Lost Portals

by Bruce X Brown

  Priest’s image paused and a “reply” link appeared across the image. Xavier clicked it and three floating points of light appeared around him with a count down from 3, 2, 1 and it was recording.

  “I-is this recording…” Xavier looked over at a glowing red tennis ball with the words REC outside of the points of light. “Ok then. I guess so…” X took a deep breath and started. “Sorry. Sorry, I-I rushed in. You were right. I was just trying to run in to see what’s going on. I wasn’t ready at all… With a team sneaking in here… that would have definitely worked. Damn… so dumb… Do you know I got stabbed by a laundry lady?! I was beaten by a 4-foot tall laundry lady… Not sure what happens now… If I can wake up, I will just leave. I don’t know now. I might wake up in jail.”

  Xavier paused for a second, “If I can leave another message I will. Gonna try to get out of here. If you could leave the door back to the seamstress unlocked, then I’ll come back in through there. Exit recording… End recording… system, stop recording.”

  The lights turned off. “System, exit program.”

  Xavier was back in the Personal Reality Subset closet. He clicked on the message Icon. The system spoke: Welcome! You’ve Got Mail!

  Xavier swiped to see the message. It was the same message Priest had left in the Training Module but in video form.

  “System, exit,” Xavier said. He opened his eyes to the sight of the little elven laundry lady mopping his brow.

  Quest Complete: Seek Refuge

  Congratulations, you filthy Wild Land Savage! You are still alive within the High-Born Elven Reich city.

  Reward: You have earned 25% of the total experience points needed to proceed to the next level; you have earned 50 system credits.

  You have earned access to a bonus quest: Kidnap Lyka. You have the option of kidnapping Lyka and eloping into the outskirts of First Town to start a family of halflings. You have 10 hours to decide.

  “What?” He asked the quest. He tried to get up and felt a sharp pain in his chest, “Awwww, god.”

  There was a bandage over his bare chest. Blood seeped through the white cloth as he struggled to rise from the tiny bed.

  “No, Xavier,” the woman said. “Please... rest. You are not well.”

  “Where am I? How do you know my name?” He said grabbing his chest. Someone splashed his face with hot liquid. “Hey!”

  “You told us your name,” she said. “Don’t you remember?”

  “No, I—” The next word was gargled as a new splash of hot liquid was thrown in his face, “Arrgghrrhghblbl.”

  “I am Lyka,” the laundry lady said. “And this is my grandmother.”

  “Aw, you awaken, troubled one,” she said splashing his face again. He was being waterboarded with soup, soupboarded?

  “Will you please stop doing thaggglglglb?!” he said.

  “It’s Healing Leaf Soup,” the old woman cackled. “It increases health faster if you drink it. Are you ready to drink or should I—”

  “Yes,” Xavier grabbed the ladle before she could splash again. “Yes, I’ll drink.”

  The blind woman attempted to put the ladle to his lips and managed to dribble it over his nose.

  “Yeah, yeah. Ok,” Xavier licked his lips and wiped his face. “Ok, I think that’s more than enough for now thank you.”

  “Thank, Lyka,” Grandmother said. “If it was up to me, you’d be turned in to Elven Reich guards. Too risky to have you here. We are low-born. We only live within the walls of this city to wash the filthy sheets of the High-Born. If they know that we harbor a… what are you? You’re not a Wild Lander?”

  “I am from far away,” Xavier said. “And I don’t want to jeopardize you and your laundry business… I should be going.” He tried to get up and struggled. Lyka used one tiny hand to push him down.

  Why was he so weak? He took a glance at his health:

  HP: 30/120

  Stamina: 10/150

  “Oh, man,” he said.

  “You look exhausted, Xavier,” Lyka said. “Just rest for some time.”

  “We cannot keep him here, Lyka,” the grandmother said. “Having him here jeopardizes every low-born working within the Elven Reich Compound.”

  He wanted to leave but didn’t have much of a choice.

