SpatialGaming
Scifi Tech and Magic Theorist
- Location
- United States of America
I wouldn't be at all surprised by that either.
Celestial Days (Living Planet CYOA / Really Massive Multicross SI)
- Thread starter Jevran
- Start date
Jevran
He-Who-Stalks-The-Forums
- Location
- Somewhere
I don't want to list the number of crossovers and their order, simply because they might change depending on how the story goes. I'll just say that there are plans to write one of each genre. One for web novels, one for anime, one for video games, one for fantasy novels etc.
ps: Also, I don't plan to have the planet move until much later.
ps: Also, I don't plan to have the planet move until much later.
- Location
- A Tropical Island in the Pacific
Wait... if you have music of the spheres... why aren't we seeing more noisy planets or stars?
Jevran
He-Who-Stalks-The-Forums
- Location
- Somewhere
The area the si is in is not well populated?
- Location
- A Tropical Island in the Pacific
Is... the star your orbiting a quite star?
- Location
- Canada
Is the startingn universe marvel?I remember someone telling me the inhumane live on a gas giants moon
I have this funny image of an incredibly shy star trying to hide once mc finds out it is aware.
Hmmm, maybe he could meet some other living planets. 
ThatGazzer
Minds Eye Bind
- Location
- PNW
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Hey I don't know if anyone noticed but this Planet Person can Create Energy in the form of magic. It's just appearing. Zion sees that, gets a magic crystal or something boom, the reason for his whole existence is done. The Entities are trying to solve entropy. And Magic does that. Big Gold is gonna freak.
- Location
- A Tropical Island in the Pacific
I dub this star as Shrinking Violet
- Location
- Somewhere
Huh i kinda thought that you immedietly start the multicross by having the mc open the portal only for it to open in a completly different world causing them to start the multicross adventure.
Necronion_Yith
Pleased to Meet You
....Is it Type MOON?
On a somewhat unrelated note, could the SI time travel via his magic system?
Jevran
He-Who-Stalks-The-Forums
- Location
- Somewhere
- Location
- United States
Well I hope the focus will stay on the planet, interludes to show the reaction Taylor gets from returning would be good, but anything more on the worm side would be disappointing.
Too many supposed 'multi-crossovers' never get pass their first setting which is just sad...
Too many supposed 'multi-crossovers' never get pass their first setting which is just sad...
We Just Write
Blatantly Plural
- Location
- New England
- Pronouns
- Plural
I remember writing a multi-cross once. It started as Mega Man Zero/Worm, then just kept getting progressively more insanely complex. I'm pretty sure that by the end I had Half-Life, Edge of Tomorrow, Girl Genius, Familiar of Zero, Nanoha, and X-COM were all at least tangentially involved.
Then Doctor Weil took over the plot and blew up most of the local multiverse with a giant interdimensional doom cannon.
- Location
- London
Just read this, seems fun!
- Location
- Home
Lemmie guess yer gonna end up summoning another protagonist?
- Location
- England
- Location
- No
Chapter 3 (Warcraft)
Jevran
He-Who-Stalks-The-Forums
- Location
- Somewhere
-+-
Chapter 3 (Warcraft)
I use photokinesis to create a view screen for Taylor as the gate fully energized.
Back in the cavern, the arch that had the gate was now filled with shimmering liquid blue light as time and space twisted. My planetary perception and my acquired magical abilities allowed me to see it in a manner that no human would have been able to.
I watched as time and space ripped open and the portal finally solidified.
"Is that it then?" Taylor asked as she sat down in a chair at her dining table and got comfortable. "Is the gate open? Can we go through?"
"Let me see," I said. "I have a probe ready. I'll send it through."
Before I could do anything though, things were well and truly taken out of my hands. Because the gate rippled, and something burst out of the gate and landed on the floor of the cavern.
In her cabin, Taylor's jaw dropped. Her hand stopped halfway from reaching for an apple from the bowl that had been on the table.
"That's an elf," she said. "That's an elf in a midriff bearing get up."
The arrival was indeed an elf.
She, for it was a she, was tall and blonde haired, with the iconic pointy ears. She wore leather pants and a vest that exposed her midriff, just as Taylor said. For weapons, she had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder.
All in all, she looked a bit familiar.
She was also quite good looking, if you had human sensibilities.
Pity I was long past that.
But my human memories were getting fainter by the day, being completely different from my newer planetary memory, which was perfect.
"She looks familiar," Taylor said as the elf on her screen picked herself up from the ground and looked around the cavern before she started running to the exit. "And she looks frightened."
"She's clearly running from something," I said. "But what exactly? And can it follow her through the portal?"
Before I could reply, that question answered itself.
The portal bulged outwards, and something that was huge and horned and purple came through. It was immediately followed by two more figures that on fire. They quite literally burned with green fire.
