Deacon’s eyes fluttered and he tried to sit up but failed. That’s when he noticed he was strapped down to the cot in his room back at the Guild. He felt like he’d been run over by a bus. Deacon’s head was throbbing, he had aches in his extremities, and the taste of copper was in his mouth. He wanted out of these restraints, so he tried to use Ice Sickles to cut them only to have the ability fail to manifest. Unfortunately followed by a spike of pain shooting through his limbs again. Looking around the small room he noticed a new chair on the opposite side of the room as well a book laying on his end table.

“Was someone reading to me?” Deacon thought as he tried to rock back and forth on the cot to make some noise. His voice was horse and his croaked-out pleas for help went unanswered. Soon enough he could hear footsteps in the hall as the door opened to reveal Amanda with a plate of food as well as Sophie with a jug of water.

“Hang on we’ll let you up in a second. You’ve been asleep for a week. We need to get some water into you quickly.” Sophie said.

“Ralph went to fetch Genevieve. After the maze disappeared you started glowing assorted colors and your health was rapidly depleting. Some of the clergy of Astrael were making their way down the road as soon as we ran out of potions to feed you. What the hell happened to you in that outhouse?” Amanda asked.

Deacon was taking in huge gulps of water in now that he could sit up right. Amanda was working on the straps across his legs when Jacob appeared in the doorway turning his head and hollering back down the hall. Shortly there after Elle and Armand showed up with Genevieve. Deacon had never been so hungry in his life. Sophie tried to get him to take it slowly so his body could go back to consuming solid food instead of the nutrient potion they’d been feeding him all week.

“What happened?” Deacon asked between bites of bread he was smothering in butter.

“We were going to ask you the same thing. You just popped up and collapsed. Said something about not going in there and the world went back to normal. We didn’t eve get to check the hole left over after the outhouse blew up. What did you do?” Jacob asked.

“Well I had a discussion with a bat shit crazy wizard named Philo,” Deacon began, “he had gone crazy and the maze itself gave me a quest to save him by killing him. Hold on, do you have antlers Elle?”

“It’s a part of my new specialized Druid of the Forest class, don’t deflect get back to what happened.” Elle responded with a smug look on her face.

“You expect us to believe you killed the legendary elven wizard Philo, the one who created the Wandering Maze? How exactly did you do that?” Jacob asked inching into the room. The noise in the hallway behind him started picking up as people were running back and forth. It sounded like someone kicked a hornets nest.

“Well it wasn’t easy, he kept hitting me with spell after spell until he got so frustrated, he used some kind of skill or ability to read my slate. He managed to grab me with an indirect spell, and I tricked him into telling me how to defeat him. Apparently, he tied his soul to a wine bottle only he could break so I shoved it down his throat and used his jaw to break the bottle. I was a dead man, he had three other champions corpses just lying around like he was experimenting on them, and it was the only thing I could think of.” Deacon replied.

“That is just insane Deacon. You have to realize that is insane. No one would believe it if the maze didn’t just disappear once you fell to the ground. None of this explains what’s happening to your body.” Armand said.

“What’s happening to my body?” Deacon asked with a confused look on his face.

“Well you kept glowing assorted colors and not just your eyes. They are back to normal green now, that’s weird. They were reptilian for a while.” Armand replied stroking his chin.

“Yea you missed when he did his weird ghost thing and changed his eyes to a Vasilly lords. Must be how he got Philo to tell him his weakness. Power like that could come in handy.” Amanda said forced uncomfortably against the window.

“Wait, how are you all in here? I thought only I could open the door.” Deacon asked.

“My guild. Don’t you think I have a skeleton key?” Jacob answered.

“Have you checked your notifications, Deacon? Maybe they would shed some light on what is happening to you. After that, if we can get you on your feet there are hundreds of people that would like to meet you.” Armand said.

“Why?” Deacon asked.

“Well apparently you freed them from being slaves in the Vasilly Empire.” Sophie answered.

“You are right, perhaps I should check my notifications.” Deacon said as his eyes went wide.

You have reached level 15; you have three undistributed attribute points.

