Earth

Algonquin Park Dungeon, Ontario

August 15, 2019

18:54 EDT

“Ooh, looks like we got lucky with that one,” Ben answered. “346D is Raise Skeletal Archer. It works the same way Raise Skeletal Warrior, but even if I learned it, I would only be able to have one skeleton at a time until one of them reach rank two. It may be better for someone else to learn it.”

“At rank two you can summon two skeletons? Does that mean you’ll be able to have one hundred of them at max rank?” Mason asked.

Ben shook his head. “The raised undead spells are rather unique in that each of them only has ten ranks, for a maximum of ten raised undead at a time. There is also a caveat where having Raise Skeletal Warrior at rank two will still only let me summon one Skeletal Archer. At least until Raise Skeletal Archer hits rank two.”

“I think you should still take it. You’ll probably be able to level up the ability a lot faster since an Archer will be out of harm's way and will stay alive longer. You said that you need a skeleton to be active for an hour for the ability to reach rank two, right? You could probably do that tonight.”

Ben seemed to think about it while he was chewing. After he swallowed, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll take it.”

I handed it to Mason who handed it to Ben and then dug around in the pouch for another of the Tier D Skill Gems. Having found one, I rolled it around to see the number.

“The third Tier D Skill Gem is--”

[Jonathan! You and your friends need to get ready to move! Five Spectres will be there momentarily. When they arrive, listen to them!] my mom commanded.

[What’s going on?] I asked, dropping the skill gem back into the pouch and pulling on the drawstring to close it before putting it in my storage.

[There’s been an attempt on your sisters and you could be a target as well. We’re not taking any chances so we’re getting you back here ASAP.]

[My sisters?] I gasped. [Are they alright?!]

[Lucille and Alexis are fine but Aleena took an energy bolt to the shoulder. It went through cleanly, cauterizing the wound along the way. She isn’t in any danger, but she’s being rushed back to the base for surgery.]

[What about the attackers?]

[They’re all dead. They were bounty hunters, though not very good ones. Omar and Yuki were with them and kept them safe. Unfortunately an energy bolt was reflected from one of the other Spectres’ armor and Yuki couldn’t intercept it while in the middle of a fight.]

“Jonathan, what’s wrong?” Anja asked after I went silent.

I looked at her and was about to respond when three people appeared out of nowhere behind Ben and the twins. Anja began standing up, an alarmed look appearing on her face. Some sort of energy field encompassed an area around us and I heard a voice behind me.

“Time to go, boss. There’s no time to waste.”

“Zaszi?” I asked before standing up and turning around.

The petite woman nodded. “Zogyr and I are part of the team shadowing you today. C’mon, we need to go,” she commanded before turning to my friends. “Leave the food, you can eat back at the base.”

“What’s going on?” Mason asked, dropping his slice and unholstering his halberd.

“Zaszi, we don’t have time for this. We need to go, NOW!” a man yelled from behind Ben.

Before Ben and the twins could stand up, we were all teleported just outside of the dungeon building. I turned back to see three of the Spectres pulling my friends to their feet, and a second or two later a massive fireball obliterated the picnic table and surrounding area.

I felt someone grip my arm and begin pulling me into the building, followed right after by Spectres dragging my friends in as well.

“Lock us down!” I heard from behind me.

For a few seconds I was able to see a large area on fire outside the building before my vision was blocked by black metal dropping into place at the doors and all of the windows.

I turned in the direction I was being pulled in and saw a woman pop up from behind the counter. She placed the assault rifle she was carrying on the counter before turning around and raising her hand towards the wall behind her. A moment later the wall started swinging open, and Zaszi pulled me towards it.

“Everything is activated,” the woman said after she had turned back towards us. “The forcefield is up and you will be able to monitor the situation from inside the safe room.”

“Thank you,” Zaszi replied, letting go of my arm, she put her hand on my back and directed me into the safe room.

“What’s going on?!” I heard one of the twins ask.

“You’ll be told in a few minutes, please keep moving,” one of the men answered.

