Chapter 32: Let my rage be endless as my adventure is eternal!

[Tavish POV]

I settle back into my main body and I open my eyes.

The first thing I noticed was the snow that had piled up on my bald head and all around on the ground.

Shaking it off, I scamper across the snow to the wooden cabin I had been left and started a fire in the stove.

Feeling my body warm from the flames slowly eating away at the wood, I take stock of the area.

My clones left backlogged data uploads with timestamps indicating I had been meditating for roughly two years.

Along with the rather amusing photos that one of my clones took while I was out, I started piecing together a timeline.

Events in this world both happened, yet didn't come to pass like the original books.

Percy was accused of being the lightning thief, but instead of Luke being the culprit, Ethan Nakamura took the rap as one of the main antagonists this time around.

Hades was significantly more mellow this time around and actually issued a quest for someone to find, and bring back his helm.

Probably had something to do with Nico and Bianca making friends at camp, and becoming an actual part of the camp populace.

Nico tended to hang around the Stole siblings while Bianca had a significant number of friends in the Ares and Demeter cabins.

Anywho, the world continued onward with the next year presenting the demigods with a quest to hunt for the golden fleece.

I was at a bit of a loss on how that was going to happen, considering that Thalia isn't a tree, but sure enough, the fates didn't fail to come up with something.

Zeus apparently didn't quite recover fully from his short-lived experience as my literal boot, so he issued a quest for the fleece to "assist" with repairing the remaining damage.

My clones spent their time puttering around the tavern or the camp, occasionally checking in on me and deterring any rouge cultivators.

Thankfully their was no need for that anymore . . .

Reaching out with my power, I lockdown and restrict access to the island to all but myself, easily brushing aside the restriction the Enlightened one placed keeping me here.

It was more of a baby gate than anything really. Designed to keep me here until I built my foundation.

I'd keep this island that I built along with my foundation, but right now, I was hungrier than a pack of wolves.

And this wolf needed a damn cheeseburger . . .

Opening a portal and stepping through, I step into the desert of New Mexico, just across the road from an old-style diner.

Dunno what kept bringing me back here, but that's something that a non-hungry Tavish can figure out latter.

I got some weird looks wandering in with the shaved head and monks' robes, but I had more pressing matters on my mind.

Several hours later, I walk out with a loud belch having satisfied my hunger.

The shakes and burgers here were definitely a wonderful thing to try, and the fries were certainly not bad.

I settle down on a bench as I pull out a map I acquired from the very kind waitress at the diner.

A loud horn distracted me from figuring out where I was heading next.

A long black limousine pulled up alongside the diner and a large biker clambered on out and started walking over towards me.

[Observe]

Ares

God of War

Lvl – God

Thoughts – you threatened his girlfriend.

The fuck?

When did I do that? I don't even remember meeting . . . .

Oh . . . . .

Dammit.

I can't exactly fault the clone for his reaction, but did Ares have to find me right after coming out of seclusion?

Plus, he had like two years to find me, why did he not go after one of my clones?

Literally everyone had trouble telling us apart. Well, except when one of the clones decided to shave the head of the main body, then it became fairly easy.

Sighing in exasperation, I quickly grow out my hair a little and equip my standard clothes.

May as well see what he wants.

As he approached closer, I held up the map I had acquired; "You look a little lost buddy! Need to take a glance at the map?" I offer.

"You know why I'm here Tavish Byrne." He growled, as I adopt a thinking pose.

"You heard about the delicious burgers they serve here?" I question, playing dumb.

"Let me refresh your memory, you threatened my girlfriend with a shotgun . . ." He stated, danger prevalent in his tone.

"So? She's a grown ass goddess. She can take care of her own damn self. The fact that she came at me with that mind control shit, she should be thankful I didn't follow through." I respond flippantly, having to leap off my bench as the angry war god threw a spear through it, cracking the earth.

"Damn! Who crapped in your corn flakes this morning?! That could have killed someone!" I yelled indignantly as Ares retrieved his spear.

"That was the point mortal!" He roared, the flames he had in place of eyes melting off his sunglasses.

"Look man, could we do this some other time? I've been trying to keep my anger in check. I actually started practicing yoga and my yogi recommended avoiding all that negative chi . . ." My "helpful" explanation was interrupted as he attempted to stab me again.

"Well crap, it kinda seems like you're ignoring me . . . hold on a sec." I explain, slapping a hard light card against his face.

[Stasis]

This particular sequence of Gallifreyan enables the user to freeze the target in a certain point of time. Length of effect depends on innate power of target.

The god of war froze as the runes spread out over his entire body, allowing me to step away and pull out a cell phone.

Dialing a number, I wait for the dial tone before I hear a confused woman answer.

"Hello?"

"Athena! This is Tavish! Sorry for the unexpected call, I know you were a bit surprised by Muppet's cellular capability." I start off, hearing an exasperated sigh on the other end.

"It's fine, what can I help you with?" she said, a slight edge in her voice.

Oof, that sound like the opposite of fine. . . I'll make this quick.

"So, I have an angry war god here attacking me. I'm pretty sure he belongs to you guys so what's the protocol regarding that?" I question seriously, hearing her breath hitch on the other end.

"Did you attack him first?" she questioned, even more on an edge than before.

"That would be no, I was just chillin' on a bench and he threw a spear through where I was sitting. He did say I pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend though." I helpfully inform.

"How did it take so long for him to find you for that?" Athena wondered aloud.

"I know right?! Anyway, just calling to check in if I'd be any sort of trouble if I threw him across the landscape?" I happily question, receiving silence in return.

"Well, since he attacked first you should be fine, but I wouldn't recommend fighting the literal god of war." She commented dryly.

"Ah, don't worry so much. A twelve-year-old did it, I should be fine." I reply flippantly watching the god thrash furiously and started breaking through the spell.

"Sorry got to go, he's breaking out." I stated, snapping the phone shut and jumping back away as he angrily slashed his spear through where I was standing.

"Still a sore spot huh? Well, lets cool you off a bit shall we." I comment, my fist shifting slightly revealing the power injectors, before I slam it into the side of his face sending him flying away before hitting the earth.

He started climbing up, angrily glaring at me. The right side of his face had flash frozen, frost punching out through his skin in bloody icicles.

Deciding against pulling Stormreaver for the moment, my other fist matching the first as we stand off in the desert, the limo gleaming in the blistering hot sun.

