With a flex of aura, he reached for the girl with a portal, trying to force her through before the boss could smash through her. At first, she resisted, not recognizing the aid for what it was. But her aura was too flustered to put up a decent fight and Terry shoved back, depositing her into the tower she had cleared.
But the boss was too close and before Terry could shut the portal down, it too was crashing through. He tried to resist its passage, but it was half in before he could divert his attention.
As Lupe fell backward through his portal into the tower, the massive creature also came through—far too large for the structure to hold it. Its sheer weight and size caused the tower to shudder, off balancing it as it moved to slice down at the fallen Lupe.
With a groan of splitting wood, the tower began to lean, shoving both of them sideways. Lupe started to slide toward the tower’s edge, even as it tilted beneath her. As for the boss, it was too large to correct its positioning and began tumbling over the side.
Terry reached through space once more, opening a portal beneath Lupe’s trajectory. She fell through, tumbling through the exit portal he’d opened on the ground below. The boss continued its fall, hitting the ground out of sight beyond the far palisade.
[Terry]: The boss is loose outside the walls. Not sure if it’s injured, but be careful. It’s fast and strong!
Inside the camp, nearly a dozen beast-men were emerging from various positions, looking for targets. All they found was a dazed Lupe spitting dust, her head looking about languidly, as if she was concussed.
He forced her through another portal, sending her back to Ellie and José. She cast him a confused look as it enveloped her, but he was already turning his attention to the beast-men who were now looking up at him.
In the distance, he heard the boss let out a war cry, even as Roca answered it with her own roar.
Below, six archers had nocked their arrows, aiming them toward Terry’s position. The melee beast-men, seeing they couldn’t reach him easily, had instead filed out of the camp at a run.
[Terry]: Six more joining you outside.
An answering message came in, but he was forced to turn his focus to the arrows that were almost done drawing in their magic. Six small portals materialized with a thought, not to intercept the arrows, but to cut through the archers. There was only the slightest resistance to their auras as he sheared straight through the thinnest parts of their necks.
As one, the magic dissipated from the arrows as their limbs went slack, dropping to the floor, followed a moment later by the archer’s bodies.
He didn’t take even a breath to admire his bloody work; with a thought, he opened space and stepped through a portal to the exterior of the camp.
The muted sounds of the battle suddenly magnified as he arrived, metal on metal competing with the grunts of half a dozen beast-men and Roca’s deafening roar.
Tajo was mid-flip, angling away from a falling beast-man he had just skewered. Eight more beast-men were trying to box him in as he danced away. Nearby, Roca was facing off against the boss, smashing her weight into the creature, who spun sideways from the impact. But even as Roca charged past, it turned its spin into momentum for its greatsword to slash at her exposed flank.
The blade scored a deep cut, drawing a painful yelp from the summon as she desperately tried to turn to face the boss. Smelling blood, it rushed to close the distance, its blade rising high above its head for the killing blow.
José’s scream of anguish sounded from a hundred yards away as he, Ellie, Lupe, and the escort target raced toward them.
Terry took the entire scene in in a moment, realizing that Tajo could dance around the regular beast-men with ease. He knew from his father that losing a primary summon like Roca would destroy José. But the boss was moving so fast, he had to make a split-second decision, knowing the wrong one would see Roca dead.
Portals could be resisted, even broken through with enough concentration of aura. The surest way of saving the hippo was to use his telekinesis.
There was no time to second-guess his decision—he reached with all his strength, gripping the slicing greatsword and arresting its momentum. The boss’s eyes went wide in shock, its arms straining against Terry’s hold.
Roca was also surprised, but was quick enough to sense the opening. With a great shout, she lunged forward, her massive maw opening wide. Giant, gnashing teeth clamped tight around the boss’s torso, big enough to fully engulf the large creature.
With a massive heave, she lifted the boss into the air, thrashing her head around like a dog with a chew toy. Terry released his telekinesis, watching in shock as she rag-dolled the hulking beast.
A moment later, a thick crack filled the air—like a dry twig snapping in half.
It took Terry a breath to realize that had been the boss’s back. Its body went suddenly slack in Roca’s mouth, though she continued to shake it a few more times for good measure before contemptuously tossing it aside.
When the beast-men angling around Tajo saw their boss roll lifelessly through the dirt, panic spread instantly among them. With careless abandon, they turned from their assault on Tajo and fled out into the wide field. The Duelist growled with a smile, his speed fully on display as he hamstrung or decapitated each of the fleeing beasts with brutal efficiency.
In moments, every enemy combatant was dead or dying.
The others ran up to them, José bypassing everyone to rush toward Roca. The giant hippo moaned in pain, rubbing its head against her summoner as he embraced her fretfully.
“Ellie, please heal her!”
To the girl’s credit, she moved without hesitation toward Roca, shushing her quietly as she placed a hand on her side. Terry activated Master of Skill Analysis as she worked.
