My heart was pounding in my ears like a kid who'd just been bought his first drum kit; unrhythmic, loud and rapid. My body was so packed full of adrenaline that at this point the streets had begun to blur together and I'd long since lost track of which streets I'd run down and which turns I'd taken. As far as I was aware I'd basically been running down past a series of vague grey blobs, some of them being punctuated with the occasional shouts from various passersbys as I ran past looking like a mobile crime scene.
It was dumb, instinctive and blind but considering I was running away from a school full of corpses I think putting distance between me and it was taking priority over being smart. I wasn't willing to go to prison for this, I may look young but I doubt they'll give me leniency considering I'd killed so many people over the past couple of days.
This wasn't helping me though, if anything I was just making it easier to ID me later on. I could practically hear the conversations that would take place with the authorities.
'Oh yes officer, I saw a twelve year old covered head-to-toe in blood wearing a helmet go running this way.'
Fuck, I need a second to think about this. I can't just keep running away like an idiot.
I slowed down, diving into an alleyway to catch my breath and figure out where the hell I was going to hide for the night.
At least I would've, were it not for the sudden orange glowing portal that opened in front of me and flew into me. I'd been dragged into an admittedly rather quaint looking room; minimal decoration and relatively plain looking walls and floor made it seem like one of those 'authentic feel' tourist traps.
There was only one person in the room besides myself, a tall caucasian woman wearing a set of vibrant yellow flowing robes. She felt old, she didn't look it but she just had this air around her that spoke of how much more experienced she was than you that was perhaps enhanced by her bald head.
I recognised her near immediately, she was perhaps one of the most easy to identify characters I'd seen in theatres in a long time.
"Hello there young one, would you mind joining me for a chat?" The Ancient One greeted, a disarming smile set on her face as she gestured towards a table set with a simple looking tea set.
Just my fucking luck that I end up in Marvel, even worse that I got the attention of bloody Kamar-Taj. Then again, if dungeons are dimensional rifts then I guess it'd make sense for these lot to get involved.
I don't think there's an easy way out of it that lets me walk away intact.
I always thought actions spoke louder than words, so with slow and deliberate movements I released the latches of my helmet and pulled it off. I'd like to think her smile widened slightly in response to that, perhaps all I'd need to do was remain collaborative and I'd get out of this fine.
"Well then, tea?" She began pouring herself a cup of tea, and at my nod began pouring a second one for me. The moments of silence as she did her little tea ritual were surprisingly comfortable. "I hope you like it, I've been told I make a marvellous cup of tea." She said, no small amount of joking pride carried in her voice.
I had to give her credit, it was definitely a fine cup of tea but I'd always prefer one I'd made myself.
"So," I began, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over the room. "Do you mind telling me where I am?" I tried to sound polite as I asked that question, but I'll freely admit that my ability to talk to someone else made damn near every conversation feel like a hostage negotiation.
"You are in Kamar-Taj, home of the masters of the mystic arts." She was oddly calm considering how I looked, but I guess when you're several centuries old things just stop being able to faze you. "I am the Ancient One, leader of this group and the current Sorcerer Supreme." I'll admit, the way she spoke her title with such a casual tone and yet even then it carried such a heavy power behind it.
"Well if we're introducing ourselves then just call me Mordred." Her brow furrowed in response, she looked at me confused for a few seconds before her face settled back into that calming smile.
"That's an… uncommon name in this age." She spoke humorously, though I felt forced to avoid talking about the situation with me.
"I think you have me beat in that regard, I don't think I've ever met someone before who goes by 'the Ancient One'." I joked back at her, if I could keep the tone light like this then it might go alright.
"True, true. But I did not bring you here to merely swap names. I have brought you here to talk about your connection to these dimensional rifts that have been manifesting across the world." Well fuck, there goes my plan.
"I mean, I'll be honest with you, I'm not exactly sure how much I can really clear up for you." I wasn't just about to explain to the leader of an organisation about stopping dimensional invaders that I'd caused a dimensional cancer just by existing. I don't think that'd be the best way to start a relationship between us.
"Why is that?" She tilted her head slightly, her tone carrying an honest sense of curiosity.
"Well 'cause I don't really understand what's going on here either." I lied, hoping that she'd read my nervousness as more about being kidnapped rather than the whole 'trying to deceive an ancient magic user'.
Well I mean technically it wasn't lying, I didn't really understand what was going on other than the fact that it was my fault and if I didn't do anything the world was basically fucked.
