Lost Portals

by Bruce X Brown

  Lady Blades thought to herself that Priest should be getting kicked out and decommissioned by now.

  “There’s a passageway into the compound,” Xavier said. “It leads back to a hidden seamstress shop. That’s how I got in. It’s a door that’s in an alley near the laundry where they captured me. Priest told me they moved from the seamstress shop but that’s how I got in.”

  “Priest told you?” Lady Blades asked. “Are you on GroupLink?”

  “No. The training module,” Xavier said. “They said they’d move because you’d find me and then find where they were.”

  Lady Blades nodded, “When you get a chance, post another message. Tell them that Ebony needs help. We won’t hurt them. I can send all of you back home but I need a portal open before you leave.”

  Blades looked at Ebony and saw her little sister’s face, “We need to do this another way… Jah, take a unit and find that door he’s talking about. When you find them, tell them we don’t want to fight them. We want to help them get back home. I want you to escort them into the compound. Do not attack them. Give them an escort into the compound. If there are any issues, contact me.”

  Chapter 51:

  System Credits at The Cross Roads

  Samantha was spooning Gina on the makeshift bed made of pillows on the floor of the private club. It seemed like the middle of the night, so they were surprised when Priest woke them up.

  “Wake up, break is over,” he snapped putting on a cloak. Priest was pacing and tapping his foot.

  Samantha, Gina, and Noelle all got ready for the next portal run. They had a fresh change of clothes, weapons, food, and hydration.

  Priest stood before the group, “Samantha, you are a level 3 portal mage so you’ll be able to open up 3 portals at random locations and they’ll be open for 3 hours. You are very close to portal mage 4 so we don’t need to do much. Once you get to level 4, you’ll be able to open a portal back home. Once you can open a portal home, I’ll just have you guys walk through.”

  They narrowed their eyes at him. Gina asked, “What about Xavier, Shiori, and Ebony? We can’t just leave them, Priest?”

  “No,” Priest said. “I’m not going to leave them. I’ll… I’ll have to find another way for them… maybe a new portal mage… I don’t know. I have to worry about one thing at a time and save who I can—”

  “No,” Gina’s brow creased, “Sam, we can’t leave them here.”

  “Gina,” Priest said. “Guys… please. For now, let’s focus on getting Samantha to level 4. We’ll think of something. Ok?”

  They nodded a response.

  Priest turned to the elves that had wakened with them, “On this run, I want all elves to sit this one out. We don’t need a lot of experience to get Sam to level 4.”

  Priest took a deep breath, “Ok, Sam. Open the first portal.”

  Samantha shot a portal against a nearby wall. A soft glow filled the room.

  The gun’s interface spoke, “You have opened a portal to Universal Set .0112; Earth Cross Roads; Travel Advisory: Exercise increased caution while traveling through the Universal Set .0112. Universal Set .0112 has been designated as a Multiverse Cross Roads for all players. The risk in this land varies due to a mixture of classes, skill levels, and quest levels.”

  Priest paused before walking through.

  “What is it, master?” Gem asked taking out her scimitars.

  “I’m just…” Priest paused. “It’s a ‘Cross Roads’ Earth. That means all kinds of other gamers, travelers and game masters are there…”

  “Should I open another one orrrr—” Samantha asked Priest.

  Priest looked at his dull blade, “We could use some new weapons… The Cross Roads has lots of shopping. It’ll give us a chance to spend some of our system credits…”

  “System credits?” Noelle said. “We can shop with those? I noticed that I have 110 of them. How much is that worth?”

  “I want a new outfit. I have… 110 system credits,” Gina said.

  “Is it dangerous?” Mela asked.

  “It can be. But it is hands down the best shopping in the multiverse,” Priest said.

  “Can 230 credits get me a new sword?” Samantha asked eyeing her short sword. “This one is so bad it’s better to fight with my fists.”

  “We could use better weapons… guns would be best. How about we buy new weapons and get the hell out of there?” Priest said. “Ok, we’ll go but before we do, we’ll need our elven army to guard the portal.” Priest would have 2-3 take turns standing guard outside and inside of the portal.

