The rain had rapidly cleared to a slight mourning mist over the next few hours, interspersed with periods of a normal winter drizzle.
The array continued to draw power but now it was almost exclusively drawing not from the rain but the residual puddles of mana. Spencer know the easy ride was over and that it would take days if not weeks to cumulate enough power to create a new mana crystal when he increased the density within the array. Instead of using the last collection of mana within the array, as the effects at this point hardly increased his formation in any meaningful way, he linked the array’s power sigils directly to the shielding glyphs using a small spell to etch the new spell array modification for permanence. This would not stop everything from accessing the array, by most creatures he was aware of would not, for added security he added a blood key rune that would only allow access to his blood. If something was able to enter the array after he left and it did not have his blood, it would overload the mana crystals and destroy everything within the shield.
With Victoria eating the last of her dried cereal and berry mixes, the outside world grew less dark and small pricks of light streamed through the gaps in the cloud cover.
It was in this light that the biggest change was evident to a world waking from the storm, everything felt larger, plants that had only bee shrubs hip-high now were 3 meters tall, grass could now hide a small child, the world that presented itself after the mana storm was wild and unkempt.
Spencer knew many would die in the coming days, people would wait in the illusion of safety for a government that could barely help in any meaningful way. He didn't have many memories from the early weeks, he knew he was injured at some point and was only able to get to the base half alive and with Vicky in his arms. He could do better this time and maybe change the fate of many people around him
With a head now the size of what the beagle's whole body used to be, and a body sprawled behind similar to the size of a horse, the family dog was now capable of being used as a mount for Victoria, this change was not unexpected from Spencer's past, but the changes had been expedited due to the array. The common trend for most animals during the mana storm involved two key features, size and smarts. The animals almost without exception grew in sizeable to sustain a larger form due to the availability of mana to supplement food requirements and were initially boosted by the volatility of the liquid mana. The second was intelligence and this was the most dangerous, notable in Cats and rats.
“Bigggs Moorryy” came the cheer when Victoria fully realised how big the dog had grown.
“Big Morry indeed, Vicky” Spencer responded to which K-9 in question opened his eyes slightly and waged his tail, a tail that now made a solid whack as it slapped against the floor.
The beast in front of him observed both Spencer and Victoria from half-lidded eyes, his tongue lolling to the side. He know the dog would remain loyal, as most dogs would, however, he would always feel uncomfortable around the animals, that is until command collars could be built. The discovery of the collars would come after the mages had started using them for mass suppression and after the liberation of a few humans that had been subjected to them by the invaders.
Glancing at his daughter who smiles and chatted in a way that only toddlers can, she was not worried in the slightest and the dog in question looked like he always did, just much, much larger.
Spencer only remembered the gun safe code because it was Victoria’s birthday, a safe that was located under the stairs behind a false wall, while not exactly illegal to have, the paperwork did indicate the content was ‘Between’ armouries, with it unlikely to arrive.
With a thunk, the locking mechanisms opened and the heavy door swung open to reveal two rifles. His wife's Winchester lever-action rifle and Spencers Remington 870 Tactical, both firearms had the glistening shine of just the right amount of a light laying of oil. Clearing the Winchester, through a muscle memory that could never be forgotten, then stored it into the black travel case next to the safe and clipped it shut.
When he came to 870 tactical shotgun, he instead put on a body harness located on top of the safe and clipped the loop of the stock to a lanyard, clipping the cord to his shouldering side, filling several quick load johnny clips with slug shells, his rig was ready.
Reaching past the rifle brackets he transferred the two boxes of ammunition to the bag the rife case was in and took the last item located within the safe. Pausing for a second before grabbing the last item Spencer had stored in the safe. A hard leather sheath housing a two and a half-hand bastard sword. Sliding the blade a few inches out, the razor-sharp edge looked as sharp as the day it was forged by his grandfather a few years before he passed and of all the things he had salvaged in his last life, that sword was on his hip right up until the end.
“Daddy, mum said, no!” Victoria said from behind his shoulder, somewhat somberly, knowing how much her mother did not like weapons around being in the children's presence.
