Mantle of the Gods [LitRPG / Slow Burn / FTB Harem]

It felt like years since we'd seen Tophua Malnon.

Really, it had been barely three weeks since we'd left him back in Wurn.

"Come on." He started walking down the road with Aelin and Jenne under each arm. "I've got a place we can talk before someone finds the mess you made."

Oz looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

Considering that Tophua, or Fooda, as he preferred to be called, had sacrificed himself to shut down the portal that the Cult of Wurn had opened, I was inclined to believe that he wasn't going to hurt us. Though the portal was supposed to short out if someone Tier Four or higher tried to go through, and I knew Fooda was in the fifties at least.

I patted my pocket to make sure that I still had my return stone, just in case, then followed after the three of them. Oz stopped long enough to pick up the fallen weapons and hurried after me.

"You need to get that looked at." She pointed at my side. "How deep is it?"

"Not too deep." I pulled my jacket down to cover it. During the scuffle, my jacket had gotten pulled up enough for a knife to find its way under it. At least the armor was doing a decent job of hiding most of the black blood I was leaking.

"You know Jenne is the only one of us that can give you a transfusion if you need it?" Oz glared at me. "You need to get that patched up. Let me see it." She tucked knives under her arms to free up a hand to grab at me.

I slapped her hand away. "I'll be fine. Fooda will at least have something hot we can cauterize it with."

Oz's eyelids closed to slits as she glared at me. "Not funny."

"I was actually being serious." We stopped in front of a building that was laid out like a row of single-story apartments.

"They didn't have enough for me to get my lucky number." Fooda let go of the woman so he could slap the door under the number seven. "This is kind of close though!" He laughed as he opened the door and walked inside.

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Considering the sixty-something-year-old man was a lifelong bachelor, I would have assumed that his room would be a disaster, but the single-room apartment with only a bed and dresser was spotless.

"Don't have plumbing yet, so if you have to go, there's an outhouse in the back." He pointed at the back door. "But I'd hold it if you're going back topside. That thing is nasty."

"What are you doing here?" I slipped off my jacket while Oz tried to take off my shirt.

"Lamenting about the lack of simple conveniences." Fooda eyed my wound. "Why'd you let them stick you?"

"I didn't let them do anything. Ow!"

Aelin had found whiskey somewhere and was pouring it on the wound.

"Until we can get a Healer, we've got to disinfect it and try to close it up." The blonde began wrapping my side with a strip of white cloth that she'd found somewhere.

"Where did you...?" I saw the sheet on the bed matched the fabric that she was using. I'd completely missed her cutting off a strip.

"You don't have to be so rough." I glared at Aelin as she tied the two ends in a knot.

The brown woman tugged on the knot, then patted it. "Then don't get stabbed next time." She did a half twirl back and forth. "None of us got stabbed."

"None of you fought three of them at once either." I winced as Oz helped me put my shirt back on.

"I think what Atlas meant was…" Jenne cut Aelin off before she could respond. "Why are you in this town? Shouldn't you be too high level to get in?"

"Oh that? Pfft!" Fooda swatted his hand at her. "There's this big auction tomorrow and I'm a pretty good auctioneer. Since the shop closed up, I've been looking for some work and one of the boys from Vefe asked me if I'd do it, so here I am." The golden man wiped his brow. "Though if I'd known how primitive this place is, I would have asked for more All. Even in a desolated camp we had running water and AC. Here we have fans and an outhouse."

"You're working at the auction tomorrow?" Jenne's eyes lit up.

"Honey, I'm not just working the auction tomorrow. Without me, there isn't an auction." His brow furrowed. "What are the four of you doing here? I thought you were headed to the western side of the ward to get the rest of your team."

"We are." I had a bad feeling. "We came here from Klix."

Fooda whistled as he sat on the bed. "I heard rumors that they'd done it, but I didn't believe it. But I guess anyone who can make a stable Dungeon can do just about anything."

"Do what?" Aelin looked at Jenne. "What're they talking about?"

Everyone was looking at Tophua, waiting for him to finish.

The old man sighed. "Rumor has it that this floor of the Dungeon connects to every city in the Ward." He looked out the window. "I guess that's not just a rumor anymore."