  Priest told them, “You shouldn’t have to fight anyone. You’re just a deterrent. But if you have any trouble you can reach us on GroupLink.”

  Gem stepped through and entered a Cathedral filled with skyscrapers. The stained-glass sky was animated telling the stories of multiverse adventurers of legends: stories of gaming gods killed by a dragon, princesses who would become queens, the destruction of worlds. Gem couldn’t take another step. She was struck stupid by the sight of ridiculous pomp and wealth. A wealth of freedom of imagination unfettered by rules like gravity. Mountains drifted by beneath translucent canopy. The skyscrapers were support beams for the mighty city-sized place of worship. It must be a church, but what do these gods worship?

  The place was crowded. They came out in an area specifically for incoming portals. Portals kept opening up and pouring more people onto the rubberized streets. Shop keeps passed out free samples of HP and Mana Potions. City guides offered escort services around the Cross Roads. Travel businesses were ready to give rides. Hotels advertised their properties.

  “Oh my god. What is this place?” Gina asked. Mela gazed at every detailed while Noelle just laughed.

  “Is that a cruise ship,” Samantha said once she stepped inside and looked up. A glass bottom cruise liner floated by between the huge buildings.

  “Oh, my sweet, sweet, dear,” a calm soothing voice cooed. It was a robot whose body was a man in a black suit while the blinking head was a sleek black and gold helmet. The golden hands offered a golden ticket. “I have tickets to that very entertainment ship. It comes with your very own harem and/or reverse harem as well as—”

  “Not interested in harems,” Priest said. “Get lost bot.”

  The robot walked with its helmet head hanging low until it approached a new group of travelers. A man in a hoody approached Priest, “That damn spam. I swear. It gets worse every year… These damn AI’s, man. Hey, I’m Merchant Mallory.” The tall pale guy offered his hand. He had a cane. He showed his full metadata.

  Priest saw that he was a Level 4 Merchant. Priest shook his hand.

  The merchant smiled, “You looking for gear, right?”

  Priest nodded, “Just a few weapons. Is your shop near?”

  “Yes, indeed it is. Follow me, guys and gals. We’ll get you fixed up!” Merchant Mallory limped heavily leaning on his cane expertly wove through the crowd.

  “Gem & Mela,” Priest said. “Stay here and protect the portal.”

  Samantha was in the back of the group. She felt energized. The air was charged with light. Every being was moving coordinated with some quest. Some mission custom made for deeper purpose offered by a singular being. A singular unknowable self. It was terrifying and wonderful.

  “Awww, here we are!” Mallory said ushering them into a little shop called ‘Pure Imagination.’

  The shop was small on the outside but looked like a warehouse inside. There were aisles with suits of armor with every color of the rainbow. The wall in that back was an armory. Samantha browsed them and saw swords, scythes, axes and other sharp implements of pain. Samantha wanted the My Little Pony Bat’leth but she needed a weapon that was one handed so she kept looking. Gina came out of a nearby dressing room in a skimpy two-piece mage outfit. It had strips of cloth curling from the back.

  “How do you like it?” She said. “Isn’t it awesome?!”

  “It looks good but what if you have to fight,”
Samantha said.

  They heard Mela on GroupLink, “Priest. We’re under attack. I think they found us!”

  New Quest: Survive the Elven Reich Iron Division

  Your party is under attack from the Elven Reich Iron Division. Don’t let them take your Portal Mage or your Game Master alive. Save as many of your party as you can.

  Reward: 5% experience points of the total necessary for the next level for every member of your party saved and 2% for every Elven Reich Iron soldier killed by your party; 150 system credits.

  Difficulty: Hard

  Chapter 52:

  30 Pieces of Silver

  Jah had a division of about 30 armored elves with him. They were inside the Sister Seamstress shop. It was empty and dark. It seemed that Priest and the others had not been in Sister Seamstress for a while. They’d found the door in the alley next to the laundry in the low-born part of the Elven Reich Compound. They pried it open as well as the door that led underground to the tailor shop. Now it seemed like a dead end.

  They flipped over beds and smashed open closets to see if anyone was hiding.

