“I agree, Your Majesty,” Dave replied.

  Then the king shook his head. “I swear, I don’t know how Eikhorn does it. When Gianna first told her mother and me about her fiancé, she made him sound larger than life. A mere boy but fighting monsters in the sewers and saving an entire city.

  “Then I met Jackson, and he definitely has something about him. After meeting his mother and then his father, I can see where he gets it from. There is definitely truth to the idea that the Nelsons are at the center of much of what is shaking our world.”

  “Your Majesty…” Dave began.

  “No, don’t mistake me. You have no blame in this. I know your story too well to ever believe that. What I mean is that it seems that the Gods have decreed that as the Nelsons go so to shall all of Talos.”

  Dave wasn’t sure what to say. The prophecy could certainly be taken that way at least in part. “To me, the middle is the hardest part to understand, but it is the first line that we need to worry about and the bit about nine nations that we need to make sure we understand.”

  After that, the king and the others spent hours discussing this. They argued over what was meant by the nine nations. Eventually, they agreed that it had to be Miromar, Albia, Faelora, and Skotia, which were the four human nations. Then they added the moon elves and sun elves without any dispute and, after some bickering, agreed that the dwarves in the north had to be part of the count.

  Then they added in the orcs who were obviously aggressors now in the mind of the war council. Their clan structure made it difficult for some of the nobles to accept them as an actual nation, but it was still the only logical conclusion. That brought their count of nations to eight but caused a serious argument.

  Talos was also home to both minotaurs and centaurs but none of the nobles considered either a nation. The minotaurs had one large city on their island, and the centaurs simply roved their lands in tribes called herds. If they were both counted then that would make the count ten so at least one had to be added. In the end, no consensus could be reached, so they finally let it go.

  It was cumbersome for Dave because he wanted to be on his way to finding Jackson and hopefully Sara, but part of protecting them was protecting the world they called home. Eventually, it was over, and Dave could leave.

  They had given him a map and marked where the latest intelligence reports had their people. Jackson and the forces from Miromar were working their way slowly into orc-held territory and avoiding major conflicts while gathering intel on where the hostages were taken.

  Dave understood all of this, but it still chafed. He knew he could move much faster on his own or even with Jackson next to him. The timing of the baby had prevented him from being in the meetings when final plans were made. That his son was likely the strongest fighter in the force didn’t make him happy either, but then again, he understand that Captain Aremay was needed to guide the aerial reconnaissance. It was the one area where they had an undisputed advantage over the orcs.

  Their shamans might be able to use magic, but the mages of Miromar would stop most of that. An occasional familiar might sneak through to spy, but the weakness of that method had been explained to Dave, even if he might have guessed much of it. The limitation was the filter, which was typically a small rodent or bird. Their brains could only process so much and their perceptions were skewed.

  None of that mattered though. Dave now had the information he needed. He began to prepare spells to depart. As a precaution, he bound himself here. It was frustrating to give up the bind spot in his capital, but if anything happened this would make more sense. He could always travel to the dungeon and then fly to the dutchy proper if necessary.

  In fact, thinking about the dungeon made him reach out to confirm the connection with Altracia was secure. It wasn’t that she hadn’t proven herself useful. Incredibly useful would actually be more appropriate. The advancements coming out of the dungeon were going to make Eris’ Rise and the Nelsons famous across the world. It was more that she was still a drake, and without a firm hand there to keep her reined in, Dave didn’t want to get any unpleasant surprises.

  Chapter Seven

  “Wise men say only fools rush in. Wise men are so slow.” – Bob Saget

  Tier Challenge- the place between- David Nelson

  In reaching out through his connection to the dungeon, Dave knew there was a chance that the changes were still going on. Just a few days ago he had received the same notification that everyone inside or near the dungeon had also received. He wasn’t close to it but received it all the same because of his connection.

  Warning: Bastion of Thralls Dungeon is undergoing a transformation. For the duration, no living beings may exist within the dungeon. In sixty minutes, the dungeon shall be sealed. Any human, monster, or animal still inside will be destroyed after that time. The rule is absolute. Eloria is conflict, and the greatest of conflicts unfold amidst the changes of life.

  Now he felt some resistance. Apparently, something was still going on. Dave felt a bit uneasy about the dungeon being sealed for this long. It was a cornerstone of their power and the safety of Eris’ Rise. He had more than one frontier town, growing as it was, to worry about. He needed to consider the care of all his duchy, but Eris’ Rise would always hold a special place in his heart. It was the first place they had felt any real degree of safety after arriving in Eloria.

  Rather than leave it alone, Dave pushed. He thought of the connection like a thin tube that ran between the two of them. Gathering his mana, he focused on pushing it down that tube. This was more of an intellectual effort on his part as he couldn’t see mana in the same way that Mira could.

  The feeling of resistance only grew. Dave was still walking to a spot where he could exit the palace, but inside his mind, this was all still working. His brow furrowed as he tried to push. His concentration was almost broken when he wondered if people would imagine he was constipated based on the expression he was making.

