The Outlands

“It was good seeing you again.” Amara said, giving Maven a hug. “But I have to go get things ready for the meeting.”

“The meeting?” Maven asked. “What meeting?”

“Oh, right.” Tess said. “Once or twice a year, or whenever something important happens, a bunch of us Appointed will get together and have a meeting.” She paused, looking to Amara. “How many Appointed aren’t in our group?” She asked. “I remember Dungeons saying Commerce and Passion had Appointed, but also that there were some she couldn’t remember.”

“Aside from those two, I think it’s just Mysteries that has an Appointed that isn’t with us.” Amara confirmed.

“Is there a reason they aren’t with this group you’re talking about?” Maven asked.

“Those gods aren’t really on the best of terms with us. There’s no bad blood or anything, they just don’t really get along with our group of gods. And that just sort of naturally filtered to their Appointed.”

“Oh. I wasn’t expecting there to be any sort of…politicking amongst Appointed or gods.”

“No one does.” Amara said. “We try to keep that from the public eye. But, at the end of the day, gods and Appointed are people, just like everyone else, and not everyone gets along. But I really must be going, we’ll be having the meeting tomorrow, and we need to give people time to prepare. Tess, Ellie, will you tell your grandfather for me?”

“Yeah.” Tess said. “We’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks.” Amara replied, giving a wave as she made for the room’s exit. “I’ll leave you to it.” She said, heading out the door and to who-knows-where.

There was a slight pause, then Maven turned to Tess. “Do we need to know what time this meeting is at?”

Tess froze. “Um…I don’t know.” She admitted. “I think there’s a standard time the meetings are held at? The two I’ve been to were both at the same time, but Gramps also set both of those up…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I guess he’ll know. Worst case scenario we just ask the gods and they’ll tell us.”

“Speaking of, we should probably find the gods.” Ellie said. “We’ll need Dungeons to send us back to the dungeon so we can go head back to the expedition properly.”

“I gotcha.” Death said, walking into the room, followed by Fortune, Life, and Dungeons. “Sorry it took so long to get here, we were kinda on the other side of the building.”

“And, yes, the meeting time is consistent.” Life added. “It makes it less of a headache to organize. Specifically, it occurs at ten a.m. according to the time in the gods’ realm on the day it is scheduled for. Given the time zone the expedition is currently in, that’s going to be around noon tomorrow for you.”

“Oh, good, we can sleep in for a bit.” Ellie said. “Nice.”

Life nodded. “That you can.”

“You sure you guys don’t want to hang out a bit before you leave?” Death asked. “You know we always enjoy the company.”

“They probably shouldn’t.” Life said sternly. “Evan is a busy man, and he should know about this as soon as possible.”

“But Fate can –”

“Fate could, but they also need to inform The Rumors of Maven’s new duties. The rest of their day is likely to be busy, they do not have time to spend lounging around.”

“You’re no fun.” Death pouted. “It’s nice to actually be able to hang out in person.”

“We can hang out tomorrow.” Tess said reassuringly. “We shouldn’t have anything pressing to do then.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Death said. “Got it?”

“Yeah, we got it.” Ellie said. “Don’t worry.”

“Shall I send you back then?” Dungeons asked.

“Yes, please do.” Maven said.

Dungeons waved a hand, and then they were back at the beginning of the dungeon. From there, they activated their Blessings, and were sent back to their hoverer.

“Oh, you’re back.” Alice said, looking up from her phone. “How’d it go?”

“Ask Maven.” Tess said, pulling out her own phone. “I gotta do something real quick.”

Alice raised an eyebrow, turning to Maven. “Oh?”

“I…” Maven paused, not sure where to start. “A lot has happened.”

“How much can you tell us?” Ker asked.

“A fair bit. I…am now Dungeons’ Appointed, and I have formally abdicated the throne. Freelancing will be my full-time focus from now on.”

“You what?!” Alice asked, eyes widening. “That came out of nowhere.”

“It did for me as well.” Maven said. “Becoming an Appointed, that is. I have been attempting to abdicate for years now, and I was blocked each time. I was finally able to use my new status to force my parents to let me.”

“Congratulations.” Jin said. “It seems as if today has been an excellent day for you.”

“Yeah, I think it has.” Maven agreed.

“Alright, Gramps wants us to step outside the hoverer.” Tess said, looking up from her phone. “Says that it’s easier to pick us up that way.”

“Pick you up?” Ker asked.

“We need to talk to him about Maven being an Appointed.” Tess said. “There’s a couple of things we need to go through.”

“Got it.” Alice said, pressing a button on her phone. “The hoverer should be stopped now, so just step on out. Should we wait for you?”

“I don’t think so. If we need to get back, we’ll text you and you can stop again. Until then, though, it’s probably best that we don’t get too far behind.”

Alice nodded. “Just give me the word.”

The three younger girls stepped out of the hoverer, there was a lurching, and then they found themselves in the interior of another hoverer.

“What’s this about?” Guildmaster Los asked, looking at Tess.

“Maven?” Tess prompted.

