The earth mage hadn’t been joking when he’d said there were multiple sections of the summary sheet left to reveal. A Passive Effects section to pair with the Active version, a subsection of the Skills area to display all of the ones he had earned instead of just the most useful (most useful apparently being determined by some method no one was quite sure about), and an extremely useful way to display the names of anything within a dimensional storage container.

  He’d also been shown several of the most common ways to arrange the sheet, the ones that had survived the test of generations and remained useful, from which Jay intended to steal several portions when remaking his. Kallin had promised to walk him through several more of the options, since apparently the best configuration could change depending on subclass or the rare-but-possible Class Evolutions. The latter could even add new sections on its own, according to the metal-skinned man.

  This was getting to be a lot to take in all at once, and they both knew it. By mutual agreement, the remainder of the options were left for another day.

  Jay went for a walk instead, or at least as much of one as could be had on such a small island. Really, it was just an excuse to put his feet in the water; it was warmer today than it had been anywhere other than Steelgate. A few of the others had mentioned that it was late spring, so the warming trend wasn’t abnormal, but it was such a noticeably steep increase.

  Maybe it was just that he’d been isolated into his astral form for so long over the previous days. There wasn’t much room for feeling the ambient temperature while he was made of gold light.

  He got to the edge of the island quickly and kicked off his shoes. The waves were larger than they had been, too, enough that he was stuck on the upper edges of the sand that ringed the island and still wasn’t walking across dry material. Now that really was unusual; the tide should have been rising, not already risen and about to sweep the entire island away.

  Something was up.

  Jay.

  Agensyx, Jay replied. He kept it mental talk alone in case anyone in the nearby tents happened to be listening. Where the hell have you been?

  Hunting. I am returning now.

  You have to hunt? I didn’t even know you ate.

  I do not, the familiar said.

  Jay gave him a second, waiting for the other half of that thought, and got nothing. Infuriatingly abrupt as always.

  What were you hunting for, then? he asked.

  Items. Enchantments. Help for you.

  Oh. Agensyx didn’t know about the events of the last few days. I’ll trust that that was necessary. Also, don’t panic when you see me.

  The snake’s thoughts became stormy. What do you mean by that?

  You’ll find out. Jay didn’t respond to the rest of Agensyx’s attempts to talk to him. If he wanted to disappear for days at a time and not talk, not help, he could handle some of that treatment coming back at him. He’d only be kept in suspense for a little while longer; he couldn’t be that far out.

  As he rounded the northern side of the island and started walking back southward, he realized they may not have time for that. The horizon to the south was darker than it should be. There weren’t any clouds visible yet, but Jay could tell they were coming. Hopefully it wouldn’t be bad; they didn’t have solid shelter.

  He also hoped there wouldn't be someone flying in it throwing nails that exploded trees. There were only so many trees dissolving nearby him that he was willing to take in one lifetime, and he’d already hit his comfort limit there.

  Jay could feel Agensyx getting closer. The spirit must have been moving at top watery speed. The idea of his first real piece of magical gear, something beyond items like the Crystalband, was very exciting. Most of what he’d seen referencing enchanted creations involved years of study to learn to inlay magical runes into physical materials, but it seemed to be the easiest way to increase stats.

  Whatever Agensyx had thought was so important to go completely incommunicado for multiple days had to be good. Jay did another lap of the island, trying to line himself up as best as possible with the direction it seemed like the serpent was coming from. He might have been mad, but that wasn’t an excuse to be rude to someone he was connected to on that kind of level.

  The water kept rising as he waited, so he had to retreat a couple of times before Agensyx’s bulk heaved onto the land.

  And it really was bulk. The familiar had grown; where he’d been about the length of two large horses with some extra broadness in the middle, he was now almost double that.

  Are you trying to become a sea serpent? Jay asked.

  What is that?

  You don’t have sea serpents? Giant snakes that swim underwater and might attack ships? You have krakens in an undersea ocean but you don’t have monstrous sea snakes?

  The familiar bond hummed as Agensyx threw up mental images of miles-long stretches of iridescent scales. Like these?

  Yeah, exactly like those.

  Hm. We call those leviathans, the snake said. You had those in your world as well?

  Close enough. Not that were real. We had legends about them. And krakens, actually, so it’s weird that you recognize what those are but not the sea serpents.

  Your name for them brings up the memory of what you saw quite strongly. It is not hard to connect the dots between that and the kitrech.

  Kitrech is an interesting name. Jay shook his head. He could feel the questions – and the fusion of anger and bewilderment behind them – boiling up within the familiar’s mind. Go ahead, ask. I can tell that you want to.

  Agensyx kept it simple. What happened to you?

  Goblins. Jay gave him the summary of the ambush and subsequent kidnapping. The true version, not either of the lies he’d given before, not even sparing the part about Elios appearing. He very deliberately mentioned the part where he’d tried to get the snake’s attention only to be shut out, but put the same deliberateness into not making it pointed.

  There still wasn’t a point to being a dick.

  Agensyx got the message anyway, judging from the pang that echoed across the bond. I apologize, Jay. I should have been listening. This would not be the first time that I have been reminded that singleminded focus on one path is not the solution to all things.

  When was the last time? Jay asked. Was it as punishing as this?

  It was the destruction of Hollowharbor. I suppose you can guess the answer to the second half of that question.

  Worse, then, Jay said.

  Yes.

