Oblivion's Peril

by M. H. Johnson

  He knew they were in dire peril. A swarm of enemies a single sputtering force field away, the skies blackened with brooding storm clouds and ill green light, as if nature held its breath in preparation of a storm like no other. But in that moment he had eyes only for the girl of his dreams, Julia’s passionate kiss filling his heart with fire, her gold-flecked green eyes smiling into his own.

  “God I missed you, Valor Hunter.” A solemn moment as they squeezed each other tight, before panicked shouts and the roar and flash of autocannons in the distance forced them back into the moment once more. “Where the hell were you? We’re in trouble, Val!”

  Val grinned. “Just bringing along some friends to join the fun.”

  They simultaneously turned to greet a sight that had Julia beside him trembling with awe. And he was awed himself, sensing waves of potency from her mind he had never tasted before. His beloved Julia had obviously leveled up. Her mind, once brittle with just a flicker of fiery potential, was now a blade to be feared.

  But Val wasn't the only one impressed with their partner's accomplishments. "Val! Did you really? Are those… did you really recover a full complement of battle-mechs? Thank god!”

  Val grinned as the full complement came through. Twenty battle-mechs now in defensive formation surrounded the gate so as to prevent hindering any new flood of reinforcements, Bethany’s voice projected on a speaker that resonated eerily through the air.

  “Valor battle squadron ready for our orders, Overlord.”

  Val grinned at Julia's flustered gaze before her forehead creased in a frown. “That’s a girl’s voice, Val.”

  Val winced. “Maybe.”

  His lover gazed coolly at him. “As is Angelica, leading a squadron of ten. Four Players among them. The Heiress to the Blackenthorp estates. Who spent the last two days doing everything she could to prove to me she’d make an excellent second-wife. If it weren’t for the fact that I can feel how fiercely you love me...”

  And before Val could say a word, a siren’s cry rang through the air.

  Julia’s eyes widened. “Our shields are at less than 20%! Never mind, Val, thank god you’re here! Get your men around the compound! We’ll then have 30 mechs covering the lab for when the bastards break through!”

  Val turned to take a close look at the area around the gate, noting the massive network of trenches already established by disciplined soldiers who spared time only for hurried salutes when Val glanced their way. “Blackenthorp’s going to bring the rest of his men through. They’ll provide cover fire in waves, wherever the shield gives out. Angelica and her father will be coordinating defense. But if we leave all our mechs here, our enemies will claim the field and slaughter us at their leisure. We have to keep them off balance, divide their forces and their focus. Bethany and I will lead the counter assault."

  Val met Julia’s gaze, hiding nothing. Her eyes widened. “Looking into your mind… God, Val, you survived something like this before? Wait. You were on the other team, aiding the assault! If we leave everyone by the compound while our enemy swarms and fortifies and concentrates their fire... We’ll be slaughtered! Everyone has to keep moving. Okay, alright, I can work with this...” She closed her eyes, frowning intently. “I just linked with Angelica and Mother. They totally approve, and Angelica wasn’t going to follow Mother’s plan anyway! Now that you’re here, she just flashed me her own plans so your squads can better coordinate.”

  Julia squeezed his hand, pointing at the cluster of mech units by the central manor. “Chris and Yin are in our best battle-mechs right now. They formed a party with the other human players. They’ll be fighting alongside Angelica’s squad. Angelica’s plan is to use her hit-and-run battle-mechs to back up Bethany’s squad, taking out any mecha that try to flank her.” Her gaze grew haunted. “There are a lot of people out there that want to kill us, Val. Even with Sten and Halvar leading our house squad, strictly for defense, we’re going to get swamped by enemy soldiers the second our shields go down.”

  She turned to gaze at the entrenched fortifications already erected. "From what Mother's told me, the trenches they've set up will buy us time against the waves of infantry, but battle-mech cannons can tear right through those defenses. So let's hope your friends can keep our enemy's mecha busy, or those bastards will wash right over us."

  Val nodded, looking down at the transceiver securely fastened to his bike. “Did you get all that, Bethany?”

  “Affirmative, Val. I’m coordinating with Angelica as we speak. Sten Kilburten as well.”

  Val smiled, squeezing his lover’s hand. “It will be okay, Julia. You know how good Dirk, Chris, and Yin are. And Sten and Halvar have more tricks up their sleeves than most human players do. Now let me take care of something here first, then we’ll head straight to the barrier!”

  Julia’s brow furrowed. “Val?”

  But Val had already stepped away from his hover-blade and the transceiver that worked a little too well, darting back up to the massive portal flashing golden sparks upon a sea of absolute blackness, currently ejecting a flood of soldiers that only days ago had been leading an assault that could have wiped Highblood Province off the map. Now, however, he received nothing but smiles, their faces breaking out in wide grins before bowing and trotting off to the network of trenches waiting for them.

