Rex felt lost.

  He paced back and forth agitatedly in the penthouse living room. Kaleb had been gone for four days now and he was anxious about the future. Lucas, the supposed king of Havar, had been awfully cryptic about the entire situation, enlisting the lycanid’s help without seeking to provide adequate answers to his questions.

  Naturally, he’d tried to contact his party leader multiple times using the chat function but each time he received the same notification. One he’d never seen before.

  This user is out of range

  Out of range? Where the hell could he have gotten to? The range of system messaging spanned the entire world as far as he knew. Of course he’d never actually tried to send a message from west to east, but he assumed it would work the same as it always did.

  Back in the early days, his band of mercenaries had roamed all over the world. He’d spent considerable time on the eastern continent, a place simply referred to as “the east” by those residing on the western continent. He hadn’t spent much time in the central areas but he had visited many of the big named cities.

  In all of that time he had never once heard of a mystical eastern training space where time flowed slower. A training space seemingly so detached from reality that even system messaging couldn’t reach it. He felt dreadfully uneasy, and Lucas asking to meet with him today did nothing to assuage him of that feeling.

  The door opened and the well-groomed king walked in. The entourage that usually accompanied him was nowhere to be found and Bell was out with Jack on some errand or another. Lucas approached and sat down, he and his people had moved to flashier accommodation the previous day so this was no longer his residence. Usually the lycanid was not one to stand on formality, but today the man’s brazen lack of manners irked him.

  “How are you, Rex?” He asked.

  “Not in the mood for idle talk your majesty. So do me a favour and tell me what you want.”

  Lucas frowned for a moment, then he sighed. “I know you’re worried about him, but he’ll be back in three days. You’ll see, he’ll be stronger than ever and able to win this tournament and prevent a war.”

  “A war that only you and your people believe is coming,” Rex replied, refusing to seat himself. “People I have no reason to trust. People who aren’t forthcoming with answers and who, despite their cryptic nature, still presume to ask me for favours. Now I know you humans have your politics and frustratingly indirect ways of speaking, but you have to understand that in my culture we say what we mean and we face the consequences head on. So please, for the love of the empress, will you answer my questions this time?”

  “I’m sorry Rex, but I have told you everything I know,” Lucas sighed, slumping forwards slightly and scratching his forehead. “Kaleb is in an eastern training facility which circumvents time as we know it. He was taken there in a portal and he’ll be back in time for the tournament stronger than ever. In the meantime, we need to see to everything else and time is not a luxury we have. Now, currently I have my own forces bolstering ranks in Havar. I’ve sent three more detachments of soldiers here and I have one ship’s worth of men camped just up the coast, looking after the rest of my fleet, and ready to move out at a moment’s notice.”

  “And these soldiers are here to prevent a war?”

  “Exactly. Now what I need from you, if you’ll please indulge me, is to move your mercenaries into the capital so that they can be ready, in the crowd, when the tournament starts. As I’m sure you’re aware, I can’t have my soldiers set foot on the continent without provoking my father, even having them camped on the ship is risky.”

  “I don’t like it,” Rex growled, moving into the kitchen and taking a stiff drink. The first he’d had in a while. “I still don’t fully understand why we’re involving ourselves in the matters of gods in the first place.”

  “This is all for Kaleb,” Lucas said softly. “I want to prevent the coming war if I can, but he’s the one who will be in the most immediate danger. Entering the tournament will put him front and centre. I’m not asking you to bolster my own ranks, I merely ask that you place your men inside the arena as a precaution. If something happens, if someone attacks Kaleb mid fight or there is any kind of interference. They may be needed if we wish to save him from foul play.”

  “Yeah… yeah alright I see your point. I still don’t like it much or understand it. But if it’s to help the boss then I’ll do it. I need you to answer one more question for me first though?”

  “What is it?” Lucas asked, looking up with wide eyes at the imposing figure.

  “Which god are you working for?”

  ***

  Diako sat before me in the small log cabin I had built in the clearing. The past seven or so months had been hard, fighting almost non-stop. I had now spent more time in this damned pocket space than I had in Celestia itself.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  The levels came slowly, much slower than they had at first, though of course that was to be expected. Even in video games each level was harder to reach than the previous one. Why would this be any different? I had finally hit level eighty the previous afternoon.

  Early into our little training montage of an adventure, the issue of food had become apparent. The pocket dimension contained only monsters, and they disappeared in a puff of confetti when I killed and looted them. Pretty quickly we learnt that they only disappeared after looting. So, every now and then I would forgo my prizes for butchering instead. Not that I was any good at that… though mammoth did taste surprisingly good. Due to the nature of my Acidic Dhampir Weapons skill I couldn't do the butchering myself, thankfully Panda could, though my dagger looked like a sword in his unsteady hands.

