Elsewhere

As stealthy and silent as he could manage, he crept into the cave relying on the light filtering in from the twenty-meter-tall entrance. The area was littered with rocks mostly worn smooth from the passage of countless creatures over the years and the drip of mineral-laden water. The air within the cave was cooler than outside, but still comfortable if a bit damp. Duke could see several stalactites dripping water down to the cave floor, many dripping onto stalagmites and more than a few had formed columns as the two met. Besides the sound of dripping water, there was little more to note in the auditory spectrum.

Duke carefully placed each step, unwilling to trust his footing as he moved in across the wet floor. The floor, thankfully, was in no way smooth as evidence of the Stalkers’ passage was clear by the countless claw marks on the floor and nearly every surface he could readily see. He proceeded on into the cave.

Several minutes later, he came upon the Stalkers’ camp. There were simple dwellings made from skins stretched over sticks and, in some cases, bones. There was also a central fire pit that showed little evidence of recent use. There was, however, a sizable pile of firewood resting beside it. The most notable feature, however, was the two individuals tied to pillars near the firepit.

Duke quickly approached the two figures and smiled when he saw they were both alive. Unconscious, but alive. He could work with that. He pulled out his Elven Dagger of Sharpness, realizing that it was the only blade he had on him, and cut their bonds. It was a simple matter to catch each of the two captives as they fell limply into his arms. He put them down, resting them against pillows he pulled out of the Ring of Rooms and stood watch over them.

It took about an hour and a splash of water, but the pair finally awoke. Duke was sitting across from them when they awoke, surprised to see that they were free of their bonds. Seeing Duke opposite them was an even greater surprise.

“Duke? Is that really you?”

“Yes, Elaine. It really is me.”

“Thank the gods. Where are the Twilight Stalkers?”

Duke smiled at the pair. “Good to see you both again. I can’t wait to hear the story on how you wound up like this though. Don’t worry, the Stalkers won’t be bothering us. It’s been a few hours since I killed them all.”

“You killed them all?” Elaine gasped. “But there were at least a score of them and they were so fast. They overwhelmed us before we even knew they were there. How did you kill them?”

Duke replied deadpan, “The application of overwhelming firepower with extreme prejudice.” The pair stiffened in confusion and worry at Duke’s response. He gestured down with his hands towards the floor in an attempt to calm them. “I was observing the creatures and they ambushed me. Sneaky bastards that they were. They damn near killed me, but I have gotten a lot stronger since we last met.”

“So it would seem.” Grat responded, the druid levering himself to his feet shakily. “Thank you for the rescue. I’m fairly certain that we were to be their next big meal. That, or a sacrifice to whatever god those monsters worship.”

“Glad I was here to interrupt their plans then. Have you had any luck finding the ‘great evil’ in the forest? That was your mission, right?”

Elaine nodded. “Yes, that is our mission. We found evidence of an eldritch incursion deeper in the forest. There was a desiccated corpse and the remains of an eldritch tentacle attached to it. There was also wreckage of some strange metal conveyance that was burned beyond recognition. On top of that, there was a clear line of effect for the fire which leads us to believe that it was a temporary gate that closed before the eldritch being could fully come through.”

Grat jumped in, his voice heightened with excitement. “But that is not all. We found evidence elsewhere of a potential Umbral Gate as well. Two extraplanar gates in such close proximity is rather a grave concern. We have to find this gate and close it before it weakens the planar barrier even further.”

Duke interrupted. “What is that about a planar barrier and what does its strength mean? It sounds rather serious.”

“Indeed, Duke.” Elaine jumped in as she also got to her feet. “I don’t know the true workings of such things but what I know is this: The planar barrier keeps all manner of outside influences from gaining a foothold in our world. Should a strong enough presence force its way into Teldin, it would be a world-wide disaster. They are significantly powerful in their own realms, but here, they are even stronger. The magic is so dense here that they absorb it an incredible rate and their power grows nearly limitlessly.”

“My wife is quite right. Our records go back millennia through the Primary Trees, and they tell us of a time when such a breach happened. It ended the entire Vishu civilization. The Trees report that it took the combined might of their entire civilization to fell the single entity that breached the barrier. This was a world-spanning culture who had achieved works of magic never seen again. We must prevent such a breach from happening again. Everything depends on it.”

Duke smirked, “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I closed the Umbral Gate already, isn’t it?”

“You did? Oh, that is grand news. How? Tell me all about it. Had anything come through? Who set it up? What was the nature of the gate?”

“Easy there, sparky. Let’s get you out of this cave and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Duke turned to lead the pair out before he truly noticed the state of their clothes which were torn to rags. “Do you happen to have any spare clothes on you? Yours seem to be rather, um, unintentionally revealing shall we say?”

The pair looked at each other and blushed at their respective states. Both realizing that their clothing wasn’t hiding much of anything at this point. “It would seem not.”

Duke nodded, casting REPAIR and CLEANSE on each of them hoping it would work. As a Novice ranked Ability, Duke wasn’t certain of the spell’s limits, but it was worth a try. It worked – to a point. Their clothes were now serviceable but far from being in good repair. They were clean though so that was a bonus for everyone involved.

