A few minutes later, I entered the council chamber in the castle. As soon as I’d entered the castle, an aide whisked me upstairs. The council had apparently just sent for me.

  “Lucas, thank you for coming so quickly,” Mayor Paul said.

  “The timing worked pretty well.”

  I exchanged greetings with the others and jumped right to the point. I didn’t have time to waste in long meetings. “So, how did it go with the envoy?”

  “Surprisingly well,” Paul said.

  “Too well,” Burns added with a scowl. “Definitely going to double cross us.”

  “But not yet,” Crystal said. She wore her strawberry-blond hair braided, which made her face seem younger.

  “And maybe never,” Elizabeth Maberly added. The others were dressed in similar clothes to what I’d seen before, but Elizabeth was wearing a gaudy medieval gown, as if preparing to attend a formal tea with the queen of England. She’d changed her hair to blond curls.

  “Actually, Burns and I will be leading the first group of 20 volunteers tomorrow morning to head to the lake and see what these work projects entail,” Tony said.

  They’d finalized the accord, which included zombie escorts for the teams moving between Midmount Vale and the lake. Noctarus shared 100 energy rifles with the town and promised to assist in building a large raft where people could set up their Base Camp tents. The envoy assured them the werewolves would not enter the lake, so they should be safe.

  The zombies would also send out hunting parties starting tomorrow, including several humans in each one. Their missions would be to hunt up into the western hills, kill several monsters to help the human hunters to level up, and capture more to bring back for the workers to kill for levels.

  Paul added, “The envoy claimed that they cannot receive experience for killing monsters, so our people will get it all, even though they’ll help with the hunting.”

  Tony said, “If that proves true, we should leverage those hunting parties as far as possible. It might help push some of the lagging fighters up to the minimum.”

  It sounded good. Probably too good, but that meant it was simply too good an opportunity to pass up. We lacked the time or resources to ignore the likely gains, despite the risks.

  Burns grunted. “I hope it works. Then we can focus more of our resources on helping the elites push higher faster.”

  Tony started to argue that he was jumping the gun, but Paul cut them both off. “Now don’t start that argument again, you two. We all know your positions. We’ve agreed to put that discussion on hold until we see the results of the first day, so that’s what we will do.”

  “Fine,” Tony said with a shrug.

  Burns turned to me. “Want to join us tomorrow?”

  I hesitated before shaking my head. “I’d love to, but it won’t fit my schedule.”

  “Think about it,” Tony advised. “The envoy delivered a personal invitation from Noctarus to you. An invitation to visit his castle any time.”

  He tossed me a small rune-covered disk, made out of steel. It felt heavy for its size. I scanned the runes, but they were way too advanced for me to get much out of them. Getting a Runesmith ability was turning out to be more annoying than helpful.

  Crystal said, “Apparently, Noctarus’s followers will sense that disk and allow you into the castle. It’s like a free pass gate key.”

  “You made a good impression,” Elizabeth added, leaning forward a bit, giving me an appraising smile. “How did you go about charming an old necromancer? That has to be a delicious story.”

  “Cute,” Burns grunted with a scowl. Elizabeth shrugged and blew him a kiss. The weird exchange suggested the council might not be as united as they liked to pretend.

  Burns added, “Lucas, don’t anger him. We need good relations for a few days, and if that means you going to visit—“

  “I’ll visit, just not yet. Same reason I can’t promise to join your expedition tomorrow. It’s getting late. I need to prepare to deal with Alpha again tonight.”

  They all exchanged a look and Paul cleared his throat. “About that, Lucas. Ah, with Burns and Tony committed to defending our people at the lake, ah, we’re not sure—“

  I held up a hand to forestall him. “You worry even with our new walls and better defenses, if Alpha finds me in town, they might be able to overwhelm us.”

  “Sorry,” Crystal said with a grimace.

  “Not at all. I agree. I’m planning on luring Alpha and as much of his pack as possible into the western mountains on a wild goose chase. Wild me chase? Doesn’t sound right.”

  “How can you speak of sacrificing yourself so casually?” Elizabeth Maberly asked, considering me with another appraising look. It felt weird, like she was a stalker who forgot she was supposed to hide in the bushes at night.

  I chuckled. “Sacrificing is not part of the plan.”

  “So you’re confident you can stay ahead of the entire pack, with Alpha leading them?” Burns asked. He didn’t sound surprised.

  I nodded. Burns and Crystal looked okay with that, Paul concerned, Tony unsure, and Elizabeth doubtful. So I added, “I’ve got more wolfsbane and I’ve got hours to set a false trail. I’ll be fine, but I doubt I’ll return here until some time tomorrow morning. Watch your backs at the lake.”

  “Always,” Burns said.

