WW6 -ch 4-

“You’re an idiot,” Felix muttered while looking at Melody.

She grinned at him, showing her teeth, and then shrugged.

“Maybe. But it worked! I now have a harem!” Melody declared. “I’ve got it whenever I want, on tap. It’s like having an eternal buffet at the ready. Sausage, clam, whenever, whatever.”

With a groan, Vince closed his eyes, then coughed, and started to laugh. He put his hands to his head.

“I want to comment or… or… say something… but it isn’t as if I haven’t done the same,” Vince grumbled.

Not far away, Miles twitched on the bed they’d put him in.

All three Campbells looked at the older man. Confirmed he was just shifting around, then looked back to each other.

They were seated on several chairs they’d dragged over.

“He’s not like us,” Vince murmured and hooked a thumb at Felix. “He actually fought all of them at every turn. I can’t seem to go a week without finding someone new and interesting.”

“That makes me the middle one then,” Melody offered, holding up her hands. “I’ve got all my colors and that’s it. I don’t think Gus would let me add more women even if I brought in super model Nobel prize winners with bodies like Dryads.

“Though… I don’t really think I want any more myself either. I guess my dance card is all full.”

Before Felix or Vince could respond to that, Runner entered. He paused in the doorway, looked to Miles, then the three Campbells.

“Surprises around every corner,” Runner murmured then leaned up against a dresser. He folded his arms in front of himself and clicked his tongue. “We were supposed to go on an adventure from here. To go across multiple planes and worlds and launch an attack on Zeus himself.

“There’s no reason to do that now. A lone actor is taking it on themselves to take the fight head on. We’ve all been sidelined. Completely. I can’t even reopen the way for us to join in.”

It’s Edmund.

Isn’t it?

He was the bodyguard target.

Then he could take care of himself.

Now he’s missing and we don’t have a job.

Should talk to Felix about this. I’m sure he knows more, or needs to know more. Either way.

“Oh,” Melody said, then looked to Vince and Felix. She looked back to Runner. “Does that mean we get to go home?”

“Yeah. You can… you can all go back as you like. There’s no reason to keep you here since there’s nothing to do. Your part in my little war is over,” Runner declared. Then he gestured to Vince and Felix. “No limitations either, by the way. You can return to where you were, or go back home, or both. Doesn’t matter now.”

“Great,” stated Felix with a grin.

Vince couldn’t disagree. If the limitations were removed, he could get a lot more done and very quickly.

Like… visiting that scumbag Emperor. Just knocking over his little shit heap.

Maybe just Dragon rush the east coast. Get it all squared away.

That way I can start pulling troops and moving things to Spain.

Though… that… all assumes I can deal with the Hungry One.

“I’ll take care of dad,” Melody offered quickly. “I’ll just take him back home and get him set up. He’s got a lot of power there too.”

Oh?

Oh.

That’ll work.

Would be nice to go see him and Melody at the same time, too. I’m sure we can arrange something so that Felix goes, too.

Melody bounced up out of her chair and turned toward Runner.

“Can my brothers come visit me whenever they want?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Sam can probably show you how to pop open a portal that’ll take you across. Just be careful,” Runner allowed. “Even if we beat Zeus, some of his people will hold tight to the worlds they’re in. Their power. A victory won’t make everything and everyone go away.”

“Neat. Just uh… just send Warner at them,” Melody said with a casual flick of her hand. “I’m sure anyone working with Zeus probably has a mountain of skeletons to handle.”

“Steve,” Vince said as a simple single word counter to Melody’s statement. Not everyone was working for Zeus willingly.

“I… oh… yeah. I guess that’s a good point. I saw them talking earlier, too,” Melody confessed and then shrugged. “Inc-Suc could probably start working on that if you wanted to hire them.”

Runner’s eyebrows shot up and he nodded slowly.

Apparently that suggestion was worth considering.

