Day 3 of Michael’s Deadline

Safyre was still not back when I woke up the next morning, and Adriel had already resumed work on the golems. So, deeming it past time, Ghost and I visited the wolves for breakfast.

“How is everyone doing?” I asked between spoonfuls of broth.

Duggar, Aira, Snow and I were sitting together watching the Packs’ pups chase Ghost around. The other senior wolves—Oursk and Sulan included—were with Adriel, working the Astral Rings.

Duggar shrugged. “We’ve adapted. While not ideal, the cave is safe.”

“The boredom is the worst,” Aira added. “Many of the younger wolves don’t know what to do with themselves, and I’m half-afraid they’re going to start stalking the golems—or even the lich.”

I sputtered, imagining the consequences of that. “Have them explore the cave system,” I suggested. “According to Anriq, there is an entire network of tunnels beneath us. Who knows? They might even find something useful.”

Duggar and Snow exchanged glances, then the dire wolf alpha bobbed his head. “That may work.”

“There is something else we must discuss,” I said, my expression growing serious.

The three wolves turned my way.

Removing my cloak, I folded it neatly and set it down before Duggar. “Take care of Ghost while I am away.”

You have lost the Cloak of the Reach.

Aira’s gaze flitted from the black garment to me, a puzzled look in her eyes. “That is something you need not ask. Ghost is Pack. She will always have a home with us.”

I nodded. “That is good, because I’m not sure when—if—I will be back.”

I sensed Duggar’s frown. “What is it you’re going to do, Scion?”

I blew out a troubled breath. “Enter the rift.”

All three wolves’ emotions spiked with concern.

I jerked my chin in the direction of the Cloak. “The risk is too severe for Ghost to accompany me, which is why I ask that you keep her here and hold her spirit vessel safe.”

“If it’s so dangerous, why go yourself?” Aira asked worriedly.

I sighed. “Because we must know what lies on the other side of the rift. We can’t launch the final assault against the void tree otherwise.” I pressed my hands together. “Is it a harbinger that’s waiting? Or two? Or something else?”

“You fear an ambush,” Duggar stated.

“I do. There is no reason for the void to gather the greater part of its strength on this side of the rift, after all. They only need enough numbers to make sure they are not immediately overrun. No, as powerful as the nest’s forces are, I fear what’s waiting to come through from the other side may be worse.”

“But… will knowing what that is help us?” Aira asked.

I laughed darkly. “It might not. Information is power, though, and if necessary, I will call off the assault, and we will abandon this sector.”

“But you have a plan, don’t you?” Duggar guessed shrewdly. “A strategy for dealing with what lies on the other side of the rift.”

My lips twisted. “I do. It’s a crazy one. But it might work—if I survive the journey.” And if I could convince the Brotherhood to help.

“Which brings us back to my first question,” Aira said. “Why go yourself? Why not send someone else?”

Duggar and Snow bobbed their heads in agreement. “An alpha must know when to delegate,” the dire wolf said, speaking on behalf of both of them. “For the good of the Pack.”

I shook my head. “Believe me, I don’t want to go either. I know how much of the plan rests on my shoulders, and I would not jeopardize everyone needlessly. But there is no one else who can do this. No one else can enter the rift and survive long enough to return. It has to be me.”

Silence. But hearing the conviction in my voice, none of the wolves tried to dissuade me further.

Finally, Aira turned to consider Ghost and the pups romping around her. “Have you told her?”

“I have. Ghost is not happy.” That was an understatement. “But she will follow her orders.”

Aira sighed, seeming to understand the subtext. “I will speak to her. And Sulan too.”

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“Thank you,” I said gratefully.

“When do you leave?” Duggar asked.

I rose to my feet. “Now.”

✵ ✵ ✵

Passage completed!

Elise opened a portal for me to the gully, saving me the use of one of my own scrolls.

The nagians would be visiting the gully themselves, but only much later in the day. According to Lucius, they had some preparations to complete beforehand. What those could be, I had no idea, but conscious of my resolution to ‘trust’ the nagians, I didn’t ask.

Alone, for what felt like the first time in forever, I sank down to the floor of the gully and contemplated the task ahead: scouting the rift.

Reaching the black void would not be an issue.

For all that three stygian Powers lay in close proximity to it, they would prove no obstacle. I could simply shadow jump to an overlord—or one of the many nearby lesser stygians—and dive straight into the rift.

The problem, though, was I wouldn’t be able to do so undetected.

The area around the void tree was likely saturated with spores. I would be found out. I could count on that much. But this fact did not unduly trouble me. I only needed to survive long enough to dive through the rift. What lay on the other side, though, I could neither predict nor prepare for.