  Tony added, “We’ll be taking as many precautions as possible, but I doubt we’ll see trouble on the first day.”

  “Yeah, they’ll want it to go well so you bring more people. Noctarus wants a full 500.”

  “That’s going to be tough,” Paul said. “We have too many other demands for our time. For now, we’ve promised a maximum of 250 people, which might push the work out to 5 days.”

  “Still works for us,” Crystal said with a shrug.

  “While you’re out tonight, keep an eye out for any of our people,” Burns interjected. “One of our teams has not returned yet.”

  That did not bode well. Getting lost might be possible, but I doubted they’d send out a team without at least one of them having the Navigation utility spell. The most likely cause of delays meant they were probably dead. Worse, they might have been turned by the werewolves.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I will.”

  Tony added, “Lucas, I owe you a report on all the crafting materials you generously donated.”

  “And I owe you more donuts,” Paul said. Boxes of delicious-smelling donuts appeared on the table in front of him, stacking nearly 6 feet high in 3 rows. “Three dozen dozen.”

  I swept all but one box into my inventory. The last one contained my favorite, Boston creams, along with an assorted of chocolate and cream-filled. I snagged a Boston cream and gestured with the box. They happily partook.

  “Very generous,” Crystal muttered around a mouthful of chocolate wonder.

  I decided to share another thing with them. “Paul, do you have a simple, plain donut. Maybe even one that’s a bit stale?”

  “Why would you want that?” Elizabeth demanded.

  “An experiment.”

  Paul produced one. It looked a bit overcooked and rather depressed. Definitely one I would usually pass over, but perfect for my current needs. I took it, broke it into 5 small pieces, then sprinkled a small amount of Tasty Cake Mushrooms over each piece. “I want you to try these.”

  “What are they?” Elizabeth asked, not concealing her distrust.

  “An experiment,” Paul repeated before popping his piece into his mouth. The others hesitated to see his reaction.

  His eyes bugged out and he gasped. Of course, that made him suck in the entire bite and start choking. Even as Burns pounded his back hard enough to leave bruises, he couldn’t help trying to laugh between coughs. When he finally recovered, he snatched for Crystal’s piece.

  She yanked it out of the way with a scowl. Paul turned back to me, looking a bit frantic, which was not a good look for him. “What did you do to that donut? I’ve never tasted nirvana like that. I must have the recipe. Name your price.”

  “I’ve got to try this,” Burns said, munching on his. He rocked back, eyes closing as he slowly chewed. “Wow,” he breathed after a moment, smiling wider than I’d ever seen.

  After that, the others all tried their pieces. Tony made no sound, but looked like he was having an inner epiphany, while Crystal toppled right over backward in her chair, laughing. Elizabeth pulled out a huge feathered fan and started fanning herself while unbuttoning her blouse a lot farther than would usually be considered appropriate.

  “I must know the recipe,” Paul repeated.

  Now I wasn’t so sure I should have shared the secret, but someone else might find more of the mushrooms and the council needed to know how potent they could be.

  “Did you cast a spell on our minds, or something?” Tony asked.

  “Please teach me that spell,” Elizabeth panted, her face red, her rather exposed chest heaving.

  “It’s not a spell, or a recipe.” I pulled one of the big, softly-glowing, teal-colored mushrooms out of my inventory and held it up for them to inspect.

  “That’s it?” Crystal asked doubtfully.

  “That’s it. Just a sprinkle is all it takes.” One mushroom could season scores of dishes.

  “Almost don’t need to cook,” Burns chuckled. “I’d eat a spoonful of dirt with that on it.”

  Paul looked terribly affronted but Burns shrugged. “Wouldn’t be wise, but it was that good.”

  “How many do you have?” Elizabeth asked, her intense gaze locked onto the mushroom.

  “I found one cave with them and harvested over a hundred.” I’d actually harvested twice that many, but I didn’t want to flood the town with them.

  “I’ll buy them all,” Elizabeth snapped, which triggered a heated argument and counter offers from the others.

  Most of them were short on mana crystals, so they offered all sorts of trades, from every imaginable food to crafted items, to a seat on the council. Elizabeth got even more creative, offering me an unlimited session pass to her new night club, the Expanse.

  I made the mistake of asking what session meant. They could be any number of adult-themed entertainment options, including a bunch of different sexual encounters. Apparently a lot of people were embracing some pretty deviant activities to cope with the insanity of our death battle world. She spoke of it with an openness I’d never heard. Maybe it was a European thing.

  Some of the other counselors didn’t look happy with the turn of the conversation, or the fact that I’d asked a clarifying question. Crystal looked downright disgusted.

  Elizabeth noticed too and said, “You’re such a bunch of prudes. We’re all adults, stuck on an alien planet. No Earth rules apply here, so why not expand our choices in ways that allow us to help comfort each other and enjoy what little time we may have remaining?”

