Soloman and James spoke for several hours. It was much longer than he intended, but James could not pass up the opportunity to learn such valuable information about the Void. James tried several times to dodge the question about why the god wanted him specifically, but it didn't matter. Soloman was not aware of the Challenge, the gods or anything to do with this world. The only thing Soloman figured out was that a god was sponsoring James to fight for it.

Once James realized that Soloman didn't know about the Challenge, he could answer the questions with less duplicity and avoidance. Soloman confirmed that the Travel Stones were used to travel between worlds. Once you are in a world, you need to travel normally. Soloman was here for personal reasons and didn't want to disclose where he was or what he did. James respected that and moved on to other questions.

James had hoped that Earth was one of the worlds that he could travel to, but Soloman stated he had never heard of a place called Earth but that there were thousands of words so that it might have been out there. There was a place called the Nexus, which was considered the centre of the Void. It had a Travel Stone with more than fifty plates on it. Soloman recommended that if James wanted to learn more about the Void, he travel to the Nexus and inquire there.

Soloman had inquired about James being an Avatar and asked if someone could race Kat a' Dorinma. Rocko was able to confirm that there was no such selectable race. This seemed to reassure Soloman, as his race had already suffered greatly at the hands of the Glrick. James was able to find out that those of Soloman's race was very susceptible to PSI Powers. As such, the Glrick took advantage of them and enslaved them. They were used as soldiers, labours and negotiators.

It was only in the last twenty years that the Kat a' Dorinma was able to break free from the shackles of the Glrick and find refuse elsewhere. The Glrick had tried to reinforce their rule over the Kat a' Dorinma, but a couple of other races finally stepped in and forced the Glrick to step back from the conquering ways. For the past ten years, the Glrick were only allowed to enslave the Kat a' Dorinma they currently had and produced within captivity. There were a few bands of mercenaries who made a profit raiding encampments of Kat a' Dorinma and spiriting away their children and their men. James had to use a question to learn that the women were larger than the males and that Soloman was considered average for his race.

James also learned that his weapon was considered valuable and that only about half the Glrick males owned one. Many had been lost, and the skill to make them had been lost a few generations ago. The blade was toxic to races that lived in the Void and even to other Glricks. Apparently, it was only because he was bound to that sword that it didn't hurt him by holding or touching it. Soloman warned him that other Glrick might jump at the chance to collect another Glrick Sword for their clans.

James learned that Glricks were divided into clans and fought among themselves as much as they did against others. They were prolific, so there were lots of little Glricks running around. Soloman only knew of three Clans but refused to share their names or any information about them.

James had mentioned the world he had come from had technology. His ploy worked as Soloman asked dozens of questions about Earth that James had no problem answering. By the end, both still had many questions, but they both had other things to attend to.

"I am glad you are not a Glrick," Soloman said, "I would hate to think that I enjoyed the company of one of your race."

"I am glad I am not a Glrick," James responded. The irony was not lost on him. James came from a race who had enslaved another race not that long ago. It was still a sore point for many, and rightly so. The truth was that the strong would always take advantage of the weak until they were they were no longer weak. They agreed to meet in a week and exchange more questions.

James continued his journey to Milgarden while Rocko worked on a list of questions and possible answers to expected questions. Rocko would also need some time to use the information they had already collected.

Only one of the destinations that Soloman gave him was a name that Rocko had heard before. As far as he was concerned, it was a mythical city lost in antiquity. James equated it to Atlantis on Earth. Regardless, Rocko was somewhat interested in venturing there. James didn't remember until much later that he never asked for the name of the world he was in or what the symbol looked like. He always had Astral Anchor, but better if he didn't need to use it.

Soloman was a fascinating creature. He agreed to return in seven days and even offered James some free advice. The Void was a dangerous place and home to creatures far more dangerous than anything he could imagine. His advice was not to travel the Void too often or use the same paths too often. Some predators could sense when a course was used more than once and would lay in wait. When James travelled to Milgarden twice, he was leaving a path. If he did that a couple of times, predators might detect the path and follow it to Milgarden or back to his haven in Ash Rumbo. Neither prospect appealed to him.

The journey to Milgarden from the Travel Stone was uneventful, and James decided to move a little further away from the goblin caves to reappear in the real world. It was well past noon, and he was confident that the sisters would have already dealt with the goblins. But he was hoping to catch them before they returned to the town.

&&&&& REAL SPACE &&&&&

Stepping into the real world was a little jarring as it was raining. And it was cold. Throwing the hood over his head from his new cloak, he hunkered down a bit and took his Backpack of Holding off his shoulders. James has changed his appearance after leaving Soloman to that of a human. He was also wearing regular clothes that were new and, therefore, not something the sisters would have seen before. The only thing he took with him was an iron dagger and a regular bow, quiver and arrows. He replaced all the weapons and armour in his Backpack of Holding with his Enchanted items and gear and left the other equipment in the sack. In case he needed to drop the sack, it would be better if it was not carrying his most valuable items.

Making his way to the goblin caves, he stuck to the shadows and moved slowly to avoid detection. After walking stealthily for about thirty minutes, he heard voices ahead of him. He was pleased to note that his stealth was much better when he was not wearing armour. Along with his bonus due to the Augment Skill I Power and the Boots of Stealth. Staying on the far side of the river, he used his Shadow Sense and Shadow Meld to move his perception across the river to the twelfth cave. The three sisters were sitting under the front overhang of the cave. Unfortunately, they were not alone. James saw about a dozen soldiers and militia moving about the cave and out in the rain. The goblins had been killed and tossed out in the rain. The watch commander and mother of the three sisters stood at the cave entrance, looking out.