“Oh, now that is a quite handy pair of spells to have.” Grat remarked as he looked down at himself and unconsciously took hold of Elaine’s hand.

“Thank you for saving us, Duke. It would have been a truly horrific end if the Stalkers had their way with us. Your timing was fortuitous as I think they were preparing to sacrifice us at sundown.” Elaine shivered as she thought about it. Grat squeezed her hand a bit harder.

“It was Baslin that sent me out here. He told me about the cave and the entrance to the world below. I was just here to gain some more experience and grow stronger. Neither of us had any idea that you two were here but I am truly glad that I got to you in time. Now let’s get you out of here before something nastier comes along.”

“Baslin? The Imprisoned Archmage of the Twin Kingdoms?” Grat asked.

“I guess you could call him that, yes.” Duke chuckled at the moniker.

“You and your story grow more intriguing every moment that passes.” Elaine remarked. “You are working with him then?”

“Yes, he is teaching me, and I am helping him out. In fact, I’m rather surprised that I haven’t heard from him in a while. I hope he is OK.” Duke touched his forehead and suddenly realized that the Headband of Communication was gone. “Oh. Well, that explains things a bit more. I had a headband that allowed us to communicate but the damned Stalker must have ripped it off my head when it tried to brain me with its claws. Hope he’s not too upset that I lost it. Maybe I should go back for it.”

“I wouldn’t bother.” Grat explained. “An item of that power is unlikely to be repairable if it was torn by those monsters’ claws. It is likely a lost item now. Now tell me about the gate and your journey to the cave.”

Duke led the pair out of the cave while relating his tale of the Umbral Goblins and everything he could recall about the gate itself. As they discussed, Duke realized that the pair had been tracking something back to the cave that likely came from the Umbral Gate. They confirmed his suspicion that the Umbral Goblins were not the first things to come through. He considered his next steps as their conversation continued with their walk away from the area of the cave.

Grat had acquired a new staff from a reshaped fallen branch as they walked and used it to draw in the dirt for Duke. “This is where the cave is located, and this is the path of the creature we were following. Where would you say the gate was in relation to the cave?”

Duke indicated the spot and Grat seemed a bit confused at the distance that Duke indicated. Duke explained, “I can TELEPORT significant distances now. It’s my main mode of transportation at this point.”

“Remarkable. How far can you teleport?” Elaine furrowed her brow as she knew just how rare a talent this was from her studies amongst the Great Library of the Primal Trees.

“At this point, somewhere around four klicks at a time. I expect that will increase as I keep pushing the Ability so I have no idea what the ultimate limit will turn out to be. Baslin has encouraged me to do so, and I agree that it is worth pursuing.” Duke paused, wondering why he was disclosing so much information to the pair that he barely knew. He had only met them twice now and both had been around combat. He had saved their lives so that had to mean something but why was he disclosing so much about himself. Wasn’t he supposed to maintain operational security. What was happening to him?

“What is it, Duke? You seem disturbed about something.” Elaine asked, concern clearly crossing her countenance.

Duke decided to just put it out there. “There’s something strange going on here. I’m a naturally private person. I don’t talk about myself much, and never about my missions or mission objectives. And, yet, I find myself spilling my guts to you. Something’s very odd about that.”

“Have you never had a Blood Ally before?” Grat asked.

“A Blood Ally? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Thrice you have come to our aid. First, you assisted Elaine in a life-and-death struggle with the wolves. Secondly, you closed the Umbral Gate which had become our Life Mission. This last time, you fully saved our lives. We are bound by the System to you at this point. You have proven to be an Ally by the Blood you have spent and spilled for our lives thrice over. We will not, cannot even, betray your trust. The System would wipe us out for even considering it. If you did not know it already, I’m sure it is acknowledged somewhere in your subconscious.”

“Um, wow. That’s a thing, huh?” Duke responded with complete lack of eloquence or sophistication.

Elaine smiled. “Yes, it is well and truly a thing and how do you not know about this already? All children are taught this so that they don’t inadvertently bond themselves. Who are you and where are you really from?”

Duke shrugged. He could feel the truth in their words. It was something that echoed in his soul. In for a penny, In for a pound. “That’s a bit of a story. Let’s continue our journey to the site of the Gate and I’ll fill you in.”

As they journeyed, Duke related his tale of how he came to this world and everything that had happened up until they met again. They asked countless questions about his world and his journey and he answered as best he could.

“You really ‘flipped off’ King Chopie? What does that mean?”

“Well, you extend your middle finger like this.” Duke demonstrated with a smirk. “In my world, it is considered a very rude gesture and often directly results in violence. In this case, it was more of a direct insult and he really deserved it. He’s not going to remain king for much longer if I have anything to say about it.”

“Duke, that’s a dangerous thing to say out loud. Mind you, we are deep in the forest and far away from any prying eyes and ears, but treason is taken deadly seriously in the kingdom. Being overheard saying something like that would be a death sentence.”

“I’m not too worried about it just yet. But I will remove that asshole from his throne. Maybe not soon, but his day of reckoning is coming.”

