As much as Trillia wanted to visit her brothers and sisters-in-law. They set out a few hours later. The generals didn't stick around, saying they'd find their own ways there. Trillia preferred it that way. She wanted to see how her friends had grown over the time that she was gone.

  As they stepped through the portal and into the dwarven realm, Trillia felt a massive pressure press down on her, causing her to stagger and reach out to grab onto Amelia.

  "Ho, there!" A deep voice rumbled to the side. A short, muscled dwarf stood there. Dressed in some of the finest armor that Trillia had ever seen. A massive weapon sat comfortably on one shoulder, one side was a square hammer, the other a curved spike. "The pressure you're feeling is because you are projecting a divine aura. You'll have to dampen it or turn it off. We have far too many paladins roaming around, so when divinity steps in, our deity suppresses them."

  She was projecting a divine aura? None of her skills were a divine aura. "I don't know how?"

  The dwarf looked at her, confused. "Uhhh... Just give me a minute. Let me go get someone who knows this better. Stay here."

  The dwarf turned and stepped out of the semi-busy room. There weren't many people that were coming and going through this area, which surprised Trillia. Amelia went down to one knee and wrapped an arm around Trillia to help her stand. "You ok?"

  Trillia nodded. "Yeah. It's odd that I didn't get a notification. It feels like when Uncle Cord or Mom lets loose with an aura. Just an immense pressure that makes it difficult to do anything. Sorry, I'm holding us up."

  The group shrugged, except Fred, who had approached another dwarven guard. The two seemed acquainted.

  A few minutes passed before two more figures stepped into the room. One of them she recognized as Miah. The other prickled at all her senses in a terrifying way. As tempted as she was to scan them, she didn't dare.

  "This the one?"

  "Indeed. Sorry to bother you, Lord Hammerstone. Queen Alliyah needs her in the capital immediately. Otherwise, we would have done proper introductions."

  The other figure raised a hand. "No need to explain it. Queen Alliyah will forever be an ally and friend to the dwarves." As he stepped forward, he extended a hand to Trillia. "Rubious Hammerstone. Deity of Honor and Tradition, are you an ally to Queen Alliyah and the dwarves?"

  Trillia looked down at the hand. The others seemed surprised she didn't immediately reach out to grab it. "I don't know that yet, Lord Hammerstone."

  Even Miah seemed a bit taken aback. Lord Hammerstone, however, didn't falter. "Fair. At present, are you here as an enemy of the dwarves, or are you here to leave immediately and go to the Kadessian Capital?"

  At that, Trillia reached out to his hand. "I am Trillia Demonsbane Fairtrade, avatar of Lord Arlyss Darktone. I am not here at present as an enemy of the dwarves. I am happy to leave immediately. It is my hope to go to the Kadessian Capital."

  The two shook hands, and the pressure on her vanished. Finally standing on her own, she took a deep breath. "May I ask, Lord Hammerstone, why didn't that pressure show me a notification?"

  The deity looked her up and down. "It did. But you're a mortal, so you can't get it. Basically, it sends a notification to divine entities that they are trespassing on the territory of another deity. Normally, you'd get a notification, we'd establish a connection, and it would be resolved in seconds."

  That worried Trillia.

  A lot. Did that mean that any deity could just cripple her during a fight? As if on cue, the dwarven god across from her shook his head. "No. It just means that if you enter a holy site, you will be considered within our personal domain. The city you are in is a holy site for all dwarf kind. As such, my presence gives me considerably more power than I otherwise have. For what it's worth if you write ahead, I will meet you at the gates next time."

  Trillia bowed deeply to the dwarf. "Thank you for your understanding and time, Lord Hammerstone. I am sorry to bother you."

  The dwarf returned the bow. "A good day and safe trip to you, Lady Fairtrade." With that, he turned and started speaking with some of the other dwarves and visitors. The dwarves all gave the same deep bow. The visitors were mostly confused that they were seeing not one but two divine entities in the flesh.

  Miah stepped forward. "Due to the rules, it's more dangerous for me to guide you to Kadessa. Do you need me to hire someone to do so? Or can you make your own way?"

  Malor shook his head. "We don't know the way. A guide would make it easier."

  Trillia felt a sliver of power that she had never noticed before emitting from Miah. "Simon is on his way. He'll be here shortly. Sadly, we do not have the gryphons to spare for an easy flight. But he and Taz can lead you to Kadessa. I'll leave it up to your group as to whether or not he should join you in fights. His level will impact the amount of experience you'll gain."

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Trillia's eyes lit up. "Simon is ok?! I haven't heard anything after the harbor...I...I was worried."

  Miah offered her a smile. "It's fine. Only the traitors lost their lives that day after the dragon took you. I'm sorry that you were put through that, and I am sorry that the good name of the Golden Gryphons was tarnished by a traitor."

  Trillia immediately shook her head. "I don't blame anyone but the people who attacked. To do otherwise is foolish. I would never want to be judged based on the actions of someone else."

  It looked as if Miah was ready to turn and leave, but instead, she paused. "Why didn't you shake Lord Hammerstone's hand immediately?"

  Her friends all looked over at her, curious about the very same. "I won't lie to a deity. Especially not one who might be an ally. I've never met Lord Hammerstone. I have never met Queen Alliyah. While I have heard nothing but good things, I am, first and foremost, an Avatar to Lord Arlyss. Should catastrophe strike, and I am forced to stand against either, I will."

