DemiGodChapter 16 Betrayal
- 2 years ago
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Day???
John stepped through the portal and found himself in a place very similar to the Labyrinth entry, where he’d written his name in the sand, and accepted the Rules. Same doorway with walls extending into the distance, like the first and third base lines on a baseball diamond. Unlike the other however, his stone platform this time was only as big as the ones out in the desert, that he’d looped through three times to enter. Beyond its small, square boundary was an endless sea of sand stretching as far as he could make out, between the two diverging walls.
Kyet’sol herself was already present, her sleek, predatory head hovering several yards above him. As she had when he met her outside, save for part of her neck, the rest of her body was buried beneath the dunes.
“Challenger,” she boomed after he’d stepped forward and bowed respectfully, “you have completed your Tasks, are you prepared to decide upon your rewards?”
“I am, Great Dragon.” John replied.
“Very well,” she continued, “as a reward for your first Task, you may receive a general increase to all physical traits or all perception senses. Or you may elect to focus on a much larger increase to a single physical trait or sense. Which do you choose?”
“I was told before that choosing the same thing I’ve already received has a diminishing result. Is that true?” John inquired.
Kyet’sol paused. “You are correct, for most rewards. A general increase would not obey that rule, due to the smaller nature of each individual boost. As well, sight, aura, fortitude and reserves do not either, for varied reasons.”
By this point in his travels, John had had tons of time to imagine what he’d choose if he successfully completed all of the Dragon Challenges. So far, he hadn’t learned anything which altered his thinking regarding this next choice.
“I will accept an increase to my endurance.” He declared.
“Very well.” The dragon acknowledged. “Stand still.”
John held himself ready, and a refreshing wave of renewal swept over him. It didn’t eliminate the residual aches and pains from all the things he’d endured since completing the Ruby Dragon’s Challenge, but it did wipe out his exhaustion. He felt like he could run for days.
“For your second reward,” Kyet’sol continued, “you may receive a weapon, piece of armor or an item. It will be one you can use immediately, made from the finest materials known to us. Which do you choose?”
John held out his remaining dagger, the one that Dulgan had spent an hour enchanting during their trek across the desert.
“I’ve been able to turn in other items, and get a slightly better reward before. I want a helmet, but I’d like to turn in this knife. Would that be acceptable?”
The dragon’s massive head lowered to his level. Her breath washed over him, an eye-watering combination of blood, meat and something else he couldn’t (or didn’t want to) identify.
“You have learned many secrets regarding our rewards. I see that you do live up to your reputation. It would not have surprised me to watch you fail completely. Yes, though you desire a piece of armor, adding both of your daggers will improve the helmet you receive. The one you already sacrificed was automatically considered such. Place your weapon on the end there, and step back.”
Her chin dipped to indicate the stone corner closest to her. John did as she’d instructed and waited for his knife to disappear.
“While your item is created, we will turn to your final reward.” Kyet’sol said. “Do you desire to gain the ability to use my power, or to receive my power’s protection?”
“Your protection, please.” John declared.
“My protection has two aspects, only one of which you may choose.” Kyet’sol informed him. “I can speed up your natural healing ability by a factor of ten, or I can augment your body’s nature by giving you the ability to regrow any appendage you may lose. Be aware that such regrowth will take a normal amount of time to do so. Which do you desire?”
This brought John up short. His mind searched for estimated probabilities in both the short, and long term. In the end though, he decided to stick with his original plan. Hopefully, if he managed to live long enough humans would invent a way to regrow lost limbs for him.
“I’ll take the sped up healing.” He announced.
“Very well.” She said. “May you need it rarely.”
A tingling started at the top of his head and washed down to his toes.
“Also,” she continued again, “as a bonus for finding all three of the more difficult doors, I offer you an additional, but conditional reward. If you are willing to forgo your unusual relationship with but one of your companions, I will give you the regrowth ability as well. A short time loss, for a lifelong gain. Do you agree?”
John brain screeched to a halt. The only person he’d even slightly consider doing that to was Vorigan. While the Vamp was an unsavory person at best, he was also the most dangerous one to make an enemy of. And John was absolutely sure that being the one to break his alliance would result in the enmity of all the Vampyri from Blackwater.
