Would You Like To Play Again? - Book 3 - Everything Changes

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Chapter 1

 

I slowly awoke from my sleep to the pleasant feeling of my ladies pressed against me. Amenthia and Entivala were both lying in their respective spots, Amenthia on the right with Entivala on the left. Kat’ilth’ana was cuddled up behind her elvish friend, a slight smile of contentment on her face. I enjoyed these rare moments as our Dryad friend didn’t need much sleep and most mornings she was already up and working on her potions. We had spent another night with our goddess lover, Freyja. I was amazed how the heated and passionate sexual encounters that began this unique relationship with her had changed to more close, intimate endeavors that all of us relished and looked forward to. The five of us had begun to focus on the intimacy between us, knowing that sexual compatibility could only go so far within this unique relationship.

 

With the baby growing in Freyja, we had decided to work on becoming a real family. We talked about all that had happened to us so far, our hopes, fears, and the plans for the future. It had been a quiet few weeks since the end of the Challenge and the ramifications of what had occurred. The death of Jupiter was surprising to all, as well as the reveal that Kali had been responsible for the issues during the challenge. Many still couldn’t believe that she was part of the shadow group that had been causing trouble, but the actions she had taken were clear. After what had happened, we had decided to take things easy for a few weeks, to give us time to process all that happened during that intense time. It also gave us time to help our friend Cassandra.

 

She was still trying to deal with her feelings about the choice Darius had made after the issues with the Challenge had been dealt with. When Darius chose to go back to his home village after the loss of his arm, it really threw Cassandra for a loop. She had expected that they would work together to help him through this tough time, or that he would have asked her to come with him. Cassandra had hoped to help him through this tough time and had planned to work to help him regain some semblance of his old life.

 

His disappearance with little to no real reason for shutting her out had hurt her deeply. Over the past few weeks, Cassandra tried to reach out to him, so she could tell him of the good news in regard to some things that she had come up with through her runic work. Despite everything that she had tried, he hasn’t replied back to her in any way. I planned to check in with her today to see if she had heard anything from him and if not, to talk to Tyr about letting her go to see him and figure out what is going on. I didn’t want to impose myself on their relationship, but I hated seeing someone I cared about suffering.

 

I removed myself carefully from the bed, working to try and not wake either of the gorgeous women curled up to me. Once I was free and out of bed, I grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the showers. I glanced back and smiled as Amenthia shifted to embrace Entivala without waking. Once in the shower, I took my time, enjoying the warm water on my sore muscles, before washing and heading back to our bedroom. I arrived to find my ladies all awake and in various forms of their morning stretches. I swear that they waited for me to return and had planned this to entice me with their delicious curves. I smiled at them and wished them all a good morning as I finished dressing for the morning.

 

One by one, they crawled out of the bed and gave me a kiss, being mindful of their morning breath, before sauntering off to shower. Katie was the most brazen with her kiss, and after my brain reset from her lip lock, I realized she didn’t seem to suffer from morning breath. Instead of holding back, her intent was to show me the depth of her affection. Perhaps she was trying to compensate a bit due to how antagonistic she was when we first met. I had a feeling she was still self-conscious about that, and I would have to make sure she knew that I didn’t care about that past. I cared about the woman she was now and that she should be proud of who she is now. Her kiss made me see stars and shocked my brain, while her lips and mouth tasted of vanilla. I was left standing there in a stupor as the three of them left to shower laughing at the state the Dryad had left me in. Visions of their three luscious bodies glistening with water flashed into my mind and I was tempted to go join them but thought better of it.

 

I was surprised at the speed at which the trio returned, as I had figured they would take their time enjoying themselves as they tended to do when they showered with me. No doubt they used the same shower and ensured that they were in and out as fast as possible. Given how close they had become, I thought that they would have taken their time washing one another. Had I been there, it would have probably taken four times as long and resulted in multiple sexual escapades that would have left us a little more tired than when we entered. Not to mention being distracting for the other people that might be using the showers as they weren’t quiet when they got aroused. Knowing that they weren’t always quiet when we had done things in the past and I couldn’t help but wonder who might have heard us.

 

I began to imagine what could have occurred in the shower, other than cleaning of course, and had to banish the thoughts for now, or else I would get nothing done today. My three ladies arrived back at the room freshened up and looking beautiful, despite the fact that they were merely in their training outfits. Ready to start our morning routine, we headed down to the dining hall first to have a quick breakfast, before checking in with Cassandra in the quartermaster shop. She would no doubt be working, either on a commission or on her own runic research. Breakfast this morning was a delicious collection of eggs and meats, with a side of veggies to balance it out.

 

Once our meal was done, we arrived at the Quartermaster to find that Cassandra was the only one there working at the moment. Fra’tilia was nowhere to be seen and it looked like Brot’k wasn’t there either, which was unusual for him. When we neared the counter, I could see that she was working on a pauldron of some kind. However, as we drew closer, I could see that she wasn’t her normal calm and collected self. Instead there was an air of irritation around her, and I could see that it was affecting her work. We stood there quietly as we watched her engraving, since we knew better than to disrupt her in the middle of her rune work. She was muttering incantations while carefully engraving the edges of the armor with runes. The mixture of the runes, when magic was poured in them, is what enhanced the item and gave it the unique properties that she was trying to imbue it with.

 

The difference between runic work and regular enchanting, was in most cases an item could only have one enchantment at a time. You would have to destroy the first enchantment to put another on. With rune smithing, you are imbuing the armor you are creating with runes which can be designed to have multiple enhancements within a single rune structure. This created a greater variety of options, but there was always the risk of failure. The upside is that rune smiths could and did charge more for their goods, but there were very few operating. It was a long and arduous field, and most adventurers were always looking to make a quick buck. Some runes wouldn’t work correctly with others, but there were apparently ways to figure them out given time. The few times I had witnessed her work, it usually ended with the runes giving off a glow, as a sign of sealing the enchantment. However this time, when she finished there was a glow, followed by a fizzle of energy. She cursed and tossed her tools onto her worktable, burning her face in her hands. I couldn’t tell if she were crying, but her breathing was deep, and I could tell she was at her wits end.

 

“Um, good morning, Cassandra,” I said softly to the visibly upset woman. “Sorry to bother you, but we just wanted to check in and see how you are doing.”

 

She turned and glared at me, “How the fuck do you think I am doing Pathios? My boyfriend is gone with no sign he is okay, or even coming back. He won’t return any of my messages or contact me in any way and it is frustrating me. The worry and frustration that I am feeling is bleeding into my work and it's causing me to waste time, energy, materials, and mana. I am having trouble completing any of the commissions that I have been given and my customers are getting frustrated as well. I haven’t completed a single rune crafting request since he left. Despite everything I am trying to do to keep my mind off him, it isn’t working, as it only makes me think about him more.”

 

“We are truly sorry to hear that Cassandra,” Amenthia replied, giving a gentile smile to her friend, “but please don’t take your anger out on us. We are all worried about both of you and the effect his leaving has had on you. It is not like any of us expected any of this to happen and we are all doing our best to support you through this.”

 

I nodded, “I plan to ask Tyr if he has heard anything and also was going to see if he could take you to see Darius. That way you could at least get some answers as to what is going on and why you haven’t heard from him.”

 

Cassandra let out a big sigh, “I am sorry everyone and you both are right. I shouldn’t be taking my frustrations out on you, but you also shouldn't have to go so far for me either. I could have asked lord Tyr at any time as well, but to be perfectly honest, I was scared to ask him. I am afraid that if Tyr does take me to see Darius, that I will find out that Dairus doesn’t feel the same about things anymore and tell me to leave him alone.”

 

“Rejection is a hard thing,” Katie said softly, with a small nod of the head. “It hurts deeply, and you always wonder if there was more you could have done to make them choose differently. Fear of rejection can keep us from taking the steps we need to grow or to miss opportunities that could make our life better. So as bad as rejection can be, not trying and finding out could be much worse. The strings of doubt that plant seeds in your mind and make you question if you should do something are a nefarious thing. Those thoughts generate scenario after scenario of bad outcomes, causing turmoil, fear, and frustration. Knowing the answer to your question, while sometimes being hard to handle, can give you a small sense of peace. It allows you to truly know the reason behind a person's actions and you aren’t left wondering. Why don’t we accompany you to go see Tyr? We don’t have to be in the room with you, but perhaps having us nearby will give you the courage you need to see it through. We can then go to do our morning training and you can find us there if you need to talk afterwards.”

 

She took a deep breath, nodded silently, and got up from her worktable. She quickly came around the counter and gave each of us a hug before we left the shop. She closed the door and locked it before the five of us began our trek to Tyr’s quarters.

