“Well, that could’ve gone better,” Maka said.

  “This feels pointless. I’m sure you knew none of them would want to back me.” The pressure exerted by their presence had faded, but the experience left me spent and gritting my teeth. “Are you scraping the bottom of the barrel? Hershey, the Deity of Scorn and Spurned Advances? What makes you think she and I would be a suitable match?”

  “Watch your tone, Perry.” Maka’s jovial tone turned icy. “Do not forget, to me, you’re no more than a fly. Spiders snack on flies. Meeting a deity in any form is an honor. Thanks to me, you have now met four. You’re not exactly Champion material. So, the candidates are those desperate or bored enough to answer my calls.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, realizing my error. Maka was right. Given her status and the help she had already provided, she deserved my respect.

  “Besides, the point of this exercise was to get you noticed,” she continued, sounding friendly once again. “They might be lesser gods and a far cry from the Cosmics other Champions serve. But, they are beings of power at the end of the day. They can still grant you blessings, make the rewards of an achievement favorable, or provide help if you amuse them.”

  thirty-one

  Ozman’s loud snoring woke me the following morning. He lay on his cot facing away from me, and Curry’s bones had disappeared. No new notifications had appeared during the night either. Much to my surprise, no one had appeared to lock the cell door during the night. Even though I wanted to check on Doctor Whoo, I stayed put. Gor would get suspicious if he found me on the solitary floor or roaming around the dungeons.

  Even though it felt like a dream, I vividly remembered the meeting of the deities. Maka had spoken for what felt like days after the others left. Spending time with her helped me realize that I had no reason to behave abrasively. Of all the other-worldly entities I had encountered after leaving Earth, she and Boots were the only ones who had made any effort to help me. I wouldn’t be in my current mess if not for Boots, of course, but I believe she had magic that kept people from hating her.

  Maka deserved my respect, and I needed to approach her in a friendly tone. I didn’t know where she ranked on the cosmic hierarchy, but she rarely displayed annoyance despite my abrasiveness. Maka either found me amusing, understood my suspicion of deities, or considered me too insignificant to care. Besides, given how the other gods spoke to her, I guessed she didn’t have the best relationship with them. Despite bad blood or reputation, she was sticking her neck out to help me. I had tried apologizing to Maka for my treatment, but she ignored the sentiment altogether.

  When I detailed my plan against Kraine, she didn’t discourage me. Instead, she had laughed, making her little pedipalps dance. I had tried to get her thoughts on my intended actions, but Maka had refused to comment or join in. In the end, it wasn’t clear whether she found my plans hilarious or downright stupid.

  A loud creaking pulled me out of my morning daze. I had long grown accustomed to the sound and recognized it as Gor’s cart straight away. The old goblin didn’t bother waking anyone. Instead, he ladled out bowls and slipped them in between the prisons’ bars before plopping a sizeable chunk of bread on top.

  Looking at Gor, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. He still wore his scratched and dented breastplate, and it looked like he hadn’t slept all night. The poor goblin had likely spent all night scouring the city’s streets looking for a murderous shrike. Little did he know it now lived in a miniature form right under his feet.

  “How’re you doing, Gor?” I asked as he reached my cell.

  “Eight hours of fruitless searching and no results.” Gor sighed. “How do ye think I feel? We found the beast’s hidey hole and tracks of where it’s been, but the fresh snow during the night made it impossible to tell where she went, and where she’s been. The shaman and his acolyte are doing a last sweep now, but I think your music convinced the monster to leave Grog’s Table.”

  “You mean Kraine’s searching spells didn’t get you an answer either?”

  Gor shook his head. “He released his emerald hunting wisps, but they flittered around before settling in the pool. Our dear shaman theorizes that the shrike is a magic beast already. She likely used a spell to mask her arcane presence before fleeing.” An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he dug through the pot and ladled two extra chunks of meat into my broth. “The weeks after the Wyrm’s Feast are usually peaceful and a calm time for me. This year, I’ve been on my feet nonstop. It’s not a good time to be someone in my position, I tell ye. Gor, mind the prisoners. Gor, fight the wyverns. Gor, hunt down a rogue shrike. It never ends.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, accepting the bowl and bread roll.