When I was about ten feet inside the safe room, Zaszi stopped prodding me forward and turned back the way we had come. I looked back and saw my friends standing together with the other four Spectres standing behind them. One of the Spectres reached over and pressed a button on a panel on the wall, which triggered the large vault-like door to close behind us.

“Come, sit down. I’ll explain what’s going on,” Zaszi said, gesturing to the conference table in the middle of the room before moving to sit down herself.

My friends and I followed while monitors all around the room began turning on, displaying the outside area. The picnic table we were sitting at, and the area nearby were still on fire, and it seemed like it wouldn’t end anytime soon. It was already spreading to the nearby foliage, though the four men and three women standing outside of the forcefield didn’t seem too concerned about it.

As we watched, six of them started spacing themselves out evenly around the forcefield, while the seventh actually started levitating. She moved until she was perhaps one hundred feet directly over the top of the building before stopping. As soon as she stopped she raised her staff, a red shield enveloping her. The shield looked identical to the one my friends and I had trouble dealing with less than an hour ago.

Shortly after the shield enveloped her, the other six people simultaneously lifted their own staves and, with a gesture, began firing off streams of fire directly at their compatriot. When the streams collided with the shield, it grew incredibly bright forcing us to avert our eyes from the monitor. In another monitor, we could see a very similar stream, though many times more powerful, if the size of it was any indication. It was at least ten times larger than the other six streams being fed into it, and was being fired right down on the forcefield protecting us.

“Is that going to be a problem?” I asked.

“No,” Zogyr, who was standing behind me, said. “There is a fusion generator powering the forcefield as well as a backup we can channel our mana into if it becomes necessary. All that is moot anyways, as we have--”

I had spun my chair around when he started speaking, and a few seconds after he stopped talking, I saw all the color drain from his face. Looking at the other Spectres, I saw that they all looked the same.

“What?” I prompted.

“We thought other Spectres would be descending on this area quickly, but no one is coming,” Zaszi said, drawing my attention back around to her. “We just got word that those people out there are members of a group called Hellraisers. They’re very, very high level bounty hunters, and we wouldn’t be able to match them. There are ten members in the group and we’re only seeing seven, which means the other three are somewhere nearby, probably patrolling the area.”

“Hellraisers? Why have I never heard of them?”

“They’re not from Earth, so you wouldn’t have. I am surprised they are here already with Kaldrus Dhir only learning your location a few days ago.”

“If no one is coming, how do we get out of this? Can we teleport out?”

Zaszi shook her head. “They’ve got a jammer in place preventing anyone from teleporting in or out. We would need to make it outside of the jamming field to be able to teleport or open up a portal back to the base.”

“Why don’t they just get one of the ships on the moon to come down and take them out?” Mason asked.

“Only two of the ships up there have shrouds, and they’re not very powerful. A ship appearing would prompt the Hellraisers to switch targets, and they could easily destroy either of those ships in less than a minute.”

“That’s not entirely true,” I said. [Abi, I trust you’ve been monitoring the situation?]

[I’m already on my way down, Jonathan. Do you want me to scare them off or eliminate them?]

[Is there any chance you can capture them?]

[If I had more time to prepare, yes, but we don’t have time for that. The strength of the fire stream being fired at the shield is increasing by the second. I estimate that the fusion generator will no longer be able to generate enough power to sustain the forcefield in seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds. The backup generator wouldn’t even add a minute to that, even with everyone in that safe room channeling their mana into it. I will be there in less than six minutes, so you can see what I mean about not having time.]

[Zaszi said that there are ten members in the Hellraisers group but we’re only seeing seven on the monitors here. If you can find the other three, then eliminate them all. If not, scare them off.]

[I’ll begin scanning as soon as I get close enough, which will be in four minutes or so.]

[Alright, thank you,] I said. “Abi will be here in six minutes or so. She’ll take care of the situation and then we can leave.”

“Take care of the situation how?” one of the men in Zaszi’s team asked.

“Two options. If she can find where the other three are, then she’ll eliminate the entire group. If she can’t, then she’ll just scare them off.”

