Charles returned with Silvi and Myri in tow. Myriam understood she would be staying behind this time and could only watch from the observatory.

He created a ‘Zero Door’ and brought them down into the middle of the fight. He made sure to close it before a certain someone could even think of following after them. Not that he thought Myri actually would, it just never hurt to be careful.

Silvi shifted forms, and Alli began speeding across the battlefield, her shadows tearing through the monsters. At the same time, she began saving everyone she could, pulling back everyone she found to a safer place where they might be looked after. There was no guarantee those who were injured could be saved, but at least their odds were better than before.

Kira concentrated on the form she wanted her hammer to take. Her control over its shaping abiliting was even greater than before. In theory, she could make it take other shapes as well if she wanted, however, she had grown used to using the different hammers. A large spike grew from one of the hammerheads, while the other took on a jagged ridged form.

Nothing that got hit by either side of her hammer would be having a good day - if it even managed to survive.

Charles glanced up at the sky, relieved to see it was still clear, and let his wings form. If he could take to the air, then this would be even easier than he imagined it would be. The people were being attacked by a mix of what constituted as normal monsters for the India area, and not by any demi-gods or wandering daevas.

He shot into the air with a jump and flap of his wings, secretly wondering where Saraswati and all the other Hindu gods were. These were their people. Something big must have happened for them to not be here protecting them.

The sky roiled overhead as a storm sprang into being at his bidding. The lightning element truly was his go-to attack magic. It was versatile, quick, and extremely damaging to nearly everything when you pumped enough of it through them. With his increased stats, and mana regeneration capabilities, he didn’t need to worry about going easy on them and saving something for later. There was almost always more in his tank for later.

Below him, Kira tore into the closest ranks of the attacking monsters. The half-cobra half-human ‘Nagas’ went flying into the wingless ‘Gryphons’, knocking them over like a messy game of monster bowling. The gryphons were too low-level to have gotten their wings yet. Interspersed throughout them were ‘Kapa’s’, with plates of water on their heads, and the goblins they had seen everywhere else.

It was an interesting mix of mythological monsters that didn’t all belong together.

Charles made sure to target the beings farther out, so he wouldn’t accidentally hit anyone he didn’t mean to. A bolt of thick lightning shot from his hand into the clouds, energizing them and providing the last component for what was to come.

Above them, the skies opened up, and along with a few droplets of rain, a torrent of lightning began to descend. Everything metal in the vicinity grew ever hotter from the charged ions passing through them. The sheer size of his attack was affecting both humans and monsters alike even on the outskirts.

Charles grimaced as he heard the people wail in pain as their hands burned. After so long of just working with Kira and Alli, he tended to forget about how his attacks could affect the others around him. He had taken their proximity into account, but not the other effects the lightning would cause.

He shot another bolt into the sky and pushed the matter to the back of his mind. There was nothing he could do about it now, in any case. Everyone would have to just drop their weapons and belts for the moments.

Alli worked quicker, dodging attacks, and lightning strikes alike in her quest to rescue people. The constant flashes of light made a perfect opportunity for her to take control of additional shadows.

Even with them helping, it felt like there was a never-ending tide of the monsters coming at them. If they could just get them to pull back, then Charles could create the town. If he had done it when they first arrived, then who knows what might have happened with the walls? They could have formed behind everyone, leaving them outside and vulnerable. Or the more likely option is they simply wouldn’t have formed at all because of the attack.

Kira swung with abandon, trusting in her ‘Life of the Defeated’ ability to see her through if something unexpected happened. It took the life force from those she defeated and stored it for her later healing needs. Granting it was always better to not need healing, but when you couldn’t get away from it, self-healing was almost as good. Not that the weaklings she was wading through could do more than scratch her.

Behind her, the people they were working to save finally got the hint and began to back up.

It took a few minutes, but together, the three of them were able to eliminate the horde of monsters. It would have taken even less time if they weren’t worried about saving everyone.

Charles gently drifted to the ground, his golden wings and display of magic ensuring that he cut quite the heroic figure in each of the survivors minds.

Two garbled messages appeared in front of his face as he touched the ground and let his wings disperse.

Congratulations, you have leveled up. You are now level -ERROR-; you have gained ?? status points for distribution.

Congratulations, you have leveled up. You are now level -ERROR-; you have gained ?? status points for distribution.

They were mostly the same messages he had seen any other number of times before. Only now it was unable to display his level. A small part of the system must still be keeping track of the experience he gained. Which was curious. He remembered it showing nothing, but question marks the last time he had opened his status page.

Deciding to give it another try, in the vague hope that it would work this time, Charles opened his status sheet.

Charles Byrne

Level: 2?

Exp to next Level: ????

Class: Archmage+(???)

Race: Unawakened High God (5%)

Strength: 33+(??)

Intelligence: 130+(???)

Dexterity: 35+(??)

Magic: 60+(???)

Constitution: 48+(???)

Agility: 36+(??)

Available Status Points: ??

