Violent winds besieged the cactus field, their howling cries mournful as they ravaged the unforgiving terrain. The hound extermination crew remained in the same position; the temporary five-man party locked in discussion.
“He let us go,” Orion said with a smile. “There really isn’t anything else to talk about,” he added.
“But that’s the problem, buddy,” Slim interjected before Zara could. “Why did he let us go? Aren’t they supposed to be hunting us down?” he quizzed.
Orion chuckled softly. “There’s a simple answer to that, and it’s because we weren’t boring. Trust me, our adventure would have ended if it was someone else,” Orion said, wiping dust from his glasses.
“Then what was the whole, ‘we could always do that’ thing you guys were talking about?” Zara asked. She assumed the duo would devise an ingenious means to bypass the restrictions placed on them, but the variant simply left.
Orion grinned, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Our matter is settled,” he said with a sly wink.
The prisoners understood the message, and neither of them probed any further.
“So, what do we do with her?” Ember suddenly asked, gesturing toward Plume. The prisoners turned their attention to the Trisos, exchanging glances with each other.
“I don’t have a problem with her accompanying us,” Scott suddenly declared, approaching the prisoner in gentle steps. The Trisos remained frozen in time, as if the variant wanted them to make their decision before awakening her. Scott stretched out his right hand, and rogue tendrils shot toward the immobilized creature, embedding themselves into her form and disappearing.
A Hollow Being has received the Imprint of Madness!
Scott retreated, turning toward his companions. “It’s not my decision to make, though. We are a team after all.”
Slim sighed softly. “To be honest, I don’t care either way. The fact that the other Orion mentioned that she could be important isn’t something we can ignore. She will definitely be useful,” he said. “So, I’m with you, buddy.”
Scott and Slim turned their attention to Ember and Zara. Ember glanced at the frozen Trisos and shrugged. “I’ll go with whatever the group decides,” she said, and everyone’s attention turned to Zara, the leader of the group.
“Let’s just hope she doesn’t turn out like the other crazy bitch,” Zara sighed while massaging her temples. “So, what’s next now?” she quizzed.
“Hold on,” Orion suddenly interjected. “I’m sensing a bit of discrimination here. Why isn’t anyone asking for my opinion on the matter?”
The champions shot him a blank stare, and Orion could only smile awkwardly. “Although you might already know my answer, but asking would be nice, you know?” he giggled.
The champions rolled their eyes, deliberating on Zara’s previous statement. They couldn’t risk going back to their own area since they had no idea if a named calamity lingered there, and roaming the region aimlessly was also out of the question.
“Buddy, how long can you maintain the covering over the portal?” Slim suddenly asked.
“It won’t disappear even if I die,” Scott declared solemnly.
“Fantastic,” Orion declared with a smile.
“Then we can focus our undivided attention on raiding other areas,” Zara added.
The champions agreed with Zara’s words. With Scott’s void manipulation ability enshrouding the portal, they didn’t have to be wary of champions entering the portal, and since they weren’t present in the area, no one could actively take control over it.
“You mentioned something about a list earlier,” Ember said, rearranging loose hair strands behind her ears as she met Scott’s gaze. “Have you figured out which of the areas we should attack first?”
The group focused their attention on Scott, eagerly anticipating his words. The voidweaver didn’t leave them lingering as he declared, “D-25 is a couple of hours, four or five hours max, westwards from here. They’re probably the weakest group in the area.”
“Why does it feel like there is a caveat coming?” Ember muttered.
Scott wore a dry smile. “Because there is. That area is constantly besieged by allied forces of several champions. The only reason why it hasn’t been conquered despite the strength of the calamities guarding it is because of the treacherous landscape,” Scott declared.
“How bad are we talking about, buddy?” Slim asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“The portal is floating more than a hundred meters above ground, and the area is a frozen tundra wasteland. Sinkholes randomly open within the tundra, and it’s constantly bathed in acid and toxins. What’s more, it’s home to one of the native species of Infernia—a species the Trisos calls death bugs. They live in the wasteland and feed on acid and toxins. They’re indistinguishable from the snow, and they’re attracted to living beings the most. According to the Trisos, they go crazy and would do anything for the warmth of the living, and that’s just the easy part,” Scott paused, wearing a crooked smile.
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Slim and Zara gaped while Ember wore a somber expression. Orion, on the other hand, could barely hide his excitement.
“Buddy, isn’t that supposed to be the easiest one?” Slim asked.
“He said the calamities were weak, not the environment,” Orion interjected with a smile.
“Indeed,” Scott affirmed with a nod. “The calamities aren’t that powerful based on the Trisos’ findings. She was able to take down two out of eight of them easily. The only problem is that spatial distortions surround the portal, and for some reason, one of the calamities there can navigate through it. For others, they would simply be shredded to bits before they even knew it,” Scott explained.
A heavy silence lingered within the area as the champions soaked in Scott’s words.
“What about the other areas nearby?” Ember asked, breaking the silence.
“Apart from D-25; D-28, D-30, and D-35 are the closest to our current location, and the calamities there are ridiculously strong by her estimates. Especially the ones in D-30. The mimics have taken full control of the calamities there,” Scott explained.
Zara frowned. “What do you mean the mimics have taken control of the calamities?” she asked.
Scott, realizing he hadn’t informed the group about his findings, slowly explained to them about the mimics and their mission. Once again, palpable silence enshrouded the champions. They couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that they hadn’t mindlessly created one like Orion almost did.