“Why not just capture them?” the same man asked.

“She said she doesn’t have enough time for that. Apparently the fire stream that they’re firing at the shield is getting stronger and stronger and in less than seven minutes the fusion generator won’t be able to produce enough power to keep it up.”

“Can’t we use the backup generator?”

“It won’t help much, I’ve seen this sort of tactic before,” Zogyr said, pointing to the monitor showing the woman hovering over the forcefield. “She is using Fire Shield to absorb all of the fire damage being directed at her, substantially increasing her own fire damage. Normally, the damage increase is temporary, but they’re using a spell that never stops doing damage while it is channeled. That allows the damage to stack up until they run out of mana and can’t sustain it anymore, though I don’t think that will happen anytime soon. Exhaustion would probably force them to stop before their mana ever gets low.”

“How is she keeping Fire Shield active while channeling that spell?” Mason asked.

“Fire Shield is a toggleable ability, so as long as she has enough mana to maintain it and the spell she is channeling, it will stay active,” Ben answered. “If I’m not mistaken, the fire spell they’re using is Conflagrate. Both are Tier S abilities.”

An alarm started going off right after Ben finished talking, causing Zogyr to walk over to one of the computers and begin typing on it. “Looks like Abi was right. We’ve got about five minutes now before the shield will be incapable of generating enough power.

Unlike everyone else, my attention stayed on the monitors showing the four men and two women who were channeling Conflagrate, if that’s what the spell was. Shortly after the alarm sounded, all six of them looked skyward and in the same direction.

[I’m assuming you just entered the atmosphere, Abi? It seems that the group knows something is coming.]

[There is no helping it, I’m sure a lot of people heard the sonic boom. I’ve discovered the location of the jammer blocking teleportation. It is approximately five hundred feet directly over the building you’re in.]

[A shrouded ship?]

[Yes. It is a surprisingly good shroud, but not good enough to fool my sensors, especially in atmosphere. What would you like me to do with it? I’m sure I could shoot it down, but that would make it very hard to hide what has taken place here.]

[Can you fire off a warning shot when you get in range and then hail them? Tell them that you’ll be forced to shoot them down if they don’t stop assaulting the forcefield within ten seconds.]

[I’m within range now.]

[Alright, do it.]

My eyes were glued to the monitors and I saw the heads of all six of the Hellraisers on the ground snap to the direction Abi was coming from. A second later their heads were all turning again where a tree could be seen falling and dirt was thrown into the air.

“This is King Jonuth Kidravia’s ship hailing the ship under the control of the Hellraisers. You have ten seconds to cease your assault or I will open fire. Next time it will not be a warning shot,” we all heard Abi say via the speakers located in the corners.

I started counting in my head and when I got to nine, I saw all seven of the Hellraisers stop casting. A moment later they disappeared.

“Good choice,” Abi said. “Leave Earth and make sure you never return. I have added your ships’ engine signature to my data banks and will know if you return. If that happens, I will destroy your ship. Consider this your first and final warning.”

[I’m going to shadow them to see where they go,] Abi sent. [I detected three lifesigns on board prior to my transmission and now I’m detecting ten, so I’m confident they’re all aboard. The jammer preventing teleportation has been disabled, so you’re free to leave.]

[Thanks, Abi, you’re the best.]

[You’re welcome, Jonathan. I’ll let you know what happens.]

“Abi said that their ship is heading into space. She’s going to follow them to see where they go, but reported that there were ten lifesigns detected on the ship shortly after they disappeared. She also said that she’ll know immediately if they return.”

“Why not just have her eliminate them?” Anja asked. “They were coming after you and letting them live just gives them the opportunity to try again. What’s stopping them from leaving, getting a ship Abi can’t track and coming right back?”

“She’s got a point, Jonathan,” Zaszi said. “They took a contract to capture or kill you, and they’re not the sort of group to give up so easily. They will be back, sooner or later.”

I turned away from everyone and started pacing back and forth, struggling between letting them go or giving my first order to have people killed. There was nothing but silence in the room while I paced, everyone waiting to hear my decision.

