The sight of an entire community of Fusionists shouldn’t have been a surprise to Larek, given that he was looking for the Fusionists that had lived in Sidleton, but it was nonetheless a bit shocking. After learning that the individual that came to his rescue – though the truth was that the people attacking him were rescued, as they didn’t pose any harm to Larek – was a Grandmaster Fusionist, the older man showed him around the large cavern once the rest of the introductions were completed.

  Even as the Grandmaster looked hungrily at the Fusions on the Volunteers’ staves – though not as if he wanted to steal them, but more as if he wanted to study and unlock their secrets – he showed Larek and his entourage how they survived down below the surface. First and foremost, while they didn’t have the same sort of food-growing Fusions that Larek had created, they still used some to help water the crops they planted in very rich soil that was cultivated by a number of Fusionists who also had spells related to a Naturalist. Other spells that dealt with light were used to provide enough “sunlight” for them to grow, and while it took a few days of constantly casting spells to grow the crops to full maturity, as none of the Fusionists were particularly skilled in those types of activities, they were able to create more than enough food to provide sustenance. The one thing they didn’t have readily available was meat, even with access to the few creatures that they’d learned inhabited the depths beneath the mountain, but they got by with grains, vegetables, and even fruits to feed themselves well enough.

  There were also more than enough Fusionists in the community with Geomancer skills, including the Grandmaster, to build comfortable homes for everyone, as well as providing the means of their defenses along the tunnels. With the addition of Fusion-powered lights almost everywhere around the cavern, it was lit up nearly as bright as full sun, and the cavern was large enough that the few hundred people living there barely filled a quarter of it, even with the fields of crops taking up some room. It was obviously created by the efforts of the Mages living there, and it was explained to him that they had hollowed out so much room, specifically so that it wouldn’t feel cramped.

  “…and so we have a total of 124 Fusionists here, along with 11 Martials and 84 civilians, including 14 children under the age of 12. We had more, but about the time the Apertures began to appear, we sadly lost a few during a disastrous attempt to close one of the ones near Sidleton,” Carleton, the Grandmaster Fusionist, explained without any prompting. Larek was content to let him talk as he took in everything inside the cavern, as it was a feast to his eyes.

  There were Fusions everywhere – and none, other than the ones he or his companions brought with them, were ones that he had created. There were Fusions on the lights hanging from the ceiling, of course, but they were also Strengthen Stone ones on every house, there were stat Boost Fusions on the clothing or armor of everyone who was a Mage or Martial, the weapons and staves that they carried also had Strengthen or Sharpen Fusions, and there was even a Fusion on the stone entry of a natural stream running through the cavern. A quick look at it revealed it to be a Purify Water Fusion, which he learned on the spot, and it essentially did as the name implied: It purified any contaminants inside the water as it flowed over the Fusion.

  Already, his journey to find these Fusionists was paying off, as he’d learned a pair of Fusions, and he could sense that there were quite a few more unique ones inside the stone houses. But the real reason he set out to find them came to a head once the group, which had pulled in an audience of pretty much everyone living in the cavern, as they never got visitors, stopped near the Grandmaster Fusionist’s own dwelling. The short, squat house was only slightly larger than any others, showing Larek that the important man wasn’t one to flaunt his power and believe he was better than everyone else, but there was a large space in front of the house that allowed all 200+ people following after them to gather and stare at the newcomers.

  “Now, you’ve seen what we’ve managed to build here,” Carleton began, his voice a bit louder to reach everyone listening and watching, “but the real question that I, and I’m sure everyone else in the Sanctuary, is wondering is, ‘Why are you here?’”

  “That’s a very good question,” Larek answered, equally as loud. “Before I answer that, let me ask you: How much do you know of what has happened over the last few years? Have you had any contact with anyone else since you… arrived at the Fusionist Sanctuary?” He was going to say, “hid away from the world,” but that didn’t exactly sound flattering – especially as he really couldn’t blame them for wanting to keep themselves safe from the sheer insanity above.

  “Not much. Our latest information was from a few years ago, but we’ve been pretty much hidden here the entire time since we retreated to safety.” The Grandmaster Fusionist spread his hands, as if inviting Larek to explain his question. “Why? What has happened?”

  Not wanting to go over the specifics, as some of them he didn’t really know that far back, he turned to Nedira. Thankfully, his betrothed was quick on the uptake and began the explanation, her voice reaching everyone in attendance. They were silent as she spoke, taking in each and every word, their lack of any news of the outside world feeding the hunger for information that had burned in each and every one of them for years.

  They appeared extremely worried after Nedira mentioned the creation of the different Calamities around the Kingdom, shuffling back and forth on their feet and murmuring to each other, but the clear relief in their faces when she told them that most of them had already been closed was obvious as their entire postures began to relax.

  Until Larek chimed in again.

  “Unfortunately, despite our progress with the Calamities, there is one threat that is greater than all of the Apertures combined pose toward the Kingdom.

  “The Gergasi.