"Hopefully you'll forgive me when I tell you that I find that hard to believe." She still spoke in that soft tone, though this time it felt more like the times when I'd had teachers complain and lecture me for messing around during their lesson.
"You see, when reports of these rifts began to reach me I sent agents to investigate, so far you have been the only one outside of our group that seem to be able to notice them Add to that your ability to interact with them and your actions following you opening these rifts have made it a priority of ours to find out what you know."
"Like I said, I don't really know a whole lot about what's going on."I shifted awkwardly, hoping beyond hope I didn't end up sticking my foot in my mouth.
"Well then, let's start with a simple question. How did you become aware of them?" She set her now empty cup on the table, she was remarkably casual around me considering the circumstances.
"I kinda just… walked into one and it opened up." I tried explaining, that's all there really was to it.
"And your response to this was to kill everyone within?" She looked honestly confused at my thought process, and to be honest I could hardly fault her for that at this point.
"Okay, when you say it like that it makes me sound crazy." At her pointed stare I flinched, to be honest that probably wasn't the best thing to say to someone like her. "Look, I have this… let's call it a guide. It tells me where these rifts are and what I should do when I open them."
"So you have a voice in your head that tells you to go to random locations and kill people and your response was to do so without question?" The confusion changed to a look of being disturbed, considering she was in a room with me then yeah I don't blame her.
"N-... yes." I wanted to try and deny it, but when it came down to it I'd barely even hesitated when Merlin had told me to go kill some people.
Why was that? I was pretty sure that even at my worst I'd struggle to even hurt somebody, let alone kill a man.
"Are you aware of the effect you've been having on the other rifts?"
"I was told it would buy me more time, that it would halt them all just breaking open at once."
"And you were told this by your 'guide'?" I nodded at her, and a look of deep thought settled on her face. "I've an offer to make you."
"Okay, what is it?"
"I would like to see you interact with these rifts myself, and you are currently fleeing from the authorities. What I offer you is this, we have found a rift in an isolated region in central europe that would pose no risk to the surrounding area should you open it and I want to be present when you do so. In return I offer shelter, food and a change of clothes."
That… that was a really good offer, at least better than what I was expecting to get out of this.
"When would I have to open this rift?"
"If you accept, then tomorrow I won't force you to open one whilst you're fatigued." The door on the far end opened up, revealing a tall aged-looking man with long grey hair tied back into a braid. "Kaecilius here will lead you to your room for the night, if you have any further questions then feel free to direct them towards him."
"Well then, I look forward to tomorrow. Have a good day Ancient One." I gave my farewells and moved to follow Kaecilius.
Kaecilius was that guy who ended up working for Dormamu because he wanted immortality if I remembered correctly. So, possible future bad-guy, but I might be able to change that if I do something smart.
But if I wanted to do this smart then I'd have to wait, pushing against him early on would only make him guarded around me.
When we finally arrived at the room I'd been assigned for the night we'd been walking in silence for a few minutes. The room itself was scarcely decorated, the only furniture in the room being a plain looking bed and a bedside cabinet. On the bed itself were a folded set of clothes, a plain looking outfit that I'd likely have to wear tomorrow.
I turned back to thank the man, but he'd already taken his leave and the door had already shut behind him.
"Well, it's currently…" I looked at the desk, a digital alarm clock showed the current time as 12:32 PM. I'd been up for close to a day straight now, seeing as I hadn't even slept when at the motel, and it was starting to wear on me.
But I wasn't just about to go to bed, not until I'd picked up the rewards from me completing that dungeon. If I was jumping head first into another dungeon I wanted as many levels and as much gear as I could carry.
[So you'd like to claim your rewards now?]
Yeah give the good stuff.
[Generating rewards for Dungeon Completion…]
[You have earned 2500 Credits]
[You have received 3x Gacha Tokens]
[You have earned 10,000 EXP]
[You have Levelled Up! X2]
[You have reached the required Stats to progress in your Racial Tree]
[Peak Human] [Gifted Human] [Magic-Touched Human]
...holy shit that's a lot of stuff.
Also this racial tree is kinda quick to advance though, like I just advanced a few hours ago and now I'm already at the third tier.
[You may have advanced quickly through the early stages but the higher stages will take far longer for you to complete. Plus you've been a bit more active than most would expect from one of your kind]
Wait, I've only done a little bit of grinding by dealing with the dungeons. What do you mean I'm more active?
