“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
“I sense something is off today visitor Rex,” Hussin said, his small black eyes focused on Rex and the two sleeping companions a short distance behind him. “We usually celebrate the coming of another sun as one, but I can see something bothers you.”“One of your smalls almost attacked us last night, so we just stayed prepared, just in case,” Rex said, standing to greet Hussin.“Ah,” Hussin sighed with a slow, knowing nod. “I should have foreseen this. I apologise,” he continued, clenching his two lower claws while keeping his upper two straight, placing them between his eyes.“Foreseen what?” a slightly bleary voice called from behind them.“A small has yet to receive the gift of shared consciousness from our queen, so they still have slight impulsiveness which sometimes leads to rash decisions,” Hussin said, looking at the small contingent of crazaks all lined up, kneeling all facing the mountain. “I must join them for welcoming the new sun, you may join us if you wish. Or not, the c
After an hour of Grub’s complaining about the trek, Rex finally gave in and caught up with Hussin who was leading the group around the base of a huge mountain.“How far from the entrance are we?” Rex asked.“Ah Rex, in mere minutes we will be entering the mountain, and back onto familiar ground,” Hussin replied. Rex could have sworn if the giant insect could have smiled, it would have done it then at just merely mentioning getting to re-enter the nest. Rex was just about to slow and allow Grub and Cassius to catch up when Hussin called to him, “Please Rex, come. I would like to be seen returning with you beside me.”“Uh, sure,” Rex replied, a little stunned. But after a quick shrug, he caught back up to be beside Hussin.“Even in our hive-minded colony, there is social status,” Hussin said. “I cannot have you be seen following behind me when the queen herself requested your presence, like a common worker. Therefore, you must be seen leading with me.”“Even in a colony led by a queen a
Taalook had only led the group a few hundred metres toward a large archway leading into a dimly lit tunnel when Rex stopped two paces from the doorway. “What’s this?” Rex asked, tracing his eyes over the archway, one eyebrow raised. “What’s what Rex?” Cassius asked, halting beside Rex and staring, confused at the arched doorway. “There is another film of magic over this doorway. Another shield?” Rex asked turning to face Taalook and Hussin. “You can see the zone magics?” Hussin asked, his small beady eyes growing a little larger in surprise. “Zone magics?” Cassius asked, snapping to look at the archway once more, squinting heavily before sighing and turning to Rex. “I don’t know how you do it. Is it something you can teach?” “The queen has the zetas set zones that allow certain types into certain zones, preventing those from going into places they shouldn’t be,” Taalook boomed. “Hussin can tell you about it once we meet the queen, and if you are allowed to continue living afterwa
Darkness.Then, gradually, sensation. Warmth against his skin. Softness beneath his body. The scent of healing herbs and clean linen. Distant voices, familiar yet indistinct, rising and falling like waves against a shore.Rex floated in this half-conscious state, unwilling or unable to fully awaken. Time meant nothing here—it might have been hours or days since the battle. The only constant was the profound emptiness within him, a void of its own where Fafnir's presence should have been.Occasionally, the voices would draw nearer, accompanied by cool hands on his forehead or wrist. Words filtered through his haze—"stable," "healing," "waiting." But none penetrated deeply enough to rouse him from his twilight state.Then, a new voice—commanding, insistent, refusing to be ignored."Enough of this, Rex. Wake up."Marcia. Her tone brooked no argument, as if his continued unconsciousness were a form of insubordination she wouldn't tolerate.Rex felt his awareness slowly centring, the dista
The world seemed to slow around Rex as he absorbed the crazak queen's words. The godking continued his transformation at the center of the ritual circle, void energy crackling around him like black lightning. The tear in reality pulsed ominously overhead, its edges fraying as the ritual's purpose shifted from convergence to pure destruction."The dragon bond must become a conduit," Queen Ullysarius explained, her multifaceted eyes reflecting the chaos surrounding them. "You must channel the void energy through yourself and into your bracelet, where your dragon can contain and neutralize it.""But the strain could kill him," Kiri protested, her ancient eyes wide with concern."Yes," the crazak queen acknowledged without hesitation. "It likely will."Rex felt Fafnir's consciousness surge forward within the bond, the dragon's presence filling his mind with fierce determination.'Together,' Fafnir's voice resonated within him. 'As it has always been.'The memory of Dilo's sacrifice flashe
Rex ascended the ladder first, his muscles burning with the effort after the drain of reshaping stone. As he neared the top, he slowed, listening for any signs of enemy forces above. The rungs ended at a circular metal hatch partially concealed by overgrowth. With utmost care, he pushed against it, feeling resistance from years of disuse before it finally gave way with a soft groan.The predawn air hit his face, carrying the acrid scent of void energy and smoke. Rex lifted himself enough to peer over the edge, finding they had emerged precisely where Kiri had predicted—at the eastern fringe of the godking's encampment. The massive tear in reality dominated the sky, now at least twice the size it had been when they'd descended beneath the Citadel. Beneath it, a circle of dark-robed figures surrounded an intricate pattern of runes carved into the earth, each glowing with sickly purple energy.And at its centre stood the godking.Even from this distance, Rex could sense his power—a disto
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