Lost Portals

by Bruce X Brown

  Lady Blades spoke in a calm polite voice, “Mr. Galen, please join me.”

  A bald soldier with his face tattooed to look like a skull brought the handcuffed man they had retrieved from the trunk of the Cadillac over to Lady Blades. Mr. Galen was a middle age balding man. He looked like an accountant that had been riding around in the trunk of a Cadillac for a day and a half. He was pale and frail with a hunched over posture like a dog with tail tucked ready to piss itself.

  “Let me get those cuffs off of you,” with one flick of the katana, without warning, Lady Blades sliced the metal chain between the cuffs and had the sword back in the scabbard on her hip. Mr. Galen’s delayed response seemed like a minute later after he realized how his hands were now free.

  Lady Blades smiled and placed a hand on Galen’s back, “You and that crew were from the Thieves’ Den?”

  “Y-yes, ma’am,” he stammered. “Ma’am, I-I was following the orders of Salem, the rogue. I’m just a lock pick. If you let me live, I can go back and warn the Thieves’ Den to avoid this place. We didn’t know it was the safe house of a game master.”

  Lady Blades shook her head, “Salem is a player character, a system user from another place. Did you know that? That means he’s already respawned somewhere else. I’m sure he will warn the Thieves’ Den not to return. And if they return… my crew needs the practice anyway. My guess is that they’ve abandoned you, Mr. Galen.”

  “M-ma’am,” Mr. Galen pleaded. “I have children. I only joined the Thieves’ Den to take care of my family. They offered me the eternal life of respawn, ma’am. I am just a non-player character trying to learn the ways of the system. I would never cross a user or anyone from the Game Master Corps. I would never cross an immortal.”

  “Unfortunately, they told you a lot of lies, Mr. Galen,” Lady Blades talked to him and everyone who had ears to hear. “As far as I know, we can’t give you the ability to respawn. When non-player characters die, we don’t know what happens to you.”

  Galen sobbed and went to his knees, “I would like to take this opportunity to ask mercy. For your mercy. I would like to ask your forgiveness, Lady, Lady Blades… I will do whatever you want if you would spare my life.”

  Lady Blades kneeled with him and stroked his head with a caring hand. She wiped his tears and then helped him to his feet, “Mr. Galen, we are beyond apologies, but I will make you an offer. If you survive this test, I will give you the opportunity to be one of my brothers. I promise you there is no greater reward than the freedom that power gives. I can’t promise you immortality or the ability to respawn. But as a game master, I can grant you the powers and abilities that come with a class. Beyond that, I will give you something even greater. The power and freedom that comes with truth. Will you accept my offer?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Anything to see my family again,” Mr. Galen said wiping his eyes. Lady Blades gave him the handkerchief in her suit to wipe his face.

  Blades walked slowly around the pile of wealth and weapons in the middle of the warehouse. “The previous owner of this safe house was a genius when it came to finding powerful items in this world,” she looked over at Priest.

  He smiled.

  Blades continued, “But he was also a greedy, reckless idiot that risked a lot of people’s lives to amass lots of dangerous items that were never tested.”

  Priest’s smile dropped.

  Blades walked back over to Mr. Galen, “He would grab entire crates of items and bring them back here without even opening them. He could have checked them out himself easily… but he didn’t. So now we don’t know what most of this stuff does. And some of it is really dangerous. We’ve been through dozens of these crates and it has not been easy. We are looking for one item in particular. What I need you to do, Mr. Galen, is pick up these items. One by one. I don’t let my NPC brothers pick these items up. I normally do it myself and it doesn’t always go well. But I need to know that I can trust you before you join us.”

  Mr. Galen looked at the pile, “Which one do I pick up first, ma’am?”

  “Well,” Blades put a thumb and forefinger to her chin. “After doing this quite a few times. I have realized that there is a simple trick to it. The most amazing items tend to be the ones that look the least like the others. I see two right now: that brightly lit staff and that plastic gun… start with the staff.”

  Mr. Galen reluctantly reached for the staff. Sweat glistened on his brow. He paused for a long while and glanced at the door as if considering a run for it. He reconsidered when Skull Face gave him a wink and a smile.

