text: <I really needed to think faster,> I told myself. Because this wasn't a hard decision.
  
  There was one more nest we could have possibly hit, according to Alum. Again he had been one of the last warriors overwhelmed and so he had known where most of the others had fallen. Not all would be recoverable, because he had seen some slain in direct combat. But he knew of at least one more place where exhausted warriors had been overrun.
  
  We hit that place, and the Gaelguard tore through it like paper.
  
  The rest of us almost had nothing to do. A few of them wrote some glyphs into the air much like Karim would, and then green fire swept through the spiders high up in the trees. The Arachmen put up more resistance. This group was composed of older Arachmen, possibly even survivors from the ancient battle in this place. Their skin and carapaces were darker, and they had a number of bristly hairs sticking out of their body. These were actually wielding swords and axes in some of their hands. But there were only eight of them, which meant we outnumbered them almost two to one after their spider-pets began to burn. As soon as one of the monsters were distracted by my own team, the Gaelguard would take advantage. One of their warriors would slam into the Arachman in a glowing blur, bashing them down with a wooden round shield while hacking away at their many appendages with sword or axe, shouting some chant my mindscreen wouldn't translate.
  
  The entire fight had taken less than three minutes. Afterwards, I was staring at the six stone bodies and preparing myself for the wracking pain that would accompany their freedom. Assuming I had enough power to restore them at all. But this time the woad-marked warriors all surrounded me and put their hands on me.
  
  "We can help you now," Alum said respectfully. "Please help us gain back our own."
  
  <Breena?> I asked, figuring things could still go wrong with using unfamiliar magic.
  
  <It should be fine,> my fairy companion said cautiously. <But I'll keep an eye on everything when they start helping.>
  
  <So will we,> Karim added. <Even though you're making more work for us.>
  
  I heard Eadric and Weylin sigh in agreement with how much new history they'd have to record, and smiled.
  
  Once again, I spoke to the magic of Blood, casting Vein to Vein. Once again, Teeth and I put aside our differences and worked together. Hopefully that wouldn't become a trend yet; we still weren't ready to get along. But when the Woadfolk put their hands on my shoulder and flared their own power into me, the blinding whitewash of power turned into a sea of green. I could still maintain my control of the spell, but this time I was wracked by the flow of vibrant power entering my body, instead of the blood and magic leaving it. The power actually felt nice. Soothing, even, after the initial shock. It dulled the pain I normally felt casting this spell, and after a moment I began to feel healthier, like I used to feel after a really good bout of exercise.
  
  Then my vision went red.
  
  <ERROR,> a message drilled into my mind, different from the messages my mindscreen sent. <Detecting an Earthborn undoing key Council restrictions. Violations include: genetic tampering, unlawful seizing of territory, and interacting with restricted civilizations.>
  
  I finished the spell, but the wracking sea of red remained, locking up my limbs, drilling painfully into my mind.
  
  <Triggering termination protocols now.>
  
  There was a high-pitched buzzing in my inner ear, but nothing else happened.
  
  <ERROR: termination algorithms failed. Tampering from outside source suspected. Introducing further restrictive measures now.>
  
  This time, there was a splashing sound in my inner ear, and my brain, lungs, and heart suddenly weighed a few hundred pounds heavier.
  
  That was what it felt like, at least. I had no idea what was actually happening. All I knew was that the act of breathing, thinking, or just living suddenly felt completely impossible. Every part of my body started to fold or clench itself.
  
  <No,> my compressed brain suddenly said.
  
  <Yes,> Aegrim spoke up again. <This is your true place, traitor-prince. If you will not serve me, you will bow under the Council's decrees. These burdens are now your true skies, your true limits, your true heavens.>
  
  <No,> the last of my brain cells said again.
  
  <Hold fast, Earthborn,> Vinclum said in my mind. <Heed not the tyranny of frightened old men.>
  
  <You cannot help him this time, Vinclum!> Aegrim snapped. <Just as he cannot help them! Just as he cannot save her!>
  
  The burden upon me pressed even harder. A ringing sounded in my ear.
  
  Someone outside was calling out my name.
  
  Outside. Someone outside.
  
  There was such a thing as outside.
  
