Chapter 121

"Riley!" Tobias rushed over, leaving his sword dangling like a reed, jutting from the corpse of Hedwig.

"I'm ok...Did anyone get the number on that bus?" She groaned, flopping on her side before curling into a ball. "My everything hurts."

"Easy. Take a mana potion." Not waiting, Tobias called one to his hand, then popped the cork, holding it so it trickled gently down.

Riley lapped at it greedily. "Purple... my favorite."

Tobias chuckled.

Riley's eyes blinked as the potion hit; righting herself, she sat up but still managed to stagger, unsteadied by the whipsaw events of the last few minutes.

"Well, my grand plan and trump card backfired spectacularly. Good job on the rebound," she praised.

"You're fine." He ruffled her ears while regarding her with confusion.

"He latched on to my mana siphon. Is that a good word for what I do? He pulled a Star Trek," Riley complained.

Tobias cocked his head. "Star Trek?"

"Yeah, they're always rerouting power, or reversing the tachyon flow, or some other nonsense, except this time, he reversed the mana flow. Being on the other side of that game sucks," she observed.

"I know, it felt like he was chewing on my soul," Tobias agreed before slamming down a mana potion of his own, chasing it with one for healing.

"It felt like dying all over again," Riley agreed, her wide, haunting eyes only growing more haunted.

"That's not going to happen while we're together," Tobias affirmed. The blood pool was chasing ever closer toward them, inspiring Tobias to lift Riley without ceremony.

"Promises, promises," Riley said, her words too honest to convey scorn; she pushed up against his chest, not protesting the minor panic-inducing action, as he carried her across the room before setting her down again.

"Well, at least not for a long while," Tobias corrected.

"Hopefully, a good long while, but I'm not liking this," Riley replied, moving on towards business, pushing away from her traumas.

"The skip portal sealed behind us; we're the only ones here, and we have no idea where the exits out go," Tobias rattled off, holding up his hand, counting out each point.

"Another trap," Riley agreed.

"A trap laid by the person that set Hedwig loose on Ashenvale. So the next question: were they watching the portal and triggered its closing, or did we set off some magical tripwire?" Tobias pondered.

"If it's option A, should we wait around to find out?" Riley posed, inspiring Tobias to ease her off his lap gently before stalking across the room to retrieve his sword, followed by Hedwig's copper torc.

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With a thought, it vanished as Riley checked her notifications. Sure enough, prompts were waiting.

"We shouldn't. What's your status?" Tobias asked.

"Eighty percent-ish and full of vinegar, but how do we get out?" Riley asked.

"We have three choices unless the doorway home is opened, and I've no idea which one is the best. Either way, we could be walking into an ambush," Tobias replied.

"Jumping through a random magical doorway sounds like a great idea. That sounds like a compelling plot twist in a fantasy novel. Not optimal," she complained.

"Riley, look around. This is some kind of ancient temple; you translated the warning on the door. Dead Gods can still have followers," Tobias urged.

"Plural," Riley's heart sank.

"Exactly, and we've already been through one battle. How are we going to do against a congregation?" Tobias challenged.

“But if we walk through, they could be waiting on the other side,” she challenged.

“No matter what, it’s a risk, but whatever trapped or guided Hedwig here either knows we’re here or they soon will. If we’re going to take a risk, it seems like the safer one would be the portal,” Tobias reasoned.

"At least we’re picking our doom. Ok, let's see what's behind door number one," Riley replied, moving for the ramp with her ears forward and every sense straining to pick up any sign of danger.

The eerie and preternatural silence of the place carried with it an ominous threat, as every motion, every movement of their own seemed impossibly loud.

"So which one?" Tobias projected, not wanting to break the silence of the place, looking back towards the way they came, finding the magical doorway still gone.

"Let's keep it simple. What about the one on the opposite wall to where we came? It's no better than any other," Riley offered.

"There is another choice. We could split up; it increases our odds that one of us would end up someplace to get help." Tobias offered. She could feel the pain caused by his logic resonate over their bond.

"No, we go together, or not at all," Riley affirmed, shutting down that avenue.

"Then your choice is as good as any," Tobias said, walking towards the black swirling mass, and, without hesitation, stepped through, with Riley hopping after him.

The world tilted violently as they were both swallowed by an inky void before a burst of hot, dry air washed over Riley's fur, followed by the feeling of impact and warm stones.

Pain coursed through her body as she noticed her health bar drop by an easy ten percent, along with her mana and stamina.

"My ears are ringing," she projected, which hurt, adding to the choir of agonies rocketing through her body.

"Unstable... Portal.... skip..." Tobias gasped, using his sword like a cane, rising up on it, and looking around.

They found themselves in an alley full of strangely foreign smells. The air sweltered like they were in the peak of summer.

Far down at the only opening, surrounded by towering stone buildings, a massive figure passed by, illumined in silhouette by the sun. Easily over 7 feet tall, dwarfing any man he had ever known, with a long muscular tail protruding out the back.

"What the hell is that!" Riley exclaimed.

"By the dead Gods; that's a dracovani," Tobias boggled as he sheathed his sword and raised his hood.

"And what the hell is that?!?" Riley demanded.

"They're a reptilian race that we share Calaria with. Judging by the fact it's high sun and their presence, I think we've arrived in their kingdom, on the other side of the world," Tobias rotated his hand, calling forth his com crystal from the inventory.

Its glow had returned, but when he tried for a connection, only silence echoed around them.

"Out of range, but at least we're back in Calaria," Tobias was trying to hide his nervousness but could conceal nothing from Riley.

"We'll be ok," she affirmed, unable to hide her own feelings of fear from him any better.

His right hand shook, finding its way to the hilt of his sword. "Don't focus on the problem; focus on the next step."

Tobias' face was ashen white as he took a moment to lean against the wall. He pressed his head to the warm stone as his stomach lurched.

Riley gently set a paw on his knee. "It's ok. I'm scared, too. You don't need to be strong for me all the time. We share the good stuff and the bad."

Tobias nodded slowly, taking a steadying breath, "It's a hard thing to fight. I'm supposed to be strong."

"Then be strong enough to trust me and carry some of those burdens, too?" Riley offered.

Tobias straightened before looking down on her with a smile, going down on one knee to stroke her ears back. "I love you, Riley. I'll try."

"I love you too, goon. So what do we now?" She asked, scanning around.

"We should try to find an embassy, consulate, or cathedral, some point of contact with the Ashenrealm as soon as we're able to discover where we are," Tobias began to move with intent for the alley entrance.

"Come on, Riley," he beckoned.