My family and I went outside to see what his team was doing. As he got close, he noticed people started bowing.

  “That’s weird” Kristie said. “People don’t normally bow around here. What’s going on?”

  Gods dammit, I thought. “Rodof probably said something about my being a count.” I said to Kristie.

  “A count. Like in nobility?”

  “Yeah, didn’t I mention that earlier?”

  “No” both Kristie and Linsey said together.

  “Sorry about that, but it’s not a big deal. It happened after the Dungeon clear. I mean most of the team got their titles raised anyway. I became a count because of my level at the time. Decharte wants their higher levels loyal to the country, so they make them nobles. Since I was past the minimum level for nobility, they made me a count. Gave me a compound in the capital and everything.”

  “So, you have two houses, not just one.” Linsey said.

  “Actually, I have three. I have a summer house called Rose Flower Manor. It’s in the south but I have never been there. Maybe we can go there when we get back.”

  Kristie and Linsey stopped. “What do you mean go back?” Kristie asked.

  “Well, I thought. I mean. It’s why I came here. To get you. To get you and bring you back to Tellus Nova.” I stammered though my words.

  “Dad, I think we should talk about this.”

  “I agree. I don’t want to come off as telling you that you have to come. I would love it, but you are right. We need to talk about it.”

  “We can talk after dinner tonight” Kristie said “For now, let’s tour our new Safe Zone.”

  “Rodof, Medirre, Blade, Batella scout around the Safe Zone, make sure there aren’t any monster hiding inside.”

  “Yes, Lord Trevor” they sang out and sprang into action.

  Dammit. I knew it was them. Kristie, Linsey and I wandered around the Safe Zone. It was quite large, compared to just the supermarket. We discovered a System Store in our wandering.

  We went inside and looked around. Kristie and Linsey were amazed at the magical items and the variety of items. One of the mannequins came over and asked if we needed help. Of course, I wanted to get some equipment for my wife and daughter. Specifically defensive items. Ranged defense and barriers were my two biggest priorities. Kristie and Linsey had a different idea. They wanted items that could help the Safe Zone. Farming tools was the first priority for them. Seeds, sprouts and saplings were bought. They needed those to make the Safe Zone self-sufficient. After that, storage bags to keep things fresh. I bought it, along with defensive broaches and bracers. They may not have wanted them, but I made them promise to wear them. While monsters couldn’t spawn inside the Safe Zone, they could still attack it. Low level monsters were kept away by both a repulsion field and a barrier, but a high enough level monster could ignore the repulsion field and break through the barrier.

  We finished our shopping and went back to the supermarket. My team met us there and reported that there were no monsters in the Safe Zone. Then we all found a little corner and sat down. Ajani came and sat down to eat with us. Since it was dinner time, and I still have food from Chef, so I shared it. Chef had given me enough food for months. She must have been cooking overtime since I first got my quest. For which, I was very grateful.

  I looked at Kristie and Linsey and said “I would like for you two to come back with me to Tellus Nova. It’s not Earth, but Forest Glen is a good place. I know you have responsibilities here and it’s unfair to ask, but I’m asking. I would stay, but I can’t. The System, my System won’t allow it. The Malentine Universal System will send literal gods to get me, and they won’t be shy about what gets destroyed or who gets killed.”

  “Should we be talking about this in front of everyone?” Linsey asked.

  “Rodof, Medirre, Sharon and Rhonda are already members of House Tierra, which means they are family too. The rest have already agreed to come back to Tellus Nova and if they can’t get back to their world, then they will be welcomed into House Tierra also. So, I consider them family also. Ajani is also affected, so I think he should be here.”

  “It’s a large ask, Dad. We have friends here and my ability to see the future has been critical to our survival. If I leave, they won’t have that.”

  “I don’t think I can leave our daughter alone here on Earth.” Kristie said.

  My heart sank. I didn’t want to leave them on Earth, but I wouldn’t force them to. But I had another option.

  “You can bring your friends, if that makes any difference. I understand they needed your abilities earlier, but now they are in a Safe Zone. The Safe Zone provides them the best chance of survival. I will even upgrade it, if that makes a difference. I will do whatever you need me to do for you to come with me.”

