Klaus reached out to the orb offered by Franz. As soon as his outstretched fingers touched it, a burst of blue smoke poured forth, blocking everything around him, including Franz, from view.
As the blue smoke faded, the ruins of a city were revealed to surround him. Skyscrapers, which once stood tall and proud, were now shattered and in the process of collapsing. The blocks of buildings that surrounded them, in a style Klaus did not recognize, had been consumed by fire or marked by the wounds of recent fighting. Rubble filled the streets, and the corpses of human soldiers, civilians, and monstrous creatures blurred to his gaze by distance lay everywhere. Only a few human survivors moved here and there. He could practically smell the death that had taken hold over the city.
A roar of thunder and a crack of displaced air that pressed against his back caused Klaus to turn around. A glowing arch of blue light had appeared in the street behind him. Moments after it stabilized, a line of monstrous soldiers covered head to toe in red spiked armor surged forth. Howls of bloodlust burst from fanged mouths at the sight of the startled human survivors further down the street opposite Klaus. With swift strides that quickly turned into a full sprint, the red-armored creatures rushed in their direction, all the while the numbers coming through the portal continued to swell.
Screams echoed up to Klaus as the few humans he saw scrambled in desperation to find cover in nearby buildings or to flee deeper into the city. Some ducked behind the twisted remnants of what looked to be cars of some sort, likely hoping to be passed by. The figures in red armor were too fast, however, and within moments of getting into range, they were tearing through every human within reach. He could just barely hear the chants of ‘Blood! Blood! Blood!’ from where he stood looking down at the carnage.
Klaus felt only horror as the massacre unfolded. One woman threw herself into the doorway of a crumbling apartment building, and even this far away, he could tell how frantically she was seeking to hide. Before she could get deeper into the building, one of the figures in red armor surged behind her, a clawed hand swinging downwards to slam her to the ground in a single brutal stroke. The monster’s other clawed hand thrust into the woman’s chest, cutting her scream short, and splattering the front of the building with her blood. Dozens of others met similarly brutal ends in those early minutes.
Another roar of thunder echoed from several streets over. After a minute of trying to see what fresh horror was about to be revealed, a new wave of monsters came sprinting from between the rubble of several buildings. War cries emanated from the charging figures, which looked extremely similar to the hobgoblins and trolls of his favorite roleplaying game. Many were cut down in the initial rush, but the swelling numbers of goblinoids began to wreak a toll on the red-armored monsters. The fighting continued as each side received reinforcements.
The roars of new portals began to emerge in the distance. From the limited view of the city he had, each new invading force was another nightmarish creature. Some races he recognized from his tabletop games, others were completely unknown to him.
Franz appeared at his side in a burst of blue smoke. The Imperial Arcane Pathfinder gazed stoically down at the violence and destruction that continued to expand around them as each new invading force contributed to the chaos.
“In the heart of this chaos, the few remaining human defenders were fighting a losing battle. Some few adapted well enough to the System’s arrival that they were able to find Classes of their own. Even fewer survived this long into the fall of their world. By the time the first of our Legions arrived, we were only able to save the smallest percentage of this world’s population.”
Franz pointed into the distance as a massive portal dwarfing all others that had emerged to this point burst into existence. A black-scaled beast burst forth, wings quickly thrusting its massive form into the air. The sheer force of their movement stirred the wind, sending debris swirling in a chaotic whirlwind around the creature. Each wingbeat lifted the monstrous form almost made the earth tremble under the beast’s titanic presence. Klaus couldn’t help but feel a shiver of awe at the titan from mythology let loose a roar.
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“A Black Dragon by the name of Croxthantorix came through a portal to eventually conquer the world for itself. Within weeks those factions who survived the early fighting sued for peace with the mythic creature and left the world to his tender mercies.”
