I focused on the final bit of the gesture. The pain was horrible but manageable, and I wondered absently if this meant I'd be able to practice growing my Mindscape a lot more after this was done.

If I survive, I thought, an anxious worry growing.

The mental gesture finished, and it felt like I'd slammed head first into a concrete wall. The world changed from a dull gray to a brighter gleaming one, and I saw tiny bits float around, reflecting the light. Any ease of movement the pain-induced growth from before had given me was gone. My connection to Rathica turned muted like we were suddenly on another wavelength, and at the same time, loud pings came from my status.

That would be the second layer, I thought as I pulled up my status info.

> Your Mindscape has expanded

> Your Mindscape has crossed the second boundary

> Your Mindscape can now harness a tiny portion of the Karma your soul generates

> Mindscape barrier strength increased: 6/20

> You can now bring willing beings into your Mindscape at the cost of a constant drain on your Karma

> Drain: 1 karma per hour per being

> Beings in your Mindscape: 0/4

> To increase the cap of an attribute, enter your Mindscape

> To choose a skill to increase, enter your Mindscape

Holy shit…

My barrier strength had both doubled in current power and potential strength. Was that why my connection with Rathica had dulled? Or had that something today with being in the second layer of the aura? As I pondered it, my gaze drifted over my status, and I noticed a change in my attributes. Besides an increase, something new had been added at the bottom!

> 34/38: Muscle mass

> 09/120: Fat

> 33/40: Coordination

> 30/30: Stamina (maxed)

> 06/10: Learning rate

> 632/744: Knowledge

> 07/60: Well spoken

> 13/800: Karma

> 1/1: Karma harnessing

So, Karma harnessing… is that one per day, one per hour? I thought, annoyed at the lack of clarity. I scanned the other attributes, hesitating on Fat. When had that increased beyond one? I'd only eaten that crab stuff before, right? No matter, I didn't have time to worry about it. As always. Instead I focused back on the list of gains.

No resistance increase option this time, but I guess Par can just help me with that!

Thinking of Par, I recalled my driving force for getting my second-tier Mindscape and quickly sent him a message.

> Help Libidi!

> Yes, yes, I'm trying to work through this here!

> Do you know how large your Mindscape just grew, damn mortal?

> As if I don't have anything else to do!

I grit my teeth in anger.

> Par. Now!

> Your Sentient Keeper, Raparion requests bringing entity Li'Aus'Bidi into your Mindscape

> Yes/No

I quickly selected yes, and felt Libidi's hand disappear from mine, followed by a soft ping. I didn't see anything in my status, and I waited, hoping for some good news.

> Damn, there is only a bare scrap of her consciousness left…

> Couldn't you have got her in here faster?

I held back a desire to shout and curse at him.

> Raparion used one Karma to evolve: mental purifying bird - male into: Melison bird

> Raparion used one Karma to sideways evolve: Melison bird - male, into: Toxidon

> Raparion has forced a connection to the mind of Li'Aus'Bidi to offload (#*&*) into the Toxidon

> Progress 1%

With a forceful shove, Seriona's presence asserted itself, and unlike before, I sensed exactly where she was, and it freaked me out.

You have a wonderful Mindscape, Seriona whispered.

My heart skipped a beat.

Don't worry, pretty Prime. I won't harm you, especially now I see how much effort you are putting into saving Libidi. Besides, this gives me a much safer place to hide.

Seriously? She had been inside Libidi? Why hadn't I thought of that! I felt the limits of my patience strained.

> Par... there's another Deity in there…

I sent, hoping Seriona wouldn't be able to catch my message.

> What? No, there isn't. I'd know if there was...

> ...

> shit…

> Fucking mortal, she piggybacked on that mentally broken one!

> By all Primal Chaos born, she is a Tier two deity…

> What the hell are you getting yourselves involved in?

Before I could even begin to reason what he meant, I felt Seriona's presence move around my Mindscape. It was an odd sensation, but it became worse when she took a section and changed it, morphed id.

What are you doing? I snapped, afraid as I felt her modify a tiny area of my mind.

Don't worry. You just focus on getting that shard. You are in the lead, which is good, but don't expect that vile piece of Faquiz excrement, Ux, to just surrender.

Her dismissal made me angry, and not just because it made me feel like a child before an adult. I'd been working so hard to get my mind out of the control range of Deities and others, and now I had a second one inside my most private sanctum!

Could you please stop changing my Mindscape? I sent back, unable to keep my growing anger out of my connection.