 

“Where is Brot’k this morning?” I asked as we wove our way through the corridors. “It isn’t like him to be there in the mornings.”

 

“He is off to deliver some of the specialty items we have been making over the last few weeks,” Cassandra answered. “They will add a nice amount of gold to our coffers and help cover the various supplies we need. While all three of us are well off thanks to the materials that you bring, or the deals you have made to facilitate our needs, there are still things we need that aren’t supplied to us through those means. Not to mention that you are still in the lower levels of the dungeon still and some of the stuff we want to work on requires materials from higher floors. Fra’tilia is looking to acquire some other materials from the shops for the use of some of our goods, as she doesn’t want to waste all the enhanced silk you gave her.”

 

We all watched as she began to become more tense with each step but giving her a gentle touch or an encouraging word helped her to calm down. When we arrived at the door to his quarters, we waited for her to knock on his door, before giving her one last reassuring hug. Once she stepped inside, we left to head to the training area. As I looked back at Tyr’s door, I wondered what she would learn from her talk with him as we walked away from the room.

 

As we entered the training area, I saw that there were a handful of people sparring on the various mats, so we picked out one and began going through our daily forms. I was proud of the progress that they had made and was running out of things to teach them. We had moved on to our sparring matches when Cassandra entered the training room, and I couldn’t tell for certain what the outcome of her talk with Tyr had been. She silently walked over and picked up a wooden claymore from the weapons rack. She turned and walked towards the mat, staring intently at me while she closed the distance.

 

I glanced at the others and saw they were stepping towards the edge of the mat, leaving just Cassandra and myself in the center. They knew that they shouldn’t interfere with what was about to happen. Resigned to the fate that my ladies had chosen for me, I took a deep breath to center myself and readied my weapon. I had decided to use two short swords today and got into a ready stance as she neared. She had walked calmly until she saw me prepare myself and then that calm turned into fury, as she rushed me with a roar.

 

I quickly used my blades to deflect the wild incoming blow, staggering at the strength of her swing. Leaving me no time to prepare, she quickly continued to swing wildly, using me to vent out all the pent-up worry and frustration that had built up over the past few weeks. Despite my speed and agility, there were times where she nearly broke my defences and made contact with my body.

 

This onslaught lasted a few minutes before she began to lose steam and I saw the tears streaming from her face. I didn’t allow myself to relax until she dropped the blade and fell to her knees as she let the pain flow through her. I dropped my blades and rushed over to hug her, as her sobs became almost uncontrollable. The others quickly came over to join us and Cassandra soon found herself wrapped in our arms as she let herself deal with her pain. Once her tears subsided, we began to release her from the hug, and she quickly rubbed her eyes. We looked at her expectantly to find out what she had learned and why she was so upset.

 

“So I have learned what has been going on,” She said as she tried to fight back the gasps that tend to follow a good cry. “Darius has left to try and get the use of his arm back.”

 

The other gasped in shock, but then saw the glare that Cassandra was giving me and looked at me in confusion.

 

She crossed her arms and continued, “Apparently Pathios gave someone the idea of how to help those who had suffered losing a limb and suggested him for the process. While my name was mentioned to help in this process, Darius had other plans and said he didn’t want me a part of it. Freyja reached out to see if he wanted to start and help them find the way to replace a missing or severed limb. He jumped at the chance but didn’t want me to be there for two reasons. The first was there that was still no telling how long it could be before they would come up with things that could be tested and even then, there were no guarantee that what they came up with would work for him.”

 

Cassandra broke free of the embrace of the others and shoved me hard enough to knock me off balance.

 

She glared down at me and continued, “Second, he felt I would be a distraction from his goals and would hamper his progress. He wants to stay and help them come up with new limbs that will allow people like him to not only live better lives, but perhaps even return to the life of an adventurer. Meaning he may not ever come back, and he didn’t want to give me false hope or promises. Tyr promised to let him know I was aware of what he was doing and to encourage him to answer my letters and ravens. I think there is something else that is the real reason, and he won’t tell me what it is.”

 

“So that is what you were talking about to Freyja at the closing ceremonies,” Katie said, causing everyone to focus on her. “Why didn’t you mention anything about it to us?”

 

I looked around at their intense glares and sighed, “I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up about this being a sure thing. It was only an idea at this point, with no real timetable of it ever being a real thing. I figured they could look into it and collect some volunteers. My guess is that the subject was broached to him before we returned to the Pact house. I didn’t have anything to do about his lack of contact though, the plan I discussed with Freyja was for you to go with and maybe use your rune crafting to assist their research, so I am shocked at this decision. I am sorry if my silence caused you pain, but I was as unaware of what he was doing as you were. While I had mentioned the idea, I didn’t expect them to jump to working on it so soon.”

 

“I should say something like, you should have told me,” Cassandra said with an exasperated sigh. “However, he confirmed that he had told no one of this choice.”

 

I nodded, “Even if I were aware, I would only have said something if he allowed it. You are both my friends, and I couldn’t knowingly go against a request of secrecy unless it was a life-or-death situation. Even then I would really be hard pressed to break anyone’s trust like that. He didn’t tell me the circumstances of why he left and no one else said anything about it either.”

 

Cassandra shrugged, “There is little we can do about it now. I am not allowed to see him, but I hope that he plans to start writing back to me moving forward. I wish that he would have opened up to me about this. I will just focus on my work and maybe I can come up with some rune combinations that would work on his equipment for when he gets back. What are you four going to be doing with your afternoon?”

 

I glanced at my companions before replying, “I think we were going to get back into the swing of things by heading into the Dungeon. I figured we could hop onto the third or fifth floor and do some grinding, but nothing too hectic. We have all been through a lot due to the Challenge and the outcome of everything. Maybe we could visit Esmerelda and see if there is a mission or two that we could take for some funds. I have a feeling that we might be able to hit our next level if we go through enough, but I don’t know fully how that works. I just know that with the threats that we are facing, we will need to work harder to be ready. There are too many variables that we don’t know about to not be overly cautious, and I don’t want to risk any of you.”

 

“I have one or two more commissions that I want to try and get done today, so I won’t be able to join you,” Cassandra replied. “Could I ask you guys to just do some grinding today and not take any missions yet? I will be free to join you tomorrow and I am sure we could take on a slightly more difficult mission or two if I were to join you. Besides, it will let me blow off some more steam without having to hold back.”

 

I smirked, to which she responded in kind with a wink, as she returned the practice weapon she had grabbed. She said her goodbyes to us and left to return to the Quartermaster. Glancing around, I could tell that our antics had caused a bit of a disruption, as many were looking over at us. My ladies figured there was still time before our midday meal, so they wanted to spar some more. We fought for another hour before we left and popped off to shower, which with the four of us, took a little longer than you would expected. The fighting had wound them up and all three were very horny. That was only made worse by us washing one another, so they all demanded some attention and some cum before we left the showers.

 

When we entered the dining hall, they told me to sit down and relax while they went to get the food. A few people stopped by the table to congratulate me on our win or to just say hello. Looking around I noticed less people acting indifferent or negatively towards me and that made me feel a little better about things. I knew there were still some people who would react negatively towards me, but you can never please everyone. My mind did drift to Darius and all that happened to him, with the betrayal of Silvia and the loss of his limb. I was confident that those heading the research into new, magic based limbs would be able to come up with something for him and others. It would just take time. When that day came, I was hopeful that I would see him back home in the Pact house again soon.

 

When the plate was placed before me, I was surprised by the volume of food on the plate. I glanced at the others who were sitting down at the table, getting only smirks, and knowing winks from them. I knew that there was nothing I could say or do, so I simply shrugged and began to enjoy the bounty of food that they had brought me. I had eaten around half of my plate when we were joined at the table by Dilbar and Ilthvana. Both had plates of food and mugs in hand, as they sat down.

 

“Hello there Pathios, my boy, '' Dilbar said with a polite nod of the head, “and a hello to you ladies as well. I hope that you are all doing well today?”

 

Amenthia smiled and said, “Hello there Dilbar, and Ilthvana. I hope that you two have been doing okay since your return from the Challenge.”

 

Ilthvana took a big gulp of her drink and said, “We have been taking it easy since we returned. Healing magic does wonders, but there is still some natural healing that has to be done. What we went through was intense and even now I am still sore in spots. Plus, with our de facto leader gone, we haven’t really had the desire to do any dungeon diving like we used to.”

 

Enti nodded, “We haven’t gone into the dungeon since Pathios and Katie got back. We wanted to make sure they were fully recuperated before going back in, plus we had missed them terribly. It wasn’t just the physical stress of what had happened, but the mental and emotional strain that they went through. We plan on doing some grinding on the third or maybe fifth floors today. Tomorrow Cassandra said she would join us, so we may pop into the guild and see if there is a mission or two to try and complete once she has joined us.”
 