[I expected you to take a break for a few days, try and figure out a more effective method for dealing with these dungeons that flinging yourself in head first]
I mean, flinging myself into dumb situations is just how I've always done stuff. It's how I got myself through school and most of my life.
[Yes, I'm becoming well aware of that fact]
Let's just move on then, I need to pick a new racial path.
Okay, well it looks like it follows the basic fighter, rogue or mage archetypes but in racial form. So it's a question of whether I want to specialise or go all in on being a fighter.
...magic would be useful for the skills, same for rogue but…
Specialisation was the path to power, so if I went all in on it then I would be better than becoming a jack-of-all-trades.
Peak Human it is, hopefully by the time I finish this tree and the classes I'd get to a pretty decent level of power.
[Peak Human has been selected]
[Resource Pools are being adjusted]
[You have earned a new Racial Perk]
[Boundary Pusher]
The potential of mankind is great, but sometimes it needs help to manifest.
Some follow this path, the power of transhumanism.
This Perk grants you greater power from any augmentations you bring into yourself, increasing their effects by 50%.
[From completing the Dungeon you have earned a new augmentation]
[Patchwork]
It's a dangerous world you're stepping into, with all these bastards running around with the strength to tear you limb from limb and sword swinging bastards aiming to sever your head from your shoulders.
Losing parts of yourself no longer carries the same risk, as you are now able to reattach severed body parts with great ease.
Like a bolt of lightning coursing through my veins a sudden feeling of power came over me, like a dozen shots of adrenaline all at once.
I wanted to fight, to dance, to do anything to test out this new feeling. But just as quickly as it'd come it disappeared, leaving me feeling suddenly more drained.
Still, a Racial Perk that makes my augments stronger might not be what I was expecting but I wasn't going to complain about that. Hell if everytime I complete a dungeon and get one of those then I'm going to get the most out of these dungeon clearings.
Actually before I check my stats I should check something. Hey Merlin, I've got some Stat Crystals from that last dungeon right?
[Yes, you've got a few currently in your inventory. Would you like to consume them?]
I don't see a reason not to.
[You have received: +15 Endurance, +25 Dexterity, +20 Wisdom, + 25 Charisma, +80 Luck]
...Nice.
Name: Mordred
Age: 12
Race: Peak Human
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Current Class: Scrapper
Class Level: 43 [2975/4300 EXP]
EXP Gain: 200%
Total Levels: 43
Credits: 3500
Hit Points: 9200/9200 [920 HP/Sec]
Stamina Points: 11100/11100 [1100 SP/Sec]
Magic Points: 105/105 [105 MP/Sec]
Psychic Points: 99/99 [99 PP/Sec]
Stats
Strength: 184 (184)
Endurance: 222 (222)
Dexterity: 142 (142)
Intelligence: 35 (35)
Wisdom: 33 (33)
Charisma: 38 (38)
Luck: 113 (113)
That's a hell of a boost for just raw HP and SP, plus my regeneration seems to be getting more and more absurd everytime I look at it.
I don't remember there being this big of a change when I changed between regular Human and Talented human.
[Higher Tiers in the Racial tree come with far greater changes, at this point you will see great shifts whenever you advance]
Well if I've gone into the Augmentation tree for my race, and I'm in Marvel which is home to all manner of super-serums and cybernetic bullshit then my future looked pretty bright.
I looked at the clock, it'd barely been fifteen minutes since I'd last checked in on it.
...Gacha, I still had gacha tokens to burn.
Hey Merlin, how many have I got right now?
[There are currently 9x Gacha Tokens in your inventory. How many would you like to open?]
All of them.
[...]
[Are you sure about that?]
Yeah, I'd rather have as much gear as possible before shit hits the fan tomorrow.
[Choosing a random Item]
[Item has been chosen]
Suddenly a small red can spawned in, landing on top of the bedside desk. The can was coated in a familiar white text with a very familiar name written on it.
[Can of Coke]
{Common}
What is likely the most popular soft drink in the world, in its familiar 330ml form.
Effects
When consumed this item grants the (Energised) buff for 5 minutes
Huh, nice. It's good to know I can at least get some regular stuff from these draws.
Looking it over I felt a sudden thirst kick in, but if food was going to give me buffs then perhaps it wasn't the best idea to just waste this. Caffeine also wasn't the best thing to start downing before I was going to try and sleep.