Charles took note of the percentage increase in his High God status, along with the additional question marks that had been added. Overall, it cemented his opinion on the matter of his stats. He was growing stronger the more he practiced and unlocked that portion of his powers.

It was also destroying his ability to use the system in any regular way. He closed the page and looked around at the gathered people. It was time to get back to work. He could worry about the other implications later.

“Where’s Saraswati?” He asked a few moments later, already performing a mass healing spell on the people Alli had laid out for him. It was a spell he had acquired just the other day. It was less effective than his other healing spells and cost a lot more to cast. However, it could also be used multiple times in a row if you had the mana for it. Which he did.

“The gods and goddesses have all gone to the borders where the monsters are coming from.” Someone finally decided to speak up when he began to glare.

“Fine, do you know who she wanted as the town administrator or leader for this site?”

They each shook their head.

Charles stomped over to the town marker in annoyance and got the process started while he decided what to do. They couldn’t leave the spot empty, but he also didn’t want to just appoint someone like he normally did. This was meant to be part of someone’s kingdom, after all.

He decided he would just absorb the non-historic crap lying around and raise the walls in the meantime. If no one showed up by the time they were ready to leave, then… He wasn’t sure. He supposed they could leave and move on to another location, but it seemed like a waste to make the trip twice.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.

He walked out of the town system building a couple of minutes later to a completely different sight than before. Lush green grass now bent softly underfoot instead of the cracked asphalt and dirt that had been there before. Gone were the crumbling buildings that had been slowly getting destroyed by the growing environment and monsters.

All that was left were a couple of temples that had been hidden from view and an ancient water well that began working again. Everyone rushed to it as soon as they saw the repaired well.

India was a hot and humid country, no one would last long without plentiful water.

“We weren’t sure when to expect you,” Saraswati said, stepping down from the air above them.

“I heard you were all fighting some monsters on the border, but it seems we arrived at the perfect time to help your people here.” Charles noticed the book and pink lotus blossom she had been carrying when she conducted the marriage ceremony for his sister were now absent.

“It is so. All the monsters that China is keeping out are being pushed towards us. None of the intervening lands are doing well, I’m afraid. I don’t have much time to spare here to chat, unfortunately.” She walked over to the gazebo with the pedestal inside and joined the town. “There now. I am ready to become the town administrator, just like Brigit.”

Charles made a face. “Let me guess, it’s going to be the same in each of the towns I make for you all, isn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Fine, let’s do this.”

“You must be careful, Charles. You and Charlotte both. I know you think you are trying to rescue your parents, and maybe you are, but whatever incited Bob to have us all do this isn’t good. I can see that now. I don’t know whether he is simply unstable or if there is something else at work behind him. All I can say is that you all need to be careful. Even if it is just him, none of you are his match.”

He opened the ‘Zero Door’ and took them back to the space station with her words still ringing in his ears. He wanted to deny them, but it was impossible. Without his mother’s help, they weren’t a match for the man. What worried him was her speculation that they might not be saving their parents if they managed to rescue them.

Would they be playing into Bob’s hands instead if they did that? With a confused growl, he shook his head, dispelling the thought. He couldn’t afford to let himself get confused like this. He wasn’t smart enough to think through plots and schemes by a mad High-God.

“What do we do now?” Silvi asked, having switched back as soon as they stepped through and onto the station. She and Kira had both heard the fallen goddess’s words.

“I don’t know that there is anything we can do, but what we’ve been doing. Everything hinges on rescuing them, the same as it did before. Until we can do that, it doesn’t matter anyway. We’ll continue our lessons at night with Charlotte and building the last six remaining towns we need in America.”

Myri was staring up at him with her mouth open and wide eyes. “Wow,” She finally muttered. “That was a lot of lightning.”

“Yup, it was, and now you know why we didn’t want you down there this time.”

She folded her arms and scowled at him. “You almost hit Sil- I mean Alli though! Bad Charles! You don’t get to play with her anymore today.” She grabbed hold of Silvi’s hand and dragged her along, fleeing before he could say anything.

“I think I just got told off by a seven-year-old.” He muttered, scratching the back his head with a odd expression.

Kira had her hand to her face, holding back a laugh. “I believe the term is a scolding.” She broke down, unable to contain her laughter anymore. “This is rich, one of the most powerful people in the world getting told off by his daughter.”

“You realize that makes her your daughter as well, right?” He shot back with a grin of his own.

She gradually stopped laughing and nodded, before replying in a soft voice. “I know. Do you think she has realized it yet?”

He shrugged and pulled her into his arms. “I have no idea, but she’s a smart kid. She’ll figure it out eventually, I’m sure of it.”

“Come on, let’s go down and create another town somewhere, before you have to meet up with Charlotte later. You still have two ‘Zero Door’ uses left, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Perfect, one to get us down there, and then one to bring you and Alli down for your lesson later. It’s a good thing your home door is always available now. That was such a pain before.”

“Sounds good. Should we try Texas this time?” He suggested, already reaching for the observatory controls.