  <No,> my damaged brain growled. <These are not my limits, not my skies, not my heavens. I have an outside. I have a whole universe just outside. I will save them. And I will save her. You cannot stop me.>
  
  The burden pressed down on me again, making my insides weigh tons instead of pounds. By now I could realize that the weight was a message, the same two words over and over. <You can't. You can't. You can't.>
  
  I felt the green power again, crushed down with me. It had triggered all of this somehow. It had given me too much of something, and that frightened someone else somewhere. Who and where, I did not know. But I grabbed back at the burden, wrapped my defiance around every message saying "you can't." I shook and throttled them all, and then with a heave inside my soul I lifted up… and *pushed*.
  
  <ERROR,> the red wall shouted futilely. <ERROR. Containment protocols breaking. Class 1 threat detected. Emergency protocols triggering. Dispatching notice of recent events to Stellar Council immediately. Dispatching notice recommending destruction of planet containing defiant Earthborn. ERROR: Unable to dispatch message. Communication network no longer available. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR…>
  
  <Teeth,> I thought out.
  
  <What?> my inner dragon gasped, fighting the same fight I was.
  
  <Lunch,> I commanded.
  
  <Damn straight,> the New Guy replied.
  
  I felt the dragon part of me shake off the last of his own restraints and lunge violently at the contaminant inside of my very soul. More futile "ERROR" messages shouted out from it, until Teeth tore the thing apart in the same way he had with Raw-Maw's essence and devoured the foreign intelligence bite by bite.
  
  Then he gave a smug, satisfied snort, and my vision and hearing slowly returned.
  
  The first thing I could dimly make out was Breena shouting urgently, along with feeling more familiar magic pour into me. Moments later, all of my sensations blurred together again as I suddenly processed just how many people were moving, casting, and shouting around me all at once. But a few rapid blinks fixed all of that somehow.
  
  I was still standing upright somehow. In the distance, the Gaelguard was steadying and sometimes embracing the newly rescued warriors, saying the word for "Earthborn," over and over. Breena was hovering protectively over me, and I noticed Val holding my hand and saying my name over and over in a frightened voice.
  
  "Wes?" Breena and Val said at the same time. "Are you okay?"
  
  "I… think so?" I answered carefully. I was struggling with the fact that my mindscreen was blinking furiously at me.
  
  "What happened?" Alum's son asked from behind me. My mindscreen kept blinking. I finally focused on the message.
  
  <Pre-recorded message, designator Avalon.>
  
  <Greetings, Lord Challenger. This is a message informing you that further contaminants were discovered within your brain, linking directly to the soul itself. These contaminants predate the device recently discovered in your brain, and seem to be contaminants inherited from a previous host, possibly a birth mother. Avalon is complying with previous conversations to delay delivery of information until Lord Challenger indicates a readiness to process said information or said information becomes immediately relevant. This recording has been triggered by said parameters.>
  
  <Upon comparing the Lord Challenger with recently repaired logs, Avalon suspects the existence of restrictive contaminants present inside of every Earthborn, passed down genetically and with the intent to prevent or restrict the Earthborn race's ability to Rise. Further examination of fellow rescued Earthborn supports said hypothesis, as does the Lord Challenger's recent transformation of his native race. Avalon has worked to inhibit and counteract said contaminants and this warning is to inform the Lord Challenger that Avalon has recently prevented the contaminant from enacting lethal behavior. Please contact Avalon directly for more information.>
  
  <End of message.>
  
  "Breena?" I asked carefully. "Do you remember when I asked you about something called the Stellar Council, and how you've never heard of them?"
  
  "Yeah, Wes," Breena said slowly. "That's still true."
  
  "What do you mean?" Breyn asked. "My father just said you were an Earthborn, did he not?"
  
  I sighed, closed my eyes and counted to five.
  
  "I am, in fact, an Earthborn," I try to say patiently. "But I am unfamiliar with many of the assumptions people are recently having regarding my race. Please explain the connection my race has with the Stellar Council."
  
  "Connection." The young man blinked. "Right. Um, your race leads it? Does that count?"
  
  "Yes," I replied levelly. "That completely counts as useful information."
  
  "Why?" Breyn asked. "It's common knowledge even among us Woadfolk. We were counting on it, in fact. It's the reason we tried to hold out as long as we did. So that you would be able to get the rest of the races and come here to help us. Isn't that why you're here? Because the rest are on their way?" He looked around hopefully, as if he was expecting an army to show up behind me any minute.
  