As far as I can figure, the only reason that Ares would have taken a limo is if Aphrodite was watching from the side lines.

I could always "space" the limo to make sure she didn't interfere with this little bout, but she might do something in response to such a move.

And while I was confident in taking Ares, I wasn't confident in taking both of them.

Ares saved me from my internal deliberation by slashing at me, his spear shifting to a sword. Pointing it at me he started speaking; "I'm going to mount your skull on my wall mortal." He threatened.

"Look numb nuts, If I get started, then I'm afraid I'll have to make sure to follow through on my promise." I return, cracking my knuckles.

He gave me a bloodthirsty grin in return; "Hah! I haven't been truly bested by a mortal in a century." He boasted.

"Except for a twelve-year-old, two years ago. . ." I mock, dodging the resulting slash in response.

[Hellfyre Fist]

The after image of thousands of fists impacted the vengeful god. Red hot flames fused into his bones causing them to crack and shatter out his back like shrapnel.

Ares hit the ground, ichor gushing out his mouth as I bounced on the balls of my feet.

"Come on fucker. You wanted to dance, so you better step up or I'm going to be disappointed." I snap at him, giving him a kick in the ribs that sent him flying another twenty-five feet.

He vanished before landing, causing my eyes to widen and jump straight up as the earth underneath me collapsed from the sudden impact of a massive fist.

"Better?" A new voice interjected, and I turned to see Ares in his full-sized form.

Standing at forty feet tall, the tough biker look had vanished, being replaced by a massive muscular man, his cruel features concealed by a helmet and armor of imperial gold.

A burnished shield now sat on his left arm, his right hefting his sword and bringing it down on where I was standing.

Dodging underneath the massive edge, I summon a companion.

[Summon Companion: BT-7274]

The huge form of Ares was suddenly rocked back as the metal fist of BT lunged through the portal and into his jaw.

-[Reporting successful Titanfall]-

-[It is good to fight by your side again Tavish.]-

I grin up at the glowing blue optic.

"Same big guy." I comment observing the upgrades on the titan.

[BT-7274] (Epic) (Gamer Edition)

Once a Titan that fought for the frontier, he has been enhanced with half a dozen nano cores and materials across the multiverse to allow him to evolve with the player with his own perk list to pull from.

A true machine of war, none may be found more worthy of standing side by side with the gamer.

His cockpit opened and I leaped inside, a pilot's helmet folding around my head.

[BT-7274 Perk Activated!]

[Real Steel] (Epic)

Your capable of matching and augmenting the martial prowess of your pilot by a minimum of 100%.

As my mind merges with the familiar controls, I "see" Ares get to his feet and snarl at the Titan.

"Hiding in that thing won't save you Byrne!" The God snarled as he took another swing, only for BT to push the blade aside and deliver a series of jackrabbit kicks to his stomach, face, and shins.

[Switching Mode: Ronin]

Bringing the leadwall shotgun to bear, I unleash several volleys which Ares blocks with his shield.

[Phase Dash]

"Ronin dashes in a given direction, temporarily phasing out of the world; avoiding incoming fire and creating the element of surprise."

Coming back into existence behind the god, we rake our sword down his back, leaving shallow cuts in portions not covered in imperial gold.

The god roared in pain and backhanded the mech, sending us skidding back until we regain our footing.

Locking swords with the god, we get stuck in an exchange of sword play that we aren't quite suited for. We slowly get pushed back so I quickly rack my brain for solutions.

"BT, open the top hatch and throw the sword at him when I say when . . ." I command, thinking up a possible solution on the fly.

[Ares POV]

I don't care how strong this supposed mortal thinks his toy is, I'm going to scrap it and then tear the cowering mortal from its broken husk.

The machine threw its sword at me and I side stepped it easily.

"HA! You think such a blatantly obvious move would work against meEEEEAAAAAAARGH!" I scream in pain as a massive blade sliced through the backs of my shins.

Collapsing to my knees, I follow the length of the blade back to the hilt, I was surprised to see Byrne holding the other end.

Wielding the sword, he attempted to drive the blade deeper to deprive me of my feet. Reaching back to stop him, the machine grabbed me by the shoulders and drove its knee into my face, crushing my nose.

Damn, kid was more brutal than I was back in the old days . . .

Now that this "supposed" outrage on 'Dites behalf was nearing its end, maybe I'd have a proper sparring partner that could actually hit in my weight class.

As darkness overtakes me, the last thing I remember is the machine driving its knee into my face repeatedly as Byrne gives up on the blade and resorted to just ripping my legs the rest of the way off.

[Tavish POV]

It was a harrowing, yet thrilling experience to fly through the air, grasping onto BT's blade for dear life, but I was able to pull off a move other Titan pilots could only dream of.

[BT-7274 Perk Activated]

[Pilot Sync 100%]

Possessing a neural scan of your pilot, the Titan is capable of temporarily selecting one of the gamers classes and use its abilities to its fullest.

[Switching Mode: Martial Artist]

[Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist; selected!]

[Augmenting Style: Man and Machine!]

Yanking the blade out, I dive to the side as BT's brutal grapple switched to a more refined style.

The massive machine switched to an elegant style far out of place on a titan, before delivering a devastating strike with his fingers straight into the eyes of the god, causing the unconscious Ares to wake up screaming in pain.

Grasping the god by the new holes bored in his face, BT whirled the God around several times before hurling him up and over the vast expanse of desert.

Hefting the massive blade, I take off running passing the flying god as I guestimate his landing.

Skidding to a stop and using the momentum, I swing the blade bisecting Ares at the waist allowing the two halves to fly past.

His upper half landed next to me and he let out a chuckle much to my surprise.

"Been quite a few years since someone has put me through the paces like this . . ." He coughed, ichor splattering the ground around him.

"I'm gonna have to admit, If I didn't have other places to be, I probably would have drawn this fight out longer. So apologies for that." I state, crouching down next to the upper half.

"You're apologizing for the short fight, and not the fact that you cut me in half?" Ares asked, a hacking cough cutting up his sentence.

"Yeah. I always stand by what I say and do. You started bothering me while I was chilling out, so I cut you in half." I inform, causing the god to start laughing.

"Kid, looks like we're going to get along famously. Look me up when I reform, a good sparring buddy is hard to find these days." He finished, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye.

Ares suddenly burst into a pile of golden dust that dispersed into the wind. The Dust coalesced, rejoining the pieces of the god and then dispersed, leaving behind a massive loot crate.

