Jack slowly slid forward without moving his feet as Brandt pushed him ahead.

  “Wait, wait, wait. I didn’t do anything. It was Turrel. I don’t like crowds or being the center of attention really,” Jack shout-whispered over his shoulder.

  A quiet chuckle was all he heard before he was once again standing at the edge of a platform overlooking the lower terraces. As he glanced back down, he saw some of the locals were still bowing; others had looked up but seeing him, made shallower bows while keeping him in their vision.

  “Too late to worry about that now. You should wave the same as you did before to acknowledge them, then wait for a moment, give a bow back, and then leave.” Brandt’s voice whispered from behind him.

  Feeling his heart racing and that familiar dryness in his throat, he tried to remember if he had waved in the first place. Then he remembered trying to motion to the group closest to him that he wasn't the one who did it. Misunderstandings and cultural differences were things he really would rather not worry about. He trusted that Brandt wasn’t trying to trick him and followed his instructions.

  He waved to a few of the groups that had gathered on different terraces below. He saw some nods as his wave was acknowledged. He waited, having no idea how long was enough; he counted to twenty in his head while pondering what type of bow he was meant to do.

  He struggled to decide, and feeling as if the time was stretching longer than it should, he quickly settled on the first one that came to mind. Placing one arm across his chest and another behind his back, he did his best butler impersonation, holding the pose for a three-count.

  As he stood back upright, he looked down and saw people staring back; no one was bowing anymore. He waited for a second and then turned and left, heading back towards Monty and walking past a smiling Overseer on the way.

  Monty had an apologetic look on his face, and his eyes quickly flicked over Jack's shoulder to stare at Brandt before motioning with his head to the side.

  “What’s up? You know I think Turrel might be scarier than you… Did you see what happened to that Yeti?” Jack said, glancing back over his shoulder. Brandt was standing where he had been a moment ago. Before Monty had a chance to reply, Brandt's voice projected forward, echoing throughout the auditorium like thunder.

  “Return, rest, and recover. You have been given aid today by an outsider that has taken great risk to do so. Select a representative to attend my personal residence; there they can offer him proper thanks. No more assistance will be provided.” Brandt turned on his heel, and seeing Monty about to whisper in Jack’s ear, he smiled and walked over to Turrel.

  “Jack, be very careful going forward. Honor and culture and all of the politics that go with it are likely not your strong suit. While his appearance and demeanor might not show it, Brandt is an expert at this sort of thing; he was emperor of his own planet for a while,” Monty whispered quickly while keeping his eyes on the Overseer.

  “Ok, but what does 'be careful' mean? I didn’t do anything to warrant having people praise or thank me. It was Turrel. Shouldn't I just tell them that?” Jack filed away the emperor thing; there were more pressing matters.

  “I get the feeling at this point too many people would lose face if you did that. The Overseer has now confirmed that you were indeed the one they should praise. It is too late for that, so just be polite and accept their thanks but refuse any gifts.” Monty paused, then sighed.

  “That is probably why he did this actually—to put you in a situation where he could see if I would use you to get my way.” Monty shook his head. “Now, Jack. I would like it if you refused any gifts they offer you and instead say that you would like the chance to talk with their leaders about a contract to enter and close the rift.”

  Nodding, Jack thought back to what Brandt had whispered to him right before he made him acknowledge the Zerraians. He had at least thought this far ahead. He felt like he was definitely being used, but that was a regular feeling at this point. As long as he was aware of it, he could deal with it. Right now, none of it seemed to be too nefarious. Monty just wanted to find a way to get in and close this rift. That would likely save a lot of lives if today's experience was anything to go by.

  “Yeah mate, no problem. I can do that for you. He definitely meant for this to happen though,” Jack whispered back to Monty, finally being in a position to return a shoulder pat.

  “Of course he did… but I can’t do anything else at this point. I at least believe he would like for this rift to be closed as well. For all of our differences, I don’t think he wants this world to die out,” Monty said, standing tall as Brandt and Turrel approached.

  “Ahh, is it really that bad of a situation? They probably could have eventually taken down the creature with enough time, right?” Jack asked, presenting the question to the newcomers as well.

  It was Turrel who answered with a slightly pained expression.

  “Honestly? No. After watching the way they were going, I think without our intervention everyone here would likely be dead or gravely injured by now. That was very likely a breath ability that was being mutated on the creature.” Turrel waved his hand at Monty. “You explain it. I am exhausted and can’t get my thoughts straight.”

  Monty placed a hand on Turrel's shoulder as he took up the conversation.

  “Yeah, I probably have to agree. We are all connected to the Origin; we can manipulate mana and use abilities without the Origin acknowledging them. When they are acknowledged though, they have much more potential for growth.” He scratched his head, thinking.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Riftspawn, as far as we are aware, are not connected to the Origin. They are somehow linked to the Rift Core, which is made of Origin essence, so I mean in a way… Anyway, they have abilities as well, but they don’t level up the same as ours. A Tier 2 Riftspawn will have at least one ability. For it to gain another, it will either evolve into a Tier 3 creature or it will mutate.”

  “Let's talk and walk. We have a long way to go and while I enjoy the company and escape, I do have many things that require my attention,” Brandt said as he started to walk towards a flight of stairs.

  Monty followed, shaking his head as he continued his explanation. Jack looked around, hoping to get a closer look at one of the ballistae as they descended.