  "No," I answered gently. "And you're all probably going to have some disappointing news when we really have time to talk. Let me ask you this: Did my race have any enemies on the Council?"
  
  "Enemies?" Breyn snorted incredulously, then shook his head. "Sorry, Lord Earthborn, sir. Yes. Your race has a number of enemies on the council. You're all quite famous for it."
  
  "Great," I said dryly. "That's just great."
  
  "It's why you're all so popular, too," Breyn continued, quickly, but sincerely. "You were the only ones with the woad to stand up to those monsters. In fact, a few of them are no longer members because of your people's work. A lot of our worlds probably take it for granted now," Breyn added guiltily. "But the truth is that the people on a hundred thousand worlds have the freedom to hold their heads above the ground, because of what the Earthborn have done. Sorry. I uh, didn't mean to talk so much. It's just that I've always admired the people from your world. It's an honor to finally meet a member of your race."
  
  "Breyn!" Alum called out from the throng of newly awakened Gaelguard. "Don't talk the Earthborn's ear off!"
  
  The young man ducked his head in embarrassment.
  
  "Um, Wes?" Val spoke up. "What is he talking about? What other worlds? What council? Is this something everyone but us knows about?"
  
  "No." Karim shook his head. "This knowledge is new for all of us. And Earthborn no longer have a grand and lofty place in the Expanse. Off of their world, they are now hated and feared."
  
  "What?" Breyn's head snapped up. "Why? Why would they ever?"
  
  "Because for the last hundred years they have waged a war of conquest on the six sister worlds of Avalon." Karim's voice grew heated and strained. I saw anger leak out from his face, an anger he had probably been repressing around me for some time. "The two before you are the first two I have met that have not left death and slavery in their wake."
  
  "That's impossible!" the woad-clad man shouted. "And how dare you! The heroes on a hundred-hundred worlds owe their training and foundation to the Earthborn! Much less our seven worlds, not six!"
  
  "Okay," I said out loud. "Everybody calm down. We can shout at each other when we're all safe and above ground. Breyn, thank you. My people don't have a positive image even on our own planet. But a lot of things have changed since you were all taken by the Keepers. If we survive all of this, you're going to be in for a lot of surprises when you get back to the surface. Let's get ready to move out again."
  
  "Yes, Lord Earthborn." The man nodded at me. "But, may I ask you why you are so young?"
  
  "I'm not that young," Val insisted, thinking he was talking to her. "I'm fourteen."
  
  "He's talking about both of you," Virtus sighed, speaking up. "Because he remembers what your people used to look like, so he expects you both to be much taller. I'll try and bring his people up to speed."
  
  "Okay," Val grumbled. "But I don't want to hear him making any short-Asian jokes."
  
  Nobody but me understood her. But Virtus took the woad-clad warrior aside and began whispering to him.
  
  <Is he really going to trust what you say to him?> I asked the skeletal hoplite. <What with your old band fighting against us and everything?>
  
  <They're not comfortable with me, but since you've vouched for me there won't be any issues,> Virtus answered back.
  
  <Really?> I asked skeptically.
  
  <Really. A single sentence from a young Earthborn was enough to allay anyone's concerns back then. Your people had that much clout in the past.>
  
  "We need to move out again," I repeated, shaking my head and changing the subject. As I did so, I pulled up the rest of the messages from my mindscreen.
  
  <The Challenger has undergone another Rise. New growth is available.>
  
  <The Challenger has thrown off a recently discovered limitation to his ability to Rise. Intelligence and Wisdom have both increased by three points.>
  
  <A recent power channeled through the Challenger has awakened one of his dormant bloodlines. The Challenger's Woadfolk ancestry is now partially active. The Challenger will now receive a free point per Rise in Constitution or Wisdom, dependent upon the Challenger's choice. The gain is retroactive. The Challenger has a greater chance of comprehending Earth, Wood, or Water magic. Increasing skills related to axes, spears, bows, shields, or woodcraft will now be easier. Further activation of said bloodline is also possible and may provide further benefits.>
  
  <Another bloodline?> I privately wondered. <Just how much did my ancient ancestors get around?>
  
  I crushed that thought quickly. I didn't want any of the other voices in my head to try and answer it.
  
