As one might expect from a book titled Portal Theory: A Treatise on Gates as Well as All Manner of Natural and Artificial Portals, it was filled with copious information and very, very dry. It hardly spoke of fantastic places that one could get to with a portal- or what one might summon with a Gate spell intended for such a purpose.

Instead, it contained practical information as well as tables calculating difficulty depending on various things such as familiarity with destinations, connectedness of planes, duration of the portal, and various other factors. Based on what I understood, I could almost certainly create a portal to somewhere in Mossley once I could cast Gate without passing out. New Bay seemed highly ‘connected’ to all sorts of things, and my world in particular through either coincidence or intention.

I was no longer pushing myself to reach the point where I could do that- Izzy had chosen not to return immediately, and I liked my new life. The ability to do so would inevitably be acquired, since I had the spell and just needed a bit larger of a mana pool to handle the amount required for that particular spell. I could attempt to use it at reduced mana, but creating a stable connection was important.

After a particularly long winded section, I closed the book that had only found its way to me with the help of a local magical phenomenon. I had at least confirmed it was sent by Master Uvithar, and he simply couldn’t achieve it directly.

Nearby, Midnight was playing with his Feline Frolic Mark III handheld game system. The ease of use definitely pleased him, as it was designed just for people like him instead of for someone larger, and with hands. I couldn’t say if the games were any better or worse than the ones in this world, as I had limited exposure to such things outside of brief visits to an arcade, which was an entirely different category than what could be had at home.

Overall, it was a peaceful evening until a wave of despair came over Bay View Heights. It was an immediately recognizable feeling, not one I could have forgotten even if I wanted to. Which I kind of did sometimes. I immediately gathered the mana for Mental Freedom, augmenting both Midnight and myself.

“It’s just outside,” I called to Midnight. “Can you call it in while I grab my stuff?” I ran to my room, picking up my staff and slipping on my jacket. There wasn’t time to suit up in the whole suit, but there were a lot of important bits inside my torso that the armored jacket could protect.

In the brief time it took me, I could feel Gloom’s power remained more or less in the same spot. Given that even those without any sensing potential would have no choice but to feel Gloom while active, either Gloom was waiting or occupied by someone else. I could only presume Gloom was after me, since Gloom wasn’t in the habit of randomly attacking apartment buildings.

“Done,” Midnight said as he hopped up onto my outstretched hand, to then be lifted onto my shoulder. “The Brigade is notified, at least.”

“Ready?”

“For this?” Midnight gave off a sensible wave of uncertainty. “Who can be? But we can’t just sit here.”

Our first floor apartment had easy access to the outside, leading to the little walled garden area everyone shared. Gloom wasn’t directly outside, but around towards the back. As we turned the corner, I picked out what was delaying Gloom. Specifically, a writhing mass of tentacles attempting to wrestle against the darkness Gloom exuded.

Jim. I debated calling out to him, unsure whether that would distract him or Gloom more. I didn’t want another friendly fire situation like Great Girl, but on the other hand Jim didn’t have claws so I’d probably be good.

Hoping to hit Gloom with a Firebolt or Sonic Lance was fruitless- most likely I’d just damage something else. Possibly Jim. Gloom did have a position, but I couldn’t pick it out among everything else. I needed something… of course! I had Arcane Sight. It wasn’t cheap, but it was kind of important. I gathered and expended the mana necessary for that, and my eyes began to adjust to the greater and lesser concentrations of power.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one with the ability to sense power usage. At the same moment I was beginning to pick out a concentration of power, it swarmed towards me. I lowered my staff defensively, intending to make use of the stored charge for a dispel. Realizing how much it had helped me in the past, I made sure to keep it full at all times. It held somewhere around ten points of mana in its core, though I wasn’t quite sure at its level of efficiency when used.

Gloom apparently didn’t have to follow the laws of momentum, as her? trajectory jerked suddenly to the side, slipping past my readied staff. Claws of darkness raked along my side, tearing away at my mental defenses. My staff whirled but found no purchase- and so I kept the power constrained. I didn’t want to expend it all counteracting the spooky darkness which could likely just be reformed.

I spun around to keep track of Gloom’s movements, looking for the areas of highest concentration of mixed illusory and necromantic energy. It didn’t fully fit in the mold of magic and those schools, but that was the best I could approximate.

My staff remained in a defensive position, but Gloom’s speed continued to prove too much. Once again my guard was bypassed- but this time, Midnight was ready. As focused as I had been on the power within my staff, I almost missed the small amount of mana Midnight dumped into the spell. I didn’t miss the effects, however. As Gloom’s ‘claws’ touched my side, electrical charge retaliated as I found my torso charged with Shocking Grasp.

False visions of sinking in despair forced their way into my head. I was trapped forever in a place I could not escape without any help. Except of course, it was not forever, but only a brief instant, made ever more transient with the help of Mental Freedom. At the same time, Gloom cried out in frustration, a voice that was more whispers and background noise than words.

