They followed Thordr up the tunnel and back to the main hall. There might have been fewer dwarves dancing and singing, but the party was still going strong. He led them up a flight of stone stairs in the back of the room and to the balcony encircling the great room below. Wooden doors were spaced at even intervals. Several dwarves leaned over the stone railing, watching the activities below.

He led them up three more flights of stairs to a similar fifth level and then led them halfway down the balcony. He removed four keys from his keychain and handed one to each.

“We don’t have to share?” Morgan exclaimed.

“Not tonight. I will also have hot water brought to you in the morning to fill the tubs within so you can wash before breakfast. If you leave your clothes outside your door, we will clean them and return them to you in the morning. They look like they could quest by themselves.”

“Oh, thank God!” Morgan squealed. “I mean Odin,” Morgan said when Thordr stared at her.

“Good night, my guests. I will see you in the morn.”

Spence entered his room and shut the thick, arched door. The walls were smooth stone, like the tunnels they had just come from. The room was oval-shaped, twelve feet wide and twenty feet long, with a seven-foot-tall ceiling. A twin-size bed in a wooden frame sat against the far wall. There was what appeared to be a stone toilet wedged into the corner. A metal tub sat on the left side, and a metal basin was attached to the left wall with a mirror mounted above. A small round table stood against the opposite wall with a wooden chair in front and a burning lantern on top. A thick oval rug, resembling a bear’s skin, lay in the middle of the floor.

Spence set his pack on the table, removed all his clothing, stiff and reeking, and placed it in a pile outside the door. He then leaned his staff against the wall beside the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. The room reminded him of a jail cell, complete with a toilet. He wearily stood and walked over to the basin. He scooped his hands in the water inside and splashed it onto his face. He then peered into the mirror. It seemed forever since he had seen his reflection. He had begun growing a scraggly beard, and his face appeared more weathered than it should have from only a week in the wild. It looked gaunter and more chiseled too. He still had some extra puffiness in his cheeks and neck, but he certainly didn’t look like the weak, nerdy ginger he used to. His hair was tussled and had a windblown look. He looked rough…and he liked it.

He inspected the stone object in the corner and verified it was indeed some type of toilet. He used it, glad not to be in the bushes. There was no way to flush it, and he wondered if there were pipes underneath or if it was just like a port-a-john. He extinguished the lantern on the table and fell into the bed. The mattress was very firm, but the bed had a pillow, clean sheets, and a clean blanket on top.

He was a little disappointed they had separate rooms. If they had had to share, he would have probably gotten to room with Morgan again. As the fatigue and sleep tried to overwhelm him, he couldn’t help thinking of her lying in her bed. Then he thought about her taking a bath in the morning. He felt the sleep receding and his mind and body becoming much too alert. He forced himself to think of other things—the infrequent baths and lack of deodorant and perfume, the monsters they had fought, the blood and gore he’d seen, and the Medusa they had to fight the next day. Finally, the bad and disgusting thoughts won out, and sleep took him.

Spence opened his eyes sometime later. An unnatural white light bathed the room. He shot up in the bed, expecting to see someone entering with a lantern or torch. Instead, he saw Enki standing several feet in front of the bed. He wore the same white robe as before, with the golden-horned helmet on his head. No beam of light shone on him this time, though. His entire body glowed, mostly translucent, like a hologram or ghost.

“Hello again, Spence the Wizard,” Enki said in his deep voice.

Spence swallowed hard. His entire body trembled and shook in the bed. “Hello,” he finally stammered.

“You have not used your pendant yet and summoned me or joined my people. I assume you have not decided on my offer?”

Spence’s mind raced, though he couldn’t move his body. He had thought less and less of Enki’s offer over the past couple of days. Their party had worked well together, except for Trey’s drunken rampage. They seemed to grow closer with each battle. He recalled his last conversation with Enki. It had been a tempting offer then, but he had figured the group would never accept him, and it would be an easy decision. Now, he felt part of something. And he had been instrumental in every battle. The group couldn’t have survived without him. “I have considered it.”

