The Embodiment Protection Force was surprisingly generous when it came to housing. When the members of Styx explained their situation to Vangloria, she directed them to the Introduction Division a few thousand miles away.
A short teleportation later, and they were sitting in front of a desk with a bored-looking middle-aged man behind it. His lack of hair on his head seemed to be compensated by large muttonchops.
"Land is free in Canda, rent and such is unnecessary. If you want a building or two, you'll have to either pay for it or build it yourself." He slid a thin metal cylinder across the table and flipped a switch, projecting a hologram of the planet Canda above it.
"These green spaces here are available. The red ones are taken. You each get one plot of land, so pick from the green spots." Each section of green was roughly 320 acres or half a square mile. After a quick discussion, they all decided to pick plots adjacent to each other so they could make one big house. Cait surprisingly agreed to the plan.
They chose their six plots, which were in the planet's northern hemisphere. They thanked the muttonchop man and used a teleporter to visit their new home.
Nikolas looked around. "They weren't kidding. It's just grass."
"Looks like we need to earn some money," Autumn said. "The pamphlet mentioned that the EPF is hiring. We should check that out."
"Working for the government again, huh?" Nikolas shook his head. "This is getting tiring."
"Well, if you don't want to work for them, there's also the Philosophers for the Preservation of Knowledge and the Hephaestus Guild, but I don't think anyone here is qualified for those other than you," Autumn told him.
"We should at least try. I'm not too keen on throwing another leash around my neck," Nikolas replied.
"I wouldn't mind working with PPK, actually," Tom chimed. "It'd give us an opportunity to learn more about this new world we're in."
The others mumbled their agreement.
"A-actually, I was often involved in 'scientific experiments' during my time at the Advanced, and I learned a few things. I think the Philosophers would be a great place for me to work."
"I think our skillset would be better served in the service of these inter-universal cops." Fate stretched and yawned. "Whatever we do, we need to do it soon. I need a nice bed to sleep in."
They discussed their options for several more minutes before they decided on their course of action. Autumn, Fate, Maya, and Nikolas would join the EPF, while Cait and Tom would join the PPK. The latter two would learn as much as they could while there, and the others would try to find out how the Advanced was still alive and kicking.
"They supposedly came from the Milky Way before the Ancestors did, so for all we know they stuck their hooks in other galaxies too. They could be spread out throughout this multiverse, hiding in the shadows and waiting to strike," Fate told the group. "And if they are, they definitely have at least a few dozen Embodiments under their umbrella. I wouldn't be surprised if they're run by a Realized."
It turned out that the EPF was always hiring, due to the dangers of the job. They hired them on the spot and promptly assigned them to the Divisions that fit their applications. They stuck Fate, Autumn, and Nikolas in the Resolution Division, which was the closest to a 'police force' that the multiverse had. Maya was put in the Dispute Division, responsible for resolving disputes between Embodiments before they turned violent.
They warned her several times that using her Manifestation to speed things along would come with heavy consequences. Still, they told her that those with an Emotional Manifestation were always adept at manipulation even without using their abilities.
They were paid upon completion of a job, and luckily there were several jobs available to take. The set-up of the EPF was similar to the Adventurer Guilds in Fate's fantasy books, with a large bulletin (albeit electronic) that listed all available jobs, along with their pay and estimated strength prerequisite.
To accept a job, one had to tap a small chip against the job they wanted, and the information would be copied to the chip and registered in the EPF's database. There was no limit to how many could take one job, although the pay would be split between the participants. Each Division Hall had one of these bulletins, with the jobs on them belonging to the Hall the bulletin rested in.
The three were currently in the Resolution Division Hall, which was filled with people bustling to and fro.
'Let's see. We need around fifteen hundred Shrallins to hire a decent Embodiment of Earth to throw up an above-average-sized house that can fit all six of us. Another three hundred for an Embodiment of Sound to soundproof the place, five hundred for a Manifestation heating and cooling system, and another fifty for basic electricity and lights. That's…'
Fate did some quick math in his head. 'A little under twenty-four hundred Shrallins.' He scanned the bulletin, then chuckled. 'This won't be too hard.'
Every job on the board paid three thousand Shrallins minimum. Fate assumed it was because every job expected you to have at least three people working with you. He found one that seemed mildly entertaining. It detailed a rogue group of Exemplars playing God on a planet full of mortals a few galaxies away.
They were living the life of pharaohs, being spoon-fed everything while the mortals toiled for them. It was listed as a Mortal Relations job, but Fate was taught that when Divisions were busy, they offloaded some of the less urgent jobs onto other Divisions.
He pointed at it, looking at Nik and Autumn. "This sound good to you guys?"
Autumn read the listing. "Seems easy, and it pays four thousand. That's enough for the house plus furniture."
Fate smacked his forehead. "Forgot about furniture. Good catch, Autumn."
"Let's not waste time," Nikolas said, tapping his chip against the listing. That part of the screen lit up, and then the listing vanished. Nikolas tapped his chip against the chips of the other two, registering that they were going to accompany him on the job. "Let's topple a theocracy."