Hidden achievement unlocked!

You have temporarily killed a god. While it wasn't permanent, and Ares is definitely not the most impressive of gods, it is still a remarkable achievement!

Reward: God of War loot chest, Title, Slayer Perk

Title Gained!

[God Slayer] (God)

You hunted and killed the ultimate prey, marking your soul for eternity as one who is capable of slaying gods.

Perk Added!

[The Only Thing They Fear is You: Gods]

The terror you can inspire is strong enough to make even the gods shake in their boots. Further expansion of the existing perk.

Hearing an engine start up, I turn to spot the limo in the distance speeding off.

[Direct Voice]

"I've recorded this account Aphrodite. You are no longer welcome at the TARDIS Tavern. And if you think I will forget this for even a second, just remember this day. And remember that next time it won't be Ares laying here dead in the sand."

I throw my voice into the interior of the limo loud enough for every window to shatter outward as it speeds away.

I didn't particularly blame Ares, but that was only because I knew who was actually at fault. If anything, I had earned his respect for this little altercation.

Regardless, time for more important topics.

Sweet Loot!

Kicking open the chest, the weapons and items present were certainly not insignificant.

[Blades of Chaos] (Legendary)

[Leviathan Axe] (Legendary)

[Nemean Cestus] (Rare)

[Arms Of Sparta] (Rare)

[Kratos FUNKO] (Epic)

[Tyr's Armor Set] (Rare)

Stashing this stuff away, I glance around at the damage.

Realistically, this battle probably couldn't have happened at a better location.

It was in the middle of nowhere, plenty of desert to run around in, and best of all, we caused no property damage!

Seriously, that is such a huge achievement for me! Collateral damage has been something that hounded my heels ever since I could remember.

Hopping up onto BT's shoulder, we start wandering further into the desert.

Now if I remember rightly, Hephaestus had a scrapyard somewhere around here . . .

[Time Skip]

[Camp Half Blood]

Tinkering around with the Nemean Cestus, I found that the nano cores in my arms would devour it into their configurations to create a new augment.

It was trippy watching my hands turn mechanical and enlarging, but it was the detaching from my wrists that really threw me off.

Conceptually, it was heavily tied into my nano cores, allowing me to extend my range for hand-to-hand combat, and amplify strikes.

The Buster fists were pretty cool though.

[Buster Fists]

A creation along the Buster line of augments, it enlarges your arm and fist augments, providing a larger platform for multiple augs at once, enhancing strength, and overall mass behind your fists.

[Buster Suite]

The entirety of the line of augs that carry the name of "Buster". Grants expanded augment usage across the entirety of cybernetics for a body full of augments.

Ever since I came out of meditation, my body control had shot through the roof, allowing me to channel my strength beyond what I was capable of previously.

Had to reinforce certain objects and be more careful with my strength after a repeating incident with mugs breaking when I get too excited.

Had a nasty side effect of having to handle everything with baby gloves.

The restructuring of the labyrinth was going smoothly and I managed to deploy several Zero Dawn machines into its depths, chasing out most minor monsters and providing me documentation regarding several others.

Oddly enough, the Sphynx I found within the depths of the complex maze of hallways, saw this as a welcome improvement, and requested to continue renting the space.

Seeing no problem with it, I agreed, and pretty soon, I had a nice little side hustle going on renting out space to the various denizens.

The limited control that I had gained over the structure allowed me to build out rooms and customize space for the various monsters that were both passive, and intelligent enough to make a deal.

A knock on the door caused me to send my hand over and open the door.

"Zoe! And others! I honestly never expected you to find your way to my door. What can I help you with? I question as a few hunters filed into my home.

"Tavish, Thou has changed a bit." She commented as the other hunters observed the bizarre inventions with wonder.

"Ah, you know me. Have to change with the times." I reply absentmindedly as my hand returns and I pull out a screw driver and slightly tweak that hand.

"Speaking of the times, does thou know what milady is hunting?" she asked curiously causing the others attention to snap to me.

"Erm, maybe? Let's see, its been roughly two years since the sea gods kid appeared . . . so I'd say she's probably in the midst of hunting that weird sea cow thing." I muse, causing her to start.

"Weird sea cow thing?" she questioned, puzzled at my response.

"Yeah. Ori- something or other?" I reply absentmindedly, fiddling with my hand only for it to spring apart and eject all my monowire from that particular hand.

"SHIT! Alright nobody move while I reel it back in . . ." I state, reassembling the parts and pieces and slowly spooling up the wire.

While Zoe was thinking, one of the other hunters spoke up; "Why? Is that wire dangerous?" She asked as the wire lit up red and left slices in the desk.

"Yeah. Monowire is capable of making a cut one molecule wide, so I try to keep it safely stored away." I reply, the last of the wire vanishing among my many augs.

"They chatted for a bit longer before bidding farewell and moving on, probably to the Artemis cabin.

Thinking back, ever since I built my foundation, my perception of the world had changed slightly.

Upon the completion of my foundation, I reflected on how much stronger my overall body became and how much finer my control over mana was.

Reflecting further, it seemed like this cultivation crap was developing an understanding of the world and how it functioned in connection to the dao and in turn, immortality.

While my understanding of the physical world was great, it was its connection to the dao, and my existence within it, that I apparently didn't quite get.

The supposed "Path of Immortality" didn't like my answer of defining my existence, citing that "Kicking ass, and taking names." was not the purpose of my existence within the dao.

Sure, I could have given a better answer, but I wasn't one to wax away on poetics.

My understanding of the world could be put into scientific terms, with a little bit of "magic" on the side. Which is why the Buddhist path of cultivating made the most sense at the time.

Every great Buddha that came along, basically became enlightened through various processes, and then just fucked off to god knows where.

A select few stuck around to pass on what worked for them, before leaving on their own adventures, resulting on the many varied paths and variations of Buddhist doctrine.

I thought the enlightened one was pretty cool in helping everyone pursue their own "enlightenment", but it did produce some odd balls.

Brother Ted, follows the path of enlightenment, which he basically translated into lighting literally anything that crosses his path on fire, but he's kind of an extremist.

Picking up the next device I was messing with, I continued tinkering as I contemplated.

The pills and elixirs that seemed so popular among cultivators were another matter altogether.

Created through a plethora of means each one contained the essence of its base, a significant chunk of mana, and a psychedelic in some cases to assist with "breaking through" or achieving enlightenment.

