I am returning to a camp in disarray. The conjured stuff is still there. In fact, it feels more durable here. I wonder why that is. Everything else, like for example the solar cells, is gone. Zora has been expecting me.

Z: Hi, we have kind of an emergency. We need to leave.

P: I see. Any particular place we need to go to?

Z: Nope. Just away to a place not known to our enemies.

This is a time to act.

P: Then we will have to do a mass teleport. If you have packed everything, call everybody together. The unconcious will have to be carried.

I call back Argus#1 and extent my aura to the maximum. With people without an aura power there is no point in risking an unwelcome surprise for illusionary stealth. Zora jogs away, presumably to gather people. Karolína and Pavol are stepping outside the awning bearing a stretcher with Adam on it. Stjepan in an impressive display of strength has put Natalija on his shoulder.

P: You will have to physically carry him in your arms. We can ask our visitors to carry Jan. Teleportation needs direct physical contact or, well technically indirect physical contact.

PN: What do you mean by that?

P: We will need to hold hands and build chains. I am fortunate enough to have four of them. You can build chains. But you could not, for example, sit down on a sofa and I teleport you by touching the sofa.

I can feel an essence in his aura. Stjepan is a very dilligent boy. He does not ask, so he knows how I can tell. But that can wait. Two of our guests are arriving at a jog together with Zora and Lidija. Pavol is gesturing for one of them to join him in the tent. Zora is carrying her car in the backpack. That is a problem if she needs to fly. However, she is too well endowed to strap this thing over her chest with any semblance of comfort. Wait, we are one person short. Lidija anticipates my question.

L: Olutha seems to have left the camp.

They reemerge from the tent. Jan is sharing Natalija’s mode of transport.

That leaves me with a question. Which teleport destination? I have returned so recently that I will be able to aim for the spot righ in front of the fortress, as soon as my my ability will come off its cooldown, which will be in a little less than two minutes. It takes time to organize and gather people. I am not going to put children into a place where people may shoot a crossbow at them.

That leaves the bottom of the wells or up in the plains. As we are fleeing and don’t want to be seen, I’ll go for the secluded spot, flood risk be damned.

I stretch out all fours hands.

P: Form chains of people holding hands terminating on me. I’ll be ready to teleport in ninety seconds.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

KN: Anything we need to be aware of?

P: Don’t let go, I suppose. I’ve never teleported anybody but myself except for the trick we made with my storage space. To me the process feels exhilarating. Everybody ready?

We manage to coordinate. Our visitors seem to be theoretically familiar with the requirements. That means teleportation cannot be that rare. They certainly don’t count on coming back. The younger one of them carried no less than two backpacks and some extra bags on his gear.

This turns into a huge mana sink, but my reserves are up to it. Yet I immediately cast [Cornucopia].

Our visitors stumble to the side almost throwing jan away and hurl out the contents of their stomachs. Karolína rushes to them.

KN: What have you done? Why are they showing side effects?

P: I can only guess that it is a question of getting used to it. You all have made a gigantic trip already.

Her answer is preempted by a soft moan from Adam. He murmurs something in his native language.

P: I think as we don’t know how long we will stay here, we should probably not camp where we could be flooded.

Z: Flooded?

L: Yes, this is a desert, but something must have dug this valley.

PN: Indeed. You can see the high water line. The first terrace on this collapsed escarpment will do. Put tents for the sick right next to the southwestern end. Warmth in the morning; protection from the sun at the other times. That litlle depression that way where the soil has a different colour likely has groundwater at a reasonable depth. Plus we have a free field of fire at the two long sides of the triangle.

L: Well …

PN: Civil defense. We know such things.

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Dean is still quite naseous. But a distraction would now serve well.

DT: So his teleport power must be bronze rank.

RP: Yes. It would make sense if he were a courier.

DT: He does not have intercontinental range. Whence does he come?

RP: A recent arrival by ship to Hornis perhaps. They might be prospectors or something.

DT: He does not use cores, does he?

RP: No. And you are right, someone with a looting power should not need to work as a courier.

DT: Are they family or close friends.

RP: They don’t speak the same language. So this does not seem likely.

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Zora is mining the side of our new site opening to the plateau. I am constructing tents. Lidija has gotten the glamorous task of digging a latrine slit. Leonardo is admiring her power of handling a conjured spade.

Rupert and Dean are preparing a late lunch. At least I hope that we got the point across.

RP: I think we are a bit south from fortress town H27-D.

DT: Building a camp site is a good idea. There may be a very good reason he did not take us there. In fact, what if the reason those bandits did not strike at us, because they were busy taking the fortress town?

RP: You are really cheerful today.

Pavol is telling me about the translated recording.

P: So they can talk to us, but we not to them.

PN: That about sums it up.

P: Now that you tell me about the bandits, I understand why the people in the village attacked me and the fortress town didn’t let me in.

PN: You are saying that this was a big misunderstanding?

P: Yes. You know. I made a photo of that fort. I am going to show them.

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Going by the tone of his comment he is not amused.

DT: Gods violate me with a pinecone instead. They have put up a quarantine flag. Rupert, get me the recording device!