There were a few moments while Randidly followed after the rampaging Patron of the Deep when he felt a horrible, constricting sense of deja vu. Anxiety crept into him. His emotional sea began to stir. He believed everything was alright with Jotem, but he had believed the same about Helen, hadn’t he? His connection to Demetrius provided less and less reassurance until he was surging through the sky with just as much intensity as the Origin Beast.

Despite the fact this was only a memory, if this journey ended in a corpse, Randidly’s steps toward healthy emotional behaviors would all collapse. His newly achieved emotional strength would rise and demand bloody retribution.

In a series of bellows and growls, the Patron of the Deep reached the front gate of Malloon and worked himself up enough he seemed intent on fighting his way through the city’s defenses. His calls rose above even the rumble of the barrier. Randidly’s pupils dilated, his own impatience and worry spreading fire through him. Only the Patron of Feather’s timely arrival prevented a confrontation.

The guards scowled after them but allowed the city’s princess through without much protest.

The Patron of the Deep didn’t even seem to notice the city’s crowds, freight training his way directly through the thickest groupings and knocking aside those unfortunate enough to be in his path. What made this careless charge was what happened next; With a surprisingly deft spatial distortion, the Origin Beast shrunk his body to fit through the door to their inn.

Jotem, his cheeks ruddy from drink, was right in the midst of tossing dice across a wooden table. “Oh fair lady fortune, smile upon your eternal suitor-”

Randidly felt his heart ease. He awkwardly scratched his cheek, suddenly embarrassed at how worked up he had allowed himself to become.

“Nephew!” Despite whatever magic he used to shrink, the Patron of the Deep’s voice still shook the entire building as it boomed out and silenced the rest of the conversations in the room. A nearby beer mug spontaneously cracked from the intense volume. But that was nothing compared to Jotem’s reaction, who bounced off the bench, distancing himself as quickly as possible from his drink and the dice.

“Patriarch! What… a pleasure.” The words were squeezed out of him, like the last bit of toothpaste from a near-empty tube. The Patron of the Deep swam forward through the air and swept the half Origin Beast in a massive hug. The movements jostled several individuals, earning sharp glares. However, they noticed Randidly daring them to try something and turned their expression down to their reflection in their drink.

The Patron of the Deep pulled back after the hug. His massive face split into a brilliant smile. “What glorious news! Your life remains intact. I have returned from Skyhigh Village. The entire place has been abandoned! Undoubtedly our family has been ambushed and sequestered, subjected to unspeakable tortures by nefarious hands.”

“I-Indeed?” Jotem drifted away from his larger ‘uncle’.

“Due to the situation, it is paramount that we gather together for our own protection! Until our enemies reveal themselves, we cannot lower our guard for even a moment. Since I’ve now placed you under my protection, we can use this as our base camp and investigate the details.” The Patron of the Deep seemed finally to notice their environment. He looked around quickly and sniffed in distaste. “I must say, cousin, the lodgings… well. They leave a little bit to be desired. Are you still too cheap to ensure you maintain at least a baseline of decency?”

At the far end of the room, the innkeeper folded his arms across his chest and scowled.

“And who are these individuals with which you have been dining?” The Patron of the Deep pivoted to the three alarmed people who had been dicing with Jotem. “You know, you’ll never find a respectable woman to marry if you participate in debauchery or games of chance, even just dabbling. A match of substance can simply intuit these things. Considering your age, you have a responsibility to help sire the next generation-”

Randidly was rapidly reevaluating his opinion of Jotem as the Patron of the Deep launched into a rambling lecture. They had been too hard when they had been annoyed by his superfluous way of talking and flowery language. He was just an individual who had spent far too long being berated by one of the most passive-aggressive and reproving mother-in-law types Randidly had ever seen.

“Patriarch, they were begging for alms. Obviously, they were just leaving.” Jotem, his temple throbbing with rage, threw his companions under the bus. But he eyed the pile of money he had been about to drag toward himself meaningfully. All smiles, the three other dice players scooped up the coins and bowed their way to the door.

“Truly, cities are locations where integrity withers,” The Patron of the Deep’s anger slowly receded, revealing more and more of his true personality. His eyes once more examined the now silent and observing common room of the inn. He displayed no discomfort beneath the frank gazes of so many individuals. “Speaking of which, has the owner no self-respect? What are the sources of these stains on the floor-”

“I’m the owner,” A bearded lizardperson stepped forward and spoke in a gravelly tone. His self-control was excellent as he regarded the Patron. “But truly, you deserve finer lodgings than this. I will check your group out so you can move on to superior accommodations, suitable to your station.”

“I paid for the week!” Jotem blurted out.

The Patron of the Deep shook his head. “Nephew, don’t dither about the details. Oh, but make sure he gives you exact change. These small businesses always attempt to leech off true wealth however they can.”

Randidly felt almost genuinely impressed the Patron of the Deep could say these things without feeling the slightest bit of embarrassment. For someone who so freely radiated life-giving energy, he didn’t otherwise appear very generous. He turned to look at the Patron of Feathers. “Is he always like this?”

