You have taken the form of a level 252 elder wolf.

Passage completed!

I emerged from Safyre’s portal crouched on all fours and with my senses trained for danger.

But the area was empty.

“Looks like we’re alone,” I murmured to Ghost.

“I’ll tell the others,” she replied eagerly.

Smiling to myself, I let her. The rest of the battle party was still in the cave. They would only join Ghost and myself later—assuming we located the overlord, of course.

“We’ve reached the portal to Draven’s Reach,” Ghost reported formally over the farspeaker link. “There is no sign of any stygians.”

“Thank you, Ghost,” Safyre replied solemnly. “Message received. Let us know if anything changes.”

Ghost preened under the aetherist’s praise. “I’ll do that, Safyre,” she said gravely.

My mouth dropping open in a wolfish smile, I orientated myself northward. That was the direction the overlord had last been heading in. “C’mon,” I told her over our private link, “let’s go find our prey.”

✵ ✵ ✵

Traveling in wolf form was infinitesimally easier than walking on two legs, and the miles flew by as Ghost and I set off in pursuit of the stygian Power. The journey was by and large easy, the only complication being crossing the river.

As near as I could tell, the river was sector 18,240’s only major waterway and neatly split the region down the middle. It extended all the way from the stygian nest in the north to the Draven gate in the south. Still, Ghost and I managed the river crossing without undue difficulty, after which we raced northward once more.

Ghost kept her nose trained to the ground in the hopes of picking up a scent, while I kept my own gaze fixed skyward. The hours passed with little talking and, for the most part, we encountered nothing living—either stygian or otherwise.

Just past noon, as my concern mounted that I’d underestimated the overlord’s speed and would need to use the sylvana eye to run it down, after all, I spotted a dark smudge in the distance. Reaching out with my will, I inspected the distant form.

The target is a level 309 stygian overlord.

I padded to a halt.

“What is it?” Ghost asked, staring blankly into the mists.

“We’ve found it,” I replied. “Tell the others.”

“Is it alone?” Safyre asked, after Ghost relayed her report.

“The overlord’s escorts are still with it,” I answered. “But I can’t quite make out their number from here. I’m going to go closer for a better look.”

“Be careful,” she added unnecessarily.

“I will,” I replied. Drawing psi, I cast my buffs while I waited for Ghost to disassociate.

Ghost has unmanifested.

You have cast enhanced reflexes, vanish, and trigger-cast quick mend.

Moments later, invisible and alone, I dashed forward again.

✵ ✵ ✵

The overlord was not taking any chances.

It floated more than three thousand feet above the surface, well beyond the previous range of my shadow blink. Standing almost beneath the Power, I peered upward, counting the smaller forms latched onto its shell.

“I can make out one hundred flying serpents,” I reported over the farspeaker link. “It doesn’t appear as if the nest has sent any reinforcements.”

“That sounds promising,” Safyre replied, the relief in her mindvoice evident.

“There are large swaths of the overlord’s body that I can’t see from down here,” I warned. “My count may be off.”

Safyre sighed. “Understood.”

I sympathized with her frustration, but sadly there was nothing I could do to alleviate it—not until I walked upon the overlord myself. “Is everyone ready?”

“They are.”

“Initiating phase two then.” Not waiting for Safyre’s response, I turned tail and headed for the crevice I’d spotted on the way over. Diving within, I wrapped myself in shadows and began to shift.

You have cast shapeshift.

Ideally, I would’ve wanted to make my way onto the overlord while still in wolf form, but for many reasons, that was not a good idea. Once I reached the overlord, I would need access to both my traps and consumables.

And that meant shifting.

Unfortunately, unlike a werewolf’s shift, my own transformation was neither quick nor easy. Mid-shift, I was blind to the world and achingly vulnerable—neither were conditions I could afford while standing upon an enemy Power.

No, the best place to undergo a change was on the ground and in the embrace of my shadows.

You have taken the form of a level 252 human. Further shifting is not possible until your next sleep cycle.

Gingerly picking myself up from the sprawl in which I’d ended up in, I renewed my buffs and climbed out of the crevice. Glancing up, I relocated the stygian overlord. Its position had barely changed.

“Michael?” Safyre called. “Are you in place?”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Not yet,” I replied. “There is one more precaution I need to take.” Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew a small, rune-inscribed object—the Seeking Eye of Sylvana.

I’d not used the legendary artifact myself, but Anriq who had had plenty of practice with the device had shared what he’d learned about its operation. Closing my fist around the Eye, I brought it to life.

You have activated a Seeking Eye.

To enable all tracking features, provide the spirit signature or mental imprint of the target.

Focusing on the overlord in the distance, I inspected it while simultaneously willing my intent to the gray orb in my hand.

Target identified.

Analyzing a level 309 stygian overlord…

…

…

Failed to acquire a mental imprint. The target’s consciousness is shielded. Tracking this target’s mindglow is not possible.

Spirit signature acquired. Ready to spirit track.

I stowed the artifact in my pocket again. Now, even if the overlord somehow managed to escape, we’d be able to run it down wherever it fled to in the sector. It would’ve been better if I could’ve also used the Eye to watch over us during the battle, but unfortunately, the orb did not possess nethersight.

I’ll just have to remember to stay on the lookout for trouble myself. Unsheathing my blades, I wove psi. It was time to move.

“Blinking in,” I reported back and stepped into the aether.

✵ ✵ ✵

You have teleported onto the surface of a level 309 stygian overlord. You are hidden.

I emerged on a familiar pockmarked landscape, crouched, and prepared for anything. But my arrival point was well chosen, and none of the overlord’s escorts were close enough to be of immediate threat—even if they could see me.