  “Where was I… Yes. Mutations. A creature will get a second ability if it evolves or if it mutates, but for some reason when a creature mutates rather than evolves, the ability it acquires is much more powerful—almost as if mutating is similar to when we level up a skill.” They had caught up with Brandt, who was shaking his head with a smile on his face.

  “You must be very fresh to be out here with Monty and not have covered this already. Very interesting.” Chuckling, he interrupted before Monty could continue.

  “This is all a roundabout way of saying breath abilities are extremely dangerous. In an enclosed space like that, with mostly Tier 0 people to defend against it, it would have been a massacre,” Brandt said without a hint of remorse or sadness.

  Jack was struggling to understand how that part of the city was an enclosed space. Maybe because of the mountain walls and the slight dome covering? It was still a massive area; the Yeti was big, but would its breath be that big of a threat?

  Looking at Monty and Turrel, they were both nodding. If the three powerhouses with him were all in agreement, then he really had no place to be arguing. He justified it as seeking clarification when he asked.

  “How though? That is a massive space. Maybe my frame of reference is all wrong, but I picture like, made-up dragons and fire breath and stuff. Couldn't people just… I don't know… hide inside?”

  All three of the men looked at him, and he shrank back slightly. They shared a look and Turrel shook his head and nodded at Monty, who sighed.

  “Dragons are very much real. Maybe your version of them is tame. Jack, do you remember the barrier skill? What it did to the solid metal ballista bolts?” Monty asked.

  Jack, already having a fair idea where this was heading, pursed his lips and nodded.

  “Yeah, so sat in front of a portal continuously leaking mana, with an ability that could likely freeze most things it came into contact with. In a city designed to circulate airflow from the mountains above… yeah, pretty dangerous.” Monty glanced over at a group of locals dragging a cart full of bolts back into a door in the rock. He leaned in slightly and whispered.

  “You saw how much of an effect channeling a small amount of mana had on these people. They are mostly Tier 0. You are lucky; even if you weren't here now, you would be part of the ‘Old World’ or the first generation. It has been centuries since this planet was inducted. These people have likely been born into this world.” He waved an arm around at the terraces.

  “The first generation will all be provided a shard so that they are able to achieve Tier 1 at a minimum. They will all be guided through the process of mana etching just like you were. These people here though? That is something they have to earn, something that is not cheap. Using mana in any large capacity will leave them weak and fatigued if not worse.” Looking left and right, he continued in a whisper.

  “By all accounts, this is a fairly poor planet. Chances are that most of their more capable people were sent to defend the rift and to manage the operation inside. The people they need to defend them are likely already gone. They need our help. Even if it wasn’t an evolution, if a second creature came through that portal, or if it avoided the first trap, things would have been very different.” Monty’s voice was beginning to get louder as he went on.

  Jack placed an arm around Monty, who seemed a little shocked by the movement.

  “I get it man, don’t stress. We are on the same page, even if the reasons are different. Big scary Yetis dropping out of the sky is a bad thing. If we can help we should, I am on your side here.” Jack pulled his arm back and kept walking. He noticed Brandt watching closely as he waited for them to catch up.

  “If you have finished your debrief, we have a bit of a short walk through the mountain. My residence is in one of the more densely populated areas. The tunnel echoes, so no point whispering,” Brandt said, opening a door in a frame that was set directly into the stone.

  What followed next was a five-minute walk in a long tunnel that was extremely loud despite there being no words spoken. As the four men walked down the long and extremely straight path, each footfall echoed. After a minute of hearing the strange echo, they managed to fall into lockstep, and the sound they produced was like a pair of horses galloping past.

  As they emerged on the other side of the tunnel, the heat hit Jack straight away. This area was much more open. They were still in between two sets of mountain ranges, but there was no cover and much more open space.

  The terraced architecture continued; however, things started to look much more condensed. It wasn’t a slum by any means, things were neat and tidy. There were the same gardens and the same roofs Jack saw in the last section of the city. Everything was just closer and a little closer and a littler smaller.

  Without the mountains funneling the air in and around, the heat was much more noticeable. He felt sweat begin to bead on his forehead.

  “It gets a little cooler as we get closer to my residence. One benefit to being near the portal. We should be able to see it in a minute,” Brandt said as he led them not along the wall of the mountain this time, but down a stairwell leading towards the large open space between the two.

  Jack got a good look out over the space as they walked down. It was strange and kind of familiar. Again, rather than seeming like the city had been built on top of the land, it was as if the city was built into it. Rolling hills and large open rocky areas filled the space in between. Houses or buildings had been built into the hills, reminding him of hobbit houses. There were large shade structures erected all over; they seemed to all be facing alternating directions, giving the whole area a kind of peaked appearance.

  Slightly off-center, Jack saw what he assumed was the Overseer's residence. It stood out. Partially because of the massive portal that was floating above it, easily being twice the size of the one they had just left. Partially because the building looked like a three-story tall mini castle, complete with corner towers and a large gate.

  He knew he shouldn’t, but he felt a bit more comfortable around Brandt now. He had been trying so hard to not be rude, it was just a little friendly banter after all. Jack turned to Brandt and pointed at the building.

  “A little gaudy for my taste, but to each their own.” Jack smiled, but quickly turned away as he saw Brandt’s eye twitch slightly as his head tilted down and a very dangerous smile spread across his face. Maybe the banter could wait a little longer.