05 May: 12 days to Earth’s destruction

My colleagues believe the humans are dangerous. I disagree. Certainly, they are a violent and bloodthirsty species, but they also possess a capacity for greatness and ingenuity that I find remarkable. In time, the humans may prove to be our salvation. —Arustolyx, gnomish archaeologist.

The next day, the second since Duskar’s ultimatum, the other gates also opened, and humanity was treated to its first sight of elves, gnomes, fiends, and svartalfar. While humanity’s encounters with the elves and gnomes were peaceful, first contact with the fiends and svartalfar—dark elves—was decidedly not.

In fact, both encounters made the New York incident with the orcs appear tame by comparison. The fiends, who were diminutive, scaled, and hoofed humanoids with a long central horn sloping backwards from their heads, emerged from the orange-tinged gates in a fury of flame and fire, and immediately set upon everyone near the Paris gate, civilian and military personnel alike.

In short order, the hapless French armed forces that guarded the gate were slaughtered and the city of Paris set aflame before the fiends, like the orcs before them, disappeared.

The svartalfar were more… refined in their butchery. The dark elves had skin the deepest shade of blue, colourless eyes, and shocking white hair, and wherever they emerged from their black gates, they wrought destruction on a staggering scale.

It took only three svartalfar mages, wielding magical whips of freezing light and calling down the fury of an ice storm—in the middle of summer, no less—to turn the entire city of Tokyo into a frozen waste devoid of life.

I watched the televised mass murders in a state of stunned shock. What possessed the overworlders to slaughter humanity so indiscriminately? Was it not enough that our world was going to be consumed by theirs? Why did they have to so wantonly kill us as well?

“How can any of this be real, Jamie?” asked Mum, in anguish.

“I don’t know, Ma,” I replied. It was a response I was drearily tired of, and it was past time that I worked to rectify my ignorance. “But we have to stop assuming that the happenings around the world won’t affect us. We have to get ready,” I finished grimly.

Mum’s face scrunched up in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

I took her hands in mine and stared into her eyes. “We have to prepare, Ma. We have to begin behaving as if everything that orc Duskar said was true. We have to assume we will be forced to enter this Overworld, and plan for how we will survive there.”

Mum’s hands trembled as her anxiety peaked. “Jamie, I can’t. I don’t—”

“I know, Ma,” I said gently, “but we have to try. The world has changed and the end may be near. We can’t go on as usual. Will you help me? Please.”

“Alright, Jamie,” she said, taking in a tremulous breath. “Where do we start?”

“Research,” I said without hesitation. “Do you remember the gnomes’ broadcast?” After Eric’s call, Mum and I had watched a recording of the gnomish leader’s speech.

Mum tilted her head in thought. “The race of short, chubby people?”

“Yes, that’s them,” I said. “Eric has found a wiki on the internet that they have put together—or said they put together. Our first task will be to learn everything we can from it.”

“How will that help us?”

“The more we learn of Overworld, the better prepared we will be to face its dangers.” I waved my hand over my body. “Even with our handicaps,” I said wryly, “the information will benefit us. Knowledge is power.”

“Oh, Jamie,” said Mum, her eyes filling with distress, just like they did every time I made reference to my crippled state.

I silently cursed myself for my careless slip and momentary self-pity. I needed to keep Mum focused, and she wouldn’t be that if she was dwelling on things that could no longer be changed. I rose to my feet and pulled her up with me.

“Come on, Ma,” I said, leading her to my computer. Sitting her down in my chair, I opened the Trials Infopedia. “This is the wiki page I told you about. Start reading, don’t rush, and ask me about anything you don’t understand.”

“Where do I begin?” asked Mum, staring at the bewildering array of menus and submenus.

“Just the overviews for now,” I said firmly. “We’ll tackle the rest later.”

“Alright,” she said. Seeming determined, Mum pulled on her glasses. She glanced at me. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to figure out a way to get us to a gnomish gate,” I said.

After making sure she was all set, I left her to her research and went into the kitchen. Pulling out my phone, I dialled Eric. He answered immediately.

“Jamie,” he began without preamble, “you’ve seen the news?”

“Yep,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I think it’s time we took this seriously.”

“I couldn’t agree more, my man. Emma is going crazy over here.” Emma was Eric’s girlfriend and the two lived together in my friend’s tiny apartment.