"What the hell?" Taylor yelled from her far away vantage. "Those are demons! From World of Warcraft!"
Indeed. That's an Eredar and a pair of infernals. Both are from the World of Warcraft.
"And they seem to be chasing the elf," I said as the elf spun around to shoot a pair of arrows at the demons only to have them stopped by a magical shield.
The Eredar then fired a bolt of crimson magic at the fleeing elf, and I intervened and teleported her away just before it hit.
"Where is she?" Taylor asked.
"Knocked out. Put into stasis. And quarantined," I said. "And she'll stay that way for now. At least until we deal with these."
Even as I spoke, the Eredar in the cavern was joined by another that came through the portal, and the number of infernals grew to six.
"Those are demons from a computer game from Earth Aleph," Taylor said. "They are supposed to invade worlds and destroy them. I don't really remember it much, but I think they consider it a holy crusade?"
"They do feel strange," I said.
They were magical creatures. But their magic felt, off. Like biting into a lemon. Their very presence left an unpleasant feeling in my senses.
Even as I watched, the number of Eredar grew to three, and the number of infernals became ten, as more of them came through the portal.
"They certainly are multiplying," I said.
"But how can they be real?" Taylor demanded. "They're from a video game!"
"Travel between the worlds is possible," I said. "You yourself are proof of it. At a guess, someone from their world went into your world and described their world to a native, who wrote it into fiction."
"Stranger things have happened," Taylor sighed. "Like me being friends with someone who can make a moon."
"Give it a rest with the moon," I said. "And help me decide what to do here. Should I contact them? Or stuff them back in the portal?"
"Well, in the game, they are part of an army of demons called the Burning Legion," Taylor said. "And they're bad news."
"So caution might be warranted," I said. I already knew most of this. In fact, I suspected that my knowledge of Warcraft lore was superior to hers. And I really didn't want to deal with the Dark Titan. "I'll observe them for a while. Then remove them."
"What about the elf?" Taylor asked. "Will you send her back with them?"
"Considering they were chasing her and might kill her if I did?" I said. "No, I have the uncomfortable feeling that I might have to give her sanctuary. Damn! She's paying rent!"
Taylor giggled, "You didn't charge me rent."
"You get first immigrant privileges."
Back at the cavern, now there were four Eredar, and the number of infernals had swelled to twelve. Furthermore, there were now half a dozen felhounds sniffing about the cavern as well.
I seriously considered closing the portal and destroying the demons. Well, maybe keep one or two for samples. Because, I knew the Burning Legion by reputation, and they were not something I needed on me. Especially the heavy hitters like Sargeras or his two backup dancers.
"Taylor," I said as I made a decision. "I'm closing the gate. If there is a demon army on the other side, we don't want them coming here."
"Okay," Taylor said. "Probably a good thing."
"Here goes," I said, and cut the magic flowing into the portal.
And watched as nothing happened.
What the?
I carefully put some feelers out and examined it.
It was most definitely not powered by my magic any more. But it was still open. And it was powered. I could feel the power coming into the portal, but it wasn't from me.
"Taylor," I said. "I can't close the portal. Someone is keeping it open from the otherside."
Taylor's eyes widened.
"We might have a problem," I said.
Before both our eyes, the portal bulged again, and this time a massive form larger than most elephants came through.
"Pit Lord," Taylor said automatically.
"Yes," I sighed. "We have a problem."
-+-
Things quickly went from bad to worse.
The number of demons in the cavern quickly grew to almost a hundred, and they began to venture out into the tunnel that led out of the cavern. The stone door, or the steel reinforcement behind that, didn't stop them for long.
"I have the most uncomfortable feeling that I might have to defend myself," I said to Taylor. "This is definitely a scouting force. A prelude to invasion. And they're making the magic of the world……..feel strange."
"You mean poisoning the magic?" Taylor asked. "Like the dark side?"
"It's certainly not native," I said. "And they feel wrong. Like spoiled fruit."
"What are those guys doing?" Taylor asked.
She was pointing at a group of four Eredar that were still at the portal arch. They were surrounding it and seemed to be chanting with their hands raised.
"Are they using magic?" Taylor demanded.
"So it would seem," I said. "They are modifying the portal. I can feel something changing."
"To bring an army through?" Taylor asked.
"I hope not," I said. "I will act if things get out of hand."
"Can you?" Taylor asked. "Defeat them? The Burning Legion was pretty bad news in the games."
"I think so," I said. "Remember that I can move asteroids around. These shouldn't pose a problem."
"Oh! That's not good," Taylor said as on the screen, the portal changed color from blue to red, and I felt something very, very, bad happen.
