The entire area surrounding the prison was a desert, with nothing but sand in every direction. The sun was high in the sky, and the heat was almost unbearable after just a few minutes of exposure.
After all, what better way for some despot to secure their prison than by making sure escapees have nowhere to go?
"I should have known," Raiks said. "Of course Daraken wouldn't just put a prison somewhere civilized. Why wouldn't he put it in the middle of the desert, to make escape impossible and rescue unlikely?"
Annabelle knew something was wrong with the situation, but couldn't quite put her mind on it. She was in a bit of a daze from psychic backlash, though it seemed to ease after she went out into the daylight.
"We're doomed. What can we do?" One of the prisoners said.
Despite the impossible odds, Raiks kept the situation under control. "Head back into the prison. Salvage whatever you can." A few of the prisoners raised their hands, and Raiks added "If you have a better idea, bring it up with me." Most of the prisoners retreated, but a few of them stayed behind, apparently the older and wiser ones.
Annabelle remembered what she wanted to say. "Wait. How is this 'Daraken' ignoring logistical issues?" As far as she could tell, there was no way to get food, supplies, manpower, or prisoners to the prison, not without crossing several miles of nigh-inhospitable desert.
"That's simple," one of the prisoners said. "This is a portal receiver." He pointed at a circle of stone, with runes laid around its edges, and an indentation at its center.
"That much was obvious, Gary," Raiks said.
Annabelle wasn't sure if she was hearing things correctly. Maybe the headaches were getting to her. She decided to sit down and rest.
**********
It was a smart tactic, Raiks decided. With portal technology, secret bases didn't have to be anywhere near the areas they were supporting. It was the principle behind their own Sanctuary's protection, so it was natural that Daraken would use similar tactics for his own secret base.
"Look," Raiks said, "It's fairly obvious that we aren't going to be able to just walk out of here. Gary, can you potentially utilize the portal receiver."
"It's a receiver, not a generator," Gary explained. "We can open portals to it, but it can't open portals by itself."
"Alright, so we can't use the circle to teleport out. But can we contact Sanctuary? Their portal generators should still be available, so they should be able to extract us."
"That depends on the long-term effects that the null-magic exposure has had on us," Gary said. "At minimum, it will take a day or two for our mages to regain enough power to send out a message."
Can we even hold out for that long? Raiks pondered. They might be able to pillage supplies from whatever supply drops were being sent, but Daraken had almost certainly established a way to detect a prison break and a contingency plan to wipe them all out as soon as it was detected. Even with Annabelle's apparent power, surviving an organized assault from the Black Legion would be a tall order. And Annabelle was only semi-conscious right now.
Unless, of course, the Resistance somehow managed to find them before Daraken did.
Behind him, he heard the faintest of rustling, just barely enough to register to him. He spun around on a dime, and instinctively reached for a weapon that he didn't have. He managed to spot the source of the disturbance, a "shimmer" from stealth equipment.
"Whoever you are, I see you."
In front of him, a man literally decloaked. As he threw his cloak back, he changed from an indistinct outline to reveal a small figure. Despite barely standing four-and-a-half feet tall, Raiks knew from first-hand experience that he was still one of their best operatives.
"So, this is unexpected. The diviners said something would be here, but I wasn't expecting... this."
"Something big happened, Darius. I think we've found a way to level the playing field."
"What?" The man said.
Raiks pointed to Annabelle, who was currently still in a bit of a daze. "She was the reason we escaped. I don't know who she is, but her abilities- she outright bypassed Daraken's null-magic field. She killed most of the guards in the prison herself."
"Null-magic field..." Darius muttered. "That's why this place has been so elusive..."
"Get us out of here first, think about it later. If you were able to find us, Daraken can as well."
Darius stepped back, and whispered a message to an invisible third party. Raiks knew that he was sending the message through Sanctuary's magical communications systems, telling them to open a portal. After a few tense minutes, the portal appeared, an elliptical portal a hundred meters away from the prison's entrance. Even though there was a portal receiver, they couldn't risk Daraken having secondary magic applied to it that would alert him.
Most of the prisoners didn't need orders to figure out that the portal meant safety, but Raiks gave the order to run through anyways just to be sure. Even though he should have been the first to go through the portal due to his importance, he stayed behind to make sure everyone else went through first. As he looked around, he saw Annabelle seemingly in a daze.
"Hey! Get up! Move!" Raiks yelled. Annabelle staggered to her feet, and began walking towards the portal.