“I thank you for the offer, Great Dragon.” John bowed again. “But I cannot abandon my companions, even for such an ability.”
“You have completed Amayru’s Challenge.” Kyet’sol accused. “And expect a very, very long life. Surely you can afford to eliminate a relationship which you know will end within a few years anyway. In addition, I observed the Vampyr conspiring with your Dwimar companion to depart your company and accept a position of importance within the Vampyri community. The Vampyr has also made an offer for an exchange of information, and possibly an embassy of some kind between the Djinn’s people and his own. He sought to keep this arrangement from your awareness. Do you still consider such a person worthy of your continued friendship?”
“I’m not sure I believe you’re telling me the whole truth.” John hedged. “But even if you are, I am very aware of the kind of person Vorigan is. I’m not willing to break my word to him, first.”
“Very well.” Kyet’sol allowed.
She paused, and John felt another tingling. This one started at his finger- and toe-tips before spreading up his arms and legs to die out somewhere around his neck.
“What did you do?” John demanded immediately.
“Me? I Tested you, Challenger from Earth.” Kyet’sol replied smugly. “I know you are aware of this world’s purpose.”
“And? Did I pass?” John pressed.
“Your results are between myself and another, as you know.” Kyet’sol retorted. “But I have done nothing detrimental to you either.”
“So, I still have my quick healing?” John confirmed.
“Your rewards are yours until death. This is a Condition of the Challenge.” Kyet’sol declared. “Now, your new helm is ready.”
A midnight-black helmet appeared where John’s dagger had been a few minutes earlier. Its style resembled the famously iconic Spartan helm used as a logo for sports teams in the U.S, but with a wider, more geometric opening for his eyes, nose and mouth. That opening was filled by a fine wire-like mesh, similar to that on a fencing mask, and a soft crest of fibrous hair flowed from the crown to the nape.
John picked it up and put it on. It fit snugly, with firm cushioning on the interior, like a motorcycle helmet. Once it was in place he discovered that the screen didn’t interfere with his vision at all. In fact, the eye-slit part was wide enough that his field of vision was close to one hundred-eighty degrees. A simple heads-up display appeared, with only two icons: a bare head, and the helmet.
“It is named: War Master’s Mask.” Kyet’sol announced. “Formed from two dragon’s scales, it will protect you from any weapon’s blow, save those rewarded by my sisters and I that are specifically made to penetrate armor. Even powers granted by my sisters will find very little conductivity through that helm. It can transform its appearance into anything you put on your head once, from this moment forward, but only provide half the protection. Additionally, when worn with your coat, Arms of a Giant, it will prevent you from becoming disoriented in combat. And if worn with your boots, Feet of a Soldier, your thought and focus during combat will be far less taxing.”
Thinking about his shield, John tried activating his new item.
“Mask, no helmet.” He said.
The HUD icons remained, but the rest of the dark material vanished. It even felt like his head was bare.
“Mask, helmet.” He ordered.
The armored headgear reappeared.
“This is great!” He gushed. “Mask, no helmet.”
“My sister, Typhon informed me that you have been seen in the company of a Technomancer.” Kyet’sol inquired. “Is this true?”
John hesitated. “Yeah, she’s a friend of mine. Why?”
“She might find your helm of interest.” The dragon replied innocently.
I’ll make a note of it. He snarked silently.
What are you wearing? Duin asked excitedly.
A new helmet. John answered. Do you like it?
It carries no personality? Duin confirmed.
None that I know of. Why? John replied.
It feels like I can almost touch it, somehow...
We all feel it that way. The Tooth added.
Like an itch in the middle of your back. Vafthundryr added.
We’ll have to experiment with it, then. John decided.
“This concludes your reward.” Kyet’sol announced. “You may depart using the door behind you. Should you elect to remain in the College outside, know this: a word from any Boon member is law. If you initiate violence, or impede the Boon’s efforts, your departure through an Exit Portal will result in being transported to a location chosen for its inhospitality to you.”
“Don’t start fights.” John summarized. “Got it. No problem.”
The dragon snorted in laughter. “An Evolved Warlord, armed with a powerful weapon, who attempts to complete Challenge after Challenge. I do not believe avoiding conflict is as easy for you as you say.”
“I’ll do my best.” John bowed, stepping backward. “I know one of your Boon people, and have great respect for what they do.”