Dilbar glanced at Ilthvana for a moment and said, “Do you mind if we join you today and possibly tomorrow? We are still kinda dealing with the loss Of Darius and Grishta.”

 

“Of course,” I replied after sparing a glance at my ladies. “We would love to have the company if I am to be perfectly honest. Since you two will be joining us, why don’t we just pop up to the fifth floor and do our grinding there? We will have the power to deal with whatever comes our way. Also, with you two joining us tomorrow, we could try for more difficult quests which would mean greater reward and the greater likelihood of us leveling up.”

 

“Great,” Dilbar exclaimed happily with a clap of his hands. “We will meet you guys on the fifth floor at Rathfer village, near the north gate, in about an hour and we will play it by ear from there.”

 

“Why don’t we just go to the sixth floor,” I asked, remembering the manticore we had hunted when we were preparing for the challenge.

 

“Well the Manticore we dealt with was near the village and was a unique quest. We would have to travel a bit to find mobs,” Ilthvana explained. “While we have fought with you and Katie, we need to get used to working with the others.”

 

“I am sure that we would do okay if it was all of us,” I suggested. “I don’t think that it would be too hard.”

 

Dilbar gave an exasperated sigh, “We want a fresh start Pathios, so we want to make our way to the sixth floor again. There was a stairwell we had planned to try before the challenge, and we want to go that way this time.”

 

We finished our meals, making idle chit chat while we ate. We said our goodbyes to our friends and left to pop back into our room, before leaving for the atrium. With a quick flash of light from the transit tubes, we arrived at the Pact house on the fifth floor. Entering the Armory, we quickly donned our armor and weapons. I couldn’t help but notice some of the battle damage that was still present from the fight. The armor would do for now, but I would need to get it repaired soon. Once we got ready, we left to head towards the northern gate where our allies would be waiting for us. As we approached, we saw them waiting for us, and I could see they were slightly agitated. Like me and Katie, their armor showed signs of our last fight with Silvia and that abomination that she controlled.

 

“Well met my friends,” Dilbar called out as we neared. “I am anxious to head out and see what trouble we can get ourselves into.”

 

Ilthvana sighed, “I think we have dealt with enough trouble recently to last a lifetime. How about we just go into the tunnels, kill some things, and see if we can’t luck out and make it to the sixth floor.”

 

“Agreed,” I replied with a curt nod. “I agree that we shouldn’t push ourselves as of yet. Let's just see how things go and make our plans when we are closer to a set of stairs.”

 

I tapped the crystal on my bracer and brought up the floor map. We didn’t have as much open space to roam for enemies, given the tunnel structure of the fifth floor, so I located the three stairwells north of the village and picked the one with the medium amount of distance from here to there.

 

“Looks like the best place to head is northeast of here,” I stated as I gathered everyone to look. “I think that this is our best bet. It will give us enough travel to hopefully get some decent kills, but that depends on how many enemies there are. We could be taking a well-traveled path that has already been culled a bit today. There is only one way to know, but even if there isn’t, we know that there will be a guardian at the stairs.”

 

Everyone agreed with the plan, so we decided on a marching order and headed out. Ilthvana and I took the lead, with Enti and Amenthia in the middle, ending with Dilbar and Katie. It didn’t take us long to hit our first mob of ants, but the size of the group was small, so they were taken out quickly. Slowly we made our way towards our destination, but none of the mobs were anything more than two or three at a time. Even the larger rooms that we had been swarmed by ants in the past were lacking any real enemies. Still we were seeing some progress as we drew closer and closer to the stairs. There was one rest area, near to the entrance of the stairwell, where we stopped to have a quick supper. Glancing at my bracer, the increase in my stats were negligible. With our meal completed, we left the safe zone and headed for the stairwell. We kept the same moving formation as we got closer. As we neared the entrance to the cavern holding the stairwell, we slowed our approach and began looking around everywhere. There was no telling where, or what would be waiting for us when we got inside.

 

As we moved in, we changed our formation so that there were close range fighters surrounding our long-range fighters. There were many steep and jutting rock formations throughout the room, with stalactites and stalagmites as well. The naturally occurring glow from the surrounding walls gave us enough light to see, but there were still areas shrouded in darkness that could hide a threat. We moved carefully, as we moved deeper into the room and towards the stairs. It wasn’t until we were a meter away, that the noise of natural smaller insects stopped. Those sounds were typical of the larger rooms and served as something to follow to lead you through tunnels to the next area. Only when there was a threat would they stop and that had us on edge. Soon the silence was broken by the sounds of clattering. Scanning the room we couldn’t find the source, until we looked up.

 

A large scorpion dropped down from the ceiling, along with three smaller ones. It seemed to have much thicker armor than any other insectoid creatures we had encountered yet. The smaller ones didn’t look to have armor as thick as the large ones, but I had the feeling it wouldn’t be easy with them either. It just couldn’t be easy, could it?

 

Chapter 2

 

“Enti,” I yelled. “Get ready to use the liquid nitrogen balls. Amenthia, and Ilthvana focus on the eyes and soft targets of the face. Dilbar, see if you can’t damage the pincers, but keep safe. Katie try and see if you can bind them or tangle them up so that we don’t get swarmed.”

 

Everyone acknowledged their orders, and we moved towards our enemies. The main creature seemed to stay positioned at the entrance to the stairwell, while the other three slowly approached us. Before they could close in, Enti began casting and let out a torrent of Ice spears that flew at the three scorpions. Faster than I expected, they brought their claws to protect their faces, as the lances rained down on them. I was amazed at the sheer volume of projectiles that Enti was able to cast, and I wondered what they had done to get stronger while we had been gone to compete in the Challenge. Despite the attempts of smaller scorpions to protect themselves, the lances slammed deep into their bodies, and then I was in for an even bigger shock. Each one of those lances glowed for a split second and then they shattered. Instead of particles of ice it was as if a water balloon had burst, spilling contents of the lance along the outer shell but also inside of the creatures.

 

They howled in pain as the explosions, mixed with the effect of the liquid as it damaged their bodies, ripped them apart. Within a few moments, they flopped down on the ground and burst into a cloud of smoke, leaving behind one medium gem with a faint glow, while another left behind pieces of its armor. The third had not left anything unfortunately, but that was three less problems to deal with. The large scorpion roared in anger at the loss of the others, and I watched in shock as parts of its body began to deform. The large pieces of armor began to shift and move, as pockets were revealed within its body, housing more of those smaller scorpions.

 

Enti worked fast to cast another volley and was able to get it cast, just before two more small scorpions emerged from its body and the openings closed. I was shocked at the density of the armor for the mother scorpion as her lances barely penetrated them, but a few got inside the pockets before they closed off and with a gesture, she detonated them. The larger one screamed in pain as parts of her armor warped and deformed from the liquid nitrogen like effect of the water. Discoloration began to occur within the armor pieces themselves and I was confident that we wouldn’t see those opening again any time soon.

 

“That was the last of my mana reserves,” Enti stated with a strained gasp. “That new spell eats a lot up.”

 

I nodded, “Great job sweetheart, but leave the rest to us. Keep an eye out for any other threats and let us know.”

 

I glanced at the two scorpions, and they were heavily damaged, but still standing. It seemed that the detonations had destroyed both pincers on both scorpions. The one on the left was missing most of its tail, while the one on the right was missing some legs. Two arrows zoomed by and impacted into the ‘faces’ of the scorpions, causing them to cry in pain. Then I was surprised to see those detonated as well.

 

Glancing back I saw a grin from both Amenthia and Ilthvana as they released another volley of arrows that impacted with the smaller scorpions and then exploded. This time the damage was enough to cause them to burst into dust, both leaving a piece of armor in their wake. The large scorpion roared in anger and began to shake. Parts of its armor shifted once again, and spines began to emerge from the opened areas.

 

“Projectiles!” I yelled, quickly glancing around to see what protection we had around us. “Everyone take cover now!”

 

Moments later the scorpion shifted its body and launched its spines at us. These weren’t like the quills of a porcupine, shooting in all directions. These moved like guided missiles you see in movies, moving rapidly towards us. I had to hand it to those who made this dungeon, they made sure to make things far more interesting. We all dived for cover, using the rock formations in the room to try and prevent the spines from coming into contact with us, but I wasn’t prepared for the explosion that occurred during impact. It was only a small concussive blast, but it was enough to knock me back from my cover. I also didn’t expect the spray of acid that followed. Had I not had my shield up, my face could have been injured severely. I pulled my shield down and saw the damage the acid had done. It was still in one piece, but the durability had weakened severely. I glanced over at the others and was happy to see that Enti and Katie had used their magic to add extra protection for everyone else.