  A man dressed in what appeared to be an officer’s uniform broke off from the others, giving Val a quick salute. “Thank you for getting the portal back up, Commander. I’m happy to report that with the help of Lady Highblood and Captain Blackenthorp’s battle-mechs, we have completed our trenches and embankments in time for the reinforcements. It won’t stop hostile mechs, but it will slow them down, and it will prevent us from getting mowed down by the flood of infantry the shields are holding off.” His smile turned to a tight-lipped frown as he gazed at the crackling shields some distance off. “Then again, it should have taken Tiberius Dominicus at least a week to shuttle his forces here.”

  “I take it that’s the name of the red?”

  “Yes, sir. And if you’ll wait just a moment...” He dashed off to an impromptu tent surrounded by fully armored and serious-looking guards, returning with the help of four puffing men, holding two massive leaden containers between them, placing the weighty chests carefully upon the ground, stepping back and sighing with visible relief.

  Val frowned, putting a careful hand on each container, closing his eyes, and smiling with approval at what he sensed within.

  “I believe this is what you requested, Commander?” A breathless query.

  Val nodded. “Bring men sufficient to surround the containers and myself. Everyone facing outward. Permit no one to glance at me until I say otherwise.”

  The chisel-featured officer jerked a nod and saluted, pivoting around and roaring orders at his men, soon forming a perfect barrier between Val and any onlooker before he carefully opened the first lead-lined chest, carefully inspecting the massive cylinders within, the grooves etched into the fine steel frame. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses before nodding in silent approval. Lucius’s engineers had done their job well.

  Right now, they were utterly inert. Should a certain projection be forced inward, everything would change.

  Now, the final test.

  You have successfully placed one dozen containers in storage!

  Val flashed a cold smile. Containers indeed.

  Val clapped the officer on the shoulder. “Well done,” he said. “I will keep you from your duties no further.”

  “Sir. Yes, sir!” said the officer as Val raced back to his hover-blade, smiling at Julia’s questioning gaze.

  “Let’s just say I got some extra presents for our guests. Just in case.”

  Wasting no more time, Val hopped on his hover-blade, Julia slipping right behind him, squeezing tightly to him. “Bout time you took me on a bike,” she teased, but Val was already pulling up his Dominion Matrix, feeling his link to Bethany effortlessly reestablish itself, smiling
as all twenty pilots came into view in his mind’s eye in the upper right corner, just like a party screen. A polite knock and Val opened his psyche, Julia somehow linking with him as she joined their party. Surprised as Bethany gushed a sense of warmth and adoration, surprise turning to alarm as Bethany flooded Julia with a sense of camaraderie, sisterhood, and them sharing Val together.

  She tensed on the bike, and the fragile connection that would allow their unit to react and fight as one was suddenly at risk of collapsing. “It was bad enough, the way Angelica was always trying to corner me with that hungry look in her eyes. I thought she was trying to seduce me. Now I wonder if it was about seducing someone else, Val.”

  Val grimaced. “Sorry, I think it’s a Jordian thing.”

  “I know it’s a Jordian thing!” Julia snapped. “Mother’s been nagging me about the importance of sister-wives since we got here!”

  "Julia, please! I need to be linked if I’m going to keep us from being flashed-fried by that damned army up ahead!”

  Julia shuddered, alarm turning to a sense of twisting dread Val could feel all too well through the link as they all beheld a churning sea of soldiers. Thousands upon thousands of men ahead, and Val could see their distorted faces, filled with fanatical hate and eager anticipation as they glared through the flickering force field.

  Eerie glittering eyes that seemed to focus on Val more than anyone else.

  Val gazed intently at the shimmering blue field of energy before him, doing his best to ignore the dozens of battle-mechs waiting just beyond, autocannons ready to lay waste to Val’s forces. Instead he did his best to join his sense of self to the force field in its entirety. His breathing came in gasps as he struggled against resistance, somehow feeling deadly waves of destructive energy washing over and through him, claiming it as a part of his will, his self, before it could destroy him.

  At last he felt a connection to the force field slip into place, pulling up his Dominion Matrix as he did so, noting options that had been grayed out before popping to brilliant life as he communed with the laboratory.

  Highblood Province now boosted by Ward. +3% defensive bonus to all units and territory enhancements! You have new territory defensive options available to you!

  Gloom – Shadow enhancement. Your territory becomes cloaked in perpetual fog and gloom. People not allied to your cause suffer severe sight penalties, even with battle-mech torch-lights! You can count on significant combat advantages, even at close range! -4 general morale due to living in a lightless purgatory. Cost to purchase: 1 territory point.

  Enhanced Gloom. - Shadow Enhancement. Your territory is cloaked in perpetual fog and gloom, but you can summon it or dispel it at will! (Time to summon Gloom: 60 minutes -5 minutes per Overlord Level.) Furthermore, if arcane requirements are met, (Creation/Transformation/Earth/Herbam Rank 3+) your soil will remain free of unwanted fungi and parasites, and all plant life will miraculously evolve to thrive in the gloomiest of circumstances! Blossom-scented air and fresh veggies are great counters to bleak skies! Only -2 territory morale penalty, and only 10% reduction to yearly crop bounties! Cost to purchase: 2 territory points.