[Choosing a random Item]
[Item has been chosen]
[You have received a new Perk]
[Charisma of the Harem Protagonist]
{Mythic}
What the hell is your secret? You don't seem particularly interesting to look at and your personality isn't much better, so why does it seem that women fall out of the sky for you?
Well this Perk is your answer, as for reasons beyond comprehension you are unnaturally attractive to the opposite sex.
With this Perk all reputation gains with members of the opposite sex are increased by 500%
With this Perk all reputation losses with members of the opposite sex are decreased by 50%.
...Why does it feel like you're making a dig at me?
[That's just the default wording for the Perk, I don't make all of these with just you in mind]
I was just kidding, you know? I'll admit, it was a nice perk to have for the future but right now I wasn't really all that down to have it. Considering I'm still running around looking like a kid I don't think the kind of women I'd be attracting are the type I want to be attracting.
[That's… probably a smart concern]
[Choosing a random Item]
[Item has been chosen]
This time another set of folded clothes formed on the bed, a pair of smart looking plain-black dress clothes and a complimentary pair of shoes. The final part of the ensemble being a dark purple, maybe blue, overcoat with a series of holsters and large pockets on the interior.
[Holy Vestments of the Conflicted Demon]
{Uncommon/Unique}
An enchanted priest's cassock lined with Kevlar Filaments to protect the wearer from penetrating attacks, this particular one belonged to a man named Kirei Kotimine and as a result of belonging to such a distorted individual has gained abilities beyond the usual.
Damage Reduction
300 Piercing
200 Fire
Unique Effects
Whilst wearing this uniform holy attacks deal an additional 10% damage.
Whilst wearing this uniform Evil Karma gains are boosted by 50%.
Whilst wearing this uniform Lawful Karma gains are boosted by 50%.
Oh, so I got a set of armoured priests' clothes. I mean it works as armour, so I'll wear it but I ain't too happy about gaining extra Evil karma while I'm wearing it.
Extra holy damage might be good if I ever find a paladin subclass.
Oh god damnit, why did I tell them I had a voice in my head that told me to go around killing? Better yet, why didn't the chain my ass up right away instead of sending me to a ro-.
The door was locked, the knob on it wouldn't turn and I couldn't manage to push or pull it in any way.
Bastards locked me in. I could hardly fault them for that, I was a killer, but it still didn't help with the sudden feeling of being pissed off at basically being held as a prisoner.
[Choosing a random Item]
[Item has been chosen]
Meanwhile in the background another item spawned in, this time a suit of modern looking combat armour.
It looked to be made out of thick, heavy-looking, overlapping metal plates that were fashioned in such a manner that left very little of the body beneath exposed. The plates themselves were cut in an angular fashion and were painted a sort of industrial grey, the only section that didn't follow these rules was a smoother section that sat across the rib-cage and was a lighter shade of grey.
I looked closer, beneath the plating, to find an underlayer to the armour that consisted of a thick black bodysuit that was made of a dense material I couldn't really identify just from looking over.
The final piece was the helmet, which was shaped in a similar fashion to my old biker helmet with a silver visor that was far better at hiding the interior of the helmet and from the weight alone I could tell it was far more heavily armour. It was still painted the same shade of grey as the rest of the armour but there was a stripe of lighter grey, the same shade as the chest piece in fact, that went from the forehead above the visor all the way to the rear of the helmet.
[ODST Battle Dress Uniform]
{Uncommon}
Custom built for the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper special operations divisions, this armour was manufactured by the Misriah Armory for those brave men and women leaping feet-first into hell.
This armour features thermal insulation to help deal with extreme heat caused by Drop Pod re-entry and rounds from Plasma weaponry and is vacuum sealed as to prevent death from atmospheric exposure.
The helmet of the armour also carries technology designed for MJOLNIR armour systems, granting an enhanced VISR system and internal computer. The VISR allows you to mark nearby hostile enemies, track ammo for all registered weapons, track the relative health of the individual in the armour and carries an inbuilt motion sensor. The actual visor on the helmet can also polarize itself to help disguise the wearer's face and protect against sudden bursts of light.
Damage Reduction
500 Thermal
500 Piercing
350 Bludgeoning
350 Slashing
I had to actively try and suppress the sheer glee I felt at the sight of it, my very own set of functional ODST armour. I'd've killed for this back home, hell if you think about it I did. It was also good armour as well, considering all the effects and damage reductions it was most likely going to be the armour I use moving forward.
