"How the fuck are you so fucking calm!? This is groundbreaking news! This is the kind of information the guild would kill for! How are you so fucking calm!?" Shiva is pacing back and forth on the floor in front of me. The longer she paces, the more her tail thrashes back and forth.

I'm currently leaning back against Thea's body as we try and relax against the wall. The fresh green shirt I had got from jacob open halfway as I relax. Vaunea is sitting near the manticore, and the two of them are talking in low voices. Jacob had tried to calm Shiva down once. After being backhanded, he sat down a little ways away from Thea and me.

Sarge has stayed inside the room with the dungeon core. The few times I actually paid attention to the room, I could hear Vixi berating Alexis. Vixi tells her how she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about cores. That if the council found out she could get in a lot of trouble. I filed that information away as something to ask about later and waited.

I originally planned on questioning the core, and possibly making a deal with her. However, when I tried, Shiva kept interrupting to the point I just gave up. Now, she has been pacing and ranting for nearly a half hour showing no sign of stopping soon.

"Any idea how long she is going to keep this up?" Jacob shrugs at my question.

"She has always been like this. Anytime something is a big shock to her and she can't adapt, she goes on a rant. It will stop when she calms down, or when something else distracts her." He starts to quietly sort through his bag, pulling out food and passing it around.

"You seem to be taking this fairly well. If it's that big of a shock, why aren't you freaking out?" I take a bite of the offered jerky, and enjoy the salty meat.

"The last few days have been shock after shock. I think I'm just going numb to this shit." He offers Thea a bottle of water, but she waves him off. I lean my head back to look up into her face. She seems to be miles away in thought.

"How about you? How are you holding up?" She smiles down at me and wraps her arms around me.

"I'm alright. Yes it was a shock, but I don't think it matters right now." She squeezes me tightly, laying her head down on top of mine. "As long as you are right here, I'll be fine. You make me feel safe. When I get a shock like this, I can manage."

I can't help but feel warm inside at her words. The fact that she feels safe with me makes me feel like I can handle whatever this world throws at me.

I look over at Shiva. The cat girl is still pacing back and forth, arms swinging wildly. With a sigh, I realize I'm going to have to do something. We had only planned on spending a day in the dungeon, and this is a waste of time. If we don't get moving soon, we are going to end up behind and possibly missing our contact.

"How long have we been in this dungeon anyway? I kinda lost track of time around the fifteenth floor."

"You entered the dungeon exactly nine and a half hours ago." Vixi flutters over to us with Sarge trailing behind her. "If you can manage now, mistress Alexis wants to talk to you." I look over at Shiva again and debate on whether or not I want to try to talk to the core again.

"Yeah, just let me try and calm her down first so she doesn't interrupt us again." Pushing myself to my feet, I turn and help Thea up.

"What's your plan?" Thea tilts her head as she looks from Shiva to me.

"I don't really have one. You have any ideas?" She gives me an evil grin.

"I know you distract me when we kiss, maybe try that." I let out a long sigh, leaning my head back.

"Seriously, what is your two's game? I can't figure this shit out." Thea laughs as she wraps her arms around me again.

"I promise I will explain it all to you later. For now, just know that Shiva wants you too, and I'm ok with it." I tilt my head down to look at her. I search her face for any hidden meaning.

"Really?" I can't keep the sarcasm out of my voice. I've seen situations similar to this go down in flames and I don't want to risk it with Thea. She has become way too important to me, faster than I ever thought possible. Thea reaches up, cups my face with her hands, and makes me look in her eyes.

"Do you trust me?" I nod immediately at her words.

"You know I do." I turn my head to kiss her palm.

"Shiva understands what is going on and she is ok with it. Just trust me and we will explain later." She stands up on her tiptoes and kisses me. As she breaks the kiss, she gives me a shove towards the pacing cat girl.

"Shiva, you want to settle down so we can talk a bit? Or are you planning on pacing all night." She ignores me as she keeps walking back and forth.

As she gets closer to me, I reach out and grab her hand as it waves wildly. I pull her to me and spin her around to face me. For a half second, she starts to fight in my grip. Her free hand comes around to swing at me. I catch her hand in my free one and spin us both to crash against the wall.