New Skill learned: Odds and Ends- you have defeated several opponents with random things in the environment. You now receive a plus 5% damage bonus per skill level when using non weapon objects in combat.

New Title earned: Slave Masters Bane- with this title equipped you receive a bonus twenty percent damage and damage resistance when fighting slavers…Rule Breaker has activated; Additionally it allows you to destroy mundane and magical slave collars on contact. No cost.

You have consumed energy from four out of ten hells, New Class Specializations will be available to you at level twenty.

Quest Complete: Legend, Please- Philo’s Wandering Maze has asked you to do what three other Champions before you could not. Help Philo die. Rewards- The key and map to Philo’s workshop, Iron Mountain Plateau will be returned to the real world, and 1500 Guild Renown.

Warning: Your second-tier body can no longer contain the arcane energies you have absorbed. If something is not done, you will die.

Deacon held his head in anticipation of Rule Breaker’s cacophony, but all he heard was some distant cracking. He began to cough up blood as his arms started emanating a blue-red light. Everyone else in the room tried to put some distance between themselves and Deacon. It mostly boiled down to people leaning away as there was not enough space to really go anywhere in this little room. Deacon began taking off his hoody and the shirt he had on beneath. He could now see his veins glowing with green, blue-red, yellow, and black energy. Every place the energy changed color corresponded to somewhere he felt pain or had aching joints. He had images in his head of reaching critical mass and nuking the city. Deacon quickly banished those thoughts from his mind deciding he needed to speak with Chimera or even Zageracks before going anywhere else. Putting his friends minds at ease was next on the agenda.

“Ok so my slate says I’ve absorbed more arcane energy than my body can manage. If I don’t do something about it, it will kill me,” Deacon said slowly so his words wouldn’t be misinterpreted. He looked into everyone’s eyes individually to make sure they understood before continuing, “I will need to speak with Chimera, and I earned Adept status in the guild now. That’s nice.”

“Been meaning to talk to you about that. There is a ceremony and a few tests before we give you two levels of advancement within the tiers. There are guild members who have been at lower levels for years and jumping you up within a month could be, problematic. We can manage all of that at another time.” Jacob said.

“Ok I’m going to need a little privacy to meditate. Can you get me when Genevieve shows up?” Deacon asked.

“Sure, everybody out. Go on shoo.” Amanda says getting grumbles from Jacob as he tries to shimmy his bulk back out of the door.

Once the door was locked, Deacon crossed his legs to assume a meditative pose. He was immediately drawn into the starry void, only this time there was an extremely large and looming black hole in the sky. Turning, Deacon noticed a yellow star as well as a red giant. Between all of them was eerily green glowing path stretching out into the darkness.

“What you are now seeing is the realm of the Deific. It is the third tier of Arcane energy that makes up your world. It is the glue of creation. Your mortal form can not exist mixing the holy energies of the Nether, the Infernal, the Perpetual, and The Black planes of existence. Odds are if something drastic is not done, your story will be over by weeks end.” Said the voice of Chimera for the first time not grinning.

“You want me to accept Zageracks plan? You know he’s just trying to take over my body, right? I mean it’s really transparent.” Deacon responded.

“That is not his fate. What he wants and what he will get are two vastly different things. I’d say its eighty twenty in your favor, but as you know anything can happen.” Chimera responded.

“What about Bael’s blessing? If I die, won’t I come back?” Deacon asked.

“Too what? I’m quite sure the meat chunks that will be left won’t be able to animate again. I could be wrong but I’m not betting on it.” Chimera answered.

“Is there no other way?” Deacon asked with a quiver to his lip.

“You could change your soul matrix. Allow it to be a governor between all four types of energy. With practice it would enable you to use abilities from each category. Be aware there has never been a mortal who could wield the energies of four different hells. You would only need the better part of a decade to begin training for it. Consider your choice wisely.” Chimera replied.

“So no choice it is. You know what, I love this plan. I once again have to put my fate in the hands of scheming dragon.” Deacon said throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“Be honest with yourself. He has been there the whole time. Has he really done anything so terrible to you? Have the conversation at least, remember your fates are currently intertwined.” Chimera says as his little mouth begins bouncing down the green path into the heavens.