It was only much later, when we were safely back on the ground, that I thought to check my own Game messages.

You and Ghost have reached level 254!

Your light armor has reached rank 18, and your telepathy rank 23.

Ghost’s stygian claws have reached rank 14 and her nether manipulation rank 7.

Congratulations, Michael, your faction has gained its second ascendant player! The number of sectors your faction may own has increased to 3.

Your task: Found a new House! has been updated. Safyre, a Lightsworn Power has joined your burgeoning House. Revised objective: Convince 1 other Power not of Wolf blood to join your House. Note: completion of this task may have unpredictable consequences.

Ghost and I had only gained two levels from the battle, less than everyone else involved. “Ah well,” I remarked to my familiar. “That’s to be expected. In the end, the others did most of the damage.”

She bobbed her head. “I’m happy for Safyre.”

I nodded. “Me too.” I glanced across at the aetherist. Safyre, understandably, was still coming to terms with her new status, and right now her whole focus was turned inward, exploring her new Class, traits, and abilities. Reaching out with my will, I analyzed her anew.

The target is Safyre, a level 217 human aetherist and Bastion of Light. She bears a Mark of Supreme Light, a Mark of a Powerful Initiate, and is Lightsworn.

A Bastion of Light, I mused. Safyre had become more deeply entrenched in Light than I’d expected, and while it did not unsettle me, the same could not be said for the nagians.

The former possessed had withdrawn into their own circle a few yards away, and every now and again, one of them would shoot nervous glances at Safyre. I did not begrudge them their anxiety. The world they came from was different. In their minds, the new Powers were persecutors and destroyers.

And while not much had changed in the present day, the fault did not lie with the new Powers’ Force affiliations. No, it was the enmity that existed between the two groups—new Powers and old—that was the cause of the ancient strife.

New Powers and Primes could work together, I was sure of it. And if anyone was able to demonstrate that fact to our allies and enemies alike it would be Safyre and I.

They will learn, I thought.

In the meantime, it had become even more imperative that we claimed sector 18,240. With Safyre as its governor, and an Aether Cloaking device for protection, the sector would assure the future of the Forerunners. We’re so close.

But we were not there yet.

And there were still some fairly hefty obstacles in the way. Sighing anew, I left off my musings and turned my thoughts back to more immediate concerns—like investing my new attribute points.

Your Mind has increased to rank 178. Other modifiers: +12 from items. Available ability slots: 22.

“So what now?” Ghost asked when I opened my eyes again.

I glanced from the scattered remains of the stygians to the rest of the party. “First, we loot the corpses.”

“And then?” Ghost prompted.

“And then…” I paused, exhaling heavily. Once we took the next step, there was going to be no turning back. But we couldn’t back down now. “And then,” I repeated, “we decide who goes where.”

✵ ✵ ✵

Your alchemy stone is full.

I grimaced at the Adjudicator’s message. It had come too early for my liking. I was only little more than halfway done looting the stygians. Sadly, the rest of the reagents would have to languish where they lay.

It’s just as well I am returning to Nexus soon, I thought as I bent down.

You have retrieved an alchemy stone. New ingredients acquired: 116 x vial of nether residue. Total stored ingredients: 500 / 500.

Straightening again, I idly scanned the surroundings. Bits and pieces of the overlord’s shell lay everywhere—but only of its shell, the rest of the creature had seeped into the ground already.

I had spent some time idly picking through the Power’s remains, but I’d found nothing of value. It was like Adriel had said, the overlord corpses were useless.

Which was unfortunate. I’d been hoping to find more netherstones. Adriel had disabused me of that notion too, but that hadn’t stopped me from wishing she was wrong.

It turned out that harbingers were the only void creatures that could freely travel from sector to sector without using a rift. And that was why they were the only stygians to yield netherstones.

I sighed. Still, I had the one stone already. It would have to do.

“Michael, are you done?” Safyre asked across the farspeaker link. “Everyone’s waiting.”

