They stood, the freezing wind at their backs blowing through the perfect dome of magic Oskar still held around them. He felt Penny bump against his foot as she attempted to get as close to Oskar as possible, both looking up at another fifty or more spears flying their way.

A thought hit him as the memory of the pressure he’d felt in the base of his skull- the feeling that accompanied the sense of something cosmic and horrible staring into his very being- fled in the power’s wake blazing behind them.

Or more likely, left in boredom when it was clear I was no longer in danger of tearing myself apart at the seams. It was almost too much that time.

The thought lingered only briefly; the second volley of spears bore down on them and stole his focus.

Unmoving, Penny was still pressed up against Oskar’s foot, and Erik’s arm was still tight around him. The Kobolds had, consciously or not, stepped closer to one another, and were almost touching. Even the PUB.

The PUB sent a small vibration through his Bracer in what Oskar suspected was a PUB hug.

My little family. Here together and facing death.

// Can we… //

We’re not doing a group hug. Plus, I’m pretty sure one of the Kobolds would stab me.

This time, instead of allowing the perfect dome of magic surrounding them to destroy the incoming spears, he had the power to strike back. He pushed Sora outside the glasslike dome and swept them all into a whirlwind of air that he created that surrounded the barrier. The colors that the currents of Sora shone with looked odd through the glassy dome. He could almost see a hint of purple patterns in the perfect dome, and Oskar realized that this must be what the Magic Within did. It was glue, fuel, or maybe a mold. It made itself what it needed to be, responding to the needs of the user.

Oskar held the magic for a second until the straggling spears were caught up in it as well. The spears gained speed, trapped in the swirling Sora, as he pushed himself harder. When Oskar felt the weapons on the verge of destruction with the force of it all, he launched them, en masse, back towards the approaching enemies, who were finally slowing as the wind and the strange power reached them.

The baffled Hyenamen were just now realizing that the hissing and meowing couldn’t be coming from their quarry, and instead meant something had just gone very, very oddly wrong.

Some recognized the danger and tried to dive away, but the mass of spears struck faster than they’d been able to react to. Oskar wished he’d been able to spread the spears out over a larger area, but watching them carve through the front line of enemies was deeply satisfying, anyway.

Desperately, Oskar held onto Talau and Sora, dropping the swirl of wind around them to strengthen his hold on the dome of magic. The mix of power that kept his little family safe, infused or empowered by whatever was happening behind them.

Or who-ever, rather.

The wild look in the eyes of the nearest Hyenas as they stared past Oskar and his group at the mouth of the cave strongly reinforced the feeling he’d had telling him not to look back.

He felt what he’d initially thought was a small earthquake, but Talau told him otherwise. This, whatever it was, was spiritual.

The Magic Within. It sounds like… is that purring?

A sudden rush of cold air triggered a torrent of memories that overwhelmed Oskar’s thoughts, and he reeled between reality and something close to a fever dream. He could hear his heart beating in his ears as everything dimmed around him. The world seemed to slow as the memories took hold. A wave of complex emotions, a mixture of guilt, fear and determination, washed over him, momentarily muting the ever-present awareness of their danger and his role in it. For a moment, he fought to remain fully present in the moment, but gently, the memories took over anyway.

The first memory was of the very first time he’d ever seen snow.

Surprisingly, he’d been in Alabama, and only a kindergartener at the time. Oskar smiled, remembering running through the halls of the school, searching for his brother.

I got in trouble for running out of class to find and show Erik.

That memory faded, replaced by him and Erik eating Italian ice in New Jersey when Oscar was about ten. A rare treat from their father, which meant their dad was about to tell them it was time to move again. Oskar had just made friends, and Erik was spending every spare moment with Jolene, a pretty, red-headed girl with emerald eyes. It was supposed to be family time, something that the boys should have enjoyed and looked forward to.

Instead, that was the move that we finally realized dad never intended on staying in any place very long, and we might as well give up on long-term friendships.

Another memory surfaced: his graduation from Marine Corps Boot Camp; his brother was waiting with a grin and a hug, his dad with a nod and a firm handshake. And Oskar was okay with that. They’d both given what they were capable of giving.

More memories came, but most of them felt less important, somehow. Only one of them stood out, the only memory from this world: the moving light in the sky that he’d seen with the Kobolds.

This world seemed so foreign at the time that he hadn’t let himself see it for what it really was.

That… That was totally a satellite, right? How?

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The PUB didn’t, or couldn’t, answer him, and it didn’t much matter as more memories shoved themselves into his conscious mind.

Oskar forced himself to suppress them, fighting to return to the present. His family was in danger, and he couldn’t let himself sit in these memories any longer. When he finally could focus on reality again, Erik was squeezing Oskar close to him, but his single arm loosened as he too blinked himself back to the present. Eyes locked on the horizon; Oskar tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

Their attacker’s cautious advance had halted completely. From the cavern behind them, a brilliant blue light filled the valley as the sound behind Oskar got closer. In a flash, a familiar bob-tailed calico shot between Fox’s legs, slowing just long enough to rub its head on the inside of her right boot before she shot off towards their attackers.

I know that cat. From the hotel, back on earth!

The large calico had barely cleared Fox’s legs when a thousand more cats surged forth from the cavern behind Oskar. Countless forms moving with a pattering, rhythmic grace like a living river. A quick, sleek jet-black cat suddenly stopped and nuzzled Penny, who was looking at the cat like it had lost its damn mind.

Oskar barely had time to read the name on its collar, “Mage,” before it gave him a wink and rocketed off towards their enemies.

