Somebody Stop Him [A Progression Fantasy Epic]

As Cinder mauled into me, a distant sound echoed across the water—the melodic chiming of Skyfall's dinner bell ringing across the campus.

"Dinner time!" Vespera leapt to her feet, nearly toppling off the basalt column in her excitement. "And let me tell you, I worked up quite an appetite with all that... flying." She waggled her eyebrows at us suggestively.

Cinder rolled her eyes, tucking her guitar back into her dimensional pocket. "You're insufferable."

"Correction: I'm hungry," Vespera countered, stretching her wings dramatically. "Flying burns a lot of calories, you know. All that... up and down motion." She wiggled her hips with exaggerated emphasis.

"Vee!" Cinder scolded.

"What? I'm talking about aerodynamics!" Vespera's face was the picture of mock innocence. "Get your mind out of the sky-gutter, you pervy Quetzi. Also, I call dibs on carrying the fox this time!"

"No way!" Cinder clutched my arm possessively. "You'll just probably drop him in the ocean."

"Would not!" Vespera huffed, then paused. "Well, not on purpose anyway. I'd do it 'cus it'd be hilarious."

"That's exactly my point," Cinder said.

"How about we compromise?" I suggested extending an arm to each of them. "Tandem carry?

"Co-carrying, huh?" Vespera tapped her beak. "Now that's an interesting proposition."

"Practical," I added. "Double the wings!"

"Also double the chances of careening into the ocean or a tower," Cinder said. "How would this even work? There's no way that I can..."

"I'll link our minds up," Vespera suggested. "You can do the flapping and I'll generate the anti-grav pulse to accelerate and lighten us."

"Fine," Cinder said. "I'm trusting you not to flap your wings out of sync."

"Ye, ye," Vespera nodded and grabbed me. Cinder grabbed both of us. Electric currents rushed across our bodies from Vespera. I felt gravity around us reducing to almost nothing.

"On three," Cinder instructed. "One... two..."

Vespera launched us skyward on "two," with a gravity wave, detonation of electricity and a kick against the ground sending us upward like a rocket, cackling as Cinder yelped in surprise.

"You insufferable featherball!" Cinder shouted over the wind, wings spread out and unfolding wide.

The sunset had deepened, painting the sky in rich purples and deep blues as we rose high in the air. Below us, Skyfall Academy was coming alive with lights—golden glows from windows and colorful Kitlix lamps along pathways, flower fields twinkling across a multitude of gardens.

"Look at that view," I breathed.

"I know, right?" Vespera sighed dreamily. "The academy looks so pretty when it's all lit up. Almost makes you forget about all the potential eldritch horrors lurking just beneath the surface."

"Way to ruin the moment, ya knob," Cinder grumbled.

"It's called balance, Skittles," Vespera replied cheerfully. "Gotta pepper in some existential dread vibes for the spooki scary shivers!"

We banked toward the Silver Tower, our shadows dancing across the rooftops below.

"Let go, I wanna race you to the dining hall." Vespera suggested.

"Not while carrying our human," Cinder replied firmly.

"Spoilsport," Vespera pouted. "Fine, we'll fly at a responsible, boring speed. But just so you know, I'm mentally winning a race right now."

We descended toward the balcony of our dorm room, touching down swiftly. As soon as my feet hit solid ground, Vespera darted into the bathroom. I grabbed a change of clothes and went into the male bathroom too. Vee emerged a minute after me with her hair slightly neater and a fresh blue dress instead of her somewhat soaked silver robe. Cinder had a white See-Mass sweater on and a pair of gray pants.

"Food waits for no Omnid!" Vespera declared. "Last one to the dining hall has to eat the mystery meat casserole!"

We hurried to the glass elevator and then down the stairwell of Silver Tower, past the winged fox statue, joining the stream of students flowing toward the Grand Refectory. The massive gothic hall was already buzzing with activity featuring hundreds of Omnids chattering, laughing, and jostling for hexagonal tables.

The ceiling above showed Slayer Nazareth battling the many-faced Wormwood Leviathan, radiant waves of the magitek projection coalescing into a dramatic rendering of the legendary fight. Looking at the projection momentarily wobbled my mind sideways as if I was actually there, slaying the Leviathan.

The rendering was wrong.

My hands were emaciated, coming apart into ashes and reconstituting with each breath, holding a strange black, hexagon-textured, two-dimensional knife.

I faced an eldritch thing made from endlessly entwined bodies, the apex of which was the smiling face of Cinder entwined with Vespera's and a billion others, her arms spread out towards me, billowing out into endless wings across eternity. My dark blade coming down on the crystalline heart unfolding out of her chest. Reality catching fire.

I shook my head, focusing my attention on my girls. The Depictomancer-designed ceiling was likely charged with some kind of Charmchain magic that was getting into my head.

