It took another hour for Dilo and Grub to finish getting the campsite set up enough for Karinna and Kiri to bring a now barely conscious Rex into the tent, Kealy and Venya arrived shortly after the last tent was erected, a large waterskin carried under Kealy’s arm. “Take it into Kiri and Karinna,” Dilo directed, pointing to the largest tent at the centre of the camp. Kealy dashed into the tent, and a few moments later she was ushered back out, “How is he?” she yelled, Kiri’s hand quickly closing the tent flap before answering. “Grub is sure wonky leg will be ok,” Grub said, laying his hand on her shoulder. “He is strong.” “Thanks,” Kealy said, her voice low. She turned to Venya, who laid her arm over her shoulder, and they walked away, Venya turned back to Dilo, “We will have the fire and seating arrangements done in a moment.” Dilo nodded and then took a step back, Grub was staring at her, a strange expression on his face. “What?” she growled, raising one eyebrow. “Wonky leg wil
Knowing Dilo’s intention to drag the most immediate threat away, Kiri dashed forward, and after a quick chant under her breath, reached out and clutched Dilo’s forearm. “What are you doing?” Dilo growled, quickly glancing down at her arm. “Making sure you survive this,” Kiri smiled, looking into Dilo’s eyes with an intensity Dilo had only seen once before. Once Kiri’s spell was complete, she slumped and fell to her knees, panting heavily. Dilo was about to reach down when a sudden sense of danger changed her course to be a roll to the side. Not a heartbeat later an overhead chop passed through the space her head had been in. “Ha! It seems beefcake has gained some speed since we last met and no longer plays a stupid meat shield,” Norian said with a grin. Dilo gritted her teeth at Norian’s use of her old nickname. She has grown up in a place where looks for a woman were everything, and due to her natural muscular body shape, many of the other thinner women taunted her. The moment s
Norian’s head spun toward the town, then after a few seconds, she turned back with a broad smile, “You almost had me, there aren’t any town guards coming? Are there?” “Actually,” Dilo growled, her smile breaking across her lips, “That is the reason we are doing our utmost to prevent you all from leaving. Rex wanted to give you all an opportunity to leave, but I wanted to delay you until our companion returned with them.” “All of your companions are present and…” Norian trailed off, looking toward Grub and Kealy, then down to where Karinna had dragged a barely conscious Kiri to the campfire and had her propped up against a log, then back to Dilo and Rex. “Your intelligence would say one is missing?” Dilo growled, her smile widening as Norian’s smile faltered slightly and the muscle at the side of her eye twitched. “You know our praetorian is busy handling Rosie. But please, don’t rush to decide on your next move, I have all the time in the world.” Since she had stopped fighting, Dilo
“You want to do what!?” the physiker asked, her eyes widening in disbelief.“Rex’s natural constitution does not allow foreign magic to penetrate his inbuilt defences, but if we augment your healing with a little of Dilo’s life force, I believe Rex will not deem it a magical attack and his unconscious body will recognise Dilo and allow the magic to perform its purpose,” Kiri said, her voice still rough and raspy.“You want me to augment my healing weave, with blood magic?” the physiker asked, her tone going cold and flat.“Well technically it is not blood magic, so to speak,” Kiri sighed, rolling her eyes. “Dilo is not the one drawing on blood to boost her own magical ability. It is only being used as a clean and unblemished medium that will be familiar to Rex to allow his natural defences to lower enough for your healing magic to help cleanse enough of the poison his body cleanses the remainder itself.”“You’re trying to sell me on a technicality,” the physiker said with a scowl, put
“Well…” Rex said loudly, lowering his fork onto his plate and sitting it on his lap, doing his best to stifle a loud burp.“That was incredible!” Kealy said, letting the plate she was licking fall away to stare at Grub. “You have to let us know what it was.”“Grub told you, Grub know good meal,” Grub smiled warmly, patting his own full stomach. “Now food is done, Grub’s friends drink good Kuumakun spirit.” He rose from his place at the fire and walked to his lopsided tent at a brisk pace, leaving everyone at the fire staring at his back with mixed expressions.“Am I the only one that was impressed by how he simply threw mystery ingredients into a pot, before adding whatever that thing was he caught, the end result was giving us a meal so good it left us speechless?” Karinna asked, looking around the fire with a grin.“I must admit I may have to up my own cooking game,” Rex said, getting chuckles from his companions. “I half want to know what it was, but on the other hand, knowing what
Rex had just mentally called his mount and leapt into the saddle when Kiri pulled her horse close enough to speak, but not too close to have her mount spooked by the large moving lizard.“You must tell me how you do that.”“Do what?” Rex asked, his nose pinching slightly in confusion.“Being able to command a mount mentally is incredibly rare. Most mounts require verbal communication or physical touch to receive their orders, like these horses. But I never heard you call for the pogona, and yet it came when you looked off into the distance,” Kiri said, eyeing Rex closely.“Uh, it’s hard to explain,” Rex said, stroking his face while trying to think of how he could put what he did with the pogona and Fafnir before that. “The best way for me to explain would be, I put the picture of him in my mind and speak. I still only get broken words here and there as a response, but most times I can fill in the gaps.”“He speaks to you as well,” Kiri said shaking her head with an incredulous smile