“Coming,” I replied. Turning around, I fixed my gaze on the party and shadow blinked.

You have teleported into Safyre’s shadow.

No one appeared surprised at my appearance in their midst. They were well-used to my sudden comings and goings by now.

“Good, you’re here,” Shael said. “Let’s head back to base.”

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I shook my head. “We’re not returning to the cave.”

The bard blinked. “Not even for a short nap? But I’m tired.”

“You’ll manage,” I replied, ruthlessly squashing his objections. I turned to Safyre. “Open the portal.”

Already knowing our next destination, she gave a clipped nod.

Safyre has opened a greater portal inside sector 18,240.

✵ ✵ ✵

Safyre’s portal didn’t take us far.

In fact, we covered only a few dozen miles with it, but it beat walking. Striding forward, I placed myself squarely in front of the other portal we’d arrived at—the dungeon entrance of Draven’s Reach.

Turning around, I addressed the others. “This is it, people; this is where we commit fully. No matter the precautions we take, once our allies emerge from Draven’s Reach, the possibility exists that someone will notice their sudden appearance in the Eastern Marches. It may take weeks, or even months, for anyone to connect the dots thereafter, but eventually, the new Powers will realize the dungeon is still active. And you can bet everything you own that the Reach will pique the interest of every high-level player who hears about it. They will not rest until they find a way inside.”

I inhaled deeply. “But like I said, discovery is only a possibility, and whether or not it materializes is out of our hands. Still, we should be prepared for the worst—and the worst is that the secret of the Forerunners’ existence will get out.”

I paused to survey the faces arrayed around me and to reinforce the gravity of the situation. “Before this happens, before the forerunners are discovered, or Draven’s Reach is, we have to isolate sector 18,240 from the rest of the Game. No one that is not a Forerunner must ever be allowed to enter. Failure is not an option.”

“We understand the stakes, Michael,” Safyre said softly.

I nodded. “Then, let’s begin.” Shifting my stance slightly, I faced the nagians.

Zekiel stepped forward.

Wordlessly, I placed two letters in his waiting palm. The first missive was penned in my own hand and was addressed to Ceruvax. The second was from Adriel and was for Farren.

Both letters bade the Pack of the Reach and the Bane Wolves to abandon the Reach.

“I will not fail you in this, Wolf,” Zekiel vowed.

I scrutinized the nagian anew, wondering if I was making the right choice. Zekiel would have to travel the breadth of Draven’s Reach to get from the hidden portal to the archlich’s court where Ceruvax and the others were encamped.

And he would have to do it alone.

But the psi knight was better suited to this task than almost anyone else. Thanks to his telekinetic skills, he could traverse the dungeon the same way I had and bypass nearly all the elite creatures within.

The other option—and the original plan—had been to send a party so large it would be practically invincible. And while such a party would have little to fear from the Reach’s denizens, it would still have to fight the dungeon’s elites every step of the way—which would inevitably result in delays.

And delays were the last thing we could afford.

Still, sending Zekiel alone was a risk. Much depended on him safely carrying the messages to their recipients. Then, too, I was also depending on Ceruvax and Farren’s foresight. Hopefully, they had already made the necessary preparations and were ready to leave Draven’s Reach at a moment’s notice.

Because if they hadn’t and weren’t, it could put all our other plans in jeopardy.

I clasped the psi knight’s hands. “Remember speed is of the essence. But so is arriving safely.” I smiled to show him I was aware of the inherent conflict between those two imperatives. “Get there fast but get there safely.”

The nagian bowed. “I will.”

I stepped aside. “Then let me not keep you.”

Zekiel flowed forward and without further ceremony vanished into the portal.

Doing my best not to let my worry show, I turned back to Safyre. “Right, that’s done. Let’s move on.”

✵ ✵ ✵

Safyre has opened a greater portal inside sector 18,240.

Once more, we used Safyre’s portal to hop across this sector. And once more, we emerged beside another nether portal.