I couldn’t directly take many more hits before my Mental Freedom would fall apart, and I shouldn’t be counting on it anyway. I just had to anticipate movements, even if they were weird. I also held onto my pride in Midnight, with his clever use of a basic spell.

My eyes picked through the darkness, they way it glowed with power both strengthening and weakening the effect. Parts of it were much less pleasant to look at with Arcane Sight, but I could make out what was happening better. There was the sweeping form of Gloom, a mass of energy.

A straightforward approach, but I knew that wouldn’t remain. I tried to look for eyes, but there was only a shapeless mass taking form into something with a new mask, revealing little of the eyes beyond their mere presence.

The shape sunk, then suddenly jerked upwards. I wasn’t going to be fooled by sudden changes forever, and my staff had been readied to swing anywhere. Both ends were equally valid, and I brought it up into the guts of the shape jumping over me, unleashing the magic.

The darkness unraveled, turning into nothing. Nothing at all. Not a cloaked and masked figure, but erased from existence entirely. Like it didn’t exist in the first place. Which apparently it didn’t.

Midnight’s alarm caused me to whip my head around half an instant before I sensed something myself as what I could only presume was the real Gloom charged towards me with two extended arms. A direct assault like that would do more than give me a little discomfort, but I’d neglected to cast Haste and my staff couldn’t reach in time.

Then the darkness was yanked backwards, black tentacles wrapping around neck and shoulders. Gloom’s power minimized what I could see of the results, but I pictured something like a suplex as the form of Gloom was tossed almost out of the spooky area around us, and I heard something slam into the ground.

“Midnight, Haste please,” I said. A temporary mistake could be rectified. I prepared myself to recharge the staff and then Haste Jim as well, but Gloom’s field swiftly retreated. I saw three of four concentrations of power, and I had to leave Jim’s buff for later.

All of the gatherings slithered over the wall, and I scrambled up behind them. They each split down different alleys or up the sides of buildings. I could chase one, but I would probably lose the others. Instead, I watched them all, making sure there wasn’t any sneaky doubling back.

A figure suddenly appeared. Movebrain, one of the executives and a teleporter. I caught his eye and shook my head. “Sorry, Gloom got away.”

“Unfortunate, but… it is good to see you are alright. Any civilian casualties?”

“Not that I know of. Jim might have been affected though.” I looked down towards him. “Are you alright Jim? Thanks for the save, by the way.”

“Of course,” he said, easily raising himself up the wall. “I could not leave a notorious supervillain to roam free. That was why I initiated the conflict.”

“I see. Are you alright though?”

“I do not feel… optimal,” Jim admitted. “However, my mental faculties function quite differently from the norm. I believe Gloom’s powers were less effective on me.”

“How did you find the real one?” I asked.

“Both mind and body function differently for me,” Jim pointed out. “Illusions only go so far. Gloom does have concerning ability to move about, but when attacking requires a more physical form that can be latched onto. Alas, I was only able to cause minimal damage before insubstantiality returned.”

“Well, thanks again,” I said. “And to you of course, Midnight. Movebrain as well.”

“Glad to help,” the man replied. “I heard that you were looking into moving. I might accelerate that process.”

“Yeah, I think we might need to bunk at HQ for a few days,” I agreed. “What about you, Jim? Gloom might be mad about this.”

“I could change living situations,” Jim agreed. “However, it is not difficult to track me down. There are only so many people like me. I would dare say that I stand out even more than an orc and cat pair.” He inclined his head to Midnight, “Or at least, one that appears like a cat.”

I nodded. I had things to think about. Reviewing the battle, I couldn’t say I’d made major mistakes- though I should have cast Haste. I couldn’t have known Gloom would react to the casting of Arcane Sight, but I shouldn’t have assumed my presence would go unnoticed either.

With additional processing time, would I have noticed the fake version of Gloom? It was hard to say. Clearly Gloom was an experienced combatant, picking out how I found her almost instantly and creating masses of power to fool me. After expending my dispel’s mana, even with Haste I would have at most been able to strike normally with my staff. I couldn’t gather enough mana to recharge it in that instant.

Midnight’s use of Shocking Grasp as a defensive technique was good. I’d used it to stop people already grabbing me, but I usually limited its contact areas to my hands- or Mage’s Reach. I was glad to have such a partner, even if he didn’t like fighting.

I didn’t really want to move. I liked having Jim in the same building, and Khithae was just across the way. But that was exactly why I should move, because she could be at risk if our connection became known. I didn’t plan to go far, but I did have to think about various options. Then again, the Brigade could help. No doubt they had to relocate other mercs regularly. Such was the life we led.

The good news was that battle had pushed me over the threshold for the next level. I had many points to spend, and I could afford to splurge on a few things. I even got a natural upgrade for Arcane Sight. Did it help that I used it in combat, or was just that it was a serious situation? Hard to say for sure. Hopefully I would be in enough more combats to learn those details for myself.