Devin spent the next few minutes opening every door in the place. There were various configurations of tables, chairs, beds, couches, dressers, shelves, closets, and even a room with what looked like a big conference table. There were no hidden assassins or magical artifacts.

  The bathroom was a small room with a magical toilet and sink. He shut and locked the door and tested it out, which led to him discovering his favorite feature. Either noses didn’t work inside the room, or it absorbed all smells instantly.

  “Weird they used an Earth-type toilet,” Devin said, after he emerged.

  “I believe the room adapts to what is most comfortable for the occupant,” Milo said. Devin bit his tongue before he asked if Milo got a giant litter box.

  He was hoping the bathing room would be a Roman bath, or at least a jacuzzi, but it was a room you walked into. You didn’t even need to undress – just step in, put a Matter shard in the slot, and a few seconds later, you, your clothes, everything you had with you looked like they’d come off the store shelf. Too bad it didn’t repair dents and fraying.

  “OK, that's amazing,” Devin said. “But I gotta be honest, it’s not as refreshing as a hot shower - and I can’t believe they charge us.”

  “Be grateful we’re not charged for using the restroom,” Milo said.

  After they finished exploring their new Astral Hall, Devin and Milo went through the portal to the Winsley Farm. A quick scan showed no one was around.

  Something felt off. It took a few seconds to realize what it was.

  “How the hell is it still night?” Devin said. “We were in the caves for hours.”

  “It’s not still night,” Milo said. “It’s the next night. Casey’s level up took almost 7 hours.”

  “No way. It wasn’t more than a few seconds.”

  “That was my initial impression, as well. However, it would appear we shared her experience of lost time. I don’t know why we are unable to remember the events of that 7 hours.”

  Devin turned to face him. “Wait. If you don’t remember, how do you know it happened?”

  “My conclusion is based on simple deduction,” Milo said. “The moon is slightly fuller, and the stars are in slightly different places. There’s a difference in smells. All those things tell me it’s the next night. With that data, the most logical conclusion is that we lost 7 hours somewhere, and the most likely time for that would have been during Casey’s level up.”

  “Isn’t enhancement just a bunch of time getting poked and prodded? Why would we be there for that, and why wouldn’t we remember it? I don’t like this. I don’t like not knowing what I was doing for seven hours. That’s not OK.”

  “It’s true that 7 hours is an unusually long time for a level up. However, I have no answers, only several unconfirmable hypotheses that I prefer to keep to myself for now.”

  Devin frowned. “Fine, but that raises another issue. We need a calendar. Can you make us a calendar?”

  “You would like me to utilize our current limited resources inventing a calendar rather than answering your important questions. Are you certain?”

  “When you say resources, you mean the mana you use to find things out?” Devin said.

  “Correct.”

  Devin sighed and looked around. The whole farm was a mess, and he’d invited an entire rebellion to come over.

  “Mana isn’t the only resource we’re short on,” Devin said. “I guess we better clean this place up while we talk.”

  He felt like his mom, running around picking up for company as he stacked the debris of the destroyed buildings and tried to make the place seem like somewhere anyone would want to live.

  He took a moment to think about what he wanted to say. Framing mattered when you asked Milo anything. It reminded him of a monkey’s paw, or of making a wish in D&D. If you worded things wrong, there was no telling what you’d get. Milo wouldn’t intentionally use his words to hurt him, but he seemed to be limited to only answering the questions Devin literally asked.

  “What can you tell me about Wermer?” he said.

  A flicker of light played over Milo’s ears. He’d ignored Devin’s hints to help clean up and was sprawled out on the ground nearby.

  “Wermer is a god of death and war,” Milo said. “He’s the leader of the Earthquake Pantheon. As you’ve probably guessed, there’s been a constant state of hostility between Rainford and Wermer as far back as anyone can remember. There hasn’t been a holy war in quite some time. We’re probably overdue.”

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  Devin flinched. A holy war was the only thing he could think of that might be worse than the civil war they were barreling towards.

  “Wermer’s death powers part of the Life sphere," Milo said. “Dark Life magic, mostly, although he does have healers. His war powers are in the Dimensional sphere.”

  “That’s a weird place for them,” Devin said.

  “The spheres are never as clear-cut as they sound,” Milo said. “The Dimensional sphere lets an adept draw on a lot of Skills affecting time and distance. Those are very valuable in war.”

  Devin picked up a beam and tossed onto the growing pile of lumber. “So, his worshippers are necromantic warriors who have spells like Haste and Stop Time?”

  “Some of them,” Milo said. “There are assassins as well. Wermer’s focus is the infliction of violent and cruel death. Wermer’s worshippers are taught that the weak are unclean and must be purged. If someone isn’t strong enough to protect themselves and their family, killing them is a blessing, especially if it’s done horribly. That way, when the Wheel comes back around and they reincarnate, their spirits will be suitably encouraged to do better next time.”

  “Jesus,” Devin said. “That explains a lot about how this place is run.” He filed away Milo’s mention of the Wheel and reincarnation for later.

  “Yes,” Milo said. “He’s also the god of carrion. That’s why his totem is the vulture.”

  Despite the situation, Devin couldn’t hide his smile. “I was right,” he said.

