Torrik raced through the snow toward the fray. He made a forward flip and then jumped ten feet in the air to dodge a thrown javelin. When he hit the ground, a massive vine shot up at the feet of an approaching ogre. The ogre shot straight up into the air and then came down with a hard slam into the icy ground. Vines trapped it and kept it at bay.
“DON’T KILL!” Torrik yelled over the commotion.
Heroes of all stripes battled against the surging armies from The Great Divide.
Three skeletal warriors rushed toward Torrik, but were instantly scattered across the ground when a one-ton snowball crashed through them like bowling pins.
Midgard, who had thrown that particular snowball, glared at Torrik. “Why the hell not?” He then slapped the ground with a huge hand and the ensuing quake toppled a small legion of goblins.
Torrik cast a spell that sent flowers popping up in the snow and wrapping around the fallen goblins.
“Because they’re cursed with some kind of foul spell. They are not evil!”
Chase rushed by, throwing her stars at two trolls, nailing them down by their own ragged clothing. “This is getting harder by the minute, Torrik. We can’t keep holding them at bay. Their numbers are getting out of hand.”
“Killing them is not an option. I’m responsible for my people’s safety as much as you are for the people of this world. These are innocent victims. Don’t take their lives or you’ll have Yohan to deal with.”
Midgard laughed, “Bring it!” He grabbed an ogre in his giant hand and lifted him up to take a taste of the flailing beast.
Torrik sent a great blast of magic at Midgard and the monstrous serpent lost his intended lunch as the ogre fell back to the snow, unconscious. “I said, no killing!”
Midgard turned his wrath against Torrik, “You dare to challenge me, little goat man!?”
Torrik threw his hands to the side and enormous vines sprung up from the snow. He had an even more deadly glare on his face than Midgard. “Try me, snake. I’ve trained with the timeless dragons of old. You’re nothing.”
Midgard was in mid-motion to take down Torrik when a portal opened and Midgard slid right through and came falling out of another portal fifty yards away.
Strange Quark appeared and sealed his portal. “No in-fighting! Midgard, you know better. Torrik, don’t poke that particular bear.”
Midgard yelled in fury, but then turned his rage against two wyverns joining the battle.
“That one is dangerous,” Torrik commented.
Quark said, “We all know that. For now, we have a problem to solve. Krystal Fae is ready if you are.”
Torrik held up the strange technological device Chase had given him and spoke into it. “EB, Krystal, you guys ready with this?”
Krystal’s voice came through clearly. “Yes. I have the position.”
EB said, “I’m in my place. Just give the word.”
“Alright. When you see the beam of light, cast your magic toward it.”
Both said, “Got it.”
The battle raged around Torrik, Chase and Quark defended him so he could focus on his own magic. Thrusting one hand directly up, he cast a massive column of blinding light, clearing the clouds above. From either side of the field, two more beams of light shot toward him and met his. All at once, his beam became a massive wave of magical energy that spread out across the continent. Heroes were unfazed by the energy, but the creatures attacking them all staggered and fell back. The wyverns were grounded, and it stalled the warriors.
Everything remained quiet for a moment after the light faded. The creatures of fantasy seemed calm, even confused.
The first voice was from Krystal Fae. “Torrik, did it work?”
“I’ll check.” Torrik walked over to the ogre he had tethered down. The creature looked around and then spotted Torrik.
“Satyr, where is Gud?” The Ogre asked.
Torrik smiled, “Gud, you’re in a new world outside of the Great Divide.”
“Oh, Gud not supposed to leave Great Divide. Is Gud in trouble?”
“No, Gud, you’re fine.”
As Torrik surveyed the area, he saw the other fantasy creatures gathering their senses and some even talking to the heroes. Torrik clicked his comm. “It worked. The curse has been lifted. Good work, guys.”
“Toldja I could do it.” EB responded.
Krystal added, “With a little Fae help, as well.”
Torrik walked over to Quark and Chase while still speaking into the comm. “Everyone, please help guide my people back into that portal. This place is dangerously cold and it could hurt them. If any are injured, let me know.”
“Hey, you aren’t in charge.” EB commented through the comm.
Chase grabbed it and said, “Just do what he said.”
“Alright.” EB muttered.
Midgard, now much smaller and appearing more human-like, walked up and punched Torrik in the shoulder, nearly knocking him over.
“Hey!” Torrik turned, ready for a fight.
Midgard said, “I owed you that. And, next time you challenge me, better make it a fun fight. It’ll be your last.”
Justin chimed through, “Is everything okay down there? Sensors are showing a decrease in energy.”
Chase answered, “Yes. The fight is finally over.”
“Good. We still have problems. Get Torrik back up here.”
Lady Echidna, Nova, and their newly acquired minions stood in the control center of Security Post Seven. The brainwashed workers activated the computers and bypassed at the secure protocols.
Lady Echidna was amused for a moment at her reflection on a dormant computer screen. It then activated and had numbers running all over it. “What fascinating tools the humans have devised. Their technology is almost at the level of our earliest days of magic. But, still nothing compared to genuine power.”
“It is the tech of BADGE that stands in our way,” Nova said.
“Not for long. Have these people get us into their system and find my jewel.” She commanded.
Nova pointed at a person, and she rushed to the computer to access it. He then put in his command authorization codes. With a hard buzz, it rejected him.
“I should have known better. Justin would wipe all my command codes. But, he didn’t design the very base of all the BADGE computer systems... I did.” Sitting before the computer, his hands flew over the controls as he hacked his way through every system and security firewall.
Echidna said, “You certainly have a flare for this.”
“I invented more than half of all modern human technology. They just don’t realize it. Sitting around on this world for thousands of years gave me plenty of time to create. Which also means they have little they can hide from me, no matter how hard they try.”
Data flew by on the screens. Soon he was into the information about the Eye of the Hydra. Everything came to a stop with a map on the screen that had a single blinking dot.
“What is it, my dear?” Lady Echidna asked.
“I know where they have taken the Eye of the Hydra. They entrusted it to Gar, which is not a foolish idea. He cannot be brainwashed or enchanted, and he is damn near impossible to destroy. They sent it to Neo Utopia in hopes that we wouldn’t even think of looking for it there.”
Lady Echidna stood back and tapped her chin. “They cannot be dense enough to believe there would be any inch of this planet we wouldn’t search.”
Nova nodded, “True. But, this was more clever than that. It is hidden in a vault, but not a BADGE vault. This place is even more secure and secret than BADGE’s. It belongs to a notorious gangster, guarded round the clock by his own little army.”
“Oh, how clever. But not clever enough. I think we should pay a visit to Neo Utopia and see what this gangster has hidden in his vault.”
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