  “What for? It’s not yer fault. If anything, ye saved dozens of lives by sending the shrike away. We’ve just been scouring the city to ensure she’s gone.” Gor leaned closer and lowered his volume. “People are impressed with how ye handled yerself. There’s talk of yer bloody arms, ye know. The recruits say they even heard you fighting the shrike between songs.”

  “They’re probably exaggerating—”

  “Don’t sell yerself short, Perry,” Gor told me. “Even the shaman is impressed. Good job.”

  I never expected my deception to paint me in an eventual positive light. Vilification for letting a kid die and allowing another to get injured would’ve made sense. I would’ve accepted animosity as well. When Gor clapped my back and commended me, not laughing proved a challenge. I felt like a massive dickhead too. However, it was all for the sake of survival—and vengeance to some extent.

  “What now? Is it safe for me to return to work?”

  “Probably not the best idea. The spirit callers moved the goats to a new pen, and we’ve got the new recruits cleaning up the blood and the goats’ remains. Some opportunistic idiot used the chaos to grab souvenirs.” Gor shook his head, massaging the bridge of his nose. “A couple of ribs and the jawbone. It’s crazy out there, I tell you.” Gor poured himself a bowl and flumped down next to me. The cot creaked under his weight. “Cook might be willing to give ye work. I’d suggest ye take today off. Yesterday must’ve been stressful, and ye deserve it.”

  We ate our meals in silence. Gor took extra long with his broth and bread, leading me to believe he was buying time. He probably had a lot to do and was in no rush to get started. After he left, I considered taking the day to relax and bond with Doctor Whoo. Besides, with Doctor Whoo in the picture, my plan would need to be sped up.

  First, I snuck down to the kitchens to get Doctor Whoo a meal. It didn’t surprise me that the kitchen had half the usual staff. There was news of raiding and hunting parties leaving the city now that the Wyrm’s Feast had passed. As a result, Cook didn’t need to produce the usual quantities. On the bright side, the lower numbers meant I could sneak around without issue.

  Cook appeared busy taking apart a giant boar. Unfortunately, all the meat lay spread out in front of him. I kept my head down and crept toward him. Fortunately, my dirty skin and blood-caked limbs helped me fit in better than usual.

  Fewer mouths to feed didn’t mean the kitchen workers had less work to do. All eyes remained focused on sauce pots, chopping boards, and frying pans. Sneaking past them proved easy. Things got more complicated once I reached Cook’s section though. The rotund goblin’s high Control gave him keen senses. So I had to proceed with caution.

  Fortunately, my giant padded feet didn’t make a sound on the rough stone floor. The next moment, even though I hadn’t made a peep, his beady eyes were scanning the area where I hid. After waiting for what felt like ages, I proceeded again. It took a couple of soundless steps before Cook spun around to study the area once more. Creeping between the workstations felt insufficient.

  The Mage Hand came to my rescue. Rubbing the core planted in the bracer activated the mage tool. It floated off my belt and, following my hand movements, crept along the floor. When I waved to the right, it drifted in the same direction. Pushing my hand forward got it to continue on a straight path. After getting it around Cook, I felt around for a block of knives and then curled my fingers to make the Mage Hand grip it. The magical tool lifted it off the ground and then dropped it.

  Pulling my hand back got the Mage Hand to zip back toward me, and the hand barely missed Cook’s foot as he rushed to investigate the ruckus. I used the chaos to dash out of my hiding place. Ready-to-eat food went into my right pocket for my consumption. Meanwhile, I wrapped all the raw meat I could carry in a piece of discarded hide before sprinting to safety.

  Sneaking has progressed to Apprentice Rank 1!

  Sleight of Hand has progressed to Novice Rank 7!

  I ignored the notifications and found my way to the solitary floor. The unused solitary cells had a simple deadbolt and no padlock. So, I let myself into Doctor Whoo’s hiding place. I expected an angry little shrike to assault me chirping and screeching angrily. Instead, a sleepy owl-bear face looked up at me groggily. The skin around her beak twitched before Doctor rolled onto her bottom.

