You Really Shouldn’t

The laboratory crackled with raw energy, a fusion of arcane sigils and technological marvels arranged in maddeningly intricate patterns. Cables coiled like serpents across the floor, feeding into arcane pylons carved with glowing runes. Suspended in the air at the chamber’s center, a massive ring of blackened steel and enchanted obsidian hummed with barely contained power.

Traebus Hellmut, the self-proclaimed Arch-Artificer of Magitechnology, stood before the portal’s threshold, an imposing figure draped in a long lab coat of woven spellthread and reinforced plating, its dark fabric embroidered with arcane filigree that pulsed in time with his magic. His hair, as black as the void between stars, hung in controlled disarray, framing a youthful face that belied the centuries of knowledge burning behind his piercing emerald eyes.

A cocky smirk played at his lips as his gauntlets—intricate constructs of enchanted brass, rune-etched silver, and shimmering etherglass—glowed with the incandescent light of aetheric synchronization. Each flex of his fingers sent pulses of energy surging through the veins of the device, aligning arcane and technological forces with an almost artistic precision. As he manipulated the holographic interface hovering before him, his voice carried a manic enthusiasm, equal parts brilliance and madness. "Come now, my beautiful monstrosity," he murmured. "Let's see if the laws of reality are as rigid as they claim to be."

“Stabilizing ley-flow… diverting etheric surge to the secondary conduits,” he muttered, his voice a volatile mixture of feverish excitement and razor-sharp focus. His fingers danced over the holographic interface, flicking through layers of enchanted diagnostics as glowing runes swirled in concert with his commands. Each sigil pulsed in response, shifting in color like a celestial symphony reaching its crescendo.

Below him, the massive crystalline core at the base of the apparatus throbbed with barely contained power, roaring to life in a spectacular display of arcanotechnical fusion. The room’s very air trembled with the conflicting forces of spellcraft and circuitry, the scent of ozone mingling with the faint whiff of something distinctly singed. Traebus let out a chuckle. “Magic and electricity—like an old married couple. Sparks fly, tempers flare, and one wrong move and you’re reduced to ash.”

The air around him warped, crackling with discharges of primal force, and the scent of ozone and burning metal filled the room. Traebus grinned wildly, his eyes reflecting the chaotic dance of energy within the portal ring. If his calculations were correct—and they always were—then this would be his greatest triumph.

The ring began to shimmer, a swirling maelstrom of fire, ice, and lightning coalescing into a singular, spiraling void. The balance was fragile, the forces at play barely restrained. A single miscalculation could result in catastrophic collapse, or worse, a tear in reality itself.

He stepped forward, hands raised, fingers splayed as he weaved intricate sigils into the air. “By the will of the elements and the power of progress, let the path be revealed!”

The room shuddered violently as the portal solidified, a swirling vortex of unknown possibilities staring back at him. The vibrations rattled the very bones of the chamber, sending loose tools skittering across the floor as the arcane pylons flashed erratically. A warning rune flared red on the holographic display—energy levels were spiking far beyond anticipated thresholds.

Traebus snarled, forcing his hands outward as he called upon the elemental forces bound within his very being. "Too much draw! The balance is slipping!" His gauntlets flared, channels of arcane lightning streaking up his arms as he reached into the weft of the ley-flow, attempting to manually divert the excess energy into the stabilization nodes.

The portal pulsed angrily, veins of raw magic crackling against the steel ring, sending unpredictable arcs of energy lashing out. One bolt struck a control panel, reducing it to a molten husk in an instant. Sparks rained down around him, singeing the edges of his coat.

"Damn it! You stubborn, gluttonous beast! You're drinking ley-energy like a drunken elemental at a tavern!" Traebus hissed through gritted teeth, rapidly recalibrating the conduits. His fingers flew across the interface, adjusting runic harmonics while he simultaneously wove a reinforcement glyph in the air with his free hand.