“Yes. That’s a great idea. I’ll go talk to Sam and Alex. If that doesn’t work out, I know a few planes that are filled with Cambion that are lost to the universe. They’d love a fight,” Runner said almost to himself. He smiled and nodded at Melody, and then waved a hand at them. “Just head back to where we fought and go into whatever portal you want. It’ll lock you into it and freeze you into place.

“Once everyone has gone through, I’ll send everyone off and restart everything. It’ll be just as if you’d walked through the portal and instantly came out the other side. Many worlds are currently stuck in a neutral period of waiting for everyone to return.”

Runner left quickly after that. Leaving the Campbell family to themselves.

“So… family reunion soon?” Melody asked, looking to the two men with a wide grin on her face.

“Family reunion,” Felix agreed. “Also… uh… give me your measurements. I’ll have some armor made for you. It just wouldn’t be good to have my little sister running around without what protection I can give her.”

Melody squealed, then got out of her seat and hugged Felix tightly. Hugging him with force.

“You’ll like my wife, Andrea,” Felix prophesied. “She collects guns, ammo, and is obsessed with pancakes.”

“I love her already,” Melody said, still hugging Felix.

Vince only nodded his head. He could see Andrea and Melody getting along almost too well.

After a hug for each and a promise to meet up soon, Vince wandered off toward the portals. He paused briefly to refill his spent magazines but didn’t slow otherwise.

Given the promises he’d received, he was eager to see what assistance would be given to him.

Walking up to the portal he didn’t stop and simply went straight into it. Entering it and finding himself once more in the dark world.

“You broke your word,” came an accusatory voice.

Vince recognized it as Alaric.

“I did. Your dad was pretending to not know. Your mother was there and pretending she wasn’t there,” Vince said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I just facilitated what they both were eager for.”

While there was no verbal response, Vince felt as if the young man behind the voice was glowering at him.

Glaring at him as a child might.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Runner said suddenly, his voice cutting into the void. “Alaric, you and I are going to need to have a chat later. Long chat. Lots of chat.

“Many, many, many words. I’m sure I don’t need to really gild the lily any further?”

“Ah… no, father,” murmured Alaric, sounding very subdued now.

“Great. Good. Now. Go… go help your mother,” Runner commanded.

“Yes, father,” Alaric replied.

“Parenting is tough,” remarked Vince. He’d missed many moments with his children, but he tried to be active with them whenever he had the time, or chance to.

Even when the parenting required him to be a disciplinarian.

“My daughter… she… I think it’s going to require Fes and I to really come down on her like a ton of bricks,” Vince admitted.

“I’ve done my best with Alaric. As you can probably guess, his mother was… away… for a time,” confessed Runner. “He had lots of family around him. Just not his mother.

“I think that left a mark on him that won’t fade any time soon, unfortunately.

“Well… anyways. Anyways!

“Time to get you prepped and ready to go back. Especially considering you’re fighting the Hungry One.

“I’m afraid I can’t just… show up and stomp the demon dead.

“For one I don’t technically own your world. It’s still a Zeus planet. Though that’ll hopefully end soon, but not soon enough to help you.

“Second, I’m going to be extremely busy. Incredibly so. To the point that I think sleep will be a luxury.”

“Right… so… graveyard for a buffet of corpses I guess? Oh, and did Ryker empower Yaris?” Vince asked. “He said he would. That’d probably help because empowering her, empowers me.”

Runner sighed, grunted, growled, then sighed again though much louder this time. Then let out a surprised grunt.

“Actually. I can’t. Graveyard is just… gone,” Runner muttered. “It’s gone and I have no idea where it went. I’ll have to try and figure out what happened there.

“I need to make sure those bodies remain under lock and key given that given some faith they could be restored.

“Whatever. It’s fine. I can give you help of a different kind. Help that I’m sure will level the playing field and make this a non issue.”

“Oh?” Vince asked.

“Yeah. Given the way it all went down… how… yeah, how it all went down, we can actually get someone to help you directly,” breathed Runner in an uneasy tone. It was obvious he was referring to Ryker’s death. “Bianca is taking over the role of Architect and things are way better than I ever expected them to be.

