Chapter 44

From the temple, I finally headed back to the portal ring. To my surprise, there were people moving to and from it. I waved at them, but continued on my own path through to Earth.

On the other side of the portal, I discovered I wasn’t the only one who’d been busy, and I was blown away with what I saw.

In the twenty hours I’d been gone, the island had been expanded substantially. Around the Portal ring, and behind it right up to the edge of the island was a field of grass. I guessed that area would be used for farming in the coming days. It covered around a quarter of the perfect circle and off to the right of that was the start of a young forest, most of the trees were no more than shoulder height apart from in the centre of the forest where the trees towered much higher.

This forest also took up around a quarter of the Sphere and led right up to the back corner of the Temple.

It was the temple which really caught my eye, though. For some reason Joel had created a hill underneath it so it now sat much higher than it had been before.

I wondered if it was to give it even more prominence, and then I noticed the water flowing down its side in a good-sized stream. That stream disappeared almost immediately into the forest, which is why I hadn’t noticed it immediately.

The rest of the island was still made up of the bare black stone, but as I rose higher into the air, I could see work had been done to layout what would eventually become the town with auto cabins already put in place to mark out the residential area.

Curious I searched out Joels bond and then teleported to him. I appeared in the forest, alongside Joel and Olata who were hovering over a good-sized pool in the center of the forest with surprised expressions as I suddenly appeared.

“Hey guys,” I said with a wave.

“Ooh, I think I’m changing my mind on the teleportation thing. That’s too sudden. I don’t think my heart can take it.”

“Joel, you have over two hundred and fifty Constitution, your heart is never giving out on you. Now what the hell is going on with the island? The place looks amazing.”

“Glad you like it. Still early days but me and Olata have been working hard.”

“The hearth tree is already in place, and it is happy,” Olata said with giddy excitement as she pointed to the tree in the center of the pool.

I eyed it with admiration, pushing my senses out through a Tendril of Nature power into the new tree. I felt its welcome and its contentment. This tree was from the seed of our original Hearth tree and the link between them was as strong as if they were both in the same forest. I gasped in surprise at the realization and of how strong the link between the two Spheres were in every aspect.

“I Can you see why you’re so happy. Such a strong link with its parent!”

Olata’s eyes widened with surprise, and she bowed at me. “Even though I know how close you are with the forest Lord Clive, it still never ceases to amaze me that you achieved such a close bond.”

Won’t help me against Hakan, though. The thought came unbidden and soured my mood a little, though I kept it from my face.

“It’s an honor that the Hearth Tree accepts me,” I replied, and I’m very glad to see its presence here. You guys are doing great. I saw all of the layout work to the front of the temple, Joel. It looks good man.”

“It will be once we get everything built. I wanted to walk through the layout with you. We need to discuss changes to the temple design to make it less ominous, and while the auto cabins are amazing, I do intend to replace them with proper homes in due time. We have decisions to make on services and if we’re going to produce electricity here, because there’s a bunch of Sphere options opened up that are technologically adjacent to Earth’s level.”

“I can’t wait to see it.” I lied. I was happy to see the place blossom into a budding town, but that wasn’t why I’d built the Sphere. It wasn’t so Joel could create his dream settlement or Olata could expand the reach of our living forest. It was to defend against Hakan, pure and simple. To me this was a military base and nothing more. I looked to Joel to see he was waiting expectantly for me to say more. So I obliged.

“As for my input. Honestly mate, you go wild. I trust you one hundred percent.”

His face darkened. “Maybe. But it’s your Sphere, so you have to make the final decisions.”

I shook my head. “It’s not my Sphere mate. It’s our Sphere and you’re in charge of it.”

“You put me in charge, but I don’t want to make it how I think only for you to get pissed off over because it’s not to your liking.”

“Really? You think I care about how it looks? I gave the designing over to you, so I didn’t have to worry about it. You really want to know what I’m thinking when I’m looking at all of this?”

“Yeah, I would like an honest opinion actually,” he said, glaring at me, daring me to say something negative about his work.

“I’m thinking; oh fuck. How am I gonna beat the ancient and all-powerful God of Creation? Where is he now? How fast is he moving? How can I get stronger? Will it matter as I can’t get millions of years’ experience even if I do somehow manage to reach a Divine Core before he returns. But if I don’t then everything in the universe is going to cease to exist and it will all because I didn’t do enough. Thank the stars for all of my amazing friends who can look after all of the other stuff, because my head would explode if I had to do everything by myself!”

Joel pursed his lips thoughtfully, the anger gone. “Well fuck you then. I’ll just do what I want.”

I grabbed him in a hug. “Thank you dude. That would be awesome.”

