“A few hundred years of burning and pillaging followed by rumbles and tremors of the world at large changing around him, and somebody manages to talk him into retirement,” Ted says to Sia while strolling down the mountainside.

“I’m surprised it wasn’t you. Though I do have a question,” Sia replies, taking a deep breath. “How did you not know there was an entire religion based on you?!”

“These things do happen from time to time. At one point in the distant past I even built temples myself, the one they call The Ancient Wanderer. Quite fitting at the time. We will even be meeting one of those who knows me by that title, in the relatively near future nonetheless,” Ted says while flashing a letter dramatically.

“News from home? When?”

“A while ago. Actually, that reminds me, I was supposed to send a letter off to the Lords of Level 54. Hold up a second.”

Looking around briefly and ducking behind a somewhat large boulder so that none below them can see what happens, Ted takes out a piece of paper, writes a few words on it, and after making it glow a dangerous shade of green shoves it through a tiny little door to nowhere.

“I feel obligated as the lodestone of my ancestors obsession and fury to again ask why you built them a castle,” Sia states after he returns from his rock.

“For all intents and purposes, those blood sucking politicians have always lived underground off of my magnanimity. Their ancestor is literally the son of a demon of whom I asked much of at the time, and in deference I designed him and his a fitting tomb as it were. They are just the groundskeepers.”

“Uh huh,” Sia snarks, rolling her eyes. “I’ve had a lot of vacation time over the years, I’ve read some of that smut they have written, so you’ll never be able to convince me of that.”

“Sia,” Ted says with feigned shock, “My little minion, all grown up, and no longer pretending to be just a little girl.”

Continuing their banter for another half hour, they finally arrive back at the flock of Satansheep, which had moved away from the former battle in the intervening time. Luck and Lyle can be seen chasing each other among the flock, with the Lightning Jack learning how to more stably use his brand of magic to instantaneously accelerate. Bill is sitting somewhat regally atop the largest of the flock when Sidney and Madilyn walk into view with one of the shepherds.

“Welcome back!” Madilyn exclaims as they draw near. “We thought we may need to make camp tonight without you. Did you teach that big meanie a lesson?”

Madilyn glances at the shepherd with a smirk in her eyes as she was hoping to get a reaction out of him. Said reaction was looking like he had somehow choked on his soul.

“Oh yes!” Sia exclaims right back. “Gave him a good what-for don’t-cha-know, tried to shake us off into the lava after Ted teleported him up above the volcano.”

“Wadih,” Ted says, throwing him a metaphorical lifeline, “Thanks for keeping an eye on these two and the animals besides your own.”

“Ah, yes,” the young man, barely older than these unusual arrivals, replies. “Twas no trouble at all Great One.”

“What’s this about?” Ted asks Wadih, only to receive a reply from Sidney while Wadih has his mouth partially open.

“Well, after we told him that you were the one throwing most of the magic around, he asked us for some stories about you, where we all grew up, what things were like there. Told us he was a patron of this ‘Chaos Healer Temple’ up above, and is convinced you must be its patron saint or some such thing.”

As Sia bursts out laughing once the name of the temple is mentioned, not for the first time mind you, Ted beckons towards the young man and asks a seemingly simple question.

“Do you recognize this symbol?” He asks, waiting for the historically traditional response.

“Yes! It’s the symbol of Winter Pharmaceuticals, but the priests tol-….” Wadih manages to get out before sensing a sudden shift in the world around him.

- - - - - - - - - -

Elsewhere, four former golems, several dozens and scores of their compatriots, those inside of the Chaos Healer temples, and surprisingly every single being that has consumed a particular brand and grade of healing potion, feels a chill down in their soul.

- - - - - - - - - -

“Say that, one more time, please,” Ted says with a cracked smile.

Wadih, neither noticing that the entire flock of Satansheep have turned their heads towards them nor Sia suddenly shivering, continues on with his heart halfway up his throat, metaphorically speaking.

“Great One, it is a symbol used by Winter Pharmaceuticals, but the priests of the Temple say that it is sacrilege and that if anyone displays the symbol, we should ask them to be healed in our entirety to know who they are, fraud or the one they follow.”

By this time, three other shepherds have made their way towards the group, because how could they not. Seeing Wahid starting to sweat, one starts to call out to ask what happened when a dome of green sigils expands from Ted and overtakes their position and the entire flock.

“Nine thousand scars, a missing toe, that one had rock-gut from eating too much granite…”

“Oh, but Horace’s feces make for good…”

“And you are pregnant, congratulations.”

“Wait, what?”

As the surprised shepherdess and likely father have their mouths agape, Ted turns back to Wahid.

“If that is sufficient, I would have you tell me about this Winter,” he says before magic-ing up two stone chairs.

Sensing something important is about to happen and that silence would be best, Sidney, Sia, Madilyn, and the shepherds not dealing with newfound responsibilities settle in around them.

Wahid, the now-spokesman for the group, begins with a somewhat nervous start despite the fact he enjoys stories and random bits of history, of which this subject is one he knows somewhat well, though part of that is because of how often he heard the adverts.

“Then, I shall tell you the story of how the world’s greatest Elixer was made, the story of betrayal, and revenge. How Thul Winter betrayed his family by nearly starting a war with dragons when he was betrayed in turn by his own daughter, seeking revenge for his disastrous mistakes.”

Sia, seeing a questioning eyebrow from Ted, quietly sighs in relief as she joins Bill atop his sheep, as they have surrounded the group to lay down and listen to the story.

‘Perhaps this won’t end as badly as I expected not five minutes ago,’ she thinks, hoping she is right.