  “It’s vile,” Crystal snapped.

  “Your opinion,” Elizabeth responded calmly.

  It looked like they’d had that argument before, so I interjected. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not looking for that type of entertainment right now.”

  “Pity,” Elizabeth said, then shrugged. “My other offers still stand.”

  Revealing the mushrooms was feeling more and more like a mistake. We needed to change topics. “Each of you prepare your best offer for up to 20 mushrooms. Then I’ll follow up with you later.”

  They complained about the limited numbers I was offering each of them, and whined about the delay so much that I finally tossed each of them a mushroom to study and experiment with pre-sale. Partially to shut them up and partially because once they started using that one, they’d be even more desperate to get more.

  Was I the first mushroom dealer on Arasha? The idea made me feel a bit dirty. Lucas Altan, Tasty Cake addiction peddler. Was I somehow countering some of that humanity I’d won by helping Brianna?

  Don’t be an idiot, Lucas. It’s just food. Not the nastiest bit of magic anyone is dealing with right now.

  Forcing all that mushroom drama aside, I turned to Tony and said, “Tell me about the distribution of the crafting supplies.”

  He too looked eager to move on. “I got materials to every crafter in town. Your supplies were quite diverse, so I think everyone got something they can use to up their craft. They all agreed to your terms.”

  Burns added with a grin, “Somehow that requirement turned into a challenge to see who could produce the best item for you.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “Actually, it is,” Tony said. “The challenge motivates them to work harder, gain levels in their craft, and showcase their very best work.”

  “Honestly, some of them need the push,” Paul said gravely. “The store is a wonderful resource, but not all the crafters are ready for the competition.”

  “Then I’m glad they’re taking the challenge to heart.”

  “So are we,” Crystal said. “Like Paul said, some of the crafters are falling behind the curve. The materials you provided might well save some of their lives by giving them the chance to catch up.”

  I hadn’t realized things were so bad. Sure, I’d suspected the store would make competition more fierce, but I’d seen enough crafters that seemed to be doing well anyway. Not surprising that some failed to make the cut. At every turn, the game was pushing each and every one of us to the limits. If we slacked off, we’d get eaten by a monster or, in the case of the crafters, fail to level, which was as good as a death sentence too.

  “I hope they hit this challenge out of the park, then.”

  “I’ve got my item already finished,” Tony added with a proud smile.

  “Really? Already?”

  “Only cause he’s been slacking off all morning,” Burns teased.

  “If you keep whining, I won’t make you anything,” Tony said, then produced a pair of items with a showman’s flair. They looked like fingerless steel gloves, with no palm. Identify triggered instantly.

  “Silverclaw Gauntlet upgrade. Uncommon. Crafted by Tony Waldau, these high-quality items add significant protection from all types of physical attacks to the hands. Concealed silver claws deliver devastating slashing and stabbing damage. Werewolves receive double damage and any wounds inflicted by these claws take twice as long to heal.”

  “Wow. These are incredible!” They slid over my gloves and magically snapped on. They looked amazing, and as soon as I focused some mana into them, slightly-curved silver claws slid out between each knuckle and clicked into place. They were thick and razor sharp when I tested them.

  “My best work to date,” Tony said proudly before extracting a second pair and affixing them to his own gauntlets. I barely believed someone from Earth had made them. I didn’t plan to get up close and personal with Alpha again, but if I did, these could easily turn the tide in my favor.

  “I feel like Wolverine.”

  “One of the best X-men characters of all time,” Cyrus interjected, his invisible voice making everyone else in the room jump.

  “Was one of Jane’s teammates given Wolverine abilities?”

  “Indeed. Shame they died on the first day. Tony, for bringing back a beloved character to the game, you receive a platinum Stan Lee loot box.”

  Tony grinned at the big, softly-glowing platinum box that appeared hovering over the table in front of him. The rest of the council looked equally surprised. Apparently, none of them spent enough time chatting with Cyrus.

  The platinum box flashed and disappeared, leaving a scroll hanging in the air. That too flashed and vanished and Tony smiled widely. “That’s very welcome.”

  “Something good, I take it?”

  “Better! Leveled up my Fast-Crafting Weapons ability. Now I can add more magical effects with less effort, less time, and fewer materials.”

  That was a great upgrade.

  Burns said, “Perfect. Maybe now if you get together with that cleric woman, you can build me something with the power to actually kill a necromancer.”

  “Now, Burns, his envoy was nothing but accommodating,” Elizabeth chided.

  “I won’t start anything, but it pays to be prepared for when they do.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Tony said.

  “Good luck. I’ve got to get hunting.” I shoved the last donut from the box on the table into my mouth and headed for the door.