My lips crash against Shiva's as I feel her stiffen in my grip. Her lips, teeth, and tongue battling against mine. Her tongue is rough like a cat as it slips into my mouth. I meet her kisses with the same energy, our tongues battle for dominance. Teeth clashing against each other as she forces her mouth harder onto mine. Her right leg rises up, hooking my hip to pull me tight to her.

"Fuck!" My voice comes out as a groan as Shiva pulls back, and her teeth pull my lower lip with her.

"What brought this on?" Shiva's eyes are half closed as she looks up at me.

"I need to talk to the core, and the last time I tried, you kept interrupting us. Are you going to relax a minute, or do I need you to leave the room so I can speak?" Shiva sighs, leaning her head against my chest.

"I'll calm down. Sorry I freaked out on you all like that." I stroke my hand over the back of her head, scratching behind her ears gently. I'm surprised as she pushes her head against my hand. It reminds me of the way an actual cat would push against your hand as you pet them.

"Ok then." I lift her leg off my hip, and turn back towards the hole in the wall as I wrap my arm around Shiva's waist. "Then let's go see what we can do about getting my rifle back and getting out of here." I eye the manticore as I walk across the room. The longer it's there, the more I'm convinced it's holding us in.

"You don't think Jacob is going to come after me, do you?" Shiva turns her head questioningly at me.

"Why would he come after you?" I shrug and glance over at him as he relaxes against the wall.

"I mean, weren't you two together?" Shiva snorts which makes me to snap my head to look down at her. Her laughter is an unusual sound compared to her usual attitude.

"No, no. Jacob and I were definitely not together." She gives me a shove towards the core's room before turning around. "I'm going to talk to Thea. You talk to the core." She walks away, leaving me confused and standing by the core's room. I push my thoughts away and step inside.

"Finally, ready to talk now?" Vixi flutters from her bed onto Alexis while looking up at me with a mean glare. Her posture reminds me of a certain fairy from my favorite children's movie, and makes me chuckle.

"Yeah Tink, I'm ready to talk now." Alexis laughs at my words, her core turning a brighter almost neon pink.

"Oh my god, yess! I knew you would get the joke. She just doesn't understand when I call her that." Her reaction causes me to chuckle as I lean against the smooth wall.

"First things first. I want my rifle back. My armor too, but my rifle first and foremost. We can't deal till I have it back." I smile at the core, but my tone of voice doesn't match my smile.

"Fuck you! There's no way she is just going to give you back your weapons!" Vixi flies up into my face, her hands balled up into fist on her hips.

"I'm not talking to you." I wave my hand in front of my face, causing Vixi to flutter away. "Those are my terms. We can make a deal, but I want my rifle back." Alexis is quiet for a few moments, her colors changing rapidly. I'm about to open my mouth to speak when she lets out a sigh.

"Fine, here's your rifle back. I even cleaned all the carbon off of it and lubed it for you." I look around, not seeing my rifle. What I do see is a simple wooden chest form beside the pedestal. I raise an eyebrow at the core and wonder what her game is.

"I can't just form the rifle. It has to be in a chest." I open the chest and see my rifle inside. I toss the sling over my head, checking the magazine quickly.

"Ok, now we can talk." I lean back against the wall, resting my hands on the butt of my rifle. The weight of it on my neck and shoulder is a comfortable feeling.

"At the bare minimum, I want help leaving this country. If the king tried to steal me once, he will try again. I don't want to be here when his men come back." I nod at her words, not feeling surprised. She had already made it obvious that she wanted to leave.

"Alright, so what do you need to move? I can help pack, but my truck doesn't have a whole lot of room, you know."

"You have a truck!? Here in this world!?" Alexis's voice is shrill, making my ears ring as she screams.

"Yes, I have a truck. It's the only reason I have stayed one step ahead of the king's men so far. I'm running low on fuel, but I'm working on that now." I have to fight the urge to stick my fingers in my ears as Alexis squeals.

"That means we can get out of here today! I don't know how close the border is, but I know it's not far. Vixi, Vixi, we can escape this country today!" I hold my hands up, palms facing the core.