  Ajani took this moment to interject “Linsey, Kristie. You have been a godsend to us, from the moment we met. I can say that our group wouldn’t have survived without you. But your husband has helped unasked. He paid for the Safe Zone to be created. He has taught Dr. Robertson Minor Heal, which will save even more lives. I want you to stay, but you should know that I am confident we will survive, even thrive, if you accompany your husband home. And let’s be real. Going should be a no brainer. Life will be better there, at least for the next 30 years. We would all go if given the opportunity.”

  “Well, how many people do you have here?”

  “Fifty-seven, not including your group.”

  “If they are willing to walk with us to Brentwood, then all can come. I can set up temporary housing for them in Forest Glen or Decharte City, while they figure out what they need to do. Take your time. Talk to your people and your friends. Nothing has to be decided today, or even tomorrow” I said.

  *-------------*

  In the morning, Ajani held a townhall type meeting. He gathered everyone in the supermarket. Including my party.

  “Yesterday, Lord Trevor of House Tierra offered to take us all to Tellus Nova with him when he leaves. We will have to walk to Brentwood, about 25 to 30 miles east of here to get to his Gateway. He will open the Gateway and we can all use it to go to Tellus Nova. When we get there, he will provide temporary housing and help us integrate with their society. From what he and his people have said about Tellus Nova, it seems to be much better than Earth is at the moment. Lord Trevor, if you would like to say something” and Ajani pointed to me.

  “Didn’t expect to have to make a speech today, so I will just tell you what I think. You have done an amazing job surviving the apocalypse. Because that is what you have done. The world as you knew it is gone. On Earth, every day is now a struggle to survive. Every day, you don’t know if it will be your last. You have been living it. You know it. How many people have you lost already?

  “Tellus Nova is not a paradise. It is a medieval society, but with magic, so indoor plumbing is a thing for which I am very grateful. You won’t have modern technological conveniences, but you don’t have to fight every day. Living in the city is safe from the inhuman monsters that are all about killing. You can live without having to fight monsters. Most people on Tellus don’t. They have jobs as farmers, crafters, merchants and other trades. You can fight monsters, if you want. You can have excitement and adventure, but instead of being on your own, you can have support. You want support that helps you be successful at adventuring. Join the Adventurer Guild. They have the knowledge, and can provide the training to help you live through your fights. You want to learn a craft. I will get you an apprenticeship. Nobody who wants to work will be jobless.

  “Now you have a Safe Zone here. That is true, but it will still need to be defended. Defended against high level monsters. Defended against monster waves. And finally, defended against other humans, when they turn their attention to growing their power. This is an unfortunate fact that, even today, some people will do anything for power over their fellow humans. Life on Earth will be an unending fight for years to come, until things are stabilized.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Lastly, I have a Gateway between worlds. If after a year on Tellus, you want to come back. I will use the Gateway to make it happen. Life on Tellus is not perfect, but in my opinion, it is a damn sight safer than here.”

  People started shouting out questions, so fast that they kept interrupting each other. Ajani finally got control and had people stand in a line, then ask their questions. I spent the next two hours answering those questions. They ranged from what’s a monster wave to how does the indoor plumbing work. In other words, they were all over the place, but this was a monumental decision for them, so I was patient and answered all their questions. Rodof and Medirre helped out with the specific Adventurer Guild questions and about the monsters in the area.

  Ajani adjourned the meeting and asked everyone to think about what they wanted. He asked them to make up their mind by dinner. He wouldn’t answer when asked if he was going to Tellus. He just said they should make their own decision. I thought that was a very moral thing to do, not trying to influence his people’s decision. From the questions, I expected the majority of people would want to come with us. There would always be outliers or action junkies who wanted the challenge of taming this apocalypse. Just how many, we would have to wait and see.

  *-------------*

  I was wrong. At the dinner meeting, everyone agreed to go to Tellus. No adrenaline junkies here. It wasn’t even a discussion. I mean, Earth was hell at the moment and who wouldn’t want to get off it. Everyone would pack up what they could and we would leave in the morning. I didn’t care that I had another 60 or so mouths to feed. I was just happy that my wife and daughter would be going back with me to Tellus and Forest Glen.

