Sammy noticed that Orswyth and Estara were instantly level 8 along with her, apparently able to reach the cap and wait on her for the level up.

  She conferred with them while they were asleep so they could mutually congratulate each other, creating a mind realm so they were effectively dreaming her. This was a trick they were already doing somewhat themselves, as assisted and then taught by Zephyr.

  She decided to make a little event of it, and so they had coffee and pastries at the bakery. Sammy insisted on almond croissants.

  “You know,” Sammy said as she washed down a creamy delight with some hot coffee, “I feel a bit bad that you’ll be waiting on me all the time when you should be leveling.”

  Estara made a face, but her mouth was full. She had eaten her almond croissant at hyperspeed, so she could then order multiple other things in the limited time frame, including key lime pie, a cinnamon walnut churro, two helpings of red velvet cake, chocolate chip banana bread… Well, Sammy just stopped paying attention to what she was eating at that point, as the girl stuffed her face with the whole restaurant.

  Orswyth ate a bit of the almond croissant as if to be polite, but mostly stuck to the coffee. He shrugged at the comment as he took another sip. “This coffee is even better than the root-of-beer, by the way… mmn. I wouldn’t worry about that, Your Majesty. I think it's expected of leaders to rise very quickly. Ordinarily, your most trusted allies during a deific ascension would be equally high-level heroes, all cultivating their third or even fourth class.”

  Finally, the powder-nosed, chocolate-smear-cheeked Estara swallowed — almost painfully with how much was going down the pipe. “He’s entirely right, Your Majesty. We are getting drowned in quests and experience for our clerical class, as hierarchical leaders. I can imagine it would be especially fun for a more seasoned adventurer to have something new to tinker with and advance quickly. It could even be the case that it is for the sake of motivation and ambition, to serve the deity diligently for the ensuing rewards.”

  Immediately after speaking, Estara stuffed a whole slice of some mysterious pie into her mouth, as though the speech period had starved her.

  I’ve created a monster. Eh, not the first time, is it?

  “Interesting pie- I mean, point,” Sammy said. “Interesting point, yes. In any case, thanks for comforting me on that. I guess you’re right. By the way, Estara, how are your other class studies and training coming along?”

  After a pang of shocked horror crossed her features at being addressed, Estara had a determined, intense look of concentration — she took a sip of coffee and swallowed the brick of pie she had in her mouth. It was enough to audibly and visibly go down her throat. Red-faced, she breathlessly answered the unfortunately-timed question, “Good. Good, Madam. Ahem!” She sipped her coffee again. “Level 2 in both [Wizard] and [Rogue]!”

  Sammy frowned. “[Rogue]? Dax and Lucky with their bad influences. Horrible.”

  “Well. You have [Rogue] levels.”

  “Do as I say, not as I do?”

  Estara grinned and shrugged, then bit into a churro.

  Sammy didn’t linger overlong — she offered one final congratulations, distributed hugs, and departed, even as Estara was trying to rapidly finish off her mental desserts with Orswyth also not inclined to hang out.

  She did a quick checkup on Crow while she was thinking about him. He was awake, being a… catnapper. He’d revisited those catacombs recently and explored them further for his own edification. Despite this, he was finally back with Carlisle.

  “I’m heading to Mot Mekess,” the catman related mentally. “Briefly. Certain things to peruse within the library there, and I’m inclined to speak with Agatha. But — and do keep this in close confidence as I’ve instructed everyone — my next stop after that is Caneboro.”

  Sammy squee’d both internally and externally, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth. “Oooh, Estara is gonna freak!”

  “That’s the idea. I want it to be a surprise. I’d like to experience that reaction, in addition to avoiding her getting distracted from her duties by any anticipation. As I said, I need to spend a little time in Mot Mekess. I’ll be going very disguised and clandestine. Not that this is unusual to begin with, but you know what I mean.”

  “Hehe — you old dog! Er, cat. But yes! I support this. I’m just glad you’re finally going!”

  “The cycle of life seems to have veered us in different directions professionally, so to speak. We are only going to get busier. Nonetheless, we will have our cultivated reprieves from time to time.”

  “Sounds good. Make it work, Catman! That’s an order.”

  “As if you needed to. But fine.”

  “In other news, you’ve been up to a lot, without many details coming my way. Care to share?”

  “Your realm tends to deal in concrete results which I don’t have yet. Think of it like a spell still being designed. The Brain Trust is aware of a little more than you, as delegated matters — I’ll be recontacting them after Mot Mekess. I tend to wax and wane on communication moods, I admit, but I’ve not been idle. Our research has partially to do with the increasing concerns about the World Spell of the Sage and the damage dealt. I am strongly inclined to mitigate and counter it.”

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Okay. Partially, you say?”