Exhaling slowly, I rose to my feet. “I’m in position,” I said over the farspeaker link, “and so far, all appears—”

An unknown entity has detected you! You are no longer hidden.

You have failed to detect an unknown entity.

I broke off, less than pleased by the Game alert, but before I had time to fully process it, more messages followed.

A level 309 stygian overlord has detected you.

A level 162 flying serpent has detected you.

A level 140 flying serpent has…

…

…

Swallowing bile, I banished the near-endless litany of alerts that followed. It didn’t take any great powers of deduction to figure out what had happened either.

There was a stygian spore about.

Not only had the damnable creature’s truesight penetrated my stealth—invisibility notwithstanding—its aura was also allowing the nearby stygians to do the same. Thankfully, though, I hadn’t forgotten about my earlier run-ins with the things.

And while I hadn’t thought it likely spores would be accompanying the overlord, I hadn’t discounted the possibility that they might either. Then, too, this time around I was carrying a piece of equipment that I hadn’t had the last time.

It might make all the difference. Pivoting on my heel, and ignoring the rousing serpents, I scanned the vicinity.

The area ahead was clear.

As was my left flank.

So, too, was the region to my rear.

And on my right…

You have failed to detect an unknown entity.

I sighed, disheartened by the repeated failure. It seemed that not even Sintar’s tier five true-seeing ring was good enough to pierce a spore’s invisibility. Now, I had no choice but to abandon the slow, careful approach and to speed things up.

“Saf, we’re going to plan C,” I ordered in a clipped tone as I re-sheathed my swords.

“Acknowledged,” she replied crisply. “We’re waiting to come through.”

I turned my attention inward. “Ghost, I need you.”

“Already manifesting,” she replied.

Leaving her to it, I withdrew a portal scroll from my pocket. It was time to call in reinforcements. Cracking open the scroll, I drew on my magic and began feeding mana into it.

Item activated.

Around the corner of my eye, I spotted motion. Wings were snapping out to my right, to my left, and in front of me. Everywhere really. The overlord’s escorts were going airborne.

I couldn’t afford to worry about the creatures just yet though. Ghost would have to keep them at bay until I opened the portal.

Ghost has cast explosive manifest.

The pyre wolf coalesced in a blaze of glory twenty yards away, causing flames to belch out and engulf the three serpents rushing at me from behind.

Ghost has taken the form of a level 252 stygian pyre wolf.

3 of 3 hostile entities have been critically injured.

A level 309 stygian overlord has cast tentacle guard.

I grunted, not bothered by the threat posed by the flying serpents so much as I was by the last message. The stygian Power was already reacting to our incursion.

“The overlord has awakened its tentacles,” I informed Safyre even as I funneled more mana into the spelled parchment in my hands. “You know what comes next.”

“We’ll be ready,” she promised.

Ahead of me, two flying serpents appeared, skimming low above the overlord’s surface. They were going to reach me before I was done. “Damn,” I muttered. “Ghost, can you—”

“I’ll deal with them,” she interrupted.

“Thank you,” I replied fervently while I tried to force mana into the scroll at an even greater rate. But it was no use. The item would charge only so fast, and the spellcasting would take as long as it needed.

A level 309 stygian overlord has cast the composite spell, shield of nether.

I sighed. I’d known the spell was coming, of course, and while it bothered me little, my allies would need to take greater care. Let’s hope they really are ready, I thought grimly.

My gaze flickered back to Ghost.

Despite their best efforts, the incoming serpents had failed to evade her. The first stygian lay dead beneath her paws, while the second—stunned and dazed—was still trying to pick itself up from where it had been forced aground.

The pyre wolf had dealt admirably with the initial threats. But wherever I looked more threats were appearing—far too many for Ghost to deal with.

A greater portal scroll has been fully charged.

“Finally!” I exclaimed, almost shuddering in relief. For a moment, I’d feared I had miscalculated and that Ghost and I would be forced to retreat before I was done, but despite the spores’ surprise appearance, my plan was coming together nicely.

And though the overlord didn’t know it yet, its fate was already written.

Releasing the scroll’s enchantment, I directed its spell weaves to the cave where the others awaited.

You have opened a greater portal inside sector 18,240.

This portal is large enough for 4 entities to pass through and will remain open for a maximum of 30 seconds.

No sooner was the portal up, than someone stepped through—Safyre. Barely pausing to acknowledge me, she cast.

Safyre has cast purifying dome.

You have entered a purifying field. All environmental ill-effects have been nullified.

The three nagian captains followed on Safyre’s heels, each with their own carefully prepared spells at the ready.

And they, too, wasted no time, releasing them.

Lucius has cast warding web.

Warding web is a spell that entangles all hostiles coming in contact with it within a cocoon of silk.

Sticky white strands exploded outward from the nagian to enclose our small party in a dome of silk strands that appeared deceptively delicate.

Zekiel has cast levitating disc.

Air solidified beneath my feet. But unlike my own windborne, the psi knight’s spell was a persistent one that formed a circular cushion of air large enough to levitate the entire party three feet above the overlord.

Bacheus has cast supreme portal.

A second luminous doorway appeared. It had fallen to the nagian sorcerer to bring in the rest of our waiting allies—Shael and Anriq included. Sadly, my own portal was not up to the task of transporting so many.

Spinning away, I drew my blades. My own part in securing the party’s entry was done. Safyre and the others would see to it that the rest of the defenses were erected, leaving me free to help Ghost.

My familiar was all alone outside Lucius’ web and could do with some help.

“Coming to you, Ghost,” I said, and shadow blinked into battle.