"Ooh, look," Vespera pointed to the Silverfox tables, where Io, Mags, Kat, and Lilith were already seated. "The gang's all here!"

Two more hexagonal tables were connected to the central hexagon, making the table long, the extra seats inhabited by Team Hydroblades. June sat next to Io and Mags, chatting away to her teammates. I noted that only a few people were bothering with their House robes or specific seating now. Most Omnids were wearing their normal clothes, sitting at randomly arranged tables in friend groups.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Bout time you three showed up," Kat grumbled as we reached the three tables. "Was about to send out a search party."

"We were engaged in very important... educational activities," Vespera declared, sliding into an empty seat with a flourish.

"Educational, huh?" Magdaline raised an eyebrow, sniffing the air. "Is that what we're calling getting it on in the tower and then flying off to make out at Macleod's Maidens now?"

"Oi, stahp scrutinizin' me life deets!" Vespera gasped dramatically. "We were conducting a thorough geographical beach-landing survey! With our mouths!" She paused. "Wait, that came out wrong. Or maybe, right?" She tapped her beak thoughtfully.

I choked on my water while Cinder buried her face in her wings.

"Smooth, you guys," Katherine drawled. "Real smooth."

"Like sandpaper," Io agreed with a nod of his Snufkin hat.

Vespera beamed, completely unabashed as the Kitsune waitress delivered the menus. "Anyway, what shall we nom for dinner? Something extra-fancy to celebrate our successful migration back to Skyfall?"

"I'm surprised there's constantly new menus," I said, looking over the meal choices.

"The menus depend on whatever gets hunted by Arx delvers each day," Vespera explained. "Accordin' to the net, the Diamalune Kitsune clan handles the beast slayin'. They gate the steaks from Arx straight to Skyfall kitchens below the Refectory where they clean up the affinity and cook the meals. The fresher the food, the more magically potent it is. Good for levelling up."

"Even for me?" I asked her.

[Especially for you,] she squeezed my hand with her talons, sending her thoughts dancing across my nerves. [I've been gradually optimizing the Resonance fractal-weave in your soul, so that you could fully claim us.]

[Ah, thanks,] I thought back at her.

[While the meat digests in your stomach,] she added. [Resonance should be able to use it as a temporary beast core to help you grow stronger. We're pretty much out of magic lighter fluid, ye?]

[Yes,] I replied with a nod. [Am I going to be able to get XP someday?]

[Working on it,] she replied. [Your whole... constantly spinning soul-armillary composed of fractured soul bits is particularly bad at holding onto XP. I have no idea how it even stays together. By all accounts you should be dead. I don't want to introduce stat levelling up in there and destabilize the whole thing.]

[Gee, thanks,] I commented. [How do ordinary mixie souls and Omnid hold onto XP?]

[It sorta spins around them like an Astral ring structure with new bits added every time they slay a beast, nom beast flesh, or complete a Quest on Arx,] Vespera explained. [The more stable a soul is, the more XP it can hold and the easier it can level up. As a young Omnid with a smol Fractal Engine soul heart I can hold onto a lot of XP for example.]

The meals arrived quickly.

"Yum! Chrono-salmon!" Vee declared as she stuffed the fish into her mouth.

The conversation around our trio of tables flowed easily as we ate, discussing classes, the changes to campus since the dimensional shift, and plans for the upcoming weekend. It felt... normal. Comfortable. Like we'd always been here, together, sharing dinner and jokes.

As my stomach filled with salmon from Arx, I mentally pulled up my stats. The usual errors showed up as expected.

[System error. Unable to parse experience, no heart-core detected.]
[Delineating current state. Reassessing stats.]

[Level 5 state approximated!]

I smiled as my stats loaded.

| Name: Alexander Glock
| Age: 18
| Species & Subtype: Human-Thunderbird hybrid [with 4 other minor affinities]
| Core Affinity: N/A
| Level: 5
| Anima: 82/89 [+82] [+89] [+89] [+7] [+7]
| Anima Stamina: 1/1
| Mana: 225/46
| Mana Regen: 0.0m/hr
| Strength: 0
| Agility: 0
| Dexterity: 0
| Vitality: 0
| Charisma: 0

| Magic: 0 [+46]
| Foresight: 0
| Intelligence: 0
| Wisdom: 0

| Skills:
Thunderbird: Resonance, Lightningball, Electrofractal Sight, Dreamwalking, Chain Lightning
Quetzalcoatl: Charmchain
Stollwurm: Umbramancy, Deep Diving, Echomancy
Death Moth: Sundergate
Megalodon: Scrutiosmia

| Two way soul bond: Vespera Simmi [Thunderbird], Cassiopea Cinder Nova [Quetzalcoatl]
| Clan Knights: Iogann Wanderer [Deathskull Mothman], Magdaline Satoshi [Megalodon], Katherine Kells [Stollwurm]
| Clan Sixies: Solace Exill [Deathworm], Quint Thornton [Wendigo], Emerald Stratos [Lindworm], Tate Lissthoric [Yara-ma-yha-who], Renmar Igoshec [Mapinguari], Viktor Opperhimm [Bies], Izzy Jones [Catoblepas], Ash Ketkoff [Erlking], Lilith Moongriss [Lamashtu], Mariana Darkwater [Scylla], Uliuss Yolt [Grootslang], Royaul Niss [Camazotz]