  “My larger concern is the wasteland that has become of the underworld — as a concept, mind you. Afterlives are few and far between, as are defined realms in general, which have to go to extremes to protect their ways from erosion. There’s no link, no order, and a far bigger multitude of lost souls wandering and stuck than anyone could even realize. They are quite literally the lost and forgotten the living do not see or know, yet catch on the periphery enough to be spooked.”

  “Ghosts. I’ve noticed them here and there, thanks to my new power in the spirit world.”

  “Some are anchored to something they cannot let go, others do not have even this. They cannot choose between an Afterlife here and reincarnation because they don’t ken any choice in reason at all. Reason and memory are too pockmarked, yet enough of them remains to torturously hold them. The essential will of a survivor is made into a curse. They will not pass until their energies obliterate. For some, this is centuries or aeons, and for those who somehow replenish their energy… never. Unless that also declines.”

  “Fascinating and gut-wrenching. I take it you want to help?”

  “I feel a duty to. I at least had a choice, standing over the edge. I was fortunate to make it between life here and reincarnation, much as I was blind to such fortune. I feel like I was a lost child bumbling around, blaming the world for my misfortune. Any lie can be true depending on how warped one’s perspective gets. Perhaps I could not believe the fortune you granted because of the world’s abuse. It beat me. Literally and figuratively.

  “The dusty and bruised lost child cannot believe the promise of a high tower looking from his desperate home in the alley, not even with the key in his hand. He thinks perhaps to sell it for a loaf of bread, or coin to gamble away on the dream he already possessed. That’s the cruel irony of life for the broken and destitute of flesh and spirit. He makes the tower into his own addiction to calamity.”

  Sammy was speechless to hear it from the feline who’d once been the ever-difficult and irascible catboy, Merril.

  ‘They’re all waking up.’ The Fortuneteller’s eyes bored into the Present across a vast distance, intense and possessed. ‘Through us, [Death] will bend Entropy backward on itself. We are the catalyst of all [Progress]. We contort the Endless Wick upward and the flames burn brighter. Faster!’

  Crow decided to continue as Sammy remained stunned. “Did I deserve what I was handed? Who dares to answer? But we know far more was hanging in the balance, don’t we, Queen of Fools?”

  “Yes,” Sammy answered, finally. “As I told you, I need you. You’re a critical piece of a great puzzle, and without you, it won’t fit. Countless times before, we’ve failed to put it all together. And your lives were each painted in a special suffering from my absence. An absence we strongly consider to be strategic, somehow.”

  “I hold no regrets, as letting go is critical to ascension. One way or another, I’ll be what I need to be. The transition of souls is broken on Calrenazzod and I will fix it.”

  “Alrighty then! So, I don’t want to distract you from your current obsessions too much, but there’s definitely something of interest going on the Brain Trust can fill you in on when you’re ready.”

  “I will ask. As for you, I suggest you accelerate yourself, Goddess. We’re catching up with you.”

  Sammy chuckled wryly. “I do get that sense, Crow. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I stay out in front — even if I have to cheat.”

  “I’d expect nothing less.” Crow disconnected.

  For once, Sammy knew exactly what she needed to do next. Or… next next, that was. She’d need Azure, who was sleeping contentedly, but that didn't matter much as she had to prepare her realm for a likely coming absence of a day or two.

  They can handle it, but I still have to anticipate things and give judgments to avoid future issues.

  There were quest-granting ideas to approve, prayers to allocate, the Merfolk situation to prepare for, calls to make about who went where community-wise, the exodus from Traesh to massage, setting up someone else to meet with the Itha Ranan Stargazer… the list went on and on.

  Azure was soon woken up anyway by Alfred, who’d been instructed to do so when some unrevealed element of what Sammy was doing triggered what she considered an emergency. Azure was briefly annoyed by the news of a coming absence, stating she had her own ‘stuff’ to organize and make sure actually went somewhere if she was away.

  As a final time filler, Sammy hopped over to the Bridge of Edges and took a potshot at finding another location to anchor to. Azure was also annoyed by this because she was ‘going it alone in precisely the only time Azure couldn’t help.’ Well, whatever. It was perfectly safe!

  By then, it was routine to search through the wilderness maze of twisted contours. To increase her chances, she did not attempt to confine it to a region.

  And boom! She found one!

  It was a dense forest once more, but the trees might’ve been different from what she could tell through the portal. There was nothing else interesting that she could tell. She moved through to find what amounted to a hilly zone, with the forest going in every direction. She investigated the area a bit, remaining as cloaked and clandestine as possible.

  The cluster of hills was fairly rocky with scattered brush and trees. She noticed a particularly large jutting section of rock and realized it was too smooth. It was probably a wall or building section once upon a time. The hills were hiding ruins underneath.

  Otherwise, all she felt was a vague affinity, not quite familiarity. Her soul had not been there, of course. Perhaps Azure’s had been, though.