  We camped outside for a while but eventually Panda asked me to make him a more permanent place. He tired of the outdoors. Some fucking panda he is. So we took a week off training to build the place. It was quite relaxing cutting wood and building heuristically using the looted mammoth tusks for nails. Cutting them up wasn’t easy but it was definitely worth the effort. That little wooden cabin was where I sat now as Diako came to visit me for the first time.

  Looking at me out of a mystical, wavy black hood, his eyes were dark and oppressive. Calculating and full of the glinting of his devious aura. I didn’t like it. He floated there looking like some kind of dementor. All cloak and no substance. Panda concluded that it must be an apparition rather than his true form, but I didn’t care to ask.

  “You’ve done well, Kaleb Akabane,” he said in a hoarse and almost ethereal voice. “In three and a half months I will return to take you from this place. Though I shall miss watching your valiant efforts. It is quite the feat to so easily dispatch such difficult foes as the mammoths.”

  “Yeah well, my powers lend themselves to attrition tactics and that works pretty well on monsters who are that big. Agility helps too.” I didn’t like that he’d been spying on me, but I expected he would be able to, given the circumstances. That was why Panda, Asmodeus, and I communicated our more private conversations through system messaging.

  I had tried to message the others too, but I kept getting a notification that said I was out of range. I hoped they were alright. It was weird for me to know that it had only been a handful of days for them when so much more time had passed for me.

  “I know,” Diako replied. “I hope that will also aid you in the tournament. If you happen to reach the required level before the year is up then I will know and I will return for you. However, I doubt that will be possible. Your friend Sally has spent three decades to reach the level cap, one of them was devoted entirely to the last ten levels. You seem to be progressing faster than most, but even you shouldn’t be able to hit level eighty-nine in less than the five remaining months.”

  “We’ll see, but you’re probably right,” I replied, though I didn’t really care about what he had to say, I knew as much already having discussed it at length with my familiars. “Do you have any news of the others?”

  “They are fine Mr Akabane. It has only been four days for them. However, I can tell you that our plans are progressing smoothly. Lucas Regina is a clever man and has managed to convince Rexus Aurelius to lend his mercenaries’ support to you.”

  “Good. I have no idea how he managed to get Rex to agree to involvement with you of all people, but I’m glad he did. I need my entire team behind me on this.”

  I still wasn’t sure that helping Diako was the right move, but the levelling experience in and of itself was great. I was more powerful than ever and I had new skills to boot. Even if his plan didn’t work, at least I’d be in a better position to protect everyone after this training. Not to mention being closer to reaching my own goal.

  “Aurelius does not yet know of my involvement, though I have reason to believe that will change shortly. It seems your dragon is progressing nicely too. At this rate he will reach the level cap before your time here is done.”

  Asmodeus stirred; he had been dog eyeing the god since his arrival. He’d changed a bit in the time since we’d gotten here, he was more dog like, more protective and loyal. “I yearn to be my promised size shadow god. My powers will outshine even yours soon,” he said.

  Diako did not respond, instead choosing to continue talking to me exclusively. “You will not be permitted to use him in the tournament at his current strength, he no longer meets the requirements. I would suggest entrusting him to your party’s care whilst you compete. On the subject of the tournament, there is a specific matter I need to discuss with you.”

  “You need me to become your follower so I can be named champion.” I replied, Panda had discussed the likelihood of this eventuality at length with me. Fortunately, it was a title I could give up voluntarily at any time and I would give it up as soon as the tournament was over. A necessary evil, that’s all it is.

  “Yes. Do you accept?”

  “I do.”

  Achievement Unlocked:

  Hierophant

  After all your bluster about atheism you’ve finally fallen victim to the mass control and piety of a deity. For time immemorial religion has been used to control and shape the world as we know it. “You can’t do that because god says so”. In your world more wars have been fought over the debate of who has the best imaginary friend than over anything else – an adult version of “my dad’s better than yours.”

  But hey, at least they’re real in Celestia.

  Reward: None are more assured of their righteousness than those with faith. Take this newfound self-assuredness as your reward, you hypocritical loser.

  I had to stop myself from laughing, even with that I couldn’t hide my smirk. It seemed the system knew me better than most. The whole situation was so ridiculous. I wondered if I’d get a second achievement when I abandoned the faith at the end of the tournament.

  You have been given a new title:

  Champion of Diako

  This title allows you to participate in the high priest tournament. Now get out there and show those cocksuckers that your god is the best god.

  “You know, usually in games when you worship a god you get special boons, I’m a little disappointed,” I said.

  “My true followers do, but I only give them to those who prove worthy of them and I doubt very much that boons of communion are something you would desire.”

  “Most definitely not.”

  “I must take my leave. Continue your training and we shall meet again soon.”

  “That we will. Oh, by the way. Assuming that it does take me until the time limit to reach level eighty-nine, I have an idea about my entrance into the tournament itself. Would you accommodate?”

  “Would I be correct in assuming this entrance of yours is designed to show off and upset Chrysus.”

  “You would.”

  “Then I accept.”