Kira turned from the observation window to the map Charles had spread across the floor. It was their third day on the station and things had begun to move fast once he started moving people up.

The lone dorm building, even in its upgraded state, was unable to handle everyone. A new one had needed to be added, along with doors restricting access to the bridge and observatory areas.

For now, everyone was trying to find their way, and understand how being on a space station would change their lives. For some, it didn’t, as they simply went straight to work in the greenhouse. However, the rest saw the lack of buildings and understood they wouldn’t have the freedom to choose here.

With how expensive it was to modify the station. The space inside was at a premium. Which meant that not everyone could have their own workshop or even operating space. It wasn’t feasible to do that either with how few people they currently had.

This was the test run before they started inviting more people to live with them. If they couldn’t make it work, then it would be even worse with more people and less space.

None of that had any bearing on what they were doing at the moment. Large swaths of land all over the globe had become marked by borders that Gaia now displayed on the observation window. That had been an interesting message to see the morning before.

The first of the fallen gods have chosen a location for their future kingdom. The borders have all been marked in orange; you may click on each kingdom to see who they belong to.

(Note: The place they have chosen for the town they wish you to build will be displayed in red.)

“It doesn’t look like any of the Native American gods have created a kingdom yet,” Kira muttered as she tapped through the displayed areas, trying to find the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Charles had finished linking her bracelet to her that first night after his lesson with Silvi. She thought it had still lost a bit of its power, from before, but it wasn’t a noticeable amount during everyday use. With any luck, as she continued to gain levels and power, it would grow with her.

“I wouldn’t expect them to. From what I remember, most of them were more free-roaming than set in one place. I could be wrong, of course. That was always Charlotte’s thing, not mine. The ancient South American gods on the other hand, they’re having a hay day.”

He marked another spot down on the map with a shake of his head. “Let’s see, we did two towns yesterday in Florida. We might have made it to three if it hadn’t been for that giant alligator we found.”

The stupid thing had been munching on its idiot-meal when they stumbled across it. The remains of some under-prepared, and low-leveled group that thought they could hunt it. The had killed the large beast and then buried the remains before moving on. People had to know their limits, no one else was going to.

“A single smack from my hammer took its head clean off, but healing that one survivor and cleaning up the mess afterward…” Kira shook her head and moved the telescope some more. “Ah, I think that’s it! Finally! Let’s see.” She tapped on the first of the kingdoms near the top of the island. “Oh, well, I found the Fae. I guess that must mean this one is the Tuatha.”

Kira tapped on the lower kingdom, revealing its name and the current ruler. Dagda. “So, wait, I thought Brigit was going to be the ruler instead of her dad?”

“Who can say? I was always surprised that he wasn’t the one playing the game in the first place. I wonder if she still became part of the temple system then? Should we head down and find out?” He left the map on the ground and stood next to her. “We could easily do a town for Brigit and Saraswati today if we can find where she went.”

Kira increased the magnification on the red dot, where the Tuatha wanted the town. It was meant to be a center for trade and information, and the location certainly reflected that. Not to mention there were already people gathered together around a town marker waiting.

“I hope people aren’t simply just waiting at each of these kingdoms. There are only so many we can get to in a day.”

“I doubt they are just waiting, anyway.” Kira pointed to a team that had just returned from hunting a monster and had brought its corpse back for meat instead of looting it.

“Well, let’s hope we don’t run into any Fir Bolg. From what I remember, they were one of the original inhabitants of Ireland and there are a few interesting theories surrounding them. The Tuatha Dé Danann fought them for supremacy of the island when they came over from the mainland or first appeared, I can’t remember which. I don’t think the Fir Bolg were ever worshipped like the Tuatha either, so they shouldn’t be back as gods. It’s more likely that they’d come back as monsters, depending on which academic theory ends up being correct.” He focused on the area around the town marker and took hold of Kira’s hand.

There were a few different theories surrounding the Fir Bolg. The most prevalent was that they had never actually gone up against the Tuatha. Even in academic circles, people had found it hard to believe that ordinary humans could go up against the Tuatha Dé Danann.

A doorway to Ireland opened behind them, the spatial tear stabilizing as it went. The ease and speed with which he used the spell were a far cry from what he had been able to do just a few weeks earlier.

“Well, shall we? I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland.” They walked through and into an icy wonderland that took their breath away.

“Are you the ones known as Charles and Kira, then?” A young girl all bundled up in her winter clothing asked from her spot beside the town marker.

They took a moment to adjust to her accent and then nodded. Apparently, they had been expected. They could work with that. Now they just needed to find out who was in charge, so they put them in as the town leader after it was created.

“Good, I was told to expect you in the next day or two with any luck and to fetch our leader when you arrived.” She hopped from her warm spot and raced off, leaving them standing there confused.

“Uh, so I guess we just wait here for their leader?” Kira clapped her cold hands together and quickly pulled on her coat. Unlike Alli, she couldn’t just equip her clothes. That had been something that came with the ability to transform. A handy extra to keep her modest, or at least it would when she got the hang of it.

