Vondaire had, despite his better judgement, made a deal.

  After the last time, he thought he had learned better. Apparently not. Making a deal with the Unity Force had felt safe, but at the time, anything felt safer than starving or ending up on the wrong side of a loan.

  Althowin Alegarra made herself appear trustworthy, but what were her real motives? The charity felt a little too convenient and the events unfolding elsewhere weren’t any less suspicious. There was another network of spies or messages passing through Verdantallis, and he had no idea who was at the center. There was no reason it couldn’t be Althowin, Veph, Chorsay, or Arkasti. Everyone had something to gain, except Althowin.

  She had everything. Fame, power, influence. What more could she ever want? Nobody was currently able to stop her, so as far as he knew, she already had complete freedom, if she wanted.

  There was something he was missing. And it didn’t matter. He had already accepted her deal, which placed him back in Nagyati, hidden in the shadows.

  It was dreadful work, reminiscent of a time when a foul-breathed vampire used to lurk nearby. At least Vondaire knew he was good at it. Maybe one of the best.

  Sofia Halaby had remained within the city after the scuffle. She had clearly been berated for a time before separating herself from Egnatia, who had left before Vondaire returned. He had yet to see a sign of Isaak, or anyone else from the Three Headed Hero Company.

  Voolyn, who still lived, had also remained. That was far less of a surprise since the Trueborn Giant was now the leader of the Golden Bulls.

  Last time, he had walked into a trap. A predictable one, really. But he hadn’t predicted it. What did that say about him? Egnatia had expected him to follow, and he did. His actions were predictable.

  He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  The Golden Bulls were calm. Nothing exciting happened in their HQ. People came and went. Heroes ate, slept, and traded equipment. It was busy, but boring. It was as it should be. For now, he kept his distance from Voolyn’s office. The Trueborn Giant would be holding a few grudges, and Vondaire wasn’t looking for a rematch. Not now.

  All he needed to do was observe, predict, and intervene as necessary.

  He sat on the ledge of a tall spire rising from some old museum. He hadn’t bothered looking at the bottom floors, but it looked like a museum. Probably to the Golden Bulls, considering its proximity to the headquarters. It gave him an easy view without being noticeable to most.

  The current Shard Heroes he needed to watch were Sofia and Voolyn, who were both easy to spot. There were a dozen 1 Shard Heroes in the Golden Bulls, but they weren’t using any of them in this conspiracy he had stumbled upon before. They were normal career heroes who couldn’t be bothered to care about a goblin.

  He idly spun a Ghostblade around his finger as he stared at the gaudy headquarters. How much gold was too much?

  According to Althowin, Owin and the others would be arriving in an hour. That gave him a brief time to relax before reassessing the situation. Isaak or others from the Three Headed Hero Company wouldn’t simply leave.

  Vondaire had been underprepared before, but he was back in his element.

  ***

  Nagyati shone like a light, causing Owin to squint as soon as he arrived. If not for Chorsay blocking some of the sunlight, Owin thought he might have gone completely blind.

  “Arkasti,” Chorsay said.

  The berserker already had his claymore out as he drew a small blade for his off hand. “Yes sir.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Head south across the river, then east to the edge of the city. That will avoid the headquarters.” Arkasti was already heading out of the portal circle, scanning just about everything.

  “I don’t see why we couldn’t have gone to a different dungeon,” Myrsvai said.

  “Right now, our best option is to listen to Althowin,” Chorsay said. “Let’s get moving.”

  Seeing Chorsay in armor was still weird. It made the big man look even bigger. It was a mix of metal plates and leather straps that looked less protective than Artivan’s armor. Just by his steps, Owin could tell Chorsay now weighed more, and the bags hanging from his armor holding weights only increased that even more.

  At first it seemed ridiculous to make oneself that much heavier. It was ridiculous, until Owin saw Chorsay holding the Winged Sword of the Swift Behemoth.

  “We’re clear,” Arkasti said.

  “I can’t say I have any clear memories of this city,” Shade said as they left the portal circle. “I feel like I would have some lingering memory of a golden city if it existed in my time.”

  “There’s also the golden city of Ligala Lepis in the Ocean where, uh, what’s that cathkabel’s name?” Owin asked.

  “Graliel,” Myrsvai said.

  “Dinner,” Suta said.

  Myrsvai gave the familiar a stern look, which deflated as soon as Owin started laughing.

  Arkasti stayed ahead, talking to some guards and heroes, who moved aside. The city wasn’t necessarily crowded or even as busy as other places he had seen. Still, it was nice to walk without interruption.

  Chorsay stayed directly to the left of Owin while Mrysvai was on the right. Suta and Shade fell in behind, which formed a kind of semi-circle around Owin. He didn’t like it, but none of them would have any reason to be attacked if they were visiting the city on their own.

  Nagyati was a unique city. The golden decorations and the colorful spires were exciting to see. It smelled a bit like the sea, reminding Owin of Minolitana Prima, but it was much more faint.