She actually giggled. “It may be hard to believe, but he is actually in quite a good mood due to finding Jotem alive. This is him on his best behavior.”

Meanwhile, the implications of them getting tossed out of the inn were starting to hit Jotem. He tugged at the Patron’s arm. “Patriarch, we cannot simply walk out and find other accommodations. I understand you consider it barbaric, but the city is flush with those interested in the annual Hobfootie tournament. Finding accommodations, especially for those of means-”

“Nephew,” The Patron of the Deep gave Jotem a frank look. He gestured very directly to the owner, who remained standing nearby. “If you change your mind about this now, how can you expect this man to respect you.”

“Indeed. I will not respect you,” The Lizardperson confirmed, standing only a few feet away.

“So, we depart.” The Patron reached out and flicked Jotem’s forehead. “Don’t dawdle; do you think while rushing over here to your rescue I had time to consider my own health? Hunger and exertion have compounded within my body. Yet you allow me to languish here in this cess heap…”

“You didn’t… rescue me…” Jotem muttered, but he followed instructions. Randidly caught the eye of Demetrius across the room, who bowed and went to assist in gathering up their stuff. Chewing on his lip thoughtfully, Randidly walked up to the Lizardperson.

Finally, the innkeeper’s expression turned pained. “Nether King, I mean no disrespect-”

“Don’t worry about it. There is value in standing up to your patrons sometimes,” Randidly waved a hand. “That’s actually why I wanted to speak with you. To be honest, I’m soon going to be opening some inns in a special area of Malloon. I don’t have much experience running them. If you are interested, the job’s yours.”

“...you are taking over one of the other establishments? Which one?” The innkeeper asked.

Chuckling, Randidly shook his head. “A bit hard to explain right now: Westrisser’s people are performing final inspections on new locations as we speak, so you have a bit of time. Think about it. I’ll come back in a few days and see if you are interested. If not, I’d appreciate a list of trustworthy individuals.”

With a strange expression on his bearded face, the innkeeper nodded and walked away. This time, the Patron of the Deep waited until he was out of earshot before speaking. “You would offer a job to one who so obviously disrespected you? Too many decisions like this will lead to a mutiny of your supporters, Nether King Hungry Eye.”

Randidly looked at the Patron of the Deep with a sharp glance; his framing proved he was aware of the effect of his actions. Did he say those things to get them kicked out to try and protect Jotem in a more isolated location? “I offered him a job because he has spine. And because I need someone to do a job.”

“It was generosity like this which has now led me to scramble to protect the remnants of my people.” The Patron of the Deep harrumphed. To that, Randidly didn’t respond. He just wondered how he reconciled his treatment of his surviving family with the vehemency with which he sought to protect them.

Without any more dramatic displays, for which Randidly felt rather grateful, the group departed from the inn. Leaving Malloon felt a relief. The press of bodies slowly thinned as Randidly led the group to where his two islands were waiting. What he hadn’t expected to find was a nervous Freewall Yuuryin flitting back and forth as a group of curious individuals walked around the outside of the skyislands. A few of the bolder had already clambered up on top of them and helped themselves to the rooms they found there. Randidly hadn’t any furniture with which to fill the rooms, but it was still quality shelter.

One man lay in the dry marble fountain dominating the central portion of the shopping plaza. He spread out his cloak and patted his self-made bad with satisfaction. Randidly’s lips twitched.

He wheeled and gave Jotem a sharp glance. “Alright, it’s time to display your gift for commerce. Extract some money from these mooches and see if you find any volunteers for laborers. We are going to need some workers to get this off the ground as soon as its approved. Demetrius, head along with him. Handle any problems.”

The two nodded. With one last backward glance at the Patron of the Deep, Jotem undulated away. In his wake, the Patron floated forward and pursed his lips. “This… you plan to create a floating shopping plaza? The heart of opulence. Nether King Hungry Eye… I have underestimated your vision! Due to your friendship with my kin, I will acquiesce to look around a bit and offer my opinions on the decor… no, no need to thank me… Ahem, well, this entrance area is simply intolerable. Such cheap materials… tsk, this is why you hire professionals…”

The Patron of the Deep drifted off, speaking over his shoulder to Randidly as though he followed along and hung on his every word. Randidly sighed; he could handle the fallout of that later. For now, it was enough for the Origin Beast to be out of trouble.

Freewall walked closer. “Apologies, Nether King. They simply climbed up the far side, so-”

“Don’t worry about it.” Randidly waved a hand. Then he turned again to the Patron of Feathers. Even now, her significance felt strange to him. He wondered what he would need from her to help the current version. He cleared his throat. “What will you do now? Go see your father?”

The Patron of Feathers shook her head. “No, that can wait. The rest of us are coming soon. If you don’t mind, we will meet here before we head in for the trial.”

Her tone was casual, but Randidly felt his skin tingle as the implications of what she said hit him.

They were all coming.

Elhume was coming here.