We tinued on toward New Lordaeron. I wao wait for the initial Observer's report, but I also felt an increasing sense ency. Worse I was slipping into a "let's get this over with" attitude. On a happier note, I could see that the spread of small clumps of the purple grass was beginning to reach as far as the Suel. It was o see patches of new vegetation here and there. Surprisingly there were even new bushes sprouting up, of an obviously different character than the scrub brush native to the Badnds. A small victory, but I'll take it.

  Each small triumph could add up, and those small positive ges could bee rger shifts over a long enough timescale. What kind of timescale? I couldn't begin to guess. Would I even be around to see the ges myself? I'd no clue. How long would I even have to putter around on this world? A very long time, judging by Meadran's lessons. Even Jaina thought that Mages (and presumably Druids) aged much more slowly. Then there was the issue rowth seeming to reverse at least some of the effects of aging. With all of that w in my favor, I could see living at least a few hundred years. Though the meaning of having that amount of time was hard to grasp.

  Looking out at the slowly mixing enviros, Earth desert and the alien grassnds of I suppose Azeroth, I pondered what these vistas would look like in a tury. Would all of this be forest by then? Would the jealous Corpos scorch it all? The only way to get any of these questions answered to my satisfa was to keep living, and see for myself. And I po.

  As we got closer to home, the increased may in the air had me buzzing a bit. Moving bad forth between the differiies was an iing experience. Could that be a way to train my mana capacity? Like running in high altitudes to be your lungs. Hmm, that was something to explore ter.

  We arrived at the outskirts of New Lordaeron. So much had ged under Jaina's keen guidance, and even the few days we had been gone gave her ample opportunity to expand. Wait, she'd also snagged a good chuy ts. Even with the thousand I had gotten from the Quest, I was now down to 4000 total. When did that happen? My eyes bulged, I may have been just a tad upset. "What the hell has she been spending my Points on?"

  John looked over at me, probably w what I issed about now ."Jaina has used 5000 pany Points for something, or more likely a lot of somethings." I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I wasn't actually mad, but I was fug shocked. I trusted her, but wow that was a lot of points. I thought back to her reports, did anything in there indicate where all the points went? No, not that I could recall. Iure, I think I'm going to require an itemized list of expenses. So that this odd sensation of being stolen from, wouldn't be as much of a problem. I didn't need more unpleasant feelings, especially right then. "That's a lot?" John asked. ht, I hadn't really discussed the Points situation with them. While we were parking the MRAP, I filled all the fels in on the oints worked, and what kinds of things they could buy.

  Getting out of the vehicle, aused to take in the ged view of our Town. Several new buildings were present close by. The obvious ones were the Church, with its belltowers and giant golden rayed sun iography. It had been pced right by the Town Hall and just in front of the Barracks. The buildio that, billowing out a ton of smoke while creating a ctter we could hear from here, must have been the Smithy. The other new buildings were likely housing for everyohese were structured some where between apartment plexes and medieval vils.

  Off to the north, I could make out several additional farms. I couldn't yet tell what they were growing from here, but I was certainly ied in new fresh food items. Okay, everything I could see probably expined some of the t usage, but not all. As we got closer to the Town Hall, we could finally see where the rest of the points went. Up on the hill o my mansion was an orower, its peak was maybe 400 feet high and surrounded by a aura of mana that even those folks with no talent could see. The tower's base was rger around thaown Hall, making it by far the rgest building in the area. What was all that space for? We Jaina expeg to train an army of mages...

  That was not a bad idea. I'd already begun to suspect that most folks with cyberware were more vulnerable to magic. Taking advantage of that was a smart py.

  The fels and I stayed close together as we made our way from the parking area to the Town Hall. Not quite marg, but remaining wary. Despite this, folks greeted us warmly as we passed them. There were lots of these people with faew to me. Freshly summoned from the Town Hall I supposed. In fact, I didn't see any of the summoned people I was most familiar with anywhere nearby. Nor did I see any of the Nomads. In further fact, I was beginning to that it was bizarre that Jaina wasn't here to greet us. I reached out through the Psifield, 'Jaina?'

  'My Lord!' I could sense surprise with a tinge ht joy a deep pleasure. Well, alright then, good for her. I chuckled, w who the lucky bastard was. 'I'm sorry! I got too caught up in my test spellwork that I didn't sense you.' Sure, Jaina, that must have been some spell. Maybe I'd have to learn about this alternate form of enjoyable spellcasting.

  'No worries Jaina, just cheg in on you. We'll be at the Town Hall when you are ready.' I tried not to let my amusement bubble through the e. I really did.

