text: I walked to the middle of the room, like I had done the first time.
  
  "Avalon," I said loudly. "I come to this place as your Nascent Lord. I seek to gain my remaining lost citizens as well as the rest of my authority so that I may fully conduct my duties. I come here also as an Earthborn warrior answering Avalon's call to aid."
  
  Mist slowly began to rise from the floor.
  
  "Avalon acknowledges the presence of Nascent Challenger-Lord Wes Malcolm."
  
  The planet warbled, and I winced. Here, in this place, we had encountered a piece of the planet's consciousness that had fractured off from the main body. Its data was corrupted, and we actually needed the device the Malus Men had implanted in my brain to let the rest of Avalon merge with it and repair it. A good portion of it was still damaged, but enough of it remained to give us information about a time period Stell had never known about, the period when there actually was a civilization on Avalon. Down here was where the last of the Avalonians fled, protected by their own wizards and by Earthborn allies, and where the invading horde followed them in. There, a small remnant somehow escaped to Earth while the rest ensured that their conquerors would be sealed with them in this place.
  
  Somehow, thanks to interference from myself and the rest of Avalon's consciousness, the seal to this place was broken. Avalon's Shelter. The place where they both hid from their enemies and chose their kings.
  
  "Acknowledging that the Challenger-Lord has completed the first Rite, the Rite of Transport. Further acknowledging that the Challenger-Lord has sufficiently grown in power to be eligible for more duties. The Challenger-Lord may embark upon the first Rite of Territory. Completion will grant the Challenger-Lord access to Avalon's closest daughter-world, the Land of Woad. The Lord and his retinue will be further enhanced upon completion of the Rite."
  
  "Further enhanced?" I asked, confused. "Didn't I have to be strong enough to attempt it in the first place? Meaning I needed to have power, to get power?"
  
  "Affirmative," Avalon's disjointed voice continued. "The power granted via overcoming a Challenge is inherent in nature, and the Rites themselves are Challenges. There is no reason to attempt to circumvent the Lord-Challenger growing stronger upon success. But the primary purpose of the Rite is to grant further authority and ability to perform a Lord's duties."
  
  That made sense. I decided to shut up and let the planet continue. Especially since Breena was giving me a dirty look.
  
  "The first Rite of Territory requires the Lord to tend to the land itself. The Lord must enter the marked location." One of the remaining stone doors, the one with a shining sword surrounded by giant trees, slowly began to open. "Upon entering, the Lord will be confronted with both natural and unnatural flora and fauna. The Lord is to use his inherent connection to his territory and determine which creatures belong in his domain and which do not. Avalon will now assign power to creation rituals, enabling the production of phantom creatures and fauna to test the Lord—ERROR—" the planet's voice changed and warbled for a moment "—hostile being detected in the location of the Rite. ERROR: native inhabitants detected in the location of the Rite. ERROR: In Case of Trouble Protocol is currently enacted. Updating parameters for the Rite…"
  
  That was fine. I was expecting something like that. Already had one round of it, in fact.
  
  "The parameters for the Rite have been updated. The Lord is hereby Challenged to drive out the invaders, recover the remaining citizens, and tend to the damaged land. Success will result in completion of the Rite."
  
  So pretty much do what I've already been doing.
  
  "Understood." I nodded, then turned and looked back at my team. "Everyone ready?" I asked behind me.
  
  Everyone nodded, and began to mutter enhancement spells. As I cast my own I felt my brain, bone, and muscles surge, gaining greater power than they should have. I realized afterwards that it must be due to crossing the skill threshold into the rank of Journeyman. It helped me understand why people were already considered powerful and skilled even though the names of the ranks weren't impressive. I shouldn't have needed it. Come to think of it I had already burned, shocked, and sliced over a hundred Hordebeasts back when my magic was only at the Initiate level.
  
  My muscles and bones finished cracking. To my surprise I even seemed to grow a little taller, without being unbalanced by it.
  
  Everyone finished casting their enhancement spells on each other, giving us shields made of script magic or extra speed from Breena's inherent fairy powers. Eadric took point, with Weylin at the back and the rest of us in the middle. The inky blackness of the open door loomed ahead of us. I listened to see if I could hear anything on the other side. Nothing.
  
  No. Wait.
  
  Chittering.
  
  And then it was gone.
  
  "Light," I commanded, summoning my round shield and writing the equivalent word in Spanish onto it. It was enough to create a small beam in front of me. "Just enough to see, not enough to blind us."
  
  "That will let anything inside know we're coming," Karim pointed out, but following my commands and writing the word out anyway.
  
  "They already know we're coming," I replied, summoning my enhanced spear from Breaker's hilt. "Stay together. And remember to look up."