 

“We need to end this now,” Ilthvana yelled. “If we get hit with anything stronger than that, we are going to be in for a tough time!”

 

I nodded, “If it readies another volley, I want them destroyed! Let's try and use its acid against it. We need to get to its head, so watch out for the tail as I am sure that its venom is even more potent.”

 

We all nodded in agreement and dashed out of cover. I readied my sword charges, while Enti, Amenthia and Ilthvana, continued their onslaught. Dilbar switched from his hammers and pulled out his heavy crossbow.

 

“No time like the present to see if these new bolts will do the trick,” Dilbar exclaimed with a smirk.

 

He let loose a bolt and I dodged out of the way of one of its pincers when the bolt landed and exploded. The Scorpion screamed in pain, and I looked to see the top half of one of its pincers had been blown off. I didn’t have any time, as the beast began to lash out at me with its stinger. The impact of its large tail slamming into the ground shook the room we were in. Even rock did nothing to hamper or damage the stinger as it tried to make contact with my body. I had no doubt that the tip would easily pierce my armor, pumping who knows how much poison into my veins. I dodged it again and used all the charges of my Dragon’s Bane to create a wall of fire as I sliced at the tail, hoping the full discharge would be enough to sever the tip of its tail. I wasn’t fully successful, despite the attack, but it nearly severed it.

 

The beast began to move backwards as our onslaught continued but it didn’t plan on giving up. It moved backwards and began to cover itself and I was shocked to see it starting to glow. I was shocked as I saw the tail begin to repair itself and the pincer began to regrow. I called off their onslaught and decided that it was my turn. I sheathed my sword and began to concentrate, letting divine energy pool into my hands. I roared and blast by blast, I began slamming divine energy into its hide. The first few disrupted whatever aura was healing the creature before the blasts began rending its armor and flesh with each blast.

 

First, I focused on cutting off the stinger from its tail, ensuring that it was severed completely. Then I turned my focus to the areas where the spikes launched from, not wasting time to see what damage I did, before I focused on its pincers so it would leave its face exposed. I hoped that it did the trick as my volley of divine energy had left my mana completely drained. Breathing heavy, I raised my hand and gave the signal to the other to finish the creature. Everyone concentrated their attacks at the head of the beast, which was now unable to protect itself with its nearly destroyed pincers, and I watched as all the attacks slammed home. The explosion of the various attacks filled the room with light and sound, the concussive blast shaking the cavern and causing us to all take some cover. Pieces of the scorpion began to land around us before dissolving to smoke. As the dust cleared, we could only see the smoke dissipating around a singular chest.

 

“Fantastic job everyone!” Amenthia exclaimed excitedly. “If Dilbar and Ilthvana weren’t here, we would not have had as easy a time with this.”

 

Dilbar began to laugh, “You think that this was an easy time girl? This could have gone unbelievably bad, very quick if it weren’t for Pathios’ quick thinking.”

 

“I just did my part, like all of you,” I replied as we closed in on the box. “If anything, those bolts and arrows you guys used are part of the reason we succeeded.”

 

He smiled, “Cassandra made them for us. She put explosion runes into the tip of the bolts and arrows.”

 

“How do you make sure that they don’t explode from being knocked down or something?” I asked.

 

“She set the runes in two layers,” Dilbar replied. “As Cassandra explained, the first rune requires specific force from an impact to activate. The second is activated by the first rune and releases an explosive force equal to most fireballs. She said she had to test it numerous times to get the formula exactly right. Too sensitive and it would explode prematurely, not sensitive enough and it would not explode at all.”

 

“Well it looks like I am going to have to talk to Cassandra,” I said with a smile as my mind began to wander.

 

“What are you thinking Pathios?” Amenthia said with a smirk. “Whenever you get that look on your face, it always means something new.”

 

I nodded, “The shuriken that we use can be done with the same runes. Some with an immediate explosion and one with a delay. This would give us options for strategies. When paired with the explosive bolts and arrows, it make for some options in tight situations. This would help all of us and increase her sales, as everyone would want some when news spread of how useful they were.”

 

“Well open the chest Pathios and tell us what is inside,” Ilthvana said with a smile and gesture.

 

I shook my head, “I don’t need to open it. We all worked together, and this was a cathartic run for you guys, so why don’t you two do the honors.”

 

“Nice try Pathios,” Dilbar said with a chuckle, “but we have rules when we are in a group. The leader opens the chests and decides who gets what.”

 

I glanced around the group, and they all gave me a nod of confirmation, so I moved forward and grasped the top of the chest. With a deep breath, I yanked the top off and looked inside. Reaching in, I grabbed what was at the bottom and pulled it out. It looked like a simple belt, but I noticed that it looked to have sheaths for daggers. I immediately thought of Katie and turned to give it to her.

 

“This looks like it would be best suited for you,” I said with a warm smile. “I don’t know what type of belt it is, but we can get Brot’k to let us know when we get back. For now, let's store it and get up those stairs. The sixth floor is waiting for us.”

 

We all headed up the stairs, wondering what would be revealed to us when we reached the entrance. When we were on the sixth floor, it was along a coast in the northern area of the floor. Each floor was a step towards our future, and I knew we had enough troubles waiting for us, but for now this was enough.

 

I was in awe as we walked out of the archway that gave way to the area surrounding us. As the bright light evolving the entrance faded and revealed what was beyond, I was shocked to see a long and expansive beach. I quickly activated the map on my bracer and stared in amazement at the display. This section of the map was a series of islands with vast sections of water in between. There was a decent distance between this archway and the nearest village. I knew that the one we had visited for the manticore quest was not that far from water, so I wasn’t surprised. I looked for markers that could mean a possible dock, but there was nothing I could discern. Closing the map, I began scanning the beach to see if there was any sign of a dock or boat, but there was nothing.

 

"Okay this is a bit interesting," I said with a frustrated sigh. "Looks like we are either going to have to find a way towards the village. "

 

“Sorry Pathios, I didn’t expect us to be stuck like this,” Dilbar exclaimed, frustrated at the situation. “I knew there were inlet islands on this floor, but we hadn’t come over to this side of the map yet.”

 

“You couldn’t have known that this would have happened, Dilbar,” I replied, “besides, the more we do in the dungeons, the better prepared we can be for other threats in the future.”

 

Glancing around behind the archway I realized that we weren't going to be able to make anything as a way to cross, as there was little to no wood or anything that could be made into a raft. Glancing around, I did notice that there was smoke coming from the east. I gestured to what I noticed to the others, and we started making our way there.

 

"That scorpion was a bit much wasn't it," asked Dilbar as he stretched out his right shoulder. "I have seen those smaller ones on the fifth floor before, but I haven't ever heard of that other one."

 

I nodded, "I am not surprised, but it depends on what it means. It could be the dungeon changing to meet new threats, or it could be left over manipulations from Kali and her compatriots."

 

Ilthvana sighed, "I still can't believe that shit happened. A lot of changes have come since you arrived. Most of them have been good, but there are some that are of a darker element."

 

"I can't really control that," I replied with a shrug. "I won't say it doesn't seem like a coincidence either. Though, I figure if it hadn't been me, it could have been someone else. Not to mention that some of these things that have happened, have been cooking since before I arrived on Eden."

 

Ilthvana gave me a look and I simply shrugged again. I wish circumstances could have been different in this case, but that would have made it, so I didn't have what I do now. It also made me question what else may have happened if I hadn't been there. Would Amenthia be, okay? Would she have found Entivala? Would she still be here, or would she be in the clutches of that jackass that tried to kill me? What would Kat'ilth'ana be doing if we had never met? Then I realized, I might be running into that jackass again. When he was caught, both he and his father were sent to the seventh floor as a punishment. Had they learned their lesson, are they both still the arrogant pricks they were before? It would be interesting to see what had happened, but for now the focus was getting to a village.

 

After a few minutes we began to move from the sandy region of the beach to more rocky terrain. I brought up my map and wondered why I wasn't seeing any blips on my map as we continued towards the smoke. The ability that Freyja called my danger sense began to make itself known, telling me that threats were near, but there was no sign of anything on the map display. I glanced around trying to see where the possible threat would be coming from.

 

"Enti, sweetheart," I called out, pulling her focus to me. "I don't detect any enemies or the like on my map, could you see if you can detect anything. I have an uneasy feeling that there is a threat nearby."

 

She nodded and quickly pulled up her map, and I could see the confusion on her face as well, telling me that she couldn’t see anything either.

 

"There is nothing that I can see, Pathios," she replied with an exasperated sigh. "I get what you mean, this is very odd, as we should have come across a mob by now."

