Event - Incursions

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Clearance Level: T5 - Trainer

Incursions are events when rival esper groups invade another’s territory. Normally, these are not dangerous events, but raise the general danger of an encounter while traveling or attempting to find an esper willing to be raised or trained. Incursions have three ratings: Isolated, Wide-Spread, and Full-Scale

An isolated incursion is a small area conflict. Usually resolved within hours if not days, they do not usually require Rangers or outside forces to disperse them. These pose little threat outside of their region and should simply be avoided.

A Wide-Spread incursion is a large area conflict. Usually, these still resolve themselves, but they can devolve into Full-Scale invasions of territory based on the defender’s response. These occur when numbers grow too large, food becomes scarce, or the season has been particularly harsh on a subspecies. These are more likely than others to spread into human-controlled territories and are usually observed by a team of Rangers.

A Full-Scale incursion involves a concerted effort to overtake a region by another group. These can involve large areas and swaths or land contested by equally large and powerful groups. Normally, these only occur with multiple greater espers working with a concerted effort by other similarly minded espers. These can result in massive changes to an environment and are usually directly conflicted by Rangers and Duelists. Anyone in the area of a Full-Scale incursion is advised to head to a safer location.

Related Articles:

The Great Divide

Greater Esper

Esper Types

Wisps

Rangers

Duelists

———

“Oh, come on,” June groaned. “It wasn’t that bad.”

Back to her, Simon grumbled.

“Do you know the last time I was in a car?” he asked from the bushes as he relieved himself. At least he hadn’t thrown up this time.

“A year?”

“Try four,” he grumbled zipping up and turning to her. “And that was on roads designed for them, and there were seatbelts!”

“There’s a road right there,” June explained, motioning to the dirt path just wide enough for the large vehicle.

“That is not a road.”

“It is totally a road, dork.”

“No,” Simon said slowly. “June, that is a trail.” He bent down and made quite the show of presenting his evidence. “Note the lack of paving, the deep divots, the tree roots that haven’t been cleared from the edges, the erosion…”

June shrugged it off. “Trail… road… it isn’t like this area is meant for clunkers anyways. Rangers and the like ride espers more often than not.”

She had a point, but Simon wasn’t going to give it to her. “The least they could have done was make sure the bridge was more solid.”

“It didn’t fall.”

“Until we were off it!”

“Coincidence.”

“Poor maintenance.”

The two continued to bicker until the group reassembled, and Ranger Gabs got off the bus. Around them, the twenty-two aspirants were silenced.

“Open your maps and mark this as our meeting place,” Gabs said. “Hold your finger down and wait for the radial menu to appear. Pick the small flag, and name it Point Alpha. You are to return here as soon as you have your esper or once five days have passed. If night as fallen, stay where you are and set up camp. Return to us at sunrise. If you are in grave danger, use the SOS to signal me or another Ranger for help. Using that without getting your esper will put you off until the next trial if your injuries are grave enough, but it will not otherwise count against you. Questions?”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Where are the tents?” A woman with sunshine golden hair, Meiya if Simon remembered her name correctly, asked.

Ranger Gabs simply smiled. “Did you check your suggested item list?” Meiya paled. “I see you haven’t. Any other questions?”

———

As they’d planned, Simon and June teamed up and broke away from the pack as fast as they could in search of their espers. While there was safety in numbers, it also meant competition for the local population of espers. Neither of them wanted to compete with the likes of Peter or Hale despite the code of ethics in place. There were always ways to skirt the rules when no one was watching and those that were could be easily intimated.

The two already had their minds set to the task long before they’d arrived anyways. Despite Simon’s motion-sickness, they’d poured over the local report, referenced the Esperpida entries, and cross-referenced the Index to come up with a list of viable candidates. The variants in the region included espers descended from wild cats, birds, rabbits, deer, elk, foxes, wolves, and a smattering of insects. A few reports cited bears recently from common markings and wisp remains, but the reports had been mostly unfounded. At the end of their research, all of the espers had potential, but only a few were prepared without too much effort.

June was dead-set on becoming a duelist despite it being her second-lowest score. From her own lips, the life of a wandering duelist working their way through the ranks was ‘calling to her.’ She had a good head on her shoulder for the most part, so it wouldn’t be a problem with the right partner. She would have to choose carefully even with the best of luck. Since she was already quick and clever, she wouldn’t have a hard time impressing her list of possible partners. She wanted something as clever and as quick as she was to have access to a deck full of quick, versatile spells to start, then allow other larger spells to be adapted for her use. So, she had chosen to try for a rabbit, a deer, or a dragonfly descendant. Simon thought that her quick thinking could be better spent training something slower and stronger, but she disagreed fully with that idea. Her partner had to keep up with her, and that was that. She had preferences that shifted like the wind though, so something rare or shiny might shift her attention like a corvid to a new toy.

