Ben saw that the calm one had leaped between him and the two angry ones.

The rider held out a hand with a stop motion. There was no response to that action, which appeared to force the other one to do something Ben didn't expect. The calm one raised the same hand, pointing it to the sky, when a blue blast of energy shot out. The trail it left resembled a beacon.

Whatever it was, the angry one didn’t let up and continued to charge the attack. It pointed its hand toward the direction of the van when the magic began to pulse more vigorously. Bolts of electricity started to come off the sphere before it started to lose shape as if its structure started to become unstable. Some of the sparks even spun and trailed off like fireworks.

Ben could feel the mammoth energy shake him to the core. “No, no, no!!! " he shuddered.

Ben was about to close his eyes when he noticed strands of magic materializing from the ground near the calm scorpion. They wrapped around each other and started to form an egg-shaped oval. Once it was around two meters in diameter, the outer ring thickened. Its center gleamed in a blue aura resembling a swimming pool's water.

A darkly robed figure stepped out.

Seriously? Another robed one?

The portal guy walked toward the angry ones, glancing around at the situation. He stopped around a dozen meters away when their heads started bobbing as if they were conversing with each other.

Ben was a little confused about how that was possible. He would have heard something by then as his window was open and figured they must have been using telepathy.

The van was lowered to the ground before the cobweb-like strands receded.

The charged attack was dispelled, and things started to settle down before the portal guy turned toward the van and stopped a few meters away.

A pair of gleaming blue eyes gave Ben a deathly stare, making him think a chat was on order. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, he exited and approached the figure. Up close, its robes looked different, with a hood rather than an entire covering. A strange dark aura filled the area under the hood, obscuring the face, with only the glow of the eyes visible.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” The figure asked, breaking the awkward silence. His voice croaked like an old man’s and contained hints of anger.

Ben’s mouth dropped open. “What! You can speak English?” He asked, scratching his head.

“Of course I can. But you still haven't answered my question.”

“Ah, right. Maybe you should ask those scorpion riders,” Ben pointed at them before crossing his arms.

“I have. According to them, you nearly wiped out an entire nursery of their scorpion young. You’re lucky I was summoned before they wiped you off the face of the planet." He explained, disapprovingly shaking his head.

“Younglings? Are you messing around with me? Those things were the size of dogs.” Ben shrugged, huffing. “Look here. The moment I got there, they appeared from the ground and started to chase me. Before long, an entire horde of them were hellbent on trying to kill me. You know, I would have died if I didn’t defend myself.”

“Then you should know better than to turn up in the middle of a scorpion nursery. It's a stupid move if you ask me.” The robed figure said. He started to look closer at Ben and tilt his head as if he was a little confused. “You don’t look like any of the humans I know.” He turned to the van. “I’ve never seen a machine like that. You’re not from this planet, are you?”

Ben shrugged. “I don’t know how I ended up here. One moment, I was out delivering parcels, and the next, I was flung across the entire universe. I woke up in the middle of those dunes.” He motioned with his hand.

“Across the universe?” The figure asked.

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“Yeah! Past entire galaxies and stars. Wait,” Ben stopped as he wasn’t even sure if the guy knew what he was talking about, “Do you know what they are?”

An awkward silence filled the air momentarily before the figure snapped, “Do I look like some ignorant fool to you? Now, tell me the name of your planet before I let them finish what you started.”

Ben stepped back and raised his hands. “Whoah! Take it easy, mate. It’s Earth. I’m from Earth!”

“What! Are you messing around with me?”

Ben crossed his arms. “Tell me, why would I do that?”

The portal guy did not respond right away. Instead, his eyes got brighter, and it looked like he was thinking about a few things. “You used the artifact, didn't you?” He nodded, stepping forward. Yes, you did. It’s faint, but I can sense it’s magic on you.”

“Erm, for your information, I didn’t use it, alright. It activated by itself.” Ben replied, scratching his head.

“That doesn’t matter, now. This situation changes everything. Those artifacts don’t just randomly activate themselves; the magic within them must choose you to wield its power.” Before turning toward the riders, the figure explained, “Those riders want your blood spilled across this salt for destroying their nursery… You do not know how lucky you are that one of them had the common sense to summon me before they enacted their plan.”

“So, what’s going to happen now then?” Ben asked.

“You’re going to stay here and be quiet. I will go over there and negotiate for your life. They are too stubborn and stuck in their old ways, but I should be able to talk some sense into them.”

Ben huffed before nodding. “Alright. I’ll stay here then.”

The portal guy walked away before a lengthy conversation transpired. There was much back-and-forth as the sun set over the horizon, and even a few arguments had broken out at various times. It looked like the previously angry weren't too happy with what was happening and became more agitated. Suddenly, things settled down, and the three riders made their way back towards the mountains.

While all that took place, Ben found himself sitting on the ground near the van. The weather had gotten much cooler, and breathing became much easier. The mountain of stress he was under earlier had all but faded, especially after the conversation with the portal guy. He felt there was more to him than what met the eye.

He had a chance to look at the van and discovered the repair skill had done what it said on the tin. It did an awesome job of fixing and replacing the parts he had lost while in the fire with the scorpions. The only bad thing about waiting around was that all he could think about was his grumbling stomach. He heeded the portal guy’s warning and refrained from disappearing behind the van to avoid them thinking he was doing a runner.

The portal guy returned. “They will leave you alone, but you're not completely off the hook. There will come a time when you have to pay them back for the damages you have caused here today. I will disclose the details to you when the time is right. Consider yourself lucky.”

Ben crossed his arms and shook his head, disappointed. “What? That’s a load of rubbish.”

The portal guy scoffed. “Unless you want to be hunted down by their assassins, I suggest you entertain their demands. Now, you must come with me.”

“Hey, I just met you… There’s no way I will follow you to god knows where. You might have saved my skin from those riders. How do I know you're not trying to use me now that you know I used the artifact?”

“There are things worse than those scorpions out here after dark. You can stay here and find that out for yourself, or you can come with me, and I can take you somewhere safe. I won’t force your hand. The choice is yours.”

What! Are there things worse than them?

Ben stroked his chin and sighed. “Alright. If I feel like you’re trying to use me or something, I want out, okay?”

The portal guy shrugged. “Do what you want. I’m taking you to where other humans are situated. You won't survive a week in this world without their help.” He raised a hand before threads of magic shot out like confetti. They hit the ground and formed another portal.

A feeling of butterflies swept across Ben’s guts. Standing near it, he could feel the magic it radiated. He was somewhat unsure about going through it as the terrifying feeling of his previous experience of being stuck in limbo still lingered in the back of his mind.

“Hurry up! I can't keep it open forever.”

Ben nodded before pointing at the van. “All my things are in there. There’s no way I’m leaving it behind.”

“That won't be a problem. I can make it bigger.” With a wave of his hand, the ring around the portal started to gleam before it stretched to twice its size. “After you.”

When Ben entered the portal, the scene shifted from the desert landscape to complete darkness. After a few seconds, a small dot of blue light appeared in the distance. How it increased in size made it seem like he was riding a high-speed train through a tunnel. It resembled another portal as he neared it, and suddenly, he whizzed through it.

The scene shifted to a stone courtyard when his tires landed on cobblestones. The momentum from exiting the portal was enough to yank him forward. There wasn't even a chance to look around as he was forced to hit the brakes.

Looking ahead, various groups of knights clad in steel plate armor are standing in defensive positions. Their shields were ready, and they stood as still as stones as the van screeched to a halt a foot away from them.