"Hold on there. We still have to go to Shevel to secure fuel for the truck. After that, yeah, we can be gone in no time." Vixi flutters in front of my face again as I try to explain.

"So you expect us to believe you are just going to make a stop off and then take us across the border. Yeah, right! He's lying to you, he is planning on selling you in Shevel!"

"Why the fuck would I do that!?" I can't help but get annoyed at the pixie.

"Dungeon cores are extremely valuable. Once she is uprooted from her territory, she won't be able to stop you. She wouldn't even be able to summon a monster to defend herself! I know what you are thinking because all humans are the same!" I let out a long sigh as I try to get Vixi out of my face.

"I have no interest in selling her! What do I have to do to prove that to you?" Vixi buzzes around my head, poking my face as she flies.

"Bind yourself to her. Swear your loyalty to her and be her pawn."

"No!" I look behind me, Thea is standing in the doorway with her hands clenched angrily.

"Jim is not binding himself to you like a monster! I won't allow it!"

"Then there is no way you can convince me to allow you to move mistress Alexis! I won't risk her safety or mine in the hands of a human. Especially one who keeps slaves like pets." She sniffs, then flutters towards the core. I let out a long groan, feeling myself get aggravated by the pixie again.

"Look! Just what do you actually need me to do to move you? I have no interest in selling you in Shevel. I have no interest in you staying in Dolus! The king is after me too, you know. I just want to get out of the fucking country and go about my life."

"In order to save energy, I need to enter a hibernation state. When I'm in it, I won't be able to affect the world around me." Alexis starts to speak before Vixi has a chance. "If I don't enter the state, then I will lose energy faster than I can draw it in. If I lose enough, then the monsters bound to me will die. I can't let them die. I swore to protect them at the same time they swore to protect me."

"Is there any way around the hibernation? Can't you absorb your energy from somewhere else and just not hibernate?"

"She would need an extremely powerful source of energy, and have to be in constant contact with it. If you bound yourself to her, she could draw power from you. You have enough to spare." Vixi flies over to me. Her eyes become unfocused as she stares at me.

"What if she just fed off my energy without me binding myself to her?" Vixi shakes her head as I ask.

"Won't work. She is pulling energy from you right now because you are inside her domain. When she collapses her domain to travel, you would have to form a temporary bridge with her. From what I can tell, you are barely able to cycle mana. There is no way you could manipulate it well enough to channel it to her so she can form the bridge." I turn to Thea very confused.

"What is she talking about manipulate mana? I thought cycling it was all there was to it?" Thea shakes her head slowly as she seems to think about how to answer.

"When you could cycle your mana without thinking, I was planning on teaching you about manipulating it. When you learn to do that, you can concisely pull it from the air and shape it. It's how we cast actual spells. We use a mixture of our own and mana from the air around us." She looks at me worriedly before hurriedly saying. "I wasn't hiding it from you. I just didn't mention it because there wasn't any point until you could control your own." I nod slowly as she speaks, taking in her words.

"I didn't think you were hiding anything from me. Honestly, I'm so far out of my depth on all this that i'm just trusting you. You haven't led me astray yet, so I don't have any reason to doubt you." I pull her to me and give her a quick kiss.

"You can't manipulate mana yet?" I turn back to Alexis, seeing her core flashing as she thinks. I'm starting to be able to read her a little bit. When her core is darker, she is angry or upset. When the light seems to flash randomly, it's a sign shes in deep thought.

"No, I can't manipulate mana yet." I repeat her question out loud for Thea's sake.

"No! Absolutely not! I know what you're thinking and the answer is no!" Vixi lands on top of Alexis's core and stomps her feet.

"Owwww! Stop that!" For a second she flashes a bright white. When she stops, a small wooden chest is beside her on the pedestal.

"Too late anyway. I need his help Vixi, so I need to do this." Vixi flies off the core, landing and sitting on the chest that's almost as tiny as her.

"No! You know that you shouldn't do this. It goes against the rules to help adventurers. What if he uses what he learns to kill other dungeons? What if he uses it to hurt you?" Alexis sighs, somehow sounding like a teenager and a mother about to scold her at the same time.

"He won't! Trust me, I know!"