"It's worse than you can see," I said. "That portal is now sucking the magic out of this world and into the other side. It's only a trickle now, but that's because I made that area a low magic zone. If those demons figure out how to remove it………. We might have a real problem."
"That's bad," Taylor said as she rose from her chair. "What can you do?"
"Well," I said. "For one, we're on red alert. Consider ourselves facing a hostile army."
And with that I teleported Taylor away from her cabin into an underground cavern I constructed.
"This is much safer," I said to her inquiry. "It's also as far as I can get you from the portal without moving you off world. We don't want you discovered. I built in the same facilities as your cottage. So you'll be comfortable."
"What the…." Taylor looked around. "When did you make this?"
"Just now," I said.
"You did all this just now?" Taylor demanded as she explored her new living space. "It has a bed room, bathroom, kitchen, and whats this?" She stopped at the last and largest room.
"Archery range," I said. "For you to practice. And the facilities are fully functional and the rooms are fully furnished. Like I said, you won't be uncomfortable."
"And you did this in moments," Taylor said again.
"Making a one bedroom apartment, even a comfy one, isn't hard," I said. "Especially if I' already have experience building everything here."
"Well thanks for keeping me safe," Taylor said. "But, I'd like to keep track of what's happening with the demons please."
"Here," I said and opened another view screen for her. "I'll keep them updated and focused on the action."
"Thank you," Taylor said. "And if I can help you, just tell me. I will fight if I can."
Ah.
I really didn't want her facing off against the Burning Legion.
"I will call you if it becomes necessary," I said. "I will also work on upgrading your gear. This might call for armor."
"What? I can't show my belly like the elf?" Taylor grinned.
"Not unless you enjoy getting disemboweled," I said. Then I thought about it, "Well, if we replace the armor with a magical forcefield, you can wear an outfit like that. However, if the enemies you face have a magic canceling ability, then you are still in trouble."
"Take all the fun out of it, why don't you," Taylor groused as she sat in a chair in the main living room and locked her eyes on the view screen. "The capes back home had cool costumes."
"From your description, I'd say the capes back at your home were as much presentation as practicality," I said. "Here, you have to put practicality first. Because these will not try to arrest you or use non lethal force."
"I suppose you're right," Taylor said. "Hey! What are they doing?"
She was pointing at the demons.
They were almost a thousand now. And they had pretty much turned the cavern that had the portal into an advance base. Even worse, they were finally reaching the end of the tunnel that led out of the cavern and emerging into my surface.
The pit lord was one of the advance force that had reached the surface.
He seemed to be raising his freehand that didn't hold his spear like weapon and drawing glowing runes in the air.
He was also conferring with the other demons. Particularly the Eredar.
I also noticed something very disturbing about the infernals with them.
"This is getting out of hand," I said. "See those infernals? Their fire is burning brighter now that they're out of the low magic zone. I think the magic rich environment here is making them stronger."
"Oh, no," Taylot said.
"Calm down," I said. "I will talk to them and see what they want here. Then, if they refuse to be nice. I will deal with them."
"You're going to show yourself to them?" Taylor asked. "That might not be a good idea."
"Well," I said. "Maybe not as myself. No need to give anything away. But I think we can convincingly fake a native."
"Like an elf?" Taylor asked.
"No time to make one," I said. "But I do have a backup avatar that has been gathering dust I can use that."
"That might work," Taylor said.
And I did just that.
-+-
The backup planetary avatar was a twelve foot tall humanoid that looked like a suit of armor.
I had created it when I had made an attempt to make a human like body for myself. But once my other projects got off the ground and started giving results, I decided that it was not worth the effort. So I put my secondary avatar into storage.
Now I activated it again and teleported it as near as I could to the pit lord without them picking up on it and panicking.
Then I walked the avatar towards the demon.
They saw me coming of course. The infernals stepped forwards and closed ranks, physically blocking access to the pit lord. And the felhounds growled with their heads low to the ground, just like normal dogs.
Well. Here goes.
"Greetings," I said. "I am a native of this world. Who are you? And why have you come here?"
The pit lord stared at me, he could see me over the heads of the infernals, he was that tall.
Then he laughed.
"I'm Mannoroth the Destructor," he said in a voice like boulders falling. "And we are the Burning Legion."
Well!
Bugger!
Back in her bunker, Taylor yelled that she knew that name.
I knew that name too.
And the fact that he was alive was quite the problem.
If he was here, then the invasion of Azoreth, the one that mattered anyway, hadn't happened yet.
It also raised a most uncomfortable possibility.
This might be before the War of the Ancients. This might be before Sargeras was trapped or crippled or whatever.
The Dark Titan might still be active.
If he comes through that portal, then I might not be able to stop him. Sargeras was described as a being of limitless power. And I was very much limited, even in my new state.