“It is so much colder here than it is in Kansas!” Charles hissed, pulling on his own coat.

“Well, what were you expecting?” A voice they both recognized asked from behind them.

“Brigit,” They greeted her in confusion.

“Your accent is getting thicker.” Charles pointed out, before noticing the little girl from before standing behind her. “No, you’ve got to be kidding me. This is why you didn’t become part of the temple system? You wanted to become the town administrator instead?”

She shook her head. “Nope, this wasn’t my idea, but dear old dad’s. He thought it would be hilarious when all the other gods found out they could have chosen someone like me to lead the hub town.”

“He’s right, it would have been funny except for one thing. This is the first pantheon town I’m doing because you always treated Kira well. We’ll be heading to Saraswati’s place next if we can find her. Point is, do you think you can keep this info under control for any decent length of time?”

Brigit folded her arms underneath her heavy cloak and scowled. “I’m not sure if I should thank you for doing us first or be mad because you ruined the plan.”

“Decide after we get inside. It’s freezing out here.” He reached for the town marker and activated it with a tendril of his mana. A pillar of the now-familiar green light spread out, engulfing the four of them and beginning the first of the changes to come.

Black walls appeared first, enclosing them in a matter of seconds. With a bored wave of his hand, Charles sent a wisp of light floating into the corner as the roof formed above them. Next came the table with the map of the town and the area around it.

They waited in silence as the map gradually filled in with detail and grew in size. It was only when it had finished its initial scan of the area that two familiar messages and the town menu appeared.

Congratulations, you have created a new ‘Town System Building’ and with it, a new town. This town has been linked to your town network and has been given access to the shared UM pool.

(Note 1: Ownership of this town is now yours and has been added to the system as such.)

(Note 2: It is necessary to allocate how much of the daily tax goes towards the shared pool.)

Congratulations, you have created your fifty-third town. Unfortunately, this town has not been created on the continent designated by the quest and is therefore ineligible to be included in the current quest.

After closing out the messages and the town menu, he saw the usual request appear.

Would you like to use your personal mana to reclaim all materials damaged or otherwise on your land?

He no longer needed to hesitate when it came to selecting ‘Yes’. He knew the benefits that came with doing it this way, though they had shrunk alarmingly as he got stronger.

Charles watched as thick streams of mana were pulled from his body. The town system would use it to fuel the absorption process and changing of the area that it had claimed. The pain and discomfort, the act used to bring were a thing of the past. Now he even felt the slight pressure it caused to be strangely pleasurable.

He imagined it was the same way someone might feel after a good workout. That strain and pressure that always lasted for a while afterward. That’s what he thought of it as.

He was giving his magic carrying channels a workout each time he did this, even if it wasn’t to the straining degree it had been before.

“You’re sure you want to be the administrator for this town?” Charles asked Brigit, as he felt the pull on his mana decrease.

His glowing, golden eyes were locked on the goddess, tracking the way mana moved throughout her body. It was mesmerizing, as it was so completely different from how it worked with him and Charlotte. They were still alive and growing. The goddess before them had stagnated and appeared to be composed of the magical energy.

She wasn’t alive in the traditional sense of the word.

“Not really, no, but it’s what I agreed to. I have to go outside and join the town first, right? Before I can do anything else?”

He nodded and opened the door for the beautiful red-haired goddess.

“Myri definitely has some Irish in her,” Kira commented as the goddess and her little helper walked away. He nodded in agreement. “What’s with the staring at her? Should I be jealous?”

He snorted, knowing she was joking and nudged her shoulder. They were both odd enough people to be completely secure in their relationship, for now at least. It was still early days. In time as they settled into a comfortable rhythm the real work would begin. “Just watching how the way the mana moves within her, it’s different from how it is inside anyone else.”

“How was it with the Morrighan?”

He scratched his cheek. “I forgot to look. It’s distracting to see mana all the time. Ever since I figured out how to control it, I have it off most of the time. I couldn’t resist this time, and I don’t regret it. She’s… strange.” There was no better way to describe what he had seen without going in depth.

“You say you learned to control it, but your eyes are still lanterns. They haven’t stopped glowing once since your race officially changed.”

“That might be permanent… then again, I don’t remember Bob or Alaria’s eyes glowing all the time. And my mom could certainly control her powers enough to not be noticed by him. Once we rescue them, she may be able to give me some clues on how to turn them off.”

“How was the way the mana moving inside her different from everyone else?” Kira wondered as they spotted the duo beginning their return.

“She’s made of mana, but it’s mostly stagnant. I don’t think she was able to grow on her own before. She needed the faith of her followers for that. Now she just needs monsters and experience like everyone else. I just don’t know how effective it is going to be in overcoming what makes her a goddess. She is very different from Charlotte and me, or you, for that matter.”