"Wow, you guys already have wormholes." she said, still in a daze. She was briefly confused by the shape of the portal, but stepped through it, followed quickly by Raiks.
At the other side of the portal, they emerged into an antechamber. This antechamber was the last line of defense against any potential intrusion from Raiks. Before rebels returning from a mission were allowed entry into the main base, they had to pass through a null-magic area, which would hopefully dispel any arcane trickery that one of Daraken's minions would use to access the base.
Whether it was coincidence or something else, Annabelle collapsed into unconsciousness halfway through the null-magic field. Raiks and another rebel stepped in to carry her.
Up ahead, the resistance's current operatives were rushing to aid the new arrivals. Sanctuary's infirmary would be overloaded, and their supplies would be pushed to their limits, but they now had something they had been lacking for the past year: hope.
**********
Annabelle woke up in the middle of what looked to be an infirmary. After making sure that she was in a safe area, she lowered her defenses. She had woken up in bad situations so often that she was ready to fight practically the instant she woke up. It was a bad habit when in the vast majority of cases she wasn't in danger, but it had saved her life at least once.
One of the infirmary's staff came over to her. He looked more like a priest than a doctor, robes and all. "Good, you're up. Do you need anything?"
"Can I have some food?" Annabelle asked. "Other than that, I think I'll be fine."
"Are you sure? The way you collapsed earlier..."
"Primarily due to overexertion of my powers. I only needed a quick rest to recover." Although, she usually didn't pass out completely. Crushing headaches, sure, but she normally prided herself on being tough enough to stay up even with her energy depleted. She made a note to be very wary of null-magic fields in the future.
"You also had significant blood loss when we recovered you."
That could also explain it. She had been suppressing the injury for some time, but as soon as she burned off the remainder of her energy with a vortex, she had nothing left to keep from bleeding out. And the backlash headache probably drew her attention away from the bleeding.
She pulled down the sheets and looked down at her chest. But she couldn't see any sign of the injuries. And she didn't feel like she had any blood loss either.
"What the-" she tried to say.
"I healed your injuries while you were out."
Right, magic. Of course.
"Are there any side effects to this magic?" Annabelle said. ACP's alien-tech medical equipment was capable of doing similar things in the short-term, bringing critically wounded soldiers back up into fighting shape in under a minute, but the healing came with dangerous side effects (such as depletion of key nutrients in the body) that necessitated up to a week of rest after the fight was over. If healing magic didn't have side effects, then it would revolutionize combat.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"No."
"Then, I'm fine. Can I have my food please?"
"Alright," the priest said. He left, and came back a few minutes later carrying a tray of what passed for food in this realm. Namely, a glass of water, a few slices of bread, and an apple. It wasn't anywhere near the quality of modern food, but it was edible.
While she ate, she put her mind to figuring out exactly where in the universe she was. Somehow, she had gone from fighting off an alien invasion powered by technology to maybe stopping an evil overlord in a world dominated by magic. Of course, that would be if she didn't just leave and figure out how to get back home, or even just wake up and find that this was all a dream (even though all evidence pointed to otherwise).
"I was wondering when you would wake up," Raiks said, interrupting her thoughts. He had walked in while she was lost in thought.
Well, she might as well get some more information before making a decision. "So, as you've probably guessed, I'm not exactly a local. In fact, I'm fairly certain I came from a whole other world."
"So then how did you end up in the prison?" Raiks asked, incredulously.
"I don't know." Annabelle responded. "Maybe Daraken wanted to change up some sort of power dynamic here by abducting me, or maybe it's an unbelievable coincidental error with teleportation." The latter seemed more likely, but the odds of a teleportation error sending her to another planet were so absurdly small that it was practically impossible.
"Interesting..." Raiks said.
"So, I'd like at least a little bit of background information on who Daraken is, what abilities he has, and what he has done."
Raiks thought for a moment, then beckoned for her to follow him out of the building. Annabelle pushed herself to her feet and followed him out into Sanctuary.
**********
Sanctuary itself was not as pretty as she imagined it to be. It certainly wasn't the sort of brilliant fortress of good that the name implied. It was built on a grassy island, with buildings laid out across several blocks. The buildings seemed to vary in quality, with some being built solidly out of bricks, others constructed out of wood, and a few that seemed to be little more than tents. It had just enough to be functional, and not much more.