  At any rate, free points were free points. My Constitution score already had all kinds of Ideals and Bloodlines reinforcing it, so I threw all fourteen points into Wisdom instead. Then I ensured that all of my magics and weapons skills had increased by at least one rank as well. Finally, I spent the remainder of my skill points on any skills for mass combat or forest survival, since I was now leading a group of magical half-naked warriors to victory in an ancient forest. I looked over my status screen one last time to ensure everything was well:
  
  ─ Name: Wes Malcolm
  
  ─ Origin: Earthborn (Dusk Era), Avalonian (Challenger), Woadfolk. Other bloodlines unknown
  
  ─ Rise Level: 14th Rise (Candle)
  
  ─ Saga: Unconquered Hero
  
  ─ Act 2: Unbowed Bones. +5 Con, Will, Str. General resistance to crushing damage and pressure-based attacks
  
  ─ Strength: 178
  
  ─ Dexterity: 164
  
  ─ Constitution: 178
  
  ─ Intelligence: 164
  
  ─ Wisdom: 168
  
  ─ Charisma: 179
  
  ─ Speed: 196
  
  ─ Deftness: 180
  
  ─ Wits: 168
  
  ─ Will: 217
  
  ─ Paths: War, Kings, Archmage
  
  ─ Skills (averaged): Weapons (15), Ideal Magic (15), Saga Magic (6) Misc Skills (8)
  
  ─ Profession: Leader (Rank: Low Noble)
  
  ─ Art: War (Newly Gained)
  
  ─ Science: Forming
  
  ─ Craft: Forming
  
  That would have to do. I walked over to Alum to speak to him.
  
  "You said this is the last group we can save. Are you sure we can't rescue anyone else?"
  
  "For now, I am." Alum nodded reluctantly. "The ones you see here are the ones that escaped our first defeat from the Keepers. The battle was chaotic, but before we split up a second time, we kept track of all who fled."
  
  "Breyn said you were counting on reinforcements," I replied. "Was that why you all chose to scatter the way you did?"
  
  Alum nodded.
  
  "The Earthborn had to have taken note of Avalon's invasion. Even if they had failed to defend it, they would have brought up the matter to the rest of the Stellar Council. We figured it likely that the Council would rule us in need of further aid, and that more reinforcements would come." The tattooed man sighed as he stared at me. "I gather the Council somehow ruled otherwise."
  
  "I wouldn't know," I admitted. "Untold aeons have passed since the battle here. The people of Earth today have no knowledge of other worlds whatsoever, let alone something like a Council governing them. Val and I are two of the only exceptions, but if a council still exists at all, I have no knowledge of them. Neither has anyone I've talked to, on any other world so far."
  
  The three Testifiers nodded in support of my words. The Gaelguard sighed again.
  
  "So much change…" He shook his head. He looked worried now.
  
  "Earlier you seemed pretty confident that we could turn things around with just a handful of people."
  
  "We can, but…" Alum seemed to struggle with his words. "I had hoped things had still been as they were before we slept. I had hoped that help would one day be coming."
  
  "As I said earlier, your help has now come," I said. "I'm sorry."
  
  Alum shook his head again.
  
  "We are now twenty, against several hundred foes and their thousand-strong pets."
  
  "Yeah those are bad odds," I said sarcastically, a little annoyed that his earlier bravado seemed misplaced. "Especially if I can't completely cut loose with my magic without burning down one of these sacred trees. Actually," I asked carefully, "how precious are these things?"
  
  "They could literally trigger a golden age, Wes," Breena said firmly. "And that's just a handful of these trees. This many could probably turn the tide for a whole string of Tumults. Don't burn down the trees."
  
  "Breena, if we are literally outnumbered by over fifty to one," I argued, "I don't see how collateral damage is avoida—"
  
  <Master.>
  
  My head snapped around.
  
  <Okay, assholes,> I said in my mind. <Which of you clowns is it this time?>
  
  <None of us,> FNG answered. <Stop pretending you can't tell us apart.>
  
  <Master,> the new voice repeated.
  
  I took a moment to calm myself, and realized that the voice was coming from all around me. And that the glyphs on the nearby trees flared every time it spoke.
  