“I don’t like this,” Dilo growled once Rex had arrived back to his companions and told what he and the crazak had conversed about.“A hive queen that wants to meet sounds…” Cassius said, trailing off as his mind started working.“Like an easier way to eat Grub,” Grub said, grabbing his elbows and shuddering as the thought of crazaks tearing his flesh from him entered his mind.“That did cross my mind,” Rex said, inhaling deeply and holding it for a few brief moments before expelling the air.“But you’re feeling something different, aren’t you?” Kiri asked, noticing Rex’s surprisingly relaxed posture, even with the imminent danger they could be putting themselves in.“It's hard to explain,” Rex started with a slow nod. “I get this strange tingling in the back of my head that has been quite effective at warning me of danger. During the conversation with the crazak, even though there was easily enough to overwhelm us, I had no tingling of danger, and none even showed hostility.”“Relying
“Uh…” Rex moaned as his darkened vision finally cleared and he was able to take in his surroundings.“Welcome back,” a familiar and calm voice wafted into Rex’s consciousness.“Cassius,” Rex groaned as his eyes opened fully and he saw a slender man standing over him with a broad friendly smile. As he began to sit upright, he could still feel slight dizziness and he inhaled sharply as a bout of nausea struck him.“Slow and steady Rex,” Cassius said, kneeling and steadying Rex. “You were out for half a day after opening the gateway. I think it may be due to the amount of people who passed through the arch. At the time I didn’t think about how much effort and energy it would take to allow so many through, for that, I am sorry.” Cassius continued, his chin dropping slightly in shame.“I didn’t think of it either,” Rex said, smiling as the nausea and dizziness passed and he was able to look around. “Where are we?”Smirking at the admission of shared fault, Cassius looked up, glad for the c
The first sensation that struck Rex as he emerged onto the Citadel's highest tower was the cold—a biting, unnatural chill that cut through clothing and flesh alike. The second was the silence. Despite the thousands of defenders manning the walls and the enemy forces arrayed across the plains, an eerie quiet had fallen over everything, as if the world held its breath.Then he saw why.The night sky had split open.A massive tear hung above the godking's encampment, a wound in reality that oozed darkness and malevolent energy. Around its edges, the stars themselves seemed to bend and distort, drawn toward the void like moths to flame. At its centre, where the ritual circle must be, pulsed a core of such profound darkness that it seemed to devour light itself."What have they done?" Cassius whispered, his usual composure cracking by the sight.General Christopher turned from his position at the parapet, his face illuminated by the sickly purple glow emanating from the rift. "It began mom
The Citadel hummed with preparations as darkness fell. Soldiers sharpened blades, mages prepared defensive wards, and healers laid out supplies for the inevitable casualties. Rex stood at the highest observation point, watching as torches flickered to life across the godking's encampment, stretching like a sea of malevolent stars across the plains."They're positioning siege engines of inhuman proportions," Cassius observed, studying the movements through a spyglass. "But there's something else happening in the center of their camp—some kind of ritual circle."Rex felt the golden bracelet warm against his skin, Fafnir's consciousness pressing forward with concern. "He's not waiting until dawn," Rex said, the certainty growing within him. "The deadline was a misdirection. He's preparing something now.""I've sensed it too," Kiri confirmed, joining them at the parapet. "The void energy is building. Whatever he's planning, it's substantial."The Lady of Blades approached, her expression
The interior of the pavilion defied physical logic. What appeared modest from outside expanded within to a vast chamber, its boundaries lost in shadows that moved with unsettling purpose. No support poles held up the ceiling—instead, the black fabric seemed suspended by an invisible force, rippling occasionally like the surface of dark water.At the centre stood a circular table of obsidian, its surface so polished it reflected their faces with perfect clarity. Seven chairs surrounded it—four on one side, three on the other. The godking had already claimed the central seat on the far side, Chancellor Hellden taking position to his right. The third chair remained empty."Please," the godking said, gesturing to the empty seats. "Make yourselves comfortable."Rex approached cautiously, noting that the floor beneath his feet seemed to shift subtly with each step, as if he walked on something alive rather than solid ground. He chose the chair directly opposite the godking, Marcia and Kiri