"So, the healing magic on this world seems incredible, compared to the standards on my world," Annabelle said, trying to strike up a conversation. "As long as someone doesn't die outright, you can restore them to full health in no time."
"Even if they die, in some cases," Raiks added. "Our lead healer, Lunima, is capable of resurrection."
Wait, what?
Raising the dead was one thing that simply wasn't possible on Earth (even after stealing enemy technology), but if the commander of the resistance acted like it was possible, it was probably possible. And if resurrection was possible, then it would lead to a paradigm shift in combat. If nothing else, soldiers that weren’t afraid of death were much less likely to flee in battle.
"Speaking of magic," Annabelle asked. "What is it, exactly?"
Raiks sighed. "It's an unusual form of energy that can change reality in any number of possible ways. The healers from the church of Helios primarily use it to heal injuries and support allies, but wizards are capable of utilizing any number of spells, as long as they take the time to research and develop them. With enough study and practice, they can do almost anything. Most mages make it a bit simpler by specializing in one field of study, such as geomancy or illusions, but I wouldn't count on that against Daraken or his apprentices."
So, the magic system on this world was incredibly broad, and probably dwarfed Annabelle's abilities in potential scope, though hopefully not in power.
"We're here," Raiks said. They had arrived at Raiks' command post. It was a relatively plain building, but whether that was due to not caring about form or to make it harder to target for an attacker in Sanctuary was unclear.
Raiks brought Annabelle over to what appeared to be a blank table at first. Then, with some arcane command word, he activated the table's magic, creating a holographic map. "The realm we fight for is called Garnoth. The inland areas consist largely of barren desert and dry forests, with the few cities being established around natural water springs. Most civilized areas are located in coastal regions, where there is sufficient water to grow crops. The exception is Fiora, the capital city almost dead center in the middle of the continent, and the hub of Garnoth's main portal network.
"Daraken, true name unknown, began as a humble apprentice to the College of Magi in Fiora. By some twist of fate, he was gifted with a truly prodigious intelligence, and the ambition to match. He advanced through the ranks far faster than anyone before him, and in just a few years he had set his sights on becoming an archmage. But though he had the aptitude and ability, the council denied him.
"Daraken bided his time, progressing his abilities further. Then, two years after he was initially turned down, about twenty years prior to now, he struck. The council, for all of their skill in the magical arts, was out of practice, unprepared, and caught out by an elaborate ploy of Daraken's. In just over an hour, Daraken eliminated the Council, and with no one powerful enough to stop him, he began an aggressive campaign of expansion.
"However, he was not quite thorough enough. One of the archmages, Aurim, somehow managed to survive. By the time Daraken finally discovered his survival, he had already established the wards around Sanctuary. Because of his work, this resistance exists."
"But it didn't really do much, did it?" Annabelle interrupted. "I mean, how exactly could this resistance stand up to him?"
"Daraken is surprisingly inactive. Most of the time, he remains in his tower, doing some sort of research." He zoomed in on Fiora, bringing up a holographic map. Most of it looked like a normal medieval-era city, with the exception of the massive tower in the middle. It was so tall that the top wasn't even visible on the holographic map.
"That tower is so tall..." Annabelle whispered, a bit amazed. It seemed taller than even the tallest skyscrapers on Earth. "But if he's a strong wizard, he probably doesn't need to leave his tower for long to wipe out a whole army."
"Yes, the threat of his arrival has significantly limited our options," Raiks admitted. "Right now, Daraken controls almost all of this continent, with three exceptions." Raiks changed some mode on the map, showing an overlay of territorial control. Daraken's land, almost the entire continent, was given a black overlay.
He pointed to the north first. "This section of the continent is the Lost Jungle, home to a tenacious bunch of native orc tribes, as well as some other surprises. We're not sure what exactly is there, but we do know that it is very dangerous, courtesy of information from the gods theselves. Daraken hasn't gone there, and neither will we."
So basically, Vietnam. Even if it wasn't as dangerous as claimed, it wasn't worth getting involved there when 'native orc tribes' probably didn't have anything useful to outsiders.
Then, he pointed to a dot in the southeast, and a small country surrounding it. "This is Dustreach. It and the surrounding region are protected by the high temple of Helios. Daraken may be incredibly powerful, but he's not quite powerful enough to take on a god and live, so he's allowed that area to remain independent."