“Kept you alive, have they?” Kyet’sol’s laughter doubled.
It echoed in his ears as he stepped into the doorway.
An unknown length of time blinked by and John found himself flipped around, still on the stone platform with sand stretching into the darkness. Kyet’sol’s piercing eyes regarded him silently for a moment.
“Uh,” John stuttered, unsure, “I thought we were done? Aren’t I supposed to exit now?”
“You have received your rewards, and the Labyrinth is completed.” The dragon acknowledged. “But have been returned to bear witness to an Event not seen since my arrival on this world.”
John blinked. “Bear witness?”
The dragon’s gaze bore down on him. “Do you agree, John from Earth, to watch the events I am about to show you, to remember so long as you live, and to recall accurately, should one of my kind demand it? And will you keep silent, unless asked by an appropriate authority?”
“Um, sure?” John offered. “How do I know ‘appropriate authority’?”
“You will know.” Kyet’sol assured him. “Do you agree to my Terms?”
John sighed, understanding what his agreement signaled. “I agree to your terms.”
There was a shimmer between one edge of his platform, and a second one that appeared on the other side. It even had a doorway like John’s did, which a hazy Vorigan stepped through. John moved closer, and reached out to touch the unusual barrier.
“Please watch only.” The dragon instructed. “And keep silent. Your Task is to observe and commit this event to memory.”
John nodded once. “Will do.”
Another, also-hazy Kyet’sol lowered her head to hang right at the corner of Vorigan’s platform, opposite the doorway.
“Challenger, you have succeeded in your Tasks.” The dragon said, sounding much farther away to John’s sensitive ears. “And normally would be eligible now for me to offer rewards. But first, we must discuss what would be the final reward, a gift of my power, or its protection.”
Vorigan bowed respectfully. “Great Topaz Dragon, Master of the Great Pyramid and Giver of Restoration and Healing, I greet you in solemn humility. Your words are concerning. I do not understand what you mean, nor what this is, that you put to me.”
The dragon’s head bobbed. “You do not, for you are the first to achieve the Call, in this world. You now face a choice, which must be decided before your rewards can proceed. Your decision must also be witnessed, by a person still living who has successfully completed my Challenge. If you cannot, or will not name such a person who is satisfactory to you, I will do so.”
Vorigan staggered in place, but remained standing. “I ... only know of one, or perhaps two people who might have completed the Challenge. Either of my companions, John the Nord with a Fey Ear, or Master Dulgan Ironhand Fireshaper would be acceptable.”
Kyet’sol’s head bobbed again. “John the Nord, as you call him is acceptable to myself as well. He shall be shown your choice, but restricted from discussing it without being in the presence of my mother, myself, or one of my sisters. You may not converse with him, so I shall keep his view hidden from your sight.”
Vorigan braced both feet shoulder’s width apart. “I understand, Great Kyet’sol. What am I to choose?”
“I consulted with my sisters, Typhon and Amayru regarding you when the Call rang out.” Kyet’sol informed him. “You first gained Necromantic power eight hundred and thirty-seven years ago, then Evolved your form five hundred and fifty-three years ago. You are now an Aristocratic-class Vampyr Death Knight; a warrior of the highest order whose form is at the pinnacle of its possible Evolution. Is this not so?”
Vorigan hands shook. “You speak truly, Great One.”
“Then your choice is this,” Kyet’sol continued, “your nature as a Vampyr gives you the ability to heal yourself, at others’ expense only. Also, your mastery over Necromancy is now total, infusing your form with its Necromantic power and using others’ deaths to fuel your indefinitely long martial life. Were I to gift you with either aspect of my normal healing ability as your reward, it would corrupt and almost assuredly destroy you. If it did not, it would undoubtedly permanently weaken you severely. However, I can offer you an alternative to this: accept service with me, to serve as my Boon’s Death-Drinker, and I will transform your Death Knight form into a Banneret of Balance, one capable of holding both Necromantic and Mystic powers together.”
Vorigan sank slowly to a knee.