  They briefly walked along a path above the river before turning and entering a less organized, more chaotic part of the city. There was noise aplenty as the people of Nagyati went about their days. People were constructing a new building, which a magus was assisting using some elemental magic. Their familiar, who was like a miniature earth elemental, carried a slab of stone toward the building.

  Owin wanted to watch, but he was ushered along by Chorsay.

  Before long, Arkasti stopped. Someone stood on the other side with a metal sphere rolling on the ground beside them. It had a window on the front where it looked like lava sloshed about. Two antennas stuck out from the top and stayed on top even as the form rolled past Arkasti toward Owin.

  Chorsay stepped in front of Owin, which still let Owin see plenty through the giant man’s legs.

  “Stop,” Chorsay said as he drew Artivan’s sword. “Give Arkasti a moment.”

  The little metal sphere rolled to a stop a few feet in front of Chorsay.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Divine Familiar

  Slag

  Summon of Sofia Halaby

  Level 88

  “Who is Sofia Halaby?” Owin asked.

  Myrsvai already had his own index open. “A 3 Shard Hero.”

  “They call her the Rat,” Chorsay said. “I’ve heard a few stories in Atrevaar. She’s dangerous.”

  Arkasti stepped aside and escorted Sofia closer. She was . . . interesting. Her racoon skin hat was sideways on her head, letting wild gray hair stick out the side. Her ears were huge and round, and her nose was like a rat’s while her mouth was mostly human-like. Sofia’s backpack was a massive metal machine that moved and hissed as smoke billowed from the top.

  “Sofia Halaby,” Arkasti said. “Chorsay Eoghet, Myrsvai Ryllsion, and Owin.”

  Sofia had a burning cigar between her lips, which she pulled out. She exhaled a stream of smoke, just like her backpack. “How much money do you have?”

  Arkasti made a face like he had been expecting the question.

  “Give me some context first,” Chorsay said. His hand rested on the Winged Sword.

  “I’ve been released from my contract with the Three Headed Hero Company. Turns out, they didn’t think I was, uh, fulfilling my duties because I warned your sneaky friend about the plan to ambush the goblin.” She waved her hands around as she talked, tossing ash from the cigar onto Arkasti. “I apparently owe them.”

  Shade had his hands on Owin’s shoulders. The skeleton leaned close. “It means she’s in debt,” he said loudly.

  “Yeah,” Sofia said. “What the skeleton said.” If she was making a face, it was difficult to tell. Her face was so different from a normal human that Owin could only guess what she was thinking.

  “You’re a bounty hunter. Go take a job,” Chorsay said.

  She scratched at her long nose. “There’s not that many bounties, really.”

  A building exploded a few blocks away. There was no warning. One second it was there, the next a fireball launched debris into the sky. Chorsay had the sword drawn and his shards raised immediately.

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Sofia said. She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. “Might want to start running though.”

  “I thought you said not to worry about it,” Shade said.

  ***

  Vondiare brushed dust from his jacket. Spying was one thing.

  Fighting was another.

  He had plenty of experience in both fields, but significantly more in fighting. Battles were where he truly excelled, which was why he would be the next 7 Shard Hero.

  A tower finished collapsing around him, failing to crush him with any of its massive chunks. Stone crumbled all across the road as the ground shook.

  Wizards, he thought, were one of the most obnoxious classes. Nothing good came from a wizard.

  At least now, in a one on one fight, Vondaire stood a better chance against Issak Agapov. One shard against four didn’t bode well, or it wouldn’t have if someone else had been in Vondaire’s position.

  Voolyn had gone through a portal before Owin’s arrival, and Sofia was off wandering through town. Isaak had appeared from within the Golden Bull’s HQ, and seemed to know exactly where Owin was. He didn’t take it well when Vondaire had asked him to “kindly fuck off.”

  “Inferno Blade,” Isaak said, raising his free hand. A massive lance of fire formed over his forearm. The point was a good thirty feet above. Vondaire understood why he had raised his hand to form the spell. One could easily spear someone with such a ridiculous spell.

  Isaak moved quickly as he slashed with his arm, trying to chop Vondaire in two. Or burn him. The motive wasn’t entirely clear. And it didn’t really matter.

  Spectral Step carried Vondaire through the spell, placing him directly in front of the Three Headed hero. A slash with the kunai ate part of Isaak’s mana before Vondaire retreated with a simple teleport. The lance of fire passed where he had just been standing.

  “Fine,” Isaak said. He canceled the spell, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a wand.

  Vondaire waited. His curiosity was a factor in waiting, but it was also a show he could put on while waiting for the cooldown of his teleports. With spells like Magma Mine around the street, simply walking around to approach Isaak was surprisingly deadly.

  Was he going to use a new wand to attack because his mana was gone or the charges for his ice wand were gone? Or both?

  He crushed the wand in his hand.

  “Ah.” Vondaire had miscalculated, but only slightly.

  “Flameforged Avatar.”