***

Kira groaned in relief as they left Texas behind. “Nobody told me ‘Wendigos’ were going to show up along with everything else. What’s next, ‘Skinwalkers’?” She shivered. “I used to hate those stories as a kid.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they showed up, along with everything else from the stories.” Charles cast his cleaning spell on them, removing the remnants of blood and gore that had been clinging to them. “Honestly, it seems as though everything from myths and legends is on the table to make an appearance at some point.”

She grunted. “Come on, let’s get dinner ready for the girls, and then you can take Alli down for your training session with Charlotte.”

He switched the telescope to point towards the moon and followed along behind her. He still had a lot to do before he could even think about falling asleep. It was a shame, too. Building three separate towns in such vastly different locales was mentally draining.

He was looking forward to just falling asleep and forgetting about the world for a while.

“Did you want to come down and visit with Kate and Sierra for a while?”

The Oracle had refused to move up to the space station until there was enough room to handle all the kids she was working with. That would take a while longer, but it was something they were definitely working towards.

Well, that and making enough space for everyone, period. The shared UM helped with that, but not enough. It had never been meant to fund the construction of a place as expensive as the space station. It was meant as a stopgap measure that would allow them to build needed facilities in a newly constructed town in an emergency. Nothing more.

“Sure, just give me enough time to shower and eat. Your spell is great, but nothing beats how relaxing a hot shower or bath can be.”

“How much do you want to bet that your mom has already fed them both?” He asked at the mention of food.

Kira ran a hand through her hair and snorted. “No dice. I can guarantee you she has. Mom and Dad are still trying to maintain the same time zone hours up here that we did down there. Which makes sense. For now, everyone who we brought up came from Dungeonville.”

The clock set above the center console in the bridge told them the time as they walked through.

“It’s not that late. Who eats dinner or supper, whatever you want to call it at five-thirty?” He protested.

“My parents, besides, they would have made it slightly earlier, so Alli would have had plenty of time to eat before she needed to head down with you.”

He kicked at an imaginary rock. “Humph. What if we had wanted to eat with them?”

“Then we should have gotten back sooner. Actually, they may have just started eating at this point. I need to grab some more food for Kate before we head down, in any case. Why don’t we head on over and see if they just started? Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

Kate and Beth had spent a single day up on the space station before asking to be brought back down. With such a small amount of space and no dungeon for them to explore, there was nothing for the girls to do. They had gotten bored. All they could do up there was watch old movies and TV shows, or play some video games. Which both had admitted, sounded nice originally, until they tried it.

It was only then that they realized how much they had changed and moved past those things. They were nice at night when they were going to sleep. During the day, though, they liked to be moving and active. The thought of sitting in one place for hours, when they could be making progress in some way… was stifling.

They had been down in the town the last few days, being watched over by Beth’s older brothers.

It wasn’t the perfect solution, but it was what they had come up with for now. Everything would be easier as soon as they unlocked the space station’s dungeon. Whenever that was.

It had only been a couple of days and already the main part of the space station felt different. It felt lived in, and nothing like the almost sterile environment it had been before.

They found the two girls sitting at the food-crowded table in Kory and Krystal’s small apartment. The group of four was just about to dig in when they knocked.

“We were wondering when you would be getting back,” Krystal said with a smile, already in the process of adding another two spots to the table for them.

“Everybody knows a wizard is never late. They arrive exactly when they mean to.” Charles grinned, pulling out the chair next to Myri for Kira. He sat down next to Silvi.

“You’re not a wizard dear, you’re an archmage and a High God fledgling…”

Kory snorted as his wife trailed off. “Didn’t think that one through all the way, did you?”

She tossed a chip at him. “Hush you, you’ll set a bad example for Myriam. Besides, it’s been years since I’ve read the books or watched those movies.”

The little girl was watching them with a smile on her face, her legs swinging freely underneath her slightly too tall chair.

“Have you already set some aside for us to bring down for Kate and Beth?” Charles asked, dishing himself up a portion of the taco meat and vegetables.

“She has, and don’t worry, within another day or two, I think there will be enough UM to add some more space to this place,” Kory informed them, taking a big bite of the crunchy homemade taco.

“It’s almost too bad that we set the amount that gets put into the shared pool from each town so low.” Charles moved the meat from his plate to the shell and then piled the veggies on top. “Oh, well. The other towns need their UM just as much as this place does.”

“Speaking of which, I’ve started moving certain materials from the shared inventory in the space station’s town inventory. Specifically, metals and the missiles that were taken from the Air-Force base. I figured it would be better to have them on hand for when we needed them.” Krystal explained while preparing another taco each for Myri and Silvi.

“I can see the metal being useful, but why the missiles?” Kira wondered around a mouthful of food. Her hand covered her mouth.

Her mother shrugged. “It was the only thing I could find with some kind of rockets on them. I figured this thing has to maneuver somehow. Maybe it can salvage those. If not, there are also the parts from all the satellites that Charles has picked up recently.”

“Oh,” She hadn’t even thought of that. Then again, that was why her parents were in charge of these things and not her.