“What? You mean she isn’t taking the coming apocalypse well?” I asked, chuckling. Only with Eric could I be this glib. We had been friends since forever, and he understood me better than anyone else. He knew as well as I did that sometimes only humour could ward off the horrible things life threw at you.

“No, she is not,” he replied with a laugh of his own. “How is your mum doing?”

“She’s… managing,” I replied.

“That’s good,” Eric said. Over the phone, I heard his sigh of relief. Eric had helped me through the worst of Mum’s episodes. He knew how bad it could get. “So, what are you thinking?” he asked.

“We have to assume that we will have no choice but to abandon Earth. Our best bet will be to enter Overworld through a gnomish gate,” I said.

“My thoughts exactly,” he agreed.

“I haven’t been keeping track of the gate locations. We’ll have to find the nearest one—”

“Way ahead of you there, bud. I’ve already checked. There is a gnome gate in the city next to mine, less than five miles away.” He paused, then added reluctantly, “There aren’t any near you though.”

“Damn.” Eric and I no longer lived in the same town. Where I had stayed behind in our hometown, Eric had travelled to one of the big cities in search of a job. “How far away is the closest one from me?” I asked anxiously.

Eric was slow to answer, which only heightened my concern. “The gnome gates are few and far between,” he explained. “They seem to be a much smaller Dominion than both the orcs and elves. The last time I checked there were only four hundred and twenty-seven confirmed sightings of gnome gates worldwide.”

“Quit stalling, Eric. Just tell me.”

Eric blew out a troubled breath. “The nearest gnomish gate to you is the one near me.”

I swallowed. That was a few hundred miles away. Getting to the gate was not going to be simple, but I would manage it. Somehow. “We’ll get there,” I promised.

“I know you will,” said Eric confidently. “I’ll wait for you.”

“Damn right you will!” I exclaimed. Then added more soberly, “But in all seriousness, only wait as long as you can. Go if you have to.”

“I won’t leave you, Jamie,” he said with quiet conviction.

I choked down emotion. Eric’s steadfast loyalty still caught me by surprise at times. “We have to contact the others,” I said, changing the topic.

‘The others’ were the rest of our gaming clan and our closest friends. Most of us had been playing together for years. Considering the nature of the Trials, I thought gamers would best understand the new world and its mechanics.

“You’re right, the more of us that band together, the better our odds of survival,” said Eric. “Leave it to me. I’ll contact the gang. You figure out how to get to the gate.”

“Alright. I’ll call you tomorrow after I’ve checked what’s what. After that, we can confirm our timelines.”

“Wait, Jamie, before you go... did you see the latest gnomish broadcast?”

“No, I haven’t. Why?”

“You gotta watch it. Their representative explained what the orcs, fiends, and svartalfars are up to.”

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“Well, it appears that the destruction the fiends and svartalfar wreaked in Paris and Tokyo was not as senseless as it first seemed. The two races were securing the gate for their retrieval parties.”

“Retrieval parties?” I asked, confused now. “What are they retrieving?”

“Not what—who. The orcs, fiends, and svartalfar are hunting down potential magic users and forcibly abducting them. Even the gnomes and elves are aggressively recruiting, although in a more peaceful manner than their counterparts. Both the elvish and gnomish representatives have publicly offered generous rewards for any human with Magic Potential that will join their cause.”

“Why?” I asked, scratching at my beard. I had to shave, I reminded myself.

“How much of the Infopedia did you read?”

“Not much,” I admitted. “So far, I’ve only managed to get through the overviews.”

“Then you know a person’s Potential is fixed, right?”

“Sure, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“It has everything to do with it. You see, it seems magic is scarce in Overworld—rarer than a fish on dry land. All the Dominions are willing to go to war just for the chance of getting their hands on more mages. The overworlders are using this opportunity to increase their contingent of magic users by compelling humans with Magic Potential into their service.”

“How are they finding their subjects?”

“I don’t know,” said Eric. “The elves and gnomes weren’t clear on that part.”

“Alright,” I said, chewing my lips in thought. I understood as well as Eric what the implications were. If anyone of our friends had Potential for magic, it would improve our odds of survival in Overworld, but it would also paint a target on our backs.

Is there any way we can determine who has Magic Potential beforehand? I wondered, eyes narrowed in consideration. It was evident that I would need to spend far more time wading through the Trials Infopedia. If answers could be found anywhere, it was likely there.

Returning to the present, I said, “Thanks, Eric. I’ll make sure to watch the broadcast. Take care, my friend.”

“Bye, Jamie.”