After two days, I came back. It was time that we stepped out and found Blink and The Boy Lich. I was bringing gifts with me that I was hoping I could play off as things I got from being the dungeon master. Since the other three didn’t understand what I could or couldn’t do in that role, should protect me.

I walked into the safe room in the Eternal Tower and called out to Dave. “Dave good to see you where are the others?”

He smiled at me from behind the bar. “Hey, Arn, can I get you a beer?”

I nodded as I stepped up. “So where are they?”

Dave slid a beer over to me. “Asleep, should get up in a couple more hours.”

I sighed. “Good at least they’ll be rested when we start off on all of this.”

He nodded slowly. “You’re worried aren’t you?”

I sighed, then took a drink. “Yeah, more so for us than Blink. I know she could vanish, but everything had just changed for me. I planned on running to Cloudia and meeting back up with Lannah. Then figuring out how to get me to level. Yet, now things seem to be almost taking a life of their own.”

Dave chuckled and nodded. “Sure a life of their own with you driving it all.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I didn’t have to claim the throne. But, if I didn’t I might not have been able to close out the lair. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, trying to see if there was anything I could do to step back. Yet, it seems like things are picking up speed.”

I pointed to my now empty mug. “Heck I went from it just being Blink and me to three people sworn to be with me in under a week. Three people that I would say are friends now or soon will be. Kasidy is growing closer each day which is confusing as heck!”

Dave grinned and started to wipe the bar. “Confusing why?”

I sighed. “Lannah.”

“Oh how does she make Kasidy confusing?”

I looked up at Dave and frowned. “You know why, the Familial contract. The more I think about it the more I feel like it has more meaning than she let on.”

He smiled and shook his head. “I can only tell you what I know from my line of dungeons. Those contracts have been used for a long time for lots of different things. Yes they make you family but what type is dependent on you two.”

I took a drink. “Yeah, and I know we’ve been over all of this before. I just wish I knew right now what it all meant. Then I would know how to deal with Kasidy better.”

Dave asked. “So not to add more to your plate but are you going to have an official religion of your lands?”

I shot Dave a questioning look. “I can do that? Do you know what that looks like?”

“I only know what I have heard but you should be able to. I don’t know how to make the changes or what that might do. I just know that in the past my parent dungeon was in a land that had an official religion a few times.”

I smiled wilily and chuckled. “I bet there’s a book someplace that I could read that would tell me how to get into my fief’s interface to do something like that.”

Dave smiled and held up a book. “I have three different ones that I could sell you. Two of them are just books the third is a skill book called Vassalship. It would give you all of that information.”

I nodded. “That’s a problem for later. How soon till they get up?”

“Four hours.”

I nodded. “Okay wake me up I am going to take a nap and then we will head out.”

I dropped my bundles on the table we always ate at and then headed to take my nap. “Oh and don’t absorb that stuff I worked too hard on it.”

Dave laughed and wiggled his fingers at the pile.

***

Just under four hours later, Dave woke me up, and I headed down. The other three were sitting around the table, getting their last meal in before we headed out. I waved and took my seat.

As Dave brought me my food, I pointed to a bag. “Irwin, that bag has 24 standard mana potions. Each one refills 100 mana in a go. They also are special in that they have a core and will refill once a day.”

Irwin’s eyes got big. “That’s too much my lord!”

I shook my head. “No, and if you are going to call me that then act like it. Those potions will make it so our healer can keep healing. I have a feeling that we are going to need it. Also that staff is a better fit for you than the one that the Tower sold us.”

He shook his head slowly. “What does it do?”

I smiled. “See that ugly rock at the top. That’s an amethyst geode the largest that I thought would fit. It can store up to 800 mana to be used exclusively for healing. It also will raise your healing spells by 5 effective levels and gives a passive mana recovery to you.”

Irwin nodded slowly. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

I laughed. “Just say thank you Arn. And we will be good.”

He sheepishly nodded. ‘Thank you, lord Arn, for your gifts. I will try my hardest to serve you well.”

I smiled tightly. “Irwin, we haven’t known each other very long but I want you to know that I want you to be a friend. I got you the gear because you needed it and we need you. I already know that you are going to serve as well as you can. That’s part of why I got you that stuff.”

He nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

I took another bit. “Okay Renfry, you already got the armor but I thought you might could make use of a better sword. There are two there I hope that you can use the one in the black scabbard. I don’t know if you can or not. On strike it will cast Lay-to-Rest on the target. If you can’t then the one in the red, does fire damage. You don’t have to pick just one to use.”

He bowed while seated. “Thank you my liege. I shall take them both to the sixth floor and find out what happens. With your leave?”

As he stood up, I pointed at a belt. “That’s your’s too; it’s called a swordsmen’s belt. It will give you a bit more protection. There are two actives on that. One is called stone skin. It’s 5 mana per minute to keep up, and then 1 point for every 10 points of physical you take or 2 points of magical damage. The other is room to draw. It will give a push of stone air in front of you to clear about 3 feet.”

He gave a deep bow and then headed out. I knew that he would be up there for only a few minutes, and we would catch up before he finished. I pointed to the last bundle, and caught Kasidy’s eye.

With a smile, I said. “That last bundle is for you. There’s a Raiment that should help some. Important things to know about it. It can change shape one of them is a normal dress, and the other is performance attire. It’s a dress that will let you adjust its colors fully by your will. It will also increase your interactions while performing. The most important thing is when wearing the dress, your singing will cost you 10% less mana and Stamina.”

Kasidy smiled and picked it up. “I’ll be right back!”

With that, she ran off. Irwin was holding his staff with a happy grin. His bag took a long time to make as I had to stitch in each pocket for the mana potions. I left room so that I could get him more in the future. I shook my head at his potions. They were each worse than mine but far better. Mine would end up growing and getting better, but his started at a higher level.

Just a few minutes later, Kasidy came back down with her gear, and we headed out to the wagon. We had the wagon hitched up, and my horse saddled when Renfry came out smiling. He gave me a deep bow.

Then Renfry said. “My lord both swords are great and neither cause me problems. With who we are going after I will carry the black one for this battle. Do you wish the other back at this time?”

I shook my head. “Nope if you want it you can keep carry it or toss it in the wagon. I’m not sure how much you want to carry like this.”

He nodded and laid the sword in the wagon. Then he looked around and nodded slowly. Irwin started to get up into the back of the wagon, and I could see that Renfry wasn’t liking this.

Renfry looked over at me and asked. “Any other horses?”

I shook my head. “No these are the two we have. We didn’t bring any more from Last Port.”

Renfry sighed and nodded, and started toward the wagon when Kasidy spoke up. “Could we take the time to go buy two more horses in Last Port and bring them through the transport?”

I looked over at Kasidy and asked. “Can you ride?”

She nodded slightly. “I don’t like to that much but I can why?”

Irwin mumbled. “I can’t.”

She smiled and said. “Horse for Renfry and for me?”

“Yup, why don’t I take the two of you through and we can get the horses and get out of there.”

* * *