Active Powers in Range:
Tether: Active Summons (José)
Enhanced Durability: Active Summons (José)
Enhanced Body Proprioception (Tajo)
System Weapon Tether (Tajo)
Blood Manipulation (Lupe)
Draw Blood (Lupe)
Unknown (Ellie)
Unknown (Ellie)
He furrowed his brow as he read that Ellie’s active Skills were unknown, but was pulled away from his confusion as Lupe ran up. Though she didn’t appear injured as she approached, her hair was disheveled and her face was pale as a ghost. Terry strode toward her with a concerned expression.
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“You okay?” he asked quietly.
Lupe started, shaking free from whatever had gripped her mind. When her eyes found Terry, she suddenly burst into tears, throwing herself at him. He reared back in surprise, but recovered quickly, patting her back as she cried into his shoulder.
“Hey, it’s okay, you’re okay.”
“Gracias, muchísimas gracias! Dios mío, casi me muero!”
He continued consoling her, his eyes casting about awkwardly. Ellie was watching him surreptitiously through her hair, but turned away when their eyes met. Tajo was strolling up with a wide grin, though it flipped to a frown once he took in the scene before him.
“Jesus, you all are acting like someone died! We won!” he shouted, pumping a sword into the air. “And with plenty of time to spare!”
José ignored the man, still nuzzling Roca. Ellie was focused on her magic, her eyes now closed. While Lupe was still crying into Terry’s shoulder.
He continued to pat her back, meeting Tajo’s eyes before looking away.
“Mierda, so depressing,” Tajo mumbled, walking over to the boss’s corpse. He suddenly let out a wild laugh before thumping it with his foot. “Eso te pasa por cabrón!”
A minute later, Lupe finally composed herself—spurred on by Tajo’s impatient glares and digging comments—while Ellie seemed to have stopped the bleeding in Roca’s side. The faceless escort target had simply stood there, unmoving in the aftermath of the battle.
“Everyone had a good cry?” Tajo huffed. “Can we go get our reward now, por favor!”
José, Lupe, and Terry shared a look, as Ellie rose to her feet. Lupe’s face was still tear-streaked, but she nodded weakly and José echoed the motion a moment later.
Terry turned to Tajo. “Yeah, we’re ready.”
“Gracias a Dios!”
He took off toward the main entrance, grabbing the escort target with a simple command. Terry hesitated a moment, making sure everyone was following before he too headed for the encampment.
The sight and smell of the dead beast-men hit him one last time before they passed through the gate. Now that they were on the ground, he could see the destination hidden inside the pavilion. It was a simple illuminated white circle, the yellow indicator fading as they approached.
As the escort target neared, Tajo gave it a spiteful shove in the back, propelling it into the circle. System notifications rolled into view.
Congratulations on completing this rift’s Main Objective. Time to complete: 1 hour, 13 minutes
Calculating Individual Reward…
Aura Projection: C2 → C3
Aura Control: C7 → C8
Aura Perception: C3 → C4
Presence Average: C4 → C5
Calculating Skill Deficiencies…
No Deficiencies identified…
He was reading that final line, a surprising note of disappointment settling in his chest, when Lupe gasped. They all turned to look at her in question, only to see an ear-to-ear smile stretching across her face.
“What happened?” Terry asked.
She turned to him, her smile somehow growing wider.
“I received a new Skill!”
José’s eyes widened, his mouth hanging open. “I did too!”
They both cheered, embracing in celebration as Tajo scowled. Judging by the unhappy expression, he hadn’t received any new Skills.
“What about you, Ellie?” Terry asked quietly.
She snorted. “Nope. No deficiencies identified.” Shaking her head, she shrugged. “Guess the System thinks I’m perfect.”
Tajo’s sword slashed through the air as he grunted in annoyance. “Not fair! I carried this damn group and what do I get? A couple Attribute boosts?” He whirled away in anger, reaching back to slash at the air once more, when new notifications appeared in Terry’s vision—and the rest of theirs, judging from their shifts in expression.
Bonus Objective offered…
Finish the rest of the rift by escorting the target to the far side of the canyon.
Reward: User specific Skill and access to the competing world.
Reject the Bonus Objective to close this rift permanently. Should you finish the Bonus Objective, your team will have the option to return to this location and close the rift permanently.
Terry’s eyes grew wider and wider as he read the notification.
“A new Skill!” Tajo shouted, whirling quickly. “Did you all get that too?”
“Si!” José answered happily.
“I did, too,” Terry replied, a sinking feeling settling in his gut. “But did you see the other half of the reward?”
Tajo’s eyes went out of focus, as if he were reading the notification again. José’s excitement died down and Lupe’s skin blanched. Only Ellie’s expression remained neutral.
“Access to the competing world,” José read out loud. He looked between them all. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
Lupe nodded gravely. “It’ll open a portal to one of the invader’s worlds, won’t it?” She looked around wide eyed. “D-does that mean they can come through, too?”
The question hung in the air for a five-count, the ramifications playing across everyone’s minds. Then, Ellie cleared her throat.
