As the praetors and I prepare for our next excursion, I take the time to upgrade my gear even further. There’s not much room for improvement, but the Greek pantheon was able to break through my runic shielding given time. Magically I am at my maximum protection, but I can still improve the physical durability of my armor. I harvest some Cognitio (Mind) and Sensus (Senses) Essentia from the dragon brain in my study and use it to develop and manufacture a thin liquid coating I can spread on the inside of my armor. The coating should disrupt any media attacks made against me in the case there is an entity that can wield it with more power than I. This process, however, greatly decreases the mass of the brain, also shrinking its awareness and making it less useful for experiments.
I gather the praetors and my companions for the next excursion. Jack decides to stay back this time. "Brothers and sisters," I say to them, "I am happy to bring you great news. Previously, I have stated that a great deal of noble souls would be required to fuel the Gate of Heaven. However, through extensive research and engineering, I can safely say we are now much closer. Using my new blueprints, we already have 70% of the souls we need." The crimson cultists before me erupt in a massive cheer. I hear Leviticus cry of joy beside me. My companions and the new recruits in the crowd that can clap do so ferociously. "Knowing this, we have no time to waste. Let us begin our next journey!" I raise my primal cutter into the air and produce a guttural scream.
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As our group steps through the now unsealed flux rift, I notice the ground is hard this time, rather than soft like dirt. We have emerged in a gigantic, bustling city that I recognize as New York City. Interesting. The vis here is woven very intricately. Unfortunately, the sight of over one hundred men armed with medieval battlements and magical artifacts emerging from an eldritch portal is extremely noticeable. As I examine our surroundings, I notice multiple bystanders stopping and recording us, and some calling the police.
Odd. I expected them to flee in terror. If they’re recording, they’re either very brave or this sort of thing is common for them. I decide to play to the now unavoidable fact that the whole world is about to know about me. "People of Earth," I yell, "I am here to visit your gods. I bring urgent news from my home world. It is imperative that I speak with them." They look around at each other, confused. One brave woman steps forth from the gathering crowd of observers.
"Who are you?" She asks. "And what do you mean by gods? We have no gods here." This is less than ideal. "Unless you consider the blessed gods, which some people do."
"What do you mean by ‘blessed’?"
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"You know, people born with powers or special abilities that protect the innocent." Are you telling me I arrived straight into a dimension with superheroes?
"Tell me, who is your strongest blessed then?" The woman thinks for a moment. She begins to answer, but before she can, Ican speaks.
"Up there!" He shouts. He points his snout towards the sky and to a caped man floating above us, slowly descending. The crowd cheers for him. He waves and touches down.
"Hello, my name is Muon, but I assume you knew that already." He says. His hair is blond and he is very muscular. He has on some kind of suit that accentuates his muscles, presumably to intimidate.
"No, I did not. And you named yourself after the Muon Neutrino? That’s a bit obscure if you ask me. Why are you here?" My scanner indicates he has a wise soul. He will be of no use to us.
He looks a bit annoyed that I don’t know who he is. "Well," he says, "I know you and your boys here just arrived, but the Department of Homeland Security has ordered I take you in. Sorry. Come peacefully."
"I’m sorry, but we can’t do that." He grinds his teeth, and his eyes begin to glow red.
"I was hoping you’d say that." Vis gathers around his eyes and in a burst of light he sweeps a thin beam of energy over all of us. It blackens the praetors’ armor and fizzes harmlessly against my runic shielding and Julius’s diamond hard skin. Muon raised his eyebrow. "Alright, we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way." He hurtles towards me and tries to land a punch, but I sidestep him and use his own momentum to slam him to the ground. The crowd gasps in horror. "How…"
"Alright, Ican. Let’s test your strength. Defeat this guy in single combat." I use a new spell focus I’ve been working on and create a cage of unbreakable Praemunio (Protection) Essentia around the two. Muon punches it, but his fists are helpless against its durability. Ican starts the fight with a blast of magic energy from his mouth. Glad to see my modifications to his body brought his abilities back at full strength. Muon is knocked back and damaged, and tries to use his laser vision again. Ican dodges it by leaping up into the air and then forming several vis platforms to vault off of midair, dodging the laser with great effect. He goes to bite Muon’s throat, but finds he is unable to pierce his skin. He bites again, but this time with magical force behind it, and draws blood.
"This can’t be happening!" Shouts Muon. "I’m the greatest hero! I’m undefeatable! A god!" He pushed himself into a corner of the force cage and cowers.
"That’s enough, Ican," I say. I remove the force cage and turn to face Muon. "I won’t kill you, but you are a threat that must be dealt with. I’m placing a mental limiter on your mind that prevents you from utilizing your abilities. Next time, do not attempt to arrest an innocent man." I push my media towards his and shape his own to form a sort of cage around his mind. He tries to fly towards me and punch me again, but finds he is unable to do so. He looks down at himself in horror and runs away crying, much to the dismay and amazement of the crowd. "Now," I address the bystanders, "About your gods…"