On the way out I had filled in Big boy about my class and it's safe zone, and talked a bit about the people I had met, as well as the demons I had fought.

So on the way in I learned that Big boy had the Explorer class and a ability that enhanced his senses. I found out he was from an entirely different world and had arrived here in a cylinder of water going from and including the bottom of a ocean and up to the to surface. In width it had been easily tens of thousands of feet across.

I could only imagine it had been brought over in order to get eight sea serpent in one area. People that big needed room.

His circular sea had ended up connected to three other areas large enough to be called seas. The one he had set out to explore had patches of ten kinds of coral, seaweed, and leafless tree like plants set out in groups all along the sea bottom. Along with hundred of fish, the blue frogs and other sea life which he described as =Tasty but elusive=

The sharks I had seen were actually something more like squids with a set of fins, one on each side, which was native to these waters. Still fish according to Big boy, as they weren't people and lived in the sea.

I also learned that he had sent out a call to the other sea serpents with his mind working on a level beyond my ability to perceive.

When I pointed out that I headache during the time he said he was sending the message to his kin, he claimed that =You perceived pain, but not information. You are very sensitive for such a small being, but perception is not understanding.=

"What ever Big boy, just maybe warn me first next time."

The sky had gone from a reddish orange to a pea green on the way out, by the time we returned to the sacred ground it had gone past green into a off colored blue. Waiting for me on the shore I could see who I thought I recognized as Rill waiting for me just up slope from the shoreline.

I had started to recognized her face, but at this distance I had to go by the color of her wrap and the faint hint of hostility.

I stood up on the sea serpent's back to say my goodbyes. "Thanks for the lift Big boy, I'll have people keep watch for you when you come back."

The big beast rolled to dump me into the sea. =I will see you then small person=

I didn't share my feeling about getting dunked out loud. It would have been hard to do underwater anyways. But I did think them very hard at Mr. Funny dragon. Something amused felling but not quite in words came back to me.

I finished my swim into shore and waded out of the water to see Rill tilting her head back and forth at me. "Your female was very upset to hear about you being carried off into the waters. She was also very rude to me when I pointed out that as long as the Little ghost stands on your holy stone, we will know that you are alive."

She tilted her head again. "I have decided I do not like her or you that much. But one of the younger humans talked to me about body marking, so perhaps it is just that you are too old."

I decided that I would rather take another shower and put on some clean clothes instead of rather then deal with her. So I just said. "Thanks." and headed back to the church, hoping to avoid my friends until I at least had a chance to get cleaned up and possibly something to eat and drink.

Maybe something from the store. Did I do enough today to earn a ration of junk food?

But it was not to be. Chloe and Tok sat waiting for me on the front steps. They started off sitting, but both quickly stood up as I walked out of the trees. Chloe glaring at me with crossed arms and Tok taking a few steps up to let her have at me first.

Before she could get started, I spoke up first. "I got to ride on a sea serpent! His name is Big boy, and I took pics." I held up my phone in a baggy for evidence."

She looked at me and started to smile, then shook her head and forced herself to give me a stern look as she started to point at me.

"He showed me a cruise ship, after telling me about it with his mind. Must be hundred of people on board, so if we can get them here it will put us up over a hundred. Maybe even well on our way to a thousand. But definitely enough to put us up to rank three in Sanctity. That will be a thousand foot radius."

She stared at me, finger still held up, resolved to let me finish so she could chew me out without interruption.

"They got zombies though"

She seemed surprised but waited.

"Big boy is going to recruit the other seven sea serpent he knows of and try to push it closer to here."

She blinked, but waited.

"I was thinking maybe we could take out some zombies, beat the demon that is probably involved?"

She nodded at me. Then asked "Are you done?"

I nodded back at her, then she was down the steps slapping at me with both hands, then sort of leaning on me while pocking at me with her fists. I rested my hands on her shoulders, the closest I figured I could get to giving her a hug. Even with that she stiffened for a moment, then relaxed when it was clear that was all I was going to do.

She whispered. "I'm so mad at you."

I nodded down at her bowed head resting on my collar bones. "I deserve it." She looked up at me and grinned. "The Abb is going to be a sarcastic prick to you for years about this."

I considered that and winced. "Yeah, I can see that."

Tok wandered down the steps. "I think there may be a way to make it worth you going off on adventures." I looked up at her curiously, but she only waved at us to follow as she headed out. All the way down the street, pass the party store with a Verco and one of the teens standing guard. Then out into the woods.

"Are you safe out here Tok, even without a demon, animals should still be attacking Hazk right?" Tok shook her head. "I experimented this afternoon. With Shom as well. As long as any Hazk are outnumbered, even by one. By other races, or at least Humans and Verco. Animals will not attack." she shuttered.

"They just stare. With hostile looks on their faces, but only at the Hazk."

She stopped and look around before examining one of several thin twigged sharpened and stuck in the ground, before taking several steps further into the tree, gesturing for us to join her. "This is well outside the Sacred ground."

