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”Karna! Sidera said they finally got word of off-world traders arriving at the Gathering Point!” Anaire shouted through the open door before rushing in. The elven Princess wore a rather revealing set of clothing repurposed from both Karna’s storage ring and what she had acquired from the locals, a race calling themselves Palennese. The reason her attire was so revealing was because the insides of the dust sleds became extremely hot during the day when the sun of the world scorched the surface.

Karna had actually found out that the world’s sun released a larger than normal amount of radiation, which is why the local species all had an exoskeleton or carapace with traces of a certain metal that reflected the radiation away. That or they lived most of their lives underground. Karna and Anaire had to spend most of their time indoors to avoid any adverse effects, although any damage from radiation could be healed away by someone with enough knowledge and skill. The dust sleds of the Palennese provided ample protection from the radiation but became really warm.

Anaire had been a little wary at first about showing so much skin while essentially living with Karna, but she’d soon gotten over that hang-up due to the circumstances. The two of them had spent a full month traveling around with the nomadic people, and had gotten quite friendly with the Palennese in that time. “We shouldn’t be too far from the place, right?” Karna asked to confirm. She’d been fairly busy with several magical projects for the last week.

The aptly named Gathering Point was a large oasis where the different clans came together when dealing with large issues or when they had to deal with large merchant groups bringing lots of trade. Usually, the clans didn't have more than a few thousand people each and could only carry so much of the products the merchants wanted. Thus the merchants usually liked to deal with several clans in the same place at the same time, instead of hunting them down all over the planet's surface. "We should arrive later today. The improvements you made to the dust sleds really sped our progress. Otherwise, we wouldn't have arrived until next week."

Karna had applied anti-friction magic to the skis under the dust sleds. She didn’t remove the friction entirely as that would’ve brought a whole host of problems, such as making the sleds slide sideways when on inclines, but just the reduced friction allowed them to move much faster and allowed the beasts pulling the sleds to go on for longer without needing rest. “Any word about our companions?” Karna focused on the important point. The meeting with the clans was also to exchange information.

“According to Sidera, no. No sign of our friends. That could be good news, right?” Anaire had mentally leaned on Karna quite heavily in the last month.

“In that they didn’t crash on the same world, yes. We knew that was a strong possibility.” Karna confirmed, but she didn’t sugarcoat the news either. She comforted the elven princess when necessary, but she also made sure to keep things realistic.

Anaire sat behind Karna and leaned against her back while she was working on a small artifact that produced water. Karna knew the gesture wasn’t meant to be anything with frisky undertones. She was pretty sure the girl only needed to feel someone close to her, preferably someone with a comforting presence. The Palaennese didn’t really fit the bill, and Karna had supported the girl this entire affair, so she was a natural and really the only choice. “They’re going to be alright, right?” Anaire asked with a weak voice. She’d asked the same question several times before.

“You know I can’t make any promises, but I have faith in them. Your brother is quite strong, and I suppose he can be fairly reliable as well.” Karna gave a small smile, thinking of the time the Prince had rushed to defend her from the vampire. “You should have some faith in them as well. It’s certainly going to take more than getting stranded to get my friends killed.”

“We can also finally make some progress as well. I realize we’re not getting home yet, but at least we can take a step closer.” Anaire whispered into Karna’s back. “I know you’ve been telling me that all this time, but finally seeing some actual progress is…”

“I know.” Karna turned enough to pat the girl on her shoulder. She knew there was a decent possibility that the traders didn’t want to take them aboard, but she was frankly prepared to resort to violence if that happened. She was no saint, and a trader that was willing to leave two girls stranded in a desert didn't deserve her pity. If she had access to a ship, she could handle the rest. Her navigation information of this universe was hopelessly out of date, but that didn't mean she had lost the skills accrued in previous lives.

“Oh right, that reminds me.” She pulled out a small object made of dark metal that looked a little like a tiny trident.

