Althowin was working when Basolia let them into the studio. Each strike of her glowing hammer sent shockwaves pulsing out, nearly throwing Owin off his feet. She had all seven shards active, making the air in the room feel heavy. The high-pitched hum of the shards was only matched by the ringing of the hammer striking the obscenely large sword lying across a stone table.

Basolia appeared before her and recoiled as if struck as her hammer fell once more. Althowin's metal hand moved, dismantling and absorbing the hammer, and continued to shift until it looked like a normal metal hand once again.

"How's Sofia?" Althowin asked. Her shards dropped back into her shoulders, calming the air.

"She's, uh . . ." Owin scrunched his face as he tried to think of a word for it.

"Miserable," Shade said.

"Yeah."

Althowin walked away from the metal table. The room shifted around her, moving the sword into a chest while a new table lifted from the ground right in front of Owin. She stopped on the opposite side and put her hands flat on the surface.

Owin flinched, ready to attack, as the ground beneath him lurched. It stopped when he reached eye level with Althowin.

"She will be for a while. I can't blame her for the choice. Veph is one of the most talented heroes I've ever seen." Althowin tapped her fingers on the new stone table. "The only reason Sofia is alive is that Veph either underestimated her or she wasn't truly trying to kill Sofia. Her wand holds Celestial Storm, and she has plenty of Power 7 spells she could cast herself, if she had wanted. Even her sword is capable of cutting through all that claverstan metal Sofia wears." Althowin's fingers drumming on the table had crushed some of it to dust. She finally noticed and pulled her hands back. "I need to be honest with you, Owin."

Owin clenched his fists. He wasn't worried about being attacked, but he was worried about what she was going to say.

"Sofia, Veph, and I met when you were in the Fortress. Veph had brought up the idea of testing you, whatever that meant. She had the idea to see how you would react to some stimuli. Some stress. I thought it sounded like a fine idea. I've seen heroes snap so many times. Marcus Lucan killed his own brother after snapping. I've had heroes attack me, thinking they could steal or take advantage, or who the fuck knows."

Althowin poked Basolia, who dripped into the table and caused the stone to start shifting once again.

"I was still holding concerns that your monstrous nature might emerge given stress, but after you were sent away, Chorsay told me parts of your story I had missed. If Kat or Ernie told me, I didn't listen. I wasn't that interested at the time." Althowin stepped back as Basolia emerged with a secured chest. The specter pushed it out of a hole in the table, then vanished back into the ground.

Althowin gently drummed her fingers on the chest. "You've spared Void Nexus heroes more than once already, and I can't blame you for not doing it this time. Veph manipulated me, and I let her. I'm the fool, and I apologize. So, tell me, Owin, what will your wish be?"

Owin looked at Shade. The skeleton just put his arm around Owin's shoulder.

"I want to wish for the Cursed to go away, but I don't think the gods will let me. I want to free Artivan and Shade."

"Just Artivan," Shade said.

"Both."

Althowin nodded once. "And what about Siora Rilokos? She's the one who killed Artivan, isn't she?"

"Yes." Owin's stomach turned at the thought of the moment she told him. "I won't kill her."

"Why not?"

"Sometimes we have to show mercy." Owin smiled. Artivan had said those words the first time they had fought Siora.

"I've misjudged a lot in my life. I will try to do better." Althowin flipped the top of the chest open.

"I'm fine, but Chorsay—"

"He'll manage. Zezog was already helping him brush off some frustrations. I can't let him go to Atrevaar because they want him for killing Isaak Agapov. There's not an official bounty, so I'll go with him to pay Veph a visit soon. That'll leave everyone here exposed, so I'm taking precautions."

Shade looked around the room, most of which was covered in a layer of Basolia's shadow. "Do you really need precautions?"

"My walls are damn near impregnable, but there are some powerful people after the two of us. I wouldn't have been concerned in the past, but we're in a new world. Shard Heroes haven't killed each other like this in nearly a century, and it's been even longer since a Power 7 was openly used in a city. If someone is stupid enough to attack me, I'll roast them without hesitation. I'm more worried about the pregnant couple, you two, Miya, and the whole party that's on their way back."

"What are the precautions?" Owin asked.

The chest along the wall flipped open, revealing the sword she had been working on before. "A new weapon for Zezog. He gave his sword to Arkasti for some reason. As long as the Barbarian is here, everyone will be safe."

"Is he going to reveal himself officially?" Shade asked. "I can't imagine a deterrent working when people aren't aware of it."

"That's for him to decide." With a small wave of her fingers, the chest closed around the sword once again. "There are only eight heroes I'd worry about at all, and only three of those that could even slightly pose a threat to Zezog. I, on the other hand, am a whole lot weaker than the old elf." Althowin shrugged. "Want to see what I made you?"

"I guess. Is it really the time for this? It sounds like there are a lot of other things to work on." Despite his words, Owin tried to stand on his toes to see any hint of what was in the chest.

"Time? We've got some. Besides, I've already made this. It isn't using up any time." Althowin reached inside and pulled out a shoulder bag that looked identical to Owin's old one, except this was solid black. Basolia black.

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"It's a bag?"

"A specter bag. With that specter skin, specter monarch brain, and a few other things I had lying about, I was able to make this. Now, specter bags are a bit odd. Making a specter skin container already allows it to store more than it should be able to hold, but adding a specter brain makes it easier to choose your item. It's like the brain knows what you want and will assist in grabbing the correct thing. Using a specter monarch brain is going to be far more interesting. It seems slow to form, but the results might be unpredictable. The bag is still growing and will finish its final form sometime in the future. Externally, it will look the same. I want you to take it now so it can cling to you and use you and your habits to grow. That way, it should be better at assisting in the heat of battle."

