Where once Reykjavik was thriving, the Settlement is now a fortress of survival with the vast majority of the population human. Finn and I stand on the high walls looking out in the direction of Hvitserkur and his gang of Rock Trolls. The green, rocky expanse only slightly resembles what it looked like before the Influx. I was lucky enough to come here on holiday in my early twenties during the off season of my first year in the minor leagues to see the Northern Lights and visit the Blue Lagoon. I also found the Golden Circle and a bunch of hard drinking, fun people who seemed like Vikings brought to life. That trip was hard on my wallet, but easy on my soul and I find it myself irritated that we have to abandon it, like I’ve had to abandon the South Island of New Zealand. I mentally add this to the list of places to liberate one day.

“Shame to let it go,” Finn says, echoing my sentiments. His tall, lanky frame has filled out with his progress through Levels and he’s wearing what I can only term as cool old-school dark leather armor and a dark green cloak with some runes on it. Truly he looks like a Warrior Druid or Gaia’s Champion.

I glance down at the guards and sentries that have rushed cautiously to cover us with weapons, Skills and spells at the ready. We haven’t made a move to enter the Settlement and there’s nothing they could do to stop us, which I’m sure they know by now from pulling our information through their Mana Interfaces.

A woman lands on the wall beside us and we all look out over the landscape for a few seconds. I’d guess she’s in her late 30s or early 40s, though after the Influx it’s a lot harder to guess someone’s actual age. She’s tall, almost as tall as Finn, and imposing with piercing blue eyes and silver-streaked auburn hair. One bare arm is cybernetic and her armor bristles with weapons and defensive measures.

Nothing is said for quite some time, which I appreciate compared to what usually happens. No bluster, no nervous chatter. Just peace and unspoken questions. I appreciate it enough to pull her Status; she reminds me a bit of Kapila in the way she stands and her confidence.

Freyja Bjarnadottir, Ironclad, Savior of Reykjavik, Steadfast, Survivor, Beacon of Hope, Resolute, Reborn (Level 25 Ironclad Warrior) (Enhanced Mythic)

Health: 4910/4910

Mana: 2480/2480

Conditions: Glutton for Punishment, Hardened, Aura of Command, Sentinel’s Gaze

That’s a lot more Titles than I’m used to seeing on a Mythic Class human and I note she has a passive Condition that suggests we have some things in common. Eventually she breaks the silence as she contemplates the hulking granite figure of Hvitserkur that can now be seen over the horizon.

“Bronwic Cadimus doesn’t usually show up to deliver good news,” she says calmly in a powerful voice. The rumble of crashing rocks rolls up to the wall and hits us with a low, resonating vibration that I might feel deep in my bones if I wasn’t who I am now.

“Your reputation precedes you,” Finn says with a glance at me and a smirk. From Jon or Jeff I’d laugh it off and it would build our camaraderie, but I know coming from Finn there’s a bite underneath the comment and a distance between us that’s hard to close. Not that I need everyone to be my friend… at least we can work together when needed.

“It’s not good news,” I agree with Freyja. “I don’t think we can stop the big one; he’s over Level 500 and looking for a new place to call home. Luckily for humanity and unluckily for Iceland, this is where a Wormhole brought him and so you need to leave. I can provide a Portal and if we start now hopefully that will be sufficient for the Rock Trolls to leave Reykjavik alone, for now.”

“Why us?” Freyja asks. “Maybe they’ll leave Iceland.”

“He’s not called Hvitserkur by accident, in my opinion. It’s likely a translation, but that Rock Troll has some kind of connection to Iceland,” replies Finn.

“Are you saying he’s here because of our legends? Iceland’s landmarks? He’s somehow connected to Iceland?”

Finn shrugs. “Impossible to know, Freyja. But I’m closely connected to Gaia and I can tell you that through Mana and Wormholes, we are more connected to places around the Universe than we’ve ever been. Possibly the high levels of Mana warping everything and opening up Wormholes found Hvitserkur and so many of the others because of their similarities to other worlds. In other cases, we know Galactics had already visited us and laid foundations here.”

Freyja looks pensive, angry. Like she’s going to decide to fight anyway and I know that feeling all too well. We need to give her an option that’s viable, and it seems like Finn is on the same page as me.

“Ireland’s an option, since you need one,” says Finn. “We have the space and would welcome you,” says Finn. It surprises me a bit, but maybe it shouldn’t. We’ve had the same general goal of helping humanity since I met him at the Koldaavi Combat Championship.

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Freyja frowns and stares in the distance, then turns her gaze toward us.

“Surely if we all take them on, we’ll overwhelm them. There are over fifty thousand people in Reykjavik, and at least ten thousand are combat Classes. It’s been a hard road to build up what we’ve got and we fight well together. Some of us, maybe even a hundred, are Mythic Class and we could fight together for our home, with your help?”

She seems solid, confident, rational. From my point of view, she also seems sheltered despite all that she’s faced, and what the Icelandic people have faced.

“What’s the highest Level Monster you’ve taken on?” I ask her.