All of which meant it was best to conduct my scouting as a ‘wolf.’ In wolf form I was not only faster, I was also stronger and harder to kill. On this mission, speed would be my ally, not stealth.

So be it. Closing my eyes, I saw to my preparations.

✵ ✵ ✵

Your Mind has increased to rank 188.

You have lost a smoke bomb.

You have taken the form of a level 259 elder wolf, gaining primal resistance (+30% against all damage types) and health regeneration (2% per second).

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

A little later, with my attribute points invested and my buffs cast, I was ready to begin.

Reaching down, I gently grasped the dropped bottle in my jaws. While in wolf form, I couldn’t access any of the items in my bag of holding—or on my human person for that matter—but a smoke bomb was an easy item to use.

All I needed to do was break the bottle holding the alchemical concoction and its smoke would be released. Simple really. So simple even a wolf could do it.

Assuming, he didn’t need his mouth for anything else, of course.

Mindful of the smoke bomb trapped between my jaws, I climbed nimbly out of the gully and trotted towards the river. One of the downsides of leaving behind Ghost and the Cloak of the Reach was that my nether resistance was no longer at one hundred percent—even though it was close—and while the probability of me being disabled by a void spell was extremely low, it was not zero.

I would have to be wary of the void’s spellcasters, creatures like the nagas, a hundred of whom I was all but certain waited on the other side of the rift.

Reaching the river’s western shore, I took a moment to survey the nest. The opposite riverbank was still being patrolled by the lesser stygians, but there were fewer of them today than there had been yesterday. The rest had returned to the nest and looked to be slumbering. Everything else about the stygians’ disposition remained the same.

Padding forward, I entered the cold water.

Crossing the river was not necessary, but before braving the rift, I wanted to see how far into the nest I could sneak when entering from this side. The information might prove useful at a later stage.

I made it to the far bank without incident. Now was when matters became a bit trickier. Staying low and with my belly almost hugging the ground, I slunk forward.

Three yards into my advance, I drew to a halt. A stygian patrol was approaching from the left. Deciding to let them pass, I waited.

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you.

Multiple hostile entities have failed to detect you.

…

…

The lesser stygians passed within a scant few feet of my outstretched paws yet failed to detect me. No spores with them, then, I concluded. Advancing once more, I crossed over the invisible line walked by the patrols.

The outer edge of the nest was less than twenty yards away and there I was sure I would encounter spores. Moving glacially slow, I crept on.

Fifteen yards.

Ten.

Five.

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

You have failed to detect an unknown entity.

I didn’t hesitate. Releasing the psi, I held in readiness, I shadow jumped.

You have teleported 397 yards.

I emerged out of the aether in the shadow of a stygian serpent about to enter the rift. Unfortunately, my stealth had not reactivated. Which could only mean…

Multiple unknown entities have detected you!

More spores, I thought morosely. But I had come prepared. Closing my jaws, I crushed the bottle between my teeth.

You have ignited a smoke bomb, creating a smoke cloud.

Thick plumes of gray mushroomed out, wreathing my body in smoke before the serpent I’d teleported behind—or anything else for that matter—could think to attack.

You are hidden.

That simply, I blocked the spores’ truesight. The smoke was not an illusion. It was real, and the spores could no more see past it than they could through a wall of solid rock.

Of course, the smoke cloud was small and would soon dissipate, but I didn’t intend on hanging around. Leaping forward, I cleared the distance to the black void ahead in a single bound.

You have entered a rift.

✵ ✵ ✵

The smoke bomb had not been necessary, of course. I’d employed it only to confuse the stygians as to my whereabouts and on the off chance there were no spores on the rift’s other side.

Alas, I was not so lucky.

Multiple unknown entities have detected you!

You are no longer hidden.

You have set your teeth and claws alight. Duration: infinite. Your attacks will now deal fire damage.

There were a whole host of other Game messages blaring for my attention, but I ignored them. I had more important matters to deal with.

Like the sea of mindglows crowding all around me.

A level 234 stygian naga has cast voidball.

A level 190 stygian weaver has cast blight thorn.

A level 241 stygian naga has cast cloying nether.

…

…

A plethora of spells descended on me from nearly every direction, but there was no time to make sense of anything other than the fact that I was surrounded and, void armor or no, about to die.

Picking a direction at random, I fled.

A shape reared up in front of me. Not bothering to aim, I bashed it aside with one massive paw.

Another form swooped down. Darting left, I evaded its reaching talons.

A spell hit from the right. Another from the rear. And a third from the left. Repelled by my void armor, they failed to affect me, and I kept running.

A massive shape rushed in from ahead, too big to avoid. But the psi spell I wove was ready. Not bothering to meet the onrushing creature, I blinked away.

My target? A blurred, half-seen shape in the distance.

You have teleported 957 yards.