The portal twisted, its surface convulsing, flickering between stability and complete annihilation. A roar of wind howled through the chamber, tugging at his hair and coat as the vortex hungrily attempted to consume everything around it. He had mere seconds before the construct would either stabilize—or tear a rift wide enough to suck half the laboratory into the abyss.

Then, above the roaring chaos, came another sound—a heavy pounding against the reinforced doors of his lab. The metal rattled under the repeated force of fists, boots, or perhaps even battering rams. Shouted voices followed, barely audible over the howling energies. "Traebus Hellmut! Open this door at once! You are in direct violation of the Arcane Stability Act! Cease this madness before you doom us all!"

"Oh, splendid! As if I needed more interruptions," Traebus growled, eyes darting toward the sealed entrance. His fingers never stopped their furious adjustments, dancing across the arcane controls as the portal wavered in its unstable hunger. "Tell them to come back later! I'm rather preoccupied ensuring we all don't get turned into interdimensional soup!"

The voices outside grew louder, more frantic. Another series of impacts shook the door, the sound of reinforced boots striking the metal frame echoing through the lab. "This is the Mana Enforcement Agency! Traebus Hellmut, you are in direct violation of the Arcane Stability Act! Open this door immediately and cease all unauthorized magical operations!"

Another thunderous impact rattled the hinges, followed by an authoritative bark. "We will force our way in if we must! Stand down and deactivate your apparatus! This is your final warning!"

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Traebus rolled his eyes, sweat beading along his brow as he hastily wove another stabilizing glyph in the air. "Final warnings are so dramatic. If I had a sovereign for every 'final' warning I've ignored, I’d own half the Grand Arcane Council by now!"

"Force your way in and you'll be the first to get swallowed by an unsanctioned rift!" he shouted back, sweat beading on his brow as he wove another reinforcement sigil. "Give me sixty seconds, and maybe—just maybe—you won't have to clean up whatever eldritch monstrosity decides to crawl through!"

Traebus had anticipated that the Mana Enforcement Agency would eventually track him down, but not this quickly. The pounding against the reinforced door grew more violent, each impact sending tremors through the metal frame. Runes along the threshold flared as they resisted the assault, but with every successive blow, the enchantments weakened, flickering erratically as if gasping for breath. The muffled shouts of enforcers outside grew more urgent.

A deafening clang rang through the chamber as a crack formed along the door’s center, jagged fissures of dissipating magic spreading outward like veins of dying light. The enforcers had brought something heavy—a rune-charged battering ram, no doubt—and its impact sent another jarring vibration through the lab. Dust cascaded from the ceiling, disturbed by the relentless force.

"Just a little longer…" Traebus muttered, hands moving in a blur over the arcane console, his mind torn between stabilizing the portal and finding an exit strategy. He risked a glance at the door just as another massive strike sent a piece of the metal frame hurtling inward, skidding across the floor in a shower of sparks. The breach was moments away, and soon, the room would be flooded with armed enforcers.

The final blow came with an explosive burst of raw energy as the last of the runic defenses shattered. The door buckled, then crumpled inward, its remains torn apart in a blast of blue-white light. A wave of thick smoke billowed into the room as figures in enchanted plate surged forward, their magelock rifles raised and crackling with suppression spells.

As if sensing its newfound freedom, the portal let out a deep, guttural whine, its swirling energy intensifying. The ring that framed the vortex trembled violently, bolts of arcane lightning lashing out wildly and scorching the stone walls. The hum grew into a piercing shriek, the air itself distorting as the forces within the vortex spun out of control. The guards, so eager to storm in just moments ago, halted abruptly, their boots skidding against the floor as they hesitated at the scene before them.

"What… what is that sound?" one of the enforcers muttered, his voice barely audible over the rising cacophony. Another took an uneasy step forward, his rifle shaking slightly in his grip as he beheld the growing catastrophe.

"That… that doesn't sound good," another guard piped up, his eyes darting between the portal and his comrades. "It almost sounds like—like reality is screaming. Should reality be screaming? I feel like that’s bad."