“We’re ready. Let’s get this over with and make this place into a proper town for everyone.” The goddess commanded as she drew close.

They stepped to the side so the two could walk inside. Charles opened up the town system menu, and with only a small amount of surprise, found that he could indeed appoint the fallen goddess as the town administrator. An act that he quickly accomplished, as they had agreed beforehand.

Brigit’s eyes glazed over as a message only she could see appeared before her eyes. “What now?” She asked after a few moments.

“Now, we set up the tax, and then we can start building everything the place needs to survive. Oh, and we need to install this.” He held up the town barrier stone that his sister and the professor had originally created.

It was something the other towns wouldn’t have to protect them. They would have walls, but they would always be open from the sky. At least, until someone else figured out how to create something similar to the barrier stone. Considering how James had come by the knowledge they used in its creation, he doubted that would happen anytime soon. At least not without one of the gods interfering again.

“Have you been having any troubles with Titania, Oberon, or the Fir Bolg?” Kira wondered as they walked through the newly built town after Brigit had finished with the initial creations.

“The Fir Bolg?” The little girl asked from behind them.

“An old enemy. They were supposedly the human descendants of the early colonizers of this land. In reality, they were the monstrous and powerful Fomorians in disguise.” Brigit supplied, with a gentle smile at the girl.

“That was one of the theories I had heard in the past, and it explains a lot of questions I always had about those old tales that never made sense.” Charles

The fallen goddess rolled her eyes. “What, you didn’t believe that we would have difficulty fighting regular humans, even before we became gods? The stories spoke of us as sorcerers with advanced magics and flying ships. If we had all that, then taking care of some primitive humans would have been nothing. Your supposed historians were always looking for ways to justify the stories.”

He shrugged and let the matter mostly drop. “Well, have you had any troubles with any of them?”

“Not yet. The Fae seem content to build up their power for now. I imagine in another few months to a year, they’ll start probing our borders, or start infighting. It is their way.”

“Well, more towns are popping up because of the kingdoms, so more people are being saved than before. What people do with themselves after that is up to them. I know the Fae supposedly have mind control magics, but so do others. Anyone not prepared by now can only blame themselves. In this new world, the only people you can count on are yourself, and your loved ones.”

“Is that why you set up those town tenets?”

“They guarantee a form of safety when nothing else can. They aren’t perfect, but they cover a lot.”

The conversation fell by the wayside as they continued their walkthrough of the town and prepared to leave.

“I think you both are beginning to learn why we gods tended to take a more hands-off approach as we got older. Seeing everything that humans are capable of every day is too much for anyone, even us. We all have to take a step back at some point, and our minds are sturdier than a regular person’s.”

“We’re not regular people, not anymore.” Kira protested.

“Your minds still are. Sure, other things might have been enhanced, but the mind takes the longest to change. Even for someone as strange and different from birth as Charles.”

He looked away, his eyes hunting for a spot in the distance.

“It’s alright, there’s no shame in being different. It’s simply a fact of life and is what makes you, you. Who cares if you don’t connect with others as easily as a normal person might? When you do have that connection, you hold it tight and are willing to move the world for that person. Trust me, some people would rather have that than the superficial endless connections they are stuck with.”

The man in question gave her a searching look, followed by a small nod when he saw she wasn’t just saying things to make him feel better. The old, fallen goddess truly believed what she had just said.

Kira stepped forward and abruptly gave her a hug. “Thank you for picking me as your champion back then.”

It took Brigit a moment to hug her back. Her hesitant arms eventually gained strength as they surrounded the other woman. “It was a good choice on my part. Now get on out of here and go help Saraswati.” Her eyes held a hint of sadness in them, as though she knew this might be one of the last times they saw each other.

Charles formed the doorway to the space station and took them home, an odd feeling taking up residence in his chest. “That almost felt like a goodbye to me.” He muttered after the doorway had closed behind them.

“You felt it too, then? Good, I’m glad I’m not going crazy.”

“Weird. She’s protected inside the town, and I don’t think we’re going anywhere where we couldn’t come back from.” He shook his head. “Whatever, we were probably just misidentifying why she was sad or something.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Kira replied softly. “Come on, let’s move on to India.”

They needed to wait a few minutes for the country to come into view, and then they were able to begin their search.

“Is this it? It says the leader is Shiva.”

Charles peeked over from where he had been poking at a kingdom in Pakistan and nodded. “Shiva and Saraswati are both Hindu gods in the same pantheon. That should be it.”

They zoomed in on the red spot and blinked in surprise. The entire area was being swarmed by monsters from every direction, desperate to get at the people just out of reach.

“What did they do to rile them up that much?”

“We should get Alli’s help if we’re going to wade into something like that.” There was a lot he could do in regard to wiping out large groups of enemies, but it would leave him somewhat helpless up close. Kira might need the extra help Alli would bring to their party. Besides, they were both missing having her around consistently still.

“Definitely,” Kira agreed, not taking her eyes off the sight on the observatory wall.