  Ajani, Rodof, Medirre, Blade, Kristie, Linsey and I spent the next few hours figuring out how we would get to Brentwood. I healed as many of the people that I find. I wanted everyone healthy for the trip.

  *------------------------*

  I rose before the sun. The predawn light was more than enough to see by. Everybody else was still asleep, except for the guards at the front of the store. I decided to go outside and visit the System Store. I didn’t know if I would be able to use it again, since there wasn’t one in Forest Glen. Today was the day, we left the Safe Zone and I wanted to make some final purchases for Kristie and Linsey.

  When I entered the store, I felt something was off. It was the same as yesterday, but something was different. Then I noticed that none of the mannequins were moving. One looked to be in the middle of taking a step, but there was no motion. It was as if time had stopped. Then a man popped up in front of me.

  “Hi. My name is Rebital. I think we need to talk.”

  I don’t know if he knows, but those are pretty ominous words. All my exes used them just before they ended our relationship.

  “Hello. Can I assume you are the avatar for the Rebital Communal System?” I replied.

  “Yes, I am. I heard what you said yesterday about finding the cause of the anomaly. It concerns me. You were living under the Malentine Universal System, correct?”

  “Yes, but only for six or seven months. I was sent there by an Angel to recover from soul damage, but you probably already know that.”

  “Actually, no I don’t. I only know what you or your team members have said about Tellus. I don’t believe you mentioned soul damage. But that’s not what I really want to talk about. Come have a seat.”

  Two chairs and a small table appeared out of nowhere. We both sat down, and a tea set appeared. Rebital pour us both a cup of tea. It was hot, so I blew on it to cool it down. It smelled delicious. Rebital sipped his without cooling it down. I sipped a little and it tasted as good as it smelled. I would need to see if I could buy some here.

  After a minute, Rebital asked “How do you find Earth now?”

  Not the question I expected.

  I replied “I find it to be horrible actually. The wholesale slaughter of billions of humans revolts me. Earth wasn’t a paradise before, but it didn’t deserve this. Armageddon is not a good thing.”

  “Armageddon, as you put it, is a side effect of me fulfilling my purpose. My purpose is to bring magic to all sapient beings, to create an environment where they may become as powerful as they can. I imagine Malentine has the same purpose.” He paused and looked at me.

  “I wouldn’t know. I’m not Malentine’s confidante. I was simple sent here to find out what caused the anomaly. Now, I just want to get my people back to Tellus Nova and away from this nightmare. No offense.”

  “None taken. I am well aware of how sapiens see the initial adjustment of their worlds. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to do this. It is what it is, and I don’t know of another way to do it.”

  I thought about all the fantasy books I read and said “What about planet expansion, while the population is off in an extradimensional tutorial? Make the planet 10 times bigger. I have read many novels where that is the kind of thing Systems do when they incorporate a planet. Think about it. It has the added benefit of a larger pool of sapiens to become stronger. Doesn’t that fit your purpose better? Better result, less death, that’s a win-win situation.”

  “Intriguing. I would have to see what the expenditure is compared to the return. A larger pool of candidates would probably alleviate the planet’s population dying off, which happens occasionally with the current method.”

  Shocked, yes, surprised Rebital killed off planet’s sapient population, no. Systems seemed to have no moral compass other than their ‘purpose’. Malentine may have used the carrot and stick method with me, but would have no problem wiping out my House, if it served its purpose.

  “Yes, a complete loss of initial investment when that happens. At least with my suggestion, that would never happen. But you didn’t come here for that discussion. What do you want from me?”

  “I want you to deliver a message to Malentine for me. I want to meet. Since I cannot go into his territory, nor he in mine, without putting ourselves at risk. I want to meet on neutral ground.”

  I know that Systems are all powerful in their domains, but he is asking me to do something for him. So, I should get paid, right? “I believe I can do that, but what are you willing to trade for me to do it? I mean Malentine gave me a lot, just to come here and look around.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you hire someone to do a task, you pay them. Either with gold, items, or services. So, I think since you are hiring me to deliver a message, which Malentine may not want to hear and he may take his annoyance out on me, I should get paid. Paid a lot, because there is a more than zero possibility that carrying the message will get me killed.”