“What’s that?” Anaire asked with a muffled but curious voice.

“This is a planar tuning fork. I made it a few days ago, and I’ve almost finished tuning it to this world.” Karna explained. Objects that were tied to a particular plane and a certain world could be used to travel between worlds and planes much more easily as they were inherently tied to their place of origin. The construction of such items was extremely hard, as it usually required magical talent at the level of an archmage specializing in spatial magic. Or you could find one that had formed naturally, but those were extremely rare. Karna had used to have an entire library of such objects for this universe back when she'd last been born here, but those were long gone.

“Wait, you can create planar tuning items?!” Anaire pulled away from Karna and stared at her incredulously.

“You forget. I’m the daughter of a Grand Medjai who also happens to be something of an Artificer.” Karna lied smoothly. Well, calling it a lie would’ve been wrong. Everything she said was true, just not the reason she possessed the skill. “It takes a bit of time at my level though. I need to be present at a world long enough to attune to it myself.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have one for our home, would you? That would make our travel back much easier.” Anaire pointed out the obvious.

“Yes and no. The materials required vary greatly from one world to another. This world was easy, but our home is not. I have the right tune memorized, but I didn’t have the materials at hand back then, and I didn’t think we’d have to leave in such a rush that I didn’t have the time to both acquire the materials and complete the process.” Karna grimaced internally. She’d known making the item would be necessary, but she had kept pushing it off. And the materials required for their home were quite rare and expensive. There had always seemed to be more important things and projects.

"Ah, I did hear my mother and brother talk about it once. Apparently, the higher level the world, the more difficult the materials are to acquire. That's one of the main reasons so few of such items existed for our world.” Anaire recalled.

“Anyway, we’d still need a vessel capable of making the trip. We better see what these traders want for passage on theirs.” Karna said as she got up and donned an attire that covered her from head to toes before exiting the dust sled they’d been allowed to use. It was a small one, only enough for a few small rooms, but still quite precious for the clan. Karna had been paying decent rent for its use.

Sidera was standing by as usual. The older male had become their usual point of contact with the clan. “It seems we’re not among the first to arrive.” She commented while peering into the distance where she could see a much larger gathering of dust sleds surrounding a large oasis.

"We do range further than many other clans. Usually, we're among the last and the traders have to wait for us. You could say we're early this time. Although…" He seemed a bit worried as he too peered at the distance.

“It seems something is going on.” Karna finished for him. It looked like the gathered clans were preparing to defend themselves. As were the merchants, whose ship they could both see resting just outside the gathering of dust sleds.

"We need to hurry," Sidera stated firmly. There was no hesitation in his voice. The thought of turning around and fleeing didn’t even occur to him. Of course he and his clan would rush into danger to help defend their fellow people. He dashed off to give out orders to the rest of the caravan.

“He’s a good man, isn’t he?” Anaire stated quietly.

“Yes. A good leader for his people. It will bite him and his people one day, but until then, I wish them all the luck in the world.” Karna agreed. People like Sidera usually found an early grave as they risked too much for others, but until then they were a good example of how things should be. How things could be if everyone pulled together. "Too bad it rarely lasts."

“What’s wrong, can you tell?” Anaire asked with a hushed tone.

“I can smell the presence of death. That means the presence of the agents of the Netherworld.” Karna said firmly. She had a special connection with that particular Scourge.

-----

Osokh made a sound of displeasure as the bolt of venomous magical energy he had launched against the airship crashed into a protective shield. The shield cracked and fractured from the impact but soon repaired itself. The spell had not really been designed to be used against protective shields, as the penetrative power was quite low, but it was still clear that the ship that had come from another world had a decent mage defending it. The local warriors were also standing up and fighting tenaciously, using the terrain well to their advantage. It was a valiant effort, but it was also futile. They would all die, and the only thing that would change was the time it took for them to do so.