Olata chuckled at the random exchange. “You are both so strange.”

“He is,” Joel said pointing at me. I think the responsibility is getting to him. He’s always been a stress head.

Olata laughed again, and after spending a few minutes trying to smooth over my minor outburst I bid them both farewell to go and seek out Mal. I wanted to train, and he would benefit from the time as well.

I found him at Herring Farm along with Sophie and Lucas, all standing down the bottom at the gated entrance just inside the shield.

Outside of the shield were a dozen Police cars parked up. Lights’ flashing to draw as much attention to the occasion as possible.

Lined around the shield, two of the police were speaking while another was pressing against the shield. And across the road were people taking pictures.

“It begins,” I muttered to myself and headed down the hill.

“Somebody needs to answer for the death, and you can’t stay trapped inside this thing forever.”

“There was no foul play,” Lucas said calmly. “It was an unfortunate accident. We have searched for any next of kin Robert might have had to alert them of his passing and to offer restitution. There were none, so we provided a respectful burial for him.”

“That’s not good enough. We need the body for examination, and someone needs to come down the station to answer some questions. They will be held until we’re satisfied. Preferably this…” the policeman looked into his notepad as I arrived. “Clive person?”

“That’d be me,” I said with a warm smile. “Robert really was given a respectful burial and send off, but if you insist you need his body, then we can dig it back up.”

“Clive Sutherland, right?” The officer said.

“All day long.”

“Then I am arresting you on suspicion of creating a cult with intent to cause harm to others and groom vulnerable people into believing you hold some kind of magical power they can share in.”

“Is that last one illegal?” Lucas asked, with a curious look on his face. “I mean, isn’t that the basis of most religions?”

“Shut it smart arse,” the policeman’s partner who had been mostly quiet snapped.

Lucas smiled back. “Unfortunately for you that’s not within your power as a servant of the public to demand. Not unless you have something to charge me with?”

“Aiding and abetting this fella in murder and all of the other stuff with the cult.”

The other officer glared at him, and Lucas chuckled. “Bold words and zero proof.”

“Either way,” I said loudly. “At this point, I will not be coming in for questioning. If you want my statement, I can give you it right now. If you want the body of Robert, I can also give you that.”

The senior of the two policemen shook his head. “Clive Sutherland, you do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Now please step outside of this barrier.”

I sighed and shook my head. “When you have someone to take my statement and appropriate transport for Robert’s body, let me know. Until then, goodbye officers.”

“Clive Sutherland, this will go a lot harder for you and all of these people you have trapped on this farm if you do not come now.”

“No one is trapped,” Sophie said. “Now as Clive said, when you are ready to take a statement and reclaim the body, let us know. Until then, you have no further business here.”

With those final words, we all turned and walked away, the sounds of the threats coming from the police drowning out any hope of conversation until we were far enough away.

“So one of the people from the bus sold us out.” Mal grumbled. “I suppose we should have expected it.”

“What should we do next?” Sophie asked worriedly. “They’re not going to stop.”

“Don’t worry about it Sophie. Just make sure everyone is careful coming and going from the Sphere. We don’t want people getting arrested. “We have enough people here now to provide portals, anyone wishing to come or go needs to leave through one for the time being. Those close to gaining portals like Kate and Chris should push themselves to do so. The main thing to remember is that we don’t live by the rules of this planet anymore. And while it will take time for them to realize that, they will in the end, because ultimately there’s nothing they can do against our shields, our portals, or our powers. The world has changed and it’s never going back to the way it was.”

Sophie offered a resolute nod in reply. “Having seen Far Reach now, I believe everything you say. I’ll let everyone know of the new rules.”

“I’ll keep training those I brought with me,” Lucas said. “We might need them soon if this escalates too far.”

“It won’t, but they definitely need further training. And thanks for your handling of the situation back there Lucas. You had them on the ropes.”

“You’re welcome, Sir,” he said snapping out a salute before hurrying off toward his watching men. I finally turned to Mal. “Me and you need to train, mate. You ready?”

“I thought you’d never bloody ask!” I spent the rest of the day with Mal, going through a number of powers I thought he might be able to mimic. He couldn’t get the hang of portals, but he was close and with a little more control I suspected he’d get it sooner rather than later and it looked to me to be an Internal Connection problem.

He did manage to create a Void Storage, which he was overjoyed with and he developed Light Everlasting, which he then had to replicate with Mortal Neuma to gain XP from. HE did so each time with little trouble, and managed to jump eight levels to 306. I forced him to invest all eighty points into Internal Connection and then had him try to create Soil from scratch again.

