Arriving at the staging area was like nothing Duke had ever seen. There were people, creatures, and monsters everywhere. Duke instinctually rose into the air to get a better look at what was arrayed before him. The area had appeared to be large on his map but as he rose up, he saw just how vast the staging area was.
The mix of what he saw was hard to wrap his head around. There were hundreds of organized forces but the vast majority were a milling mass of disorganization. He spotted all manner of races in the mix including monstrous races that he had never encountered before. He rose higher to get an even better look.
As he rose higher, he could see beyond the staging area. The area was set apart by a mountain range which had a forest of immense trees beyond it. As he watched the far edge of the forest seemed to be slowly retreating. He moved over the forest to get a better look at what was going on. What he saw did not offer any encouragement.
The trees were fighting. And they were losing, badly. There was a sea of quadrupedal creatures swarming over each other to get to the trees. They were horrific beings, resembling horse-sized dogs with no skin, exposing their muscles and internal organs. As he looked more carefully, he saw that they did actually have some form of skin. It was just transparent, allowing the sickening display of their insides through.
The ones who had reached the trees latched on with their jaws and appeared to be sucking the very essence from them. The trees weren’t just dying, they were being absolutely consumed, leaving nothing but grey, dead dust behind.
Tree limbs slashed and slammed down at the creatures, only to pass harmlessly through them. Duke spotted a group of druids attempting to bolster the trees. Spells of green energy suffused the trees on the front line, bolstering the trees and giving them the ability to strike with enchanted blows. The trees’ limbs struck nothing. One by one, the trees were sucked dry of their life and then physically absorbed, leaving nothing in their place. When one creature was done consuming a tree, the next leapt forward and started on the next tree.
Duke IDENTIFIED the attackers.
*** You have encountered an Exospace Hound. This is a Tier Four extradimensional creature.
Tier: 4
Level: 145
Health: 891,335
Mana: 801,000
This creature exists in both the material plane and the realm of Exospace. It can change any part of its body between these two dimensions at any time. ***
After reading that, Duke understood why the animated trees were ineffective. He tossed a bolt of LIGHTNING at one of the hounds only to see it pass through with no apparent effect. He tried a number of other elemental Abilities, but none had any effect. Well, that’s not good. How are we supposed to fight these things? Duke flew back over the mountains to see who he could meet up with.
He was intercepted by another flying figure. This figure was a dark woman with what he would have considered Indian features had he been back on Earth. Here, he had no idea other than it was a pretty woman in heavy, bright robes covering equally elaborately embroidered pants flying towards him. He slowed to a stop as she approached.
“Well, hello there, sir. Good to see another flier around. I am Amara Laya.”
“Glad to meet you. My name is Duke, and I’ve only just arrived, has anyone organized this mess yet?”
“No, not yet. It seems that everyone is waiting for someone to take charge, but no one has taken that step just yet. Few even have any idea what we are dealing with. Do you?”
Duke looked into her brown eyes for a long moment, the gravity of the situation rising in his mind, “We are facing a world-ending threat. The Exospace Hounds exist in both our reality and Exospace simultaneously. They can shift any part of themselves between the two realities at will. This makes them extremely difficult to hit with any attacks and able to bypass most any defense.”
“That is…a rather remarkably cogent description of what we face. And you say you just arrived? Who are you really?”
“I am who I say I am. King of a minor nation on the other side of Teldin with a few talents that have served me well.”
Duke felt a brief pressure on his Psyche as she peered at him, concentrating. It quickly let up as she offered a slight frown. She smiled shyly, “It seems that your information is cloaked behind something powerful. Perhaps you are indeed more than you seem.”
“Depends on what I seem to be, I suppose. I’m no toy of the gods but I do have considerable power of my own.” Duke paused, replaying what he just said in his head. “Well, fuck, that makes me sound like a real douchebag. Sorry about that. This is not the time to be all sly and humble and shit. I’ve got some strong Abilities including the one that got most everyone here.”
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“YOU are the Portal maker?”
“Is that what they are calling me? Seems appropriate, I guess. Yes, I made the Portals, although I’m not sure how long I can maintain that many and still be effective in a fight.”
“You are personally maintaining all these Portals? They aren’t being maintained by some enchantment or other?”
“No enchantment. This is my own Ability keeping them open. It’s a drag on my Mana for so many, but I can sustain it for now. When I start to burn through Mana when we start fighting for real, Then the maintenance cost will be too much to maintain.”
“Have you tried fighting them yet?”
“Not truly. I tested some Abilities on them that had no noticeable effect.”
“Same here. My wind blades could cut the entire forest down but pass through them without effect. I do not know how to engage them, and I fear the multitude of melee fighters below will just be fodder for the creature’s growth.”
“Are there others that might have a chance to affect them? Where are the powerful in all this mess?”
