The next few days passed in a blur as Jonathan and his allies regrouped. It was clear that no good would come of looking for the Stillborn Hegemon without preparing first. With the new mana density, the monster had likely already ascended to Tier 5, and was now rapidly leveling as he used his disproportionate might to butcher essence rich monsters. That was to say nothing of the other circle lords, which were also present. There were Tier 11s present, beings that might as well have been the sun or the moon for how much of a threat Jonathan posed to them. What he needed most of all was to level up so that he could get ahead of the curve before the circle lords explored the limits of their new freedom. His Hellbreaker quest remained unchanged, meaning that he would still have to kill the circle lords in the same order as before to reap the benefits. With his latest title upgrade, though, other titles weren’t that much of a priority.

  “I think we need to return to our own realm,” Arkanon suggested. “With how few of us there are here, conquest of this plane will be impossible. We need an army to back us up.”

  “I agree,” Jonathan replied. “There’s nine circle lords here, all with their leveling limits broken. They each have their own armies and forces, and with them allied, it means that we’re going to have our work cut out for us.”

  “You should remain here, Jonathan,” Edgar suggested. “Leveling will be easy, and you can’t afford to waste time.”

  Jonathan nodded. “I will. When I’m gone, I’m leaving you and Arkanon in charge. Both of you have some experience with ruling, a lot of it in Arkanon’s case, and he has a Tartarus token. You shouldn’t neglect your levels either. We’re all close to Tier 5.” He paused, remembering something. “Also, there’s something I should give you, Arkanon.”

  “What is it?” the Uthraki replied.

  “The others all have one, but you don’t. You’re going to have to deal with the lower mana concentration if you spend any amount of time in my realm.”

  Jonathan quickly laid a hand on Arkanon, and imparted his runic array on the man. “Now, I think we’re all ready.”

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  “I’ll stay here with you,” Eliza interjected. “We both have a lot to learn from one another. I’m pretty inexperienced with Divinity.” She smiled. “Besides, it could be fun. We’re both Earthlings. There’s a lot to talk about.”

  “It’s settled, then.” Jonathan nodded once. “Let’s get to it.” He summoned a spiraling purple portal, letting the others troop through, one by one. Eliza remained by his side, a strange look on her face.

  As soon as Arkanon stepped through the portal, the last to leave, he shot Eliza a glance. “What do you really want here? I know it’s not just to exchange pointers on Divinity usage.”

  Eliza spluttered, lost for words. “Why... why would you think I had another motive?”

  “I’ve seen the looks you’ve been giving me. Like you want to kill me, or do something to me.” Jonathan paused. “Now, I know that first bit isn’t true, as we already have our agreement, and I doubt you would do anything to me after I saved you.”

  “God. Is that what I looked like to you?” Eliza replied. Her face turned a deep red. “I don’t want to kill you. Quite the contrary. Ever since you freed me from Malaraxia, I’ve had...” Eliza looked mortified as she struggled with what to say. “Feelings for you... Feelings that I’m sure aren’t matched on your end.”

  Jonathan, for the first time in a while, was lost for words. After about a minute of silence, he spoke. “I haven’t had much time to think about things like that. Ever since I came to the Hells, my life has been slaughter and pain, dealing death and avoiding it in equal measure.”

  Eliza smiled. “Do you want something more?” She leaned in. “Something different to all of that killing?”

  Jonathan sighed, and took off his helmet. Something in his eyes made Eliza flinch slightly as she looked at him. “Do you really want to be involved with me? I’ve become a beast, a killer of legends and monsters. Is that the life you want?”

  Eliza chuckled. “Jonathan, that’s the life I already have. I can see how you try to protect your followers. Perhaps some of them need that. I do not. I’m a god in my own right, just like you. I can take care of myself.”

  Jonathan blinked. “That’s the first time anyone’s ever put it that bluntly. I suppose you’re right.”

  Eliza raised an eyebrow. “And?”

  “I’ll think about it. I don’t really know you that much.” Hardly believing what he was about to say, Jonathan continued. “I’ll give it a shot, though. Let’s see how the next few weeks go. Perhaps we can talk again after that.”