Well. Let's find out.
"And are you the leader of the Burning Legion?" I asked through my avatar.
Mannoroth laughed again, "I command this group. But the legion is uncountable and vast! Far larger and spread across far more worlds that you can comprehend!"
Not much information there.
"And why have you come here?" I tried again.
"We have come to give this wretched world to the flame!"
Of course.
"That would be inadvisable," my avatar said. "This world is not helpless. It has defenders."
The answer came in the form of a bolt of crimson fire that melted my avatar down to slag.
"That's not good," Taylor said from her bunker.
"Oh, it's about to get a lot worse," I said.
Using the same light manipulation ability I used to create the view screen for Taylor, I created lasers and lopped off the heads of the Eredar and the Felhounds. The infernals, I crushed to death by amplifying the gravity around them, causing them to explode in massive blasts of green fire.
It wasn't easy.
The lasers I had to use to kill the demons was strong enough to cut foot thick steel. And the infernals only died after I increased the gravity to ludicrous levels.
But they died.
I killed every single demon except Mannoroth, that had come through the portal, including the ones in the cavern.
In less than a second, only Mannoroth was left to roar in impotent rage.
"I tried to be polite with you," I said before aiming a dozen laser blasts at his thick hide. "But, if this is your choice, then so be it."
Mannoroth might have been a pit lord of legendary repute. But he was not a living planet.
I turned him into chunky salsa.
He exploded with the force of a chest full of semtex.
An anticlimactic end to a villain who was quite a nuisance in the games.
"Well! That was……..oh! Why am I surprised! I just hope that doesn't create the magical equivalent of nuclear radiation," Taylor said from her vantage.
"I hope not," I said. "The tropical continent is my favorite. But if it does, then I'll fix it. But first-"
I collapsed the tunnel leading into the portal cavern and destroyed all the bodies of the demons except for a couple that I teleported into an underground lab for testing.
Then I diverted a part of my attention to the portal at all times, ready to act if anything came through it again.
"Well," I said finally. "It's as secure as I could make it."
"I hope the entire legion doesn't come through that gate now," Taylor said. "The Burning Legion has destroyed worlds. I doubt we're going to last long if they really come at us."
"Let's not count us just yet," I said. "We only need to close that portal. But I think it's time to build some permanent defenses for the planet. Defenses strong enough to stop a demon invasion."
"Good idea," Taylor said. "Maybe magical robots or golems? Have them surround the portal."
Before I could answer, another group of demons came through the portal, only to look surprised at seeing a pristine and empty cavern.
I decided to do something new this time, and killed all of them except for one Eredar, who I knocked out telepathically before I teleported him out into an interrogation chamber I prepared.
"What are you doing?" Taylor asked as she watched the one demon spirited away.
"I need information," I said. "I'll use telepathy to read his mind and see just what's on the other side of that portal."
"You will read his mind?" Taylor looked uncomfortable.
"Taylor," I said. "I will never do that to you. And I have never done it to you either. This is a demon, and an invader. He has to be interrogated."
"Okay," Taylor said.
"Good," I said.
-+-
I wasn't gentle as I ripped into the mind of the Eredar, and while he might have been able to easily repel a human wizard who tired this, I smashed through his mind like toilet paper.
I also destroyed his mind and made him brain dead. The weight of a planet sized mind slamming into his was just too much.
But that was the cost of the information.
I was glad that I never tired this on Taylor when she arrived though.
On the plus side though, I got what I wanted.
The Eredar had been a mage, and like most mages, he had a wealth of knowledge.
"So…...This is what was in his head?" Taylor asked as I ran what I found through her view screen.
"I processed them so that you can interpret them," I said. "But other than that? Yes."
"And this is where they came from?" she asked as she pointed at the desolate landscape in the screen. "It doesn't look like much."
"It's a place called Outland," I said. "The remnants of a world they destroyed." Which had been the original home of the orcs. Which meant that this was long after the War of the Ancients, but well before the second invasion of Azoreth.
Which in turn meant that no Sargeras.
Thank ROB.
"And what else did you learn about this legion?" Taylor asked me.
I gave her the full story, from the rise of the legion to the apparent death or imprisonment of Sargeras during the invasion of Azoreth and the status of the legion in the current era.
"So this is before the game I played," Taylor said. "Before they attacked the world it was set in." So she played Warcraft III.
"We might be able to discover that world," I said. "But first. We need to deal with this demon invasion."
"Yes," Taylor asked as she shifted her eyes to the other screen nearby. This one showed the cavern. "What is the plan for that?"
"Well," I said. "I've just been killing the demons as soon as they step through the portal. And I've increased the potency of the low magic zone around it to stop the magic drain. But so far, no luck in closing the gate."