It was ironic that the trade ship that was now putting up the stiffest resistance was also the same thing that had doomed this world. The Celestial Host was busy repairing the cracks that had been created by the erratic spatial waves, but many of those cracks were large enough for the Scourges to slip through. Many worlds now had a host of demons or monsters of the Underworld rampaging through them. The Netherworld was much more surgical in their actions. If they could act quickly and quietly, then they could make great gains while the Eternal Enemy was busy repairing the walls of their fortress and dealing with the rampaging demons. Osokh’s legion had slipped through one of those cracks and followed the nearby ship to this barren world.

The numerous sand spirits summoned by the local people made a valiant effort in pushing the undead back. The problem was that when fighting the legions of the Netherworld, you were always in a battle of attrition. Every defender that fell would stay down or could even rise as a low ranking disposable undead under Osokh’s Aura. Every soldier of the legion that fell would rise again, assuming they weren’t struck down by very specific types of power, chief among them holy power. And it didn’t seem that this world had Holy Knights defending it. What luck.

Unfortunately for the defenders, the true soldiers of the legion were not just mindless undead like those raised by feeble necromancers or Osokh’s own Aura. They were skilled warriors that fought with discipline and tactics, and they knew how to take advantage of their ability to come back, making suicidal attacks that would take down a defender with them. Except the defenders didn’t get back up. And the soldiers of the legion would keep returning for as long as Osokh was around. Some of the elites even had enough power to regenerate on their own.

He glanced to the side where said elites stood. Instead of bone, these warriors seemed to be made of living metal, and in their eyes shone the light of malevolent intelligence. “Time to finish this. Onwards Centurions.” He commanded, and the elite troops started making their way to the battle.

They would eliminate the inhabitants of this world and then they'd draw this world into the realm of the Netherworld. The demons or the eldritch abominations might dislike a barren world like this, but for the undead of the Netherworld, the only thing they needed was the spirit energy the world generated. They could harness that energy to create more of their kind. A world like this from the Higher Planes would be a real prize. Sure it wasn’t one of the major worlds, but it would still make a fine Tomb World. It would mean the birth of a new Phaeron. Perhaps even the birth of a new Dynasty! And as the one who made it possible, Osokh would also be rewarded. He might even become a Hierophant!

Suddenly Osokh felt a sense of dread. He tried to use his powers to raise a protective barrier, but it was too late. He felt a lance of some kind of energy thrust its way through his chest, somehow easily bypassing all his defenses, and before he could react, he felt some kind of grand force pushing him into the ground. "Well, well. Having trouble regenerating, lich?" A booming female voice sounded like a thunderclap above him.

The voice was right. He wasn’t regenerating at all! ‘That power was not holy power, so what could…’ If Osokh had still possessed eyes, they would’ve grown larger as he noticed the eerie black glow surrounding the hand of the enormous being that was stepping on him. Dhar! And on the other hand of the over four-meter tall Titan was a sword spirit of some kind that emanated a golden holy glow of the kind that almost blinded him! What was one of these Divine beings doing in a place like this?

He didn’t get to find an answer to his question though, as the glowing blade swung down and ended his unlife.

-----

“It seems our plan worked," Karna said as she finished off the lich. The undead spell-weavers were dangerous opponents when surrounded by their minions, but they became vulnerable when alone. They had waited for the right opportunity, and once the lich had become assured of victory and had sent his protectors to finish things off. That’s when Karna struck. With the head of the legion cut, the rest would soon follow.

The effects were almost immediate. All the undead brought to life by the lich, and those that had relied on the lich to support their regeneration suddenly fell to the ground and stopped moving. That only left the Centurions and the few soldiers that had not been damaged before and even they grew much weaker. In a single moment, the majority of the undead host was gone and the rest could show only a fraction of their power. Anaire crashed into the remaining ones in the form of a giant stag that seemed to glow with green power, trampling many under her unnaturally strong and heavy hooves, while flinging away many more with her antlers. The princess had insisted on taking part as she’d grown fond of the Palennese as well.