 

As we continued, I kept my head on a swivel and that uneasy feeling didn't seem to go away. We shifted into a new traveling formation as we continued, and we didn't have to wait long for my fears to finally be realized. As we moved towards a path that opened along the mainland towards the source of the smoke, there was a loud eruption from the water a few feet away. Five shadows crossed over us, and the source of those shadows landed surrounding us. They were between five to six feet tall, bipedal fish people. They had only four fingers and four toes, both were heavily webbed. Their bodies were armored in some kind of thick chitin pieces, while their exposed bodies were heavily scaled. A long, powerful tail extended from behind them, swishing back and forth. Their faces had fins on either side, large bulbous eyes, and sharp serrated teeth. It was like someone slapped an anglerfish onto the fish like torso of a humanoid. In their hands were tridents, with sharp, jagged tips designed to rend flesh. They had a deep murderous look in their eyes and looked like they were prone, ready to attack.

 

They roared at us, a sharp trilling sound that was hard on the ears, as they moved in to attack. I glanced at the others and then nodded, before rushing toward the one nearest to me. I was surprised at how fast they moved and realized that in the water they would be far more lethal. As I clashed blades with the nearest one of those creatures, I was wishing that there were still charges left in my blade. Its movements were faster than I expected, and I found myself either parrying with my sword or deflecting with my shield. We had been able to talk our way through part of the Manticore fight and we were prepared to end that one quickly, compared to this surprise attack. I had a few instances to glance over and saw the others were having just as hard of a time as I seemed to be with these things.

 

"Fuck me, these bastards are fast," Dilbar grunted as he parried another attack. "I can't seem to get a strike in."

 

“No thanks Dilbar, you’re not my type,” I exclaimed with a smirk. “Besides, I am kinda busy at the moment.”

 

That did cause a momentary chuckle from the various members of our little group. Katie and Dilbar each had an enemy to deal with, Ilthvana was handling another, while Amenthia and Entivala tried to team up against the fifth.

 

"Well I may be able to help with that," Katie replied with an irritated tone. "Hopefully this works because if it doesn’t, I will be out of Mana!"

 

I heard her shift away from her attacker and the ground began to rumble, causing sounds of surprise from our attackers. Within moments vines erupted from the ground and I watched as the creatures struggled to break free of the entanglements that were quickie wrapping around them. None of us waited around to see if they would be able to break their bonds, instead using their immobility to land killing strikes against them and finishing this encounter off quickly. A few moments later the empty vines were all that remained of our attackers, with some vines holding drops for us to collect.

 

"Holy shit, those things were tough to deal with," Enti said as she struggled to catch her breath. “Even with me and Amenthia attacking our target and trying to flank it, we were at a serious disadvantage against it. Not to mention that they didn't show up on our maps until they emerged from the water, meaning that our maps tracking function doesn’t detect things underneath the water. I think we may have to reconsider trying to get to the village for now, instead we should head home and rest for today."

 

I sighed and said, "Yeah I think you're right. We have been so used to breezing through enemies that we have come across in the lower floors, that we weren't prepared for the disparity between fighting things on the sixth floor and what we would find on the fifth. I do think that if we get more power, as well as Cassandra, that we would have a better shot at making it to that village. However, the success of that will depend on if we have to deal with another floor guardian next time, we ascend those stairs."

 

Ilthvana nodded and said, "I am not sure since we have never had an instance where we couldn't make it to the nearest village, but I also have never heard of a guardian appearing so soon after one was defeated. You are right though, so we need to get much stronger."

 

"This will also give Cassandra the time that she will need time to modify some of our weapons so that our arsenal is stronger," I said as I sheathed my sword. "For now, let's use the crystals to head back, after we collect our drops of course."

 

We lucked out with two small bright gems and a medium gem being amongst the vines. Added in with the other drops we got from our excursion today, I figured it would be a decent split of forty thousand, two hundred and forty gold. Once we collected everything, we nodded to one another and activated our escape stones. This was the first time I used it for something other than an emergency and it felt off. Mind you that I have never really used it before now.

 

Once back in the atrium, near the entrance of the tower, we headed to the guild. Once we traded in our haul for today, I split the proceeds with our two guests and then we headed for the transit tubes. Once back in the Pact house we said our goodbyes to Ilthvana and Dilbar, before heading to check in with Cassandra. It had been some time since we had walked about the Pact house in our gear. When we entered the quartermaster’s, I wasn't surprised to find her as well as Brot’k and Fra’tilia working at their stations when we entered. Each was lost in their own worlds as they worked on their craft so that they didn't notice our arrival.

 

Waiting until I was sure I wouldn’t startle them and affect their work, I said, "You know you really need to equip the doors with a bell to let you know someone is here."

 

I couldn't help but laugh at them all jerking in surprise at my voice piercing their deep concentration and I was glad I timed it right so that nothing that they were working on was ruined.

 

"Gods, fucking, damn it Pathios," Cassandra grumbled. "You know better than to do shit like that when I am working on my runes!"

 

"Sorry, Cassandra," I replied, with my best apologetic smile. "To be fair, none of you guys even noticed us coming in and we weren't all that quiet."

 

Brot’k let out a chuckle and said, "I am sure we can think of something that will help us know when a customer comes in. What can we do for you? Why are you still in your armor?"

 

"Well we have drops for you," I replied as we began offloading the crafting components we had collected. "Got these from scorpions on the fifth floor when we dealt with the stair guardian. We had planned to get to the village for the sixth floor but got overwhelmed by some creatures within twenty minutes of being there."

 

I then went into detail of the fight with the scorpions and then of the strong creatures that we ran into, before we left.

 

"Well that larger scorpion is a little different than I recall but sounds like an evolution that we have started to see over time by various creatures in the dungeon," Brot’k stated as he began to pace back and forth. "Those creatures that you came across were known as Sahuagin. They are formidable beasts that always travel in groups and can overwhelm anyone not prepared. I am not shocked you ran into them on the sixth floor, but I am also not shocked they were able to make you change your mind about moving forward."

 

I nodded and said, "They were certainly a handful, but I am confident with time to gain strength and updated equipment, we should be okay."

 

Brot'k's eyes lit up when I mentioned updating our equipment and I could help but smile at his reaction as I saw his mind already formulating ideas.

 

Rubbing his hands together in excitement, he asked, "So what kind of upgrades are you thinking of?"

 

I shrugged, "Nothing too fancy. Dilbar showed us some of the new bolts he had that were used when we fought the stair guardian. I was wondering if the runes could be added to some of our equipment?"

 

"It depends on the equipment," Cassandra said as she got up and came over to the counter. "Amenthia's arrows can't be modified because the quiver she has is enchanted to make it replace arrows automatically over time. However, I can make her a few, but they wouldn't be remade by the quiver once she uses them."

 

"What about the projectiles I have Brot’k make for us," I asked. "They are designed to explode on impact, so they would be able to be utilized in that way. Katie’s hand crossbows would also benefit from such bolts."

 

She nodded and said, "Those should work well, but would take some time. Each part of the rune is etched in and imbued with magic. It is even more tricky when you are making the heads of the bolts."

 

I thought for a few moments and asked, "Does it need to be etched one rune at a time to be imbued with magic? Or can it be placed all at once? Is it a runic symbol made of glyphs and runes or is it just the runes themselves?"

 

My question seemed to shock her as I guess no one had thought to ask a question like that before.

 

Sensing her confusion I continued, "I ask because if you could make a stamp, with the predesigned rune for say making our shuriken explode on impact with a solid surface. Then all you need is the object, heat the stamp and strike the back to imprint the rune and imbue your magic as you do that. It cuts the time down and can be used on anything you plan to mass produce. Also if it is something with multiple, stacked effects you could create glyphs for each rune and stack them into an engraving or stamp that can be used on armor or even weapons."

 

Both Cassandra and Brot’k looked at me as if I had another head or something. Even with all my suggestions that I had given them in the past, I still seemed to surprise them.

 

"Um, I am going to have to look into that," Cassandra said with her surprise still evident in her voice. "I can get a few made now for you though."

 

I thanked her, but asked for paper as I drew examples of engraver stamps. As I had seen her hammering a chisel to engrave her runes in the metal previously, I figured this would allow a faster turn around and decreased the chance of an error when engraving. I explained how they could be cast and made, ideally of a metal that was more dense and stronger than the metals used in armor and weapons. Once made, a few strikes of a hammer could engrave the rune or runes into a variety of metals with ease. If they were made of something that would become more heat resistant when made, even better as heating the tip would make it easier to leave the impression. I then showed her the idea for the larger stamps, showing how a whole engraving could be done if it were say a layer glyph. Finally I threw in the idea of making molds that already contained the etchings and having the metal poured in, then had the item prepared before imbuing it with magic. She admitted the last one would be useful, but it would take a lot of trial and error to find out if that method would work as, it hadn't been successfully done before.