I attribute this simply to the fact that cultivators needed to loosen up a bit in order to understand the flow of the world around them.

The gourmet cells in my body simply consumed them like candy, leaving nothing for me to do on my end outside of maintain a steady supply of cultivation materials.

Turns out, gourmet cells are really good for getting rid of any of your bodies impurities, and refining your base body without you having to do much. Basically, if it wasn't delicious sustenance, or benefit me in anyway, it didn't belong in my body.

Gave me a couple of neato idea's for new gourmet dishes in addition to alchemical concepts after studying the structure of these pills.

I figured out how to "distill" the flavor and essence of gourmet dishes as well as a new concept for certain potions after studying the pills.

Honestly, the pill furnace I was poking for "scientific reasons" was just plane weird. A hybrid device between a grill, an oven, and a magical focus, it just didn't fit right in any one area and decided to balance out its specialty into every class.

But luckily, I had a theory going . . .

I think, that I can accomplish the same results with a magical microwave.

So after artificing one, I was successful in my first foray into "cultivator alchemy"

[Low-grade Vitality Pill] (Common)

A very common health restorative, regenerating 5% of the consumers health, and gradually improves overall bodily health. Tastes like cherries!

A truly fantastic device for mass production.

And a new method for creating a multi-vitamin candy. It would probably be a good idea to come up with other flavors if I ever decide to market the pill.

It would never be as efficient as the air hypo, but it was always good to have options, especially in lower-tech worlds.

Weird pills were easily explained, but pressurized medicine being pumped directly into someone's veins? Significantly harder to convince the local witch hunter not to burn you at the stake.

Not something I particularly worry about, but you never know.

Grabbing a handful of pills I snack on them as I finish adjusting the radar system I was planning on installing into the roof, and turned it on.

Honestly it was more curiosity on my part, but I added sonic screwdriver components into the array so I could unlock the most signal possible. I wasn't gonna let big satellite TV companies stop me from piggybacking off of their networks.

Unfortunately, instead of the dish signal I was attempting to hijack, all I got back in response was a set of coordinates in Kansas with weird wavy characters.

More out of curiosity than anything, I stuffed my tools in my inventory, grabbed my jacket and took off flying at a leisurely speed cross country.

[Time Skip]

Night had fallen by the time I had landed, leaving me walking down a dirt road towards an old farm house.

The corn growing nearby had piqued my curiosity further when I saw the crop circles from overhead.

[In a world of gods and monsters . . .]

[Here I find you chasing aliens . . .]

C'mon Iris. You gotta believe! What if aliens are real?

[You jump to Video game worlds all the freaking time!]

[You know they exist!]

[The ones that may or may not be here shouldn't impress you!]

Well yeah . . . but I haven't seen one yet!

[What about Boros?]

Doesn't count! And besides, have you seen an alien yet?

[Literally, every alien on that ship he came with.]

Still doesn't count! You should be just as excited for this as I am!

[What are you? Two?]

[What next? You want to ride a dinosaur?]

Its on my bucket list! I keep forgetting because Nova keeps leaving on her own adventures!

[ #$^$& &!*]

You are really killing the vibe today, Iris.

A scream from the farmhouse broke my inner monolog, the lights flickering as figures moved about rapidly, a dogs excited barking adding to the mix.

A round saucer looking object appeared above the property enveloping a huge area in a beam of light.

Well, I always wanted a stuffed alien.

Let's see what these fuckers have to offer!

Taking off at a sprint, I jump into the beam as the house and the surrounding land vanished, taking us to the next godforsaken location.

Only to land on a grey lunar surface that was distinctly familiar to me.

Ignoring the fact that I could still breath on the moon. I charged toward the house, the door opening as a grey skinned creature with big round eyes came out, an unknown human being dragged behind him.

He brought a ray gun to bear and started firing his gun that made weird sci-fi noises.

A grin made its way onto my face at the things look of surprise at my presence, as I pounced on him.

Lasers started shooting past my head, as the Saucer over head tried to save its compatriot.

I kinda wish I had some of that "Men in Black" gear for this, as I flip the surprisingly heavy alien up into the air to intercept the laser blasts.

Tossing the nondescript human back inside and sealing the door, I turn to the floating saucer as more appeared behind it.

Snarling, I roar out, my arms shifting to buster fists.

[Mithril Vocals]

"BURN, MOTHERFUCKER, BURN!"

Half a dozen of the saucers exploded in flame as others sustained flame damage

Lunging up towards the saucer, my buster fists shifting to expose barrels in between the knuckles.

[Sidewinder]

An anti-titan automatic rocket launcher, used for unveiling weaknesses and hammering critical weak points. It is recommended that a pilot doesn't use this at close range, as the projectiles will explode and kill the pilot.

Unleashing a massive volley of rockets, metal panels are blown off the surrounding ships, my fist cracking several of the damaged ships in half as I flew through the fleet.

A mothership appeared as I fired another volley, a massive death laser appearing beneath it.

Damn . . . I want that!

Leaping off of another saucer, I launch myself at the mothership, intend on grabbing the laser . . .

Only to find myself falling face first into a snow drift.

Scrambling up to my knees, I immediately hurl out a rainbow of colors into the white snow drift.

A massive headache made itself known as I felt like I wanted to die from how bad my body felt.

[Maybe don't mindlessly consume handfuls of drugs while building stuff . . .]

Iris's unhelpful comment, caused me to search my memories as I try to identify the source of what she was speaking of.

"I thought the combination of my nano machines and the gourmet cells would be able to handle everything?" I groan, stumbling to my feet.

[Well apparently not.]

[That's why people only take one at a time,]

[The potential backlash can be greater than anyone has any right to handle.]

[Your body is just stupid durable, so you can take a little more punishment than your average mortal.]

I go to retort only to violently sneeze.

[Time Skip]

My little "misadventure" ended up with further reaching consequences than I had imagined.

I had caught something that I had so far failed to identify. As far as I could tell, It was a variation of the flu, so I was currently huddled in a blanket with a cup of tea as I retraced my steps over the last week.

So far, I had identified several instances of chaos that I was directly responsible for and many that I was indirectly responsible for.

The major events was a mass illusion of storming two of the most secure locations in the world.

Area 51, and the Vatican.

Supposedly, these two shadow organizations that had sprung up overnight had co-released a manifesto of which boiled down to "You take the aliens, we'll take the predators."

