********

Cromswerth Higher Education Institute Eastern Branch, Cromswerth

10:13 AM, Tuesday, May 14th

********

Looking out the window Arlo’s mind couldn’t help but wonder over to the giant walls that protected the town, looking at the intricate patterns and carvings, knowing that they were part of the magic enchantments that helped protect the residents from the monsters that lived in the wilderness beyond. That beyond the wall and the belt of farmland around the town lay a vast wilderness that had been abandoned to the monsters in the defence of settlements and civilisation as a whole, now that only convoys with the protection of mana users could cross.

I wonder what it would be like to actually be able to see the natural beauty of the countryside, first hand and not through all the pictures, being able to see the view of distant mountains under a sunset or standing at a ridge looking over a valley with forested walls with a river running through it, moreover what it would be like to have the ability to be able to explore, able to go wherever you want whenever you want and be able to explore the world and see all it has to offer, but unfortunately you can’t do that unless you can use magic due to all the monsters

“So. what do you think it would be like to be a mage?” Arlo’s friend Bill asked, bringing his mind back into the room and reminding him of the groupwork he was supposed to be doing.

“Oh? To be a mage?” Arlo reiterated making sure he herd the question right, “I think it would be quite liberating, we would be able to explore what’s outside the walls without much fear of all the monsters.” He suggested while looking over at Bill who was often joked between them to be the scruffy one given how skinny and unkempt he always looked. Prompting a soft chuckle from Emily, his other best friend who was at the table with them.

“Of course you would say that,” she responded, putting down the pen she was previously using, moving her hair behind her shoulder, “Personally, I think it would be rather satisfying, being able to help and protect those around you in ways regular people just couldn’t”

“Yeah, the perks that come with it are also pretty nice, you know with all the fame and glory that comes with it, let alone all the money,” Bill replied with a small smirk, causing both Arlo and Emily to chuckle slightly since glory and money seemed to be all he was after.

“I think you would make a pretty good augur, perhaps an earth type. You would get all the fame and glory then, wouldn’t you?” Arlo teased, causing Bill to perk up at the idea.

“Yeah, that would be awesome!” Bill replied turning to Emily, “You would definitely make an awesome healer, perhaps a water or light mage?”

Emily paused for a moment, seeming to be thinking something over, “You're right, I would definitely want to be doing something like that at least. I’m not particularly sure how well I would hold up if I actually had to fight anything.”

“What about you Arlo? What would you think of being a space mage, you would be able to explore as much as you wanted, you would be able to go from coast to coast.” Bill suggested.

Arlo frowned slightly, thinking about the pros and cons. ‘Hmm, although space mages can go practically anywhere they want, on paper at least, they also have many limits and restrictions placed against them. The mana cost for one, and being too valuable of an asset to organisations to be left to their own devices, often being forced to join them. As well as the fact that because they can come and go as they please it means that the Ministry of the Awakened and other local authorities want to keep a close eye on them because they can be rather hard to govern at the best of times. Although it sounds good, I want absolutely nothing to do with that power squabble.’ After giving it some thought he looked at the others, “It would certainly be a great way to get around, but in reality, they pretty much get exploited for all their worth, they’re too valuable not to be, I wouldn’t want any part in having to deal with all that.”

Bill and Emily gave him a knowing look, seeing his complexion change slightly, before Emily changed the subject, “I guess you wouldn’t, not with everything that has happened here at least. But anyways, we’ve got some work to be getting on with.”

“Yeah, you're right, we still have this practical to be getting on with,” Arlo reiterated, reminding himself that before his mind wandered off they were in the middle of a practical physics experiment. Arlo continued to take readings as Bill and Emily repeated the experiment, it was nothing too big, just an experiment to measure stress and strain on a material. Everything was going as planned until suddenly an overwhelming pressure exploded from the inside courtyard of the campus, seeming to weigh against everyone's mind and soul as people struggled to cope as it got worse and worse. Looking around hunched over, Arlo could see that everyone else in class was struggling to cope and a few had even passed out. He didn’t have to wait long before an emergency announcement was made over the PA, “Emergency Alert, an enhanced level rift has formed at Cromswerth Higher Education Institute Eastern branch, repeat an enhanced level rift has formed at Cromswerth Higher Education Institute Eastern branch. Evacuate and take shelter as soon as possible, this is NOT a drill.”