  Galen grabbed the staff. He held it up at arm’s length. At closer inspection, it looked like a prop for a magic show. The glow on the staff got brighter. The room was silent. Galen smiled as the glow intensified. He laughed and looked around the room. It was a twisted evil, crazy-eyed cackle. A few of the street soldiers laughed with him, but then the staff exploded. The explosion was a blinding heat that erupted flames from the staff. Samantha was pushed off her feet from the force of the blast. Everyone winced and covered their faces as the force of the explosion launched Mr. Galen across the room. Samantha’s ears were ringing from the sound. She thought that it must have been some kind of staff shaped explosive device. She laid there in a daze. From her vantage point, she saw Shiori and Ebony huddled on the floor under Xavier who had been trying to shield them. They were looking toward Galen and blinking as bits of loose polystyrene insulation fell from the ceiling high above the explosion.

  When the soldiers turned Galen’s smoking body over, his bloodshot eyes stared out into nowhere. He was dead. Street soldiers laughed at the corpse but she could not hear them for a moment. Samantha blinked hard and rubbed her ears. Everything seemed to be in slow motion for a moment as she shook her head to regain her senses. Lady Blades was leaning over Galen closing his eyes and touching his charred face.

  Samantha remained on the floor blinking. When she could hear again, she heard Blades saying, “Ok, we need another volunteer. And I’ll make the same offer to all of you.”

  Priest stepped forward, “I’ll do it.” He was rewarded with a pistol slap to his already bandaged face. Blood splashed from his cheek and he was on the ground. Gina tried to run to him but a giant man grabbed her by her tiny waist, “Priest!” she screamed.

  Lady Blades sighed, “Anyone but you, Priest.” She walked in front of the group, “Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Czarzakian Multiverse. This universe is like nothing you have been taught to believe. It’s a simulated multiverse.”

  She turned to one of her soldiers, “Jah, give them a demonstration.”

  Jah was a large man in jeans and a hoody, all black. He had a thick black beard and dreads. He stepped forward and pushed his sleeve up to show a tribal flame tattoo on a muscled forearm. Jah snapped his fingers and a ball of flame appeared in his palm.

  Gina, Ebony, and Shiori squinted. Bright flames erupted from the man’s bare hand. Xavier’s eyes widened.

  Samantha was still on the ground traumatized from the blast and the dead man in the warehouse’s corner. Beads of sweat from Jah’s knuckles transformed into drips of flame falling to the ground fizzling out and leaving black spots on the concrete floor. It was an amazing trick she had never seen before.

  Lady Blades said, “It’s said that magic is just science we don’t understand. In our world, we have been introduced to something beyond science and beyond magic. It opened up a portal to this multiverse. We log in to your world. So, they call it a simulation. But take a look at Galen. He’s dead. His family will mourn him when I go and inform them of his passing. His kids will have kids and they will not know Galen. From what we understand, your world is just as consistent as ours. The worlds formed in your solar system are just as old. The people are born. The people die,” Lady Blades nodded and Jah extinguished the flame in a smoking clinched fist. She left a lingering hand on Jah’s shoulder and drifted down to his waist while she stared at Priest.

  Lady Blades walke
d up to Priest, “And that’s why I don’t understand why you would put people you care about in harm’s way. You have brought them here with no powers, no preparation and you’ve gotten them into a situation that is fatal for them. And for what?”

  Priest reached out to touch her, “Kiera, I—”

  He dropped his hand carefully when the edge of her blade found its way to his neck. He swallowed hard. His Adam’s apple moved the sweat mixed blood to the sharp edge. Priest looked at the blade, “I-I came here for your help. I’m looking for a portal device so I can—”

  “You came here because I lured you, Priest. I played you,” Lady Blades said. She removed her razor-sharp sword from his neck leaving a paper cut thin line in his skin. “I saw the cameras as soon as you put them up. I could’ve taken them down. Or put the barrier back up. I could have kept you out. I could have moved locations. Instead, I made my presence obvious, knowing you would eventually show your face. I need a portal mage.” She strolled in front of each of the members of the group. “I bet that one of these people is a portal mage. You may be a terrible reckless leader who does not care about your unit, but you always had a knack for finding items and people of value. I’ve been tasked with finding a lost portal. And I need a portal mage.”