"How in the hell could you possibly know!?" Vixi is standing on the chest now, glaring at the core.

"He could have killed me at any time. There would have been nothing I could have done to stop him. Hell, even after Minevara showed up he still had plenty of chances. Plus, he swore an oath not to harm me, remember?"

"That oath was just while there was a danger to you! He could harm you because there is no danger right now!" Vixi plops herself back down on the chest and uses her hands to rub her eyes hard. "Stupid core doesn't want to fucking think." She continues to mutter as we stand there watching her.

"I don't think so. I can still see the chains from the oath bound to him." Alexis flashes a bright pink as she speaks to the angry pixie.

"Wait, you can see the chains of an oath!?" Thea seems just as shocked as I am by this news. I may not have understood everything when I swore the oath, but I didn't expect it to last after we helped her.

"Why would his oath still be binding him? The danger is already passed." Vixi looks confused as she stares up at me. I can't help but feel confused as well. Surely the danger to her is gone by now. The party that had been hunting her is dead, and stacked up in the corner of the room. Thea realizes first, gasping as she hurriedly explains.

"The original party is dead, but the threat still remains. As long as you are in Dolus, the king can keep sending people after you." Vixi lets out a sigh while flying off to sit on her bed. Her feet hang off the edge.

"Fine, give him the crystal, but don't come crying to me when you find out I was right." With a huff, she turns to face away from us with her wings twitching.

"What crystal?" I look at the box on the pedestal. It looks more like a ring box than a chest to me.

"The crystal is in the chest right there. You know how some people buy memory crystals to help them learn skills?" At her pause, I nod and vaguely remembering someone saying something about that before.

"Well, in that box is the memory of how to manipulate mana. So if you use it, you will instantly know how. After that, I can just shrink my domain and you can feed me while we travel. I won't have to go into hibernation, and I can still talk to you. It's a win-win for everyone!" Alexis flashes a bright neon pink as she explains to me. I gently open the box in front of me, seeing a small clear crystal nestled inside it.

"So I use this and I'll know how to manipulate mana?" The stone is warm in my hand, and it tingles my palm. A low vibration feels like it's coming from inside it.

"Yes, you stupid fuck! So just use the damn thing and let's get on with the negotiations. Goddess knows she is giving away all of her leverage!" Vixi flies up, hovering in front of me again. "I don't know what she sees in you honestly. You're just another damned adventurer." I can't help but chuckle at her words. She beats her wings angrily at me in annoyance.

"What's so damned funny!?"

"I'm not an actual adventurer. My registration was faked so I could move around freely." Vixi puffs up at my words.

"So that is supposed to make it better? That just means you're a liar, and that's worse!"

"Vixi enough! He has already said he would help. If you keep giving him a hard time, he is liable to change his mind. Then where will we be, huh? Stuck in this country that's trying to capture me?" Vixi starts to sulk at Alexis's words as she flies over to rest on top of the core.

"I'm sorry mistress." The pixies voice is so soft for a second that I think I imagined her words.

"It's ok, Vixi. I know you are just looking out for me." As the two are talking, I examine the crystal in my hand again. It's about the size of a half dollar and smooth with rounded edges.

"So what happens if I use the crystal?" I remember they are supposed to open skills and knowledge, but not much else.

"If you use the crystal, you will understand how to manipulate mana like a master. It's the sum of the knowledge on mana manipulation and usage."

"So how does it work?" There doesn't seem to be any instructions in the box, or etched on the crystal.

"You hold it here." Thea steps forward and places a finger on my forehead. "Then you channel a little bit of mana into it. That activates it and the rest is automatic." Giving a shrug, I give Thea a kiss.

"Well, here goes nothing." I place the crystal on my forehead. The vibration feels stronger here. I take a deep breath and push a trickle of mana into it from my fingers.

Every muscle in my body tenses at once as my arms and legs lock. My mind feels like it is exploding inside my skull. I feel my jaw slam shut with the tip of my tongue getting caught between my teeth. With a low moan, I start to fall and my mouth fills with blood. Thea screams and her hands catching me before I hit the ground. All I can taste is the coppery tang of blood as the world goes black.