“You feel the Call, do you not?” The dragon continued speaking without pause. “If you agree to serve me, for an unspecified but finite amount of time known only to me, I shall postpone the Call until your service is complete. I believe that by the end of your time, you will have achieved a unique merging between Death and Life, sufficient to potentially shield you from the Call’s most serious possible consequences. I also believe that it will make your path easier, should you finally accept all that the Call demands of you. It will require you to swear your absolute, utter loyalty and obedience to me, agree to forgo taking any sentient being’s blood from this moment forward, and restrict yourself to only killing those whose death is a just one. For clarity, any death which saves a life in exchange, qualifies as such. As an incentive, any justified death you cause will reduce your service by a day, but any unjustified murder will result in lengthening it by two. In return, you will become a beacon for those in need, both in battle and out, and an anathema to all who seek pain, cruelty and suffering for their own sake. While you will remain a Vampyr in my service, you may not accept any other being’s lordship over you. Not even your current master.”
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Days 122-129: When he was growing up, no ‘action’-labeled entertainment was complete without at least one chase sequence. As time went on, these scenes got more and more outlandish, with all manner of vehicles speeding, dodging, and swerving in and out of the most complex environments imaginable. The drama lay in the audience’s expectation that the main character would narrowly avoid disaster by the barest of margins, often with at least one glancing blow that they miraculously survived. In...
Day 130-140: The Islanders of Sweetwater Port refused to allow anyone off the boat when they anchored. A swarm of canoes launched from shore a short while later. “No dock?” John asked. Vasin shook his head. “No, and the ground underneath the water is quite shallow near the shore as well. The natives consider it part of their protection.” One Islander, obviously the leader climbed up onto deck first, followed by a small, well-armed entourage. “You are a Raider vessel.” The Islander...
Day 140: The angry blue reptilian form charged across the small island, neatly sliding around the central gazebo without pause. She jerked to a stop on the cliff overlooking Nefiume as the undead emperor hoisted Ozur’s body above his head. Typhon raised one double-thumbed claw, pointing at their foe. Nefiume appeared to finally notice the dragon, head jerking in a double-take right before a fountain of water welled up from the sea beneath. The instant wave crashed over the emperor’s body,...
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Day 91-92 / Unknown / Day 140 continued: Shouldering their way through the crowd of standing death made Veronyka’s skin crawl and her stomach heave. The stench was awful, clogging her nose with its eye-watering pungency. Bits of desiccated skin, scraped off by the rough exterior on their armor, clung until scraped off by yet more decaying flesh. The wet smack of still-damp tissues hitting the ground, and liquid squishing as their boots crushed the bio-litter underfoot were enough to make...
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Day 91-92 / Day 140 continued: The ice melted, revealing a woman easily mistaken for Hrund’s twin, with pitch black hair instead. Eyes as clear and cold as the glacier above their heads regarded her expressionlessly. Her shield was round on top, but elongated below like an inverted teardrop, and had a large metal boss in the center. Her other hand carried a long spear, with an axe head sticking out at the base of the blade, and a spike sticking out the other side: a halberd. It was the first...
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Day 143: John couldn’t be sure from the distance he watched, but this dragon felt like it was the largest yet. If not the biggest, then definitely the scariest. Her head reminded him of the worgh, with sharp spines lining every contour. A ‘mane’ of more horns flared at the base of her skull, leading to a row of them dotting her spine. Her wings were folded, and every joint, including her legs was defined by a jutting tapered spike. Her scales were deep red, with shiny platinum and gold...
Day 149-153: Sergeant Major (Retired) Jeffrey Ellis jumped to his feet as Veronyka barged into the meeting. The unruly looking filthy men and women who’d been seated at the large table with him all stood quickly as well. Dead eyes and hopeless expressions greeted her entrance. It had taken her a week to fly across the Bay of Chaos and track the Ender population down. The high-altitude westward Jetstream sped her trip, but every Raider city she checked, starting at Final Harbor was deserted...
Day 153-158: Though John was unmistakably a prisoner, the Legionnaires never tied or locked him up. They appointed two minders, who rotated every day. This meant he couldn’t make friends, since it was never the same two repeated. But it did mean he could interrogate them, subtly of course. None seemed to be operating under any restrictions on their tongues, so he took full advantage. The unit who captured him occupied a full section of subterranean ‘apartments,’ which emptied out onto the...