She smiled, “Power attracts power, they say. If we fly over the masses, the powerful amongst them will find us if they can.”
“Seems like a reasonable assumption. Shall we make it flashy?”
“What do you have in mind?”
Duke flew back several meters and activated his LIGHTNING Aura with an audible snap. The air around him sparked and crackled, suffused with energy. A smile that was soft and unhurried formed on her lips, a quiet curve that lit her face with warmth. Her eyes lingered on him, a spark of curiosity and admiration growing as though she were seeing him anew. There was a hint of mischief at the corners of her lips, a private moment that said, He’s worth considering.
Duke paused at her look, considering what his XENOGLOSSIA was telling him. He shook his head. I just got out of a relationship. Dumped again. Keep it casual, flyboy – you have too many irons in the fire to put your own iron into anyone’s fire long-term.
Putting such thoughts behind him, he began to fly in a wide circle around the immense staging area, flaring his aura to make himself clearly visible. He increased his speed as he completed his first circuit and began spiraling inwards, pushing past Mach three and still speeding up.
Eyes were drawn to the sky as a bolt of lightning traveled in a closing spiral. Those with greater Intuition or perceptive Abilities were able to tell that it wasn’t actually a bolt of lightning, but instead a man wreathed by the element. Regardless of what was perceived, the reaction was the same as the phenomenon culminated in a stroke of lightning that touched down in the center of the staging area. Duke slammed to the ground with tremendous force but he used his FORCE Ability to contain and direct the energy upwards and away from the retreating crowd. The sound of his impact reverberated throughout the area, alerting everyone who had not already watched the figure descend from the sky. The strongest among each group broke away and made their way to the clear signal – it was time to get things organized.
Amara landed gracefully next to Duke, her robes fluttering ever so slightly in the controlled breeze of her descent. Quickly the area around them expanded as groups actively pushed away from the intimidating figures entering the center by various means. Some came mounted on creatures ranging from horses to great monstrous cats, to one that came astride a clanking monstrosity of a draconic golem. Others came upon more clearly magical means such as personal flight, standing upon a flying sword, or carried by a winged cloak.
Once in the area, segregation seemed to happen naturally. Warriors tended to congregate together, mages as well including what Duke assumed was the Archmages’ Council as that was the group Baslin had joined. Duke watched them all gather together as he stood with Amara. He wasn’t sure who she really was, but he found it odd that even though everyone had gathered, they all kept their distance from the two of them.
“Any reason they are staying away from us? They are staying away from us, right?”
“They certainly seem to be. And no, I don’t know why. Maybe they’re afraid of getting shocked.”
“Maybe they were all waiting for me to get here. I mean, really. You left me back there without even saying goodbye.”
“Well, hello Ophirian. Glad you could make it. But I don’t think that’s the reason. Oh and introductions… Ophirian, Amara. Amara, Ophirian.”
They looked each other over appraisingly but were interrupted by another man walking up to the trio, “I certainly was waiting for you to get here, little one.”
Ophirian turned to the man with irritation, “Just who are you calling little?”
“Ah yes, I always forget how arrogant we all are in our youth. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Illuyanka. Perhaps you have heard of me, Duke?”
Duke stopped and took a closer look at the unassuming man dressed in green robes before the name registered in his memory. He cocked his head slightly, “Illuyanka from Tannish?”
“I knew you had heard of me.”
“Who is this guy and what it Tannish?”
“Ophirian, this is your father.”
“What? No. My father is a great serpent, not this small man.”
Illuyanka hissed at Ophirian. There were tones and harmonies in the hiss that few could pick up on but there were two in close proximity that were able to understand. Duke smiled as Ophirian’s eyes bulged and he stepped forward to embrace the smaller man.
“Father. How could I not recognize you? Where is your aura?”
“You have never seen me before. You were but an egg when last we saw each other. As for my aura, unleashing it here would be counter-productive. It has no effect on the invaders but it would panic quite a few of our temporary allies.”
“Perhaps you should pulse it to get everyone’s attention. We have to plan our defense and no one is taking charge of this mess. Stupid global quest. Almost no one here can affect those things.”
“I do believe you are correct, Your Majesty. I will look to you for guidance in planning our actions. I am formidable against a physical foe but against those things, I am near useless. I hope you have something that will affect them. Even the Archmages are arguing amongst themselves. Are you ready, Duke?”
“I’m not sure I’m the best for this but sure. Someone must get things going. Get everyone’s attention.”
A pulse of aura flashed out over the crowd causing all to pause. For many, the aura caused in instantaneous fear reaction. For others, alertness crossed their features. For Duke, it was the challenge of a predator stalking him that made him want to turn and fight. Instead, he rose slightly overhead and shouted over the crowd, “OK, that’s enough milling around. Leaders, bring it in to me. We have a world to save!”