Problem is I can't wear it, it's damn near one-and-a-half times my size and even then, if I remembered correctly, the internal functions required a neural implant to work.
[Whilst I can't do anything about the neural implant I can do something about the size]
Really?
[Yes, please place the item in your inventory]
I gripped the armour and, in a shower of blue motes of light, it was pulled into my inventory.
[Now please remove it]
Pulling it back out caused it to appear in another flutter of lights, this time it had shrunk down to be comparable in size to myself.
Merlin, I love you.
[I'm just doing my job, but your appreciation is noted]
[Choosing a random Item]
[Item has been chosen]
This time a gunmetal grey pistol spawned into my hands, a relatively small looking item with a flashlight attached to the front end of it.
[KA-1 Kobra]
{Common}
A modified variant of the NR4, this pistol serves as the standard issue firearm for police across the united states.
This weapon is chambered for .45 ACP and has a standard magazine capacity of 12 rounds.
Damage
300 Piercing
Capacity
12/12
I felt an immediate sense of disgust for the gun in my hands, a feeling that confused me greatly since for as long as I'd remembered I never had such a visceral reaction to guns.
It went into the inventory without another thought, the sense of revulsion disappearing along with it.
[You have gained a new Skill]
[Universal Weapon Proficiency (Novice)]
{Mythic}
(Level: 1/100)
It's like you were made for warfare, as every weapon feels like a natural extension of your body.
As a benefit of this perk, your ability to pick up and master new weapons will develop at a much higher rate.
Current Modifiers
Damage Boost: 1%
[Sword Proficiency (Novice) has been combined with Universal Weapon Proficiency (Novice)]
[Blunt Weapons Proficiency (Novice) has been combined with Universal Weapon Proficiency)]
[Brawling Proficiency (Novice)
[You have gained a new Skill]
[Universal Weapon Proficiency (Novice)]
{Mythic}
(Level: 43/100)
It's like you were made for warfare, as every weapon feels like a natural extension of your body.
As a benefit of this perk, your ability to pick up and master new weapons will develop at a much higher rate.
Current Modifiers
Damage Boost: 43%
[Due to reaching Level 10 in Universal Weapon Proficiency (Novice) you have earned 250 EXP]
[Due to reaching Level 20 in Universal Weapon Proficiency (Novice) you have earned 250 EXP]
[Due to reaching Level 30 in Universal Weapon Proficiency (Novice) you have earned 250 EXP]
[Due to reaching Level 40 in Universal Weapon Proficiency (Novice) you have earned 250 EXP]
That's… kinda broken for me not gonna lie. Now I gain levels just from using any weapon as a fighter, though how come there's a Novice modifier on it?
[Proficiency skills level as you utilise the items they grant proficiencies with, and they are tier dependent on how many times you have reached Level 100 with the skill]
How many tiers are there?
[Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master and Legendary]
Damn, so I've got a long way to go. Still early days though, I've got a while to build myself up.
Actually that's another thing to figure out. When in the MCU am I, because for all I know Thanos could fall out the sky tomorrow and wreck the shop.
Well, not literally considering the Ancient One was still alive but that still was a rather vague time scale to function off of.
[Choosing a random Item]
[Item has been chosen]
There was a sudden burning sensation within my skull, like a fiery poker had been jammed through my sockets and was melting my very eyes. I wanted to scream until my throat was raw, I wanted to cry my eyes out, I wanted to do anything I could to alleviate this pain.
But I couldn't, if I started screaming I have no doubt they would kick in the door and I knew that wouldn't end well with anybody.
So I fell to the floor and curled into a ball, waiting for it to eventually subside.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun it stopped. There was only a dull ache left in its place, and even that was slowly subsiding.
But I couldn't see.
The room was pitch black, like someone had come in and destroyed all the lights within it.
Merlin, what's going on?
[You have received a new Augment]
[Eyes of True Sight]
[Rare]
Your eyes have opened, gazing into the ethereal realm and seeing beyond the attempts to deceive you.
All attempts to deceive you with Illusions or transformations will automatically fail as they fail to even register to you.
These also allow you to see even in Magical darkness, though not through any physical barriers.
Merlin, did you just give me eyes that don't work?
