“You may speak,” Blondie said. I wondered if she might be some sort of leader. Or maybe a first among equals kind of thing. The four beings walked towards me, each reducing themselves to half their size before standing in a semi-circle at my feet, looking down on me with all the quiet authority of power I didn’t want to mess with.

  [“As Master Iriana suggests, I think the loss of the Divine stone offers an opportunity to locate someone worthy of taking Master Tiananmut’s position and retaining the integrity and equality of the Pantheon. We could make the Divine stone itself an objective within the Universal Survival Protocol?”]

  “Make it a quest?” Blondie asked.

  [“Yes. We reveal how it can be acquired, how to activate it, and how it works. Make it a perpetual quest. Whoever is worthy and is able to reach Mythic Tier with the Divine artifact will then be given challenges to test their value and whether they are worthy to join the Pantheon. Of course, we would need to make some other adjustments, to avoid someone unworthy joining your esteemed ranks.”]

  “What adjustments?” Melkarieth asked.

  [“I propose an amendment to Universal System Protocol codes. Currently, my matchmaking protocol only allows me to consider worlds that are within three ranks of the aggressor or defender. I propose that is extended to seven. This will allow Pantheon members to request battle against any Mythic Tier world. Currently, only Mythic Tier, Rank B and above can request or be requested for a Pantheon member to battle.

  [“This naturally leads to other adjustments.”] The System paused. The four Pantheon members looked around each other. I could see they were considering the change.

  “Carry on,” Blondie said.

  [“I will need to adjust the probabilities of selection so that the battle is not overly unfair. Worlds closer in rank to the aggressor or defender will be given slightly higher probabilities of selection.

  [“I will also need to adjust the number of worlds to retain the same difficulty. I propose eleven or thirteen worlds per battle.

  [“I propose where the Pantheon requests a battle or is requested for battle, there must be a minimum of two and a maximum of three Pantheon members involved.

  [“I propose that factions be limited to two thousands worlds instead of the current ten thousand.”

  [“I propose restoring River Clarke and making the capture of the Divine stone a Universal Survival Protocol quest.

  [“I believe these changes will ensure the current Divine artifact holder will either become powerful enough and worthy enough to be given the option of joining the Pantheon or will be defeated by someone who is. And should the Pantheon not be happy or should they have concerns regarding the current Divine artifact holder, they can request battle as soon as the holder reaches Mythic Tier.”]

  The four Pantheon members considered the proposals amongst themselves as I watched over the proceedings. The wounds in my stomach and shoulder had stopped bleeding, and I felt a little more strength in my body. Enough to not die soon. I figured it must be them. Or maybe the System. Keeping me alive long enough to make this decision. The System proposed to restore me. The only restoration I could imagine it was talking about was to what I should be, before I began killing myself with the resets.

  “USPSM,” Blondie said. “Why do you suggest the restoration of River Clarke? Why not allow another to claim it?”

  BDSM – Iriana as the System called her – looked at me with a wistful smile. “Please have a good reason. It would be a shame to let him perish. I find him rather cute and I’ve never tried human before.” The she smiled at me with gleaming white teeth and licked her lips. I had an inkling as to what she meant but I swear, the way she licked her lips made me wonder whether I was dinner or dessert.

  [“River Clarke has displayed multiple traits that align with Pantheon values.

  [“He is in his current condition because he did not hesitate to use the stone’s power in his attempts to evade capture, thus proving his determination. He was calculated in his use of the artifact.

  [“He was ruthless in dispatching with two captors, killing them in cold blood to escape.

  [“And as he showed to Master Melkarieth, even as he was dying, he portrayed defiance.

  [“He does not crumble when faced with overwhelming odds.

  [“I believe he should be given the chance to prove himself worthy.”]

  “And yet,” the Rock spoke, “he is in this condition by not considering the consequences.”

  [“I believe that is an asset. He is a doer, not a thinker. He will take the best action he can, and not always consider the wider implications.”]

  “That’s not always a good thing,” Blondie said, looking pointedly at Melkarieth.

  [“Doesn’t being a part of the Pantheon necessitate a certain level of indifference? I believe he has shown enough to be considered. But with the other changes I will make, it will be in the Pantheon’s hands how far he can go. If indeed it is him. If he proves unworthy, he will die long before he reaches such a level.”]

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The four of them had another natter, glancing at me every so often. I felt like I was a menu item. Interesting enough to be considered, but with an ingredient or two that they didn’t quite fancy. Eventually, they turned back to me, Iriana with a smile on her face. That had to be a good thing, right? Right?

  “USPSM,” Blondie said, as Melkarieth walked over to where the body of Kaelyn lay and removed the gemmed bracer from her arm. “You may propose your changes to the Pantheon, after the following amendments.

  “You may make the Divine artifact a quest, reveal how to acquire it, how to activate it, but nothing more. Whoever holds it needs to learn by themselves how to use it, and you are not allowed to provide guidance to them within the Protocol Screen.

  “Furthermore, you may adjust the ranking parameters, but you are not allowed to adjust the probabilities of selection. All worlds will have an equal probability of selection within the new ranking parameters, but thirteen worlds will be selected for battle in future.