“That also gave us the freedom to send Steve home to confirm for himself all was well. That everything was exactly as promised.

“He can also go to other worlds at will now. His first destination is going to be going to your world and helping you out with your demon problem.

“I don’t think the avatar is going to stick around long after Steve shows up. Either he’ll just obliterate it or it’ll run away back to it’s own island.

“Don’t think he’ll come back after that, either. Steve tends to leave an impression.

“Steve won’t be able to set foot in Britain though.

“Where your weakness is magic at distance, Steve’s is… well, it isn’t my place to say, but suffice it to say, he can’t go there. He can’t really remain in your world either. It’d cause too many problems for him later on. The followers of Zeus aren’t sure where he went.

“Though… you should ask if he can spare a Witch-Knight. A High-King’s Witch Knight. That’d help quite a bit I imagine since he can’t stay.

“Alright… any questions before I send you back? Any concerns or… anything?”

I need to tell him about Red, Leila, and Sam.

Ryker had been aware of it, but is Runner?

He might not have told him about it at… at… at all.

He needed to tell Runner that they weren’t there.

“Red, Leila, and Sam are missing,” Vince stated with a grimace. “They got pulled into the portal storm or whatever. Vanished.

“As far as we know they’re not dead just… missing. I could really… really use them, honestly.”

Runner’s eyebrows went up.

“Oh? Ryker didn’t mention it but he was probably looking into it. I’m sure Bianca will start looking into it as well,” Runner mused. “I’ll be sure to check in with her about it. Make sure it’s on her radar. I’ll look into it myself as well. That’s really the best I can do for the time being.

“Is there anything else? Anything otherwise that we need to look into or take care of?”

“Other than Red, Leila, and Sam? No. Nothing. Everything’s alright other than that. I think,” he mumbled. “Should I make Zathira my goddess of death?

“Do I need to make gods for every race? Should I just… grow my pantheon?”

“Yes and yes? I mean, those are both good things to do. I wouldn’t try to force it like what your Elves are doing,” Runner admitted with a chuckle. “They’re manhandling their own faith and that’ll make it difficult for themselves in the near future. Though fine in the long run.

“Let things develop on their own. Faith is like that. People will believe in what they believe. It’s just easier to let them do what they want when it comes to that.”

“Then… ah… what do you believe in? You’re the Overgod. What does the Overgod believe in?” Vince asked suddenly.

Runner’s response was immediate.

“Family.”

There was an odd whining noise and Vince found himself standing in the same field he’d been in when Ryker had given him the call.

Family, huh?

Family.

Alright.

Well.

Yeah, I guess in the end… whether you’re important, or unimportant, a peasant or an Overgod,you find your family.

Whether they’re blood or not, you find them, and rely on them.

The world around Vince was in a strange monochrome. There was black, white, gray, and nothing else.

No matter which way he looked, this was how it looked.

From the now eerily pretty Johanna standing behind him, to the three goddess, Yaris, Dea, and Ferris who were not far off, and even the Null one, who wasn’t far off.

Dea was the closest of the three goddesses.

Her bright-red hair and its flowing curls were loose and sweat drenched.

Normally she was quite tall but at the moment her shoulders were somewhat hunched. She looked spent.

Even her pale blue eyes, the color of a sky after a rain, looked wary.

Despite all that, she was gorgeous looking.

The planes goddess had gone from an average figure that any normal woman would have, to one that would fight and beat any other Dryad..

The goddess of Dryads looked a lot like a Dryad and was the epitome of one now.

Ferris was just beyond her, the fine features of her blessed and artfully crafted face facing up toward the demon. Bright-blue eyes that were almost white in color locked there.

Her figure and body ran toward average and nothing out of the ordinary.

Ferris was quite tasteful and modest, in fact compared to other Dragons.

Her white hair was arranged in small coils that ran along her horns and across the front of the crown of her head. Given her white horns stuck straight back from her temples and curled up and partly around her head, they looked a lot like a crown.