  Power 6 spells had been used on Vondaire before, and he was still very much alive.

  A Power 6 spell from a 4 Shard Hero was a little more dangerous.

  Light flashed from Isaak, followed by a powerful shockwave that nearly caused every nearby building to collapse, other than the one already sitting in ruins. Vondaire was glad he had warned the civilians to flee before the fighting started. Otherwise, there would be hundreds dead already.

  As soon as the flash of light ended, Isaak became a fiery being. He didn’t look like a fire elemental. Those were more monstrous and untamed. This form had the exact same shape, including his hair and backpack, but he was entirely made of flames.

  Vondaire grabbed a divine potion from the inside of his jacket. He had found it within the Ocean and held onto it for this exact purpose. A strength buff wouldn’t be that beneficial. Perhaps Owin could have benefitted, but a Power 6 spell was going to be more helpful than a little goblin.

  “Multiply.”

  Isaak was like a meteor, flying straight at Vondaire.

  As soon as the strength buff vanished from his hand, Vondaire’s consciousness multiplied. It was overwhelming. At a lower level, he would only control the body he inhabited, but at a divine level, he saw twenty different Isaak’s.

  Vondaire’s original body combusted as Isaak’s fiery hand punched straight through Vondaire’s chest.

  It didn’t matter. With Multiply, he was every copy. Spectral kunai formed in each of his hands, in each of his nineteen bodies.

  ***

  Owin reached the end of Nagyati just behind Chorsay. He could have run faster than the old man, but he decided to just keep pace instead. Some massive battle was happening inside the city. Fire raged all the way into the sky. A heavy cloud of smoke had already formed above Nagyati like a stormcloud. Every few moments, a new flash of fire would launch into the sky, piercing the cloud.

  There was a warning at the edge of Nagyati, warning of the Fortress Dungeon territory beyond. It said there were archers and artillery that could kill someone even outside the Fortress. Nobody paused at the old sign. It had evidently been there a long time and people passing already knew what to expect.

  Arkasti always kept himself between Sofia and Owin, even as her familiar rolled around nearby. She had been talking basically the entire time they ran, reassuring them that nobody was going to stop them.

  Apparently, the only one in the city that was going to try to fight right now was Isaak Agapov, and from what she understood, he had no intention of killing Owin.

  Once they were clear of Nagyati and into the Fortress’s territory, they dropped back to a walk until Chorsay stopped the whole group.

  “Why was Vondaire attacked if they didn’t plan to kill Owin?” he asked.

  “Hm?” Sofia pulled the cigar from her mouth. “To test Althowin.”

  “Test her how?”

  Sofia looked past the group at the flashes of light still visible in the far distance. “See if she would leave Vraxridge. Their real plan is to kill the 7 Shard Hero.”

  “They can’t,” Chorsay said.

  She shrugged. “With that party, they might.”

  “Why kill Althowin?” Arkasti asked. “Is that what they paid you for?”

  “Yeah. To help.” Sofia fixed her hat. “I don’t know how much they really care about the goblin. They said he can ‘keep playing hero.’ I didn’t really know what they meant.” She gave Owin a look, which he still couldn’t read.

  “Should we go back to Vraxridge?” Owin asked. “Is she in danger?”

  “I’d say they are,” Arkasti said. He looked over his shoulder. “Chorsay, why don’t we head back? Owin and Myrsvai can handle the rest of this journey.”

  Chorsay gave Sofia a hard look. “They could be tricking us to leave Owin vulnerable.”

  “In a private meeting they talked about a plan to kill the 7 Shard.” Sofia’s backpack shifted and hissed. “I thought it sounded stupid at the time.”

  “And now?” Myrsvai asked.

  “Downright dumb. They said they think they know where Zezog is too.” Sofia dropped the small remains of her cigar on the ground and stepped on it. “I didn’t think he was real.”

  Owin’s heart had been racing, but now . . . he was calm. What were they thinking? Fighting Althowin was already going to get them killed, and now they were going to challenge Zezog too? They stood no chance.

  “Only one who wasn’t going was Isaak because he was angry with me and your sneaky friend. I think he really holds grudges.” She sniffled and rubbed her sleeve over her nose. “I’m guessing that’s what that battle is.”

  “We can handle this,” Owin said. “Right, Myrsvai? Suta? Shade?”

  “Go back,” Myrsvai said. “We will be fine.”

  “I know Althowin can handle herself, but I have family there,” Chorsay said. He crouched with a wince. “I trust you both.” He looked between Owin and Myrsvai. “You get there quickly, get your shard, and come home. I’ll keep Sanem, Miya, and Raif safe.”

  “Get there fast,” Owin said.

  Arkasti slapped a hand on Chorsay’s shoulder. “Are you up for a race?”

  Sofia raised a hand. “Oh, I am.”

  “Are you coming to Vraxridge?” Chorsay asked.

  “Althowin could pay my debts, or she might just kill the Three Heads who hold my debt, so, yes. I really want to know if Zezog’s real.”