I stumbled over a rock, my staff moved on its own and caught me though. I leaned on it, and coughed up more blood. I was doing my best to catch it all on my sleeve. I was pretty sure I had punctured a lung, but I really didn’t know.

“You can do it,” a hallucination of Izzies voice whispered into my ears, or it might have been the staff. I don't know which one was better.

As I walked the staff never seemed to find a shaky spot, a slippery rock, or loose ground. Any time my staff struck the ground I leaned on it with confidence. I paused to cough up more blood. It was getting harder to breathe.

“RRRRRRRAAAAAAAUUUUUOOOOOOOOOO"

I heard in the distance it was faint, but it was coming. I could feel it in my stomach.

The staff was getting more aggressive in its directions, or I was just getting weaker. Both were probably true. It guided me through the forest.

I pause to cough and the thing near jumps out of my hand.

“Cal-calm down. I’m not doing so hot.” I say, I take a step forward. “Perhaps I should give you a name.” I tell the staff. “Crystal, cheap stripper name just your style, only problem is the lack of crystals on you. You’d only get offended with a name like Staffy.” I step over a large rock.

“Perhaps we should start with mytha then. Caduceus was a staff wielded by the god Hermes in greek mythology. Merlins staff was wielded by, well Merlin, the greatest wizard in my world, and this one too apparently.” I tell the staff. The air is pierced with another roar, louder this time. “RRRRRRAAAAAAAUUUUUUUOOOOO”

I cough, and wipe the dribble of blood from my lips. “Then Prosperos staff, wow most staves seemed to be named after their master. Regardless that staff was made from a branch of the tree of knowledge. You look kinda like that. The staff of Knowledge? No you are right no good.” I lean up against a tree, and take short shaky breaths. I slump forward a little.

“You are almost there don’t give up,” the voice says again.

I straighten myself, and take another step forward.

“Almost there, almost there, almost there.”

I sharply intake a breath, and my vision blackens momentarily. I’m lying on the ground my staff a few inches from me.

“RRRRRAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUOOOOO"

I grab the staff, and stand. My chest throbs with pain, threatening to overtake me. In the distance I hear loud crashing. I quicken my pace. I see a small break in the tree line ahead of me.

The crashing grows louder.

“RRRRAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOO" It calls. I step forward into the clearing. Noticing the shrine I had built nearly a week ago. Around it a small village had been erected. And by small I mean the huts are no larger than my shin in height. The inhabitants, small racoons, all turn and look at me, before dashing into their homes. They screech in fear? Surprise? Their little noses, and eyes stare at me through windows, and doorways of their huts. I stumble forward, ignoring them.

I collapse in front of the shrine, and cough blood onto its base. The words seem to pop into my head.

“I pray to you spirit of mulched earth, and dead leaves.

Of a cooling rain, and warm breeze.

Of muddy ground, and rocky soil.

Of barren trees, and vines that coil.

A monster comes with bloodied claws,

with browned feathers, and heavy paws.”

The warm breeze blowing, pauses and a number leaves fall from the tall trees around the clearing. A beaming ray of sunshine now hits the shrine.

“RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" the creature calls.

With a thunderous crash it bursts through the treeline. It stares at me with wide reddish eyes. The raccoon creatures let out chittering cries. The creature stomped closer. Casually smashing the huts. I grit my teeth, and bubble up my draconic energy inside myself. I feel myself pull enough for a thunderbolt, but I pull more and more and more.

I feel like I’m about to pop, and the air around me sparks and crackles with electricity. The Owlbear falters for the first time. Its forward paw, pulling back, with a subdued growl.

A large arc of electricity erupts from my shoulder, and scores a massive mark across the ground. I pull more of power from within, and then lift my hands to the owlbear and let it out.

I see for a split second the bolt connect with the Owlbear. Then I’m blind, my ears are ringing, I feel my body touch the ground, and I hadn't even realized I was in the air. I slide to a stop against a tree, or large rock. My ears are still ringing. I feel the ground around me, and shakily stand to my feet. After a few moments my vision returns.

It’s a testament to Owlbear physiology that it’s still alive. It lets out a pained whining noise, and convulses. A large blackened scorch mark across its body, where the electricity burned away it’s feathers and fur.

A sudden sharp pain hits me all at once, and I double over vomiting blood, and mucus. I close my eyes and breath out heavily, I feel the staff touch my hand. Its right beside my hand when I open my eyes. I use it to stand, and keep myself upright. The Owlbear twitches, and convulses on the ground. Its long rough tongue lolling around.

I stumble over to the Owlbear, and grab a hand of its fur. With the rest of the power inside of me, I discharge. Smoke curls up from my hands, and the Owlbear convulses beneath me. Letting out pained choked cries, interrupted only when the electricity causes its throat to contract in odd ways. I channel for what feels, like five minutes. I’m not even sure if the Owlbear is alive after the first 10 seconds, but that doesn’t stop me. I collapse backwards. The scent of charred flesh fills the air around me.

“YOU FUCKING IDIOT.”

I look around the white space, must’ve blacked out. Staff is standing looking angry, like some 50’s trophy wife movie star who caught her famous husband cheating on her with a younger movie star. Staff throws a conjured golden bowl at me, then an apple.