Maven swallowed hard. She had interacted much more with Guildmaster Los these past few months than she ever had before, but it was still somewhat nerve-wracking to talk to him. Try as she might, she couldn’t just see him as the grandparent of her friends. He commanded universal respect and even a certain amount of fear, and that had only been made worse by the more…classified things that had been taught to Maven in her youth.

Her family may not have known that he was an Appointed, but they didn’t have to, to make him scary. It had long been speculated that he was the person with the highest level, but her family’s intelligence put him as approaching level one hundred and fifty. And, as if that wasn’t enough, all of their spies sent to gather intelligence on him had returned in states ranging from confused to downright terrified, with nothing to show for it. He was the top of the do-not-cross list, and so Maven had always been very careful around him.

Maven took a deep breath and began to speak. “I was named Dungeons’ Appointed earlier today and have since abdicated the throne.” She said. “And Grandmother wished for me to inform you of a meeting tomorrow. She did not give me a time or place, but the gods told me that the time is consistent.”

Guildmaster Los smiled. “Congratulations!” He said. “And yes, the time is consistent, as is the place. If you haven’t been told, the place is a special hideaway we Appointed have, accessed through a unique form of magic. We’ll make sure you’re taught how to access it tomorrow, among other things.”

“Do you mind taking us with you when we go?” Ellie asked. “That seems easiest.”

“Sure.” Guildmaster Los said. “Did Amara ask you to help with any of the other Appointed that are in this expedition?”

Tess shook her head. “Just you.”

“Very well then. We’ll leave at eleven o’clock tomorrow.” Guildmaster Los replied. “How did the dungeon go?”

“It went good.” Tess said. “We had to avoid some areas because we were getting overwhelmed, but that probably won’t be a problem going forward.”

“Glad to hear it.” Guildmaster Los said. “If you don’t mind my asking, Maven, what does your new Blessing do?”

“I do not mind, Guildmaster Los.” Maven began, but stopped when she saw Guildmaster Los waving a hand.

“Please,” he said, “call me Gramps. Now that you’re an Appointed, we’re equals, and since you’re going to be around my granddaughters for quite some time, that seems best for now.”

Maven paused. “Are you sure?” She asked. “That seems…”

“Informal? Disrespectful?” Guildmaster Los prompted.

“Yes. It feels…wrong.”

“I don’t suppose Evan would be any better?”

“Perhaps a bit, but not much.”

“Then Gramps it is.” Guildmaster Los said firmly. “We need to get you used to your new status, and I think I prefer the name ‘Gramps’ when it’s coming from my granddaughters’ close friend.”

“If…if you insist.” Maven replied. “As for my Blessing, it allows me to control dungeons and the monsters therein, on top of a few other things.”

Guildmaster…no, Gramps, nodded. “A powerful Blessing indeed. A word of caution, however; using your Blessing to go through dungeons with no resistance from the monsters within will only serve to stifle your growth. There will come a time when that is very useful, but now is not that time.”

“Because we need to learn how to fight properly, right?” Maven asked.

“Got it in one.” Gramps said, smiling.

“I’ve heard something similar before, from The Rumors.” Maven admitted.

“Well, they give good advice.” Gramps said. “There’s a reason I asked them to train my grandchildren, and not some other group. Anyway, is there anything else you all need?”

“I do not believe so.” Maven said.

“Perfect. I’ll see you at eleven tomorrow, then.”

---

“So…how are we getting there?” Maven asked. “And where exactly are we going?”

“It’s a place on the very fringes of the Outlands.” Gramps explained. “So remote and inhospitable that no one except Appointed will be able to get there, not for a very long time. As for how we’re getting there, we’ll be using this.” He said, tapping a circle drawn onto the floor of his hoverer.

“This is a special magic circle that only works for Appointed. We’ll show you how to draw it up later, but once you have, you just have Dungeons help you pour a miniscule amount of Worship into it, and it’ll take you right to our hideout. Don’t feel shy about using it, either; this is an all-purpose retreat for us. If you need to get away from somewhere surreptitiously, or are being chased and need a quick out, this is the way to do it.” He snapped his fingers, and a shimmering portal appeared above the circle, showing a sort of lodge beyond. “If you would be so kind as to follow me, we can get started on introducing you to the facilities.”

Maven stepped through the portal after him, followed closely by Tess and Ellie. As she stepped through, the sound of a roaring fire became audible, and Tess breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good, someone’s already set up a bit.” She said. “I was worried we’d need to get the fire going.”

“Yes, Amara’s likely already in the process of setting up.” Gramps said. He walked over to the fire, motioning for Maven to follow. “This place is high on a mountain, surrounded by a perpetual blizzard.” He explained. “And, as such, it gets incredibly cold. To combat that, we have a fire enchanted by Hearth himself to warm it back up.

“There’s a set of logs in the fireplace that never burn out, just light them however you prefer, and the place will warm right up for you. If you don’t have any magical means of doing so, there’s a lighter in the drawer directly to the left of the fireplace that should do it for you.”

“Wouldn’t you need kindling?” Tess asked.