  <Master… we call to you… Lord of this land.>
  
  I reminded myself of Avalon's mission statement.
  
  Distinguish between what belonged to me down here, and what did not.
  
  <Master,> the voice called out again, and I realized it was a group of voices, speaking in unison.
  
  They were mine. As was everything else down here.
  
  "Lord Earthborn?" Alum repeated. He looked intently at me now. "What do you hear?"
  
  "Lord…" I muttered. "That's right. I'm a king. Not a guerilla fighter." I looked at him again. "You called me Lord. Do you still belong to the Woadlands, or do you now answer to the ruler of Avalon?"
  
  "Per the old agreement, Avalon," the man answered carefully. "Why? Wait." More realization dawned in his eyes. I did not know how. "Did you just say you were a king? Under what mantle have you come down here?"
  
  "As someone wielding more power than he realized."
  
  I felt the green energy in me, and through it, a connection with the trees all around me.
  
  "The Lord of Avalon hereby answers your call," I said loudly and formally.
  
  The glyphs on the nearby trees flared again, turning a brighter, healthier green. Cracking sounded out from all around us. Splinters of stone fell like broken bark.
  
  "Answering," a voice similar to Avalon's but far weaker, rustled out from all around us. "The Woadfathers of Avalon heed our lord's call."
  
  The Gaelguard all looked up in bewilderment. Their eyes looked back at me, plate-sized with astonished comprehension.
  
  "You…" Alum stammered. "You're…"
  
  "Not here as a citizen of Earth," I finished for him. "I'm here as your king. Like I said. Woadfathers of Avalon. State your need and your obligations."
  
  "Need: deliverance." Old limbs rustled and creaked. "Obligations: Flower the world of Avalon. Provide life previously thought lost. Produce bounties for barren worlds. Final objective: make all things new. Per in accordance with Universal Law, specification…"
  
  The voice cut off without finishing. My instinct said that the trees were recovering power.
  
  "A few of you linked with one earlier," I said, turning to my brand new Celtic warband. "One of the Woadfathers. Can you do that again?"
  
  "If we can find the tree our woad-marks came from, yes." Alum nodded. "Each warrior is tied to a certain tree. If they can renew their bond with it, both the trees themselves and our warband as a whole will grow stronger for it."
  
  "Confirm that," I said quickly. Because this was super-important. "Every time one of you reconnects with their bonded tree, all of you, and all of the trees, get stronger?"
  
  "The great Woadfathers link with each other through their roots," the blue-inked man replied. "If one stands tall, the others can stand tall. If one gains nutrients, the others gain nutrients, because their roots bind each other together. Our tattoos let us share that trait, letting us raise each other up as well." He glanced at the group behind him. "Most of us were separated from our trees early on, but I know this group made their stand by at least two of their bonded Woadfathers. Before the Woadgrove spoke to you, I had thought it wouldn't be enough, but, now?"
  
  A new plan began to form in my mind.
  
  "The Keepers, they prefer flesh, and not plants, right?"
  
  Virtus and all the Woadfolk nodded.
  
  "Usually." Virtus looked up at one of the still-bleeding trees. "But the life force here won't work for most Keepers. Their spider-pets could feed off of the ambient energy the woadsap produces, but consuming the sap directly would produce enough power to kill outright all but the most powerful of Arachmen. Only the Matriarch and maybe a few of her firstborn would be able to handle the power. It's unlikely the Matriarch would be willing to even share it."
  
  "She'd have to, eventually," Alum replied. "There's no way even she would be able to handle the life force of a whole forest of Woadfathers."
  
  "Good point." The undead hoplite nodded. "Consuming too much of anything will kill you, even for monsters. That's always been true."
  
  <Not for dragons,> Teeth spoke up suddenly.
  
  <What do you mean?> I asked quickly.
  
  <Dragons consume whatever they wish, collect whatever they wish, and grow stronger for it. Remember what we did to Raw-maw?>
  
  "Okay, but the point is that she's got to be wanting new types of food, right?"
  
  "Yes," Virtus admitted. "That's the problem with Descending, remember? Even when you're full, you're still hungry."
  
  "And you hold on tighter to what you have," I finished for him. The ancient warrior nodded.
  
  "Alright, I've got a plan then," I finished. "Here's what we're going to do.