"No, Jenkins, reality should not be screaming!" their squad leader snapped, his voice filled with frustration and barely concealed panic. "That's what we were trying to prevent!"

One of the younger enforcers let out a nervous chuckle, his voice breaking slightly. "Uh… so, do we just—shoot it? I mean, we shoot things that are dangerous, right?"

"Yes, brilliant idea," Traebus called out sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he frantically tried to stabilize the portal. "Go ahead! Fire an unstable mana shot at an interdimensional rift! Maybe it'll explode, or maybe you'll get turned inside out by cosmic horror. Either way, it'll be very educational!"

The guards exchanged uneasy glances, none of them particularly keen on testing Traebus' hypothesis. The portal, as if offended by their indecision, released a bone-rattling howl that sent a fresh shockwave rippling through the room. "Okay, that’s it! I'm officially putting ‘reality collapsing’ on my list of things I did not sign up for!" Jenkins yelped, tightening his grip on his rifle.

Before anyone could react, the portal pulsed violently, a shadowy tendril lashing forth like a whip. The massive, sinewy tentacle, covered in chitinous ridges and pulsating with eerie bioluminescent veins, shot out and wrapped around Jenkins’ waist. His scream of absolute terror filled the lab as he was yanked off his feet, his rifle clattering to the floor.

"Oh gods! It’s got me! It's got me! HELP!" Jenkins flailed wildly, his armored boots kicking at the air as the tentacle lifted him high. His comrades stumbled back, their rifles trained on the writhing appendage but hesitant to fire.

In his panic, Jenkins instinctively kicked the rifle lying on the ground, sending it spinning across the floor. The weapon skidded, struck a jagged piece of debris, and discharged with a sharp crack. A burst of mana-infused rounds erupted wildly, streaking through the air in a chaotic arc—directly into the unstable portal. "Oh no! Oh no! That was not me! That was NOT ME!" Jenkins wailed as the vortex reacted violently.

The effect was immediate and catastrophic.

The already unstable vortex shuddered violently, its swirling mass of energy contorting and collapsing inward before erupting in a spiraling backlash of arcane force. Blinding streams of chaotic energy tore across the chamber, sending consoles, debris, and unfortunate enforcers flying. The howling void roared as the portal flickered between existence and collapse, its form writhing as if in agony.

Traebus, shielding his face from the whirlwind of destruction, let out a furious shout. "JENKINS, YOU ABSOLUTE IMBECILE!"

Before he could utter another word, the portal let out an ear-splitting shriek. The swirling vortex contorted violently, arcs of unstable magic slashing through the air like celestial whips. A single pulse of raw energy sent shockwaves rippling outward, and then—

The explosion.

A blinding eruption of arcane force detonated from the portal’s core, a wave of incandescent energy surging outward in all directions. The force was catastrophic, tearing through the laboratory with an unrelenting fury. The enforcers nearest to the rift were caught instantly, their forms disintegrating into streaks of vaporized mana before they could even scream. Others were flung like ragdolls, their armored bodies smashing into walls, consoles, and each other with bone-crunching force.

Jenkins was wrenched backward mid-scream, his form vanishing into the chaotic void, dragged into whatever abyss lay beyond. His outstretched hand disappeared last, his fingers clawing desperately at the air before being consumed entirely.

Traebus had mere seconds to react. The spiraling energy lashed out and engulfed him, his coat whipping around him as he fought against the overwhelming pull. His fingers clawed at the floor, seeking any anchor to resist the inevitable, but the force was too great.

"No, no, no! Not like this!" he snarled as his body lifted off the ground, drawn into the chaotic center of his own creation. His vision blurred, the world around him twisting and distorting as time and space folded inward.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun—the portal snapped shut.

A deafening silence followed. The remnants of the laboratory lay in ruins, scorched walls lined with the smeared remnants of the unfortunate enforcers who had been caught too close. Smoke and the acrid scent of burnt magic filled the air. Where the portal had been, only a charred ring remained, crackling softly with residual energy.

Traebus Hellmut was gone.