  None of the servants would have dared to question him, but he didn’t want to look the fool. There was something to this, he just couldn’t determine what it was. Then a notification popped up.

  Class: Arcane Dreadnought

  Tier: 1

  Class Benefits:

  Combine INT and CON when determining Health and Mana, Combine WIS and END when determining Health/Mana Regeneration and Stamina Points/regen.

  Self-Targeted Shaping and Abjuration Spells cost 50% less mana and have a 50% increased duration.

  +5 to CON/END/INT/WIS

  Class Restrictions:

  Must keep Heavy Armor skill as high as highest magic school

  Only gain class benefits while wearing heavy armor.

  Class Purpose: A magic-based tank proving that there is nothing a sword can do that a spell can’t do better.

  You have the opportunity to reach Tier 2 as an Arcane Dreadnought. Part of having the best defense is knowing how to penetrate defenses. Succeed in penetrating the barrier keeping you from connecting with the dungeon: Bastion of Thunder and you will gain Tier 2 along with the associated benefits.

  Accept challenge? Yes or No.

  Dave almost clicked yes before he even thought about it. Opportunities for growth were only going to become harder as he continued to level past all the challenges around him. He knew Mira had already improved her class Tier as had Emiri.

  Once upon a time he would have felt jealous about that, but now he was only happy for them. Their experiences had been a bit different. For Emiri, it was simply being who she was that advanced her Tier. With Mira, it was about her relentless drive to understand the nature of magic.

  Neither of them had described having a challenge, although they both said that there were things they needed to do. It somehow made sense though. Dave had been forced to fight and struggle to find a class that matched him. More than that, his class was far more combat-oriented than that of either his wife or daughter. It only made sense that his growth would take a form like this.

  He expected that this would be a simple mental challenge and didn’t really worry about it taking that long. Jackson would be okay for a few more minutes, so Dave rationalized clicking yes.

  The world around him went gray.

  A sinking feeling of dread filled him. Dave knew better. He knew to look before he leapt, but a part of him just couldn’t help it. That he had survived bad decisions before didn’t make him leerier of them. Sadly, it made him more excited.

  When it came to day-to-day stuff, Dave was reliable. He always did his duty. Emiri still referred to him as her 'rock’, but when it came to the elements of this world that most felt like a game to him, he couldn’t resist the pull.

  It had been like this when he gamed back on Earth. It was one of the reasons he had never been able to reach a top guild. Dave had always blamed that on his long work hours and family responsibilities, but now as he thought about it, he had to wonder if it wasn’t this tendency of his to simply charge straight in.

  As the gray sky around him solidified into something he could recognize, Dave couldn’t help but ask himself, ‘so what?’ This was who he was.

  Further self-contemplation wouldn’t be possible now as he saw the yellow eyes of a particular dungeon drake staring at him. Or at least that is what they looked like. It was just that there was no drake to be seen but only the spherical core formed from magicyte.

  If he understood things correctly, this was the true Altracia. Her soul maybe? Dave wasn’t one for that. He had a modicum of faith on Earth, and all his experience with the Gods of Eloria didn’t help him understand ethereal things like the soul. For the most part, he would leave things like that to someone above his paygrade.

  “Altracia?”

  “So it is you. How did you arrive here?”

  “Well, it would help if I knew where here was,” Dave replied with a laugh.

  “The dungeon is reforming, but I’ve been stuck. This is the place that my consciousness has been. It is part of me evolving my class. Eloria is requiring something impossible from me. My evolution has been blocked until then.”

  “I didn’t even know you had a class.”

  Dark laughter filled Dave’s mind. It was one he was familiar with. Altracia had laughed like this when she was playing with them. “You know very little, but then again, neither did I.”

  “Care to explain then?”

  “It doesn’t appear as though I have much choice. As you know I started out as Altracia, a forest drake. More intelligent than an animal or even your average monster but lacking the divine spark which makes humans, elves, and such immortal.”

  “Trust me, I’ve killed both humans and elves. They are far from immortal,” Dave replied.

  “Immortal in the sense that a part of them lives on after their bodies are gone.”

  “Are you talking about the soul?”

  “Call it what you want. I never contemplated such things. To me, life was a simple dance between prey and predator. But my awareness expanded when I became a dungeon drake. My battles with beasts of the forest allowed me to evolve to become a Tier 2 Dungeon Core. Then absorbing the bodies of fallen humans and elves taught me about the divine spark, and my class evolved to Tier 3.

  “Finally, bonding with Sara caused me to evolve once again. But all that time I was stuck with the body of a drake. It limited me in ways while also keeping me grounded in the physical world. In order for me to evolve the next step I have to obtain a divine spark—or soul as you call it.”

  Dave felt immediately defensive. Was his challenge somehow connected to hers? Was she going to try to suck out his soul? He didn’t say anything because he was too leery of what she might do, but he prepared both defensive and offensive spells in his mind.