  “You seem awfully proud of yourself,” Milo said. “Have you finally figured out that Felle is orchestrating a slaughter of as many people as possible as a sacrifice to his god?”

  Devin blinked. “How … how long have you known?”

  Milo yawned.

  “No fair,” Devin said. “You used your powers to learn that didn’t you?”

  “Have you considered that I’m much smarter than you?”

  “Many times,” Devin said.

  “At least your self-awareness is intact,” Milo said. “You’re partially right. Your line of inquiry is what gave me that information. Understand that what I ‘know’ from one moment to the next isn’t as clear as you might think. Think of my brain as an offline computer in a library full of USB drives with information. When you ask me a question, I’m able to access one of the drives. That’s how Guide powers work, and why asking the right questions is so important.”

  Devin nodded. “I bet he’s done this before. Felle, I mean.”

  “Several times, I expect,” Milo said. “He would wait at least three generations, probably more, before inciting another revolt. He grinds the people down until they have nothing to lose, then he sends his army against them. Half the country ends up fighting the other half. If his army loses, he goes in with his Knights and cleans up. That’s a simplistic explanation, of course, but it’s sufficient for our purposes.”

  “So, assume we’re right and Felle is in this to create as much carrion as possible for his god,” Devin said. “What does he get out of it?”

  “Power,” Milo said. “Felle is likely a Gold level. Since Teth doesn’t have much ambient magic, it’s untenable for him to advance in a normal way. So, he’s got to do something drastic that would cause his god to bless him with enough power to level up – and for the god of death, war, and carrion, that means as bloody a war as possible. The more people who die on both sides, the better.”

  “Why doesn’t he move to a higher magic zone?” Devin said.

  “I don’t know,” Milo said.

  Devin considered. “If he’s done this before, then he’s going to be even harder to stop.”

  “That’s one of the perils of near immortality,” Milo said. “The average mortal person has no concept of how much practice someone can get when they apply themselves for centuries. Felle has dedicated himself to making piles of corpses for longer than the country you hail from has existed.”

  Devin nodded and tossed aside a large piece of rubble. He’d mostly cleared away the remains of the barn.

  “Is there anything else you can tell me as it relates to Wermer that may affect our quest?” he said.

  Milo considered. The flicker came again, and he twitched an ear back.

  “Aside from the obvious clues you’ve already put together, you should be aware that the worship of Wermer is the state religion of almost every nation bordering Teth.”

  Devin’s mouth gaped.

  “Oh, shit,” he said. “So Rainford has no allies?”

  “Not among the leaders of those kingdoms.”

  Devin moved a little more rubble, but he couldn’t shake the mental image that he was hauling corpses instead. He decided it was time to return to the Astral Hall.

  A wave of fatigue passed through Devin upon entering the Astral Hall, and he had to sit down. Casey and Asha had not returned.

  “Why did coming here hit me so hard?” he said.

  “It takes energy to step across space and time,” Milo said. “You’ve done it five times in one day. Nothing is free. We should get some sleep while we wait.”

  “All you do is sleep,” Devin said.

  Milo sniffed. “Being this amazing takes a lot of energy. And while I realize you think you’ve insulted me, my purpose was to encourage you to sleep, since I plan to do so regardless of what you say.”

  Devin blinked, then realized he hadn’t slept in what, a day and a half? He couldn’t even remember.

  He laid down on the couch.

  "I probably should at least rest my eyes, but I don’t know how I’m going to sleep with everything that’s going on,” he said.

  Devin woke up with no idea where he was. Then everything came back to him at once. He could see from his Game Clock that he’d slept for ten hours.

  He stifled a sense of panic. He’d just given someone he barely knew a shitload of power. He needed to be there to make sure she didn’t do anything insane when she came back.

  He looked around. Casey was asleep on a couch nearby. He didn’t want to wake her, so he tried to be quiet when he got up.

  He stepped on Milo’s tail. The cat’s scream would have woken the dead. Casey sat bolt upright.

  “Sorry!” Devin said. “I’m sorry, Milo!”

  He reached out, but Milo turned his tail towards him and stalked away without a word.

  “Come on!” Devin said. “That couldn’t have hurt that bad. You’re an enhanced battle cat!”

  Milo hopped up on a table and lay down facing away from him. Devin sighed and looked at Casey.

  “Did Asha come back yet?” he said.

  Casey shook her head. Devin let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

  “Milo said it would take six hours,” Devin said.

  “I said it was likely between an hour and six,” Milo said without turning to look. “That is the center of the bell curve, but there are considerable variations beyond that. A bell curve is something your planet uses to...”

  “I know what a bell curve is,” Devin said. “How long?”

  “If you really know what a bell curve is, you know that’s an idiotic question,” Milo said. “She's obviously on the upper end of it. When she’s done, I can calculate the standard deviation if you like, but I can’t predict the future. The longest enhancement time in my knowledge base is 38 hours and 17 minutes.”

  Devin groaned. “Please don’t tell me she’s going to take a day and a half.”

  “Possible, but unlikely. If it makes you feel better, you’re in a party with the record holder. Why don’t you ask her what she thinks?”

  Devin stared at Milo, then turned to stare at Casey. She winked at him.