“I’ve heard about this,” she said confidently. “If we do the Bonus Objective, it does open a two-way portal to the other side.” Lupe exchanged a wild look with José, who gulped audibly. “But,” she continued quickly, “you can decide not to go through, and the rift gives you a five-minute headstart to come back here.” She indicated the pavilion they were standing in. “When you make it back, you still have the option to permanently close the rift.” She met each of their eyes in turn. “Then the invaders will be kicked out and we all get to go home…one Skill richer.”
His gut churned as he saw Tajo’s eyes widen with a greedy look. José and Lupe still appeared anxious about the prospect. And Terry knew for himself, it wasn’t worth the risk. Not only had these invaders proved themselves deadly, there were also the chance of many more rifts opening up in the next few days. There was no need to be greedy.
“Guys,” he started, “we did an awesome job with this rift. But I think—”
“Let’s take a vote,” Tajo interrupted, avoiding Terry’s eyes to focus on Lupe, José, and Ellie. “Majority decides.”
Terry noted the concerned looks on Lupe and José’s faces, thinking he might actually have the numbers to win.
But then José cast a meaningful glance toward Tajo before looking at Terry.
“You can portal us from one end to the other, right? If we do this, that five minutes will be more than enough to make it back here.” He looked toward Lupe and Ellie. “And we handled these rift creatures easily. There’s almost no risk…”
Ellie’s face didn’t register José’s words one way or the other, but Lupe looked aghast. “How can you say that, José? You almost lost Roca!”
His expression dropped at that, then suddenly hardened. “Lupe…we both got a new Skill. Imagine if we got another…”
Terry watched the woman’s expression closely, fearing the temptation would be too much. He breathed a sigh of relief when she shook her head sternly.
“No, José. I almost died—more than once.” She met Tajo’s eyes. “Mi voto es no.”
Tajo’s eyes widened, a look of fury filling his face, before Ellie cut across any biting remark he could make.
“My vote is yes.”
Terry spun on the girl in shock, a strange feeling of betrayal panging at his chest. He didn’t know why, it wasn’t like the girl owed him anything after all. But a part of him had expected her support after the way she had so clearly tried to embed herself in his presence.
He moved past that feeling quickly, turning a pleading gaze toward José. “My vote is no,” he said, injecting as much persuasion into the statement as he could.
José bit his lip, his eyes flipping between Lupe, Terry, and Tajo. Three seconds passed, the silence seeming to stretch for eternity, before José spoke.
“My vote is yes.”
“Guys—” he started. But Tajo cut across his words.
“We voted, Rosacito. Three to two.”
He glared at the man, then shook his head in resignation. A part of him considered abandoning them to their fate, but he knew that would be potentially damning them to failure—inadvertently opening this rift for the invading world.
If they were dead-set on doing this, they needed him. The problem was, they didn’t realize that—or care. It was obvious the three of them would go it without Lupe and him if push came to shove.
“This is a mistake,” he eventually replied, his eyes finding Ellie. “You know that.”
Her face was stoic under his stare. “Maybe. Will you help us?”
He looked to Lupe, who was staring off into the empty space, clearly shaken by the turn of events.
“Yes,” he replied with a sigh.
He couldn’t miss Tajo’s smug smile from the corner of his eye.
A member of your group has elected to continue with the Bonus Objective. If you refuse, you will be transported from the rift.
He was pleased to note that they still had the option to depart.
“Lupe, you should exit the rift.”
Terry turned in surprise to see Ellie walking toward the woman.
“What are you doing!” Tajo growled, but Ellie ignored him, coming face-to-face with Lupe.
“Take your new Skill and go.”
Lupe’s fugue state seemed to dissipate at the words, her eyes trailing up to find Ellie before her. She stared at the girl, her eyes shifting back and forth as if searching for an answer of what to do.
“Take the out,” Ellie replied insistently, her hand gripping Lupe’s shoulder.
He was surprised by the touch of empathy he heard in the girl’s voice. Stepping beside Ellie, he gave Lupe a meaningful look.
“No one will judge you, Lupe. You were right, you almost died.” He glanced back to see Tajo’s annoyed expression. “The four of us can do this.”
He could see the indecision in her eyes, her thoughts visibly churning as she bit her lip. After a moment, she nodded and he felt a sudden easing in his chest.
“You’re right, Terry.” Her eyes tracked across the others before landing on him. “I did almost die. But you’re also right that the four of you can do this Bonus Objective no problema.” She took a deep breath and that clenching in his chest redoubled. “Which means the five of us should make easy work of it.”
“Lupe…” Ellie started, but the woman shook her head, a determined look forming in her eyes.
“It’s a new Skill, Ellie. I’d be a fool to pass that up.”
Tajo brushed past Terry and Ellie, putting his arm around her shoulders. “That’s right, mía. You would be a fool.” He cast them all a feral grin. “We’re agreed, then. We tackle the Bonus Objective together.”
José nodded, followed shortly by Lupe. Terry met Ellie’s eyes, noting almost a sad flicker of emotion before they too hardened.
The four of them turned to him and he sighed deeply. After a moment, he lifted his chin and nodded. “Together.”
Bonus Objective accepted. Escort the target to the new destination.
Time remaining: 45 minutes.