"Bummer," Taylor said. "Can you teleport the arch into the sun? That might work?"
"No," I said sadly. "Its fixed in time and space. The physical arch isn't much of an issue anymore."
"And?" Taylor asked. "It's stuck here?"
"So it would seem," I said. "And it gets worse. Despite slowing the magic drain through the portal to a trickle, it's still affecting the magic of this world. It's very presence is causing the magic of the world to change into a different……...flavor. I think it's caused by the magic that's being fed into the portal from the otherside. It's leaking into this world and polluting it's magic."
"Oh, no!" Taylor said. "Can it get worse?"
"I also can't control that magic," I admitted. "It's like water. Slipping through my fingers."
"And if it floods this world your power might be lowered!" Taylor got the problem immediately.
"Smart girl," I said. "I need to raise this worlds defenses. And quickly. And Taylor? I need your help."
"Anything," she said quickly.
"You know how paprahumans in your world fight," I said. "And you know about the Endbringers. Describe them to me please. We'll take ideas from them all. Then we'll see about creating a defense force for this world. One that can function without magic."
"I see," she said. "An endbringer against a demon. That's one battle I'd love to see. And it's not like there are any people here to get hurt by them."
"I hope so," I said. "And maybe we can come up with an even better idea between us."
"Maybe," Taylor said. "But what about the portal itself? What will you do about that?"
"Figure out a way to close it," I said. "And quickly. The knowledge I gained from the Eredar will certainly help."
"And the elf?" Taylor asked again. "What about her?"
"I will wake her soon," I said. "And see who she is and what she has to say for herself."
-+-
Chapter 3 (Warcraft)
I use photokinesis to create a view screen for Taylor as the gate fully energized.
Back in the cavern, the arch that had the gate was now filled with shimmering liquid blue light as time and space twisted. My planetary perception and my acquired magical abilities allowed me to see it in a manner that no human would have been able to.
I watched as time and space ripped open and the portal finally solidified.
"Is that it then?" Taylor asked as she sat down in a chair at her dining table and got comfortable. "Is the gate open? Can we go through?"
"Let me see," I said. "I have a probe ready. I'll send it through."
Before I could do anything though, things were well and truly taken out of my hands. Because the gate rippled, and something burst out of the gate and landed on the floor of the cavern.
In her cabin, Taylor's jaw dropped. Her hand stopped halfway from reaching for an apple from the bowl that had been on the table.
"That's an elf," she said. "That's an elf in a midriff bearing get up."
The arrival was indeed an elf.
She, for it was a she, was tall and blonde haired, with the iconic pointy ears. She wore leather pants and a vest that exposed her midriff, just as Taylor said. For weapons, she had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder.
All in all, she looked a bit familiar.
She was also quite good looking, if you had human sensibilities.
Pity I was long past that.
But my human memories were getting fainter by the day, being completely different from my newer planetary memory, which was perfect.
"She looks familiar," Taylor said as the elf on her screen picked herself up from the ground and looked around the cavern before she started running to the exit. "And she looks frightened."
"She's clearly running from something," I said. "But what exactly? And can it follow her through the portal?"
Before I could reply, that question answered itself.
The portal bulged outwards, and something that was huge and horned and purple came through. It was immediately followed by two more figures that on fire. They quite literally burned with green fire.
"What the hell?" Taylor yelled from her far away vantage. "Those are demons! From World of Warcraft!"
Indeed. That's an Eredar and a pair of infernals. Both are from the World of Warcraft.
"And they seem to be chasing the elf," I said as the elf spun around to shoot a pair of arrows at the demons only to have them stopped by a magical shield.
The Eredar then fired a bolt of crimson magic at the fleeing elf, and I intervened and teleported her away just before it hit.
"Where is she?" Taylor asked.
"Knocked out. Put into stasis. And quarantined," I said. "And she'll stay that way for now. At least until we deal with these."
Even as I spoke, the Eredar in the cavern was joined by another that came through the portal, and the number of infernals grew to six.
"Those are demons from a computer game from Earth Aleph," Taylor said. "They are supposed to invade worlds and destroy them. I don't really remember it much, but I think they consider it a holy crusade?"
"They do feel strange," I said.
They were magical creatures. But their magic felt, off. Like biting into a lemon. Their very presence left an unpleasant feeling in my senses.
Even as I watched, the number of Eredar grew to three, and the number of infernals became ten, as more of them came through the portal.
"They certainly are multiplying," I said.
"But how can they be real?" Taylor demanded. "They're from a video game!"
"Travel between the worlds is possible," I said. "You yourself are proof of it. At a guess, someone from their world went into your world and described their world to a native, who wrote it into fiction."
"Stranger things have happened," Taylor sighed. "Like me being friends with someone who can make a moon."