  When I unfurled the hide revealing all the meat I had stolen for her, Doctor didn’t stir. I guessed she needed sleep more than nourishment. She’d likely spent the days after the Wyrm’s Feast sneaking around and hiding, and this was her opportunity to catch up on sleep. After snacking on the meat and drinking from a puddle in the room’s corner, she rolled onto her back and went back to sleep.

  “Well, that’s a freebie,” I mumbled, petting her. Once confident that she didn’t want to move, I closed the cell door and found my way to the baths to clean up.

  It took annoyingly long to wash all the blood off me. Blood and grime react better to hot water than cold, after all. Cleaning my clothes proved even more challenging. Fortunately, I managed to grab hold of an in-training spirit caller afterward. Using my recent celebrity status, I got him to summon orange wisps that helped dry my clothes. It was mostly my cape that I wanted to dry. I had a second set of my outfit in my cell and the coin to buy more. However, finding a replacement for Gram’s cape would prove impossible.

  While foot traffic outside of Grog’s Throne remained high, barely anyone walked the halls and corridors. So, I used the opportunity to sneak around and investigate. Despite my time in Grog’s Throne, I hadn’t explored the more palatial parts of the structure.

  After my “trial,” I knew which end Grog dominated. So, I headed in the opposite direction, hunting for Kraine’s lair. Finding his place of power and totem would help my plan move ahead several times faster.

  I stuck to the shadows despite the lack of guards or other foot traffic. Thanks to my height, I didn’t have to slow down. Instead, I raced along the corridors, checking every door in my path. Most of them were either locked or turned out to be storage cupboards. The rich tapestries, dark wood furniture, and wall hangings suggested someone important lived in the wing. Given the heavy presence of bone art, I’d happily bet I was approaching the shaman’s quarters.

  While Grog used polished suits of armor and gem-encrusted weapons to decorate his lair, Kraine seemed to prefer detailed carvings in bone or wood. The scenes either depicted great battles starring terrifying monsters or deity-like figures dealing with mortals. I tried using Analyze on them, but the system only identified the materials and not the stories behind the art.

  The clicking of hard-soled footwear on stone made me freeze. At first, I resorted to crouching in the shadows and hoped no one would come my way. Then, much to my disappointment, the footsteps got louder. When softer footsteps sounded behind me, I knew that backtracking wasn’t an option. In fact, the set behind me sounded like the local soldiers’ boots, and the corridor didn’t feature any hiding spots.

  I ran along the shadows, rapidly proceeding toward the louder set of footsteps. They got closer with every passing second, and my heartbeat increased in volume to match. I was moments from bumping into the approaching figure when respite came in the form of a statue of Kraine. The wooden figure stood twice as tall as a human in a large, domed alcove. Since the carving had skinny feet, hiding behind it would only get me caught. So I climbed up its back and tucked myself into the shadow of Kraine’s belly.

  The ease with which my arms pulled me up and how little my shoulders complained surprised me. I owed my latest achievement for the additional point in Strength. Much like with Dexterity, I felt a tangible difference from the growth.

  It wasn’t long before the first step of footsteps passed by me. Moreg appeared dressed to the nines as she stomped onward. Pins and tape stuck out of her gown of ugly, warg-hide-like fabric. Looking at her, I guessed she had marched out of a seamstress’s workshop mid-fitting.

  Several minutes after she passed, the second set of footsteps didn’t increase or decrease in volume. Instead, it paused every now and again, squeaked, and then continued.

  “Patrolling or pacing,” I assured myself before descending the statue. My feet slipped on the polished wood, and I crashed to the ground at an alarming speed. Fortunately, my giant padded feet didn’t make a sound and my ankle didn’t awkwardly bend either. However, my hips complained about the abrupt landing. I didn’t waste time waiting for Moreg to turn around or the stranger to stop pacing. Instead, I raced in the direction Moreg had come from.

  Then at the end of the long curving corridor I found what I was looking for. A pair of titanic wooden doors appeared in my path, and the carvings along their borders resembled the golden giants Kraine summoned during battle.