The U.S. military was currently investigating the suspicious lack of bodies, while many high-profile cardinals had fled the Vatican.

Incidentally several of them were picked up and were currently under investigation from various suspicious countries, much to my amusement.

The only other notable incident was supposedly, part of the rain forest had fought back against the rapid deforestation by growing back with a vengeance, demolishing machinery and encroaching logging companies.

This massive change was heralded by a purported "Black Jesus", who looked distinctly like Dexter Deshawn at a Baptist revival.

Ah well, I did say I would commit several crimes in his name at one point. It's just a shame that it's not in the cyberpunk world.

Violently sneezing once more, I resolve to never touch the cultivation pills until I had refined them without a hallucinogenic component.

Blowing my nose, I hear frantic banging on my door causing me to groan, stand, and shuffle towards the door.

The frantic banging continues until I open the door revealing Zoe, frozen mid knock.

"Look, I'm not really fit to be interacting with people at the moment. What do you want?" I rasp, Zoe hesitating for a moment.

"Milady has gone missing. Thou knew what she was hunting when we last talked. Doeth, thou know her current location?" She asked hurriedly, observing my current state.

"California. The general's prison. He's escaped. Artemis is holding the sky or is about to." I state, another cough racking my frame.

"No . . . impossible! Milady wouldn't help him escape!" Zoe shouted in anger.

"Look Zoe, I'm telling you what's happening. How it happened, I can't tell, but that's the current situation." I growl, sneezing once more.

"Now if you're done . . ." I start trying to close the door only for Zoe to force it back open.

"Nay! How are thou able to identify what Apollo couldn't?! And why art thou pretending to be sick?! God's do not get mortal diseases!" She said advancing angrily.

"LISTEN MISSY! I'M ALREADY IN A SHIT STATE SO YOU BETTER STEP OFF BEFORE I MAKE YOU!" I snarl, rage breaking through how shit I felt.

Zoe realized she overstepped, and quickly backpedaled; "Tis not what I mean . . ."

"I'm an immortal, not a damn god. Means I can still get sick. Problem is, I think its magical in nature, otherwise my biology could fight it off."

"As for how I know, it's a well-advertised fact about my little time hops. You shouldn't be surprised about the information I can or cannot access." I answer slipping in a bit of a lie at the end.

I kinda wanted to see what would happen If I gave someone in the timeline the answer like this.

Small sidenote, I noticed that I felt better after raging a little. Was it because I was basically forcing my body into high gear by raging? Reinforcing it to fight a disease?

She left somewhat sheepishly as my mind started racing again. I let my rage run rampant to purge the disease from my body while I was thinking.

Time hops . . . .

I wonder what I have in the way of cyberware laying around . . . .

[Time Skip]

After rooting around in my stuff for a bit, I found a standard Dynalar Sandevistan amongst the cyberware I had scavenged from the cyberpunk world.

I even found a Militech Sandevistan left over from the black ops cyberware I stole with the Mox.

Just incorporating the base cyberware, proved to be an interesting experience, but I felt that I could do better.

So I spent a week building my own special manufacturing aperture that would function as both a medium for my artificing, forging, engineering, and technomancy capabilities.

Taking the form of a massive sphere, many apertures and devices stood ready on the inside as I set my hands into the placeholders.

A computational plug, came down from the ceiling which I plugged into my neural port to maximize my computing power.

-Initiating Horizon Template Construct.-

-Use selected design?-

-Y/N.-

Twenty-seven million.

That was the number of sequences needed to manufacture a TARDIS.

Hitting yes, every single one of those sequences appeared within the space of thirty seconds and more were added as metal twisted and bent to my will.

However, what I am trying to accomplish is far more ambitious than a mechanical marvel like a TARDIS.

Time and space bent around me as I assembled the device hundreds of thousands of components shrinking and assembling together in perfect harmony.

[Aspect of the Machine God]

[Warning!]

[External force overriding perk: Master Craftsman!]

-[Looks like you can't quite make the full jump yet . . .]-

-[But we're so close!]-

The machine god's excitement mirrored my own as I finished assembling the device a grin making its way onto my face.

New Item Crafted!

[Horizon "The Time Tot" Sandevistan Mk. 1] (Semi God-tier)

A unique product from the mind of Tavish Byrne. In addition to slowing time for the user up to 78%, this Sandevistan enables to manipulate the forces of time and space to allow the user to "jump" back and forth during combat.

Levitating the new device over to my hands, I immediately integrate it into my cybernetics.

[Sandevistan Integrated and Synced!]

[Test run 01 shall commence in . . .]

3 . . .

2 . . .

1 . . .

The room slows to a crawl as I "jump" through time and space. My feet touch the ground as the familiar sights and smells of Edenborough hit my senses.

Doing a quick couple of "jumps" back and forth, I finally initiate a slightly different test.

Messing with the setting, I render myself slightly out of phase with time, so I was hidden, but the world moved forward like normal.

[What are you going to use that for?]

Iris's question caused me to stop and think before I answered; "I think it would be cool to witness historical events while not technically being there. Or I could sit there and watch my favorite stories happen around me. Like One Piece, or Halo, I could watch any story from relative safety without interference.

A butterfly flew through where I was standing as I envisioned the possibilities available to me.

Rejoining with time proper, I immediately felt a snap in the air around me as a location appeared in my mind.

One of the tokens I gave the hunters snapped.

[Zoe POV]

Using the last bit of my strength, I snapped the token Byrne gave us.

I should have followed his instruction from the start, as my broken ribs send fresh stabs of pain through my broken body.

After I left I simply brushed off his words and set off with our mixed group of hunters and campers in search of Artemis.

Jackson was currently holding the sky as milady was fighting Atlas, neither gaining the upper hand as the remaining hunters and campers fought the son of Nemesis and the encroaching hoard of monsters fighting their way up the mountain.

I wasn't sure if he'd even help after our confrontation last week, but for everyone else's sake at least, maybe he could help them. Ladon's poison had already ensured that I was a goner, but the rest of the heroes had a chance.

"Contemplating life?" A very familiar voice interjected.

Looking up into the amusement filled eyes of Tavish Byrne, I relax slightly.

"C'mon girly, you're not clocking out just yet." He commented, his hand glowing gold and purple poison extracted itself from my wounds. He slammed, what looked like an EpiPen into my arm and my wounds repaired themselves.

"Now . . ." He started standing up and stretching before freezing in place and locking his eyes on the cruise ship in the harbor.