  “As some of you had noted my height earlier, I feel it is necessary to say that I am half-Human and half-Gergasi – but I have made it my pursuit in life to end the threat that they pose to everyone in this Kingdom, as well as the entire world. They have tried to kill me and those I love too many times to count, and it is time to end the tyranny they have held over this land for too long.”

  There was more worried murmuring after that due to his revelation, but thankfully no one seemed ready to attack him.

  “Unfortunately, the Gergasi are strong; one-on-one, even I couldn’t kill one just using my Martial and Mage Skills to their utmost. But you, more than anyone else in the world, know that power in this world isn’t limited to just the strength of your arm or how swiftly you can cast a spell. There is a power that isn’t limited to individuals, and each Fusionist knows how they can change things to give them an advantage over someone who doesn’t have access to this power.

  “In other words, Fusions.

  “I shouldn’t have to explain to any of you how powerful they can be in the right hands, and it is that power that I’ve been able to tap into to create formations that can almost rival what any single Gergasi can produce on their own. The biggest problem is that I’m only one person, and we’ll be going up against an entire Enclave of Gergasi in order to wipe them out once and for all, so I need help.

  “A lot of help.

  “Fortunately, we have the people to help storm the Enclave; in fact, there are so many people that I cannot possibly equip them all with the necessary Fusions to make them powerful enough to take on the Gergasi and survive. That is why I’m here and is why I set out to find you; I need your help to produce those kinds of Fusions. Not by yourselves, of course; I have over a thousand students that I’ve been teaching the art of Fusions to, but teaching them has given me very little opportunity to research and produce what I think we’ll need to be successful against these ancient slavemasters.

  “That’s where you come in. With access to your full potential, which includes your Martial side if you’re a Mage—” there came a bevy of scoffs and disbelieving glances at each other in the audience, which he ignored, “you will finally be able to take advantage of your expertise in Fusion creation to levels never seen before. You are the experts in this field, and I need your help to teach others so that we can fully outfit everyone in this fight.”

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  Larek was exaggerating somewhat when it came to not being able to equip everyone with Fusions, because he thought if he had a month or two he could create everything that was needed, but the point still stood that it wouldn’t give him the time to create new Fusions that he thought would be imperative to victory against the Gergasi. Sure, he could provide VREP staves, as well as Omni Boost and Healing Surge Fusions to everyone in the fight, but they were just the beginning. There were now entirely too many Fusions that were also needed, such as Buoyancy Fusions for Transports, more Illuminated Free Will Fusions to help protect against Dominion magic, more food-producing Fusions to help take care of the rest of the population, and even gradually expanding the network of Traveling Gates for faster movement around the Kingdom and beyond. Then there were Shape Material and Portable Lifter Fusions that were necessary for creating transports and other fortifications against monster attacks from expanding Apertures, additional Void Pocket bags for better transportation of goods, and even something as simple as basic Illumination Fusions for lighting, which were almost always in high demand.

  And then there were the custom Fusions on armor and weapons that would likely be needed so that they might be somewhat effective against the powerful Gergasi they were going up against.

  “Therefore,” he continued, “I would love for you to come to our headquarters in Thanesh, where you—”

  “No.”

  The Grandmaster Fusionist’s abrupt refusal threw off Larek’s speech, and he clammed up, unable to respond to such a clear statement.

  “No? May I ask why not, good sir?” Nedira asked for him after he didn’t respond for a few seconds.

  “We aren’t leaving here,” Carleton answered succinctly. “It might not look like much to you, but this is our home now, and it is safe; going up there puts us at risk of not only any potential Apertures that might expand, but it sounds like the Gergasi have been riled up – by you, it appears. Now, I’m all for ending their secret regime, but we—” he continued, waving at everyone in the crowd, “have no desire to deliberately put our loved ones in harm’s way. It’s why we came down here in the first place, and as much as I respect what you’ve done, not only for the Kingdom but also in terms of what is possible with Fusions, you can’t just expect us to suddenly leave the only safety we’ve felt over the last few years on your say-so.

  “If that’s all you came to do, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  Larek’s mind screeched to a halt. Of all the scenarios he considered if—when—he located the long-lost Fusionists, their refusal to leave wasn’t one of them. He wasn’t sure what he had expected to encounter when he finally did find them, but he somewhat figured they would be living out in the wilderness somewhere, barely scraping by, and would be overjoyed to follow him to a place of safety where their expertise could be used for the greater good. He had come to realize that it was na?vete that led him to this conclusion, as he should’ve considered that they might not want to leave the situation they were currently in – and that it was probably safer than anything that he could offer them.

  He started to open his mouth to begin trying to bribe them to come with him, such as the possibility of unlocking their full potential, fully learning every single Fusion he could currently create, and knowing that they and their families would be safe behind the walls of Thanesh, but he closed his mouth before anything came out.

  These people aren’t desperate to leave, to join an organization like the Volunteers, or to find a way to keep themselves safe from a nearby Aperture or Calamity – they’ve already taken care of that. I don’t think there is anything I can offer them to convince them to move away from the safety this Sanctuary grants them.

