The Cult could make Dungeons.

Trent sat in the conference room with Gesai, Miel, and Klix. There had been a lot that had happened while he had been under, and a lot of it he didn't like. Atlas had made deals that the old man was responsible for, and they weren't things he was entirely comfortable with. He'd find some way forward, especially since his discomfort meant little compared to what they'd learned.

"You're sure it was a Dungeon." Mive looked almost dead on the screen at the end of the table.

"I'm more concerned that they claimed this happened in my city!" Harror slammed her fist on the table in the monitor that was in the middle of the three. "I've expelled anyone with ties to the Cult of Wurn! It's been completely outlawed here! There is no way the Cultists could have smuggled that thing into my city!"

The silver man on the right monitor was just thinking.

Calling a meeting like this that concerned the entire Ward without including Slece or Juel could be seen as a conspiracy and grounds for Gods from other Wards to be put on a special team to clear them out. Alliances were okay when it came to things like trade, but as soon as things took a militaristic tone, the Gods got very jumpy.

But the whole reason that the two other Gods had been excluded was because it would be too easy for them to learn about what his son was. Trent knew that both took advantage of using the identity of an outed Godsired to hunt the weaker Godkin down and Desolate them. And while the old Caster was sure that between Klix, Tres, Harror, and himself they could repel Slece and Juel, he wasn't sure if the Primus would join that fight. Slece had worked with Kire too many times to not believe that she wasn't part of the Primus. It was a risk that he couldn't take.

"Unfortunately, we don't have anything but the conversation." Trent had already reviewed the entire video. He had given Jenne an upgraded bug to change the one on Atlas' tie. He was thankful that they had, because all the other recording devices his team had brought had been destroyed. While he would have liked to have been able to question the Bandit, they hadn't been able to find him. They didn't know if Tophua had made it out, but it had barely been a day. That wasn't much time to look for someone.

"I watched it." Tres looked concerned. "Whether or not we believe that there are actually portals somewhere in our cities, the fact is that there was one in Klix. And if there was one there, that means they could make one anywhere."

"The threat that we thought we wiped out in Wurn isn't gone." Trent cut in. "In fact, it seems like they are stronger than ever." He shook his head. "We need to find a way to get proof that won't endanger the plan."

Harror glared at him but didn't say anything. She was upset about not having a part in the plan that she had helped develop. Trent did feel sympathy for her, but that didn't mean that he was going to avoid talking about it in front of her. There were going to be plenty of ways to contribute without putting a child in the mix.

"How are we going to do that when sending agents to another God's city is an act of war?" Mive shook his head. "I am too weak to do anything but bluff, and Gues is making rumblings towards Iver over fixed trade deals."

"I'm going to handle that." It was one more thing on his shoulders. A weight that felt so much heavier since he'd woken up. "But first, I have to go to Harror, then stop at the Cathedral."

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The green Goddess' face brightened when she heard that. "Why are you coming here?"

"I have a promise to keep." Trent sighed. "And I want to check out where the gate in your city was supposed to be."

Ella and the demi-humans that his kids had rescued had vanished, but Trok had stuck around. The young Minotaur had been very helpful in describing what he knew about the operation.

Harror scowled. "I've already sent my best researchers to look. They weren't able to find anything."

While Harror had the best researchers in the Ward, there were things that Trent knew that they didn't. Which meant that there were things that he could spot that they couldn't. Just like he was able to tell there had been a gate in the mural at the park even though no one else that had looked at it could find anything. Trent suspected that Harror would see something if she went there herself. Seeing the remnant of the gate seemed to have something to do with those who had fought for control of a Mantle. Though Atlas couldn't see anything, which meant it was something more specific.

"Maybe we can go look together, just in case they missed something." Trent smiled, which earned him a smile in return.

"Finding a dead gate won't help you." Mive sighed. "We have to find out where the Cult is making these weapons and who is funding them."

That was the scary part. Rae had created a plague that had killed millions. The Mundane had borne the brunt of that cost since Adventurers could simply pay for a Healer to keep healing them until the solution to the sickness had been discovered. But as smart as Rae was, everyone here knew that there was no way he had built that alone.

"First Rae and now the Cult." Klix growled. She was upset that this had happened in her city and had been especially agitated with her daughter a few Wards away. "Do you think the Primus is involved?'

"No." That was an easy answer. "The Primus don't see Mundane or even Adventurers as a threat. There's also no reason to indirectly kill so many people when they could just Desolate a God in their palace and accomplish the same thing."

The Gods remained silent. While it was taboo, it did happen. Strife between Gods was supposed to be largely kept that way, and once a God was beaten, the victor was supposed to give a warning to the city so the people could evacuate to a safe distance. But supposed to didn't mean always.

"I have a feeling that this might be someone else's plan to combat the Primus." Trent took a deep breath. "Or Gods in general."

That brought a somber tone to the room.

"It was bad enough that we had the Primus, but now we have throne stealers too?" Klix ground her shark-teeth together.

"I'm afraid so." Trent tapped on his CB. "The good news is that these gates give off a unique signature that can be scanned for." He sent the information to the other Gods. "I'm going to send that to my brother. You might want to share that with who you trust, and once we can back it up with proof, we can share it with the rest of the Pantheon."

"What about…" Tres swallowed. "The other problem?" He took a deep breath. "Whisper told me that they were still out there."

"Demons?" Mive tapped his fingers on the table in front of him. "We haven't seen any signs of them here. The reports from the places where they are suspected are concerning, but not to the point that we can bring in a Quorum."

Trent felt tired. He needed to rest, but there was too much to do. "I'm still sifting through those reports and getting caught up on that situation." He looked over at Gesai. "I need to get my students set up for the preliminaries, but I plan on checking on one of them personally." He held up a hand. "I'm going to be more careful this time.'"

"You better!" Mive shook his head. "We can't save you if you're outside of the Ward!"

Trent was aware of that. Despite the network of informants that he'd built over the decades, he still had been blindsided by this. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Don't worry." He forced a smile he didn't feel. "I should be able to get us all the proof we need."

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