  'Yes, My Lord.' I cut the e. I could almost hear her blush through the Psifield, I could certainly feel it.

  A sharp twist hit my guts, and I couldn't enjoy the momentary amusement any longer. Something was burning in the bay mind, and it was getting closer. It was all I could mao keep on task, and wait until I had a clearer picture. I had no doubt something fucked up was going on, but I cked the insight to locate the problem.

  As we passed the Church a white robed figure, hood raised, exited the rge double doors. I just about drew my on on him. "My Lord! It is so o finally meet you." A man's voice drifted lightly out from uhe deep hood. I was immediately put more on guard, not relieved. I could feel the rest of the boys tense up behind me, oep from violence. "Is something wrong?" The voice sounded genuinely ed about us.

  I reached out with my new senses. His mind was a gentle pce, his thoughts truly were full of devotion to his God. I rexed a little. Golden energy surrounded him. Faith. It put him into the tentatively not a threat pile.

  Something savage growled in my heart before I cmped down on it. The Emperor Css was angered by any Faith not directed towards it. "Sorry our st enter with a clergyman didn't go very well." I decided to be friendly, once I could tell he was nothing like old Grais.

  "Oh! Oh no, I'm sorry. It is always a terrible shame when a priest loses their way." No nation, no suspi, and no doubt that we were being ho. This man might be the purest adult soul I've ever met. A true oddity that should be studied carefully. Perhaps only observed from a distao avoid spoiling the subject.

  "It was a shame, indeed." I didn't have the heart to expin more to him. Just the knowledge that such darkness actually existed might damage him beyond repair.

  "I am Father Mauris, if you o talk my door is always open to you. I'll leave you to your work." No pushing, no proselytizing, what kind of priest was this?

  "I might just take you up on that. Good day, Mauris." I meant it too. I felt a o get to know this person. More importantly, to protect them from this horrid world. Odd, where did that feeling e from?

  We crossed the st few yards to the Town Hall. I reached out to touch the building, theated. My BTC was twitg like crazy.

  "I don't know what's about to happen, but I might be stuck for a while. Please guard my back." I swallowed, trying to keep down the rising bile in my throat.

  "Don't worry Hoss, we've got your six."

  "Uh huh."

  My hand made tact with the building and everything shifted.

  Endless white spa every dire. Oh, this pce. I hoped to never see this pce again.

  I sed around until I found the expected desk. All matte bck this time. The figure behind the desk a luminous, vaguely humanoid shape of greens and yellows.

  "Well, haven't you mao create a ton of paperwork." I reached out with my senses. A vast force spped me to the "ground". It hurt, but not it any typical way. It was the essence of pain, a densed feeling of pain. It ure, and nothing had ever hurt me more. Yet, all of the usual reas to pain were missing. No increased breathing, no sped up heart rate, everything stayed level.

  "How rude. It would be wise to keep your primitive mind to yourself. Unless you wish to find out how much damage your soul endure." Ah. That would be why. I wasn't here physically.

  "Pardon, you seem different from the beings I met the first time I was here."

  "You've never been here... ht, you 't see where you really are. Which means you also 't see who I really am. Bother." The figure seemed to flicker for a moment. The space around us did flutter for a moment, like a dle burning in the wind.

  "No. Well, I guess I don't get to crack your psyche today. Aime then. I am your Case Worker." I remained silent. I didn't see a good way to respond to any of that information.

  A chuckle escape from the Case Worker. "You bsp;restrain yourself. Good primitive. Now listen up, we are going to fix that hole in your soul. so that some stray demon 't viote you through it. You may express yratitude now."

  I raised my eyebrow. "Thank you?" Doesn't my gratitude e after you fix the problem? Also, shouldn't I be pissed right now?

  It sighed. "I guess that will have to do." It pushed a stack of papers at me. "Fill those out. Might as well make yourself useful. Bugs like you aren't good for much else." Again, I wao be angry, but something preve.

  I learn a horrible lesson the first time. Knowing that without pliance, I'd just be stuck here, I started looking over the paper work. It was all worded iremely vague statements. It took almost 25 pages of reading for me to determihat this was ultimately an incredibly detailed description of my time on the h. That's how bnd and obscure the w was. It could have been the excessive details of almost any other person on almost any other world, doing almost anything.

  No telling how long I was there reading. The being had told me to fill out paperwork but, so far, there was nothing to fill out. Not even those little annoying pces to initial, that exist on most bureaucratisense. For all that I reized this as a b meaniask, I simply didn't feel any of the frustration that I knew I should.