A sliver of humor came from Seriona.

It won't harm you, silly one. But fine! I sensed her stop whatever she was doing, though what she had changed didn't seem to revert back.

Now- Seriona's voice turned smooth like honey, but one laced with venom. Get. That. Shard!

I swallowed, mentally nodded, and refocused all my attention on the shard ahead. Perhaps I'd gone a bit too far with my complaints. Not that I didn't think them warranted, but she was a Deity. Still, if I could get a way to keep them out of my mind...

> Par, how many more times before I get the third milestone?

> Although I wish for you to grow more than you do, that's not going to happen.

> Growing it another level now, shortly after the second, will bring you nothing but trouble in the long run

> Get that shard and get out of there!

> I thought you were in a hurry?

I gnashed my teeth, looked at the shard, and began forming another mental gesture.

--

Rathica surged forward, then stopped, her Karma reserves fully depleted. Two seconds later, a little influx came from her Realm, Est, and her other Primes, and she moved another few feet. The Stone, Ulderion and Flowheart were far ahead of her but still nowhere near the second aura. Ux and Nimron, however, had already passed halfway through that one.

She felt her anger burn hot and let it simmer for a moment. It wasn't like it would help if she kept calm. Millennia ago, she would have laughed and rushed to the shard, snatching it before these first-tier Deities could ever hope to. Now? Now she was depleted of Karma and weak.

At least you're not the slowest, Ulderion's voice rang through their private connection.

Rathica sniffed. Perhaps she needed to get a better grip on her emotions after all if even that old tree managed to pick up on it again. She turned her attention to Wyerg, a few feet behind her. The canine Deity's face was passive, but from his faltering glow, she knew he was on his last legs.

Besides, if Est gets that shard, you will win this little race anyway, Ulderion said.

Rathica shot another foot forward, draining her Karma before focusing on Est. She felt a wave of joy and pride at his accomplishments. He was a dozen feet inside the second aura already, and every few minutes, he jumped a foot ahead. Not as fast as he'd been at the start, but it looked to be enough. The first of the demons behind him had only just entered the second aura, and though he was moving faster than Est now, Est's headstart was big.

You should let me have the shard, Ulderion said, surprising her. She glared at him.

Don't give me that look! I have more Karma reserves and more power than you! The chances of me using the shard to oust those two is much bigger than if you try with the limited power you have! Besides, we still have to fight them after, remember?

Rathica didn't even bother to respond. The difference between them might seem big at a glance, but they weren't that big. Besides, with the shard, she would have enough Karma to force her way towards the main core while leaving her with a whole lot for the fight after. That was if she could use it without the Despotin essence corrupting her. That was one of the few reasons she would even contemplate letting Ulderion have the shard after Est claimed it, the risk of turning into a warmonger. Her current form was far more aggressive than her previous one. Then again… she had a massive trick up her sleeve, one the others had no idea of, not even Ulderion.

Seriona, how long till you are ready? she asked across the well-hidden connection. It still bothered her to speak with the unstable Deity, no matter how impressive it was that she had managed to stay sentient and largely uncorrupted on the ravaged world of Leralion. Still, she hadn't been able to stop the corruption of her followers from influencing her.

I'll be ready way before you reach the core, the honey-like foreign voice said. Don't worry so much, lovely!

Rathica didn't respond. She was relieved by the initial words, but the constant sweet talk and pet names the other was calling her by made her more than a little uncomfortable.

If only Est won't make a mistake, she thought.

--

I gasped as my body shot towards the final barrier that separated me from the shard. Any connection to the outside world vanished as soon as I touched it. Only Seriona's foreign presence was noticeable in my Mindscape, like a splinter below my skin. My forward motion stopped, and I sat flush against the last barrier.

It's like a piece of glass, I thought, focusing on the shard an arm's length away. Time to get this over with! My left upper arm pushed against the barrier, then slid through with less resistance than I'd imagined. A sharp pain came from my head, and I tried to suppress a groan as the constant migraine throbbing in my mind spiked. At the speed my hand was moving, it would take a minutes reach it.

Should be fine, I thought as I forced my head sideways to see the demonic Merman two feet behind me. My lead had rapidly shrunk after entering the second barrier, as my jumps shrunk while the demons' speed had stayed constant. Still, it had been sufficient, and I smirked at the demon. His eyes were wide, and a snarl sat on his face. I saw his thin, scaled lips move, but there was no sound. Probably a good thing. I'd been heckling him for a while now.