  Captain Kalek took Jah aside and spoke quietly, “I know where they are, sir. I’ve heard word of this place from High-Born senators. Sister Seamstress is an… entertainment service for the High-Born. There is a secret entrance that leads to a private club here… or so I’ve heard.”

  “Well, then take me to it,” Jah said.

  “I have a proposal for you,” the captain looked around. “I heard your discussion with Lady Blades and I know you just want to be done with this and go back home. I can get you back home.”

  “How?” Jah asked.

  Captain Kalek nodded, “The High-Born really want that portal mage. They seek an advantage over Governor Ven’s Mana-Born uprising brought forth by Lady Blades’ introduction of power.”

  Jah’s palms lit up, “Watch your mouth, captain. Think about what you’re about to say next.”

  “The High-Born would give you anything you wanted if you helped us get the portal mage back to them. We are all loyalists to the High-Born. All 30 men, Jah. I can do this without you, but it would be much easier with your help. I will only offer this once. I don’t know your status in your own realm, but if you assisted us, the king himself would give you land, wealth and anything you wanted…”

  “Anything?” Jah asked. The glow in his hands died down.

  “This Mana-Born rebellion won’t last. It’s only in the Elven Reich Compound. There are several other Provinces controlled by the High-Born. Once they fully realize what has happened here, there will be a war. If you stay in this realm you could live like a king. They could even pay you your weight in gold and you could go back to your own realm once the High-Born has the portal mage. You’d be gone before Lady Blades knew what happened. We kill everyone except the portal mage. You walk away rich. And we get what we want.”

  Jah just wanted to go home. It had been an incredible experience getting magic, learning from Lady Blades and being introduced to the system but coming to this world was too much. His relationship with her had been fun until they stepped into that portal and lost four of his brothers like it was nothing.

  He decided he would grab gold and get back home. Jah nodded, “I want 10 million dollars in gold and then send me back home.”

  “Done,” the captain bowed. “I don’t know your currency but I’m sure the nobles will work it out.”

  “‘Nother thing,” Jah added. “You gotta kill Lady Blades. I don’t want her on my ass when I get back home.”

  The captain laughed, “I thought she was your lover? Anyway, we’re working on that. The High-Born told me to provide you with this as a token of assurance. One of the king’s own family heirlooms. Worth a fortune in every part of the Elven Reich Kingdom. I’d be willing to bet it is worth more than your 10 million dollars.”

  The captain handed Jah a gold ring inlaid with violet metal mounted with a cluster of large diamonds. Jah tucked it away and followed the captain to the back of the room.

  The captain moved a bookshelf aside. There was a tunnel that led down a flight of stairs and into the private club.

  15 of the 30 soldiers managed to sneak in behind the elves in the private club before they noticed. The elven soldiers raided the place. They tried to tackle the elves to the ground and apprehend everyone in the private club until they realized they were Mana-Born. Then the fight turned lethal. The soldiers started killing everyone they saw. A few novice wizards used magic missiles and sent the soldiers running for cover. There were three Elven Reich archers who took out a few Mana-Born elves that resisted.

  Jah was hiding behind the bar to get cover from the elves firing bursts of energy. He could see the portal against the wall. They must have already gone through. If the portal led back home, he’d decided that he would just keep running if he got in there.

  Jah was penned down. There were too many magic casters for the fighters to get in close.

  All of the soldiers were either roasting in blue flames or they had cover behind the bar and flipped furniture.

  “We didn’t anticipate Mana-Born with them,” the captain said. “I’ll have the men charge all at once. We’ll lose some people but—”

  “Got an idea,” Jah interrupted covering his eyes from a blast of energy hitting glass. He handed the captain a bottle of whiskey from the bar. “Everybody grab a bottle. You throw it when I tell you.”

  Jah grabbed a bottle of liquor from the edge of the bar. He ripped off a strip of his tunic and stuffed it halfway into the bottle. He breathed in a little bit of mana and snapped a small lick of flame to light the makeshift wick.

  He through the bottle and it burst into flames at the feet of the wizards shooting blue flames.

  Nona takes 10 points of damage from a burst of flame.