“A few in the low 200s. One almost Level 250. We hit them hard and we’re still here.”

I can see in her eyes those wins were not easy and the weight of the loss is heavy. Perhaps there are a lot of emotional sunk costs in Reykjavik, which I know about only too well. No doubt based on her Titles and her Levels, Freyja was instrumental in those battles.

“There’s a world of difference between Level 250 and Level 300, never mind Level 500. Increased Resistances, durability, Skills and spells that can affect large numbers just go get started. Level 500… I think it would be suicide for all of us and it’s not needed. Add on top of that, somehow Hvitserkur is something different. Pull his Status. He doesn’t show up as a Monster and he’s not a Sentient with a Mana Interface. He’s something else. I’m not sure what.”

“Some will refuse to leave our home. Will you abandon them?” she asks. Her voice isn’t full of self-righteous judgment, just seeking clarity. I like her.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve evacuated an area,” Finn cuts in and looks back over his shoulder at the remolded Settlement of Reykjavik. “There are always people who stay and we accepted that a long time ago.”

Finn speaking up actually props me up a bit. In the end, since I’m the one who creates the Portals it always feels like it’s my decision, my responsibility, and my burden to leave people behind to their deaths. Perhaps it is my responsibility, but knowing that even now Finn views it as a decision we all made together relieves a tiny bit of the weight I carry around, shoved deep in an emotional box that I do my best to ignore.

The rumble of the Rock Trolls continues as they slowly come toward us. They’re not in a hurry, but they are coming. Others are joining us on the wall, flying up with jetpacks, or appearing on roofs to see what’s going on. They give Freya, Finn, and I a wide berth at first but soon thousands of people are around. They’re no doubt used to rallying to turn back Monster swarms or something big and tough. Just not this big and tough.

I turn and face the largest number of them I can and start shouting my well practiced speech as I look at the spot I’ll open up the Portal, the city gate. Galactics will have to find their own way to escape or scatter, I’m not able to take them.

“People of Reykjavik! A threat we can’t defeat is bearing down on us! In five minutes I’ll be opening a Portal to Ireland and I’ll keep it open as long as I can before we have to leave. This is not a forced evacuation, but if you stay behind you will almost certainly need to abandon Reykjavik and your chances of survival are almost zero. Galactics, you will need to find your own way off Iceland, I can’t help you. My Portals only function for humans.”

My increased Mana regeneration from my Gift of Gaia Evolution will mean I can hold my Portals open for longer in any given period of time. It’s usual and I expect some Galactics to come and challenge me about being able to use my Portal, but none approach me here when I hop down from the wall.

“Where to?” I ask Finn over the GPC.

“Dublin,” he sends back as he hops down beside me and I nod then open up the biggest Portal I can to the Dublin MIS Hub, using my Affinity’s growth in strength to expand it even further to the point it takes up the whole area of the gate. Finn rushes through for a couple of minutes as Freyja moves through the crowd, urging them to gather anything they need and return. Some people rush through and I don’t stop them even though there’s probably nobody on the other side to facilitate a mass movement yet. In my experience you need the first brave or desperate people to give the next group permission to leave, and so on.

Finn emerges back to our side shortly and leaps over the wall without effort, no doubt boosting his Attributes through his Class Abilities. I glance around at the crowds of people that are arriving, leaving, and milling around with cautious looks at me and the Portal. The buzz of discussion is everywhere and my enhanced Perception lets me pick out conversations wherever I choose to. I read the mood of the crowd and keep one eye on my minimap, especially where Hvitserkur is.

“Come on! Move through whenever you’re ready, there’s not much time!” I pick out people who I can see are on the fence and encourage them. “My name’s Bronwic Cadimus, I’m here to help but can’t stay long!”

That, at least, gets a flow of people going that starts as a trickle and turns into a steady flow. It’s a start, but moving fifty thousand people takes a long time just through simple math, like clearing out an Arena after a game.

“They look to be holding?” I send to Finn after a few minutes now that the flow is really moving. It will still take hours we might not have.

“The impression I get from Hvitserkur, who isn’t all that talkative, is that as long as we’re moving rapidly they will wait. He also mentioned, or maybe threatened, that some of his Clan are hungry for battle. I get the impression he is holding them back because the two of us are here, no other reason.”

“Should I bring in reinforcements?” I send as I watch a large group of Crafters move through quickly with floating barges of materials and items. No doubt all their Inventories are crammed full as well.

“How am I supposed to guess what an ancient, super powerful Rock Troll might do?” Finn sends. It’s tough to know if he’s expressing confusion or irritation but I assume positive intent anyway.

“You’re the one talking to him, mate.” I send back. “What do you reckon?”

“If you can hold two Portals at once and they’re able, it can’t hurt.”

Unfortunately, I can’t.

Foresight is silent, though my Danger Sense is still pressing on me strongly from the direction of the Rock Trolls. I’d estimate it will take us about 3 hours to get everyone out who’s getting out.

Let’s roll the dice.