Retvik rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on the drink in front of him. People had been talking to him, but he was too exhausted to pay attention. He, his friends and the Raptor had gone to a fancy Spast bar on the edge of Palaestra, one that Tenuk had insisted was plenty big enough for everyone. As they’d entered, the little Spast shapeshifted himself into a blue version of Retvik, then explained that any Spasts who came in had to shapeshift themselves into something cool in order to be served. That also explained why, for a change, the furniture was all large enough for Retvik’s Rethan frame.
“Retty, you alright?” Nyssi had been prodding Retvik in the side for a while now. “You’re barely with us.”
“Uh, not really…” Retvik shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “Am I alone in this grogginess?”
The others all hesitated. None of them were drinking alcohol. Tenuk was drinking a strong coffee, Nyssi had some sort of herbal tea, while Kayel and the Raptor were both sipping some sort of cola, Kayel’s one being sugar-free. Retvik couldn’t remember what he had asked for, and was surprised when it turned out to be some sort of fizzy citrus drink.
“I’m certain the Allbirther drugged us or something!” Tenuk exclaimed. “She must have! Something to make us forget! And she must have given Retvik something extra because he never sat down to eat with us, he just had a drink and look at the state of him!”
“I am alright…” Retvik muttered.
“Mate, you’ve not said a word since you came back…” Kayel placed a worried hand on Retvik. Retvik found it funny just how small Kayel was, how small everyone here was, and how he considered them all equals. Wasn’t a particularly Rethan thing to do. “Do we need to take you to see a medic or something?”
“No, I will be fine. I just… I do not really remember what happened. And I am very, very tired.”
“You went OUTSIDE the universe!” Tenuk was weirdly perky. He also seemed to remember more than everyone else, but he said it was down to him already having various run-ins with amnesia. Apparently his Spast genetics meant he was better at bouncing back from that sort of thing. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember any of it!”
Retvik closed his eyes, then regretted doing so. It was annoyingly hard for him to open them again. “It was just as cold and dark out there was it was in here. Those creatures though, they almost seemed to… already know me. Seemed to already know Arkay and the Whenvern as well.”
“We’re talking about beings that exist outside our universe, of course they’re probably going to not make much sense to us…” Kayel was doing his best to make Retvik feel better. “Maybe that’s why you’re so exhausted, you’re still trying to comprehend all of it.”
“Maybe… What I do not understand though was that these… exouniversal beings, is that the term? They looked like Vohra, except completely mechanical. Tiny little things but with great power…” Retvik sighed, trying to keep himself awake. “I think you are right, Kayel, my tiny brain is struggling to comprehend everything I saw.”
“You are not alone there…” the Raptor also sighed, finishing off her drink. “I am still trying to wrap my head around the idea that the Panelix wanted to kill our Lord of Decay and have me replace Him. Did that actually happen or did I imagine it?”
“I couldn’t tell you, Phovos…” Nyssi paused. “Uh, do you want us to, uh, call you the Raptor still or can we call you Phovos? I mean, all things considered, it’s a fitting name, even if it’s a boy’s name.”
Phovos tutted. “We are basically alone here, so you may call me Phovos. But when we are in public, I would prefer it if you referred to me by my title.”
“We can do that!” Nyssi’s smile returned. “But I’m pretty sure that was all just some sort of last-ditch thing that we weren’t even close to reaching.”
“I dunno, the gods did all seem pretty damn pissed off…” Kayel wasn’t nearly as confident. “Although they could have been clearer. Seems like it’s only Arkay who acts vaguely… normal. But he seemed really defensive about you, Phovos.”
“I don’t know why. That was technically my first time meeting our Lord of Decay. According to my mother, before she died, the Thantophor did visit us when I was a baby but never explicitly said why… I have a lot of questions. I have always had a lot of questions.”
“Definitely not alone there!” Tenuk patted the Raptor on the back. This got an odd look from Nyssi, but Tenuk didn’t care. “Although I think we all need to go home and rest. Retvik’s barely awake, and we’ve got, like matches and stuff coming up and training to do and reality to get back to. The gods have settled back down and we should too.”
“I’ll… make a few calls, see if you guys can get a few days off. The council won’t like it, and they’ll want to put you guys against someone stupidly tough to make up for lost revenue, but, well, I owe you four.”
“We didn’t even do anything though.”
The Raptor tutted. “You listened to my madness, and we ended up meeting all four of this universe’s deities, in person. And the Silent Blade Himself sent us home safely.”
“You see what I meant though, about them all being kinda petty, right?” Kayel lowered his voice slightly.
“Yes, I… it has given me a lot to think about…” Phovos took a deep breath. “It isn’t fun, having your core beliefs unsettled. Even less fun to essentially be taken away by the Whenvern and shoved into godly politics we do not understand. Which, again, is why I feel we need a few days off. To digest what happened.”
Phovos’s statement was interrupted by Retvik slumping forward, falling fast asleep.
“The Allbirther definitely drugged him…” Kayel whispered, not wanting to wake up the sleeping beast. “Tenuk, Nyssi, can you two carry him out?”
Tenuk finished off his drink, remaining in his shapeshifted form. “Yeah, should be able to. Let me pay for our drinks and we can get out of here.”