"Wait, does that ship belong to the emo lookin' kid over there?" he questioned gesturing at Ethan who was locked in combat with Thalia.

"Um . . . yes?" I answer slightly taken aback by his question.

"Sweet! That means Kronos is around here somewhere!" He said excitedly before running over to Percy.

His comment caused my blood to run cold. The titan of time was here?! But before I could stop him, he called over his shoulder; "I'll be right back! I have some tomfuckery to get up to." He calls cheerfully before helping the son of the sea.

[Tavish POV]

Wandering over to Percy, I pull out Ruyi Jingu Bang and use it as an impromptu car lift to release the son of the sea.

"Let's get you out from under there. I don't think you'd look great squished." I comment pulling the exhausted demigod out from underneath the sky.

Not sticking around, I run to the edge of the cliff and leap over.

[Sandevistan]

Reappearing on the deck of the cruise ship, I spot some monsters attempting to disembark with a creepy looking sarcophagus.

Pulling the Chaingun from my inventory, I mow down the monsters causing the casket to hit the deck with a loud bang.

"Tavish Byrne?! You dare?!" Kronos's voice rages from the sarcophagus as I approach unabashedly.

"Yeah, I do. See, I've kinda got bored of playing these mental games with you Kronos old buddy! But never fret! I happened to have developed a project that I need your specific services for!" I inform cheerfully, kicking the lid off the container.

The fleshy chunks scattered throughout the casket were partially assembled in a gruesome macabre of blood and organs with an emaciated body forming in the center of it all.

This technically counts as weakened right?

Reaching into my inventory, I pull out the master ball.

"What are you doing?" He roared, his body writhing slightly.

"Well, I'd say it's been a pleasure Kronos, but my mamma told me not to lie." I reply lazily tossing the purple ball at the titan.

A red light absorbed the entire contents of the casket with wisps of red energy being absorbed from elsewhere.

The process finally stopped when the lock on the ball clicked shut.

New achievement unlocked!

[Fuck Dis Shit I'm Out!]

You found the big bad boss and used a nonsensical way to remove him from the equation.

[I can't decide if I should reward you or scold you for this conclusion . . .]

Eh, don't celebrate just yet. Still have to resolve the stuff up top.

Jumping through space and landing next to the sky once more I notice the silence that had fallen over the battlefield, as everyone was staring at where I had appeared.

"Oh don't mind me everyone! I was just out for a stroll and this poor fellow looked like he could use some help." I fib cheerfully as I lean against the sky.

"Who the hell is this mortal?! Atlas roared breaking the silence.

"Hey! That's immortal, thank you very much! As for who I am, the names Tavish Byrne! I just so happen to reside right at the very top of Kronos's shit list." I volunteer that last bit quite enthusiastically, as the monsters at the edge of the mountain started shuffling nervously.

"He wassss the being that punished the furies lord . . ." a nearby gorgon rasped, and I nod to it thankfully.

"Yup! So here is the deal Mr. Atlas, you can pick up the sky all nice and quiet like, and I'll go campaign on your behalf for parole or something and we can forget this whole thing ever happened. Kronos has been imprisoned once more and, in all honesty, probably could work out a plea deal with Olympus." I offer and his anger mixes with confusion as he glows visibly with power.

"But . . . he escaped. He should be coming up the mountain to resume his throne . . ." He stated, confusion overtaking anger.

"See, you'd think so, but he met me first." I comment idly, pulling the master ball out of my pocket and lazily tossing it up in the air.

"Is that a Pokeball?" Percy asked in confusion.

"Why as a matter of fact it is Percy! 10 points to Poseidon Cabin! Care to tell the class what this particular item is for?" I encourage.

I'm absolutely tickled pink that this is the first universe I ran across where Pokémon exists.

Let's see what his answer is.

"Well its an item that can be used to capture weakened monsters . . . ." He stated, slightly conscientious of the fact that he's explaining Pokémon to a goddess and a titan.

"And Percy, would you classify Kronos as a weakened monster? I ask, and a light bulb goes off.

We just so happened to be standing in front of individuals incapable of confirming or denying the fact that humanity at large had built devices capable of imprisoning a titan, and Percy had just realized that.

"I mean, technically yes, I do believe he could get caught by a Pokeball." He stated, nodding along with my logic as I grin at him.

"Yup! So, Atlas. I could either imprison you in one of these, or you can take up the sky once more. What will it be?" I threaten.

The titan looked extremely unsure looking back and forth between me and the demigod before he raised his spear once more.

"You think you have the strength to do so?! HA! I welcome you to try child." Atlas taunted hefting his spear, focusing on me.

"Capital! Apologies Artemis, I'm going to steal your dance partner for a bit. Don't worry! You should be able to get a few licks in!" I state nonchalantly stretching my legs.

"Boy! Your not even going to present me with a challenge. Ho . . . ." He started before his words slowed down to a point that was hard to decipher.

[Sandevistan]

[Indominable Rage]

[Full Throttle]

[Charge]

Launching forward I land twenty-six strikes before I release the Sandevistan.

Atlas flies backwards crashing through a pillar before grabbing traction once more as he coughs ichor in surprise.

"Keep that opinion at your own peril Titan. I have felled beings greater than yourself." I state taking off my jacket and tossing it to the side.

My arms open as my nano blades slide out, illuminating a sickly green as I activate their phase blade capabilities.

Atlas's stance had changed and he was eying my blades warily as he brought his sword to bear.

"What? No snide comment about your obvious superiority? Well, if your just gonna stand there, I'll come to you!" I roar, leaping forward and slashing with my right arm.

Atlas went to parry, only for my blade to phase through his spear, and slash him diagonally across the torso.

He immediately puked up a gush of Ichor. Cursorily examination with the Byakugan, revealed the massive organ damage, that was rapidly stitching itself back together.

Sheathing the blades, I deploy my thrusters as I hit him full force, feeling his liver explode under the force of the punch.

Tilting out of the way, a silver arrow finds itself in his eye as I hear Artemis shout out from behind; "I am a goddess of the hunt Byrne! I will not have some interloper treat me as a damsel in distress!" She exclaimed, a flurry of arrows following that statement.

"Now I never said that lady. Very well, halvsies then? I do believe you have a report to give on Olympus." I reply nonchalantly, tripping up the angry titan and delivering a knee to his abdomen.