Lastly, he pointed to the southwest, where unclear borders were shown. "This is The Needle, an isthmus leading to distant lands. Now that Daraken controls most of this continent, his Black Legion is pushing outward across the Needle to raid distant lands. From our most recent intel, their primary military base is outside the city of Arexia, here." He pointed to a city almost at the midpoint of the isthmus.
"Where is Sanctuary on this map?"
"Well, Sanctuary isn't on the map because no one knows where it is, and-"
"How does no one know where this place is? You'll all in it!"
"I don’t know the specifics of how the magic works. All I know is that this place is impossible for Daraken or any of his minions to find, and that we can only access it through the use of portals. Whenever we leave this place, the wards remove any memories that could be used to identify Sanctuary's location." He then continued his previous train of thought, stating "At one point, we were actually posing a threat to him, significantly slowing his expansion. But his power and influence grew faster than ours did, and soon we were forced to turn from direct confrontation to guerilla action."
Raiks sighed before continuing. "The last time we attempted a major operation, about one year ago, was the point when I, as well as a significant chunk of the resistance's forces, were captured. If you hadn't come in, this resistance would never have recovered."
"So what's the plan now?" Annabelle asked.
"For now? Wait. We need time to recover and regroup. Our recovered forces need immediate medical attention, and our resources are stretched thin caring for them."
"Once we are back at full strength, I suggest we launch a head-on attack against Daraken’s tower, and cut the threat off at the head."
"I’ve seen Daraken in action. Even in the field he’s comparable to you, if not stronger. In his home turf, a tower that he’s had decades to enchant with traps and defenses, inside a city guarded by hundreds of soldiers, an assault now would be suicide."
"Right." Though Annabelle had several techniques that could likely end the fight in an instant if she got in range, she trusted Raiks’ judgement here. Though they would likely ultimately need to defeat Daraken in a final confrontation at his tower, they would need to develop a strong plan of attack first.
"I suggest putting agents on the ground in Fiora to scope out the defenses and arrange for an assault in the future."
"I’m well ahead of you on that front," Raiks replied. "Unfortunately, our agents haven’t had much success."
Right, Daraken would likely make it very difficult to infiltrate.
"For now," Raiks suggested, "You should take this time to train."
Annabelle disliked training, but she realized it could be highly beneficial. She came from a modern world where guns were the only weapon really necessary, and though the 'bolters' that this world used were somewhat similar enough to guns that she could pick up and use them fairly effectively (albeit after compensating for slower projectile speed), she didn't have any skill in melee combat. She could think up a few tricks involving telekinetic maneuvers in close combat, but she'd need to master the basics first.
She also made a note to check for memory manipulation the next time she left Sanctuary. She was fairly certain she wouldn't be affected, but she wasn't entirely sure, having only tested her mental resistance against psychic attacks previously.
**********
The Blacksite had failed to send a status update twice in a row. This warranted investigation, if nothing else than just figuring out who forgot to maintain communications and punishing them. The problem is that the nature of the Blacksite meant that it was a significant pain to investigate the situation.
Daraken ordered his second-in-command, Circe Fire-Spear, to investigate. She opened a portal to the Blacksite and went through, alongside a small squad of bodyguards.
A few minutes later, Daraken got a message back through the magical equivalent of radio. "The prison, it's-it's-" she stammered, before finishing by saying "The prisoners are gone."
Naturally. Daraken made a prison that was literally impossible to escape, and then they found a way to escape anyways. Assuming that every prisoner in the Blacksite was now back with the Resistance, they had successfully upgraded themselves from completely irrelevant to a minor nuisance.
But how? He sent a message to Circe, requesting a more detailed investigation.
About half an hour later, he got a response. "If I had to guess, I'd say the antimagic failed, or was overwhelmed. The destruction around the last line of defense is the stuff of epic magic." She elaborated on the destruction, so terrible that everything in the room was turned into blood and gore.
As if to test this, Daraken attempted to scry on the prison's entry point, but was still blocked by the null-magic. So either it was a temporary lapse in the defenses that was gone now, or something else is at play.
This warranted concern. There was a new threat, with unknown magic capable of shredding an entire room that was specifically designed to ward off magic. But Daraken was secure in his tower, to the point where even he would have trouble beating his own defenses. The Resistance would not be able to assault him any time soon, even with the help of an unknown factor.
He could wait until the nature of this threat was exposed. They would inevitably have to expose their new ally publicly, and once they were visible, Daraken would be able to develop an attack plan to defeat them.