Owin took the bag. It felt cold in his hands, not much different than taking apparition damage. "Does it still give me resistance?"

"Yes. It should."

Owin put it over his shoulder and let the bag rest against his right hip. "Thank you."

Basolia pulled the empty chest back into the table.

"You gathered most of the materials. This is my way of paying you back, even if just a hair, for my mistakes."

"What about potions?" Shade asked. "Buffs. Big things."

Althowin cocked her head. "What are you asking?"

"Well, let's not fuck around," Shade said. "We are all aware that you could make Owin the single strongest being in the entire world. Even as you profess your apologies, you're obviously still scared. Or worried. Or whatever it might be. The least you could do is give Owin buffs to help get him ready to fight against people like Veph."

Althowin's jaw shifted.

Summon the Withered Shade

Shade poofed into dust, which Basolia promptly cleaned up.

"I'm sorry," Owin said.

"Bring him back," she said without emotion.

Summon the Withered Shade

Shade appeared in the same spot beside the table. He flinched and brought his hands up as if to block an attack.

"Calm down," Althowin said. "I don't appreciate being talked to in this manner, but you are correct enough for me to respect. To a degree." Her index opened in front of her eyes. "Your strength is fine. I'll make you potions to make everything even. Not any higher. As you keep going, I will assist more. If I poured buffs down your throat, it would only make everyone more concerned, and we don't need the entire world against us."

"Are they not already?"

"They aren't. I've been told you have people cheering you on all over Verdantallis. Just because the militaries and hero companies are wary doesn't mean the common citizen or even most heroes think much about it. Or much about anything. People hear there's a mob that escaped and is now conquering towers, and they think it's fascinating. In fact . . ." Althowin dropped her index. "Basolia, prepare a message for Socellia Proba."

"I will get it prepared." Basolia vanished.

"Go and rest for a bit. We'll talk about new plans and fusion soon." As Althowin spoke, the room shifted back to her workspace for the massive sword. "Once Kat and Ernie are back, we'll have a compound meeting. Until then, I need to finish this, and I need to get your buffs created."

The door opened behind Owin.

"Go find things to put in the bag and relax."

"Thanks." Owin stepped off the raised stone step.

"Sorry for rudeness," Shade said. "I feel passionately about things."

Althowin's shards hummed as they started lifting again. "Don't let it happen again." She had a slight smile as she turned and reformed the glowing hammer in her metal hand. "See you later, Shade."

Owin waited at the door for the skeleton. As soon as they stepped out, the door closed multiple layers, which barely held back the deafening clang as Althowin started hammering.

"That was dangerous," Owin said.

Shade plucked at the bag strap. "It was the perfect time to ask. She already made you this. A specter bag was always a bag for kings and the like. The richest of the rich. The strongest of the strong. And look at you. We probably don't even need my box anymore. Well, once we have weapons again."

Owin walked sullenly down the hall. Every time he thought about losing his weapons, it made him a little more sad. The Thunderstrike Maul was from his first secret and his time with Artivan, the Darkblade was made by Katalin, and Isotelus and the Incandescent Blade were from secrets during his adventure with Myrsvai and Suta. Even his lich bone was now destroyed.

"We can find new weapons. Or maybe get those back, if we're smart." Shade patted Owin's head. "We can be smart, can't we?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I don't think so."

"Yeah, me too." Shade reached his hand down Owin's forehead and tried to poke him in the eyes.

Summon the Withered Shade

Summon the Withered Shade

"I want you to know that I don't think it's fair that you can do that," Shade said.

Owin just walked down the hall with a little more enthusiasm.

***

Kikuno stood with Sai just outside the Atrevaar portal circle. Clean up efforts were spread throughout most of the city, and travel was restricted to everyone. Security Regime and Void Nexus had already traveled to all other cities to block the portals from most travelers.

That made it a great surprise when a plain-looking man first appeared from Vraxridge. Security Regime members moved to question and restrain as needed, but then Kikuno realized where she had seen him before.

"Indulf?"

"Yes, Miss Itou." The man bowed, unflinching as people surrounded him.

"Leave him," Kikuno said quickly. "He was allowed through the Vraxridge side."

A lieutenant, hand still on his weapon, turned to her. "Who—"

"Althowin Alegarra's right hand," Kikuno said. She waved Indulf over. "Let's talk in private."

Indulf walked right through the people surrounding him and joined Kikuno and Sai. He extended a hand.

"Indulf Cynan."

"Sai Nishi."

"Introductions. Great. Indulf, why are you here?"

"I was in Minolitana Prima to follow up on some things. Now, I am here to find out more information for Althowin Alegarra." He said everything so matter-of-fact.

"You just saw me when I was there visiting—" Kikuno cut herself off, glancing sidelong at Sai. "Althowin."

"Yes. And I did not see anything firsthand when I spoke to you."

"She requires this?"

"She does." Indulf put his hands in his jacket pockets. "Will you show me the facts? I will speak with Miss Veriss after."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Kikuno said.

Sai shook her head quickly.

"I am not looking for opinions on the matter. I appreciate your comfortability in sharing, though please restrain yourself in the future." Indulf hadn't even blinked. He just stared at her like he was a construct.

"Why does the 7 Shard Hero need to know any of this?" Sai asked.

"This involved Owin the goblin, who is under Althowin's protection. Therefore, this incident is a stain on the Security Regime, Void Nexus, and the city of Atrevaar for allowing such an assault to happen. If I determine steps were not taken to prevent this, then I shall inform Miss Alegarra that the bounty against Miss Sofia Halaby is in itself a crime and therefore should be repealed."

Sai stared with mouth agape.

"Fine, Indulf. I'll give you the tour, but I will be joining you when you speak with Veph."

"That is fine. I have no objections." He kept his hands in his pockets and stared blankly until Kikuno started moving.

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