[Mom, I need some help with a decision.]

[I’m sure you do,] she replied. [Abi has been keeping all of us updated. As far as I can see, you only have two options available. You can’t let them leave to try again, so you have to take them out, or convince them that trying to fulfill the bounty isn’t in their best interests.]

[How do I do that? Even if they say they won’t try to fulfill the bounty, that doesn’t stop them from changing their mind and trying at a later time.]

[You’re right about that. You should also know that the Hellraisers are part of a larger group of bounty hunters and mercenaries, with many different groups making up the whole. There is a chance that eliminating the Hellraisers prompts their parent group to declare war on us. I’m sure by now they’ve already reported back to their leaders and are waiting for instructions.]

[You’re not making this any easier, you know!]

[No one ever said being a leader was easy,] she said with a chuckle. [You’re going to have to make many such decisions after Dhir is finally taken care of.]

[What would you do?]

[Uh-uh, you’re not getting off that easily. You need to be the one to make the decision.]

I was silent for a moment, thinking about a possible solution.

[How big is their parent group in comparison to The Indomitables? Would Xigios or his daughter know the leaders?]

[Very small in comparison. They’re called The Storm Bringers, by the way. An apt name for how they operate. The Indomitables are setup like an actual military, and operate as such. The Storm Bringers are highly specialized individuals formed into groups like the Hellraisers you encountered. They very rarely mass up, and even if they do, they don’t have all that many ships. Xigios and Esriro might know about The Storm Bringers, but you’d have to contact them.]

[Alright, I think I’ve got something in mind. How is Aleena doing?]

[After doctors confirmed there wasn’t any serious damage, she was put into a med chamber to help facilitate faster healing. She’ll probably be released tomorrow, and be as good as new. No scars or anything.]

[Good. I’m going to have Zaszi and Zogyr’s team bring my friends back to the base and then I’m going to get Abi to teleport me to her if she’s still in range. It’s time for a chat with Xigios and then the leaders of The Storm Bringers.]

[Okay. Just make sure you’re back tomorrow in time for your date.]

[I will, even if I have to get her to make another shuttle so I can fly back while she continues monitoring the Hellraisers.]

My mom chuckled. [Alright, good luck.]

[Thank you.]

I turned back to the other nine people with the room with me and looked at my friends, who were still sitting down. “Alright, you four are going back to the base with Zaszi’s and Zogyr’s team while I go take care of this. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to continue in the dungeon.]

“Go where?” Mason asked.

“Wherever Abi is right now,” I answered taking the Beacon out of my storage. “I’ll probably see you guys in the morning, but if not, keep the meeting with Tamara Ridley. Check on my sisters as well, please. They were also targets, but were mostly unscathed. Aleena took an energy bolt through the shoulder, but my mom said that she will be no worse for wear after a night in a med chamber.”

“Your sister was shot?!” Sonja exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“It’s been less than twenty minutes since I got word it happened, and things have been pretty hectic since then.”

The twins chewed me out for not telling them, both the twins and my sisters becoming fast friends over the past few days. When they were done, one of the Spectres ended the lockdown and Zaszi opened a portal. After saying our farewells, everyone transited through the portal and I was left alone.

[Abi, are you within range to teleport me up to you?]

[Only just. Would you like me to teleport you up now?]

[Yes please. I need to have a chat with some people and need you to put me in contact with them.]

[Alright, standby.]

A few seconds later, I was teleported to the bridge aboard Abi. When I got there, all the screens around the bridge started lighting up allowing me to see outside of the ship. I was mesmerized by the view out of a few of the port screens, which were displaying the ringed planet, Saturn, as we passed it.

“So who are you contacting first?”

“Xigios or Esriro, whichever is available. Did you detect the Hellraisers ship sending any transmissions after they left the planet?”

“I did. It was encrypted but I was able to decipher it pretty quickly.”

“Do you know where they sent the transmission to? I may have to pass that information along if The Storm Bringers don’t accede to my demands.”