Simon on the other hand…

Simon had other plans.

“You really think we can make it in the five days with what we’ve got?” June asked as they approached the base of the mountain trail. “I’m all for creative use of rules, but this seems…”

“She said we could go anywhere in the range,” Simon reminded her, grinning.

“Yeah, but do you think frost is the best element for me?” June pushed. “I was thinking of checking on the fire incursion…”

“The incursion area?” Simon said with mock surprise. “You mean the one thing that Ranger Gabs specifically said we should stay away from? That incursion area?”

June ignored his sass. “If we just happened to come across one, we didn’t go looking for it, did we? We couldn’t stay away from something we didn’t know was there?”

“Even if it’s a smoking crater of full fire?”

“Especially if it’s a smoking crater full of fire.”

Simon sighed. “If, and that’s a big if, we come across one, I’ll help you scout it out, but we aren’t going to go looking for it. Got me?”

She saluted and snickered as a smile nearly split her face. “So, peak trail first?”

He nodded, opening up the map and pointing to the different notes he’d made. “Everything points to a migrating pack. My dad even referenced one moving through the area we’d be in, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t mention the species because he knew I’d do something stupid.”

“Oh, so you admit it’s stupid.”

“Stupid is a strong word,” Simon said, weighing the option as he put the phone away and began to walk. “I’d prefer to call it lacking in common sense.”

June smiled, all too glad to be helping him bend the rules into pretzels.

“Common sense aside, how are you going to impress one?”

“My cool disposition? My icy stare? My frosty…”

“Bad,” June groaned. “All bad. Stop it.”

“You know I can’t,” Simon sighed half-heartedly. “It’s a terminal condition.”

“If they hate puns, we’re all dead. You know that, right?”

“Thanks for your grave concern, June.”

“Ugh!”

“What?” Simon grinned, unable to stop himself. “We better get moving before we’re dead tired.”

“Sometimes, Simon, I hate you.”

“You can’t hate me, I’m all you’ve got.”

“Well then, I hate myself.”

“You love yourself too much for that.”

June sighed. “I do.”

Simon tossed her a smile as he looked over his shoulder. “I know.”

———

A few hours later, the pair had trudged up the poorly maintained mountain path and were reaching an elevation that cared little for the time of year. A cold breeze blew from the north and tried to put out the fire of their body heat. Unfortunately for it, Simon came prepared. A new pair of gloves, a hat, and a scarf came from his pack with a second set for June.

Of course, she complained about the dull gray coloring, but she didn’t stop wearing them.

"Mountains are cold,” came a muffled comment through the dense scarf.

“Yes, they are June,” Simon said slowly. “Also, the Sun is hot, and the water is wet.”

“Can you not just let me complain in peace?”

“Can you just not push me down a hillside?”

“You were fine.”

“So are you.”

June sighed. “I could just leave you here, you know.”

Simon laughed. “You could, but who’d put up with you then?”

“I’m sure I could find someone,” June grumbled, moving to punch him in the back of the shoulder.

“Ow,” he replied, rubbing his shoulder in mock pain. “The emotional pain, June. You can’t find another me. I’m irreplaceable.”

In a better mood from his suffering, mock or not, June smiled. “Remember, Simon, you’re not the protagonist in our story. I am. I’m the irreplaceable one.”

“You wound me.”

“Baby.”

The two continued their argument for another few minutes before they began tracking the supposed pack in earnest. Hours passed on the sparsely covered high hill that passed as a mountain in the lower range before the cold began biting rather than nipping. For a time, the two continued to push on. Simon constantly checked on his map for updates and the environment for signs of espers passing through. They’d found signs, but they were not what Simon was searching for. All of them were feline or rodent, nothing in the way he had been searching for.

Soon, the light began to dim, and, holding his hand to the horizon, Simon sighed. If the trick he’d been taught was right, they had maybe the better part of an hour until the sun set, and they lost their light. It would only get colder up here then, and the more dangerous espers would begin their hunts. Dark and shadow espers were no joke.

With a sign of defeat, Simon made a motion to June and the two began down the nearest trail to the base of the mountain where the winds wouldn’t be able to find them.

“Simon,” June asked simply.

“Yes, June,” Simon sighed, already knowing what she was about to ask.

“There wasn’t a giant barrier of scary-looking ice the last time. Was there?”