  “Did he tell you guys that he’s a game master? Or he used to be. His powers have been taken indefinitely. You want to know why?” She looked at each member of the group one by one. “It has something to do with him losing his entire team doing some reckless quest. I know because I was on that team.”

  Everyone waited for him to reply, to defend himself, to tell his side of the story. But he looked away.

  Lady Blades addressed everyone in the warehouse, “Our friends never returned from that mission. And neither did my sister. Only him and I.”

  She looked Priest in the eye. His suit jacket was soiled with one collar flipped up. His white shirt had streaks from a nose bleed and missing buttons. His once perfect hair was disheveled. He looked down.

  She maneuvered her face to look in his eyes, “My little sister was in that group. She is now in a coma. A real leader would own up to the responsibility. But this coward can’t even look me in the eye.” She walked off and shook her head. “If you value your life. Do not follow this guy. Don’t let his charm fool you. He fooled me. Priest McKenna does nothing but lie and manipulate to get what he wants. He is not what he appears to be. You deserve better.”

  Priest’s stood their motionless staring at one spot on the ground. She’d stabbed him in the heart without using her sword. His shoulders were slouched. He reluctantly looked at Gina who was trying to go to him. He looked away from her.

  Lady Blades address the group, “The Game Master Corps has assigned me the quest to fix what he broke. To find what he lost. I have the opportunity to rescue my friends and sister... if they are still alive. I was given a lost portal database.” She held up a glowing marble.

  “How did you get that?” Priest asked.

  She got close to him and said, “Data recovered from Phaze6’s portal gun. And now, in order to complete my quest, I need a portal mage and a portal device. See, Priest. Was that so hard? That’s the truth. No hidden agendas, no manipulation. Just the truth.”

  Priest looked up at her. His eyes wide, “Kiera, let me join you, we can—”

  Blades laughed in his face, “The last time I trusted you, you lost our entire team and your powers. And now, you’re drunk and want me to team up with you? Even if you get your power back, you should have your GM commission revoked.”

  Lady Blades turned to Gina, “What is your name, Ma’am?”

  Gina looked over at Priest then back to Lady Blades, “Gina. Gina Fuego.”

  “Ms. Fuego, I am going to make you the same offer. I still need someone to pick up these items. These are magical items. Some are quite dangerous. Pick up one item. If you survive, I will let you be a part of our group. Or after we get through this pile, you can go.”

  Gina sobbed looking over at Priest again.

  “No, Kiera please don’t ma-Pwaaaha,” Priest received another rifle to the belly.

  Lady Blades laughed, “We were together long enough for me to know your type, Priest.”

  “What if I don’t want to?” Gina asked. The street soldier holding Priest responded by cocking a gun and putting it to his head.

  Chapter 14:

  Portal Mage 1 (tutorial)

  “Don’t do it, Gina. Please. They can’t kill me. Don’t do it,” Priest wheezed clutching his stomach on the ground trying to catch his breath.

  Gina could not watch him get shot. Her choice was easy. Regardless of what he may have done in the past, he had saved her life and given her something she could never repay him for. He’d given her a family. His face was blurry through the tears. Gina mouthed the words, I love you. And walked toward the pile.

  Samantha imagined Gina’s voluptuous body being blown up and left in a heap of cooked meat.

  She imagined holding Gina’s lifeless body in her hands.

  “Wait,” Samantha grabbed the crown that had rolled from the pile near her feet. She grabbed the crown and stood to her feet. Her eyes were closed. The two huge men on either side of her recoiled and jumped two steps away from her as she held the white gold crown above her head. “I’ll do it!”

  She was breathing hard when she opened her eyes and looked around. Everyone stared at her half expecting the item to explode.

  Lady Blades smiled and nodded, “Wow. I don’t know how you find them. Ok. Try that gun. The plastic looking one on your right.”