Yaris and her Elf-blending of all the races was the furthest from him. Her dark-blonde hair was as equally sweat dampened as Dea’s, and her eyes were downcast. One hand holding to Dea’s shoulder.

She was the weakest of the goddesses and was visibly spent.

Looking ahead, Vince saw the massive demon, The Unsatisfied One, looming over them all.

The creature had devoured a host of lives in the blink of an eye and grew in power. To the point that even the Null had advised them all to run away.

Clicking his tongue, Vince looked down at himself.

He was kitted out in the same way, though he felt much fresher at the moment than he had previously. Having a chance to unwind, take a nap, spend time with family, eat, and drink, had provided him a massive “second wind”.

“Well that’s a big bastard ain’t he?” drawled Steve.

Looking to the speaker, Vince saw the man walk out of a portal. Beyond him and inside of that oval Vince spotted Nia, her family, and a large log cabin. There were lots of smiling and freakishly attractive women in that group.

“Yeah. Apparently the Null can’t even fight him,” muttered Vince.

“Yeah, he was kind of a failed god. About all he managed to do was keep this bastard out of Europe.

“Though… well… that’s a positive, I guess. Better than the rest of the world managed. Other than your North America.”

Steve looked to Vince, then smiled.

A smile that was free, unhindered, and without tension.

“Thanks, by the way. If I was in your position I’m not sure I’d want to have waltzed up to ‘Seville’ and do what you did,” Steve observed with a slow shake of his head. “So… thanks. For being brave enough to walk up to me. Given my reputation I can’t imagine that was a real fun experience.”

“I mean, that was the job they wanted me to do,” Vince demurred politely.

“Could have said no. You didn’t. So yeah, thanks,” Steve said and looked to Johanna, then back to him. “Runner told me I could unpause the world when we’re ready. Anything you wanted to cover?”

“Uh… oh, Runner also mentioned I should ask for a High-Witch-Knight-Lord or something,” Vince mumbled with a small shake of his head.

Steve’s eyebrows went up, then he grinned, and nodded his head slowly.

“Definitely. I’ll send over a couple. I’ve got lots to spare and honestly it’ll be a good way to start with trips off plane. I have… I have a lot of work to do to fix things I broke,” Steve remarked.

“I can probably help out when I’m done here. I do love an adventure. I get kinda bored if I sit around for too long,” offered Vince.

He felt somewhat of a kindred spirit in Steve.

With a laugh, Steve waved a hand at him.

“You know what, I’ll take you up on that! I could use a hand and with how strong you are, that certainly would make things easier for me.

“Now, however, we get to deal with that bastard.”

Steve gestured at the demon.

“I figure between the two of us we can absolutely stomp him flat. The question becomes, how bad do you want to whoop his ass?” Steve asked.

Vince thought on that, then realized that he could actually help build out his own mythos in some ways.

“Could… you kick his ass in as flashy a way as you can, dedicate the victory to me as a god, and just leave it at that?” asked Vince.

“Oh yeah. I can definitely do that. I don’t mind at all. It’d be rather fun, actually. I’ll just bail as soon as I finish the dedication if that’s okay?” Steve asked with a laugh. Apparently he understood what Vince was asking and approved of it. “What do you want me to call you in the dedication?”

“That’s fine. Thanks. As to what to call me… Vince, lord of Elves, Dragons, and Dryads.

“Beyond that though, would you want to get a drink sometime? Go to dinner with family? Play date for Nia and my kids?” Vince asked, deciding to act on his feeling. Steve really did seem like he could be a friend. “Not many people I can relate to and fewer I can fight back to back with.”

Steve’s grin bloomed into an even wider one.

“Yeah. Let’s do that. Nia could use friends. Lots of them,” Steve agreed.

The terrifying man that’d been Seville seemed well and truly gone now.

Then he hefted his woodsman’s axe and looked to the Demon.

“Well, let’s get this moving then. That avatar isn’t going to kill himself and I’m really looking forward to being… being Steve and being home,” Steve muttered and then stomped forward toward the big demon.

With that action taken, the world snapped back into color.