“She seems to be having fun.” The golden sword in her hand pulsed as Gem replied to her. The blade was sized to her Titan form and as she swung it around, huge arcs of golden power shot off and cleaved into the ranks of the Centurions. This was one of the benefits of Gem. The spirit could change forms to match the enemy. While Karna couldn’t use holy powers yet, that didn’t mean Gem couldn’t turn into a weapon that could.

Re-energized by the sudden change in the battle, the Palennese struck back with ferocity and started working together to bring down the dangerous undead. The Centurions were individually more powerful than any of the locals, and the necroblades coated with deadly energies could easily cut through their protective carapace. The living metal of the Centurions, in turn, was stronger than any normal armor, which made killing them a real chore, unless of course you had holy power on your side, or you could work together like the Palennese were now doing. One by one the undead warriors fell.

Karna waded straight into the middle of the enemies just so she could feel the pleasure of cleaving the undead warriors down. She had an almost irrational hatred for the minions of the Netherworld, and she would make sure none of them returned back. Even after the battle was finally over, she used the golden flames from Gem to burn away any of the undead corpses even though the metal in their bodies could be quite useful if cleansed of the taint of undeath.

“Karna, that’s enough.” Anaire, now back to her own form, patted her on the leg. In her Titan form, that’s as high as the elven girl could reach.

She released a breath she had been holding for a while. Despite all this time, the old anger was still there. Just the presence of the Netherworld’s energy could cause her to make decisions that were questionable. She had managed to make some good ones today though. The ambush on the lich had saved everyone, and while revealing her Titan form might have been a bit excessive, it worked well as a rallying force for the Palennese, as well as a distraction against the undead. Several lives were spared because the Centurions had aimed at her instead of the Palennese at the end of the battle.

A group of traders approached them, led by an old Naga woman whose scales had turned white due to age. She had likely been the source of the spells that had kept the traders safe during the battle, and she was dressed in the typical toga that the Naga often favored, when they bothered wearing anything. The Naga was holding a fancy looking mage’s staff, and she was flanked by two Khenra guards dressed in nothing but leather armor from waist down.

The jackal-headed beastmen were one of those races you couldn't be entirely sure if they should be counted as beastmen or something entirely separate, just like the Leonid. They were humanoid in shape, tall and lean with graceful and almost sculpted bodies, but had the heads that resembled Jackals atop powerful and thick necks. Their snouts were long and sharp, and they both had a pair of angular ears rise above their heads. Their bodies were covered in sleek hair that was so short and smooth that it almost looked like skin. Karna had noticed that the two warriors had fought more than equally with the Centurions with their long khopesh blades. She had a fondness for the Khenra, as she found them adorable for some reason. Something about them caused the same kind of reaction in her as cute cat videos did in most civilized races with the prerequisite technological level. These two Khenra were twins, as was rather common among their race.

“Greetings great one. Your intervention was most timely.” The Naga woman gave a deep bow, though she had to keep looking up as Karna was still in her Titan form. The merchant had a slightly calculating look as well. “I would not presume to question your motives, but I would wager a guess that you are among those displaced by the recent disturbance. Otherwise, your presence on this remote world defies any common sense. Would I be mistaken in also assuming that you seek passage away from here?"

“You assume correctly.” Karna’s voice boomed. She remained in this form on purpose. It was useful to negotiate from a position of power.

“In that case, I believe we can come to a fair agreement, seeing as your intervention did just save us.” The Naga nodded.

Karna hid a small smile. Of course the trader would still negotiate a price. She wouldn’t be a merchant otherwise. Good thing she had prepared something good just in case. The tuning fork would greatly ease the passage of traders when they returned to this world, especially if there was a risk of further spatial disturbances. She could always make another one for her own use, just in case she needed to return. It was a nice quiet world, and sometimes she liked quiet.