“IT'S AN OWLBEAR WHY DID YOU SPLIT UP?”

Staff throws a bunch of grapes at me.

“UGGGGHHHHH, there's a reason Owlbears are called mage hunters. Release a bunch of War Owlbears on a field, and sure as the sun is yellow that they go after the mages. If I didn’t know any better I would say Thelia was trying to get you killed splitting up like that.”

I pick up the apple from the floor, brush it off and take a bite. It’s nice crisp, and juicy.

“So why am I in here? Does any type of sleep pull me in, or do I have to focus. Still not sure on the rules.”

I ask Staff. Staff flops backwards onto her couch, “No I forcefully dragged you into here. You won’t feel the pain, and I can increase the healing process by about 10%.”

I take another bite of the apple, “So given any thought to a name? Calling you Staff is all well and good, but I assume you want something else.”

She gives me a wry smile,“Yes I have been giving it some thought. I like Ebony.”

A fresh bowl of fruit appears beside her, and she casually plucks grapes, and eats them.

“Not too strippery, but just strippery enough it’s good, suits you.”

I reply, “Soooooo… How long am I gonna stay in here?”

She waves her hand, “You could leave right now, but the pain would be pretty intense. Better to just let the healing do it’s thing. Plus you have god watchers outside, and they are pretty friendly…. Most of the time. They’ll keep you alive.”

I scratch my head, “You mean the little raccoon guys?”

“Yes, although I wouldn’t call them that to their faces. They haven’t been around for quite some time. They are a peculiar brand of fey, most consider them a force of nature more than anything else. Neither good or evil, they serve one goal, and one goal only. That is to help young gods. I hadn’t realized one had been birthed, but I assume Silence will becoming along shortly to cull it.”

I sit back, and BB seems to pop into existence beneath me keeping me sitting proper. Ebony raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything.

“What is Silences deal anyhow? What is he the god of?”

I ask. Ebony shifts uncomfortably.

“Well that's a hard question to answer. Silence is not a god of anything. That doesn’t mean he is the god of nothing, or the void. He has no pantheon, well the closest thing he has to a pantheon is assassination, or execution.

Silence is the one string of thread keeping everything together. Gods used to pop up, and drop like flies. Then Silence became sentient, and it stopped. He spent a 1000 years of reflection in the remains of the citadel of infinite knowledge, or so it’s said. And then new gods started dropping, first one, then five, then 10, 50, 100, 200, and so on. Then he started taking preventative measures, tens of thousands of mortals, demigods, and fledgling gods, all dead.

The wars in the higher planes stopped. Its like that cold war thing in your world. Sides can’t risk the gods they ally with dying, so they push the mortal realms like pieces on the board.” In front of Ebony, a large map with hexagonal tiles overlaid appears. Little pieces with many different colours cover the board. Largish reliefs of varying figures appear on the board. A wrinkled looking corpse, I assume is Volen. A one eyed woman, holding a tome, Helon. A long bearded dwarf with two hands cast in metal, An Orc with several different heads melded into one. A stout tree, with an elf growing out of it. Smaller reliefs dot the sides, overlapping, and blending colours. A hairy creature holding a bloodied axe, a tree with a mouth, and dozens more. A single piece made of glass appears in her hand.

“And then there was you. A piece that shouldn’t exist yet present all the same. Infinite power, but no power at all. I’m under no illusion that your arrival through that portal into a cave no divinity would dare go, besides Silence, is a coincidence. It seems like he has finally decided to play.”

The board shifts slightly. And a glass figure appears on the side, no colours blend with his. A large mantis like creature with a spider abdomen, and a hundred different hands sprouting behind him.

“You seem to be pretty knowledgeable for a staff.”

Ebony shrugs, “You pick up on a thing, or two over the centuries. I’ve been loaned out before, then the big lizard would kinda just hoover the information out of me.”

I recline in the chair, “So what do we do now, and no I am not having sex with you. Do I kinda just wait until you give me the all clear to wake up?”

Ebony nods her head, “yeah pretty much. Soul spaces this young have bad time compression so it will be much faster than you think. About 12 hours by my estimate.”

I raise an eyebrow, “Is that why it feels like time is passing faster when I’m here? Because of inefficient time compression?”

Ebony nods her head. That actually made sense, but didn’t that mean I could eventually make a thousand hours pass in here, and a second outside?

“Before you ask, you can’t artificially increase the efficiency. While your soul has an extremely large breadth, and accuracy. Only time, and age can increase your souls efficiency. People who have tried to artificially expand ones soul, are granted one mercy, a quick death.”

Ebony tells me. I stand up, and toss the apple core away, “I’m going to do some creativity training then. Let me know when I'm good to go.”

I walk off, willing some tall hedges to spring into existence around me. I twist and turn the hedges forming ahead of me as I plot my path. The hedges fade into a forest, filled with thicket. I thread my way along a less traveled path and into a tranquil glade. Flowers bloom along the trees edge, and tall grasses grow up to my waist. I stomp a patch down, and sit on the matted grass. Charting out the labyrinth in my head.