  “NOW!” Jah yelled. “Throw it at the wizards.” The soldiers through the bottles of liquor at the wizards which spread the flames. Jah stood up and shot a fire bolt at the flammable fluids.

  Critical hit! Por is set on fire taking 30 points of damage!

  Tel takes 15 points of damage from fire.

  Elves scramble to grab water from a nearby basin and toss water on one of the elves who was rolling around to put out the flames. Two spellswords came running forward at the soldiers, their blades imbued with fire and ice.

  As soon as the magic users were pushed back, Jah jumped over the bar, grabbed one of the elves and put a blade to her neck.

  “STOP!” Jah yelled at the spellswords. He put the blade tighter against the elves neck. Drawing a thin light of blood. The Mana-Born elves stopped fighting.

  Mela is cut on the neck by Jah’s blade for 5 points of damage.

  Jah called out, “Where is the portal mage and Priest?!”

  Chapter 53:

  Candle in the Wind

  Priest, Noelle, Gina, and Samantha ran through the crowded streets of the Cross Roads. When they entered the portal, they saw a room on fire. In the center of the smoldering room were a pile of slaughtered elves. A soldier threw another corpse on the pile.

  Ironclad soldiers were on either side of them once they were through the portal. Jah had Mela in his arms with a sword at her neck. The soldiers had the remaining survivors on their knees at the point of a spear.

  “Grab them!” Jah yelled. The iron division grabbed Priest, Samantha, Gina, and Noelle.

  “Where’s Lady Blades?” Priest asked.

  “All we want is the portal mage,” Jah said.

  The captain spoke, “Which of these Wild Landers creates portals?”

  “Her,” Jah said pointing to Samantha.

  The captain looked them up and down, “One of you is able to create Mana-Born?”

  Jah smiled, “Him. He must have been hiding it from us this whole time. He is a game master. Must have given these elves their powers.”

  “Kill Jah and the others. Allow the portal mage and the game master to live. Everyone else dies,” the captain commanded. />
  “NO WAIT!” Jah yelled.

  “For my brothers that you slaughtered you dirty Wild Lander!” An iron-clad Elven Reich Knight went for the kill.

  Jah is stabbed with a spear by an Elven Reich Knight for 70 points of damage!

  Jah releases Mela and grabbed the pole of the spear. He breathed in mana to shoot a burst of flame but he was attacked again by another knight.

  Jah is slashed with a sword by an Elven Reich Knight for 46 points of damage!

  Jah wildly shot bolts of flame at his surrounding attackers. When he could not hold them off, he ran toward the portal.

  Gina managed to release a lethal ignition of flame on a soldier in front of her who had been about to stab Noelle. The soldier’s entire body was suddenly engulfed in flames he stumbled away screaming. Burning.

  Critical hit! Gina set an elven soldier on fire for 80 points of damage!

  Gina received spears to the body from two angles.

  Gina is stabbed for 40 points of damage.

  Gina is stabbed for 48 points of damage.

  “NOOOO!” Samantha screamed and was grabbed by three soldiers. She reached out to Gina who collapsed on the floor. Captain Kalek himself slashed at Gina as she tried to defend herself on the floor.

  Captain Kalek cuts Gina for 10 points of damage.

  Noelle leaped backward to avoid another swinging blade. She stumbled backward through the portal and out into the Cross Roads where she fell to the ground and hit her head on a curbside.

  Noelle receives 5 points of fall damage and is knocked unconscious.

  Samantha was cuffed and gagged by seven soldiers. Priest had one ironclad soldier on each leg. Another soldier was punching him in the back to bring him down.

  Priest is punched by soldier Bin for 10 points of damage.

  Captain Kalek kept chopping and chopping at Gina who was on the floor bleeding.

  Priest is punched by soldier Bin for 9 points of damage.

  Priest pulled off the helmet of the soldier on his left leg and punched him as hard as he could after breathing in mana to invoke inflict wound. A gash opened up on the elf’s scalp. He fell backward from Priest’s leg and into a nearby open flame. The soldier scrambled out of the flame rolling around to put the flames out.