As he hunched over, I pull the pin on an incendiary grenade and shove it down the back of his pants, and deliver a swift kick in-between the legs, launching him up before another kick sent him through another pillar.

Artemis sent a hail of silver arrows into Atlas before her vision was obscured by the fiery explosion; "Hmm, fair. But I do have a question. Were you just lying to Atlas before?" She asked as a spear nearly impaled me, thrown from the flaming titan.

"What about Kronos? Nah! Kronos was getting on my nerves so I decided to remove him from the equation. So convenient for him to come find me in a weakened state." I reply absentmindedly, as I angle myself up for the next hit, keeping an eye on the position of the sky behind him.

Atlas roared in raw fury, his feet cracking the ground. I simply decided to match him.

Disabling my weight reduction, bringing the full weight of my dwarf star alloy skeleton to bear, I met his punch with one of my own, the earth shaking around us.

[Storm Rage]

Lighting coated my hands as I delivered haymaker after haymaker into the titan, which he returns with world shaking force, abandoning his spear in favor of attempting to beat the shit out of me.

Well two could play at this game.

Activating every rage perk I possess, I activate my thrusters.

[Afterburner]

[Charge]

"I don't know who you are interloper, but how dare you interrupt my victory!" the titan screamed as I push him back step by step, catching my fists in his hands.

"No one has ever attempted to best my rage titan . . . ., But I welcome you to try!" I roar, slamming my head into his face, shattering his nose.

A second set of arms form from my back, their metal fists clenching and proceeding to beat the hell out of Atlas's ribs, as my forehead continues to brutalize his face.

He attempts to let go and withdraw from the assault only for me to seize the advantage and for my now four fists send him flying off into the distance.

[Flight Core]

[Memories of Rage]

[Advent of the Thunderbird]

Taking flight after him, I immediately continue my assault.

[Atlas POV]

The being had launched me skyward, and as I tried to right myself, he immediately appeared, the sky immediately darkening behind him, a massive typhoon coalescing into existence around us.

And then the rain of fists commenced.

The hits from before felt like love taps in comparison to the raw fury this being could unleash.

As our speed increased as we flew across the sky, more and more fists joined the barrage, filling my vision as the sound barrier broke.

Light becomes rapid streaks flipping past us as the speed of the onslaught of fists speeds up even faster than that, as each punch unleashes in explosions of lightning and fire.

I cannot remember a single instance in history when someone has beat me this soundly. Even my brother, in all of his ruthlessness, had never been able to go this far.

The last thing I saw before I blacked out, was the being's glowing eyes, rearing back his fists, a massive ethereal being behind him, its fists prepared to deliver more blows.

[Tavish POV]

Hitting the earth with the body of the unconscious titan in tow, I walk towards the sky.

Sliding Atlas underneath the sky, I roll out from under, yanking Ruyi Jingu Bang out as I slide past, letting the sky neatly fall on Atlas.

The unconscious titan did little more than stir slightly as the weight settled on him once more.

"And here I was feeling all charitable. Ah well, toodles!" I dismiss him cheerfully.

Turning around, I spot that Artemis had already summoned her chariot and was ushering the demigods and hunters alike on board.

"Whelp! That was a decent workout. Imagine what we'd have to deal with if this guy was at full strength! That would be quite the challenge." I comment, drawing the attention of the goddess back to me.

"Why did you come and help us?" she questioned, watching me warily.

"Eh, your lieutenant snaped one of my tokens, and she still had a bit of life left in her so it seemed a shame to let her kick the bucket." I reply, buffing my nails against my shirt.

"She said you knew where I was . . ." She growled slightly, before I held up my hands in a placating gesture.

"Hey now, I had a guess as to where you might be. And in my defense, I was sick when she came to practically kick my door down, so I may have been a wee bit short with her." I answer before continuing.

"I can only observe timelines and make guesses as to possible events. I simply told her the most likely result. Whether she chooses to listen or not, and a multitude of other factors, determines the end result." I finish, and she visibly calms down.

"And Kronos?" She asked and I pulled out the master ball once more.

"Safely locked away. I have a few side projects that need a source of time energy so that should keep him out of your hair for several hundred centuries at least." I comment, before tossing the imprisoned titan in my inventory.

"What are you going to do now?" she questioned, climbing into her chariot.

"Now? I think I need to make an appearance on Olympus. I've no doubt that Zeus is going to want answers, even if its from his least favorite person . . . ." I trail off as the goddess chuckles.

"That's putting it mildly. So is this going to be a report to Zeus as well?" She asked in bemusement.

"More like a statement of intent. I'll meet you there." And with that, I jump through space once more, landing in front of the throne room of Olympus.

This was honestly a wonderful opportunity for stress testing the Sandevistan. Even after repeated use, the device had been running at well under standard operating thresholds. It was doing little more than idling as I proceeded to kick the shit out of Atlas, and the jumps across space ended up being a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, I had to wait about fifteen minutes before Artemis's chariot rolled to a stop before the front gates, as the demigods were taking Pegasus to get here, leaving me with several awkward hours of standing around at a meeting I'm fairly certain I shouldn't be at.

So, I occupied myself in the corner over by Hades, as I worked on various portable projects. Zeus was very pointedly avoiding looking at me but he'd throw in a sneaky side glance every now and again when he thought I wasn't looking.

Combining Ruyi Jingu Bang with Steel Blossom was my first project, granting my cane the same properties as the weapon of the monkey king. Not particularly because I had a need for it, but mostly because I liked envisioning the long crook that yanked bad acts off the stage.

Plus, it would be super funny to just leave it somewhere inconvenient and come back to find someone struggling to lift it.

Loosely called "Thor's hammer on the toilet" syndrome, with the machine god as my witness, I will find a way to facilitate this interaction.

-[Please don't swear by me. . . ]-

-[I feel as if your somehow taking my name in vain . . .]-

Don't worry about it.

You deserve at least this much for the cotton candy incident.

The gods were talking quietly as I messing with my various projects, eventually leading into their meeting.

I kept a ear out for anything that bode ill for me, but surprisingly, most of what they talked about was inconsequential.

More like children tattling to daddy about what their sibling did, except on the scale of a Pantheon.

While the winter solstice was a meeting that brought up key issues for the gods, it was a fairly large forum where many gods brought issues to the floor.

Truthfully, the only reason I was here was to see what their meetings were like. My overall level of care in this particular situation was equivalent to deciding what to have for breakfast.