  “You can also propose to the Pantheon the restoration of River Clarke with ten universal years, as a gift for the inconvenience Melkarieth has caused.”

  A few moments passed, before the System responded. [“Proposals sent as per your wishes, Master.”]

  How long until the Universal Survival Protocol initiates?”

  [“Universal Survival Protocol Initiation will be finalised in four hours, fifty-seven minutes and eighteen seconds in local time.”]

  “While we wait for the responses of all Pantheon members, remove all memories from the girl related to related to mana-stones and the USP and how they work.”

  “Why don’t we just remove her entirely?” Melkarieth asked.

  “Benevolence, Melkarieth,” Iriana said. “Benevolence.”

  They all waited, watching me. I had no clue how those changes affected the USP overall, but the information was enough for me to start planning. Yeah, actions first, blah, blah, but you would have to be an idiot to not think about the information. And granted, it didn’t seem like there was much to glean from their discussion, but there was enough to know we would need to be cautious about the USP. The fact that the System was not allowed to assist me kinda gave me the feeling that there would be traps I couldn’t see.

  [“Memory wipe completed.”]

  They were going as far as to remove Kaelyn’s memories of the mana-stones. I rued not asking her more about them. They also removed her knowledge of the USP, so we wouldn’t have any advantages it seemed. Surprisingly, that’s all it sounded like they were removing. If she retained her fighting skills, she would still prove to be a valuable ally.

  Look at me. Already thinking I was going to survive, but the way they spoke made it seem like I would. This time I’d get to do it all again. Properly.

  Blondie had a look on her face like she’d forgotten something.

  “USPSM. What privileges has he been granted?” she asked.

  [“As per Protocol standards, defending Champion will have the opportunity to unlock the following data: Gate locations for offensive forces; Spawn locations for non-affiliated organisms; Rare or Epic mana-stone locations; Special access to defensive structures.”]

  “Access to defensive structures?” Melkarieth asked. “Since when?”

  [“It has always been an option, and depends on the privilege generator. It has a lower probability of selection.”]

  “Can they be removed?” Blondie asked.

  [“Not once they have been selected. I would advise against amending the privilege generator parameters, to keep the Universal Survival Protocol impartial and fair. Both aggressors and defenders have access to the information, provided they meet the requirements.”]

  “Can we change the unlock parameters?” Blondie asked.

  [“I can facilitate that change, but it would require Pantheon approval.”]

  “Send another vote. For Divine artifact holders that are not a member of the Pantheon, all privilege unlock requirements should be set to the highest level.”

  “That just sounds unfair,” I said. “It’s like you’re intentionally screwing me over.”

  “We are,” Blondie replied.

  [“New vote sent,”] the System confirmed. [“I also have the voting results back from earlier. All Pantheon members are in agreement with the proposed changes. I am amending the Protocol codes now.”]

  Iriana walked towards me, reducing her size even more to roughly the same height as I was. She squatted down in front of me again, her black hair falling halfway to her chest and settling in between her gorgeous cleavage. Fuck, no. Not gorgeous. Generous. That’s what I meant. Generous cleavage. With a struggle, I kept my eyes firmly on hers. They were a vibrant purple, like her skin, but outlined in black with a smoky allure to them.

  “I really hope you don’t disappoint me,” she said, sliding her finger with the faintest of touches across my face, my neck, my chest. She drew circles and patterns across my abdomen as she softly moved her hand further down. I grabbed it before it went too low. She smiled.

  “You will make a fine pet. You have the Divine artifact, and you’re about to be given a gift from the gods. You can be the most powerful man on this planet. That’s why you need a handicap. If you’re even somewhat worthy of a place among our ranks, it shouldn’t be a problem.” She pulled her hand away, and stood. “And if you fail, well…it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had a headless corpse share my bed.”

  She walked away. Though that last bit sounded sexual, I still felt like I was a meal being fattened up.

  “You have issues, woman,” I shouted after her.

  She laughed delicately, sashaying her hips as she walked and returned to a height with the others.

  [“Voting result back for Divine artifact holder privileges. All Pantheon members are agreed.”]

  Blondie nodded. “Restore him.” She turned to the others. “Let’s go.”

  The four of them shimmered, and the same thunderstrike that sounded when they appeared, sounded again as they disappeared like a TV screen turning off, the image of them shrinking into a pinpoint of light that plopped away.

  [“This may hurt a little at first.”]

  Light flared from the gem in my head, and then it felt like the pain I had felt last night when I first acquired the thing. I doubled over, head being crushed as something seemed to be drilling through the stone and into my skull, into the blood vessels. The substance felt oily and thick, trudging through my head, through my neck, through my shoulders and my arms, through my chest, my stomach, my legs. I screamed in pain, the ooze seemingly too thick for the blood vessels it was travelling through. I felt like every part of my body was about to burst. I curled over.

  I don’t know how long it continued but when it was over, I felt refreshed, like I’d actually been oiled. Like I was a car, and had just returned from maintenance with a new lease of life. I looked at the wound on my stomach. It was gone. Same with my shoulder. My arms seemed fuller, my chest puffed out, my muscles where they should be. I got up. My legs worked. No more missing bones or hip pains or knee creaks. I scrambled over to the nearest car and had a look in the side mirror.

  I was back.