the air. When we arrived, I saw a large common room filled with beds. Many patients were severely burned and wrapped in thick bandages that made them resemble mummies. And the smell of burned flesh hung in the air.

The young boy led me to a small, private room on the side. Standing guard in front of the room was a familiar face--Enab!

The human avatar of Lord Bane looked at me with an unhappy expression. He nodded politely at my approach and escorted me into the room. He then walked himself out and closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with the bishop.

Bishop Canterbury did not look well. He was bedridden. His skin had turned pale white and lost its former tan color. His flesh had shriveled and shrunk like a dried piece of tomato. He had difficulty drawing breathe into his lungs.

I immediately walked over to his bed and kissed his ring.

The patient opened his eyes and looked up at me. There was a lethargy behind them that I had never seen before.

"I am here to deliver a report from the dojo, Your Eminence," I said.

The bishop made a slight motion to nod his head.

"It appeared that the arrival of Mardus the Blasphemer was a distraction. While the church was busy fighting the lich, another lich named Taen the Cultist appeared at the dojo. He was accompanied by a dozen skeletal knights and a second undead horde. They were trying to steal the dragon's remains. However, a draco appeared and repelled him. Her name was Hleara Vitusen and she claimed to be Hleandros' daughter. She defeated the lich in solo combat while the dojo killed off the minions. Afterward, a representative of the Elven Nation appeared and made a deal to take away the dragon's remains. I apologize for not being able to convince Hleara to accept the Church's offer," I said and bowed deeply.

However, the bishop didn't care about the body. Instead, he asked, "Vitusen?"

I nodded. To my astonishment, tears started forming in his eyes!

"I was part of the church leadership who commissioned a party to fight Hleandros," Bishop Canterbury explained. "Paigada Vitusen was my friend and I always regretted allowing her to join the mission. We thought the party was completely wiped out and the Vitusen lineage had ended with her. The regency took possession of the family's assets and kept it for themselves. If this Hleara appears before the People's Court and petition for return of the Vitusen family's assets, the regent will have no choice but to do so."

"I will pass the word to Hleara," I promised. "There is another issue. A mob appeared at the dojo after the fighting was over. They were upset and angry. They demanded Hleara be killed because she was half-dragonkin. When the headmaster of the dojo refused their demand, they asked her and the dojo to leave Tregome."

"WHAT!" Bishop Canterbury's body was shaking with anger.

"Kalistra agreed to move the dojo. She decided to establish a new village on the other side of the bridge," I added.

"You didn't talk her out of it?" the bishop was livid.

I shook my head. "A man named Danten had riled up the mob. He took advantage of their fear and anger and used them to banish the dojo. I have confirmed, with my Spirit Sense, that the man is evil," I said quietly.

The old cleric's eyes hardened. "Danten will be dealt with. Is there anything else to report?"

"No, Holy One. May I ask what happened during your fight with the other lich?"

The old cleric took a laborious breath and said, "Ask Enab; he can fill you in on the details. Also, I'm too weak to cast Recall to send your party back to Southampton."

I shook my head again. "There's no need for you to worry about that. My foremost concern is your full recovery. Tregome needs you. More than ever. With your permission, I will let you rest now." I waited patiently for my dismissal. When I said his chin move slightly, I bowed deeply and let myself out of the private room.

When I closed the door behind me and laid my eyes on Enab, I asked, "What happened?"

The personal assistant to the bishop held a finger to his lips. He looked around and motioned for a young page to come over. "I need to escort this Brother out of the church. Please take my place and stand guard. The bishop is sleeping and no one is permitted to disturb his rest," he instructed the boy.

The boy bowed deeply and took a position in front of the door.

Enab motioned for me to follow and we walked out of the infirmary. Once we entered the hallway, he chuckled, "Boy, you missed a big show! Kekeke!"

"Tell me," I insisted.

"The clergy formed a magic link and channeled their mana. Guess who was the conduit?" Enab grinned and started walking.

"Bishop Canterbury," I guessed while following him.

"Ding-ding-ding! Indeed, the old boy took on this task personally. He was the one who cast and maintained the protective barrier around the church, the public square, and the nearby buildings. Other clergymen used their magic items to attack Mardus and eventually defeated him. Of course, no mortal could maintain the magic conduit for a long period of time without suffering physical damage. The bishop sacrificed himself to protect the town. It was so touching that I nearly shed a tear over it. Kekeke!"

"Will he survive?"

The human avatar of Bane tilted his head for a moment. "It's very hard to say. His body has been mana burned. At a minimum, he cannot use mana and cast a spell for at least a week. The clergy will do its best to heal him, of course. But then again the bishop is an old man and his body may never recover," Enab answered honestly.

My heart sank at the news. While I did not always see eye to eye with the bishop, I respected his intentions because he always tried to do what was best for Tregome. I suspect that any replacement for Canterbury as bishop will only treat the town as a stepping stone to a promotion to a higher position within the Church hierarchy. In hindsight, perhaps Kalistra made the right decision in moving her dojo out of the town.

"How will I return to Southampton?" I asked.

Enab patted my back sympathetically. "I can't help you with that one. You'll need to figure it out on your own."

By now, we had reached the main exit of the building. I bowed slightly to Enab and left the Church.