"I never would have thought they would sell you out!" Rocko shouted in frustration.

'Shhh, I need to hear what they are saying.' James sent it to Rocko.

"When did you say he would return?" The watch commander asked.

"We didn't," Connie answered.

"You said he would return in about four or five days. If I remember correctly." Their mother continued, ignoring Connie.

"You have no idea how beneficial it will be for the town for us to kill him. You should be happy to be a part of this!"

Barbara was the one to respond, "We are not a part of this, mother. This is all on you. You don't realize that in the two days James was with us, he gained 5 levels. That was four days ago. He could be level 20 by now."

The watch commander waved her hand dismissively, "I doubt it. Levelling slows down after level 10. And in a few days, the Dungeon should open as well, and we can take our soldiers in for training."

Doris contradicted her mother, "I believe the Dungeon only opened for us because James was at the party."

"We shall find out soon enough. If it doesn't work, no loss. We can watch out here to see if any other Champions arrive and kill them."

"You think very highly of your abilities," Connie stated, "or very poorly of theirs."

"they had months to get to higher levels, and they did nothing. Even y our James was what, level 5 when he arrived?. Pathetic. No, I am confident that we can defeat him. All of us working together will defeat him."

The sisters looked at each other and frowned, each shaking their head but not saying anything to their mother.

'Telepathic Link is 30 Advantage points?' James asked Rocko.

"20." Rocko corrected.

James looked around the cave and growled, 'I only have the 40 Free Advantage points I got for completing the Dungeon.'

"Yes, you spent all your points improving your Harden Skin Power, Water Breathing and the Mental Linkability. I don't recommend spending more until level 15. Some powers are necessary for the Shadow Lord Specialization."

Suddenly, James had a blue box appear.

Connie has invited you to join her party.

YES NO

James froze. Did she know he was there, or was she testing to see if he was around every few minutes? Did she know if he was around by the message appearing before him, or would she only see if he accepted?

"She knows you are close, James. Otherwise, she would have a message that you were not in the area when she entered your name. Now she will see a message saying you accept or decline," Rocko explained.

James selected YES. She may know he was in the area but not where he was. If that was the case, then he could still observe her.

Connie stood up. "I have to use the privy."

"Good luck finding one in this rain. Just use the back of the cave. No one would notice over the stench of these goblins," her mother stated, waving her hand dismissively.

"I'll be back," she moved down the tunnel to the back room where the portal would be. When she got there, she turned and whispered, "James?"

James secured the gear he carried in the sack and used Shadow Step from across the river to a few meters down the tunnel. He had used his Augment Skill to gain +5 in the Skill Stealth along with his Boots of Stealth +3. He made sure to be extra quiet and stay in the shadows.

James had followed Connie as she made her way down the tunnel and past the first chamber. The second chamber still had a door on it and the glowing blue portal at the back of the room.

"James?" Connie whispered again.

"Here," James said quietly, stepping into the room. Connie gave him a quick hug and then stepped back, "We were so worried about you."

"I am pretty hard to kill," James smirked.

Connie looked back down the tunnel, "Don't tempt Fate. You need to flee. Mother plans on killing you. She wants the community reward," Connie tried to keep her voice down, but it was starting to rise.

"Shh," James reassured her, "I know, and I am sure she wants the personal reward as well."

"Of course, Mom hasn't had a level in more than five years. I bet she would get one from killing you." Connie whispered.

"I am happy for her. Did you tell her what I was?" James asked. He wasn't upset, he figured they would, considering the watch commander was their mother, but part of him hoped they wouldn't.

"Indirectly," Connie frowned, "We're sorry, even Doris. We told mom that we gained a level the first day, which was not unexpected. But then Doris let slip we gained another level the next day. It doesn't take a Sage to figure out that the only way for that to happen would be with the help of a Champion."

"That was to be expected after the gods increased the rewards."

Connie keeps an eye on the door to the rest of the Dungeon, "We gained another level today, so we're now level 9. We plan to keep this area clean until we get to level 10."

"Congratulations, now go back. I will contact you when I can. Keep killing the goblins out there for as long as they appear." James whispered, moving over to the glowing blue portal.

Connie stopped him by putting a hand on his arm. "We got this as loot. We felt you should see it." Taking three scrolls out of her bag, she put them on the table that occupied the room, "The first one we got two days ago. This one was yesterday, and this one was today. I suggest you read them."

James picked up the first scroll and opened it.

BY DIVINE DECREE

You have been found guilty of interfering with a legal blockade. You are commanded to cease and desist immediately, or the fullness of Divine Wrath will descend upon you.

"Rather direct and succinct," James whispered, putting the scroll back on the table and picking up the next one.

"We decided to ignore it since it wasn't signed," Connie whispered.

James paused, "Seriously? You ignored it because it wasn't signed?"

Connie shrugged, "Doris said that Divine Proclamations must be signed to be legal."

James shook his head and opened the second scroll.

It is only upon the divine intervention of Narisa throwing herself at my feet that I extend any mercy to you. Failure to heed my warning shall result in your doom and that of your community.

"That doesn't sound right. Narisa doesn't sound like someone who would throw herself at anyone's feet. Especially not for a priestess she earned a week ago," James said, putting the scroll back on the table and picking up the last one.

"Doris said the same thing once she stopped laughing."

"Does the person sending these scrolls not know anything about Narisa?" James asked.

"I think it is a matter of the god who is sending them doesn't think that mortals would question his Divine Will," Rocko offered. Connie had just shrugged.

James opened the last scroll and started reading.

We understand that you were at a party with James Gleason. He is a champion, and if you were to kill him, you would receive a great award for both you and your community. We will double that reward for James Gleason, specifically, if you kill him within the caves.