The hurricane comes to an eerily abrupt end the morning they set out for Skycastle. The bright blue sky and sun shining overhead have never felt more ominous in Sophia's opinion. If her theory about what had caused the sea storms to rage for so many days in the first place was accurate, than them coming to an end probably meant nothing good for their plans.

  Oh, it was nice to hope for half a moment that her uncle had been defeated and the Ancient Gods of the Mortal Planes had managed to triumph over the Void Gods. But Sophia couldn't really bring herself to believe that, not truly. Deep down inside she knew things hadn't gone the way she and Oren might have liked.

  The other reason she knows that the Ocean Gods likely didn't win is because it's not long into their journey that they start encountering other natural disasters. The earth quakes beneath their feet, the sky splits open and rainless lightning and thunder bombard the ground.

  It feels like the world is falling apart at the seams and all the while, Sophia can taste the divine power in the air. She can tell that cataclysmic battles between gods of no small power are happening. Luckily, not close by… but it only goes to show just how strong these deities are that the effects of their fighting can be felt from so far away.

  They don't run into anyone at first. Not until they're much closer to Skycastle. Then… then the roads become so packed with travelers that Sophia and Oren can barely believe their eyes. Talking with some of the different caravans always results in the same story though.

  Each and every group of people is coming from some nearby settlement, be it a town or village or what have you. The earth practically shaking apart beneath their feet has destroyed their homes, ruined their farms, and left them all without hope… hope besides Skycastle.

  Apparently Skycastle is rumored to be taking in refugees. More than that, it's apparently untouched by the earthquakes, sinkholes and fissures commonly opening up all over the place. Somehow the city is still standing and everyone on the road is hopeful that they might manage to gain entrance and find safety there.

  … It's not lost on Sophia that such a thing would consolidate even more power under the God Hunters and their secret divine leaders. Another thing that she and Oren manage to discern from talking to those among the caravans of refugees is that it's commonly known one has to renounce all gods and divine idols if they want to even have a chance at entering Skycastle.

  The people they travel with on the packed road are desperate enough to do that though. They're desperate enough to do just about anything at this point. It's painfully obvious to Sophia that this is all part of her Uncle's master plan. All of his scheming and plotting has led to precisely this.

  Most of the lesser gods and goddesses are gone by now anyways. Each and every refugee who was once a devout follower of this or that deity has a story about their god abandoning them and no longer answering their prayers. The God Hunters have been very, very busy.

  Fortunately, they don't run into anyone they recognize from Amberwell or Oakvale. Unfortunately, they do run into some people from Goldriver. The aquifer beneath the city hadn't just gone away after Aureo's death. And while many had managed to mine gold from the massive pillar in the city center, they'd then had to flee when the city itself began to sink, the river swelling more and more.

  In the end, killing Aureo had bought the people of Goldriver time and little else. It had given more of them a chance to survive than would have otherwise, and they were a little bit wealthier for it too. But neither Sophia nor Oren could find Anna among the Goldriver refugees, nor anyone who knew her. Had she survived the slow demise of the city? Would they ever find out?

  Sophia was ultimately forced to put it out of her mind as they finally came into view of Skycastle. It was… perhaps the greatest human city that Sophia had ever seen. The walls were even taller than Goldriver's, but the buildings were even taller still. Resplendent and glorious, it sits atop a massive hill surrounded by plains on all sides.

  Said plains were completely covered in tents and dotted with little campfires for as far as Sophia's eyes could see. They seemed to encircle the city on all sides, going far out into the distance and disappearing behind the huge hill that Skycastle was built upon. The sheer number of refugees that had traveled here hoping to enter the city was astronomical.

  The line for trying to actually enter through one of the city's gates was ten times the size of the line to enter Goldriver. The other major difference between here and Goldriver is that Oren identifies the guards at the gate as God Hunters, peering at them from afar with his enhanced eyesight and confirming that there is no separation between the City Guard and the God Hunters in this city.

  Sharing a look with the Otherworlder, the two of them move off to the side, finding a moment of privacy under a tree near the edge of the plains. Sophia bites her lower lip as she glances towards the city off in the distance. Oren does too for a moment before frowning as he glances at Sophia.

  "… The Mortal Planes are coming apart at the seams, but this area is completely fine. How is that possible?

  Sophia hums for a moment before reaching out with her senses very, very carefully. After a moment, she gasps at what she feels.

  "It's… it's like the wards I put on my hideaways, except on a much more massive scale. The Void Gods must have worked in concert to protect this huge of a space."

  Oren grunts while Sophia continues that thought to its natural conclusion.

  "It means we're on the right track, because no artifact the God Hunters could have seized would have been capable of this. This wasn't just where the God Hunters originated. This was also where the Void Gods entered the Mortal Planes from the Void."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  How long had they been here, building up Skycastle as the base of their power? Given how quickly the God Hunters had sprouted up after the slaughter of the Heavens, Sophia had to guess that the Void Gods had either been operating in the city since just after her father was confirmed dead, or even slightly before if they were willing to risk discovery. Still…

  "What do we do now?"

  Oren looks at her and smirks slightly.

  "Well, I'll tell you what we WON'T do. We definitely won't tie you up and pretend like I'm some bounty hunter who managed to catch a goddess and wants to be paid for handing you over to them."

  Sophia blushes and reaches over to smack Oren on the chest, causing him to chuckle in response.

  "S-Shut up… I recognize I was an idiot for that one, okay? There were a million ways that could have gone wrong and they would have if you hadn't stepped in."

  It was honestly kind of freeing to finally know she wasn't a Goddess of Wisdom after all. It made it so much easier to recognize when she'd been an idiot in the past.