Klaus listened closely to Franz as he spoke about the fall of another world so similar to Earth. His eyes, however, were focused solely on Croxthantorix as he circled once over the city. Its black scales shimmered in the dim light, each one gleaming like obsidian, absorbing the faint glow from the ruins it flew over. The dragon surged through the air, each movement exuding raw power and dominance. Its serpentine neck curved upward as it ascended, and its crimson eyes burned with an ancient, malevolent intelligence as it looked out over the ruins of the city.
And then it roared.
The sound was so deafening, so primal, that it seemed to shake the fabric of the memory itself. It reverberated through the air, filling Klaus with not only awe but also dread. He felt like an ant staring up at a force of nature, a being far beyond human comprehension.
As the dragon came closer to their position, the surrounding city burst into blue smoke. When it dissipated both Klaus and Franz were sitting back at the table in the diner.
“What the hell was that?” Klaus asked in a whisper, eyes locked on to Franz who was once again across from him, his coffee in hand. His eyes darted around the room, but no one had reacted to the blue smoke. Perhaps they hadn’t seen it? No, that didn’t matter at the moment. If he had had any doubts about the seriousness of what was coming, they had been dispelled by what he had just seen.
“That, boy, is why you should willingly go to the school your great-great-grandfather wants you to attend. Only there will you be able to gain the knowledge, skills, and allies you will need to give you even the smallest of chances to save Earth from the coming Integration. Otherwise the best you might hope for Earth is the fate of the world you just witnessed.”
“Integration of Earth could end worse than that?!” Klaus asked, shocked.
“Much, much worse,” Franz said grimly, his eyes shifting down to his coffee. For several long movements, he just stared into the depths of his drink, lost in some heavy memories of his own. Shaking his head to dispel them, he made eye contact with Klaus again.
“Klaus - or should I say, Klarion - there is much you do not know about your world. I can’t explain anymore in the time we have,” Franz said in an even tone. “But that doesn’t change the fact you have to make a decision: will I have to force you into attending the school your true family wants you to attend, or will you go willingly?”
Before Klaus could respond, Ingrid emerged from the kitchen with two heavily loaded plates of food in hand. As she approached the table, Franz causally reached out and disabled the artifact he placed to prevent their conversation from being overheard. He slid it back into his pocket as as the waitress set the plates on the table.
“One Bavarian Huntsman’s Feast for the growing young man,” Ingrid said, setting the first plate covered in sausages, pretzels, cheese, and several soft-boiled eggs in front of Klaus.
While the food looked good, Klaus couldn’t help but stare at the other plate Ingrid held. On the plate, set a bowl full of layered yogurt, granola, and honey, all buried under a pile of fresh fruit and nuts. It was not at all what he expected Franz to order.
“Is everything alright?” Ingrid asked.
“Don’t mind Klaus, he’s just regretting picking an inferior meal to my Fairy Queen’s Parfait,” Franz said with a laugh as he reached out to take his own plate from the waitress. “Could we also get a refill on our coffee?”
“Of course, I’ll be right back with a fresh batch.”
As the waitress went off to get the pot of coffee, Klaus took the first bite of one of the sausages. It really was good. Franz began eating mouthfuls of his food, letting out a pleased sound at the taste.
After their coffees were topped off, they ate in silence. While externally calm, Klaus thoughts were a whirlwind. Despite his struggle to find another option, everything kept coming back to this Imperial finishing school for the nobility Franz mentioned as being his best shot to prepare for the coming Integration. Eventually his plate was empty, and his decision was made.
“I just wanted to become a doctor, pay down my debt, and take care of my family,” Klaus said softly at his empty plate. He looked across the table at the Imperial Arcane Pathfinder. “I have made up my mind.”
Franz paused at his last bite to look Klaus in the eye. Whatever he saw there lined up with his expectations, as he nodded once.
“Your decision is the right one. Your true family needs you, Klarion Sturmwacht of Archducal House Blacksword,” he said formally and then put the last bite of yogurt into his mouth. Swallowing, he gave Klaus a grin that had an edge of sadness.
“Welcome to the Empire.”