  Samantha looked at Gina. Then she looked at the crown and handed it over to a street soldier who had a K-Bar knife tattooed over his right eyebrow. He swallowed hard and slowly took the crown from her small hands.

  Gina was speechless. She was moved by the act as she realized for the second time tonight how much her friend cared for her.

  Samantha broke her gaze with Gina and walked over to the plastic gun. Without hesitating, she pulled it off the pile. It had the weight of a Nerf gun but it wasn’t plastic. It was some sort of light metal. The gun was matte gray with a pistol shape but had a 6-inch tablet facing the shooter. It had small simulated tanks on each side and an adjustable nozzle on the front. It might have been mistaken for a water gun. The screen facing her beeped with the words:

  **scanning**

  **Initiating link**

  Except for Lady Blades and Gina, everyone backed away or hid, expecting something worse than the first explosion. Samantha closed her eyes and embraced her fate.

  Then she heard a calm androgynous voice, “System connected. This is the portal navigation system. Welcome to the portal device tutorial. This tutorial lasts from levels 1 through 3 of the portal mage class.”

  “Who’s that,” Samantha said aloud. Whatever voice Samantha heard, no one else reacted to it. She looked around for the source of the voice… then she realized… it was in her head. She looked at Gina and saw her name above her head and a green bar beneath it. Each person had the same thing above them.

  The voice said, “Don’t speak. This is a neurallink that allows the portal device to interact with you. It is a direct connection to your mind. They can’t hear me without the activation of GroupLink or… you could put me on speaker but I don’t recommend it unless you would like to join this group. You are surrounded by Kali, a group led by the game master, Lady Blades. You are in downtown Alamogordo located in pre-singularity/6th extinction Colorado, United States of America, Earth of Universal Set .0001, a subset of the Czarzakian Multiverse. For a quick escape route, aim at the ground and shoot. As the screen indicates, I will place you 2 meters above the ground at the edge of First Town located in Forever Forest, the Elven Reich Kingdom, Earth of Universal Set .0043, a subset of the Czarzakian Multiverse.”

  Samantha looked at the screen. There was a crude GPS navigation image of where they were with a dotted line pointing to where the portal would send her. She pointed the gun at the
ground in front of her and shot. A pool of rippling pearl white light appeared. A few trinkets from the pile of treasure fell inside the pool and disappeared. Everyone in the warehouse cautiously looked at the iridescent circle of light. The pool of light had layers of fractals shifting into a distant land. She looked closer. There was lush green grass below.

  The interface of the portal gun spoke again, “You have opened a portal to First Town located in Forever Forest on the Elven Earth of Universal Set .0043, a subset of the Czarzakian Multiverse. Few universes have an Earth quite like the Elven Earth of Universal Set .0043.”

  The display on the portal gun showed a flying panoramic view over a forest covering the North and South American continent. The forest had rivers snaking through it.

  “Here there are 5 human species that survived an ice-age and a few extinction level events! Although the industrious wood Elves with their feudal magical caste system dominate the world in a pre-industrial age, there are also the nomadic homo sapiens and Neanderthals of the Wild Lands.”

  Lady Blades was smiling, “Priest, how is it possible that you found another portal mage. Did you know we’d have a portal device?”

  Samantha stared at the portal gun, and then at the portal, “Now you can escape,” she heard the voice say. “In the next part of the tutorial, you will step through the portal.”

  She heard someone yell, “Wait!” as she took a step to fall through the portal. She fell two meters and hit a grassy slope where she slid and rolled to a stop. It was a murky noonday. There was a strong smell of pine. Birds were singing in the distance. She got to her feet and looked around. “Some sort of clearing… has to be a dream,” she thought. The weather was nice. With a sweater, a scarf, a coat, and a fuzzy beanie, she felt a little hot.

  “Congratulations! You have stepped into another universe,” the voice said. “You have escaped, Kali by traveling to Universal Set .0043; Earth; Forever Forest; near First Town. You have earned 5% experience points toward achievement of portal mage level 2. As a level 1 portal mage, your portal stays open for 1 hour. See a visual representation of the time until portal closure in the corner of the screen.”