Althowin returned with the Incandescent Blade of Captain Lyra Magnan burning brightly. She waved it back and forth, making the fire swish in the air before sheathing it and tossing the weapon right into Owin's arms.

"If I didn't already have a low opinion of the Security Regime, the extortion they pulled for me to get that sword was downright diabolical." She shrugged and took in the scene.

Owin was sitting at the table while a card game was going on. He had started in, but quickly grew bored, and now that he was holding the sword, he felt cramped sitting so close to the table. He scooted back and fed the sword into the black bag. The entire thing, sheath and all, fit inside. He didn't quite understand still, but he hadn't experimented with the bag. Althowin had said it would grow in some sense, so he was letting it do its own thing.

Shade and Potilia continued their game while Siora sat on a sofa on the opposite end, reading a bestiary of some sort.

Nobody but Owin paid Althowin much attention.

"I leave and suddenly everyone forgets?" She sat across from Owin and stuck her hand out. "Give me some cards."

Shade shuffled and dealt, passing a hand to Althowin. "What are we playing?"

"I-I don't know the name!" Potilia picked up her cards, and slammed them back on the table. "That's a bad hand!"

"Not poker, apparently," Althowin said.

Chorsay walked in, nodded to Owin, and took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa from Siora. He reclined his head and stared at the ceiling.

"What did we figure out?" Althowin asked. She discarded a card and drew another.

"Arenaris in the Desert." Potilia met Althowin's eyes and squeaked, shrinking down a little. "It has a lot of versatility and I think it would help Owin!" She basically screamed the last sentence.

"It's a good choice," Althowin said. "Relax and play your hand."

Potilia, encouraged, quickly played her cards.

"You're good with that?" Althowin asked.

"Yeah," Owin said. "I think it makes sense. I think the horrific damage will be really helpful. It can affect other mobs, right?"

"It should, yes. Especially if it's caused by you. There have been some weapons found in the dungeon that had a horrific damage element. It isn't something I am able to create though. It's the one damage humans can't mimic." Althowin played a hand and drew another card. "What about Siora?"

"A vampire thrall imp thing," she said, looking up from the book. "Doesn't give me issues with sunlight, but gives me speed."

"Mediocre choice. Luckily, you've got some time. How long does your party need before shard two?" Althowin set her cards down and turned around in her chair. "Because Owin is leaving tonight."

"I am?"

"We are?" Shade asked.

"Veph wouldn't listen to me," Chorsay said.

"And I believe she's convinced the Security Regime to take this all a little more seriously. Indulf found out the little brats that attacked me before are all out fusing in the Great Forest, so we need to move quickly. The stronger you are, the less likely people will try to kill either of us. So, off to the Desert with you. Since you don't eat or sleep, you might not even get as exhausted from fusion as most do." Althowin seemed happy with herself. She set her cards down. "Do I win?"

Shade tossed his hand into the middle. "I hate this game."

"I'm going with," Chorsay said.

The whole room silenced and faced the old man. He was staring right at Owin.

"I need to fuse. I can't sit idle while people attack my family." Chorsay stood and slowly walked to the table. "I promised Artivan."

Owin just nodded.

"And what are you going to fuse with?" Althowin turned to Potilia with a raised eyebrow.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"A golem," Potilia immediately blurted. "His fighting style is about weight, but he's not a knight who can increase it. He needs to just be heavier!"

"If Po thinks it's best."

Althowin bowed her head to Potilia. "You really do know your stuff. It sounds like a good idea to me. Get your belongings together. I'll check your gear and get some supplies ready. Basolia?"

The specter appeared in the middle of the table causing Shade to flinch and swear.

"Inform Indulf and gather food for Chorsay," Althowin said.

"And bricks." Chorsay rolled his shoulders. "I'll gather my things and meet you up front tonight, Owin." He gave a quick nod to Potilia, then stepped out.

Once the door closed behind him, Shade leaned over.

"Is he okay?" Shade whispered.

"No." Owin frowned. "I can't imagine what he feels."

"Neither can I," Althowin said in a regular voice, ignoring the fact that they'd been whispering. "He really did try to connect with Veph, to get her to understand how he felt. She is deep in her own mind on this. We're working on some specific defenses against her for the compound, but if she fully unites with the others, and the hero companies cooperate, this will get fucked quickly."