 

I left her a handful of my shuriken and then laid out our plan for grinding for some levels before attempting the sixth floor again. She was up for the challenge and looking forward to mining a bit on the fifth floor as well. I did ask both her and Brot’k if there was an option to imbue her bow string to change the nature of the arrow once released to explosive or other elements like ice, fire or even lightning. I also mentioned that some of the shuriken should be modified to discharge lightning, as I felt it could be useful against aquatic adversaries. They promised they would reach out to their contacts and see if they could come up with something. After getting out of our armor, so Brot’k could put our stuff into the armory, we wished them a good day and headed off to get a meal.

 

Chapter 3

 

When we entered the dining hall, I heard my name called and saw Dilbar waving at us. He was seated with Ilthvana at a nearby table and both had already grabbed some food. I waved back and we grabbed some food before joining them at their table.

 

"Ah, hello there, Pathios," Dilbar said with a hearty grin. "I'm glad you and the others could join us for your meal. We were just talking about what happened today and what our plans for tomorrow will be. We were also trying to figure out how we couldn’t see who and what Silvia truly was before it was too late."

 

I tried to give a reassuring smile and said, "The fact about Silvia is, unless we are all psychic and can read the minds of every person we meet, there is no way to know another person completely. Everyone has parts of themselves they don’t show to others, all for our own specific reasons. There are some people who have no issues being open with everyone, while others close themselves off to everyone. The ones with darkness in their hearts, like Silvia or Jonta, have learned to hide that darkness well. That is why their betrayal hits us so hard, because we never see it coming. Katie was Enti's friend, yet she tried to harm me due to lies that she had been told by a greedy bastard that hid the truth from her. Yes, she was led to believe a lie long enough to allow her emotions to prevent her from listening to the truth, but her actions against me were still a betrayal of her friendship with Entivala.”

 

I glanced over to see the look of discomfort that appeared on Katie’s face at being reminded of what had happened. Entivala gave her a reassuring hug and I could see she calmed a little.

 

“She wouldn’t hear of the truth even from Enti because she was led to believe that Enti was blind to it,” I explained. “We were fortunate that we all could move past that and build proper trust again, though I will admit that the collar did help a bit. Silvia came off as a bitch to me right from the start and when I wouldn’t fall into line as she saw it, she tried to pull some crap. She thought she could make up shit and get away with it because she had always gotten her way before. That behavior isn’t what they need from adventurers representing the Pact house, hence why she was booted from your team. Her prejudice towards orcs, while surprising, is expected from a person like her. It's why she made sure to focus her malice on Grishta, because she knew it would hit hard as everyone thought that she liked Grishta."

 

This drew confused looks from the group, so I expanded on my point by saying, "Silvia always came off as above everything and everyone but Darius. Even then she saw him more as property than a person, but that kind of mindset doesn't happen overnight. She was raised to be that entitled and usually environments that breed that level of entitlement also imbue that person with prejudice. Her family would probably be a richer sort who live in luxury for one form or another, looking down on those who don't have money and judging anyone that doesn't look or act like them, as inferior to them. They hide it well through practice, playing nicely with people they despise if they have to, if it means furthering their goals. They will tolerate dealing with those they dislike to ensure they make it to their end game. Once she got the power she had coveted for so long, all pretenses would be gone, and her true self would have been revealed."

 

Glancing around the table I could see everyone had a saddened or morose look on their faces after hearing all of that.

 

"I think you are right Pathios," Ilthvana said with a twinge of anger in her voice. "The signs of what you speak of were all there if you know what to look for. Examples of her prejudice and hatred, coming out as offhanded 'harmless' comments. Her constant need to get her way, to lead the group with Darius and not taking our opinions into account. The way she reacted when you ignored her taunts and made her look like the arrogant fool she was. It was all there, but I was too blind to see it. Casting any doubts aside because I believed she was my teammate and friend."

 

I nodded, "I am sorry you had to go through that. None of you should have had to fight someone you considered an ally and none of you deserved to be betrayed by someone like her. I know that given what happened with her it won't mean much right now, but we would never do something like that to you guys."

 

Ilthvana gave a little smile and said, "I will keep that under advisement, but enough of this sappy crap for now."

 

The next few minutes were spent breaking down the fight with the scorpions and then with the creatures on the sixth floor. Looking at it objectively to see what we could do the next time around. Those creatures on the sixth floor were the one thing we couldn’t come up with a solution for yet.

 

"So the plan is to grind for drops, stat increases and possibly levels," I explained as I finished my last scoop of food. "We also have plans in place to have new upgrades to our equipment to hopefully even the playing field. With you two and Cassandra in the group, it will make our plans a bit easier."

 

Dilbar nodded, "I have heard that the difficulty jumps every five floors, in order to make sure things stay interesting, but I guess we lucked out the first time we were on the sixth floor."

 

"Well, we saw that firsthand," I grunted as I stretched my shoulder. "It's nice to hear things won't be boring as we continue, but now that we know what to expect, we won't be caught off guard next time. The big issue with the sixth floor is the fact that a section of it is islands. We weren't able to find a boat to cross with before we were jumped by those creatures."

 

"If I hadn't been out of Mana from the fight with the scorpion and those things, I could have made a boat out of my magic," Katie said with a small pout.

 

I shook my head, "It isn't just being able to cross to the islands, it’s having something that can handle the space for fighting if there are a bunch of enemies. Besides, we didn’t expect such intense opposition, so we didn’t bring potions. We won’t make that mistake again."

 

Katie and the others looked at me with a confused look on their faces, which meant I would need to demonstrate what I meant.

 

I grabbed some items to simulate islands and said, "It's obvious that right now we can't track these things until they emerge from the water. That means that creatures could randomly attack us while we cross to our destination. If it is only a boat that we can just barely fit on, then they could topple it on us and leave us stranded in the water. Even if the stones can save us, I don't want to even risk drowning. This means that we need a large boat that can not only accommodate us, but not be affected by attack from various creatures. We would need to have the space to fight, without us risking hurting ourselves or others."

 

Katie nodded, "You're right and even if I used up all my mana, I wouldn't make anything that would work with the party size we will have. Even then, it wouldn’t be propelled in any way like the boats were."

 

I noticed a glance being shared by Dilbar and Ilthvana when Katie mentioned the party size. I could tell they wanted to say something but were unsure how to do it.

 

"Okay I can see something is up," I stated, drawing their attention to me. "I saw that glance between you two, so what is on your mind?"

 

Dilbar took a deep breath, "Well since Darius left, we have been a bit uncertain on what to do now. We all had joined together when we all first entered the pact house and had enjoyed the journey we had made together. Darius kinda just ended up the leader and grew to his role over time, though looking back I am sure Silvia had a hand in it. Still, he gave the group directions and with the uncertainty of his return, we aren't sure what to do next. I am not the leading type and with what happened, I wouldn’t be willing to trust just anyone to lead us right now."

 

Ilthvana nodded in agreement, “I agree with Dilbar. I don’t like the idea of having to plan and such. You give me a target and I will take it out. Right now, the only people I trust are you guys.”

 

"I think I get it," I replied. "After working with me and Katie during the Champion's Challenge, you have seen how I can plan things and with the dungeon crawl today you saw how I run things. With the camaraderie and friendship that we built leading up to and during the Challenge, you know you won't end up in a bad situation. Along with that, you want to keep you busy until you find out about Darius and then you can make a decision on where to go from there?"

 

They glanced at each other again before giving a nod in response. I glanced at my ladies and saw the same look on all of their faces.

 

I smiled and said, "I know I speak for all of us when I say we have no problem with that arrangement. You are our friends, and the added help will make it easier for all of us to progress in the dungeons. While we are working on building stats and skills, I want to talk with each of you about ways we can work towards upgrading your equipment to better utilize your unique skill sets."

 

Both of them began to smile as they got up to hug and shake all our hands. I knew I made the right call, but I wondered what the future would hold. Dairus might come back, and they would have to choose what to do then. That would be for them to figure out. For now my focus was to make sure we could handle the sixth floor the next time we reached it. For the next hour we began going over plans and expectations. They would coordinate with us but remain autonomous until things with Darius are ultimately settled. Meeting in the dining hall each morning to go over plans.

 

They agreed that sparring practice would do them well as they were used to dealing with creatures but not other people. The fight with Silvia had thrown them for a loop and they hadn't ever fought another person to the death until then. We figured spending the next seven to ten days doing quests and grinding on the fifth floor would give us the boost we needed to succeed on the sixth. We made plans to go spar before heading into the Dungeon and Ilthvana said she would make sure that Cassandra was there. I warned her that she may not come as I might have given her an idea or two to speed up her process, but the suggestions I gave were merely from an outside perspective.

