* * * FRAGATTA – PVT ASH OSHIMO * * *

The prisoners were sitting under the guns of their captors. They were cold and uncomfortable; the rocks they were sitting on were hard and damp. And cold, but then everything was cold. The cave seemed endless. According to his watch Ash knew they had been walking for nearly six hours.

Thankfully the Goth girl had calmed down. She had finally introduced herself as Claudia, She had also explained about her obsession with the tale, the Mountains of Madness.

Ash leaned back against the cave wall as he – rather absently – listened to Claudia’s beliefs. He noted that both their guards and his fellow prisoners were zoning out. Claudia was boring everyone, and the guards weren’t paying as much attention to them as they should. So he had taken the opportunity to check out his newly acquired storage device.

He felt distinctly frustrated. There was nothing of use in the thing, four bottles of expensive bourbon, some gold and silver coins and four clips of .44 ammo. No food or water, no weapon. Not even a lighter.

Ash licked his lips, he needed a smoke, but the bastards had stolen his cigarettes and lighter.

He watched as the two men that had gone ahead to scout returned and reported to the man they all called colonel, and the murdered guy had called Smith. They seemed excited.

Smith stood straight and addressed his men, “Right boys, this endless cave is coming to an end. We are coming to a series of large rooms shortly. Keep an eye out as they contain some strange looking statuary. Right, let’s head out.”

The Militia guys headed out promptly. The prisoners were reluctant to get to their feet. Claudia especially. When they finally got going, being prodded by the two men who were guarding them a substantial gap had opened up between them and the main group of their captors.

Ash heard an odd noise coming from behind but dismissed it as unimportant. Claudia’s gasp of surprise caused him to look back. He was stunned when he saw four marines in tropical uniform, two had stunned or knocked out their two guards, while the other two were gesturing them to head back down the cave away from their former captors.

Ash couldn’t believe his eyes at first, it was freezing and these guys were wearing their tropical gear. However, he grabbed his buddies’ arms and managed – much to his surprise – to get them to stop and head towards potential freedom, without any exclamations of surprise.

The former captives were quickly escorted past a second fireteam by their rescuers. Theo other team were making good use of cover, and they had two LMGs covering the cave.

As they walked back through the long cave, Claudia gasped, “Oh thank god! It’s a portal,” and then she ran and disappeared through it. Ash followed and found himself in an air-conditioned room filled with military personnel. He noted that a medic was checking Claudia, and then as they led her out into the bright sunshine, it was his turn.

After a quick check, Ash was escorted into Pearl Harbor–Hickam where he was going to undergo a rigorous debriefing.

* * * PARTHIA – MARY * * *

Mary made use of the opportunity presented to learn from the rescue effort. Mostly she was impressed, but there were a couple of inconsistencies that grated.

The rescue of the hostages was handled well, but the subsequent ambush of the main force struck her as sub optimal. She even sent in a couple of clerics after the brief firefight, to heal some of the more seriously wounded.

“Why on Earth don’t you integrate some mages in your fire teams? An area sleep spell would have taken most of those amateurs down. The majority weren’t even integrated by the System, and the rest were low levels. Most would have easily succumbed. And before you say you don’t have enough mages, Captain Flores there would make a good mage, as would one of the marine embassy guards, pvt Basinski.”

Flores stared at Mary open mouthed with surprise, “Me?” he asked.

“Yes you,” confirmed Mary. “I’d bet Bluey will offer you the option of various mage classes when you qualify. And all you need to do is accept the possibility, instead of denin’ it so fiercely.”

Forrester chuckled briefly, “And can you spot candidates for mage so easily?”

“Well yeah, at least the better ones. There will be lots of folk who could make a go of mage without – without bein’ truly potentially gifted at it,” clarified Mary.

“And how would a mage learn how to make the most of his magic, and then the captain is a middle aged man. How would he be able to maximise his potential?” inquired Forrester.

“There are mage academies run by the guilds on Parthia, Tarifax and Ambuila. Don’t recommend Ambuila, they are still learnin’. Tarifax, well anyone you send to Tarifax would require a strong stomach given the prevalence of slavery.”