"Give it a rest with the moon," I said. "And help me decide what to do here. Should I contact them? Or stuff them back in the portal?"
"Well, in the game, they are part of an army of demons called the Burning Legion," Taylor said. "And they're bad news."
"So caution might be warranted," I said. I already knew most of this. In fact, I suspected that my knowledge of Warcraft lore was superior to hers. And I really didn't want to deal with the Dark Titan. "I'll observe them for a while. Then remove them."
"What about the elf?" Taylor asked. "Will you send her back with them?"
"Considering they were chasing her and might kill her if I did?" I said. "No, I have the uncomfortable feeling that I might have to give her sanctuary. Damn! She's paying rent!"
Taylor giggled, "You didn't charge me rent."
"You get first immigrant privileges."
Back at the cavern, now there were four Eredar, and the number of infernals had swelled to twelve. Furthermore, there were now half a dozen felhounds sniffing about the cavern as well.
I seriously considered closing the portal and destroying the demons. Well, maybe keep one or two for samples. Because, I knew the Burning Legion by reputation, and they were not something I needed on me. Especially the heavy hitters like Sargeras or his two backup dancers.
"Taylor," I said as I made a decision. "I'm closing the gate. If there is a demon army on the other side, we don't want them coming here."
"Okay," Taylor said. "Probably a good thing."
"Here goes," I said, and cut the magic flowing into the portal.
And watched as nothing happened.
What the?
I carefully put some feelers out and examined it.
It was most definitely not powered by my magic any more. But it was still open. And it was powered. I could feel the power coming into the portal, but it wasn't from me.
"Taylor," I said. "I can't close the portal. Someone is keeping it open from the otherside."
Taylor's eyes widened.
"We might have a problem," I said.
Before both our eyes, the portal bulged again, and this time a massive form larger than most elephants came through.
"Pit Lord," Taylor said automatically.
"Yes," I sighed. "We have a problem."
-+-
Things quickly went from bad to worse.
The number of demons in the cavern quickly grew to almost a hundred, and they began to venture out into the tunnel that led out of the cavern. The stone door, or the steel reinforcement behind that, didn't stop them for long.
"I have the most uncomfortable feeling that I might have to defend myself," I said to Taylor. "This is definitely a scouting force. A prelude to invasion. And they're making the magic of the world……..feel strange."
"You mean poisoning the magic?" Taylor asked. "Like the dark side?"
"It's certainly not native," I said. "And they feel wrong. Like spoiled fruit."
"What are those guys doing?" Taylor asked.
She was pointing at a group of four Eredar that were still at the portal arch. They were surrounding it and seemed to be chanting with their hands raised.
"Are they using magic?" Taylor demanded.
"So it would seem," I said. "They are modifying the portal. I can feel something changing."
"To bring an army through?" Taylor asked.
"I hope not," I said. "I will act if things get out of hand."
"Can you?" Taylor asked. "Defeat them? The Burning Legion was pretty bad news in the games."
"I think so," I said. "Remember that I can move asteroids around. These shouldn't pose a problem."
"Oh! That's not good," Taylor said as on the screen, the portal changed color from blue to red, and I felt something very, very, bad happen.
"It's worse than you can see," I said. "That portal is now sucking the magic out of this world and into the other side. It's only a trickle now, but that's because I made that area a low magic zone. If those demons figure out how to remove it………. We might have a real problem."
"That's bad," Taylor said as she rose from her chair. "What can you do?"
"Well," I said. "For one, we're on red alert. Consider ourselves facing a hostile army."
And with that I teleported Taylor away from her cabin into an underground cavern I constructed.
"This is much safer," I said to her inquiry. "It's also as far as I can get you from the portal without moving you off world. We don't want you discovered. I built in the same facilities as your cottage. So you'll be comfortable."
"What the…." Taylor looked around. "When did you make this?"
"Just now," I said.
"You did all this just now?" Taylor demanded as she explored her new living space. "It has a bed room, bathroom, kitchen, and whats this?" She stopped at the last and largest room.
"Archery range," I said. "For you to practice. And the facilities are fully functional and the rooms are fully furnished. Like I said, you won't be uncomfortable."
"And you did this in moments," Taylor said again.
"Making a one bedroom apartment, even a comfy one, isn't hard," I said. "Especially if I' already have experience building everything here."
"Well thanks for keeping me safe," Taylor said. "But, I'd like to keep track of what's happening with the demons please."
"Here," I said and opened another view screen for her. "I'll keep them updated and focused on the action."
"Thank you," Taylor said. "And if I can help you, just tell me. I will fight if I can."
Ah.
I really didn't want her facing off against the Burning Legion.
"I will call you if it becomes necessary," I said. "I will also work on upgrading your gear. This might call for armor."