The world is a dark gray with no shapes that I can see, just an empty expanse. I turn my head to look in every direction. As far as I can see, there is only the empty grayness. It's like a fog is rolling around me with wisps of thick gentle clouds.

"Well, this is a weird one. Wonder where the fuck I am?" I don't know how I got here, or where the hell here is. I stand and check myself for injuries, seeming to be all in one piece. My rifle is missing, as well as my pistol and sword belt. For a moment, I feel afraid that I'm unarmed, but it passes quickly.

Seeing nothing around me and no indication on where to go, I pause to think. My survival skills tell me to stay in place. When you are lost and people are looking for you, moving can delay or even prevent you from being found. However, nothing I have seen suggest anyone is around or even looking for me.

With a sigh, I take another look around. The gray landscape hasn't changed since I've woken up, but I notice there is a lighter patch of gray off to my right. Figuring that nothing else has given me a hint on where anything might be, I start to walk towards it.

The landscape messes with my mind as I walk. The swirling cloud like fog disappears as I walk towards them. I've been walking long enough that my legs are starting to burn. I realize the lighter section isn't getting any closer.

"Well, now what?" My voice sounds strange to my ears, almost like it's coming from farther away. I tilt my head and listen as I say a few random words.

"Now, we stand all broke and lost." Yeah, it's definitely like my voice is traveling farther for me to hear it. Almost like it's being played back across an empty room.

"Hellooooooo!" I yell out and I listen for any answer. From in front of me, I hear a faint sound. I realize it's an echo to my words. I start to get excited at that and break into an easy jog.

If my voice is echoing that means something is there. Something has to be standing in order for the sound to bounce back. I stop once more after what seems like hours of running to check again. This time the echo happens much sooner, about four seconds after I yell.

"So sound travels a little over a thousand feet per second. From the time I yelled, it was roughly four seconds. That means whatever is there, it's roughly…." I trail off working the math in my head quickly.

"A little over two thousand feet away. Assuming level ground and nothing is impeding the sound as it travels. Also assuming that sound travels the same here as it does in the physical world." The voice from behind me causes me to stiffen. My hands clench into fists automatically as I spin around, and I sink into a fighting stance.

Behind me stands a short man, barely reaching my hip. He is wearing a simple white gray robe that almost seems to blend into the landscape. His hair is thinning on top, nearly all gray. His face is haggard, deep creases lining it as his face is pulled up into a smile. His eyes are white, and I mean completely white. They are glowing as he stares at me.

He doesn't appear to be carrying any weapons. His hands are out in a non-threatening gesture. It's almost like he is trying to calm me down. He takes a step towards me slowly, so I take a step backwards. I keep my eyes on him, as he is just about an arm's length away.

"It's all right. I'm here to help." His voice is soothing, nearly causing me to drop my guard.

"Then start with who you are and where we are." He drops his hands at my question. His eyes twinkle like he is amused.

"Very good questions. I'm sure you want answers, but might I suggest going inside first. This isn't news you will want while standing up." He walks around me and gives me a wide berth as he does. I keep him in front of me, turning slowly as he walks.

"Well, come on. My quarters are close. Nice trick with the echo by the way. Most people don't think about it and I end up trying to find them for hours." He starts walking the same way I had been heading. After a moment, I relax and follow behind him, but I keep some distance.

Something about this man makes me want to relax, but I don't trust it. I'm having a hard time trusting anything the way my luck has been going lately. In no time, we are standing in front of a small cabin. The walls are made of some dull gray wood that nearly blends into the surrounding area.

"Come on inside, I promise you are safe. I imagine a little thirsty as well. In order to get as close and as fast as you did, you must have been running quite a bit." A drink of water sounds great, now that he mentions it. Stepping inside, I'm greeted by a good sized room. It's nearly empty except for the table and chairs in the center.

He takes the chair closest to the door and motions me to take the second. I look around the room as I pull the chair back, positioning it so I can see the door. He chuckles as he waves his hand over the table. A large glass pitcher full of what looks like water appears beside two empty cups.

"Please drink. If you're hungry, I can manage some food as well. As long as yours is simple that is. I never got the hang of cooking so my food is rather bland." I eye the pitcher suspiciously. He seems to understand my hesitation and pours his own glass. After he drinks half of it, I pour my own. The water is cool and refreshing as it slides down my throat. I end up drowning three glasses before I stop.