  Chapter 41:

  Battle in the Forsaken Sands

  They were clawing and scratching at Sena’s flesh. Biting large chunks out of her arms and legs. They growled, snarled and snapped at one another fighting for a pound of sweet elven meat.

  A flood of red messages blinked into her peripheral:

  A sand scavenger bites you for 9 points of damage.

  A sand scavenger’s saliva has infected you with the Omega virus.

  A sand scavenger claws into you for 8 points of damage.

  As sand scavenger mauls you for 9 points of damage.

  She screamed and coughed up sand as they pulled her from different directions ripping off cloak, cape, and tunic to get to the soft strips of flesh.

  A sand scavenger bites Sena for 7 points of damage.

  A sand scavenger bites Sena for 10 points of damage.

  Their faces were sunken and scraped down to the bone by some kind of flesh-eating disease. Their eyes were pools of jaundice red veined voids telling the story of unending hunger and cannibalistic sickness. Truly, these were the sands of the forsaken. She understood the name now.

  She breathed in mana and let out a burst of frostbite into the mouths of scavengers sinking their teeth into her. There was an immediate withdraw from the swarm. Those touching her collapsed and locked up.

  “The cold,” she thought.

  She blasted out the thought on GroupLink, “They are weak against the cold!”

  The blast of cold had opened up a gap between Gina and Sena. Gina rushed to her side and saw the little elf stripped half naked with gaping wounds on arms and legs. The sleeves of her tunic were torn in bloody shreds with bite wounds up and down her arms. The front of the tunic was wide open showing scratch marks on her chest. Her pants were tattered rags.

  Gina looked at her stats:

  HP: 15/135

  Stamina: 12/100

  The fight had taken a lot out of Sena. She was breathing hard. Her face and hair were matted with sand. Her trembling wounded arms were outstretched ready to cast another cold spell.

  Gina picked up Sena in her arms. The swarm tried to move in. Some were even bold enough to take swipes at them until Sena let out a ray of frost.

  Critical hit! Sena has caused 36 points of damage to a sand scavenger.

  Critical hit! Sena has caused 31 points of damage to a sand scavenger.

  You have killed a sand scavenger!

  They moved cautiously through the crowd of scavengers who scrambled out of their path for fear of being hit with a ray of frost. Sena sent out some numbing cold.

  Critical hit! Sena has maimed a sand scavenger with severe frostbite causing 20 points of damage.

  “Fire is not really stopping them,” Gina said. “How much more of that ice do you have?”

  Sena shook her head, “I’ve got a few more blasts. I’ll shoot one last ray of cold and just run through the path I make. On three.”

  “Ok,” Gina replied.

  Sena aimed her arms in the direction she expected Gina to carry her, “One. Two. Th—”

  Gem burst through the mob chopping through the scavengers. The swordspell used mana to imbue her blades with ray of cold allowing a blast of frost to radiate through every slash. She sent streaks of frost through the crowd of scavengers.

  Gem has killed 2 sand scavengers with cold steel.

  Gem has shocked 5 sand scavengers with ray of cold from the edge of her blade.

  Priest has stabbed 1 sand scavenger to death.

  Critical blow! Samantha has stabbed a sand scavenger for 40 points of damage.

  Noelle has slashed a scavenger for 25 points of damage.

  Mela has stabbed a sand scavenger to death.

&n
bsp; The system messages scrolled across the group’s vision as scores of scavengers fell.

  The mobs scattered everywhere she slashed. Any scavengers unlucky enough to be in the way of her blades were killed. Any who lived or didn’t run away fast enough were sorted out by the blades of Priest, Samantha, Noelle, and Mela. The cold immobilized and shocked them allowing plenty of time to stab them in the heart. Sena saw that she could use a fraction of her mana with effective results.

  One of the creatures managed to grab the back of Gina’s cloak and went to take a bite out of her shoulder. Samantha stabbed it through the back of the head. It collapsed at Gina’s feet. The two shared a glance.

  More system messages scrolled by:

  The sand scavengers are fleeing your numbing cold attack.

  Sand scavengers run from your cold blades.

  Sand scavengers are immobilized by rays of frost.