Mary grinned, “Recommend Parthia, an’ not just ’cause it’s where my main dungeon is located. As for the captain’s age, well he could go elf, or dwarf, or I could guide him through an age shift on integration. It’s tricky but possible. But only if he’s on Earth when it happens.”

“And would you trust us on Earth Mary?”

“Couple of places where I would. Yeah Admiral, couple of places I could.”

“Let me guess – in your dungeon,” offered Meadows.

“Yep!” agreed Mary; then she regarded the assembled officers again. She winked at Flores, “If you go with Elf don’t pick Drow. Not unless you want to grant me lots of influence over you. Mind, there would be bennies too.” And she laughed.

Forrester sighed. “And why did you open your portal just outside Pearl Mary?”

“’Cause I’m restricted. ’Specially on Earth, not so much on Ambuila an’ Fragatta. Got to keep close to the seas an’ oceans. An’ I know Pearl well,” answered Mary with a broad smile. “Gotta thank Gallows for that.”

* * * AMBUILA – MARKOWITZ * * *

Markowitz was using his spear as a staff to aid walking. This was his second day on the go. And he had yet to discover water. The monotony of the grasslands was getting him down. So far the only things he had seen that weren’t grass was a lion sunning himself on a yellow-brown rock and some kind of large rat that had attacked him by surprise. By now he was regretting not having fetched the body along.

Now, in the late afternoon, he paused on the top of a small undulation and regarded a line of verdant trees in the distance.

Feeling rejuvenated at the sight, Markowitz set off with fresh energy.

An hour later his spirits dropped again. The trees were green, and they were lining both sides of a wideish ribbon of sand and pebbles. Desperation drove him to remember one of the survival courses he had participated in. Markowitz looked around and located a mid-sized flattish rock. He used it scrape away at the lowest point of the sandy ribbon.

He almost fainted with relief when after digging a hole some twenty centimetres deep the sand started to get wet. After a little more digging he had a pool of slightly murky water.

After drinking and refilling his waterskin he looked around with more interest. He noted that a few of the trees had fruits. He didn’t recognise them, they were flattish ovals, green or green with red and yellow highlights.

Markowitz found that they were mostly stone, but the stone had a thin covering of a rather tasteless flesh. They were not appetising, but they filled a hole and didn’t make him sick. He spent the night in the branches of one of the trees.

The next day he woke with the dawn. He checked his status again, and cursed once again.

« Name: Markowitz – Title: Twiceborn – Patron: Villius of the eyes – Race: Human – Class: Hunter – Level: One – Age: Fifteen »

“Hunter? What the hell! I used to hunt enemies of the establishment, not rats, not animals... I thought I – at least – got to choose my own class.”

After an unappetising breakfast of tasteless fruits and muddy water Markowitz set out to march along the dry riverbed. Heading in a generally downhill direction.

Three days later Markowitz came into sight of the sea. He stopped to survey the scene. He could see a small collection of huts behind a thorn boma. A handful of individuals were hauling both ends of a net ashore on the beach while two individuals were keeping an eye on the net in a dugout canoe.

He could also see several groves of coconut palms spreading out along the shore. His mouth watering at the thought of something different to eat, Markowitz hastened on his way.

* * * EARTH – BLACKROCK * * *

Blackrock had grown. He had excavated downward and expanded upwards into the floors predesigned as his. Surprisingly he had rapidly overtaken his other self, thanks principally to the big gym that had been created in what was now his second level.

The combat instruction and practice were the biggest boosts to his energy levels. The slaughterhouse installed in a corner of his first level helped too. He had shared the templates for cows and sheep with his other self.

Then too he was being encouraged to raise the level of his other self in the hopes that they would be able to form a viable portal.

His defences were a joke. This was increasingly concerning him. Surprisingly the principal impetus for the concern he was feeling was Sarge. Fin could almost swear Sarge was becoming paranoid by the state of their defences, and the constant presence of scientists and their scanners and gear.

Things weren’t all bad, then they had had the amusing story about the civilian contractor who had gone to the courts because the job advert specified no aracnophobes. The man has won his case and then almost died of a stroke when he had found himself stalked and surrounded by their spiders.

According to Sarge he was suing again.