Day 179: On the twenty-sixth day that John woke up in chains, he finally followed the formation out into open air. They’d diverted off the Great Road that morning, using a much rougher-hewn ramp to the surface. His head barely cleared the tunnel roof to find a road running straight and true sloping across broken foothills and out into farmland-rich plains. Off in the distance, he could see a wide levee-bordered river formed by the joining of several runoff streams trickling down from the...
Afternoon (Chronological coordinate set undetermined): Welcome back Traveler. You have a total of four previously-encountered portals that you may choose to exit using. This list excludes your Sanctioned portal, and one deemed too hazardous for your use at this time. You have also met the Traveler criteria for any other portals connected with your organization on World number 5. Please indicate which destination you desire. Veronyka sighed in relief. Her entry into the Network via the...
Day 193-200: John had a problem, and Dulgan was its source. Oh, the Dwarf was a fine traveling companion. After departing the camp, the Dwimar led them to a well-concealed entrance back underground. The Obsidian Peaks were honeycombed with passages and caves where far more Clans than John had figured made their homes. They zig-zagged their way between Dvergyr and Dwimar clan areas, never moving in a straight line. At first, Dulgan’s inquisitive nature charmed John while they walked. The...
Day 202: Their second night in the jungle was when things came apart. They’d traveled for two days, turning to head directly into the thickest, wettest, deadliest part after midday that first morning. The trees they walked between emitted a rotting musk, and their boots squelched deep into soft, clinging, stinky mud. Detouring around puddles eventually devolved into slogging across putrid, stagnant ponds. Anything deeper than their knees had to be avoided, and they lost count of how many...
Day 217: John and Dulgan were being followed. They were a day’s walk into the swamp, on a direct line toward the Hidden Ziggurat. Though he’d been occupied at the time, Vorigan sent his retainers to escort the duo back to their drop-off point via his boat. In addition, Jashul and the three Vampyri who comprised Cain’s embassy to the Dwarven clans traveled with them to the same landing spot. The four would cut across the north end of the swamp and enter the Onyxhart gate to begin their...
Day 219: “Head for that one! Run!” John shouted, pointing at the door to their right. The group veered to that side, picking up speed as they moved downhill. Jashul lagged behind the sprinting duo, and John’s longer legs carried him in the lead as they ran. The gap between all three widened as they closed with the two undead bracketing that opening. On the ledges above, the patrols congregated, staying on their level but clustering abreast of the group as the trio neared the ground-level...
Day 225: “That ... you ... you ... how? Goddamit!” John cursed, unable to explain. “Your Task was your own.” The Patriarch admonished. “Not for any other to know. As you have finished the most difficult part, you are eligible for all three rewards. Are you prepared to select them now?” John held up his other hand. “Just a moment.” He turned around and closed his eyes. Don’t kill him. Don’t even attack him. You have no idea what would happen if you did. Let it go. Something even the...
World number 6,626,070,041,034 Day 140: Welcome back Traveler, please note that your Visitor status remains defunct. You and your companion have met the Traveler criteria for World number 6,626,070,041,034. You both will now be transported to that destination. Sygraid’s massive form disappearing from the platform was the only indicator that he’d arrived. He looked around at the uniform, unfathomable darkness for a clue, and noticed that the flames on the portal arch were now a complete...
Day 236: John and Adam brought up the rear of their little procession as they began the second day of their trek into the Endless Sands, the morning after leaving Southern Oasis. Vorigan and Dulgan were in the lead, with the Vamp interrogating the Dwimar about his newfound enchanting abilities, as well as the subject generally. On John’s advice, the day before when purchasing supplies for the trek, they’d gotten several serviceable daggers for each person, which Dulgan agreed to enchant...
Day???: John dug a divot into the sand with his heel, then climbed back up onto the square stone platform. As a test, he walked through the ‘doorway,’ facing away from the Pyramid. Instantly he was turned around, and a glance at the hole in the ground showed he hadn’t moved to another spot. Okay, what do you think? He thought at Duin. And got no response. So he hopped down onto the sand. What do you think I should do? He asked again. Stand on the dust-cloud side of the platform and walk...
