text: I shuddered as the visions of Chris and the strange old figures left my eyes. As I recovered my balance I felt my muscles shake instead, quivering on my arms and legs. I reminded myself that this was normal, that my last few Rises had contained explosive growth, but this time was especially terrifying. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and just rode out the remaining jitters, drawing on my previous experience of dealing with a body that behaved erratically. They finally passed, and I took a step forward, looking around. Guineve had gone somewhere, either to put away the cookies or to deal with some other errand. I shrugged and pulled up my mindscreen.
  
  The list began to load, and this time I stopped it.
  
  "Avalon," I asked. "You can help update my mindscreen, right?"
  
  "Affirmative," the planetary supercomputer confirmed.
  
  "Can I make my status screen more readable? Maybe change it to table-form?"
  
  "Confirmed that request is possible. Changing the Challenger's status screen now."
  
  I sighed out a thanks, and then repeated my earlier command.
  
  ─ Name: Wes Malcolm
  
  ─ Origin: Earthborn (Dusk Era), Avalonian (Challenger) Other bloodlines unknown
  
  ─ Rise Level: 13th Rise (Candle)
  
  ─ Saga: Unconquered Hero
  
  ─ Act 2: Unbowed Bones. +5 Con, Will, Str. General resistance to crushing damage and pressure-based attacks
  
  ─ Strength: 172
  
  ─ Dexterity: 155
  
  ─ Constitution: 172
  
  ─ Intelligence: 155
  
  ─ Wisdom: 150
  
  ─ Charisma: 172
  
  ─ Speed: 184
  
  ─ Deftness: 180
  
  ─ Wits: 150
  
  ─ Will: 208
  
  ─ Paths: War, Kings, Archmage
  
  ─ Skills (averaged): Weapons (14), Ideals (14), Misc (5)
  
  ─ Profession: Leader (Rank: Low Noble)
  
  ─ Art: War (Newly Gained)
  
  ─ Science: Forming
  
  ─ Craft: Forming
  
  That worked out being easier to read, though I was probably still going to tinker with it from time to time. And other than noting their increased sizes I dismissed the information about my vital, mana, and stamina pools.
  
  All in all though, I was pretty shocked. I had known that I had started to gain power faster, but I hadn't expected most of my Traits to increase by half of their original total before I even assigned any points. With more Ideals and more bloodlines and Bonds activated, along with the transition to the next stage of Risen heroes, Candle, I was now well above my weight class in just about every category. Even my skills, which had grown too numerous and detailed to list, had grown to where I could probably combat someone else five, maybe even ten Rises above me, without relying on the power I had used to kill Raw-Maw. That reminded me.
  
  "Avalon," I said out loud, scrolling deeper into the data to read about each individual bonus gained to my Traits. "What is this consumptive bonus I'm reading about? It's responsible for at least two points of every Trait increase I've gained."
  
  <Data not found>, Avalon answered.
  
  Before I could throw another fit about not getting the information I wanted, Teeth spoke up.
  
  <Oh yeah, that. We did that, remember?>
  
  <Um, no?> I answered.
  
  <We straight-up ate a guy.>
  
  <WHAT?> I demanded.
  
  <Raw-Maw's essence,> Teeth explained. <Plus a little bit of that prick that tried to taunt us after he merged with him. Remember? You bitched about us doing that. Said it would turn us into some kind of freaky monster.>
  
  <Yeah I remember being upset about that,> I growled in my mind. <I only did it because you said it would save us.>
  
  <It did,> FNG insisted. <Replaced a lot of the stuff you burned out with our double transformation. And there was enough left over to increase our personal power a bit. Would have been a much bigger increase if Raw-Maw hadn't been such a discount knockoff of a demigod.>
  
  <I'm still trying to process the fact that I digested something I killed in mortal combat,> I replied. <Hasn't really been my thing until now.>
  
  <Well get used to it,> Dragon-Me retorted. <We're a dragon. Eating idiots that mess with us is a big part of what we do.>
  
  I shook my head again and stopped answering. I wasn't ready for this argument yet.
  
  There were more changes to process. My Ideal magic had kept up easily with my Rises, thanks to my new Bonds and bloodlines. I had also kept all of my weapon skills close to the same rank as well, partly with the aid of the bonuses given from the Path of War.
  
  All in all, I was so well-rounded and overpowered that any video game tester would have destroyed me on sight, or at least cried out "hax!"
  
  And if I were in a video game, and not one of the few people standing against half a dozen worlds full of monsters and tyrants, I might have cared about their complaints.
  
  I spent my Risen points to raise my Wisdom, Intelligence, and Dexterity, since those Traits received the lowest inherent bonuses per Rise. I spent a few of my skill points to raise my skill with Blood and Lightning magic up to where my other Ideals were, and then I saved the rest for any new skills I might need, such as learning the magics of the Testifiers.
  
  I took one more quick look to make sure I was satisfied with the changes.
  
  Yep. That worked.
  
  After using my mindscreen to check the time, I realized it was well into the evening, and that Guineve had been baking very late.
  
  When I stepped outside of my manor and into my village, I saw her through one of the village huts' windows, sitting on a rickety old chair, rocking a sniffling child that was nibbling on a fresh cookie.
  
  <This…> Teeth began in my mind, and then stopped. <This is what we have?>
  
  <I guess so,> I answered calmly, as I watched the child in Guineve's arms stop her sniffling and gobble up the cookie Guineve had given her. <We're in charge of it, at least.>
  
  <Why…>
  
  My dragon-side was having trouble articulating, but he tried again.
  
  <Why do I feel rich?>
  
  <What do you mean?> I asked, but as I looked at the child snuggling into Guineve's lap as she fell back asleep, it suddenly hit me too.
  
  I really did feel rich.
  
  Trauma, war, and suffering notwithstanding.
  
  <I seek wealth,> Dragon-Me explained. <I can't help it. That's just part of our nature. But neither of my Fathers said this could be wealth. But I see them thrive. See them put things behind them. And then I feel rich.>
  
  I didn't have an answer for him, because with all of the ambushes and Challenges and nightmares and other business, I hadn't realized this feeling either.
  
  <We've got to protect this,> Teeth insisted. <How can we do that?>
  
  <We have to keep growing stronger,> I answered. <And…>
  
  I still struggled with what Guineve told me earlier. I swallowed, and tried to push past what I was taught to believe on Earth.
  
  <Sometimes, if we want to really protect them, we have to let them protect us as well.>
  
  We both wrestled with that thought for a moment.
  
  <Tomorrow,> I announced. <We'll get more training. That way we can work on doing both.>