  That I couldn't feel the normal range of emotions almost mao get through and bother me, but not quite. The faint tickles of remembered annoyances danced hauntingly close. Yet, I couldn't reach them, never mind express them.

  Several hundred pages ter, the first actual form to fill out arrived. It was just asking for basiformation. I tapped the bnks and they filled in with whatever I wao write there. So on and so forth. tless, pointless forms filled out oer another, between huge swaths of meaningless reports. Worse, the pile kept refilling itself. Adding stacks of new pages just as I thought it was over. Yet, I still felt nothing but I o get this over with.

  Whe form was filled out and disappeared, I couldn't believe it. I started to look around for more forms.

  "Finally! What took you so long? It was only ten million pages. Hardly an afternoon's worth of work. I've dealt with twenty five other cases since you started. Luckily for you we altered the flow of time a bit." How much time had passed? I could feel another almost flutter of emotion.

  "No matter. Since your css sele was hijacked by several ic level beings, we are going to give you a choice." Oh a vague sense of i stirred in me.

  "We 't remove the offending css without causing perma damage to your soul. That sucker had dug in deep. We offer you two csses to pehis will help ba it's influence, while ing up the mess left by the broken Padin css." It ughed. "That still cracks me up. You. A Padin. They are just handing the good stuff out to ahese days." Its ughter ti out. My hand ched. Yup. I almost felt something that time.

  "Alternatively, we up the shards of the Padin css, and then evolve either your Druid or Smith Css. That's actually a better deal than it sounds. Css evolutions are rare. You still take a new css from the Town Hall, once you return to your disgustingly weak body." This was a question of quality over quantity. At least if I uood the Case Worker's ranting correctly. Actually, It wasn't really a choice at all. I was already annoyed by the influences of the Csses on my mind. At least with the Druid and Smith Csses I'd thought those influences aligned pretty well with who I was before. Or who I'd thought I was before.

  Two more random csses, while they might solve the problem at hand, would cause more problems ter. More dires to pull my identity out of shape. Evehought of taking another css once I returned was troubling.

  "The sed option."

  "Iing! Which css will you evolve?" That wasn't really a choice either. As long as I had a stated goal, I o improve my ability to achieve that goal.

  "Druid of Renewal."

  Two sheets of crisp green paper appeared on the bck desk. The Beiured to the paper. "Pick."

  [ Archdruid of Renewal

  +3 to Spirit per level

  +3 to Will per level

  +2 to Intelligence per level

  +4 free points per level

  An evolution of the Druid of Renewal. This forms a deeper e to the Cycle of Life.

  Spells: Rehe Cycle, Reinate ]

  The e read...

  [ Grove Keeper

  +3 to Spirit per level

  +3 to Will per level

  +2 to Body per level

  +4 free points per level

  By increasing a e to a Grove, a Keeper gains further uanding of their p Nature.

  Spells: Awaken Trees, Forest Walk ]

  I picked up the Arch Druid page. The Grove Keeper was likely a very potent evolution, but I didn't even have a grove to begin with. I was beginning to wonder if any of the choices I'd ever been offered, were actually choices...

  "I'll give you a moment to look it over. Then back you go. Have fun, bug." The insulting being vanished, so I turned my attention to the ges in my css.

  Better. I already felt better, even without my emotions. My stats were starting to look rather ridiculous. Good. I would o be as powerful as possible.

  I had several of my spells evolving. Iing. Let's look at the new additions.

  Rehe Cycle. This was a doozy of a spell, that took almost ten hours to cast. So, not something to use in the middle of a fight. It also required an array of unusual pos. For the sacrifice of these materials, it returned any one living being to it's best state of health, while removing any anomalies affeg them. For additional pos and increased mana costs it could alter the target in any number of beneficial ways. The spell would instantly destroy any undead or unnatural target. Fasating, I could cast it on myself.

  Reination was not a spell irictest sense, nor was it actually an ability. It was some hybrid bination of the two. After casting a rather long spell, It would activate upon my death and allowio return to life. However, I would have no choi who or what I returned as. It could only be activated once a tury. I pohat. If csses and abilities carried over, and I didn't die more than once every hundred years, I was now possibly immortal. Maybe.

  I'm sure I could still get trapped in something like a Weasel's body. Which might st two to five years normally. Mana might extend that, but probably not out to a tury. So I couldn't t on it. Also the body would likely affect my identity to some extent. A few spins on this wheel and I'd no longer be me.

  Not that I was sure I was me anymore.

  Matustos