[I apologise for this, I wasn't prepared for the strain that they would place upon your mind. I'm currently trying to fix this]
No, no, no. I mean why did you do this to me automatically, like I'd rather have known I'd be blinded from this.
[You had 100% compatibility with this Augment, I thought you would like it]
Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to complain about being able to see through magic illusions and transformations but I'd like to be able to see just in general.
Also how are Eyes of True Sight considered only rare? I mean it's the power to see through basically any illusion and peer into another realm. Like that sounds like a pretty powerful ability not gonna lie.
[They are considered rare because they are relatively rare in the setting they were drawn from, but they aren't in the realm of myth or legend]
Damn, what the hell kind of setting is that?
[It doesn't particularly matter, at the rate I'm adjusting the blindness should wear off within an hour or two]
...wait, if I'm blind how am I reading all these messages?
[I'm not actually making you read this, I'm actually just pinging you mentally and your mind is interpreting it in this way]
Oh… that's pretty cool though.
So anything else left from the gacha?
[You have two more draws remaining, I paused them after your eyes were replaced but I can continue them if you want]
Yeah, just don't automatically replace something with an augment this time please?
[Choosing a random Item]
[Item has been chosen]
[You have gained a new Perk]
[Beloved of the Elemental]
{Legendary}
It's a strange thing to gain the approval of an Elemental without ever having met one, but even stranger is being considered one of the most important people by them.
But these are strange times in a strange world.
By default your reputation with entities with the 'Elemental' trait starts at 'Friendship' tier, your reputation gains with those entities are also increased by 200%.
It is thanks to this reputation with Elementals that you have gained several boons as well.
Due to blessings of the Earth your HP regeneration is increased by 1x STR
Due to blessings of the Earth your HP Maximum is increased by 3x STR
Due to blessings of the Earth your ability to resist harm is increased, granting you an additional 50 Base damage reduction.
Due to blessings of the Wind the effect of Dexterity on Movement Speed is increased by a slight margin.
Due to blessings of the Water your natural MP regeneration is increased by 1x INT
Due to blessings of the Water your natural MP maximum is increased by 3x INT
Due to blessings of the Fire your natural ability to cause harm has been enhanced, as all sources of damage originating from you are increased by 5%.
[Choosing a random Item]
[Item has been chosen]
[You have gained a new Perk]
[Hentai Logic]
{Mythic}
This perk probably won't see a lot of use by you, but it's best to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
With this perk hentai physics now apply to you and your partner(s) during sex, granting you a minor form of protection against acts as long as they are lewd that helps prevent any pain/health consequences.
Well…
I got two perks and whilst both are high rarities there seems to be a bit of fucking disparity in quality between them.
What is it with you and trying to get me laid?
[I'm not actively doing so, I'm sorry about this]
Fuck this, I'm going to sleep. Hopefully my eyes work by the time I wake up.
It was the end of reality as I knew it.
The armies of man laid shattered, whatever military might that had been summoned now laid shattered. The various schools and sanctums that had been established over the millenia were burnt to ash and my students lay bleeding in the streets.
Dormammu's agents were bleeding through into the material realm, forced into conflict against the thousands of other threats that had manifested.
There were demonic titans that towered above so high that they seemed to be beyond the clouds battling against beings of such rotten and warped flesh that they seemed more like sentient plagues than beasts. The streets were littered with armies of sentient rat-men, clawing through hordes of demons and machines alike.
Even above the stars themselves seemed to be dying, there was no hope of survival, there was no alternative to this timeline.
Reality itself was burning, and all of it could be traced back to the boy who was soundly sleeping in her compound surrounded by her students.
The Eye of Agamotto pulled itself shut, and with that the visions of the future had ended.
In three months time reality would end and there was nothing she could do to stop it. There were no hypotheticals, no alternates, there was simply a guaranteed destruction.
And all of this was due to those rifts.
The child had a patron of some kind, he could call it a guide all he wanted but a patron made far more sense. Some unknown entity had granted him strength and was directing him to deal with these rifts, perhaps it was benevolent or perhaps it didn't care. Either way several new players had entered the board and in doing so managed to alter everyone else's hands so that nobody had any idea what they had or had the slightest guess what was in the others.
A knock at my door drew me away from my internal discussion. Until I gained any further insight into the matter, making decisions right now would be of any help to the situation.
"Come in." Through the door came Kaecillius, a clear look of concern on his face as he settled into one of the seats scattered around the room. "I assume you've something to tell me about our guest?"