  That seemed to surprise all of them even more. Hammerstone walked back over, half-dragging Fred. "And don't you ever. And I mean EVER. Change that mindset, young Fairtrade."

  Miah turned to look at the dwarven god oddly. "Her sense of duty would make some Paladins blush. It is an honorable thing to hold loyalty to your liege, lord, and patron. A true dwarf would never question such devotion. Allies like her are a rare commodity in this realm or any other. I know where I stand with the young lady. I know that as long as her deity and I are not at war, I can count on her. That's the type of duty I can get behind. Now, not to be rude. But you all are blocking the room. "The dwarven god offered them a smile and motioned to the door.

  A few quick bows, and they took their leave to wait outside.

  The group was rather silent as they waited. After a few minutes of that silence. Malor spoke up. "Would you ever attack us?"

  Trillia didn't need for him to be specific. "No. My pact with Lord Arlyss is clear that he will never pit me against my family and friends. I won't abuse the wording for loopholes and make friends with everyone."

  Layla nodded solemnly. "It is similar to the pact he formed with me. I... I don't think I ever took it as seriously as you. Perhaps I should."

  Trillia shrugged. "I am his Avatar. I don't know if that means anything as far as the system is concerned. But it means a lot to me. I represent Lord Arlyss whenever I am dealing with foreign empires or other deities. I cannot let my own thoughts and ideals stand in strife with Lord Arlyss. It would make him look weak."

  The group went quiet again. A few minutes later, a loud, shrill cry caused their eyes to snap up to the sky. A dozen other gryphons jumped from the huge walls of the dwarven citadel or from the various peaks of the mountain it was built into. A loud 'woo-hoo' was heard as a figure began hurtling towards the ground as another Gryphon approaching the citadel spun, dipped, and dived.

  Just before Simon made impact, two huge gryphon-like wings erupted from his back. Gently landing him on the ground in front of the group. "Trillia! It's good to see you. I was worried what was going to happen when that damn lizard took off with you! Taz and the other gryphons were in a state!"

  Trillia smiled wide and approached Simon, happy to give the well-armored goblin a hug. "You have wings now! That's so cool! Can I scan you?"

  Simon hopped away and spread his arms and the two gryphon wings.

  [Goblin of Legend - Gryphon Beastmaster- 471] Explosive Mana Manipulation

  Notable Traits:

  Pact-Bound (Miah Darktone)

  Tri-Mind

  Gryphon Form

  Master Linguist

  Explosive Mana Mastery

  Professor of Taming

  ...

  Trillia wasn't surprised to see new traits. She stopped reading after Professor of Taming, but a dozen or more new ones seemed evident. "Gryphon Beastmaster, huh? I bet Taz is proud of you as well!"

  Simon nodded. "I'm gonna let him play with his friends for an hour or so if that's ok. I know we're in a hurry, but it's good to let him play with his own kind. We have done so much fighting lately. We've lost a lot of good gryphons. He needs his mental breaks."

  Trillia didn't mind at all. The dwarven guards and her group were all looking up, watching the gryphons play what looked like an extremely fast game of tag. Simon looked at her group, but his eyes mostly fell on Ialu. "Huh, I knew you were a good person."

  That caused Trillia to look over the goblin. "What do you mean?"

  Simon motioned to Ialu. "She'd fight a dragon if it meant staying at your side and protecting you. Skills can only do so much to inspire loyalty. Seems she's a bit angry that you had to leave her, though."

  Ialu walked over to the goblin. After glancing up for a moment, she happily licked the side of his face. Simon smiled and rubbed her head behind her ears. "Yeah, I hate it when my duties take me away from my friends as well."

  Trillia's smile only widened more. "I wish I didn't have to leave her, but I was worried about dying and her being trapped."

  A faint rattle on her back let her know that Leaf wanted to speak. She was happy to open the mental line. "As someone who lost it's Mistress. I'd rather be trapped in my sheath for an eternity, but know that I did everything I could to save her. Then to ever be left behind again."

  Trillia thought about that for a moment before turning to look at Ialu, who was thoroughly pleased to be getting so many pets and so much attention. Trillia responded back in her mind. "Thank you, Leaf. If I ever seem to be forgetting that, I hope you'll remind me." The blade rattled softly in its sheath before going silent again.

  "Simon. While we wait for Taz to blow off some steam. Would you care to spar?"

  That snapped her group's attention back to her. Most of them had no doubt scanned the Goblin when she had. Simon removed the sky steel blue helmet he wore, a deep grin plastered on his face. Trillia was happy to see that the lost eye he had gotten from Illana had been healed. "Oh, I would love to, Lady Fairtrade. I am curious to see how you handle yourself in battle. For the sake of fairness, ground combat only, no summons, no tamed creatures. Sound good?"

  Trillia was happy to nod as she stepped away from her friends. "Leaf is a sentient artifact. I'd like to practice with it so that I can better use it in combat. Is that ok with you?"

  Simon glanced at the blade but nodded. "Sure. Artifacts are fine. Maybe once things settle down, you and I can have a full-on battle, including Ialu and Taz."

  Trillia laughed at that. "Ialu and I would have to grow wings to make that a fair fight!"

  Simon shrugged as he tugged his helmet back on. "Anything can happen. I won't be going easy on you. Taz is a pretty good healer."

  As he spoke, a tower shield appeared in one hand, a long spear in the other. Trillia drew her rapier. The [Shield of Faith] swiveled in front of her. Leaf lept from its sheath and held a faint green glow. "Ready?"