  He had to admit that this cavern, deep beneath the surface, was probably one of the most secure places they could be in the entire Kingdom. The only real risk they had was if an enormous monster horde wandered by and discovered their tunnel, but with the traps set along the way and their response time when Larek arrived, he doubted they had too much to worry about – especially since anything large enough to actually reach them through the obstacles in their way would likely be unable to fit through the tunnel entrance on the surface. Granted, a Gergasi or two finding them down here would absolutely ruin their day, but it was unlikely that his father’s side of his family would even think to search for them down there.

  Boredom could also be a threat to an isolated community like this, but they had apparently gotten by for years without any issue, so it probably wasn’t too much of a problem. He had to admit that if he had nothing but time to create Fusions, he certainly wouldn’t be bored, so he could somewhat understand.

  “I see. Then there’s nothing I can say to convince at least some of you to come with me?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  Carleton shook his head, and one look at the audience of Fusionists and their families told him that they were in agreement. “No. We would certainly love to learn from you anything you would be willing to teach, and we would provide whatever help you might need before you go, but we are absolutely not willing to relocate. I’m sorry, but it seems as though you came all this way for nothing.”

  Not nothing. I learned a few new Fusions, and knowing that there is a community of Fusionists that survived over the last few years in a secure, isolated place is—

  Something about that thought made him stop and consider something. Verne, however, beat him to the punch.

  “Well then, why don’t you just stay here and help?” his old roommate proposed, to the confusion of nearly everyone present. A look at his companions showed that they seemed to also comprehend what Larek and Verne had figured out, but everyone else was clueless.

  “What do you mean, young man?” Carleton asked.

  Verne turned to the Grandmaster Fusionist and spread his hands toward the cavern. “Simple – you wouldn’t have to move! Larek’s students would come to you, instead. You have plenty of room here, after all, and it would be simple and fast enough for them to travel to you. We could turn this place into, I don’t know, an Academy devoted solely toward Fusions. We have a relatively small department for Fusions back in our training facilities back in Thanesh, but with how important this is, this entire Sanctuary could be devoted toward learning about Fusions. What do you think? Would you be willing to expand a bit and host a thousand or more students?”

  Carleton was immediately overwhelmed at the request, and he backed up jerkily and sat down on a stone bench just outside the doorway to his home.

  “This… this isn’t something that can be decided by just me, because we’re a community here – and we would have to decide this as a community. My largest objection, however, is that moving so many people here would obviously compromise our defenses, of which disguising our presence is our number one priority. Having hundreds of people traveling here and entering the tunnels, which would have to have their traps neutralized each time they arrived, would pretty easily point out to anyone – such as the Gergasi – that someone was down here.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Larek answered immediately. “We would just install a Traveling Gate somewhere down here, even up the tunnel a bit, and that would make moving between here and Thanesh as easy as a walk through it. Anyone from here could even visit the city or anywhere else connected into the network, at any time, so if you wanted to get out and see the sky once again, you could do that.

  “In fact, with the Traveling Gate open, we could even close the tunnel completely, thereby eliminating that avenue of entry – if that is your desire. That would also mean the only way in and out would be the Gate, but as you weren’t inclined to leave anyway, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” He paused for a few seconds. “What do you think?”

  The crowd was as stunned as the Grandmaster Fusionist he was personally addressing, and it took him nearly a minute to respond. “Uh, well, I guess the only thing I can really say is… tell me more about this Traveling Gate. Is it a Fusion? If so, what exactly is it and how does it work?”

  Ah, I knew that would do it. I figured he was just as enamored by Fusions as I am.

  “Yes; Traveling Gate is indeed a Fusion – but it’s one like you’ve never seen before,” he answered, before sitting down next to Carleton on his stone bench, which easily supported his weight because it had a Strengthen Stone +4 Fusion on it. “Needless to say, it took me a long while to figure it out… but once I did, my whole outlook of the world changed. First, let me tell you a little bit about Primal Essence and what can be done with it….”

  While he was describing the ins and outs of highly advanced Fusion creation, which his audience was thoroughly interested in and seemed to somewhat understand (which was a rarity when speaking to others about his passion), he saw Nedira and the others he’d brought with him start to speak with the community of Fusionists, showing off their staves and other Fusions to the enthusiastic crowd.

  I think this could definitely work out. It’ll take some preparation, but I can see this whole thing getting up and running within a week or two. I’m sure I can handle that, and then I’ll be largely free to pursue my own projects – which I have a feeling will be needed sooner rather than later.

  With a smile at how things were seemingly working out, he started outlining the process for unlocking someone’s full potential.

  “…and so you see, with the Gradual Aetheric Purification Array, anyone can unlock their full potential, with both their Mage and Martials abilities combined together….”

  Carleton, the Grandmaster Fusionist of the hidden Fusionist Sanctuary, hung on his every word.