  Finally, the silence between them grew too weighty, and Dave said, “What about our contract?”

  The sphere lit up much brighter—so much so that Dave couldn’t even see the glowing eyes contained inside. “That could be it, but first, what were you doing before you came here?”

  “I didn’t come here, I was brought here, but I had just accepted a challenge to try and gain a new tier in my class.”

  Deep laughter bellowed out again, but this time it was warm. “I am also in a class tier challenge. I didn’t need one for my previous evolutions, but this time I was told it was the only way I could advance. Hmm… The coincidence is too great. Eloria provided me with a challenge that I couldn’t win, and then, when I thought there was no hope, it provides me with a way past it. Or at least that is my hope.”

  “You still haven’t told me what you have to do to win your challenge,” Dave said. He braced himself to hear her say she had to consume a soul.

  “I must allow a divine spark to fill me. And no, I can’t take it from someone else. I simply have to accept the one that is trying to fill me.”

  As Dave listened, he noticed that within the gray walls around them a bright light kept flitting about. Without asking, he somehow knew that was the divine spark she was speaking of. An immediate burden left him, but then his mind raced to figure out what was holding Altracia back.

  Wait, it couldn’t be this simple, could it? His challenge said he had to succeed in penetrating the barrier connecting him with the dungeon. At first glance that had already happened because here he was speaking with Altracia, the core.

  Except the challenge hadn’t been to make contact, it had been to penetrate the barrier. The vague gray walls surrounding them seemed like a barrier. And even better, Altracia needed a divine spark, which was seemingly on the other side of that barrier.

  Just as Dave was about to launch off a lightning bolt at the barrier to test it out, he decided that it would be polite to ask Altracia first. “So, do I just need to break down that barrier so that you can get the spark.”

  He felt her gaze settle on him. She didn’t even have a head just eyes with the circular core, but it was enough. This was a look Dave was familiar with, but he usually only got it from Emiri. It was that, ‘did you really just say that?’ look.

  “Or not…” Dave added tentatively.

  “You are rushing. I don’t know why, but you’ve shown the ability to think before this. Why are you rushing now.”

  Then Dave explained about the baby, the missing girls, and Jackson being behind enemy lines. The more he spoke about his emotions, the weaker his legs felt. Before he knew it a platform had risen behind him, and he sat down. He kept talking. The core really was a good listener, only giving short verbal cues to let him know that she was still listening, and so he kept speaking.

  Eventually, he lay back and realized this wasn’t a platform. It was a couch. He chuckled as he realized he was spilling his guts about his stress to a dungeon core like she was some type of therapist. But what the heck, it felt good so he continued.

  When he finally had unburdened himself and had nothing more to say, he waited for a sarcastic quip from the core, but she didn’t say anything. The silence lingered, and instead of it being uncomfortable, Dave found it to be peaceful. He didn’t realize just how much he had been rushing around for the past year.

  Actually, who was he kidding? He’d been rushing around his entire life. He was always trying to do rather than simply enjoy. There had been moments lately when he figured out how to relax, but then life events forced him back into the rush.

  His first instinct was to rebel against that cycle and scream ‘No more’ as he stood his ground. But having let go of so much tension, he realized it wasn’t either or. Life was neither solely composed of what one did nor who one was. It wasn’t just about yourself nor was it all about the others you needed to serve or just plain be with.

  Life was best found in balance.

  That gave him an idea, but he needed more information. He would have to ask Altracia, but for the moment, he just basked in the feeling that it was okay for him to do stupid things sometimes, just as it was okay for him to be overly fixated on duty at other times. He could be more than one thing. He could just be more.

  Chapter Eight

  “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” —Anthony Trollope

  Tier Challenge- the place between- David Nelson

  “So, it’s probably too much to hope for that I can just blast a hole in the gray sphere and we both pass our Tier challenges?” Dave asked.

  “No, that’s exactly what would happen if you blasted a hole. At least based on what you told me about your challenge. It is my suspicion that the barrier that is holding the divine spark from me was actually simply containing me. As a part of your challenge, Eloria put you inside the sphere with me rather than asking you to break it from the outside.”

  Dave waited. There felt like there was a ‘but’ coming.

  Eventually, she said, “The problem is what that would mean for others, specifically for a certain little girl that we both love very much.”

  If she was right then that barrier had something to do with Sara. He scratched his head. Dave liked to think he was a reasonably intelligent guy, at least when it came to figuring things out. He had just established that he was impetuous and controlled by his emotions at times. Actually, he had also come to the realization that he was okay with being both those things. But something was missing.

  He couldn’t fathom what Sara would have to do with Altracia not being able to obtain a divine spark or whatever she wanted to call it. He knew Sara. She’d want her monster friends to have anything and everything that was good for them. Oh well, when you don’t know, sometimes you just have to ask.

  “What does that barrier have to do with Sara?”