The class fell into pandemonium, limited only by the fact that everyone was overcome by the mana that was emanating from the rift. Looking through the open door to his classroom he could see out the second story of the building into the central courtyard, able to see something that looked to be expanding, a glimpse into a swirling void before what looked to be another world came into view bordered by some remaining swirling energy indicative of the rift that was connecting the two worlds together. Smoke began to pour through the rift and up into the air before, a bone-chilling howl could be heard before being followed by countless more.

Looking out everyone could see as pillars of fire shot through the rift and into the central courtyard, Arlo could see the despair on people's faces as similar things went through his own mind. Why, why does it have to be here, now, why everyone is here, why couldn’t it have happened after school when no one was here, at least that way more people would have survived. They sounded like some sort of wolves, fire hounds perhaps, and from an enhanced level rift no less, we’d be lucky if a third of the people here survived, that is if a rapid mage response team gets here before things get too out of hand, unfortunately, it’ll be a good few minutes before they get here, we need to find a way to get out of here before they manage to get in.

Arlo struggled to think amongst everyone freaking out, either from the threat of being burnt in fire or worse, having what were likely to be fire-hounds getting to you first and ripping you apart. Looking around he could see people rushing and pushing to get to the door, others passed out or on the floor in a panic and the professor trying to maintain some sort of order despite the chaos. Amongst the overwhelming pressure coming from the rift, Arlo could feel panic welling up inside him, turned back around he could see Emily and Bill waiting for him as they both had looks of concern on their faces.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Taking a few deep breaths he tried to calm himself down, his mind whirling trying to come up with a way out of this mess. Calm down, Calm down, this is no time to get panicked, how can we get out of this mess? The corridors seem to be getting quite packed so the exits will be chokepoints, anyone trapped there is likely to be easy pickings for any wolves that manage to get in. We don’t even know how many wolves to expect but given this is an enhanced level rift, or at least that’s what the announcement said around 80 seems like a good amount to assume, so odds are they are going to find their way inside despite the walls being magically reinforced, think, how can we get out of here.

Arlo’s chain of thought was broken by a sudden roar and flash that came from a pillar of fire going up a wall in the internal courtyard of the building. The sound of breaking glass before countless screams began filling the air as one of the hounds managed to break one of the windows and managed to make their way into the halls. “Shoot, the first-floor hallways are out, if we try to get down there now we will almost certainly be toast,” he muttered to himself while looking at the ground, “we need to get out without going down to the first floor, oh, there is the walkway to the art building on this floor up the corridor, it’s out the way but should still be accessible, we just need to get there and hope they haven’t managed to get there by then, or the building hasn’t gone up in flames.”

Arlo could feel as someone start to shake his shoulder, looking up he could see it was Bill who seemed to look like he was dealing with the pressure better than the others, both Bill and Emily had concerned looks on their face, “Arlo, come on, we need to get downstairs before the hallway gets too crowded,” Bill said trying to reorientate him.

“No, Everyone is trying to get out that way, and they have already got in, there’s the aerial walkway to the art building, not many people use it so we should be able to get out through the art building if we get there quickly, and see if any of the emergence defence pistols are still in their cases, although they aren’t the most effective against monsters form enhanced level rifts at least it’s something, but your right, we need to get out of here quickly,” Arlo stated, his voice being partially drowned out by the chaos around him. Leaving his stuff behind, Arlo led his friend to the doorway that had more than emptied by now as everyone had already made their way into the halls. Swiftly moving into the crowded corridor he could feel the heat radiating from the windows and floor under him, able to hear howls, the screams of the people in the corridors bellow and the sounds of the emergency defence pistols being fired to what sounds like only a small amount of effect. Looking out the window to see the windows themselves were starting to melt, the noxious smell of smoke permeating through the hallway as the crowd desperately tried to get away.

Turning left Arlo could see the turn he needed to make to get to the aerial walkway, unfortunately with everyone trying to go in the opposite direction he might struggle to get there quickly. Arlo, not usually able to deal with crowds that well, had long since found ways to deal with them. Putting his arm against the wall he formed a wedge with Emily and Bill filling in behind, so that those going the opposite direction would be forced to go around them rather than just bumping into them. The noise of the crowd, the screaming and the fire roaring on the floor beneath them being almost deafening.

As he worked his way through the crowd he could see that almost everyone looked overwhelmed by the pressure from the rift but the sheer adrenaline keeping them able to push through as they try and survive. Some seemed to be fairing better than the others, potentially some sort of magic item that their families got them but he didn’t have time to think about that now, besides he could ask Bill about it later. Arlo himself could feel as the pressure from the rift fluctuated, having to try and push at times not to pass out. They made steady progress up the hall he could hear howls and could see as smoke started appearing near the ceiling telling him they were very quickly running out of time.