The liquid metal, or whatever it was, around my hand seemed to heat up as my fingers closed the final few inches. I swallowed back some lingering fear, then my fingertips pressed against the surface.

Cold, I thought in surprise. I slowly wrapped my fingers around the sharp, freezing shard.

A wave of energy pulsed away from it, and, with a high-pitched whine, the sounds returned; swirling water, distant fighting, and nearby growls. At the same time, there was a loud ping from my status window.

"Esssst, how?" Lark's voice came from behind.

Oh shit, I thought as I swirled around. All of the resistance was gone, which probably meant the others could move too!

Behind me, the demonic mermen shook his head, seeming confused. Then its eyes refocused on me.

"Yeah, hey there," I muttered.

"Mine," the demon snarled as he rushed forward, eyes on the shard.

Before I could react, another pulse came from the shard, and a ripple of force burst out. Like a tiny strawman, the Merman was shoved away, swirling through the water until he was pushed back to the original barrier starting point. The other demons and Lark were shoved away at the same time, and suddenly I was alone, hovering in the water.

The burning pain was gone, leaving me to feel tired and refreshed with a lingering headache. The shard sat like a block of ice in my hand, and I gazed at it. I'd won... but now what?

Est, quickly, bequeath the shard to me!

Rathica's voice ripped me out of my confusion. It was clear again, with none of the previous dull interference left.

Bequeath? What? How? I said.

Look at your status window!

Right, status window! I pulled it up and blinked in surprise.

> You have claimed a Despotin shard [12%]

> Instability flux-explosion in: 249 seconds

> Absorb before timer runs out

The seconds counted down, which surprised me. But not as much as what stood below.

> Shard greatly exceeds your ability to absorb

> Either relinquish the shard to the Primal Chaos or bequeath it to any of the following entities in the vicinity

A list of selectable options sat below.

> Ux'dsir'lux

> Nimron the Vengeful

> Is'Seriona

> The Stone

> Flowheart

> Rathica the Wrathguard

> Wyerg

> [?] UNKNOWN

> [?] UNKNOWN

Two unknown? I thought as I gazed at the list, surprised. There was something up with the order too. It wasn't alphabetical or based on distance. So what then? Based on power? If so, that meant little good as it would place Rathica in the bottom half, while Ux was even more powerful than Nimron.

Est, hurry!

I nodded. Rathica was right. I was about to select her when a low, nasty chuckle rang out. It was a voice I'd not heard in a long time, not since I was in Crouhal, but I recognized it instantly. Nimron. With it came a horrible sense of being violated as his mind clamped onto mine like a vice. My imaginary finger suddenly hung frozen just above the option of Rathica.

"You've surprised me, but that is fine," Nimron said, his voice rumbling through the massive chest cavity around us, echoing oddly. "Now, bequeath that shard to me!"

I was momentarily lost for words. What? Why would I ever do something like that?

"Why?" I blurted out.

"Est, don't listen to him! He-' Ulderion's voice, like boulders rolling down a hill, surprised me.

"Quiet, old fool," Nimron snapped, and I saw a flash of silvery light as Ulderion's voice was cut short.

"Why you ask? Simple. Because if you don't, your pathetic Deity might win this battle, but you will be the only Earthling left to enjoy it."

As Nimron spoke, a vague shimmering image appeared in the center of the chest cavity, like a hologram. It showed a massive city, partially dug out in a plateau. A city I'd not seen or thought about for a long time. The city whose foundations I had laid.

Steadfast!

Armies were arranged around it, stretching across the river banks. Explosions and streaks of violent energy shot up from the front lines, slamming into hole-riddled gates and blasting apart pieces of the plateau wall. Defenders were returning fire from the windows while some hovered in the air pelting down beams and balls of energy. The imbalance was instantly evident, even worse than the last city I'd seen under siege. These defenders were close to being defeated.

The image zoomed in on the gate, where I saw lines and lines of Grablon soldiers marching towards the gate. Then it moved towards the city, up and to a building, focusing on a group of children huddled together in a room. A pair of soldiers were guarding the door, staring out of the window with wide-eyed fear.

"I presume you understand me now," Nimron said. "Your little bastion won't hold longer than an hour, and after they fall, I will have each of them executed. Unless…"

The image swirled back to the frontlines, and I swallowed back some bile as a defender exploded in a gory cloud of blood and flesh. It was pretty obvious what Nimron was trying to do, but that didn't make it less effective. Still, no matter how effective, how could I even think about giving in to him? If he won, he wasn't going to just up and leave us alone.