Don't get me wrong, pancakes are fucking amazing. But not all breakfasts are created equal. One is definitely less enthused about oatmeal than a pancake.

Regardless, I couldn't give two shits about this supposed meeting, a fact that Zeus seemed acutely aware of based of how intensely he was staring at me.

It was to a point where the meeting was actually progressing faster thanks to the blatant hostility in the room.

I almost flipped him off, but decided against it seeing as how that would be counterproductive.

It didn't stop me however, from activating the cybernetics in my leg so I could pop off my leg, the boot ejecting metal spikes as I lay it across my lap to innocently "tinker" with.

The god's nostrils flared at the implied threat, but wisely averted his eyes from me to focus on the meeting.

Good Boy.

Reattaching the leg, I caught the eye of Hades, who was struggling to contain his mirth at the little byplay.

The meeting continues to drag on for hours before the demigods finally show up and Artemis is given permission to give her report.

Kinda tuned out most of the knitty gritty of her report until she brought my name into it.

" . . . and it was at this point, the entity known as "Tavish Byrne", intervened. Rendering medical aid to my lieutenant and relieving the burden of the sky from the son of Poseidon, by propping it up with the artifact, "Ruyi Jingu Bang"."

"He then disappeared for a minute and returned that he captured Kronos in a . . ." She asked leadingly, looking directly at me.

"A Pokeball!" I supply helpfully, causing her to nod in thanks before continuing.

"He then engaged Atlas, outstripping the titan in a battle of strength, the fight concluding with Tavish tossing the unconscious titan back under the sky." She finished, causing a massive stir from the assembled gods as they turn to look at me closer.

Zeus was back to glaring at me with more intensity finally prompting the most eloquent of responses.

"The fuck you lookin' at Thunder Tits?" I growl at the god, his eyes glowing in anger as the Master Bolt appearing in his hands.

Perks Activated!

[The Only Thing They Fear is You!]

[Mithril Vocals]

"If you so much as look in my direction again, I'm going to rip your dick off and make you eat it. You've been meddling in my affairs often enough to piss me right the fuck off you little shit stain! So, if you're going to start shit, be sure your able to take the cosmic ass-whooping that I'm going to dish out in response." My roar shaking Olympus itself, the surrounding marble cracking in response.

Reigning in my anger, I sigh before continuing; "See, this is why I didn't want to come. But I have to show a modicum of professional courtesy."

"Anyway, here's my quick public service announcement. You don't have to deal with Kronos anymore. He was being a tad bit irritating, so I'm using him for some personal projects. Bottom line, I'm invalidating that particular prophesy." I inform abruptly prompting a surge in chatter among the gods.

"Where is your proof?" Athena asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Stored away safely. My tech is my tech, and as for how I accomplished it, well . . . I'll just leave it to your imagination, shall I?" I inform, stretching, and then moseying towards the door.

"What about the other titans?" and unknown voice threw out from the crowd.

"What about them? Not my problem. This was just a courtesy to inform you of the general location of one of your titans." I reply flippantly.

"Alright I'm off! Enjoy the rest of your meeting! Don't try putting any demigods to death! Eat your veggies! And don't take candy from strangers!" I offer one last bit of sage advice before stepping through a portal into my ground's keeper fortress.

Quite frankly, I was getting too involved with the Greeks and I wanted to move on.

[Well luckily, its about time for a full shutdown so we can upgrade the hardware of the system.]

That's where I get left in a world for a bit as you finish critical updates?

[Yeah, we put them off because we got involved here.]

Huh . . .

. . . .

How long will it be shut down?

[One year.]

Its gonna be weird doing stuff without my powers.

[I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the change.]

Yeah, probably.

. . .

Thanks for the ride Iris.

[Its not going to be forever.]

[Besides, you're not getting rid of me that easy.]

[See you on the other side partner.]

-Initiating Portal-

I walk through the blue portal to my next great adventure.

[Welcome To Animal Crossing: New Horizons!]

Stepping through the portal I find myself standing in front of a travel desk, two identical tanuki sitting behind it.

"Hello! Welcome to Nook Inc. We are so excited to have you here! Let us be the first to congratulate you on your wise decision to sign up for this adventure. Welcome . . . to the check-in counter for your Deserted Island Getaway Package." The two creatures echoed each other.

"How many people will be joining you on your island adventure?" the one on the left questioned.

"Eight and some pets." A familiar voice from behind me interjected, causing me to spin around.

V stood there, a bear cub carried under her arm and a bag slung over her shoulder. Behind her, I saw Eleanor, Liz, Elise, Ivy, Harley, Bastion and B.O.B. carrying various bits of vacation equipment.

Not saying anything, I just wrap my arms around V, being careful of the snoozing Pablo.

"Ooof! Tavish! You're acting like its been forever . . ." V comments, her free arm wrapping around my torso.

"Chances are it has for him. Time can flow different for us and him, based off of where he ends up." Liz comments, a soft smile spreads across her face.

"And its doubly hard to tell by looking at him, since he's biologically immortal." Ivy dropped, causing everyone to look between her and me.

"What? I can tell his body changed physically since we last saw him. A good chunk of his power has been rendered dormant. But his base body remains unchanged despite that." She commented looking at me closer, a plant brushing my ankle.

I did actually feel quite naked without my power but was swiftly distracted when V set Pablo down to direct my eyes to hers.

"Tavish, how long?" I she questioned.

Thinking back, I tried to do a guess, slightly concerned by her reaction.

"Over a hundred years I think? I . . . lost track of some years somewhere . . ." I hesitantly answer as the length of time truly set in.

Gamer's mind was no longer active so little token emotions were starting to make their way to the forefront.

My emotions weren't suppressed, but anything that would keep me from a generally calm mind seemed to be prevented whenever focus was required.

I felt something wet on my face as I reach up and bring my hand away.

Huh . . . tears.

Haven't seen those for a long while . . .

"Safe to say I missed you guys . . ." I chuckle as V wipes another tear from my cheek.

"Gotta say, I look great for an old geezer." Harley commented, A happy Ouro nuzzling her ear.

"No kidding, but don't get soppy on us now." Ivy added on, causing me to burst out laughing.

"Fair enough. This is supposed to be a vacation, isn't it?" I answer cheerfully wiping my eyes.

Guess I missed them more than I thought.

"Fantastic! Now, would you please select your island preference? One of the Tanuki behind the desk offered as we started our next adventure.