Getting to the turn they needed to make, they didn’t see others trying to go the route they were taking but could see that the case on the wall that had an emergency defence pistol was in was already opened, indicating someone must have taken it already. Quickly making their way down that corridor and around the bend they could all hear as the screaming seemed to be much closer meaning that the firehounds had already got to the second floor.

Quickly they ran down the corridor to the double doors and through to the aerial walkway, looking through the windows as they continued to run they could see that the entire bottom floor of the building they were just in was a raging inferno and that at least 10 firehounds had already made their way outside turning the evacuation into a massacre, but at least there seemed to be one or two people able to at least fend them off for now.

Making it to the other end of the aerial walkway they found themselves in the familiar halls of the art department, only to see that there was already smoke rising to the ceiling along with the putrid smell of fumes from burning paints and art supplies.

“It’s not even been a minute since the announcement, how have things got this bad this quickly?” Arlo asked in alarm as they continued through the halls to get to the nearest staircase.

“I have no idea, but a rapid rift response team should be here soon though,” Emily said as she ran behind him, remaining relatively level-headed, or so it seemed.

“Well at least we should be ok,” Bill said lightheartedly, triggering dirty glairs from both Arlo and Emily as they got to a stairwell, rushing down it as the sound of wood splintering and howling came from the walkway they just went through. As soon as they got to the bottom of the stairs, the oppressive waves from the rift that had just been passing through seemed to start clinging onto him, seeming to no longer wane as they rushed for a corner that would give them a straight shot outside.

Turning the corner they could see the door to the outside and down the residential street opposite along with the shops they usually frequent and a small alley that ran between them, able to see the people fleeing outside already in relative safety, something they would soon be in apart from one unfortunate fact. The fact that between them and that safety a pack of 6 firehounds had just turned the corner and through the open exit and found their next victims.

The continuous oppressive wave that Arlo was feeling around his heart only continued to grow larger and larger, he could see that his friends were frozen in fear not knowing what to do, their faces looking ghostly pale. The roaring inferno of the school accompanied by the distant screams of students and staff outside ringing through the air as the fumes of the art supplies continued to fill their lungs. Silent tears formed on Emily's face as Bill laughed nervously as they were both coming to terms with the fact that they probably weren’t going to survive this, only cemented by the pack that followed them across the walkway coming down the stairs at the other end of the corridor they had just come down.

Arlo’s mind was swirling, the chaos, the noise, the smell, along with the firehounds overwhelming his senses. His mind struggling to process everything as the pressure that was emanating from the rift and collecting around his heart was only exacerbated by the pressure that emanated from the firehounds themselves, causing him to fall to one knee as he lost balance for a moment, both Bill and Emily turned to look at him with concern. In the past any time there was a situation that he couldn’t get out of that he found too overwhelming, there was this thing that he would always do. To imagine himself being able to teleport out, despite not being able to it makes the situation slightly more bearable.

Raising his hand to the exit Arlo saw the alley at the end of the street, imagining a point in space at that location he pictured space itself folding in a higher dimension, connecting that point and where he and his friends were currently so that both spaces overlapped and a force that pulled them from one side to the other through that connection to the other side. But this time he wanted it more than anything, wanting this to happen with every fiber of his being, his soul even. But unfortunately, that wouldn’t come true no matter how much he willed it as the firehounds started their charge down the hallway.

The oppressive pressure around his heart was now at a point that he didn’t know if he would pass out before or after the hounds got to him, despite knowing that he wasn’t getting out of this he continued to will with everything he had that he would. But that was when he felt a sudden spike in that overwhelming pressure, able to feel as he started to become faint as it felt like it was going to overtake his being, however in that spike something happened as that pressure was collapsing into one space Arlo could feel as something different seemed to be happening, something that overpowered and consumed the pressure and the almost explosive outburst that was supposed to happen.

The three of them didn’t know what happened as Arlo felt a sudden emptiness overtake his body before what felt like a gut punch as that pressure seemed to return tenfold. Looking around in confusion they could see that they were now in the alley between the shops across from where they just were. Bills laughs and Emily’s tears turned to those of joy and relief that they weren’t going to die anymore.

Arlo on the other hand immediately felt the dizzest that he had ever been as he started to sway a little, “err, hey guys? I’m not feeling so-” Was all Arlo managed to get out before his vision went black and passed out. The last thing he remembered being his friends snapping out of their thoughts of surviving the impossible before attempting to catch him before he hit the floor completely.