  They both stayed silent for a short while, a mutual melancholy forming that neither wanted to disturb.

  By mutual unspoken agreement, Agensyx broke it. The familiar shook one of his front paws until a ring slid off the smallest talon, which was clearly the only one it would have fit on in the first place. He scooped it up with a handful of the soil where it had landed, holding it out to Jay.

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  Here. This is what I found. It should suit your purposes.

  Jay took it from him gently and held it up to examine the thing. It was silver, tarnished almost entirely around the band, and decorated with intricate scrollwork around the middle. Where the silver filigree curled into a circle, the gap in the middle was filled by a small dark opal. Each of the gems were dotted with flecks of a purple color that seemed both oddly light and strangely dark.

  His thumb brushed one and it felt like a pinprick. To test if that was coincidence, he tapped a second stone with another finger and received the same result.

  You said this is supposed to help me, right? Jay confirmed.

  Yes. Why?

  I think it’s trying to bite me.

  That is odd. You do not have to wear it.

  He slid the ring onto the opposite hand to the storage ring he was still wearing. No, I’m definitely wearing it.

  Holy shit, Jay said. This is insane. Thank you, Agensyx.

  He very carefully didn’t say that it would have been good to have before the goblins. The familiar bond probably let some of that sentiment leak through anyway, but he hoped the spirit appreciated the fact that he tried to suppress it.

  You are welcome. Hopefully you will see good use from it.

  I will make sure I do. Where’d you find it?

  They both knew he was actually asking if there were more he could try to loot – he still did have eight more fingers to put to use, after all – but Agensyx was polite enough not to mention it.

  The continental armory. There is actually something you should be aware of about that, Jay. This continent used to be united by a network of portals. At least one of them is active again. I do not know who has unearthed it or what they plan to do with it, but it is a bad sign that the first to be activated was the armory.

  Jay laughed.

  I do not see what is funny about this, Agensyx snipped. There is a good chance that the portal was activated with malicious intent.

  No, no, I’m not doubting that that would normally be a good guess, Jay said. I just happen to know exactly who uncovered it and why they turned it on.

  The spirit’s eyes narrowed. How do you know this? Is that some secret goal of this expedition?

  Not of the expedition as a whole. I’m actually pretty sure they’d be pissed off if they found out about it.

  It was you, wasn’t it. The question was rhetorical. Jay knew that. Agensyx knew that Jay knew that.

  Jay chose to answer anyway. Damn straight. I found a whole reservoir of power that was nearly empty and refilled it.

  He’d left that portion of the recent events off of the account he’d relayed, choosing to focus more on the direct circumstances of what happened in the goblin warren. It was more important.

  And it just activated? Agensyx asked.

  Is that weird? Jay returned.

  Extremely. The creation, recreation, and continuation of a transport network is the realm of dimensional mages and the clergy of Moton, not some random [Necromancer] who walks up.

  Well, Jay hedged, I did use all of my supply of Divinity to help make it happen.

  Agensyx hummed again. I suppose that answers a question I have had for quite some time, then. Your Divinity is unattuned; no god claims its allegiance.

  Jay didn’t know what that meant, but something about the way he’d said that had sounded like it was abnormal.

  At least it was useful, right?

  And hopefully it will continue to be, Agensyx replied. Though it goes without saying that it means you must be careful with it.

  He rolled his eyes. Always. Careful with every secret.

  The giant serpent nodded. Always.

  They sat – or laid, in Agensyx’s case – on the beach and watched the waves grow until a loud clanging erupted in the center of the camp. The stillness of the camp shattered as every tent’s inhabitants stirred. Jay instantly regretted noticing that several members of Group One had apparently decided to share tents, but the curse of his memory now meant he’d never get the chance to un-know that information.

  Not his concern, though. They were all, by the standards of this world and his own both, adults. What they got up to in their spare time was their own business as long as they kept it quiet.

  “Everyone! I have an important announcement,” Warinot shouted from the clear space at the center of the tents, banging on his shield another couple of times for emphasis. “Gather up!”

  Jay looked at his familiar, shrugged, and went to go stand in the clearing. To his surprise, Agensyx came too, and Warinot did a comically exaggerated double-take upon seeing him. Whether that was because of the new size or just because the familiar hadn’t been seen in some time, Jay wasn’t sure.

  It didn’t take them many minutes to all get into various positions around the open space. Warinot began immediately once everyone was there.

  “I’ll keep this short. In spite of all the recent issues, we’ve deemed it safe to return to the exploration proper. Tomorrow, hopefully, everyone with an intact suit will gear back up and go down. That should be all but one of us.” His eyes darted to Jay.

  “This is, of course, contingent on that not being an issue,” he continued, nodding at the southern horizon. “It shouldn’t come this far north, but if it does, we won’t go under while it isn’t safe.”

  Lethen raised a hand, not speaking until he got a nod from Warinot. “And if it does. How do we shelter?”

  Jay silently thanked him for asking the question he had wanted to.

  “Kallin will raise a stormbreak around the island if that becomes necessary. Again, it shouldn’t come this far north, not this time of year,” Warinot replied.

  “And if he can’t?” Kor’vass yelled out from the back.

  “He can. Any more questions?” The big man sounded so definitive on the matter that it put an end to the conversation. “Then I will see you all tomorrow for our first venture back into the deep.”

  That night, Jay made his final changes and pulled his full summary sheet up to review.

  For now, at least, that would do.