"So, want to answer my questions now?" I wipe my mouth as I set the glass back on the table. The man chuckles lightly before setting his glass beside mine.

"Oh, that's a complicated answer. The short version is, you are collapsed on the floor of a dungeon. Even as we speak, your mind is shutting down and you are dying." I stiffen at his words and I prepare to dive across the table at him. He raises his hands up to try to calm me down before I can move.

"Easy now, I'm not done. Here you will have several more hours before that happens. My job is to make sure it doesn't happen."

"And how do you do that? How am I in a dungeon and still sitting here with you?" I force myself to relax in the chair, still staring at the man in front of me.

"Let me start over. My name is Azeghial, and I work for the various Gods and Goddesses of the world below. Right now, your mind is here on the ethereal plane. Time moves differently here and that's why we are not having this conversation down below." He pauses, waving his hand over the table to get rid of the pitcher and glasses.

"You are here because the system in place was broken."

"What do you mean broken?"

"Oh, so many questions. I forgot how you mortals can be." He pulls a parchment from a pocket in his robe and looks it over. "You see, when you were summoned, certain safeguards were put in place. Basically, they are there so your mind and body could adjust in its own time. Do you follow me so far?" I slowly nod at him as he continues.

"Normally, you would unlock your magic and abilities slowly, gaining new skills as the situation demanded. However, due to the actions of a certain dungeon core, you unlocked everything at once." He pauses and looks at me over the edge of the paper.

"Quite simply, your mind couldn't handle the amount of information it received all at once. There is an example here to help you understand." He traces over a line on the page and his lips move as he reads.

"Someone slipped a 300 blackout round into your .556 magazine. Does that make sense to you?" He looks up at me and tilts his head. I nod slowly as he stares at me.

"Basically, it's too big of a round and it's blowing the top of it open." He smiles at my words and nods his head happily.

"Yes, basically. Even if your mind had been able to handle it, your body couldn't handle the strain."

"So what am I supposed to do about it? You said you work for the gods. Did they give you something to fix it? Or what's the plan?" Azeghial sighs as he places the paper back into his robe.

"I wish it was that easy, Jim. I really do. Unfortunately, you are inside a dungeon not a temple right now."

"The hell does that have to do with anything!?" I can feel myself starting to get angry with him again. My voice rising as I continue to speak. "You've hinted that you're going to help, but when I ask what your going to do, you act like there's nothing. Just what kind of a game are you playing here?"

"I need you to understand what's going on here." All the warmth is gone from his voice as he glares at me over the table. "You are almost out of options. Yes, you can argue with me, take your chances, and see what happens. Maybe you live through the shock, maybe you don't. If you do, then you have about a one in fifty shot of not being brain dead." I feel my spine stiffen at his words.

"Almost out of options. That means there is still options available?" He smiles at me as I try and relax.

"Oh, there is always options. Question is, are you willing to take the risk?"

"What risk?" I force myself to smile at him and try to relax.

"Not a bad risk right now, but it could be a problem later on." He isn't smiling now. His face is serious as he stares at me across the table.

"Could be a problem later on how?" I feel like I'm asking question after question and not getting any answers.

"When you were summoned, you got yourself claimed by a deity. That's who your soul is aligned with. The deeds you do reflect on them. Good deeds raise their standing. Bad deeds lower it and lead to problems for them." He pauses to make sure I am paying attention.

"The God and or Goddess who claimed your soul is not on friendly terms with the one responsible for dungeons. That means divine intervention is a tricky subject."

"Tricky but not impossible I'm guessing." He nods to me and smiles at me as he clasps his hands together on the table.

"I was instructed to give you a choice. Not an easy one, but one you have to make yourself."

"What choice?" I lean forward in the chair and listen closely.

"Three options. One, I can heal your injuries, and wipe your mind. You will wake up and not remember anything from after you pressed the crystal against your head. Two, I can leave you to fight it out yourself. If you wake up, you will have all your skills unlocked and know how to use them. Waking up is a big if, though." He pauses which makes me wonder if he is going to continue.