  “Commerce. I see. What do you think is an appropriate price?”

  “I want my wife and daughter to be half ascended like me. Not necessarily Nephilim, because I don’t want them forced into a life of violence. I also want my wife to be physically perfect, like me, but with her body.” That’s a big ask as far as I am concerned, but it should be simple for a System.

  “Is that it? Anything else?”

  “No. That would be enough, if you agree, then I will tell Malentine that you want to meet in a neutral zone. But can’t you just send him a letter or give him a phone call?”

  “No. Systems are not allowed to talk or interact directly with each other, except in war. We have to have a third party, which in this case is you. If Malentine accepts, then we will both use third parties to talk to each other. He may call upon you to be that third party. Be forewarned.”

  “That explains why he had me built the Gateway. He wasn’t allowed to, but if I did it, then he could set things up for me to come here.”

  “Exactly. Just like I will ensure the Gateway works when you activate it and you all safely travel back to Tellus Nova. Back to the negotiations. I agree to your terms. Your wife and daughter are currently undergoing their change. You wife and daughter will complete the transformation over the next 24 hours, so that they don’t suffer physical pain from the transformation. Sudden transformations of this magnitude are painful in the extreme if done quickly.”

  “Tell me about it. I have the Mr. Perfect Title and have undergone the sudden transformation when I turned into a Nephilim. It was not pleasant.”

  “I believe that concludes our business for now.” Rebital disappeared and time started again.

  A mannequin came up and asked me how it could help. Right, I still had things to buy, while I had the opportunity.

  I ended up with quite a few more items. Rebital gave me a 99% discount on rings, necklaces, charms, bracers, spell tomes, and skills. I got more defensive items for Kristie and Linsey. At that price I also got a lot of stuff for my other house members. Dozens of rings, charms, bracers, and skills. I got myself a charm that would keep the rain off me.

  After shopping, I went back to our sleeping area. Kristie and Linsey were already up, as were everyone else.

  “I had an encounter with the Rebital Communal System avatar this morning.” I said to them.

  “What! What did it want?” Linsey asked.

  “Rebital wants me to take a message to the Malentine Universal System. Apparently, the Systems can’t directly interface with each other. They need a third party, and right now that’s me. Luckily for Rebital, I don’t charge much.”

  “What did you get?” Kristie asked.

  “That’s simple, half ascendence for you two. It will start with improving your health. Making you younger. By the end of the day, you should have a perfect body. Next is an expanded life. You can count on centuries, rather than decades. We can still be killed, but it’s much harder to even do that. You won’t age either. All good stuff.”

  To say they were stunned would be an understatement. Literally life changing news. Good news too, not bad news life changing news.

  “Kristie, you can expect to grow younger as the day progresses. By tomorrow morning, you should be in your early twenties, like me. It will be a change, but you have time to get used to it. You have all the time you need” I said with a huge smile on my face.

  Both had recovered by now. Recovered enough to start speaking.

  “Are you saying you are immortal? That we are immortal?” Kristie asked.

  “Yes and no. Eternal youth is part of the half-ascended state. However, we can be killed if we take enough damage. My race changed into Nephilim. Nephilim is basically a half-ascended being. Not a lot is really known about Nephilim, but long lives is one central tenant. But on Tellus Nova, Nephilim are associated with violence and destruction, so no one, I mean no one knows that I am Nephilim. I didn’t ask for you two to become Nephilim, so you may be something else with the same immortal traits. We can check your status tomorrow morning. It should list your race then. But even if it is Nephilim, violence doesn’t have to be part of your life. I have already proven that. I am a Healer in Tellus Nova, not a warrior. I like it that way and I don’t plan on changing.”

  “Functionally immortal. That’s, that’s. Just wow. Helluva news to get first thing in the morning.” Linsey grinned.

  “That’s great and all, but we need to get moving. People are depending on us, so let go.” Kristie said. Always the practical one.