“Times are changing my love, don’t worry dad will be careful. I Love you darling”
With a kiss on her head as he move away, not bothering to close the empty safe, to which she laughed. Spencer easily shouldered the bags and moved towards the garage. He loaded the weapons and extra ammunition into the front seat, then moved as much of the water and what was left of the food, sleeping bags, the outdoor garments, the baby clothes that had been set aside for when Eve delivered and a collection of the blank sketchbooks. When it came to the crystals formed by the array, he was hesitant, Spencer was unsure how beneficial it would be to drive around with a car full of mana crystals. In the end, the benefits of a surplus supply of mana crystals outway any unnecessary attention it would bring. he had accumulated a large number in the laundry, moving them from the laundry when the pile got too large, after filling two 80L plastic tubs with the stones, he overloaded the runes of the faucet and the stream of mana subsided.
With the packing done he just needed the rain to clear more and he would be on his way, however, a nagging feeling like he was forgetting something was prodding the back of his head. Spencer could not remember the significance of the last week, he didn't remember specifically what had happened this week, just that he would get hurt and arrive in a delirious state at the research base with Victoria.
Trying his best to ignore the feeling, he walked back to the array for a few more checks to make sure everything was working within the spell forms and shields.
The dog and Victoria were asleep within the array by the time Spencer had confirmed all the sigils, runes and spell forms were working or more accurately would continue to work with the reduced mana. Victoria's tiny little form was laying with the dog's paw as a pillow, with the other paw wrapped protectively around her.
Spencer knelt in front of the dog waiting for it to slowly open his eyes and look up at its master, with his hand he drew a complicated spell array in the air leaving a blue line of light when he was done he mixed mana and will into the array and directed his command to the lin that formed from the spell to dog.
“Keep her safe dog”
Morry, slowly nodded his large head twice and chuffed as the spell sunk into the dog's forehead before fading into nothing, this would instil a sense of what he wanted to do with no confusion, the downside being only one command could be set, unlike the command collars that could hold extremely complex instructions, and more importantly, punishments.
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She was safe and when the darkness from the window next to the door changed from barely visible to light more fitting a daytime storm. Spencer strode to the front of his house and opened the front door to see for the first time in this timeline the devastation the storm had caused.
……….
The rain pattered in a light mist, gone the raging inferno from before, replaced was a more typical light shower, typically enough to keep it wet and people indoors. The lake that Spencer's house had overlooked had swollen and flooded to encompass the surrounding parkland, with the tips of the taller trees poking out of the surface like buoys. The water level had risen seven meters in his best estimate with the lake edge lapping halfway across the road on his street.
He was not the only person to have picked this time to emerge from their dwellings,
Voices and the sound of car doors slamming echoed up and down the street, evident of people trying to leave. Spencer’s mana enhanced eyes could see across the lake that acted as the centre of the suburb, a feature that now would doom anyone trapped by the rising water.
More than a few houses were completely submerged, and at the end of the estate was all but gone on the far side, with a few of the roofs just breaking the water's surface.
Spencer was scanning the area to see if he could leave and not get his car flooded, now that the storm had passed, a panic had settled in his guy. Now nothing stood in his way and needed to get to his wife, she should have her son with her or he might have been with his father, so the only detour would be to supply.
Splashing from his left drew his eye and a man 3 houses down was wading into the water, in a direction that indicated he was headed towards his ¾ submerged truck on the far side of the road, that looked to have been half washed down the embankment.
He was fiddling with his keys on the far side with his back to the lake. He was struggling to open the door, almost fighting the very lake to get inside his vehicle.
A sense of cold dread crawled up his spine as he had a flash of memory as he notices a large green rock like bulge that broke the water's surface 100m out into the lake.
“Mate, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WATER!!!” Spencer's voice all but boomed from his lungs, a combination of his mana enhanced body and years of being a non-commissioned officer all but exploded out.
The silence that followed was unnaturally sill, and it even looked like the bulge had paused for a second or so, before moving again towards the man.
“My Phone charger is in the car, I need it to call my girlfriend” he answered, quiet but echoing in the silence that followed, the voices and sounds up and down the street had stopped also.
“There is something in the water!” came a cry from further down the road.
The warning had been cut short when the large round green mass suddenly stopped five or so meters from him, the wave break that had built up smashing him into his car, shifting it 35 degrees and the man along with it.
The man in the water had stumbled from the force of the wave and was getting up out of the water, As he turned a scaly head and beak jaw shot forth from the mound of rock at a speed that defied its size and attempted to snap shut on the man.
Before the man was turned into red mist, a glowing blue circle filled with a pentagram and strange symbols materialised in between him and the beast, spinning lazily in the air, the interested spell array had dazed the now visible giant turtle.