  “Please let this be the holy of the holies,” I mumbled, pressing my ear to the wood. I heard nothing. That didn’t mean the other side was deserted, unfortunately. The wood could be too thick or Kraine could’ve carved runes into it to block out sound.

  My measly Strength of two felt insufficient for getting the door open. So, I took a step back and studied with Mana Sense active. The wood lit up with all colors of the rainbow. It wasn’t the only odd occurrence. The pattern resembled Kraine’s bone totem, and I didn’t know how to interact with it.

  After fifteen minutes of trying, I was on the verge of giving up when the hinges creaked. I threw myself against the corner and squeezed myself into the shadows. A swipe along my bracer’s crystal activated the Mage Hand, and I prepared for the penalties from Coward’s Brand. If anyone spotted me, I’d have no choice but to go on the offensive. My presence in Kraine’s quarters was damning and would give him an excuse to get me killed.

  A goblin child exited the room. He threw open one of the two wooden doors and sprinted out, pumping his little legs much too fast for someone his size. Focused on the corridor ahead, the little guy didn’t see me. A female gobbling sped after him moments later, desperately clutching a baby to her chest and struggling to keep her dress together.

  “Come back here, Rom!” she yelled, but the young goblin turned a corner and kept going.

  Since neither of them had closed the door behind them, I used the opportunity to slip through the entrance. Once through, I had to scramble for a hiding spot once again. Women of all shapes and sizes filled the space. There weren’t just goblins but humans too, and all of them carried some sort of bone ornament. It took me a moment to realize I had chanced upon Kraine’s harem.

  “You’re such a cliché,” I mumbled, taking cover behind another statue. They were busy with children, cleaning, or lazing around giant cushions, puffing on colorful pipes and drinking out of wooden cups. “You got isekaied and had to start a damn harem.”

  The most curious presence wasn’t the women though. It was a giant figure made of countless sets of bones at the back of the room. A stone slab stood in front of it, along with a pedestal housing an ugly talon-shaped knife.

  Mana Sense confirmed my suspicions. Kraine used his quarters as the sacrificial chamber. The bones forming the figure glowed with a distinct mana. Their colors lay in a formation resembling Kraine’s bone ornament too.

  Sneaking mastery has progressed to Apprentice Rank 2!

  The pedestal pulsed with energy. It didn’t house any colors besides black and white. Among them stood several untidily arranged bone plates with the mysterious ornament’s mana pattern painted on. Since there were several and most of them lay in disarray, I hoped no one would notice if one of them went missing.

  The Mage Hand once again came to the rescue. I had to sneak closer because of its limited range, but I still managed to grab one of the bone plates by sending the magic tool along the floor. It once again moved much faster on its return journey. I guessed the Mage Hand’s speed increased the closer it got to my bracer and reduced in the opposite direction.

  Sleight of Hand has progressed to Novice Rank 8!

  A chill ran down my spine as soon as I touched the bone plate. My Mana Sense detected black wisps flying out of the bone statue’s many shadows. They gathered, forming a black shroud, and a skeletal head peaked out from within. Then, suddenly, the figure turned and its hollow eye sockets met my eyes, sending a chill down my spine. All the hair on my arms stood on end and I got the feeling an entity that had transcended mortality could sense me. Everyone in the room jumped when the bones forming the figurine trembled, clicking and rattling against one another.

  You’ve encountered a place and source of power.

  It serves as a conduit between this plane of existence and another.

  Present yourself to commune with a greater being.

  Beware. Your presence might not be welcome.

  The women scattered, picking up children as they moved. Their panicked cries and screams betrayed their terror. Whatever force lived in the far corner of the room wasn’t a friendly one. I sensed a deep thirst and knew I wanted nothing to do with it. So, I turned and ran as well, fleeing the room.

  As I fled, I struck off “stealing Kraine’s place of power” as a plan. Sasha hummed on my back, emanating terror and pain. I wasn’t sure how, but I could tell multiple otherworldly entities had reacted to my presence. Most of them were unhappy and terrified, and the skeletal figure draped in black was the source of their plight.