"What was that you were saying?"

"I didn't know what to say, so I thought of what I was doing, and how you would fight. With all those copies it's like One and many…"

"Ohh you're already there," said Ishtar, coming down the hall with a bag in one hand and a cookie in the other.

"Yeah," said Kurt.

"Ohh you made a temple how interesting," said Ishtar coming in." She looked at the object in the center. "I'm not sure what that is, but the pedestal spinning is a nice touch."

"And who is this?"

"Umm, Ethan, my lady," he was still kneeling.

"You're first disciple, umm, something seems off though you only did half of it."

"Half?"

"Yeah, or like it's missing a piece it might not be half."

"I don't really understand all this."

"I mean you made the temple."

"Well, sort of."

"Sort of?" said Ishtar.

"It kind of made itself."

"Hmm, this was the temple of Neptune, maybe this was where he had made his. And since you are related it jump-started the process. Did you just let it happen?"

"I guess so."

"Well, there you have it."

"But this Ethan, you shouldn't leave him like that."

"Why not?"

"It will eventually bear weight, maybe maybe not. At a minimum, you should know how to. Why do you stop?"

"I didn't."

"Hmmm," said Ishtar, "Ethan was it, what did you do?"

Ethan explained himself again.

"A blood sacrifice, not my first choice but nothing wrong with it."

"What about Layla?" said Kurt.

"Layla?" said Ethan. "I didn't invoke our Queen, I know not what to give."

"Then I shall take," said Layla, who had slipped into the room just then.

Then, as the next drop fell, the stain reacted as if it were a thin sheet of water rippling through the stone, but it was just the stain.

"That's different," said Ishtar.

"Yes, I would say so," said Layla.

"Two gods in one shine."

"No I mean," said Layla, "it's almost as if he's a tiny guardian now."

"What?" said Kurt.

"Not like you, but there is something there now"

"Wait, does that mean he could take you out of the well?"

"Maybe," said Layla.

"Umm," said Ethan, "there is this other thing."

"Other thing?"

"I don't know how to explain it like there's another direct, several actually."

"What's that mean?" said Ishtar.

They had a bit of a discussion. And Kurt slipped Ethan to HelmsBrig and he was able to move himself back. He could slip something only the guardians could do.

"Well, is this what you all wanted to talk about?" said Ishtar.

"Not really," said Layla. "Kurt seems to have killed Mordor."

Ishtar laughed, "Really?"

Kurt nodded."He was working with the shadow and attacked me."

"Damn, well, don't worry. He was bound to die eventually."

"What do you mean?"

"Horus has fallen, and the gods are all plotting ways to become the next one. Shameful really. Why make yourself a target?"

"Do we have to worry about someone?" Said, Layla.

"Basically everyone and no one."

"Huh?"

"Stay low and out of the picture, but I guess you can't even do that since you killed another god."

"Another?" said, Ethan.

"Ohh, Layla killed Horus."

"Good, my gods are superior."

"There you go, nice good loyal disciple. Do you think you could remake this?" She pointed at the pedestal.

"No, but I believe I could act as a medium for them."

"Yes, that's what I meant."

"What does that mean?"

"It means now you have a little follower who can spread your message. And he would call upon your power to create whatever that is."

"Like a priest?" said Layla.

"I mean the name is sort of up to you, disciple is the most common."

"I'm thinking Bishop," said Kurt. And no one objected.

"And that thing I heard in my head?"

"His prayers," said Ishtar, "it is how I found you guys actually, but I needed to travel a bit slower."

That's when it hit Kurt. Suppose the temples acted as slip points even small ones. It meant the gates would become increasingly easy to manage.

Kurt told Ethan to go to Sylvain with Boris after they had finished their discussion. And to make an altar of similar status to the ones already there. He told him to speak to Maliki to send him back here, and to ask for his advice.

Over the next few days, Boris had set off, and Kurt had managed to return most of the refugees who would be leaving. There were still some parts that were too close to the front line to realistically be safe along with the few that wanted to stay.

The shadow had made a push, but it wasn't very meaningful, they had a slight retreat. Kurt wasn't sure what was happening with them.

He had told Ethan to keep the blood sacrifice to himself, but Ethan insisted that he would tell those he deemed worthy. Kurt knew something else, he wasn't sure how he knew but there was a second phase to the sacrifice. One he kept to himself.

One day he could finally feel a similar calling as before. But there was a blockage he had to force his energy through the perception, this time he could feel that Layla was doing the same. Until there was a feeling.

