I heard the end of the phrase from inside the assessor’s spacious office. Kusalarix sat dowm behind her huge oaken desk in a luxurious armchair and put her feet up, radiating acrid tobacco smoke. She handed me two silver coins and a golden bar about the size of a finger. The items were interconnected portal expansion devices. The goblin explained how to use them:
“Stick the beacon where you need to unload your troops. The coins are onetime-use. They open a Great Portal to the destination.”
“Thanks!”
“That’s not all…” She drummed her fingers on the table. “When do ya expect the fight?”
“Any moment. As I understand it, the leaders of NergaTs army are waiting for all their troops to arrive.”
“Yeah, I got the same intel. Although the Alliance could be bullshitting. Better keep your guard up. Anyway, if it starts, whistle. The Green league will deliver a thousand experienced mercenaries and the best gladiators from the Arena to defend the temple if you help us get the protection of the Sleeping Gods. Can you do that?”
“That won’t be hard,” I answered. “But I have to warn you, Nergal’s army will use Armageddon spells. Few will survive.”
“We’ll give the centurions Maglubiget’s Umbj’ellas. It’s a onetime- use thing, so it won’t protect against everything, but it’ll save them from one Armageddon”
“I doubt that’s all our enemies will use.”
“What, you think our boys are just gonna sit and wait for them? By then, they’ll be mixing with the enemy forces and wrapping other people’s guts round their swords! Any more questions?”
“Yeah. My clan needs builders to construct a castle.”
“I’m not sure the Goblin League can do that for free…”
“…but the Green League can hire ya some people who know what they’re doing. We’ll help out with materials too. Are you going to open one of the portals to the castle site?”
I nodded, barely holding back a smile. Alex Sheppard, a good boy from a good family, was now rubbing shoulders in Dis with the undead, necromancers, the wild races and now the goblin mafia. Add the thugs and bandits from Yoruba to the list and we have a full house.
“When ya open it, I’ll send ya some builders and haulers with materials. Anyway, what about the Sleepers?”
“Like I said, that’s easy.”
Grinning, I touched her by the hand and the Sleeping Gods had their sixth priest—Kusalarix the gobliness. The assessor’s huge green eyes widened when the power of over eight thousand attribute points dropped down on her. She looked younger, taller and even beautiful thanks to her skyrocketing charisma. With a brightened face, she slowly rose, moved, smiled and approached me. Standing up on her tiptoes, she pulled me down and kissed me full on the lips! She didn’t even grimace!
“Huh?”
“Do you know what you’ve done for old lady Kusalarix, ya handsome man?!” She span her head, grabbed a huge marble paperweight and clenched her fist. Stone chips fell to the table. “Mendacious Maglubiyet, who gave this young fella so much power? Scyth, my boy, think of it. Anyone you agree to make a priest of the Sleeping Gods will shower you with gold!”
“Hmm… I never looked at the priesthood like that.”
“Emperor Kragosh and King Bastian aren’t likely to betray Marduk and Nergal. But there are other rich people, and the most influential of ’em never come out of the shadows. How many priests can ya have? Alright, alright, keep it to yaself, the fewer the better, anyway! More exclusive! I gotta set up an urgent meeting with Grokuszuid…” the goblin woman muttered, deep in thought. “Hmm… Uh-huh… Hmm… Wait! What? You’re still here? Do you need something else? Don’t be shy, ask for whatever you want!”
Her words reminded me of a certain still unfinished matter.
“Tell me, Mrs. Kusalarix, does the castle that I sold to you still belong to you?”
“Do you want to buy it back?”
“Not exactly…”
She listened to my request and smiled like a hyena, baring gleaming white fangs.
“That’s the least I can do for you, chosen one of the Sleeping Gods.”
Chapter 19: Terrastera
THE UNDEAD FACTION showed off its neutrality again; Yemi the ore, Francesca the vampire and Babangida the ogre joined my party of five dead men and two humans without issue. We were nine—the limit for a non-raid group.
The mages covered us in buffs. Everyone but me drank a few battle elixirs with an hour-long duration and ate a few raid dishes, including my own.
“Ready?” I asked.
Everyone nodded and I took the group to Terrastera. We reappeared in the place of power, within the area of effect of Isis ‘Blessing.
Yemi stared glassy-eyed at his interface, tense. Once he saw no debuff, he sighed with relief. The others relaxed too. I gathered everyone into a circle.
“Everyone unfamiliar with our tactics, listen carefully! Do not go beyond the bounds of the place of power. The creatures here are so dangerous that you’ll die if they sneeze on you. There might be ranged mobs here, so don’t even approach the edges. I’ve only seen barakatas—they’re like big cockroaches. They fight at melee range. We don’t have any healers, but we don’t need one—if you get hit, you wall die. But do not respawn before the battle ends! Ill raise you myself.”
“You can do that too?” Francesca gasped.
“Not like you think, but yes, I can revive you right here,” I said, activating Spirit Shackles. “On the condition that you don’t die too far from me.”
“Can we fight at all?” Babangida grumbled.
“I agree with the ogre!” Patrick said, with a bloodthirsty grip on the sword he’d gotten in Holdest. “The heart demands battle!”
“You certainly can’t, Patrick. If you draw attention, you’ll die. And I’m not sure you’ll resurrect. You’re not a player. Everyone else—you’re all adults. Use your best judgment. Get ready to powerlevel by doing nothing, folks!”
Everyone smiled, the tension faded. I heard the boys joking around, but as soon as I went out under the acid rain, the voices faded.
A barakata appeared