Day??? Adam was leaning in the open doorway when John walked up. “You solve it already?” John asked hopefully. Adam snorted. “I wish!” “Oh? What happened?” John wanted to know. Adam’s headshake was rueful. “You were right; it wasn’t that easy. After I pushed the octagon, there was a sound of lots of feet stomping around, and rock grinding like bricks rubbing together. While I was feeling my way over to the last button, I ran into a column that wasn’t there before. It was about a yard and...
Day??? “Well, that was ... interesting.” John said to Adam as he approached from the floor’s entry spot. The SEAL was leaning against the opposite side of the corridor by the now blank door that had borne Dulgan’s name. “Can you ... talk about it?” Adam asked. John shook his head. “I got a headache last time, so let’s go do yours.” “I wonder.” Adam mused. “Do you think all three of the hidden doors are on this level?” “Let’s keep an eye out.” John suggested. Back in the SEAL’s...
Day 251: As Adam and Master Chief Chatman walked out of the planning meeting for Adam’s upcoming trip to the portal stone in South America, Adam signaled the older man with his chin. “Want to grab a quick bite before we split?” He asked, overly casually. “ ... Yes, let’s.” Chatman replied, after figuring out what Adam really wanted. Chatman put the sound dampener between them while they ate. “Is it just me,” Adam inquired, “or is there definitely something going on that I’m not privy...
Day 258/259: John and company were most of the way to the double-peak Ariel indicated as their navigation landmark when a massive wind and rain storm rolled in from the north. Within minutes, visibility in the air dropped to a yard or two, and the gusts were so rough that they decided to land and continue on foot. The group spent that night miserably trying to camp on the best rocky hill they could find. The rain stopped before dawn, but if anything the wind picked up with the sun’s rise....
Day 259/260: “Ho there, we see you!” The voice floated down from the darkness above. The sound carried an echoing quality indicating that the speaker was using a megaphone, or something like it. None of the four were surprised, given how high the walls of Gluboskal were. After separating from the Wardens: Ililyan and Sygraid, plus Rhys the other four companions flew up and around the double-peaked mountain, Gananora Heralis which Dulgan informed them was the backbone of the city’s...
Day 261: Right before the group departed Dadem’s house, Veronyka took a minute to leave Hal a message before bringing up the rear. A very young Dvergyr, Hotric Oakfall worked as the house doorman slash receptionist slash butler. He promised to pass along Veronyka’s words when Hal returned, and to keep an eye out for any unusual interest in their group. That Dulgan and Thedus had a longstanding relationship was apparent to all, as the two chatted continuously during their hike out of the...
Day 261: With herculean effort, John staggered upright, and brushed off the debris coating his arms and helmet. He searched frantically through the too-slowly-dissipating dust cloud for his friends. After tripping twice on the churned-up slope, he stumbled onto both, crumpled into a pile and covered with a thick layer of earth. Heart in his throat, he pulled the pair apart and laid them side by side on a slightly less-torn patch of ground. Uncapping his canteen, he splashed water over...
Day 262/263: “What the hell’s an Arcane Magi?” John wondered. Duin’s unmissable mixture of excitement and trepidation was palpable. “As I said, tha’s tween you’n th’ other one.” Dulgan insisted. “Then why doesn’t he want me to let you leave?” John wondered. Dulgan blinked in surprise. “He doesn’o’? I dunno. Le’s ask.” Repeat my words, so the Magi can hear them as well. Duin instructed. “Before the Arrival, there was a powerful, and secretive organization of Dwarves called the Dark...
Day 263: “See ‘em how?” Dulgan pressed. John’s hands motioned aimlessly. “Like they’re really here. In this room with us right now. There. There, and there.” He pointed. Dulgan walked over to one spot he’d indicated. Vafthundryr shifted, so they wouldn’t ‘collide’. “Here?” The Dwimar asked. “He moved.” John’s finger indicated. Dulgan peered in the direction curiously. “I see nothin’. Wha’ do they loo’ like?” John kept his finger indicating Vafthundryr. “A Frost Giant, Vafthundryr is...
Day 263/264: Mokul kept John awake for several hours as the man from Earth described his adventures. He avoided giving too much detail about Earth and his life before becoming trapped on this world. But otherwise, he saw no reason to lie about anything he’d experienced since coming through the portals. Dulgan knew almost all of it anyway, and John knew all too well how impossible it was for that one to keep a secret. The Dwimar Huntmaster listened intently throughout, though many of his...