 

With our meal and the discussion completed, we all said our goodbyes and headed to our rooms. We were all exhausted from the day's events, so we just went to bed. I closed my eyes, wrapped in the warm embrace of the women who loved me and wondered how the day would turn out tomorrow.

 

---

 

I awoke groggy and looked around, trying to figure out if I was in my room or not. I realized that this was somewhere new and shrouded in mist.

 

"You have caused me great trouble Pathios," said a voice from the mist. "Why couldn't you have just left things alone?"

 

"Because of Jonta," I replied with some anger in my voice. "You let that Neanderthal run loose! His pathological need to take what he wanted nearly killed me and one of my partners!"

 

"He was merely a test," the voice replied. "As was the dragon that you dispatched, and you have removed both from play with ease!"

 

“Ease!” I yelled into the darkness. “What ease was there in nearly getting killed by that psycho?”

 

The voice scoffed, “While he may have been a struggle, you were able to deal with the dragon easier than I had anticipated. Especially given your low level and lack of skills at the time.

 

"What do you want, Kali?" I asked, as my anger rose. "You have played games since I got here and tried to get me killed a few times now. So why have you pulled me here?"

 

There was an audible sigh, "You really are no fucking fun Pathios. It gets on my nerves, but I have to admit that you make things interesting. You are strong and quite resourceful for a rebirth. So, I am here to offer you the deal of a lifetime."

 

"Before you even start," I yelled, cutting her off. "I will stop you right there. I have no interest in listening to anything you have to offer, helping you or having anything to do with you."

 

"You need to rethink this boy," Kali replied, her tone moving from somewhat friendly to angry. "You have so much to lose already, do you think that this is wise? I would start with those who know you as friends, then those you love. It wouldn't be a quick death for any of them either. I would torture them in the worst ways imaginable, so as to ensure you suffer for as long as possible, along with them."

 

"What’s stopping you from doing that already?" I yelled out into the ether. "Oh that's right, they are all in the Pact house. That means your access is non-existent and thus you can't touch them."

 

Kali laughed and replied, "They can still be reached as I am reaching you right now. You die in this place, and you die for real. Not to mention I can still find ways to manipulate the threats on the various floors you will travel to, boy, so think hard about your choice. As you already know, you can be reached at any time outside of the pact house too. Keep that in mind when we next meet. For now, fuck off!"

 

With that I began to feel the dizzy pull out of this dream plane and wondered what would happen next.

 

---

 

I awoke back in our room, once I carefully extracted my arms from under my ladies, I activated my bracer and saw it was still the middle of the night. I mulled over my options of what to do and came to the obvious conclusion. I carefully removed myself from the bed, making sure not to awaken my two lovely bed mates and threw on a robe. Kat'ilth'ana was working at her desk and looked back at me. I just gestured for her to keep quiet, and she merely smiled and went back to work. I quietly exited the room and made my way through the corridors to Tyr’s room. I gave a light knock on the door and a second later it opened.

 

I entered the dimly lit room and wasn't surprised to find Tyr sitting in front of his hearth. He gestured for me to sit in the chair near him and only after I sat down, did he pull his eyes off the flame to look over at me.

 

"What seems to be troubling you young Pathios," Tyr said in his soft tone. "It is early in the morning, so I am surprised that you are up at this time."

 

I nodded and said, "I am sorry to have disturbed you, but I felt you needed to be apprised of a development."

 

Tyr's face went from a slightly warm demeanor to a neutral look. It was shocking how fast it changed, and it caught me a little off guard.

 

I took a deep breath and said, "Kali pulled me into a dream plane. She tried to offer me something, but I immediately cut her off and preemptively refused. She warned me that doing so would risk harming anyone who knew me and called me a friend. I mentioned that since all of them were in the Pact house she couldn't touch them. While she replied in regard to exploring the dungeon or moving about the town as risks, I had a feeling that she didn't feel like that would be an issue."

 

"If I understand your meaning correctly, you worry that there may be more of her people in our pact house," Tyr said, scratching his chin. "It is indeed possible, so I would suggest that you and your friends all travel in groups from now on. I will notify the council and we will work to find ways of identifying those who have sided with Kali and her ilk."

 

"Have they not found a way to detect the magic contained in the red crystals found in the pommel of their weapons?" I asked, causing Tyr to smile slightly.

 

"Yes, we have tried, but without success," Try replied with a shake of his head. "Whatever magic has been created for them, as of right now we can't ascertain where it came from or how to counteract it."

 

I thanked Tyr and rose to leave, wishing him a good night. He gestured for me to stop and stood up.

 

"Thank you for sending Cassandra to me," Tyr said as his features became warmer. "I was happy to give her the peace of mind she needed and a greater understanding as to what had happened, though we both know it happened thanks to your suggestions. This has been a difficult time for many, and you keep trying to help those in your wake. A lot of danger finds you, but you fight for your friends and those you care for. Don't let the trials that have come and the trials that will come change you."

 

I thanked him and returned to my room, thinking about what he said along the way. I hadn't thought this was going to be a cake walk when I chose to come here, but I never expected to stumble into such dangerous situations. All I could do was prepare as best I could for what may lay ahead and hope to the gods that it would be enough.

When I returned and entered our shared quarters, I found Katie still hard at work brewing her potions. I made a mental note to make sure we got a bigger room as soon as possible so that she could increase her productivity. I had a feeling we were going to need many more potions moving forward. I carefully got back into bed, with my ladies sensing I was returning and moving enough to let me back in before snuggling into my sides. I always found it intriguing how they did that, given they seemed so deep asleep. It took a little time before my mind quit racing and allowed me to fall once again into the deep embrace of sleep.

 

---

 

When I awoke, I looked around and found myself in Freyja's bed. I could hear chattering from the next room, so I got up off the comfortable mattress and walked over to where the sounds were coming from. I found Amenthia, Enti and Freyja all seated around her table on the balcony. All three were dressed in provocative silk clothing that barely covered their exquisite forms and left nothing to the imagination. I couldn’t help but stare at them. Their delicious curves hugged perfectly by the silk garments, covering them, yet enhancing their sexual appeal and the erotic reaction their bodies create. Amenthia was the first to see me and rushed over to give me a hug, followed by Enti and Freyja. I could feel my arousal grow a bit as the soft supple, silk covered flesh was pressed into me.

 

"Pathios, where have you been," exclaimed Amenthia as she released me from her hug. "We have been here since we fell asleep, but you didn’t arrive with us. Freyja couldn't figure out why you weren’t here, but she was sure you were okay."

 

I nodded, "Kali pulled me into a dream plane, and tried to make me an offer. I said no before she could tell me, so she threatened all those who were close to me. I woke up and informed Tyr so he could look into it."

 

Freyja's eyes widened in surprise as she quickly began to look over my body, "Did she do anything to you? What did she say?"

 

I spent the next few minutes retelling what I had heard and said, while laying on Freyja's large bed. As the story continued the girls kept hugging and kissing me. I could tell this was affecting them and even Freyja seemed worried about the ramifications of how Kali was able to snag me like that.

 

"Do you really think that she could reach us inside of the pact house now?" Amenthia asked.

 

I shrugged, "Jonta and Fratis were one of hers, Silvia, even Velya was conscripted by the group that Kali is a part of. Save for Silvia, all were still members of the pact house when they were found out to be a part of that group, though we weren't aware of the group when Jonta and Fratis were dealt with. Until they can find a way to detect the red gems both inside and out of the dungeon, we won't know who else may be in league with this group."

 

The size of the threat was a sobering thought for all of us, especially because there could be just as many more hidden traitors in other pact houses. If it was made public of this group and how members had infiltrated pact houses, then it would sow seeds of distrust between those various houses members. With people in the dark regarding this threat, it allows the sleepers to move with ease. Either way it works in favor of that group’s plans for now. I had to give it to the bitch, she was smart in how she was dealing with this, and I couldn’t help but wonder who else was working with her in the upper echelons of that group.

 

"How is Darius doing?" I asked Freyja, trying to divert the subject from the worries caused by Kali’s group.

 

She gave a sad smile, “He is … adjusting. It will take a while before we are ready to start testing and despite Cassandra’s skill and ability to adapt to your unique ideas, he refuses to have her participate. We have some talented people working with us, but it is slow going. He is also being made to go through therapy to help him cope with what happened in case it takes years to create what you have suggested.”

