After an awkward separation of hands and Ahorn wiping his hand from my blood, he looks a little worried.

“You don’t need to get that checked?” His large face and mouth, reminiscent of that of a reptile or amphibian, coupled with his speech, which doesn’t match his lips warms my heart slightly, as I remember the details. I didn’t know him for long, but I still think of him as a friend.

“C’mon, Ahorn, you don’t recognize me?” I say, as I remove the chainmail covering, revealing my bright red hair.

“Sorry, I have a hard time telling humans apart. Where did we meet?” Huh. Now I am really glad I didn’t break in and randomly search for him, as I briefly thought of doing.

“Can we chat somewhere more private? My story contains somewhat sensitive information.” He nods, and we leave Porar behind, to move to another location. I have never been this place in the circle before, but we appear to be in some sort of luxury green room. Various bottles, presumably containing alcohol, fruit, which is rather expensive, and some dried meat on sticks is around.

However, we were not left alone. The old man is still with us.

“Ergh, when I said private, I was hoping for only the two of us” Ahorn quickly follow my look to the old man.

“You can’t very well toss out the leader of humanity, if he wants to listen, now can you?” Ahorn has a big smile. As suspected, the old man is the leader of humanity. I don’t know his name, I have seen no statues or commemorations of him and he simply looks like an old man. I wonder how he came to be in power?

“I’d really prefer not to… Well, is he tight-lipped?” I ask Ahorn, who seems baffled.

“Worry not, I shan’t let a word heard from here be retold outside these walls” the old man says solemnly, to which Ahorn just nods. Well.

“First off. I am Yos, the vanguard you took on in Berliso.”

Ahorn appears to be thinking, but then suddenly changes expression “Brother of Yorgar? How did you ever survive?” he seems to remember.

“Eh, that’s one of the sensitive issues… It involves God, you see, and I thought it should be something shared with your ears only” I plead a final time to be completely alone, but.

“The leader of humanity is also the head of the temples. He will surely want to hear it” Ahorn forms an incredible smile with his large mouth. So much so that it is borderline creepy…. Fuck it.

“First off, I am like you… More than 800 years ago, I was taken from a different world and plunged down here with my gift.” Ahorn’s smile immediately fades and looks confusedly at me.

“That gift, is that once a day, I restore from all conditions… Including death” Nobody says anything, so I just continue.

“So I decided to scout ahead in the dungeon, to prepare you for reaching all the way down. It took me almost two years, but I got to the bottom, and God appeared.”

“Wait, wait, wait” The leader interjected. “God APPEARED?”

I nod.

“God didn’t just talk to you, God physically manifested in front of you?” He has an expression like he is hearing something he can’t believe.

“Yeah, that’s what I am saying. Anyhow, God-“

“What did God look like!?” This again…

“Like a human child, nude and devoid of gender, slightly shining” He is shocked.

“Just like Ahorn described…”

“Anyway, God-“

“So you are a hero too? How does this work, we are not supposed to have two heroes at once? And 800 years ago? That was before the first hero? So are you a hero or not?”

This fucking guy, stop interrupting me!

“I heard nothing of being a hero. Actually, God just straight up kidnapped me and plunged me down here without further explanation. Anyway, at the bottom of the-“

“Were you human before? Did God change you into one?”

“Can you shut up and let me tell my story for one minute!? I am trying to recount the events!” Jeez, this geezer is way. Upon my slight snapping, he is taken aback, before displaying a serious scowl.

“To offend me, do you have any idea who I am?”

“Yeah, you are one hell of an annoying person!” I yell at ham.

“Yos, calm down right now and apologize, it’s the leader of all of humanity you are speaking to!”

Ahorn defends him.

“Does being the leader of humanity mean he is incapable of letting me finish my damn story?”

Ah, right… I shouldn’t pick fights with those in high positions, wouldn’t want to be trapped for another 800 years.

“Sorry, but that was really annoying. Can I please tell my story to the end, and I will be happy to answer your questions afterwards.” He gives me one hell of a mean look, but eventually nods.

And so I tell about the gift given and the question answered, and how god seems to function in the bottom of each dungeon, and it will use the power of that dungeon to either manifest or make the gift, I am not sure. I also promise to show off the cape, when I have retrieved it.

“Yos… I had given up hope after getting stuck twice on such an early floor, but your tale fills me with new ambition” I think he is trying to sound grandiose, but the lip-flaps being out of sync with the speech really robs it of any sort of majestic air. “Will you arrange a new expedition together with me? We will hire another team and proceed forward, with you in the lead! I need to get to the bottom of a dungeon!”

And so, I have been hired to put together a crew to escort the hero to God.