“I have. They sent the transmission to a planet named Kuirilia just within the Scyftan border with The Confederation. I’m assuming you wish to send Xigios and his fleet?”

“If it comes down to it, yes. First I need to talk to Xigios and his daughter. Can you initiate a transmission, please?”

“Initiating now.”

Somewhere in the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy

The Indomitables’ Ship - Nira’s Revenge

11:16 SET (19:16 EDT)

August 16, 12610 (August 15, 2019)

“Captain, we’re receiving a transmission from Abi. Audio and video.”

“Video, eh? Put it up, Anuna,” Xigios said, setting the tablet down on his lap and looking at the screen that had activated in front of him.

Xigios wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t the young human man sitting in front of him. He had short black hair and blue eyes and was much taller than Xigios’ three foot ten inch frame. He wore what reminded him of Spectre armor from over fourteen hundred years ago, but it looked different.

“Xigios Dryth?” the man asked with a smile. “My name is Jonuth Kidravia. I need to speak to you on an urgent matter.”

Xigios’ eyes grew wide and he quickly rose up off his chair before kneeling with his head down. “Milord!”

“Get up!” Jonuth barked

Xigios looked up at the man but otherwise stayed kneeling. He noticed the disapproving look on Jonuth’s young face and stood back up.

“My apologies, mi...”

“No, I should be the one apologizing. I have only recently learned of my heritage and I don’t like people kneeling before me. Or calling me ‘sire’ or ‘milord’ for that matter. ‘Sir’ or ‘boss’ is fine, otherwise just call me Jonuth or Jonathan.”

“I understand, sir,” Xigios said, sitting back down. “What can I help you with?”

“An attempt was made to assassinate or capture my sisters and I no more than thirty minutes ago. They failed and we drove them off, but we learned that the group that assaulted me goes by the name Hellraisers. What can you tell me about the mercenary group The Storm Bringers?”

“Not a whole lot, unfortunately. They’re a relatively new mercenary group, having formed approximately two hundred years ago. I do know that every member in The Storm Bringers is of a higher level than the average in most of the other mercenary groups, or armies for that matter. They rely purely on spells rather than more modern weaponry when it comes to combat on the ground, and can take on much larger armies if they all gather to form into an army. Fortunately that doesn’t happen very often, as they tend to take on smaller jobs. They don’t have a very large navy, and as a result, tend to be one of the more nomadic mercenary groups, rather than having a permanent home base. Esriro can definitely tell you more, but she is occupied right now.”

“Do you know any of the leadership? I’m going to be contacting them shortly to get them to give up their contract on my sisters and I. If they don’t, then I’ll have Abi open fire and destroy the ship we’re currently tailing. I was told that The Storm Bringers would declare war on me if I took out the Hellraisers. How likely is that.”

“Very likely. They’re very protective of their own and wouldn’t appreciate an entire team being taken out. I know the name of the leader of the group, a Jotunn named N’ardil Vilos, but no one else. Before Esriro joined The Indomitables she was in a number of different mercenary groups. Chances are she has met some members of The Storm Bringers. Would you like me to ask her to stop what she is doing so she can speak with you?”

“Yes, please. I’ve got an important decision to make, and would rather not be in conflict with another group of people if I make the wrong choice.”

“Very well, I’m going to transfer you over to her. It will probably take a minute or two for her to get to a secure area, but the next face you see will be hers.”

“Thank you. I may ask her to transfer me back to you when we’re done talking.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Xigios typed hit some buttons on the pad beside him and the screen in front of him went back to displaying the logo for The Indomitables.

[Esriro, I am transfering a transmission to your tablet. Get somewhere secure and talk to the young man on the other end.]

[Can this wait? I’m in the middle of something here!]

[No. It’s important and you’ll see just how much when you talk to him.]

[Ugh. Alright, I’ll head to one of the vacant rooms on this deck and talk to him in a minute. Who is it, anyway?]

[You’ll see.]