Ah, how nice of the System to recognize all of my knights and mooks. Claiming Vee and Ci cost me 14 Soul units, but now I could feel their presence on a whole new level.

Halfway through dinner, Christi bounded over from her table, her flame-hair flickering with excitement. "Hey, guys! Guess what? They're announcing the Tournament of Houses schedule tomorrow! The first event is going to be Arcane Capture the Flag!"

"Yeah?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Yep, yep," Christi enthused. "Teams from each house compete to capture magical banners while dodging spells and traps!"

"How big are the teams?" I asked.

"Depends on the game. I think that the capture the flag is fifteen people per team max," Christi said.

"Readin' up on it now. It's basically legal warfare!" Vespera commented, tapping away at her phone. "Ah ye, I think it's designed to train Omnids against future dimensional incursions, how fun!"

"Sounds violent," I observed. "I'm in."

"That's the spirit!" Vespera slapped me on the back, nearly sending me face-first into my mashed potatoes. "We're totally gonna dominate. I've got this lightning move I've been working on—totally legal, mostly non-lethal."

"Mostly?"

"Ye. Mostly," she shrugged. "It's not a big deal if someone's heart explodes, that's what the incarnator is for!"

"Dimensional incursions?" Cinder asked.

"More magic in the air equals more visitors," Vespera explained. "Is fine, we are a powerhouse and pretty much can kick anyone's ass and take their planet out from under them."

"Take their planet? We take planets?" Cinder asked.

"Ye," Vespera nodded. "Omnid Omnicorp Consortium operated by the Elder Clans like mine generally take over planets of anyone attempting to invade Omnithornia, so that they don't try it again. Fuck around and find out how fast Corpse Seekers can turn your armies into dust."

"The Frontenachii are acting like an extra-invasive species and take lots of planets without sharing the data with the other Omnicorps," I revealed. "I found a secret report in their compound, which Yulia finally managed to decipher. It's called... Colonial Dominion project. They're using time dilation to raise and train Wendigo commanders for a warship fleet. They move via artifact-amplified Mothmen-operated dimensional gates, and use blood contracts to bind desperate, high level mercenaries from across the Omniverse. They take over planets and harvest the locals as resources, turning them into more soldiers, artifacts and weapons."

"What the fuck," Cinder choked. "That's..."

"Fucked up?" I said. "Yes, I'm aware. I'm doing something about it."

"Something like what?" She asked.

"Letting your father know. Also, the digital version of Arx Prince Lissander Fox played by Yulia is going to be a guest on a podcast called Lampshade Talk," I said. "I'm going to release the Frontenachii secret files. Fuck up their plans. Turn the other Omnid clans against them. Reveal everything about their dimensional invasion campaigns and their human harvesting ways."

"Won't that piss them off?" Io wondered.

"It will," I shrugged. "And yet I do not care. They already put a price on my head. What are they gonna do? Kill me twice as hard?"

Cinder frowned. "Is that really wise?"

"I do what must be done because nobody else will," I said.

"Das' why I love this fox-burr," Vespera messed up my hair. "He just won't stop."

"Okay, but..." the Quetzi girl fretted.

"It's fine," I assured her. "Relax. Everything's gonna be fine. The Frontenachii aren't a united front, many of them likely have no idea about the true scope of the Colonial Dominion project's horrors. Some of their heirs are kids who study in Skyfall. Yulia's investigation over Omnigram showed that they definitely don't know shit about what their aunts are doing. See that there extra-curvy, dark, tall Omnid Wendigo girl in an overpriced silver dress?" I pointed at one of the Gorefield house tables. "That's... Princess Aquillianne Quantivia Frontenachii. Their Prima, the heir of their hidden multidimensional Empire."

"Oi, don't be looking at other girls with hungry eyes," Cinder growled, swatting at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll look at whomever whenever with hungry eyes. She's useful."

"Useful how?" Cinder demanded.

"Ye? How?" Vespera tilted her head, gray eyes examining the Frontenachii heir like a curious magpie. "We gonna make her our secret Sixie or something?"

"Or something." I grinned. "Weak links exist in every system. It just takes the right kind of push to start an avalanche."