Another cat with a tag that said “Ash” jumped up on Erik’s shoulder, purring. It watched the other cats running by for a moment before giving Erik a little headbutt and jumping off his shoulder to race after the others.

Staring, Oskar noticed frost on the fringes of the cats’ fur, leaving icy crystals glistening under what should have been oppressive heat.

A surreal vanguard surged forth, a riot of colors from pitch black and spotted gray to calico and orange tabby cats. Their advance was noiseless, but Oskar noticed every step left behind a footprint of blue sand.

He barely had time to register that little tidbit of information as the wind surged stronger, now carrying the chill of winter like a distant, impossible promise of snow.

An ethereal shimmer, the same color as the glow behind them, surrounded the cats, exuding an aura of intimidation. The shiver that had started on Oskar’s ran neck down his spine, completely unrelated to the gusts of icy wind that buffeted them from behind.

It was the PUB that reacted first.

// What… and I can’t stress this enough… the HELL is happening? //

Uh, I missed the memo on magic cat armies myself. It’s hilarious that you’re asking me.

// I wasn’t really asking, more exclaiming. //

Before Oskar could come up with an answer, another strange notification appeared.

/// Gambit Received: Crystal Cavern

Make it through the cavern to meet the power that is holding this world together.

Rewards: You'll see.

Difficulty: You literally just walk through the cavern. Harder for some than others.

Failure: I like you, please don't make me get creative. ///

Oskar tried to ask who the message belonged to, but the presence was gone before he could even begin to form the question.

// Again, that wasn’t me at all. //

I know, i know. It was blue. Plus, it was well written and only threatened me once.

// I’m gonna kill yo… Okay, maybe you have a point. //

Touwon and Fox must not have gotten that Gambit, they didn't react at all.

// Maybe it's because I'm special. //

Oskar decided it was best not to take the bait on that one.

There wasn’t much to watch after the cats charged. Individually, they’d just seemed like cats, but as a …herd?… they were focused and dangerous. Switching targets as they followed the lead of the calico.

How is the cat from the motel here?

It was a good question. He’d just went from almost certain death to seeing a herd of cats mow down a huge group of Hyenas, though, and couldn’t muster up much logical curiosity in the midst of so much new wonder, especially when Oskar knew the chances of getting answers were likely nil.

// Your curiosity hydra grows more and more formidable. I blame you. //

Hey, PUBs; I know Hyenas aren’t dogs, you made that annoyingly clear, but being vaguely doglike and being murdered by cats is probably not gonna land them a great place in Doghallah, right?

// Oh… oh no. That’s not even close and you know it. Please, just no. //

Oskar’s Goggles tinted the world a sick green color, which was apparently his PUB showing its disgust, while the group watched the strange action unfold. The chilly wind blowing out of the cavern and the strange blue glow was still at their backs.

// A better question is why are some of them transparent? //

Another good question. All Oskar could do was mentally shrug.

There were no more memories, but there was a moment that Oskar smelled rain in the breeze. The smell wasn’t tied to a specific memory, but it still gave him an unexpected longing for something he, like most adults, grew out of early in life: to stand in the rain… to look up and close your eyes and just enjoy it. Unfortunately, there was no rain, only the scent of rain and pine.

They watched the oddly coordinated army of cats in the distance close in on the big shadow creature. It was throwing its head back in silent screams as it put up quite a bit more fight than the Hyenamen themselves. They watched a few of the cats pinwheel through the air, thrown by the creature’s enormous arm. Naturally, the cats landed on their feet, appearing unharmed, and immediately darted back into the fray. In the distance, the black cat they’d met at the mouth of the cave, “Mage,” tripped up a Hyenaman that was turning to flee, and was at the Hyenaman’s throat before it hit the ground.

In the middle of the chaos, the shadow beast roared in its two-toned voice, its head thrown back, limbs thrashing in wild arcs. Oskar watched as the calico darted in and out, its movements too swift to track. A jet-black cat vaulted off its back, clawing a line that briefly flared along the creature’s side before vanishing. Each new maneuver revealed an intelligence behind the chaos—a battle plan only the cats could understand.

The shadow creature, though, was enduring the assault much better than the rest, and was throwing the cats off himself almost as fast as they latched on. The shadow-creature occasionally tried in vain to use its massive arm to smash the cats that drew close. Just the thought of it connecting worried Oskar, but the cats could obviously take care of themselves.

Oskar wondered if his group should risk trying to help, but then the big, bob-tailed calico leaped right onto the shadow creature’s face and then it sank down into the sea of fur like the rest of the Hyenamen. After that creature fell, a few of the cats relaxed. They stretched out or wrestled among themselves, throwing up tufts of now blue sand while others viciously chased down the few survivors that attempted to flee.

The mouth of the cavern seemed to breathe, the icy wind now carrying faint whispers of something ancient and curious that resonated with Oskar. Blue light spilled outward now in gentle pulses, each one tugging at Oskar’s chest like a silent invitation- or a command.

As the battle winded down, the icy wind settled into a cool, pulsing breeze. Oskar could have sworn he heard heavy footsteps fading as the wind continued to lessen, and Oskar knew the time to enter the cave had come. Not just because of the Gambit, but the feeling of being in the gaze of a predator passed and as the silent invitation cavern called to them.

Oskar, still leaning gently on Erik, watched as more cats meandered back towards the cave unhurriedly, some choosing instead to stretch out in the suns’ heat.

/// Please...come inside. We have much to talk about. - Bastet ///