The shield that had deflected the turtles head flashed before dissolving, as the onlookers tried to understand what they had just seen a second pentagram appeared high in the sky, this dark blue spell array did not spin but was rigid in the sky, a flash preempted the spell array splitting into quarters and creating 4 smaller versions of the larger. A flash of blue fire in the shape of jagged arrows burst forth from the middle of each spell array, with a slight delay between each. The arrows of light then streaked towards the giant turtle, the arrays become floating motes of light as they faded. Each fiery arrow slammed into the turtle's head one after another leaving nothing but steaming water and a bloody stump where the creature's head used to be.
Spencer stood, hands outstretched, each held a miniature copy of the arrays, left having the shield and right holding the mana missile spell.
When the turtle was dead, Spencer dismissed each and cast a new spell creating another array in front of his face.
“EVERYONE NEEDS TO EVACUATE, MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE EVACUATION CENTERS OR THE ARMY BASE!” Spencer's voice thundered out, enhanced by the volume amplification spell, a staple on the battlefield when traditional comms were hardly reliable.
In seconds another Turtle rose from the water a few feet from the first’s dead corps and snapped out from behind, its head mostly underwater crunched onto the dead turtle. The cloud of dark red seeped into the surrounding water, once the man, The man stood as if shell shocked until he saw the red water and he fell back into the overload lake, trying to scream but getting a mouthful of the fouled water. Half vomiting and crying he scrambled across the water covered road, whimpering and crying, until he was inside his house, slamming the door behind him. The water began the churn and more lumps rise from the water. A third turtle approached and snapped at the dead beast's side. Its head however was caught around the neck by the second turtle's much larger maw twisting with a crunch. As the frenzy continued the man now drenched and terrified scrambled
To the outside of the main skirmish, smaller brown furry humanoid figures scavenged the scraps before disappearing into the murk.
Spencer could count 8 car size turtles devouring the unlucky turtle by now, many more would be lurking and waiting to try to feast.
It was then that screaming from the house next to Spencers started and brown rat-like heads poked out of the water and turned to face directly to the house the screams resonated from. Spencer stood in his doorway, with a spell form held in his mind. The giant turtles mostly ignored the screams, more content with the cannibalism. The brown-furred abomination however had already started to slowly but hesitantly move through the murky water on a beelining straight for screams coming from the house next to him.
The slamming of the door followed by a string of shrill screams and pleading panicking curses only caused the rat-men to glance at each other before hissing in some kind of rudimentary language, the rat-men argued in their abrasive language for a bit. Spencer was unsure of what they would do, with the turtles fighting at the shore he was hesitant to act if they would move on to find easier prey, rat-men were anything but brave, preferring to scavenge or steal, outright attack was unlikely unless they had the larger numbers.
Spencer almost thought they had lost interest, that was until a few dozen more heads broke the surface of the water and a handful started to surround one of the giant turtles that had arrived too late for the frenzy.
The rats that approved the hulking beast, talking in their hiss and chitter, one to the rear hissed in reply and another next to it darted in under the water towards the turtle, causing the giant animal to jerk away and moan in pain. This happened a few more times before it became apparent what the rats were doing, herding the thing towards the house that the sound of panicked sobbing and occasional shouts originated from.
Spencer glanced behind him and was thankful Victoria was still asleep, the array both protecting her from sound and danger.
Taking out a shell from the clip on his side, he held it up to his eye and drew an array in the air with his other hand, when the array was completed and the spell was floating in the air, Spencer pressed the slug tip into the centre of the array, the array acted like moving through a spider web and wrapped around the shell before fading into the round, leaving a translucent blue glow in the design of the spell form on the casing.
Loading the round into the side of his shotgun, he chambered the round, with a pull-push of the front grip. Lining up the sights onto the lead most rat-man as it chattered excitedly behind the large beats, Spencer released his breath squeezing the trigger as he slightly corrected the aim.
“BOOOM WHOMPPP FZZZZzzzzzzzzzzt… Click”
The round struck the rat-man’s chest, followed by a gout of flame that exited its wound before exploding in a sphere of fire 3 meters in diameter, with sparks dancing around like solar flares on the sun.
Before the plume of steam and smoke that the explosion had time to clear, Spencer summoned another spell array in the air, though slightly different in design and appearance. when the second round was pressed against it the array again coated the round, and Spencer loaded the new spelled round and cocked the foregrip to chamber a new round and aimed.
As the steam disappeared like fog being slowly dissipated, the giant turtle was gone, a small wake leading away from the scene, and the corpses of a few rat-men floated on the surface of the water, scorched with melted muscles exposed, with only a few patched of fur remaining.