“Sir!” One of them said, saluting the Tier 5. The others quickly followed suit.

  “If you hear the name Jonathan Harlowe, you should let him pass,” Alonak said calmly. “The Queen has an interest in him. Besides, what would you lot be able to do that I could not?”

  The faces of the guards paled even further. “We did not mean to insult your strength, sir!”

  “Too late for that. In any case, it was simply a mistake. Do not make another.”

  Alonak waved his hand, and the force pressing down on Jonathan vanished, letting him ease up on his elemental energy expenditure. He shooed the guards away, and headed over to Jonathan. “Come with me.”

  Jonathan followed the powerful Uthraki through the passageways of the palace, finding himself remembering the path he had taken the first time. They quickly reached the throne room, and entered, finding Andrava peering down at a set of ledgers, making small corrections with a quill. She looked up as they entered, a smile on her face when she saw Jonathan.

  “I’ve heard of your exploits in the outer regions of this realm. Millions of undead felled by the hands of you and your fellows. I assume you are here because you seek greater challenges?”

  “Yes. During my travels in the first realm of Tartarus, I found a dungeon that allowed me to bolster my levels. Is there one in this realm?”

  Andrava laughed. “I assume you meant the true dungeons, not the small enclaves of the weak that you have already seen? None of those would do you much good at your level. But yes, there is one such dungeon in my domain. It is meant for a level range beyond your own.” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you up for the challenge?”

  Jonathan grinned. “Always.”

  “Good. Alonak can take you and your allies there. I noticed the trouble that you have with that paltry contraption your friend uses to teleport. I assume you’ll be needing a new one before you return to the Hells?”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “How did you see that?” Jonathan replied.

  “I have a crystal that allows me to survey everything within this palace. Your arrival was quite a notable event.”

  “Ah. I suppose one as rich as you would have all sorts of artifacts and treasures at your disposal.”

  “Indeed. Now, I must finish my cataloguing of those treasures. If you would excuse me?”

  Before Jonathan could say anything, Alonak laid a hand on his shoulder, and used a skill, sending them hurtling through space, and back to Arkanon. Jonathan opened his mouth, about to ask how Alonak had known their location, but then thought better of it. The man had lived for centuries, if not longer, and was at a level of power beyond Jonathan’s own. It was best to not antagonize him, especially considering his display earlier with the guards. It was clear that he put a lot of emphasis on anything to do with his strength.

  Arkanon was pacing, continuing to practice with his new skill, condensing waves of fire down into a point and releasing them a moment later. He paused upon hearing the footsteps behind him, and turned, his fists raised.

  “Oh. It’s you. Pity… I wanted an excuse to test out my new skill.”

  Jonathan couldn’t help but laugh. “You really don’t change, do you?”

  “How did you get back so quickly?” Arkanon asked. He turned to Alonak. “I assume that was thanks to you?”

  Alonak inclined his head. “It was. You should look into an upgrade for that teleporter of yours, or find a skill to replace it.”

  “Hmm. In any case, you being here must mean that Jonathan was successful? There is a dungeon for us to explore, right?”

  “There is,” Jonathan replied. “Alonak is going to take us all there.” He frowned. “Where are the others?”

  “They… uh, took cover after I started practicing my Supernova Fist.”

  Jonathan followed his gaze to a nearby hill, or rather, what was left of it. Slag dripped down the sides of a concave canyon that bisected the thousand foot tall spire of rock, with a wave of destruction having torn through the land for a good while after.

  “You couldn’t wait, huh? Eh, I can’t blame you. You might be one of the first Telvarians to have crafted a skill out of Earthling knowledge.”

  As Jonathan spoke, he spotted the others a few hundred feet distant, already returning. Edgar was looking warily at Arkanon, and he flashed Jonathan an exasperated look.

  “That man may have lived for longer than us combined, but he acts like a child sometimes,” Edgar said across the wind, directly into Jonathan’s ear.

  Jonathan nodded discretely, not wanting to tip Arkanon off. The man was a peerless warrior, but like many Uthraki, he could be a bit simple outside of the realm of battle. The only one Jonathan had met so far that did not fit his stereotype was Andrava, who, regardless of her obvious heritage, seemed more refined than most humans Jonathan had known on Earth.