"What? I can't show my belly like the elf?" Taylor grinned.
"Not unless you enjoy getting disemboweled," I said. Then I thought about it, "Well, if we replace the armor with a magical forcefield, you can wear an outfit like that. However, if the enemies you face have a magic canceling ability, then you are still in trouble."
"Take all the fun out of it, why don't you," Taylor groused as she sat in a chair in the main living room and locked her eyes on the view screen. "The capes back home had cool costumes."
"From your description, I'd say the capes back at your home were as much presentation as practicality," I said. "Here, you have to put practicality first. Because these will not try to arrest you or use non lethal force."
"I suppose you're right," Taylor said. "Hey! What are they doing?"
She was pointing at the demons.
They were almost a thousand now. And they had pretty much turned the cavern that had the portal into an advance base. Even worse, they were finally reaching the end of the tunnel that led out of the cavern and emerging into my surface.
The pit lord was one of the advance force that had reached the surface.
He seemed to be raising his freehand that didn't hold his spear like weapon and drawing glowing runes in the air.
He was also conferring with the other demons. Particularly the Eredar.
I also noticed something very disturbing about the infernals with them.
"This is getting out of hand," I said. "See those infernals? Their fire is burning brighter now that they're out of the low magic zone. I think the magic rich environment here is making them stronger."
"Oh, no," Taylot said.
"Calm down," I said. "I will talk to them and see what they want here. Then, if they refuse to be nice. I will deal with them."
"You're going to show yourself to them?" Taylor asked. "That might not be a good idea."
"Well," I said. "Maybe not as myself. No need to give anything away. But I think we can convincingly fake a native."
"Like an elf?" Taylor asked.
"No time to make one," I said. "But I do have a backup avatar that has been gathering dust I can use that."
"That might work," Taylor said.
And I did just that.
-+-
The backup planetary avatar was a twelve foot tall humanoid that looked like a suit of armor.
I had created it when I had made an attempt to make a human like body for myself. But once my other projects got off the ground and started giving results, I decided that it was not worth the effort. So I put my secondary avatar into storage.
Now I activated it again and teleported it as near as I could to the pit lord without them picking up on it and panicking.
Then I walked the avatar towards the demon.
They saw me coming of course. The infernals stepped forwards and closed ranks, physically blocking access to the pit lord. And the felhounds growled with their heads low to the ground, just like normal dogs.
Well. Here goes.
"Greetings," I said. "I am a native of this world. Who are you? And why have you come here?"
The pit lord stared at me, he could see me over the heads of the infernals, he was that tall.
Then he laughed.
"I'm Mannoroth the Destructor," he said in a voice like boulders falling. "And we are the Burning Legion."
Well!
Bugger!
Back in her bunker, Taylor yelled that she knew that name.
I knew that name too.
And the fact that he was alive was quite the problem.
If he was here, then the invasion of Azoreth, the one that mattered anyway, hadn't happened yet.
It also raised a most uncomfortable possibility.
This might be before the War of the Ancients. This might be before Sargeras was trapped or crippled or whatever.
The Dark Titan might still be active.
If he comes through that portal, then I might not be able to stop him. Sargeras was described as a being of limitless power. And I was very much limited, even in my new state.
Well. Let's find out.
"And are you the leader of the Burning Legion?" I asked through my avatar.
Mannoroth laughed again, "I command this group. But the legion is uncountable and vast! Far larger and spread across far more worlds that you can comprehend!"
Not much information there.
"And why have you come here?" I tried again.
"We have come to give this wretched world to the flame!"
Of course.
"That would be inadvisable," my avatar said. "This world is not helpless. It has defenders."
The answer came in the form of a bolt of crimson fire that melted my avatar down to slag.
"That's not good," Taylor said from her bunker.
"Oh, it's about to get a lot worse," I said.
Using the same light manipulation ability I used to create the view screen for Taylor, I created lasers and lopped off the heads of the Eredar and the Felhounds. The infernals, I crushed to death by amplifying the gravity around them, causing them to explode in massive blasts of green fire.
It wasn't easy.
The lasers I had to use to kill the demons was strong enough to cut foot thick steel. And the infernals only died after I increased the gravity to ludicrous levels.
But they died.
I killed every single demon except Mannoroth, that had come through the portal, including the ones in the cavern.
In less than a second, only Mannoroth was left to roar in impotent rage.
"I tried to be polite with you," I said before aiming a dozen laser blasts at his thick hide. "But, if this is your choice, then so be it."
Mannoroth might have been a pit lord of legendary repute. But he was not a living planet.
I turned him into chunky salsa.
He exploded with the force of a chest full of semtex.
An anticlimactic end to a villain who was quite a nuisance in the games.