  You have killed a Sand scavenger!

  Quest Complete: Explore the Sands of the Forsaken

  Congratulations! You have survived the Sands of the Forsaken

  Reward: All members of your group will gain 50% of the total experience points necessary to get to the next level and 2% additional for every scavenger killed; 100 credits for each person participating in the quest.

  The group ‘Family Cult’ has earned the attention of a representative of the City of Wyrm.

  Priest noticed that Sena and Gem had leveled up. It made sense because they both had the ability to use cold on these creatures and kill scores of them to earn lots of experience.

  Gem has gained Level 2, Spellsword

  Sena has gained Level 3, Wizard

  Priest has gained Level 2, Cleric

  The system announced a quest.

  New Quest: Visit the City of Wyrm

  Visit the lovely City of Wyrm! Seeing the remnants of a world introduced to a celestial parasite will help you take note of how vast the Czarzakian multiverse is.

  Reward: 15% of the total experience points necessary to get to the next level of all primary classes; Earn 10 system credits; antidote for member infected with the Omega virus.

  Failure: loss of party member infected with Omega virus.

  Difficulty: Easy

  “Good job, team,” Priest said. “We’ve got some experience. And a few of us leveled up.”

  “Master,” Mela said. “Do you think we should get back to the portal?”

  Priest shook his head, “No. One more quick quest and we’re out of here.”

  Priest healed every one up before the next quest. Samantha had taken about 10% damage from lots of close quarters combat. Noelle and Mela had taken some damage but were recovering. Sena had been stripped naked, scratched, and was bleeding from being chewed on. She was lying on the ground flat on her back with bare chest exposed trying to catch her breath. Her wounds were encrusted with sand.

  Priest took off his cloak and wrapped it around her body as he laid hands on her to initiate healing. He stopped and took a look at her stats:

  HP: 18/135

  Stamina: 11/100

  It was odd. Heal wounds should have given her a quick 10 or more points of health, which could allow her stamina and body to recover faster. But he only managed to give her a few points of health. He tried to heal her again… this time it didn’t work at all.

  He took a little more mana to see if he could feel the source of the blockage. It was the bites. He saw an infection spreading through her body and corrupting her central nervous system. Once it ran its course, she would be one of those creatures.

  He looked toward his peripheral and called up the system quest. He read the words “Antidote for your party member infected with the Omega virus. Failure: loss of your infected friend”.

  Sena opened her eyes. Her skin looked pale, cold and clammy. Her lips were purple, “Master,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’re very sick,” Priest said.

  Mela walked up with concern on her face, “By the Book of Elias! Sena. What’s happened, my girl?” Mela laid a hand on her forehead and knelt by her side, “She’s burning up. I think we should get her back to the portal to give her Healing Leaf soup.”

  “The new quest to visit the City of Wyrm mentioned that we had one person infected. I think it’s her. Looks like we’ll have to complete that mission to get the antidote,” Priest looked around. “Gina, were you bitten?”

  Gina shook her head, “No. Sena was snatched and they just went to town on her.”

  Samantha looked at her arms with great concern, “I was scratched.”

  “Most of us got scratched,” Priest said. “We’re all fine. She’s the only one that got half eaten by those things.”

  “Were they undead?” Samantha asked.

  “No.” Priest said. “I would have been able to sense that. They weren’t undead…I’m not sure what they are but… I can’t heal her. She’s got some kind of infection and seems to be turning into one of those things.”

  “We have a guest,” Noelle said pointed to a figure standing near the top of a huge dune waving.

  Noelle waved back. Gem stared at her and grabbed her hand.

  “If he was hostile, he could have taken one of us out by now,” Priest said. “I think he’ll lead us to the next quest, the City of Wyrm. We need to get there fast for Sena.”

  Priest walked up the dune to meet the stranger.