  Okay… time to wrap this up. Azure and I will commence with our locating trick, and then we’re off to see the Wizard of Oz! We’ve got a challenge to take on and the next stage of power evolution to acquire.

  As opposed to a yellow brick road, it's more of a tarnished brass.

  Next Chapter...

  Finishing up before taking a Deep Dive. The Ozzy 'illusion' drops some preliminary intel.

  Backers go here! Huzzah! Thank you! is a link to the claim thread for those who want a spot.

  Elias Blade, holding eternally the tarot of The Fool!

  Helva, holding eternally the tarot of The Hierophant!

  Gostsamo, holding eternally the tarot of Death (+ Binky)!

  DuB, holding eternally the tarot of The Moon!

  Guessed, holding eternally the tarot of The Magician!

  Some BS Deity, holding eternally the tarot of The Hermit!

  Silxornas, holding eternally the tarot of The Wheel of Fortune!

  Max, holding eternally the tarot of The Devil!

  IrateRapScallion, holding eternally the tarot of Justice!

  Quarter, holding eternally the tarot of The Hanged Man!

  Flight, holding eternally the tarot of The Star!

  Tempest42, holding eternally the tarot of The High Priestess!

  Venerable Ro, holding eternally the tarot of The Emperor!

  Koza0, holding eternally the tarot of The World!

  Forgotten Name, holding eternally the tarot of The Sun!

  Cothand, holding eternally the tarot of The Tower!

  T3iain, holding eternally the tarot of Judgement!

  Paul, holding eternally the tarot of The Chariot!

  Thorlab, holding eternally the tarot of The Empress!

  Renn, holding eternally the tarot of The Lovers!

  Xeo, holding eternally the tarot of Temperance!

  ObsidianShiv, holding eternally the tarot of the Seven of Swords!

  7CatRunes, holding eternally the tarot of the Queen of Swords!

  Nick, holding eternally the tarot of the Four of Pentacles!

  Hikari, holding eternally the tarot of Strength!

  Wiggles1, holding eternally the tarot of the Eight of Ships Pentacles!

  Nanominatour, holding eternally the tarot of the Ace of Wands!

  Kusoneko, holding eternally the tarot of the Queen of Cups!

  Revolgod, holding eternally the tarot of the King of Swords!

  Martin, holding eternally the tarot of the Ace of Cups!

  Tejing, holding eternally the tarot of the King of Cups!

  Renimus, holding eternally the tarot of the Eight of Swords!

  Grevias, holding eternally the tarot of the Ace of Pentacles!

  LobskiTheMagicLobster, holding eternally the tarot of the Ace of Swords!

  3X!3X, holding eternally the tarot of the King of Pentacles!

  Manlor, holding eternally the tarot of the Knight of Pentacles!

  Mage_Kikyou, holding eternally the tarot of the Queen of Pentacles!

  Captain Nuclear, holding eternally the tarot of the King of Wands!

  This_bored_guy, holding eternally the tarot of the Five of Cups!

  TeeCee67, holding eternally the tarot of the Six of Cups!

  Ronny, holding eternally the tarot of the Six of Swords!

  ArcH, holding eternally the tarot of the Two of Wands!

  Ambicatus, holding eternally the tarot of the Three of Wands!

  TheOneGunslinger, holding eternally the tarot of the Three of Swords!

  Captain_Sulsear, holding eternally the tarot of the Three of Cups!

  Dtape467, holding eternally the tarot of the Knight of Cups!

  Rosy Bramble, holding eternally the tarot of the Nine of Swords!

  TheDxve, holding eternally the tarot of the Seven of Cups!

  Riley, holding eternally the tarot of the Page of Wands!

  Volpol, holding eternally the tarot of the Ten of Swords!

  Thernn, holding eternally the tarot of the Queen of Wands!

  Spark, holding eternally the tarot of the Eight of Wands!

  ZelTheUnbroken, holding eternally the tarot of the Knight of Swords!

  Arrogantfitz, holding eternally the tarot of the Five of Wands!

  Lazifur, holding eternally the tarot of the Knight of Wands!

  GrimmRozen, holding eternally the tarot of the Five of Swords!

  Rainer, holding eternally the tarot of the Six of Wands!

  Kaylee, holding eternally the tarot of the Two of Pentacles!

  SlipJay, holding eternally the tarot of the Four of Swords!

  Talisman, holding eternally the tarot of the Four of Cups!

  Ant Mac, holding eternally the tarot of the Page of Pentacles!

  Taublatt, holding eternally the tarot of the Nine of Pentacles!

  Shattered, holding eternally the tarot of the Ten of Wands!

  IsacIW, holding eternally the tarot of the Two of Swords!

  Claire Rylander, holding eternally the tarot of the Seven of Wands!

  Zimmy, holding eternally the tarot of the Nine of Cups!

  Sarai, holding eternally the tarot of the Seven of Pentacles!