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

I wasn't going to stay put.

While I could definitely feel the effects of the lack of sleep, I wasn't going to hide in the safety of the palace while Klix tore apart her city.

I touched my CB and pulled up the menu to call Klix and pushed the button. While I was expecting to see her, instead I just heard her agitated voice.

"You're fortunate that I'm taking this to listen to you whine!"

"I'm not whining." I steadied my voice to sound commanding. "You need all the help you can get right now, and I'm not asking for permission. You told me that I'm an ally, so I AM going to go chase down leads. I'll take Miel and Gesai with me. I doubt there's anything in the city that can get through them, so we'll be as safe out there as we will in here."

There was a pause, but I could hear her heavy breathing. It almost sounded like she was having trouble keeping herself under control.

"Ether stays." There was a finality in her voice that declared she wasn't going to budge.

"I need…"

"Ether STAYS!!!" Klix's voice was felt through the CB. "Four of you were anchored, and if something happens to you, then she'll be the only anchor left. It's not the best foundation, but I can rebuild with her." Her tone wasn't budging. "Ether stays."

I didn't like it, and I knew neither would Ether, but what she said made sense from her perspective. She'd had Pixie specifically so that there would be a coven of siblings that could grow together. When Godkin leveled like that, they acquired additional bonuses to their stats as well as bonuses for being around the sibling. While that plan had failed somewhat, my mother and Roth went to Nevah while Klix, Covanus, and Ekah had children with Iver. Harror hadn't gotten pregnant and carried a minor grudge about it, though considering Klix would openly taunt the other Goddess, I could understand why.

The link wouldn't be as strong since we weren't six siblings, but since Nevah was Iver's grandfather, that made me their great-uncle. Ether was only related to Pixie, so her connection to the others wouldn't be as strong, but there would still be one. Supposedly it would be the strongest with me since we were lovers, which was supposed to make up for her lack of connection to the others.

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The only flaw in Klix's logic was that she was planning on the chance that I was going to die. I didn't plan on anything happening to me, but I also knew that Klix farmed on the eighty-first floor of the Dungeon. If she decided that I was going to stay, there was no way to stop her from locking all of us up.

"Fine." I'd find some way to make it up to Ether.

There was a buzz as the connection died. I looked around at everyone. "The faster we get out there, the better." I nodded at the door. "First we need to wake them up, then we'll need a ride."

Everyone was still looking at me.

"What?" I searched their faces for an answer.

"My mother gave in to you." Miel choked, then coughed. Once she had her shark teeth covered by her lips again, she continued. "I can count the number of times I've seen her do that on one hand." She shook her head. "And they were all to my brother."

I hadn't thought about it that way. I saw it as an oversight, and I was providing a solution. But if that was how she wanted to see it, then I wasn't going to waste any more time trying to explain.

"Okay." I nodded at the closed door. "We need to wake up Justia…" I looked at Miel as everyone seemed to back away from the door. "How are we going to get her…?"

Miel knocked on the door just past my room. There was a bang as someone jumped to their feet, then the door flew open. On the other side of the door was a 23-year-old version of Miel wearing a sports bra and shorts. Despite the faraway look in her gaze as she blinked her red eyes awake, her focus was sharp.

"Did they find her!?" Kara spoke so fast that it was almost one word.

"No." Her mother stepped away from the door so that the junior could see all of us in the hallway. "I'm about to go out with Atlas and look. I need you to escort his Priest to the training room."

"Oh." The youngest Scarlet lowered her head. "Okay." Her eyes widened as she looked at herself, then she looked right at me. Her cheeks went from snowy white to ash gray as she blushed, then quickly slammed the door.

"I'll be out in a minute!" She yelled from the other side of the door.

I wasn't sure what she was embarrassed about; her shorts were longer than Jenne's, and for a sports bra, hers covered more than any of the ones I'd seen in the last three months since I'd been at the school. Honestly, I hadn't even thought about what she was wearing until she made an effort to cover herself. Also, Shelly was also in the hallway, but she hadn't given him a second glance.

I shrugged then turned to the other door. "So who wants to wake them up?"