"You said three options. What's option three?"

"Option three requires the most sacrifice from you. I won't heal your body. Whatever damages that have been done will be on you to heal. However, you will have access to most of your skills. Some are still locked for other reasons, but you would have most."

"With your skills unlocked, you would be almost unstoppable. I mean you would still be vulnerable to surprises, but in a fair fight, you would be a literal juggernaut." He pauses and waves his hand over the table to make a glass of some liquid appear. He takes a deep breath as he picks up the glass, downing it all in one long drink.

"Could Thea heal the damage already done to me?" My mind is moving quickly as I think over the options he has laid out. How bad is the damage to my body? What the hell is it going through right now?

"The actual damage to your body is minimal. Channeling your mana through it would clear most of them up right away." I can't help but stare at him from across the table.

"Then what the hell is the sacrifice I would have to make!? You made it sound like I was going to be almost crippled or something. What sacrifice were you talking about if not my body!?" Before I realize what I'm doing, I'm standing. The chair falls behind me with a clatter as I slam my hands on the table. My chest is heaving as I glare at the shorter man.

"The sacrifice will be the greatest. You were told when you came here that you couldn't return home. That's not true for heroes. Usually after they do whatever the God or Goddess that has claim on them wants, they are given a choice. They can return to their world, or stay here." My legs feel weak as he speaks. I start to fall and the chair rights itself under me. It catches me as I start to fall.

"I can go home?" My voice is weak to my ears, and my mind races over the possibility of seeing my family again. "I can go see my family." My whisper barely reaches my own ears.

"Yes, you could go home, if you survive long enough. If you still wanted to that is." His glass fills back up as he takes another sip.

"Why wouldn't I want to go home?" I stare across the table at Azeghial. He calmly finishes his drink before speaking.

"What about Thea? The trip would be one way, and only for those who crossed over once. You couldn't take her with you, or Shiva." He sets the glass down on the table, waving his hand to make it disappear. "So if you choose option one, you can still go home. If you chose option two, you will most likely die. If you chose three, you can't go home, but you could protect your friends better."

"It's a lot to take in, and a lot to think about. The thing you need to understand is even if you pick option one, there is no guarantee. It's just the chance that you can go home. Not a promise that you are going home some day. So you need to think about that too."

"Not a guarantee, but how good are the odds?" I try and relax as I think as my mind still races. The option of going home gets me excited, almost to the point of not thinking about anything else.

"The way you are going now, slim to none, but not zero."

"How slim? Fucking just spit it out I don't need metaphors or doublespeak bullshit!" He let's out a long sigh as I lose my temper.

"If everything went perfect for you from here on out, your odds are about one in two hundred. Not great, but it was a lot worse before Grizz and Shiva found you."

"One in two hundred, that's pretty shit odds."

"I never said they were good odds. Honestly, you have a lot stacked against you for you to succeed. Especially in a country where everyone is hunting you for one, and you can barley channel your mana. Hell, you have a group of the king's knights and the bounty hunter's guild closing in on you."

"Wait, what was that last one!?" My head snaps up at his words.

"Yeah, I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Oh well, what's done is done. You have two groups that are closing in on your position. Sooner rather than later, you are going to have to deal with them. If you just have the abilities that you've already unlocked, it will be hard. Not impossible, but hard." He shrugs and leans back in his chair.

"What do you mean hard? I haven't had any problems with them so far."

"These aren't just normal knights or hunters. These are the elites of both houses. You killed the leader of the knights brethren, and the bounty hunters lead team. They are throwing everything they have at you now. The ones coming after you now aren't just battlefield fodder. Every one of them is a killer, pure and simple."

"So what the ones before were not killers?" I can't help but be sarcastic. It's a defense mechanism, I know. Better to play off bad news with a joke than to deal with it. I don't know where I learned it from, but it's been with me as long as I remember.

"Not like these men. Every one of them will be in enchanted armor with spells and skills you can't imagine right now. You can win, I'm not saying you can't. It's going to cost you, though." Something in the way he said that makes me freeze.

"What do you mean it's going to cost me?" He tilts his head at me. His eyes seem to get sad before he speaks.