 

“I understand,” I replied, as I caressed her cheek. “There will be many steps and I know you won’t rush anything so that this project will end up with the best result. I would suggest that you have Tyr act as a go between you and Cassandra. You can set it up so you can discuss issues and frustrations that are holding up the project with him and he can pass them on to Cassandra to possibly work out. That also allows her to ask me for ideas to help with issues she can’t work out on her own. This allows you to not directly interact with her and cause issues with Darius, while allowing her to help the man she loves.”

 

Freyja’s smile came back with a vengeance, and she kissed my hand, “You always come up with ways to help everyone, but when will you let others help you? When will you lessen the burden on your shoulders?”

 

I gave her a confused look and she continued, “You’re now going to add Darius’ teammates to your group and thus increase the amount of people you have to worry about and look after.”

 

“I know, but what other choice do I have?” I asked with a sigh of frustration. “They are used to Darius leading their group and they are lost without that direction. While they aren’t natural leaders, I intend to see if one of them can take the lead in time. With me being a constant target, I don’t want to risk their lives any more than they already have been. Darius’ situation weighs heavy on my conscience already, and I don’t need any more people adding to that. I worry enough about Amenthia, Entivala, Kat’ilth’ana and you already, so more just adds even more stressful distractions.”

 

“You are an amazing man Pathios,” Freyja said with a sigh. “I know that I can’t change your mind, but I will ask you to be careful. You are going to be a father, and I don’t want to have to tell your daughter about you, I want her to grow up with you around.”

 

I smiled, “So do I Freyja. She is a miracle, and she isn’t even born yet. I hope to live a long life with all our children, though I am sure she will live far longer than I will.”

 

I noticed a pensive look on Freyja's face, and she noticed my confusion at her reaction. She began to fidget a bit in place and that was not normal for her. I had seen wise and stoic Freyja, erotic and sensual Freyja, but never a Freyja who was afraid to speak her mind and shy.

 

“Okay, I can see something is bothering you with what I just said,” I uttered, drawing her focus to me. “So you need to spill it and tell me what is wrong.”

 

She took a deep breath and replied, “You will not have to worry about being outlived by your children for some time Pathios. Due to your bond with me, caused by your daughter growing within me, you will have a much longer life span.”

 

She could see the shock on all of our faces and continued, “I know that this confuses you so let me explain. In the past when we were active in your world, the gods did tend to breed with mortals, but that was always Male gods. That is partially because they gained a wandering eye over the centuries, but it was more than that. The male gods could create demigods by breeding with mortals, but that is where it ends. The children are enhanced by the spark of divinity, but there is no effect on the woman they have had the child with. There is a record of the opposite happening. Aphrodite was made to fall in love with a mortal by Zeus. She had a child with the mortal, and the mortal was told not to tell. He did brag and when Zeus found out about his mistake, he killed him. There was another unexpected effect, and it is why there are few pantheons that have had a goddess breed with a mortal since. The spark of divinity was tied not only to the child, but to the mortal man as well. His lifeforce was bound to the goddess he had the child with and thus he would have lived far longer than a normal human. Since he wasn’t allowed to live, we have no idea what could have happened. The other pantheons had strict rules which meant that had similar experiences but wouldn’t explain what had happened.”

 

All of us looked at her with wide eyes at the realization of what she meant, but I had a feeling that it was more than that. She had already told me that my danger sense was tied to her connection to me.

 

“So not only did I gain danger sense due to our connection, but I will also live longer?” I asked. “What else is going to happen to me? Is this the limit to what changes will occur, or will there be more? What about the others?”

 

She shook her head, “I have no clue about what other changes will come, but I wish I knew so you could be prepared. As for the others, the only person who will not have a long life is Amenthia. Elves and Dryads live for centuries and could technically live longer than you.”

 

I thought for a little while and then asked, “There is nothing that can be done to extend Amenthia’s life? I don’t think I could live without her if I had the choice.”

 

Amenthia’s’ eyes filled with tears as she tackled me in a hug and began to pepper my face and neck with kisses. I could see tears in the other’s eyes as they watched her shower me in love.

 

“That I cannot say for certain,” Freyja said with a warm smile. “There is still too much we don’t know about what has bound you and I together. Since no one has been allowed to live for long after a pairing like this with a goddess.”

 

“Do I have anything to worry about from Odin, Zeus or the council in regard to this?” I asked.

 

Freyja shook her head and said, “No. That I can assure you. They are aware of my status and that you are bonded to me, but this is not the same circumstances as when we were on earth. The beings here have fantastic abilities thanks to the gifts we bestowed when we created Eden. The changes you will undergo will not be as out of place as they would have been on Earth. Still, I will keep an eye on things and go from there.”

 

“Do you think Kali would know of your pairing with me?” I asked, hoping to hear that she wouldn’t be privy to that knowledge.

 

“To be perfectly honest, I don’t know,” She replied. “We have no idea how far reaching this dissident infiltration is or who is amongst their ranks. I would have never thought that Kali would have been part of that group, so who else could be anyone's guess.”

 

“We will run under the assumption that they are aware,” I stated as I caressed her cheek. “I would rather be cautious and be wrong, than not be cautious enough and have the worst thing in the world happen.”

 

Freyja nodded, and I glanced around to the others making sure that they all knew that it went for them as well.

 

“Now with all this depressing talk behind us, let's focus on our time together,” I said, causing my ladies to smile and cuddle up to me.

 

While I would say that we had wild passionate sex, tonight was more just being close and intimate with one another. The day had been a bit hard on us all and we knew that the next few days were going to be tough. I knew that we would figure it out and make the progress we needed to make soon, but I knew there would be a curve ball thrown in soon enough. I basked in our closeness as sleep took me back to our room in the Pact house.

 

Chapter 4

 

We woke to find Katie still working diligently, having amassed quite a few potions in preparation for today.

 

"I hope you didn't overdo it last night Katie," I said as a yawn escaped my lips while I stretched. "You need to make sure you get adequate rest to ensure you are properly recharged."

 

My voice startled her slightly, as she seemed deeply focused on whatever she was doing, but she turned to smile at me and said, "I know Pathios, I did get more than enough rest, but I appreciate the concern.”

 

Once everyone was us, we began our morning preparations, making sure we were stocked up with potions this time before heading to the dining hall to meet with the others. Cassandra would no doubt be in the Quartermaster with Brot’k and Fra’tilia working on one of her projects. After a quick shower, to the protest of all the ladies who were in the stall, we dropped the potions at the armory before heading downstairs. We found Ilthvana and Dilbar grabbing food from the buffet as we entered and waved them down to let them know we were there. They grabbed a nearby table, so we grabbed our own plates of food, and met with the others.

 

“So what is the plan for us today?” Dilbar asked between bites of food. “We aren’t going to be trying the sixth floor again, are we?”

 

I smiled and said, “No, we learned our lesson from that already. Like I said yesterday, we will focus on upgrading our stats and equipment and hopefully get a level up in the process. Once we finish our food, we will go grab Cassandra and head for the Guild. We will check in with Esmerelda and see if there are any quests for the fifth floor that we could grab for some funds and prestige. From there maybe we can use the on and off approach to our daily planning. One day with us working in the dungeon, working towards getting stronger. One day off working to focus on group tactics, honing our abilities together and also to allow Cassandra to work on her rune smithing. We will see what happens and work from that.”

 

“That sounds fair, but why do we need to work on group tactics?” asked Ilthvana. “We did pretty well the last time as well as when we were in the Challenge.”

 

“That may be true, but our group make up will be different.” I explained, as I took a bite of food. “We need to see the way we fight and to find out the best way to utilize it in each situation. It makes me wish we had something more than the training facilities we have available. Sometimes we will be split into different groupings for various reasons.”

 

Amenthia stopped mid bite and said, “What do you mean Pathios? I do think that the training facilities we have are rather good.”

 

“Don’t get me wrong they are, but there is one key element missing,” I replied, “tactics practice. We need a way to simulate situations within the dungeon without having to be in the dungeon. It is something that I will need to talk to Tyr about. It could be beneficial for all the pact houses. Given the new risks that are appearing, the more prepared we are the easier we will survive.”

 

We talked a bit more about what each of us hoped to get out of the next few weeks. We all hoped to build on our skills and hopefully come across some new items and weapons through our exploration. Katie was looking forward to using her new belt on our expedition today. She had looked into it and found out it was a belt of returning. She could pair her daggers or other projectiles to the belt, so when thrown, they would return a few moments after impact. This would increase her damage output and lessen our need to replace some of her weapons, should the need arise for her to throw something. It would also allow Brot’k to focus his efforts on other things, instead of resupplying us all the time. Though it will be interesting to see how the belt works with the rune crafting Cassandra will be doing to our equipment over time.

That was a preview of Would You Like To Play Again? - Book 3 - Everything Changes. To read the rest purchase the book.

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