“Magic lighter.” Gramps said, waving his hand. “Don’t worry about it. Now…before we begin showing you around, we should probably find your grandmother. I’m sure she’d want to say hello. She’s probably helping get things set up in the meeting room, follow me.”

He took them through a door to aa large room that was dominated by a partially set-up table. “Amara, are you in here?” He called out.

After a few moments, Amara poked her head out from behind the table, where she was apparently working on setting up the legs. “Oh, you’re all here, good!” She said, vaulting over the table and rushing over to give Maven a hug. “What do you think?” She asked.

“I have not seen very much of the place yet.” Maven said. “So, I suppose I do not have much of an opinion at the moment.”

“Well, don’t get too excited.” Gramps said. “This place is nothing fancy. Just has enough to allow someone to live here for a few weeks, and some space for holding things if we need it. Still, it’s more than adequate for our needs.”

“Would you three give her the tour?” Amara asked. “I would love to do it myself, but I need to finish setting up here.”

“I’ll take care of that for you, don’t worry.” Gramps said.

“Would you really?” Amara asked hopefully. “I’d really appreciate it.”

“Of course I will.” Gramps said.

“I’ll help too.” Tess volunteered. “Many hands make for light work and all that.”

“I can pitch in as well. You two go bond.” Ellie added.

“Thanks everyone.” Amara said, grabbing Maven’s hand. “Ooh, I’m so excited! Here, follow me!”

Amara began towing Maven through the building, giving her a quick overview of what each room was for. Their tour went uninterrupted until about halfway through, when they went to the kitchen. Sitting there, eating some sort of sandwich, was an absolutely enormous four-armed man. He was all muscle, wearing a bunch of rugged furs, and was…oddly familiar, for some reason.

As they entered, he turned to look at them. “Ah. This must be that granddaughter that you were talking about.” He said gruffly. “What was her name again? Isara?”

“That’s my great-grandmother.” Maven said. “My name is Maven.”

The man grunted. “Could never keep track of all of you. Whose Appointed are you?”

“Dungeons.” Maven replied.

 “It’s about time.” He grumbled. “I’ve had to pick up that slack while she didn’t have one. When do you start you work for real?”

“I…don’t know.” Maven admitted.

“The same time Tess and Ellie do.” Amara said. “When they’re all finished training. But…aren’t you forgetting something?”

The man frowned, thinking about that. After a few moments, he seemed to realize what Amara was getting at. “Ah, sorry ‘bout that. Name’s Valin, Hunt’s Appointed.” He finished off his sandwich, then stood up to go make another, revealing an absolutely enormous bow that had been hidden by the way he was sitting.

And then it all clicked for Maven. She had seen this man before, in confidential documents. He was what her country had designated a “high-risk unidentified person” – someone who had had done something of note in Paumen in the past, but for whatever reason they had not been able to gather any information on.

Every hundred or so years there seemed to be a sighting of him shortly before or after the corpse of some incredibly threatening monster was found.  He had only been seen in Paumen once, but too little was known about him, given the circumstances in which he was seen. The leading theory, of course, was that he was hunting the monsters, but there remained the possibility of them somehow being attracted to him, or him experimenting on them or something, so they had decided to be extra alert about him, just in case.

And…now that she was thinking about it, her grandmother had mentioned him briefly, as being the one that had dealt with the deserter army. “Is it true that you were responsible for the disappearance of the deserter army?” She asked.

Valin paused in the middle of making his sandwich. “What’s that?”

“The deserter army, you defeated them, right? Grandmother told me about it.”

“No, I heard you, what’s the deserter army?”

Maven blinked. Did he actually not know? She opened her mouth to clarify, but her grandmother beat her to it.

“That army you destroyed during the war for the Outlands, the one that you were in five hours of Descent for.”

Understanding dawned in Valin’s eyes. “Oh, that. Yeah, that was me.” He said sourly. “That was an experience I’d rather not go through again. Mark my words, kid, killing people is not a pleasant experience. We spend our lives doing things that prevent people from getting in too much danger, so it always stings when you have to kill someone yourself, especially on that scale.”

“So…those monsters people always see you around, you’re the one who kills them?”

Valin’s expression brightened. “Ah, you’ve heard of me? I’m surprised, I generally try and stay out of sight as much as possible.”

“She was the crown princess until recently.” Amara explained. “Paumen has files on a lot of people like you. They’re not sure if you’re hunting those monsters or causing them somehow.”

“Yeah, I’m hunting them.” He said. “Occasionally something too dangerous for the public will find its way into an area it really shouldn’t be in, and it’s my job to make sure as few civilians as possible die from it.”

Maven frowned, thinking on that. “What qualifies as too dangerous?” She asked. “We get monsters over level one hundred from time to time, so if those don’t qualify, then…what does?”

Valin chuckled. “Depends on the era. Right now the limit is anything over level one hundred and twenty five. Once we finish introducing savage dungeons, that’s getting bumped up to one fifty. We still need to threaten people, we just don’t want them to be completely out of their depth. Now, did you two have something you needed from me in particular, or can I get back to eating?”

“That’ll be all, thanks Valin.” Amara said. “We should get going, Maven, we need to finish his up before the meeting properly begins.”