"Come on now, Jim. You have to know how lucky you have been so far. Do you really think you could just try and brute force your way through? Against opponents that are prepared for you? That you're going to come out on top? No, Jim. You will get slapped down hard. You have good odds at living, even getting away. Those close to you, their odds aren't as good."

"How the fuck do you figure that? Odds aren't just something you can just decide on!" I can feel myself getting angry as I start to yell, rising to my feet again.

"SIT THE HELL DOWN!" The outburst stuns me for a second. It causes me to sit down before I even realize I am moving.

"I don't make the odds. Hell, I don't even like them. I'm just telling you, as you are now. You have roughly an eighty percent chance of getting away without being injured. To do that though your friends, all of them, their odds drop below five percent. That's to live, not to get away." I start to stand, ready to go over the table. I know it's irrational, but my instincts are telling me to fight.

"Don't try it, you won't clear the table before I sit you back down. All I'm doing is telling you the truth. I'm not trying to be friends."

"Then why tell me this at all?" I force myself to lean back in the chair.

"I'm trying to give you all the information I can. There are things I can't tell you. Before you ask, I can't tell you why I can't tell you either." He raises a hand to silence my question before I can speak.

"What I can tell you is this. If you trade your possible chance at getting home, you can come out of this stronger. You would be able to protect your friends." He pauses, running his fingers over the edge of the table.

"Hell of a fucking choice you're giving me." He looks up at me, his eyes seeming sad. "If I choose option one, I won't even remember this conversation will I? I won't know they are coming for me." I feel my chest tighten as I realize that. The feeling I've had of someone following me makes more sense now. Someone has been, just not anyone I expected.

"No you won't remember any of this, and you won't know they are coming. It's a hell of a choice isn't it? Give up a long shot at going home, or possibly lose the friends you have gained. It's not a choice I would want to make. It's one you will have to make, though." He leans back in his chair after he speaks and watches me closely.

"How the hell am I supposed to choose? A chance of getting home against possible losing my new friends? How the hell can anyone chose?" I feel my mind racing as I try and think. The flood of information is overwhelming me.

"I don't know how anyone could make the choice, but you have to. As much as I wish I could give you more time to decide, you need to make your decision soon. Like within the next ten minutes or the choice will be out of your hands." At my confused look, he explains. "In ten minutes, you will reach the limit of how long you can be here. At that point, you will be back in your own body. Whatever decision you made you will be stuck with. If you don't decide, then it's automatically option two and I wish you luck."

I open my mouth to start to ask a question when my head explodes with pain. I nearly fall out of the chair as I grab my skull, screaming outloud. My body leans forward, nearly slamming into the table as I continue to scream. As I look up, I see him staring at me and his eyes look worried as I writhe in pain.

"What is happening!?" I force the words out through gritted teeth. I'm unable to even open my mouth as the pain causes every muscle to clench.

"Your actual body is dying. The elf is trying to save you, but it's only temporary. You need to decide before the pain gets too strong and you can't answer." He leans forward and his face is inches from mine. "What are you going to chose?"

My mind races as I feel the pain spreading. The taste of blood fills my mouth even though I'm sure I haven't bit my tongue again. Images of home run through my mind as I fall out of the chair.

I see the backroads of Kentucky where I grew up. My mother standing in the kitchen after my brother and I came in from working hay in the summer. My brother holds his son for the first time. My eyes fill with tears as I remember memory after memory.

Memories from this world flood my mind right after. Thea breaking down crying in my arms. Shiva calling me an idiot and swinging at me. The way Sarge seems to smile more as he roams around wherever we stop. All the women we helped inside the cave. How happy they were to be free of the goblins that held them captive.

My memories swirl around, rushing through my mind too fast for me to follow. I feel a scream rising in my chest and building up like a brushfire in the wind. My throat feels raw as I scream, my voice echoing in the cabin as I writhe on the floor.

I have to decide now, I can't handle this pain much longer. It's worse than when my mana was tearing me apart from the sorceress's attack. With a final scream of pain, I yell out my decision. Knowing it was the only choice I ever really had. I black out, the world slipping away as Azeghial comes to stand above me. A sad look is on his face as he stares down at me.