  Chapter 42:

  Pawns of a Queen

  After making Governor Ven and Selal system-realized, they invited her into their plan of domination of the surrounding elven kingdom. They would make hundreds of low-born elves into Mana-Born in First Town and within the walls of the Elven Reich Compound. Then, they would train them until they were ready to make a move on Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Town. They would conquer each province until they were powerful enough to face the Elven King. Ven wanted to close the gap of inequality between low-born and High-Born. He felt that the only way to do it was by a revolution that started from the ground up. They would give power first to the field hands, the maids, the cobblers, the chimney sweeps and any and all of the downtrodden masses who were second class or even slaves in their own lands.

  Lady Blades was at 12% Authority of First Town. She agreed to help with whatever they needed since it was in line with her quest to find the lost portal. She could continue to make more Mana-Born for them while looking for a new portal mage. But the main plan was to find Priest and Samantha, the portal mage she knew about.

  Lady Blades stood in the darkness staring at the two women as they slept. She read their stats considering how to use them to find the portal mage and Priest:

  Shiori

  HP: 27/33

  Stamina: 95/100

  Ebony

  HP: 13/35

  Stamina: 20/100

  Shiori and Ebony were placed in beds that were positioned side by side. The elves had rushed them off the street made battlefield. Elven field medics saved them after they saw that they offered no resistance and seemed to be the captives and/or servants of the attackers. They were taken to the apothecary where the priestesses were giving them Healing Leaf concentrate and sleeping herbs to keep them both docile and in a sleep state that would allow them to heal faster.

  The elven priestess told Lady Blades that Shiori was almost fully recovered. But Ebony was fighting to survive. They had been increasing doses of Healing Leaf concentrate, but her body was not recovering. They predicted that Ebony did not have long to live.

  Lady Blades sat at the bedside of Shiori and instructed the elven priestess, “No more sleeping herbs for this one. Wake her.”

  The priestess put a vial under Shiori’s nose to wake the young lady. She almost jumped out of the bed when she saw Lady Blades sitting close to her and two elven companions at her side.

  Half of Lady Blades face was draped with that black hair. Her blank stare was angular in the dark dancing shadow of candlelight. Lady Blades moved closer. She placed a hand on her shoulder, “Calm down,
Shiori. We are here to help.” The timid woman was staring at the two elves.

  “Shiori,” Blades said. “These are my guides Fen’Nel Elvenreich and Captain Kalek.”

  Fen was dressed in a double-breasted dark blue tuxedo and the captain in a service dress uniform. They bowed ceremoniously.

  “Ebony…” Shiori said in a soft voice looking around.

  “Ebony is here,” Lady Blades said pointing over to the bed nearby. Ebony was a beautiful dark-skinned doll constantly being attended to by an elf in white.

  “Is she… is she ok?” Shiori asked.

  “She’s not well,” Lady Blades said, “We have to get her back home soon. How much do you remember?”

  Shiori shivered as she recalled the horrific events, “People getting shot by those men… Ebony getting shot with arrows. They shot me too.” She rubbed at a bandage over her shoulder blade near her spine.

  “They brought us here. They took care of us and treated our wounds. I don’t remember much else… besides your team forcing us to go through the portal,” Shiori narrowed her eyes at the woman who stared back with an unwavering dead gaze.

  Lady Blades said, “I am working to get you back to your world. We need to get Ebony back for medical attention. She needs more than Healing Leaves to heal.”

  “Do you know how to get back to that path in the forest that leads to the portal?” Shiori asked.

  Lady Blades shook her head, “That portal has closed. We have to find Samantha to open a new one.”

  “Where are Priest and the others?” Shiori asked.

  “I need your help to find them,” Lady Blades said.

  Shiori looked at Lady Blades then at Ebony sleeping behind her, “What can I do to help?”

  “Take my hand,” Lady Blade said.

  She made Shiori system-realized. Shiori would be a wizard. She set her up with basic system training within a shared training module with a system-realized Fen training her in the ways of mana evocation. Fen had truly found his calling as a wizard trainer and he was a natural at the use of the system. Lady Blades could not make Ebony system-realized since she was unconscious in a deep dreamless state.

  Lady Blade logged out of the training module and went to go get the remaining members of her team out of the elven prison.