He didn’t have Stone Neuma, nor the range of Neumas needed for food creation, but the success in Soil creation did bring him up another eleven points with a legendary bonus.

He high fived me after that, but then pushed me to help him hit another Ethereal Stage. Those attempts were unsuccessful for the simple reason, I didn’t actually didn’t know how to do it myself. The success I’d had in that endeavor was from having a demon core which I could regenerate a body from. Actually having to plan a body from scratch, creating veins, muscles, organs, the brain! It was a whole other league.

The only way I was able to do it a second time was to hack one of my hands off, then to first heal my missing hand, and then I began to heal the severed hand.

I was a little awed when it began to work and as I fed in power soon a full arm was rebuilt and then a shoulder and chest. I was confident I could continue and recreate a full body, but it was a hell of a drain on my Neuma supply. The very same Neuma supply I was trying to save to level up.

I reabsorbed the neuma from the arm chest combo, and then eyed the horrified looking Mal.

“What in the actual fuck, Clive? I don’t think that’s normal. That can’t be the only way to do that shit. Is that how the other gods did it? That’s some high-level healing.”

“Do you have any healing?”

“None. Is that how the other gods managed the skill?”

“I don’t actually know. I’ll ask Peace.”

He frowned. “I know you just Soul Mated her, but why Peace? Surely Devotion or Destruction…”

“Devotion has high-powered healing. Destruction can regenerate.”

“You’re not as daft as you look, Clive. Well-reasoned.”

I contacted Peace, wondering how she would take my first intrusion.

“Clive! What can I do for you?” I was momentarily taken aback by her overwhelmingly positive response. I recovered quickly and asked my question.

“I’m trying to teach Mal how to recreate a body for an Ethereal Stage. He’s struggling because he has no healing. So I thought I’d check how you guys did it and hopefully find an easier way.”

“Healing? No. Who uses healing? How did you use healing for that?”

“Huh?” I asked with full application of Intelligence.

“So, how did you do it?”

“The same as everyone else, Clive. I created an Avatar.”

I slapped my head. “Ah, you’re bloody kidding me. That works?”

“It does indeed. How else would once create a body to inhabit? And that wasn’t a rhetorical question?”

“I thought you all knew. When Darkness had the dwarves hack me to bits, cutting all of the Demon parts off me, I transferred my consciousness into the core that was in those parts and regrew a new body from them.”

“Of course,” she chuckled. “How else. But in answer to your question, the conventional way is to create an Avatar.”

“Thank you Peace. You’re a star.”
“No Clive, thank you for Inez’s return. I hear she had some difficulties which you resolved?”

“You could say that,” I replied, “She’s okay now?”

“She is, though Dawnsinger is having to work hard to hide her displeasure at being lower in Level now.”

“I’m sure she’ll catch up. Dawnsinger is awesome.”

We ended the conversation and I studied Mal. “You want the good news or the bad news?”

“Good news,” he said his fist clenching in anticipation. “It’s nowhere near as complicated as I made it.”

“Really? Hit me with it.”

“You just need to create an avatar in your Sphere of Influence. The skill unlocks at Stage Six.”

“You asshole. Well that won’t do. It’s gonna have to be followers.”

“If you can find them… You could still try to develop your healing. It’s handy for other things as well as reforming your body.”

Mal shook his head though his response was contradictory. Right now I need to go and find some gullible idiots to follow me.”

“Good luck with that mate. It’ll be a hard sell. Practice them portals as well. And keep putting those points into IC.”

“”t least you’ve changed your tune from Intelligence.”

“For now,” I said wagging a finger at him warningly.

When he left for the day, I was pleased with his growth but disappointed at my own. Yet before I went back to meet Sania for our evening meal, I found myself practising of all things the poses I’d picked up from the Alo-im training video. I pushed myself through the movement for around half an hour going fairly fast at first and then slowing it down when I couldn’t crack the balance issue. I knew even the slightest tremor would fail the stage.

In the end I went back to the basic movement, but focusing specifically on the transitions. I must have looked mental to anyone watching but ,thankfully no one was. What I liked best about the movements wasn’t that I thought I would become a better fighter, because honestly, when would I need to be able to fight physically any more. No. This was about understanding my body and the power I had to change.

Big changes were impressive sure, but these minor changes, from swapping between breathing air to Neuma and this joint manipulation, it felt important to being an Alo-im. When Sania spoke over the bond for dinner, I smiled. When the gods called me to give me the power they’d pulled together for me, I’d take the Stage again and I’d complete it on all three difficulties.

As I teleported to Sania’s temple, I was thinking of what the next level to the challenges would be. Until I laid eyes on the huge roasted boar on the trestle table in her main hall.