Dawn broke over the imperial city with an unnatural clarity, as if the very air had been purified in anticipation of what was to come. Rex stood at the window of his chamber, watching as the first rays of sunlight touched the distant encampment of the godking's forces. The golden bracelet on his wrist pulsed with a steady rhythm, almost like a heartbeat.'He will try to tempt you,' Fafnir's voice whispered in his mind. 'Demons of his kind are masters of deception and desire.'"I know," Rex replied softly. "But I've made my choice."After careful deliberation the previous night, he had selected his three companions for the meeting with the godking. Marcia, with her tactical mind and unwavering resolve; Kiri, whose knowledge might prove crucial against a being as old as the godking; and Dilo, her void-corrupted arm possibly giving her insight into the godking's powers that others lacked.The decision had not been easy. Lacey had argued fiercely for inclusion, citing her combat knowledge
The Citadel's council chamber buzzed with tension as Rex's old companions from Dracoterrum faced his new allies from this realm. What should have been a joyful reunion had quickly transformed into an atmosphere thick with unspoken rivalries and territorial instincts."So let me get this straight," Minet said, pacing the stone floor with her arms crossed. "While we've been desperately searching for you across realms, you've been here making new... connections." Her eyes flickered briefly toward Dilo and Kiri."It wasn't exactly by choice," Rex replied, his voice strained. "I was pulled here against my will, had to survive, and found people I could trust."Lacey, who had remained unusually quiet since their arrival, finally spoke. "We understand that, Rex. But do you understand what we went through to find you? The risks we took? Rowina might be trapped between realms right now because of it."From across the room, Dilo growled low in her throat. "He wasn't
The delegation from the godking's encampment advanced at a deliberate pace across the battle-scarred plains, their progress marked by the fluttering of the white parley flag. At its center rode the imposing figure in black armor – now clearly visible as a woman with pale, almost translucent skin and silver hair that flowed like liquid metal despite the still air."I don’t recognise the envoy," the Lady of Blades said grimly, lowering the spyglass.Rex studied the approaching emissary with growing unease. He could see the person had the figure of a woman and she was not riding a horse, but a massive wolf whose shoulders stood taller than a mounted knight. Its fur was midnight black, with wisps of shadowy vapor rising from its coat with each powerful stride. Flanking her were not soldiers but beasts – creatures with vaguely humanoid forms but bestial features, as if someone had attempted to mold animals into the shape of men and stopped halfway through
The Citadel's western courtyard echoed with the clash of steel as Rex and his companions trained in the afternoon sun. Three concentric circles had been marked on the flagstones with chalk—battle formations designed to maximize their individual strengths.Rex moved through the center circle, golden energy crackling along his sword as he parried attacks from multiple directions. Cassius and Dilo flanked him, their movements synchronized after hours of practice. The purple discoloration had receded from Dilo's arm, though the healers warned the void corruption had left permanent damage—a network of dark veins that glowed faintly whenever she channelled her battle rage.In the second circle, Kealy and Venya darted between training dummies, their blades flashing in complicated patterns designed to target vulnerable points in demonic anatomy, according to the ancient texts the Lady of Blades had provided. Grub moved with surprising grace among them, his strength providing the necessary forc
Rex stood on a balcony overlooking the imperial city as dawn broke over the distant walls. The golden bracelet pulsed gently against his wrist, a reminder of Fafnir's presence within. After yesterday's battle, the dragon had retreated into a restful silence, conserving energy and processing all they had experienced.Below, teams of soldiers cleared the courtyard of the dissolved chimera remains, their movements precise and practiced, evidence of how routine such clean-up operations had become. The void corruption had left blackened scorch marks across the flagstones, impossible to remove completely. A permanent scar on the city's heart."Couldn't sleep either?"Rex turned to find Kiri approaching, her steps nearly silent against the stone. She looked exhausted but alert, her eyes scanning the horizon with careful attention."Too much to process," Rex admitted, turning back to the view. "The prophecy, the godking, these... connections that seem to be forming. It feels like we've steppe
"Cassius, take the left flank with Karinna," Rex commanded, slipping easily into the role of leader. "Dilo, Grub, with me in the center. Kealy, Venya, work the perimeter and watch for stragglers. Kiri—""I'll be where I'm needed," Kiri said with a knowing smile, her hands already beginning to weave complex magical patterns in the air.Rex nodded, then turned his attention to the bracelet. "And you," he murmured, "let's see what we can really do together."As if in response, the golden lizard seemed to shift, its form flowing like liquid metal around his wrist. Rex felt Fafnir's consciousness merge more completely with his own than it had since their reunion—a perfect synchronization of will and power.'Together, then,' Fafnir's voice resonated within him, stronger than ever before.Rex vaulted over the balcony railing, golden light trailing from his hands as he descended to the courtyard below. He landed in a perfect crouch, the impact sending a shockwave of golden energy rippling out