"Well! That was……..oh! Why am I surprised! I just hope that doesn't create the magical equivalent of nuclear radiation," Taylor said from her vantage.
"I hope not," I said. "The tropical continent is my favorite. But if it does, then I'll fix it. But first-"
I collapsed the tunnel leading into the portal cavern and destroyed all the bodies of the demons except for a couple that I teleported into an underground lab for testing.
Then I diverted a part of my attention to the portal at all times, ready to act if anything came through it again.
"Well," I said finally. "It's as secure as I could make it."
"I hope the entire legion doesn't come through that gate now," Taylor said. "The Burning Legion has destroyed worlds. I doubt we're going to last long if they really come at us."
"Let's not count us just yet," I said. "We only need to close that portal. But I think it's time to build some permanent defenses for the planet. Defenses strong enough to stop a demon invasion."
"Good idea," Taylor said. "Maybe magical robots or golems? Have them surround the portal."
Before I could answer, another group of demons came through the portal, only to look surprised at seeing a pristine and empty cavern.
I decided to do something new this time, and killed all of them except for one Eredar, who I knocked out telepathically before I teleported him out into an interrogation chamber I prepared.
"What are you doing?" Taylor asked as she watched the one demon spirited away.
"I need information," I said. "I'll use telepathy to read his mind and see just what's on the other side of that portal."
"You will read his mind?" Taylor looked uncomfortable.
"Taylor," I said. "I will never do that to you. And I have never done it to you either. This is a demon, and an invader. He has to be interrogated."
"Okay," Taylor said.
"Good," I said.
-+-
I wasn't gentle as I ripped into the mind of the Eredar, and while he might have been able to easily repel a human wizard who tired this, I smashed through his mind like toilet paper.
I also destroyed his mind and made him brain dead. The weight of a planet sized mind slamming into his was just too much.
But that was the cost of the information.
I was glad that I never tired this on Taylor when she arrived though.
On the plus side though, I got what I wanted.
The Eredar had been a mage, and like most mages, he had a wealth of knowledge.
"So…...This is what was in his head?" Taylor asked as I ran what I found through her view screen.
"I processed them so that you can interpret them," I said. "But other than that? Yes."
"And this is where they came from?" she asked as she pointed at the desolate landscape in the screen. "It doesn't look like much."
"It's a place called Outland," I said. "The remnants of a world they destroyed." Which had been the original home of the orcs. Which meant that this was long after the War of the Ancients, but well before the second invasion of Azoreth.
Which in turn meant that no Sargeras.
Thank ROB.
"And what else did you learn about this legion?" Taylor asked me.
I gave her the full story, from the rise of the legion to the apparent death or imprisonment of Sargeras during the invasion of Azoreth and the status of the legion in the current era.
"So this is before the game I played," Taylor said. "Before they attacked the world it was set in." So she played Warcraft III.
"We might be able to discover that world," I said. "But first. We need to deal with this demon invasion."
"Yes," Taylor asked as she shifted her eyes to the other screen nearby. This one showed the cavern. "What is the plan for that?"
"Well," I said. "I've just been killing the demons as soon as they step through the portal. And I've increased the potency of the low magic zone around it to stop the magic drain. But so far, no luck in closing the gate."
"Bummer," Taylor said. "Can you teleport the arch into the sun? That might work?"
"No," I said sadly. "Its fixed in time and space. The physical arch isn't much of an issue anymore."
"And?" Taylor asked. "It's stuck here?"
"So it would seem," I said. "And it gets worse. Despite slowing the magic drain through the portal to a trickle, it's still affecting the magic of this world. It's very presence is causing the magic of the world to change into a different……...flavor. I think it's caused by the magic that's being fed into the portal from the otherside. It's leaking into this world and polluting it's magic."
"Oh, no!" Taylor said. "Can it get worse?"
"I also can't control that magic," I admitted. "It's like water. Slipping through my fingers."
"And if it floods this world your power might be lowered!" Taylor got the problem immediately.
"Smart girl," I said. "I need to raise this worlds defenses. And quickly. And Taylor? I need your help."
"Anything," she said quickly.
"You know how paprahumans in your world fight," I said. "And you know about the Endbringers. Describe them to me please. We'll take ideas from them all. Then we'll see about creating a defense force for this world. One that can function without magic."
"I see," she said. "An endbringer against a demon. That's one battle I'd love to see. And it's not like there are any people here to get hurt by them."
"I hope so," I said. "And maybe we can come up with an even better idea between us."
"Maybe," Taylor said. "But what about the portal itself? What will you do about that?"
"Figure out a way to close it," I said. "And quickly. The knowledge I gained from the Eredar will certainly help."
"And the elf?" Taylor asked again. "What about her?"
"I will wake her soon," I said. "And see who she is and what she has to say for herself."
-+-