“Do you think the gods did this intentionally?” Slim muttered. “Those who are considered weak are in areas with incredibly harsh environments, and those who are strong are placed in somewhat tranquil environments, where they can fully display their might.”
“Which begs the question, why did those people think they could best us?” Ember asked. Based on Slim’s words, the gods obviously believed their group was strong, since the location of their area was relatively calm except for the chilling winds. She believed other calamities would have noticed this fact too, especially those who had been carrying out their mission for an extended period.
“They probably thought it was going to be easy since we just arrived,” Zara sighed softly. “There’s no need thinking about what those idiots might have been thinking. We should focus on which area we need to take over,” she added.
“Do we really need to do that?” Orion said.
The gazes of the prisoners fell on the mage, silently demanding an explanation, and the mage didn’t linger. “We, and I mean Scott, have solved the most troublesome aspect of this mission—stopping the champions from accessing the portal. Do we really need to do anything else?” he asked with a whimsical smile.
Zara opened her mouth to speak, but she quickly closed it, realization dawning on her. The same thing happened with Slim, Scott, and Ember. Caught up in the absurdity of their ever-changing predicaments, they hadn’t taken the time to reflect on their options.
“The more that I think about it, the more I can’t find anything wrong with what he said,” Slim muttered. “Can’t we just do that?” the necromancer asked, feeling there had to be some catch. A feeling his companions shared, but no matter how much they racked their brains, they couldn’t find any demerits from simply staying put.
“Assume we do that. Surely, we just can’t stay here, right?” Zara asked.
“Of course not. This place isn’t nearly safe enough. My variant was able to find us, albeit unintentionally, but that doesn’t exclude the possibility of other calamities having similar hobbies or simply stumbling upon this place by sheer coincidence—”
“Where do you consider the best place to hide then?” Ember interjected. “The longer we wait here, the likelier we get discovered.”
Orion’s grin brightened, his gaze falling on Scott. The mage said nothing, but his stare sent shivers down the spines of the champions, barring Scott.
“Surely, there’s another way,” Slim muttered, a sense of unease lingering in his voice.
“There isn’t, but it’s just my suggestion anyways,” Orion said with a smile.
Zara and Ember wore the same expression as Slim, and the trio occasionally sneaked glances at Scott, who casually observed Plume.
“That place is even more dangerous than whatever is on this planet, but I doubt there’s a safer place,” Zara muttered in resignation.
“I’m glad you all agree,” Orion said, his gaze shifting toward Scott. “Do you think we’ll be able to last ninety days in the nihilistic zone?”
Scott averted his gaze away from Plume, meeting the curious stares of his companions. “On your own, absolutely no chance,” he declared. “But with me, it’s possible. But it’s not going to be pleasant by any means,” he stressed.
“It’s not like we have a choice,” Zara sighed, stretching her body. She took deep breaths while appreciating the scenery one more time. Then she focused on Scott. “I’m ready.”
Her shadow darkened instantly, and several tendrils dragged her into the nihilistic zone. The blackened spot raced toward Scott’s shadow, merging.
Slim chuckled awkwardly. “It would have been great if there was some sort of resort in there,” he teased, readying himself. “I’m ready.”
The necromancer instantly sank into the nihilistic zone; the blackened spot once again merged with Scott’s shadow. Ember approached Scott in light steps, the dragonkin stopping a few meters away from the voidweaver. She suddenly pulled Scott into her embrace, patting his head gently. Orion watched the duo with a big smile, giving a thumbs up to Scott, who glared at him.
“I’m ready,” Ember declared, loosening her embrace. The tendrils pulled her into the nihilistic zone. Scott turned toward Plume, and the Trisos disappeared into the nihilistic zone too. Then Scott turned toward Orion, and the mage winked, waving at him.
“Just the two of us left, huh?” Orion began, pacing around the spot. “So much to talk about, I can barely wait,” the mage grinned. “Before we get to that, there’s something I need to do.”
Orion retrieved an aluminum cylinder from his inventory, opening it in one go. A burst of flower-like spores spewed from the contents of the cylinder, and Orion nodded approvingly.
“Even at this point, you’re still interested in gathering data,” Scott chuckled, shaking his head.
Orion, on the other hand, smiled. There was nothing better than gathering data from his point of view.
“We’ll talk more in the nihilistic zone. I’ll be sending you off now,” Scott declared. Before Orion could respond, his shadow darkened, and he disappeared into the blackened pool.
Scott sighed. “Gathering data, huh?” he muttered, staring at the whitish spores moving according to the whims of the wind. He knew better than anyone that it was only a matter of time before they turned into sentient clones of the data obsessed mage.
Scott motioned with his left hand, and several blackened portals manifested around his position. “Maybe I should gather some data too,” he muttered, as dozens upon dozens of eldritch abominations trooped out from the portals. Each one was distinctively taller and more robust than Scott’s meager form, but none of the abominable creatures could look at the voidweaver or remain standing within his presence.
“You only have one mission: conquer this land,” Scott declared solemnly.
Instantly, he disappeared into the nihilistic zone, and the eldritch summons took to their feet, ready and eager to fulfill the commands of their summoner.
The council of gods is furious! The lesser god of illusion can’t stop laughing! The lesser god of illusion is being chased by several gods!