  Meanwhile, Oren sobers up a little bit at her words.

  "I would never have let them hurt you, Sophia. Not in a million years."

  Blushing a bit at the sincerity in his voice, Sophia impulsively steps in and hugs Oren, relaxing as he wraps his arms around her in turn.

  "… I know. Thank you for protecting me, even when I was a bitch."

  Oren just squeezes her tighter for a moment before they pull away and look back at the city.

  "… If the Void Gods have a presence in the city trying to teleport in or use my divine power in any sort of overt way is just going to cause problems for us. Maybe you can jump us over the wall?"

  Frowning, Oren slowly shakes his head.

  "I could climb it with you on my back certainly, but it's too tall for me to jump. There's also a lot more people manning the wall here at Skycastle compared to Goldriver. I've been watching and I have yet to see an opening in their rotation, not because they're disciplined or anything but because they've stuffed the wall with soldiers. I'm guessing that the God Hunters are recruiting the strongest and most able-bodied from the refugees…"

  That… gives Sophia an idea.

  "Maybe… maybe we're overthinking this then. Maybe we don't need to make this so complicated. What if we just… walked right in?"

  Oren gives her an incredulous look that makes Sophia blush.

  "Hear me out, I'm serious! We can see just by looking around that they're not just letting anyone in right now. But who do you think they ARE letting in?"

  It takes a moment before understanding dawns in Oren's eyes.

  "Able-bodied men eager to join the God Hunters."

  Sophia nods happily.

  "Exactly… and I bet if you were extremely eager to join the God Hunters, they certainly wouldn't begrudge your beautiful young wife entrance into the city either."

  That causes Oren to freeze up for a moment.

  "My… wife."

  Sophia blushes at how happy his voice sounds. But she has to admit, his tone brings a smile to her face all the same.

  "That's right. I bet you anything they're turning away everyone from large settlement communities to farmers and their families. They don't need that many people in the city… in fact, they probably want to break up groups like that as much as possible. But an unattached newlywed couple who are just looking to start a new life in the last bastion of safety and sanity in the entirety of the Mortal Planes? We would be exactly what they were looking for."

  She waits with bated breath as Oren considers her proposal. Finally, he nods decisively.

  "It's a good plan. More importantly, it's the best plan I can think of. The only real issue is if they want to take me straight from the gate to recruitment. We need to be careful not to get separated, at all costs."

  Sophia bites her lower lip at that, imagining having to split up from Oren in a city filled to the brim with God Hunters and potentially Void Gods as well.

  "R-Right. That would be bad."

  Pulling her into another hug, Oren smiles.

  "It's still a very good plan, Sophia. Well done."

  Sophia blushes and ducks her head into his chest, warmth spreading through her at his praise. Coming from Oren, it means so much more…

  -x-X-x-

  Unfortunately, by the time they'd arrived outside of Skycastle, it was already past midday. And the line, as things stood, was easily over ten hours long with the gates closing at sunset for the night.

  Fortunately, they were just two people compared to the much larger communities that had to all jockey for positions across the plains surrounding the base of the city. And just two people could easily slip between those groups and get closer and closer to the city.

  They weren't the first in line come the next morning, but they were only an hour out from the gates. As they got closer and closer, Sophia's anxiety could only ratchet up higher and higher. Her one saving grace was her necklace. The last time she'd worn it had been before Goldriver, but she has it on again now and hopefully it should completely suppress her divinity to the point where the God Hunters manning the gate won't be able to tell something is amiss.

  If it doesn't… well, Oren is just going to have to start killing. And that would probably make the next several steps of their already impossible plan all the harder.

  Finally, they find themselves standing before a God Hunter Lieutenant. Sophia is reminded of Elric Steelwater as the man eyes them both up and down with a glint in his gaze.

  "Names?"

  "Tophen and Sally, sir!"

  Another God Hunter writes their names down in a tome he's holding in their hands.

  "And where are you from, Tophen and Sally?"

  "Amberwell, sir!"

  The Lieutenant grunts.

  "Never heard of it."

  Sophia cringes and pushes herself into Oren's side, doing her best to play the part of a shy, scared young wife. They'd talked the night before about their cover identities. Calling themselves by their real names when Tyranos probably still very much wanted them dead would have been folly. Likewise, they needed to have come from someplace.

  Goldriver was briefly considered but ultimately discarded because people traveling from Goldriver usually had freshly mined gold on them and they didn't have any. Oakvale… well, they'd made quite the public mess of things in Oakvale. Amberwell should be safe though, especially because of its obscurity.

  For a brief moment, Sophia worries that the Lieutenant is going to press for more information about Amberwell… but then he just moves on.

  "Do either of you have any family in Skycastle?"

  Oren shakes his head, playing up his part as a young but able-bodied man. Sophia notices how some of the God Hunters, the Lieutenant included, have definitely made note of the sword at his side.

  "No sir! No family to speak of besides my Sally. It's just me and her at this point!"

  Sophia thinks she sees a flicker of something in the Lieutenant's eyes… something intrigued.

  "Hm… and what business do the two of you have here in Skycastle then?"

  Oren doesn't even hesitate.

  "I'm here to join the God Hunters, sir! Sally and I were hoping to find a new life here in Skycastle, away from all those gods tearing the world apart!"

  A hush falls over the God Hunters all standing around the entrance to the city. Sophia finds herself holding her breath, waiting to see if their gambit will work out or not.

  Moment of truth…

  A/N: Probably the lamest cliffhanger I've done yet, but the chapter naturally ended here so…

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