Then she punched me. Not super hard. Not badly enough to bruise, more like it a penalty punch in a children's, or men's, game.

"Ow? Why?" I resisted the urge to punch her back, but it was more to do with her having several inches, and dozens of pounds on me. All Muscle. Rather then me not wanting to hit a girl.

She nodded to herself. "I have lost the ritual benefits of Sanctuary by initiating violence. We are well outside of sanctified ground. Could you please use your rite on me?"

I shrugged. "Sanctuary." Which wouldn't work off sanctified ground, but it wasn't like I had a limit on using it.

Tok's head nodded. "It worked, I was right."

Then she balance awkwardly on one foot while wiggling off the plastic sandal from roll C she had been wearing for shoes. Showing me and Chloe the square section of the rubber matting on top that she had cut away and filled in with a plastic baggie filled with brown powder. She pointed at the baggy. "Sacred ground."

No. Really? That easy of a cheat. Chloe questioned it as well, but out loud. "Are you kidding me? That really works?"

The Context. All the stories have people getting broken abilities. Cheats. And exploiting the hell out them. I slowly grinned. The Rite was for a person, not the dirt. So if anyone went outside the Sanctity safe zone, they would have to bring me along to keeping using the rite on them as needed.

I wasn't going to have to play the princess in the tower. I was going to get to go out and find out what I was going to get at third level. I was going to have more adventures.

My stomach growled as I remembered that I had missed lunch and it had been a long time since those ham sandwiches. So right now what I was going to have was dinner.

I reached out, and up, to pat Tok on her shoulders. "Good job genius, now let's head in and get something to eat."

As we headed back I found out why Tok had given me a odd look when I had gotten out of the shower that morning. Huzk men didn't have nipples. Tok had just gotten a set of her own so she was really confused to see me with a pair of my own. Uncanny valley stuff. I reminded her to remember. "Aliens are alien."

A hour later, after having a long conversation with the Abb about how much he missed his carefree times as youth, off traveling with no responsibilities like being the only defense against supernatural horrors for helpless people who relived on him. And how he was so glad I could feel the joy of doing the same. Before I could finally get a word in edgewise about Tok's cheat.

That shut him up. For a second. After filling him in he looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Then we must focus on training you in the most important of skills before you go off to fight to save others." He grinned. "How to dodge."

That brought memories of Team five star's version of Piccolo and the film Dodgeball, but dinner was then served before I could ask for details.

Turns out I wasn't the only one to think about what might be growing under the sea. Dollar store taco shells and flavoring, ground blue frog meat, and baked sea weed, to make it a little crispy, was odd, but tasty.

Before anyone could scatter, I called a meeting to order and talked about the ship. Some were concerned about the people surviving on the ship, and how to save them. The Verco, the Patels, and surprisingly Vern. Others immediately began whispering about real beds, cruise liner food, and fully stocked bars. The teens.

Then the Abb reported on meeting Ifrit.

He stood up from his table and made his way to a slightly raised stage under the same spot the alter stood on the floor above, then cleared his throat.

"In short. The Ifrit are a bunch of hostile, short tempered, selfish people with no interest in trade, mutual protection, or even talking any further."

Well. At least we're clear where they stand.

He twisted his hand on the grip of his stick. "Then called out to us to turn away, threated us with fire they could call up from their hands, until their leader finally arrived. Their leader made it clear that they wanted nothing of us and would attacked anyone who cam close to their building or fields as thieves'."

The Abb looked around, making eye contact with as many people as he could. "She seemed quite clear on that."

Vern let out a "sherk" sound. "If they're worried about thieves, it just means they got something worth stealing." he turned to look at me. "Give me my shotgun back and I'll teach them they aren't the only ones with fire power."

That got him a few dark looks, but less then I hoped. I decided to shrug it off. "If you really want to head out, we'll give you your gun back. But if you decided to piss off a whole town of people who can make fire with their hands. Don't lead them back here. Got it?"

He huffed and rolled his eyes at me. "I ain't going to shoot first at anybody. Not even those demon looking guys. But if they come for us... Well let's just say that I know how to shoot my own gun."

I glanced around the room, the place had been divided up pretty evenly for dinner, the humans all on one side, with the now outnumbered Verco all on the other. Some of the teens seemed to be on his side. Mostly the ones who had worked with him all day. Giving him plenty of time to influence them while telling them who all knows what."

"You almost shot me while pointing that gun in my direction the first day you showed up. That's a big no, no, for gun safety Vern. Let's give it a while before we talk about arming you again. In the meanwhile two years in Afghanistan make me pretty good with a gun too, safer anyways."

He muttered something about not aiming it at me, but I don't think he wanted to admit it had been Tok he had been aiming at. She had gotten pretty popular since turning room D into a big shower room.

I tapped in a few people, including mini Karen as promised, for a leadership meeting.