“There is not much time left. If you defeat the creature in the cave, you will be off to the Forsaken Swamp of my people. Then there will be only one more creature to defeat in the swamp.”

“And then we will be free to return to Earth?” Spence interrupted.

“That was the promise of the gods. But know that we will have to undo the procedure we performed on your spine. You will be bound to your mechanical chair for the rest of your days. You will also return to disrespect, ridicule, and live a short, meaningless life. Or you may stay here and lead the Draconians. Would you not rather be healthy and revered and worshipped as a great wizard and ruler of all Nibiru? Can you even imagine having all four races bow down before you?”

Spence also hadn’t thought much lately about what would happen when they returned to Earth. Would the four stick together once they were back in high school? Spence thought he knew the answer. Without quests and monsters to fight, they would return to their prior lives and prior roles. They wouldn’t even be able to tell anyone of their adventure for fear of being deemed insane and shunned by all. He doubted they would pursue their book and game idea either. Sure, maybe he and Morgan would try to be friendlier, at least for a while, but it probably wouldn’t last. But the biggest issue would be returning to being a paraplegic. How do you choose to return to that fate?

“And I can grant you a life much longer than a mortal on Earth,” Enki said, with slightly more emotion than he had shown before.

“You can make me immortal?” Spence asked, leaning forward.

“Not exactly immortal. But I can slow your aging process, and I can ensure you are free from sickness and disease. Neither exists in this world.”

Spence was silent as his mind reeled from Enki’s words. “Can I let you know once we complete the last quest?”

“You may. But keep in mind it might be too late.”

“Why?”

“I have confirmed my siblings have made similar offers to your friends. They all have the same opportunity. But the one who accepts it first will have a great advantage. If one race can subjugate a second one quickly and force them to fight with them, the other two will have no chance to stand before them. You have met the Nephilim, elves, and dwarves. Imagine my Draconians, the fiercest fighters of them all, combined with one of them. It will be over soon for the remaining two.”

If Spence hadn’t been sitting, his knees might have buckled. He could be an almost immortal ruler and shape and mold the world any way he wanted. Maybe he could bring technology to it or even travel back and forth to Earth! He didn’t want to kill the other races, but they might surrender easily to the might of his staff and the fierce Draconians. It might be a relatively bloodless war. Perhaps he could even ally with another race instead of conquering it and then force the other two to surrender. He could make Nibiru a peaceful, blissful world.

Then he thought again about his friends. The other gods had approached them with the same offer. Was that why Trey was quiet and moody recently? Most likely. Trey had a good life and future in front of him on Earth, but he had to be intrigued by the possibility of ruling a world and living forever. And he could be free of his father. Trey also loved power and dominance. He’d probably make each race a football team and play on a big field in the Barrens.

Caleb was always hard to read. But he had lived his life preparing for the modern world to end and seemed to prefer camping and living primitively. He anticipated no future at all. Here in Nibiru, he would have a future. He might not want to be a ruler, but he could have someone else run it for him and live by himself in the woods or mountains. He also might enjoy training a race how to fight. Maybe he could even bring his father into Nibiru with him.

Then his thoughts turned to Morgan. She hated the modern world, with its pollution, intolerance, and injustices. She also had a very uncertain and potentially unhappy future on Earth. Here, she had no factories or labs or things to protest. She could create a world that would not allow industrialization, discrimination, mistreatment of animals, or any of the evils of modern society. After Enki’s first visit, Spence wasn’t too concerned with his friends being possible rivals. Now, he had a tough time imagining any of them turning down the offer. Yet so far, nobody had accepted it.

“What is your answer?” Enki asked.

“I am very interested, but I have to see our quest through. My friends cannot make it without me. I will let you know when we’ve completed the quest,” Spence finally said.

“I hope it will not be too late.”

Enki disappeared, leaving the room in pitch black again. Spence remained sitting for several minutes, his mind decompressing all the thoughts, before finally lying back down. Surprisingly, he soon fell asleep.