The feeling of another direction being made, another slide.

He made his way through it and found Ethan and a smaller pedestal. And a similar but also smaller object, it moved more slowly, the closing and pedestal rotation was slightly if you were just glancing you could miss it.

Kurt also felt he was in control of Ethan's ability as well. A nexus of permissions that the Fae, Kurt, and Layla could all block access to a particular slip.

Layla was there smiling at Kurt. "Kurt."

"Yes."

"Took you long enough."

"You mean?"

"Yes this is like a small extension of my well, I didn't realize it before because it was already inside the main one."

"You've done well, Bishop Ethan," said Layla. "So this is the pyramid of Sylvain."

"It's all yours," said Kurt. "And I think it's a good time to check if our Bishop here can be your guide without me

A few eleven had gathered at its appearance and the building of the altar.

Maliki was standing there as well. Kurt came up to him.

"So how are you feeling?"

"Conflicted."

"If you wish to leave you can," said Kurt.

"The gods themselves are now fighting," said Maliki, "I can feel it, as an Apostle."

"Well I thank you for guiding my Bishop," said Kurt.

"So you intend to declare yourself."

"Well that's the hard part," said Kurt, "I don't know what to do."

"The creation of a temple and of a Bishop, these are already great things."

"So wouldn't that make you an apostle of mine?"

"I suppose it would," said Maliki.

"Well, think about that," said Kurt. "Think you could find Jacob and Stacy for me. I want to bring them back."

"That I can do," said Maliki. "Or at least I know where they have been staying, and where Jacob likes to frequent."

They had made a stop in the next step of the pyramid, not far from the stairs. Malliki said it was unlikely but didn't want to be wrong.

They were in luck because the merchant had seen Stacy and they were most likely a few shops down.

And they saw her, or rather the Kitsune first. As a crowd had gathered. Encircling the six-tailed fox. That was signaling for some meat that it had smelled.

"Stacy," said Kurt. She turned around to see him.

"Lord Kurt," said Stacy, kneeling. Then the rest of the elves came to a knee as well.

"I'm not here for any of that, get up."

"Sorry about that," said Stacy. "It is what they would have expected. What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd take you and Jacob home."

"You didn't need to come all the way here yourself, we have ships now."

"It was no trouble you'll see. Do you know where Jacob is?"

She looked up, "probably up there with the magic. He said he wanted to learn as much as he could before he had to go."

"Alright, can you meet us at the bottom of those steps, on the first floor?"

"Yeah, are we in a hurry?"

"I'm going to fly up, but I don't think Jacob wants me to carry him down."

Stacy giggled, "Definitely not. But we will meet you there."

"We?"

"The Kitsune has indicated it wishes to go home. We have done many things here. But this is not his nest."

Boris probably wouldn't like that. But since that conversation, things had changed. Kurt could come back and forth by himself. And so could any guardian or Bishop.

Kurt flew up to the magic step, the last step before the top. The mansion was coming together but not fully rebuilt yet.

Coming down to a shop the elves knelt before him. He asked if one had seen Jacob and pointed him in the right direction.

Kurt found him face-first in a book looking at a particular gauntlet next to him.

Kurt tapped him on his right shoulder and went to his left of him. Jacob turned right then back left and made a jump. "Damn it, the oldest trick in the book."

"Yep."

"So what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to bring you back home of course."

"Like right now?"

"So your Lord comes down personally to escort you home."

"Okay okay okay. But don't think you're carrying me I got a wyvern up at the top."

"Ohh, then you can meet us at the first step."

"Us?"

"You really think I came for just you, Stacy is waiting."

"Stacy!"

"Ohh so your Lord doesn't get your attention but some cute little elf girl."

"I don't live with my Lord…my lord." And they both laughed at the ridiculousness.

"I'll meet you down there," said Jacob, "I want to put everything away."

After a while, Jacob had flown down to the bottom of the Pyramid and walked up to the first step, and met Stacy, Kurt, and Kitsune. As well as its two Minotaur guards.

Kurt then motioned for them all to follow him. The range of the altar was very small to slip through.

"That's new," said Stacy as they approached.

"Yeah it's sort of mine."

"Yours?" said Stacy, wide-eyed.

"Don't worry about it."

After a bit Kurt took one of the Minotaur Guards first, then the Kitsune, then the other guard. Then Stacy and Jacob. He could still only take one person at a time.

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