“Ladies, I apologize, but I’ve got something to take care of. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Esriro said before turning to Kylli and lowering her voice. “Keep them entertained until I get back. Xigios wants me to talk to someone and he’s being cryptic about it.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Kylli said with a smile, knowing how Xigios could be.

Esriro nodded and turned to leave the room. Turning left, she walked for about a minute before coming up to one of the many vacant rooms kept for any guests who might come aboard Nira’s Revenge. After pulsing mana at the door to open it, she made her way in and closed it behind her. As she walked over to the table, she took her tablet out of her storage and tapped on it. After sitting down, she brought up the transmission noticing that was from Abi. Tapping the button to accept the transmission, she started talking before realizing that it was audio and video, not just the former.”

“Hey, Abi! What’s--you’re not Abi.”

“No, I’m not,” the man said with a chuckle. “My name is Jonuth Kidravia.”

“Really? I was expecting someone...older.”

Jonathan broke into soft laughter again. “I’m technically older than you are, if not physically. Sorry to drag you away from the abused women, but I’ve got a problem and need your help.”

“How did you know what I was doing?”

“Abi,” Jonathan said, simply.

“I should have known,” Esriro grumbled. “Alright, what do you need help with?”

Esriro listened as Jonathan explained what had happened and told her that her father said that she could tell him more. She could, and did, of course. She had spent decades working alongside N’ardil Vilos and a few of the other mages who made up the leadership group of The Storm Bringers.

“Abi, I’m sending the code that will allow you to initiate a transmission to N’ardil Vilos. You can bet that she is at Kuirilia right now, but she won’t remain there after this transmission. Keep me in the transmission, but make sure that she can’t see me. I’ll step in if necessary and see what I can do.”

“I’ve got it. Initiating the transmission now.”

Kuirilia

The Storm Bringer’s Base

11:48 SET (19:48 EDT)

August 16, 12610 (August 15, 2019)

The large Jotunn woman was bored listening to reports her underling was going over, as she usually was every day at around this time. There were many such operations going on around the galaxy, and she liked to be kept current on events, even if it was boring. There was some excitement a little over thirty minutes ago when one of her best teams reported in, explaining that they had to flee and were requesting orders. If wasn’t often that they had to flee, but that they did showed that they were facing someone, or something, that was very dangerous.

She had ordered them back to the base, knowing that it would take them two months for them to return. It had been by chance that they had a team nearby when the bounty was put out, and it was an easy decision to have the team redirected to the planet their quarry was located on. She hardly even glanced at the names of the targets, knowing that they would be able to make short work of them, or flee if it became necessary.

N’ardil Vilos was saved from her boredom when she heard a chime coming from her large, oversized tablet that was sitting on her desk. Her underling scurried away at a glance, N’ardil accepting the transmission as soon as they were out of sight.

“Esriro, good to see--you’re not Esriro…,” she said, her voice sounding deeper and more masculine, thanks to her large size.

“Nope. My name is Jonuth Kidravia, and a friend of mine just foiled an assassination attempt by a group in your organization. Hellraisers is the name they go by, I believe?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No? Then you won’t object to me ordering my friend to obliterate their ship?”

An angry expression appeared on N’ardil’s face, directed at the puny man in the transmission.

“If you so much as sneeze in their direction I will recall all of my forces and launch an assault on you and everyone else on that backwater planet!” she bellowed.

The man on the other side of the transmission just laughed, aggravating the Jotunn woman even further. Jotunn were known for having very short fuses, not that Jonathan knew that, and the woman was about to blow.

“No, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve got two options. Option one is that you order your team back and never come near me and my sisters ever again. I’ll forgive your transgressions and we’ll go on as if we’d never met. Option two is I destroy the ship I am currently following and then spend the next few months tracking down the rest of your teams and eliminating them too. When I’m done with them, I’ll track you down and The Storm Bringers will cease to exist.”

N’ardil guffawed when she heard the puny man’s demands while he just sat there with a smile on his face.

“You and what army?” she asked, still chuckling.

Suddenly, the display split and a Scyftan woman appeared. “My army,” Esriro said. “Nice to see you again, N’ardil.”