"We have you and Zezog," Owin said.

"Nobody can beat Zezog," Potilia said. Althowin gave her a look, which made her squeak again.

"7 Shard Heroes aren't invincible. If me or Zezog has to worry about a single fucking citizen or bystander, we're significantly weaker. Even having all seven shards active near a shardless person could kill them. My fighting style is all about explosive power in an area, and Zezog's swings without even using abilities can level a city block. If it comes to it, we'll fight. But if we fight, more than just our enemies will die." She picked up a card, scowled, and tossed it back on the table. "That's why we're building our own little army."

***

Veph had left Atrevaar so quickly after Chorsay's visit that Sylmare wasn't sure how she would last inside a dungeon.

"You don't need me to watch over things?" Sylmare had asked before they reached the portal circle.

"No. I have someone for that now."

Veph hadn't elaborated on that. Instead, she walked right through the portal to Vraxridge and straight through the circle to Nagyati. Sylmare kept up, especially afraid to hesitate or pause in Vraxridge when anyone she knew could spot her.

The Golden Bulls were busy with some training directly beside the portal circle. They were showing off their might, or posturing in some kind of way. Despite all this, Veph walked right through the middle of them. There was the briefest moment of protest before the entire group of heroes split to allow her through.

"Your job," Veph said as they walked through the city, "is to keep eyes on the goblin at all times. Use every trick you have." She pulled a heavy bag from her belt and dropped it into Sylmare's hands. "Use every coin to bribe people, to make them your spies. I want to know every breath that goblin takes. The second I emerge, I want to know his location. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"This tower shouldn't be a challenge. I'm estimating two days. Maybe less. Be standing outside the exit when I'm finished." Veph turned and left without another word.

Sylmare held the heavy bag of coins with both hands and took slow breaths, trying to calm her racing heart.

***

There were surprisingly few things Vondaire enjoyed about the Sky. Having his clothes soaked and smelling like fish from the Ocean was, as he had expected, one of the worst experiences. And still, somehow, he was in the clouds thinking about how much he would rather be on the ground, in a chair, at a cafe on the seaside.

Two things stopped him from doing as he pleased. First, his pursuit of power couldn't be achieved by getting drunk in Graisetus, as much as he dreaded that fact. Second, he didn't wish to fuse with a glass of wine because it would have some negative moral implications to then consume a fine glass of red.

Vondaire threw a ghostblade and ducked to the side, dodging a needle-like feather shot from another damned bird. The kunai didn't kill it, but the next volley lacked as many elemental feathers. He side stepped, dancing around the attack, and batted one aside that would've otherwise pierced his neck. Another quick twitch of his wrist threw a spectral kunai through the oversized bird's face.

Blood sprayed as the bird plummeted, disappearing between cloud platforms. Vondaire stepped to the edge, looking down at Verdantallis as the corpse dropped. It hit a boundary wall before long and bounced before coming to a rest.

After a brief intermission to ensure the bird wouldn't fly up and harass him again, Vondaire jumped across the gap between clouds. Landing on one felt somewhere between jumping on concrete and falling into a soft bed. There was a firmness and pillow softness that existed simultaneously.

He understood quickly why someone would want wings while in the Sky. If one was at all unsure of their footing, jumping between clouds was a deadly endeavour. There was no doubt in Vondaire's mind that a hero would not survive hitting the bottom boundary wall, no matter how resilient they were. Cassimarcia would not let an oaf like Voolyn take a tumble and get to survive. If a killing barrier of some sort existed, Vondaire fully intended to never find out. He was perfectly fine with not discovering something new.

After all, he was in a hurry. Being in the right place and the exact right time was essential.

The Phoenix was considered one of the strongest Omens. It couldn't be killed and it was an expert hunter. A true bird of prey.

He needed to have his wits about him. Four more floors of jumping from cloud to cloud and whatever other nonsense Cassimarcia designed.

Then it would be time to fuse. It would be time for his true rise to fame.

Vondaire smirked and formed a new ghostblade in his hand. He set off at the pace that would put him in the perfect spot and the perfect time. No rushing. No worrying. A casual, leisurely stroll through the sky above the world that would soon worship him.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.