I vividly recalled the stories about how he had dealt with Grammanites current ruling class and how he had killed Laurel just to make a point. No, it was more likely he'd just be done with us all. Dammit. Why wasn't Rathica saying anything? Why wasn't she helping the people there?

Rathica? There was no response. The connection felt locked down.

"Rathica?" I asked, hoping she could still talk.

"Don't bother. She can't help you and is too weak to speak up! Now, don't make more of your kind die in vain and just yield!" Nimron snapped.

Rathica says not to listen to him, Seriona whispered in my mind.

Why didn't she warn me? I snapped back, wondering how she was able to talk to Seriona and not me. Can she save Steadfast?

Even though I hadn't been to Steadfast after it was populated, I suddenly realized how much I wanted to save it. Somehow I'd pictured myself going there after this, eating good food, sleeping in a real bed, amongst others like me. With Eliandra. Home.

Rathica says not to worry. She-

"Give me what I want, mortal!" Nimron's roar caused ripples in the water.

Why doesn't he just grab, I thought angrily. I looked at the Deities as they continued to push through the middle aura. As I did, I looked at the other Deities, noting the one lagging behind, and frowned. Wait, why hadn't the Stone or the others simply sent that slow one to grab this tiny shard? If this was what decided the victor? The shard in my hand turned colder, and there was a tiny shimmer in the water around me.

Something was wrong. I knew it. But what? For a moment I thought about asking Seriona, then I shook my head. If I, a puny mortal, could see something was wrong, she and Rathica should be able to. That meant-

Something is fucking with them, I thought.

But, if something could mess with a deity's perception, how come I could notice this? Nimron roared something again, but I ignored it as the shard cooled again, and my gaze drifted to the shard. The shard... of course! I'd only realized the glaringly obvious oddities after grabbing it!

I snapped up and looked around. Lark was hovering close by, one hungry eye on the shard, the other on the demons that were glaring at me. There was no sign of Casiron or Grem, which was odd. I tried to remember what they had said before they left. Something about going to that nest of eggs. Right.

Rathica wants to know what you are doing, Seriona whispered through my mind, her voice honey-sweet but somehow dangerous too.

Tell her something is wrong, and I'm trying to figure out what, I said, distracted.

If none of the deities could help me, that left me with only one place to go for questions.

> Par, something is very, very wrong

I quickly explained about the shard, the big core, and the deities. As I did, I wondered how much I'd been influenced before.

Par didn't immediately reply; then there was an odd ping from my status.

> Your keeper, Raparion, requests temporary access to your vision

> Karma cost: 1 per minute

> Yes/No

I blinked. Why hadn't that bloody keeper deity just done this sooner? I stopped my angry thoughts and selected yes. My eyes began to tingle and itch. Then it felt like someone was standing behind me, looking across my shoulder.

> Look around a bit, but don't look at Ux

I frowned and did as requested, my gaze glancing all around. Par kept quiet as the seconds ticked by, and both of us ignored Nimron's continued screaming.

> By the Primal Chaos!

> Keep looking at the deities. Don't you dare look at anything else!

> I'm going to tell you something, don't look and just listen.

> There is a powerful demon hiding amongst those corpses, and there is a massive confusion spell covering the chest area.

> That red mana-signature moving ahead of Nimron? That isn't Ux… it's just some weakling

> The demon that's hiding is harboring part of Ux's mind

> All of this? It's a trap targeted at these deities!

> Pretty impressive actually…

It took all my effort to resist looking at the mass of dead demon bodies or at the ceiling. Everything suddenly made a whole lot more sense. I'd not even realized before that Ux hadn't said or done anything since I got here! Just that should have told me something was wrong! Wasn't he supposed to be dangerous and powerful?

> What do we do now?

I responded, trying to keep my calm and very happy with my keeper all of a sudden.

> I need to figure out what that bloody pattern is doing

> Buy me some time, distract them or something

> And whatever you do, don't give anyone that shard!

A ping came as the burning sensation left my eyes.

> Should I tell Rathica?

> Are you stupid? That youngster might do something insane and get us all flushed into the Primal Chaos!

> Don't tell her, and don't tell that Leralion Deity either.

> Now stop distracting me!

I licked my lips, wondering how the hell he expected me to distract a group of highly agitated deities. At the same time a tiny voice nagged at the back of my mind. What if Par was lying…?