“So it shall be.” Both Elaine and Grat responded simultaneously and with a depth of gravity that made Duke pause. “We are with you in your cause, your PURPOSE.” The couple stumbled in their steps as if suddenly regaining control of themselves.

Grat remarked, “Blood Ally indeed. This complicates our lives just a bit now. Thankfully, as Druids of the Council, we are not really part of the kingdom so there are no conflicting oaths here. We will help you in any way that we can to achieve this goal, but I must warn you that King Chopie is surrounded by guards, allies, and advisors of terrifying power. We will have to gather more allies and much more power before we can ever truly consider opposing him.”

Duke was having trouble quite understanding what was going on when the System decided to interject a bit more clarity for him.

*** Attention! You have formed a Blood Ally Bond with Gratukelsten and Elaine Synoch. They are forever bonded to your path. Your goals have become their goals. They are now invested into your PURPOSE and share its requirements, penalties, and benefits.

As this was an unintentional bonding, you may release either, or both, of the newly bonded in the next 24 hours but have no obligation to do so. If you do not release them in this time period, the bond will be made permanent. ***

They waited patiently as Duke read his System message, clearly having seen someone read their messages before. Duke nodded upon finishing and decided to do the noble thing and release them from the bond.

“Don’t you dare!” Elaine exclaimed, stopping Duke in his tracks. “Do not dissolve the bond. It would disgrace us beyond bearing. Do you have any concept of what happens to the broken-bonded?”

“Um, no…”

“It is not something you want to see, let alone experience. We are bonded to you. Accept it and let us help you, guide you.” Grat added.

“But you didn’t ask for this. You didn’t enter into this bond willingly. This seems evil, like slavey.” Duke protested.

“It is not slavery.” Elaine explained. “It is acknowledgement by the System of what you have done for us and what that means. We are your friends and allies. Do not attempt to throw that away. It is difficult in the extreme to bond the unwilling. Accept it and we all will gain from it.”

Duke did not know how to respond so he simply nodded in assent as they resumed their journey. He still felt uncomfortable with the situation, but the pair seemed happy about it, and he really had no idea what to do other than to accept it as Elaine insisted that he do.

It was approaching sunset as they reached the clearing where the Umbral Gate had been. Duke showed the pair around and explained the fight as well as what he saw in and around. He was also able to show them the remains of the gate anchor. Grat and Elaine poured over the area as the sun set but had to stop when it started to get dark.

“I will set up a camp for us.” Grat stopped the investigation. “Duke, do you mind if I put you in a separate tent from us?”

“Um, why would I mind that? You’re married. I really don’t want to be in the same tent as you two for what should be obvious reasons.”

“Very well. Some would be fearful of being by themselves in such a place overnight.”

Duke slowly turned around, taking a good look at the area around them that was taking on a more sinister look as the sun’s light faded into the trees. “No, I’m sure I’ll be fine. No worries here.” He was sure that he was not going to sleep a wink that night.

With a gesture, Grat created a pair of tents out of nearby foliage. It was something that was so far outside of Duke’s experience that he just gawked as he watched tree limbs sprout additional branches to form the framework of the tents followed by leaves that grew enormously to become the sides of the tents.

“OK, that is pretty badass.” Duke remarked.

“Glad you like it. Nature provides us with what is needed. Most forget that and fewer still understand or even recognize the fact. It’s truly a shame that so many confine themselves to their artificial constructions. There is nothing quite like the wind in your hair and the sun on your face on a high mountain. When we are done with this quest, that is where I think we will go. It will be a good place to rest and raise a family.” Grat’s head turned further up to the sky as he spoke as if offering a prayer to the heavens.

"That sounds like a good life. I would like to see you achieve it. You know, I could release-“

“Oh, shut it, Duke!” Elaine interrupted. “It is done. I said so and you had better get used to it. Do you understand me?” Duke could hear the subtle growl of her bear form in her words.

“Right. Not going to mess with mama bear. Sorry.”

“Good choice.” Gratt chuckled. “Here is your tent. We should be fine tonight. Get some sleep.”

Elaine’s face clouded over as if Duke said something hurtful. He did not get a chance to ask as Elaine interrupted again. “Dinner first, foolish husband. And it’s nearly ready.”

Duke joined the couple for dinner which consisted of a very thick and hearty stew. He had no concept of what the meat in the stew consisted of and thought better than to ask. Most of the vegetables were also unrecognizable except for some carrot slices. Carrots. He recognized carrots. He felt better about himself at that point. Carrots were a thing. If carrots were a thing, maybe carrot cake was a thing. He loved carrot cake.

Dinner conversation was light, mostly about the couple. It turns out that they had been married for 10 years now and had known each other since childhood. They were both children of Council Druids (now retired) and had been set up together. At first, they both chafed at the arrangement but then that same feeling became a bonding point. As time progressed, they grew to not only accept the arrangement but to truly develop feelings for each other. Duke found it very endearing how they doted on each other. He had never had that kind of relationship in his life, so it was new and refreshing to him.

As the fire died down, they all settled down into their tents for the night. Duke could hear the couple doing couple things across the clearing and did his best to ignore it and actually get some sleep himself. He relaxed his mind and body. Exhaustion finally won out and he slept.