This one led to the Guardian Tower.

Unbidden, Shael and Anriq stepped forward. Their own task was simpler than Zekiel’s but no less important. And although the Tower was significantly less dangerous than the Reach, the biggest challenge the pair faced was not the dungeon’s denizens—but time.

My gaze came to rest upon the bard. “Are you sure you can do this?”

He nodded stoutly. “I promise I will not be a drag on the werewolf.” He eyed his companion sideways. “I may even help speed him along like I said I would.” He sighed heavily. “But if I’ve overestimated my… uhm, resilience, Anriq will leave me behind. We’ve discussed it already. Neither of us will jeopardize the mission.”

I inclined my head in reluctant agreement. The biggest challenge the pair faced would be in getting from the hidden portal in the far north of the tundra to the gateway hundreds of miles to the south. It had taken me many weeks to make the same journey, but then I’d be alone and without guidance of any sort.

Anriq had already made the journey once—in the reverse direction—and he was confident he could do it again, and significantly quicker too. Shael had volunteered to go with the werewolf, claiming he could be of help.

I’d agreed, not so much because I believed the bard’s claim, but because once Anriq left the tundra, he would require assistance to get through the next two levels. Neither the wyverns of sector 108 nor the savant grandmaster of sector 109 could be defeated by the werewolf’s strength alone.

But I wasn’t sending the pair on their own either. They would have help.

Letting my gaze drift beyond the waiting two, I scanned the faces of the nagians. One of them would have to accompany Shael and Anriq. I had not prescribed who it should be, though. That decision was too onerous, and truthfully, not mine to make on anyone’s behalf.

Bacheus stepped forward. “We’ve reached consensus amongst ourselves,” he stated without preamble, “and for many reasons, we believe I am the one best suited for this task.”

I didn’t ask him why. The nagians had been briefed on the challenges the trio would face getting to the Guardian Tower’s final chamber, and in the short time I’d known him, Bacheus struck me as a more than capable sorcerer.

He would be an asset to the others.

I shook hands with each of them. “Remember, if I am not there in five days, proceed without me.”

The trio nodded.

“Then I’ll see you three on the other side,” I said in farewell.

✵ ✵ ✵

After the trio disappeared through the portal, Safyre turned to me. “I guess we should part ways here as well.”

I nodded, not missing the wistful note of regret in her tone. I felt much the same way, but sadly, the time had come for Safyre to reunite with her former forsworn, and it was a journey she best made alone.

“Be careful,” I warned.

She smiled. “That’s my line.” Stepping forward, she drew me into a heartfelt hug.

I allowed myself a moment to savor the feel of her in my arms before pulling back. “You will escort Lucius and others back to the cave first?”

“I will.” She smiled. “And I’m sure Adriel will want to hear how the battle went.” Her gaze drifted north. “You still intend on revisiting the stygian nest?”

“I must,” I replied, knowing she was not in favor of the idea. “Before we launch our assault on the void tree, we have to learn everything we can about the remaining forces it has under its command. And you know I am the best scout we have.”

“I do know that.” She sighed. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like the fact that you insist on endangering yourself time and again.”

“I don’t do it deliberately!” I objected.

Safyre looked at me reproachfully.

“Not often, anyway,” I added weakly, not meeting her gaze.

She paid my protests as much heed as they deserved—which was to say, none at all—and closing her eyes, wove mana.

Safyre has opened a greater portal inside sector 18,240.

“Let’s go,” the aetherist said, ushering the nagians through. Silently obeying, they stepped through the glowing gateway. Following behind, Safyre paused on the portal’s threshold.

“Good luck, Wolf,” she called over her shoulder. “And don’t do anything foolish.”

“I’ll try not to.” My lips curled upward. “But I can’t make any promises.”

Safyre laughed. “You’re hopeless,” she said before stepping forward and vanishing from sight.

The smile still pasted on my face, I stood staring at nothing long after she was gone.