The Research Camp. The Hills East of the Capital. Morning.
The pavilion stood at the center of the camp, its canvas walls secured against the wind, its roof open to the sky. Inside, the artifact sat on a stone table, dark and waiting. The refined stones were stacked in a leather pouch nearby—thirty of them, glowing faintly, ready for the first controlled portal. The crystals were arranged in a precise circle around the table, their lenses polished, their calibrations double-checked.
They had been preparing for weeks. The explosion had taught them caution. The failed world had taught them respect. Now they were ready to begin.
Grog stood at the edge of the pavilion, his arms crossed, his face still. Mirena sat at the table, her notes spread before her, her quill scratching. Alistair leaned against a support beam, his back still healing, his face tired but focused. Ken stood in the shadows near the entrance, his hood down, his eyes sharp.
The morning was cool, the sky clear. A light breeze moved through the camp, carrying the smell of pine and smoke. The adventurers were at their posts—some on the perimeter, some resting in their tents. The camp was quiet.
Davin appeared in a flicker of light.
He materialized just outside the pavilion, his blessing humming, his breath steady. The teleportation had been long—from the border to the camp, hundreds of miles in a single jump—but he had done it before. He was getting better.
"Grog," he said, stepping inside.
Grog nodded. "The border?"
"Quiet. The Vargr haven't moved. The hunters haven't shown themselves." Davin glanced at Ken. "Your clone—it told me to come. Said you were recalling it."
Ken stepped forward. "I am. The clone is useful, but I need my full strength for the portal missions. It will dissipate soon."
Davin nodded slowly. "William understands. He sends his regards."
---
Mirena looked up from her notes. "The portal site is ready. We've refined enough stones for a dozen portals. Each portal will remain open for twenty-four hours."
Davin frowned. "That's a long time."
"The ritual blend gives us stability. The artifact gives us duration. Together, they work."
"And the destination?"
Mirena shook her head. "The portal goes where it wants. We can't control it. Not yet."
Davin's jaw tightened. "So you could open a portal to anywhere. A world full of hunters. A world already conquered by Vorlag. A world with nothing."
"Yes."
William's voice echoed in Davin's memory: That's not good enough.
But it was what they had.
---
Grog stepped forward. "Ken will go through the portals. Alone."
Ben, who had been standing quietly near the pavilion entrance, raised an eyebrow. "Alone?"
Ken answered from the shadows. "I'm the most stealthy. I can send clones ahead to scout. If they find danger, they dissipate. No casualties."
Mirena nodded, turning a page in her notes. "The clones can explore in multiple directions at once. They can gather information, map terrain, identify threats. They can take risks that a living person shouldn't."
"And if they find something valuable?" Davin asked.
Ken stepped into the light. His face was pale, his eyes dark, his hands steady. "They can steal it. Or they can report back, and I can retrieve it myself." He paused. "I'm fast. I'm quiet. I can get in and out before anyone knows I was there."
Grog studied him. "You'll report everything. Every world, every finding. We need to know if there's any sign of Aldric—or of Vorlag."
Ken nodded. "I'll report when I return through the portal."
"And if you don't return?"
Ken met his eyes. "Then you send someone else. But I will return."
---
Grog turned to Mirena. "How soon can you open the first portal?"
She looked at the artifact, the crystals, the refined stones. "A week. Maybe less, if we finish the calibrations today."
"A week." Grog looked at Ken. "Be ready."
Ken nodded. "I always am."
Alistair pushed off from the support beam. "The containment wards need to be tested. We can't risk another explosion."
Mirena nodded. "I'll test them this afternoon. And the crystal array needs to be recalibrated after the move from the tower."
"We'll handle it together."
Grog watched them work. He trusted Mirena. He trusted Alistair. But the weight of what they were about to do pressed on him.
A dozen portals. A dozen chances. A dozen worlds where Aldric might be—or might not.
---
Davin shifted his weight. "What about the border? William needs fighters."
Ben stepped forward. He had been quiet since arriving, listening, watching. His hand rested on his sword. "That's why I'm going."
Grog looked at him. "You're sure?"
"The portal research is important, but the Vargr won't wait. The hunters are watching." Ben met Grog's eyes. "William needs experienced soldiers. Lira is there, but she's one person. Tina and Davin are powerful, but they're not soldiers. They're survivors."
Grog was silent for a moment. "And you?"
"I'm a swordsman. It's what I do."
Grog nodded slowly. "Go. Finish what needs to be done at the border. When we find Aldric, we'll need everyone."
Ben clasped Grog's arm. "We'll be ready."
---
Davin moved to stand beside Ben. His blessing hummed beneath his skin, ready to carry them both across the kingdom.
"Ready?" Davin asked.
Ben nodded. "Let's go."
Davin placed his hand on Ben's shoulder. The air shimmered. The world blurred.
They vanished.
---
Grog watched the spot where they had stood. The grass was flattened, the dust still settling. Davin's teleportation left no residue—no magic trace for the hunters to follow.
Ken stepped to the pavilion entrance. "The clone is fading. I can feel it."
"Any last messages from William?"
Ken closed his eyes. "He says the pass is quiet. Too quiet. The Vargr are waiting for something."
"Something?"
"Or someone."
Grog looked at the artifact. At the refined stones. At the crystals waiting to be activated.
"We'll find out what."
---
Mirena called them back to the table.
"The calibrations are almost complete," she said. "We can test a small portal tomorrow. Not a full jump—just a flicker. Enough to confirm the resonance."
Alistair nodded. "We'll need refined stones. At least five."
"We have enough."
Grog moved to the table. "Do it. Test everything. We can't afford another failure."
Mirena met his eyes. "We won't."
---
The day passed.
Mirena and Alistair worked in the pavilion, adjusting crystals, testing wards, refining stones. Ken sat at the edge of the camp, meditating, preparing his mind for the journeys ahead. Grog walked the perimeter, speaking with the adventurers, checking the guards.
The sun set. The stars came out.
Davin would not return until morning. Ben was at the border now, standing beside William, adding his sword to the defense of the pass.
The portal research was close. The first controlled gate would open in a week.
Then Ken would step through.
Then the search would begin.