  Haunting Luminescence. - Mystic Enhancement. Your territory is bathed in hauntingly beautiful light! Forests and fields blossom like never before, but it can be very disorienting for anyone not allied to your cause! Increasingly severe range penalties as light seems to warp and distort all things beyond thirty feet. Don’t count on any edge in melee, but your enemies’ ranged attacks will be at a moderate disadvantage, and long-range snipers will have a dickens of a time hitting men allied to your cause! +30% annual crop production, but be forewarned, this enchanting luminescence can be disorienting to even the staunchest supporter! 30% chance of enemies becoming severely disoriented upon entering your territory and every hour thereafter, and a 10% daily chance of allies becoming slightly disoriented until 1 full season has passed within territory boundaries. Cost to purchase: 2 territory points

  Val grimaced, hating the thought of spending his points so quickly, but knowing what he needed to do. Both for his sake, and those of his friends, risking their lives behind enemy lines even now.

  Congratulations! You’ve purchased Haunting Luminescence for Highblood Province. 2 territory points spent. This enchanting light will surely give you the edge you need, or simply illuminate all your future corpses in beautiful repose. Either way, enhancement purchased!

  For all that Gloom would have been the most effective choice, the forty minutes delayed activation time made it all but worthless. Only Haunting Luminescence, which Val had sensed would be immediately activated with the ill-green light scintillating from the clouds overhead, promising what would be tornado weather back on Earth, was available for immediate activation.

  Even as Val heard the gasps and felt the light dancing upon his skin taking on a surreal hue, he plunged himself as deep into the electromana currents resonating from the force field as he could, somehow forcing the last of his territory points into the Warlord Enhancement stubbornly grayed out, only lighting up as he synergized himself completely with the electromana forces and fields all around.

  Critical Success! You manage not to immolate yourself within the potent Jordian electromana currents! Your mule-headed stubbornness and stubborn willingness to risk oblivion itself to get what you want has opened a heretofore closed enhancement tree to you! You can now purchase Warlord force field enhancements at double normal cost, so long as EM Mastery requirements are met!

  Force Field Flexibility. Warlord Enhancement. (Requirements overriden: Rank 4 EM Mastery achieved.) Manipulate force fields to your will! All forcefields in the designated territory will be 5% stronger and recharge 5% quicker for every Overlord Level achieved. Furthermore, you can manipulate the field at will. - Limited manipulation. Though you cannot form new force fields out of nothing, or further boost current force fields, you can elect to deactivate portions at will. This will allow you to conserve power, depending upon how much of your force field is deactivated. This is an active ability and might result in a skill check penalty, depending upon the complexity of your alterations. Cost to purchase: 1(2) territory point(s)

  Enhanced Force Field Flexibility. Warlord Enhancement. (Or Rank 8 EM Mastery) Not only will all force fields in your designated territory be 5% stronger and recharge 5% quicker for every Overlord Level achieved, but you can manipulate the force fields to your heart’s content! Create breaches of any dimension without penalty for any duration and, upon successful concentration skill check, reshape the force field to even better suit your needs! You can also elect simply to boost your force field, giving you a further 25% bonus to shield durability and recharge rate! Cost to purchase: 2(4) territory points.

  Congratulations! You have purchased Force Field Flexibility for 2 territory points! Territory points remaining: None! You're tapped, Val. Best get to killing unless you want another Highlord claiming YOU as his Dominion point battery. And what a juicy catch you would be!

  With a sudden gasp, Val pulled himself free of matrix and electromana field both, meeting the wide-eyed gaze of Julia, finding himself on the grassy field, his ears overwhelmed by the crackle of the force field and the virtual sea of men just beyond.

  “Val! Get up! We need you, Val! The light’s turned strange, everyone feels out of sorts, and our shields are almost down!”

  "Overlord!" Bethany's anxious voice could be heard from the transceiver.

  “It’s okay,” Val assured, even as Julia stepped back, letting him stumble to his feet, linking up with his party once more.

  “Val.” Bethany’s voice, sharpest anxiety overlaid with sudden relief. “Please tell me you’re with us!”

  Val nodded. “Don’t worry about the light! Just make sure our troops are at least 30 feet back from the wall.” He flashed a grim smile to Julia’s widening gaze. “Tactical spell. Beyond 30 feet, their aim will be at a significant penalty that will only increase with distance. They might appear to us to be wavering i
n a heat shimmer, but the moment we focus, they’ll snap into place for us with zero penalty.”

  Julia nodded, gazing forlornly at the mecha forming up around Val. “I’d love to fight by your side, but Mother refused even to hear me out...”

  Val nodded even as a contingent of well-armored infantry with swords and legionnaire-style reflective shields raced to Julia’s side. “You’re our best tactical asset. Stay behind men who can cover you from laser fire and stab the hell out of anyone who dares get too close.”

  One of the powerfully built men grinned at that.

  Val frowned, pointing to a dip a dozen or so yards back. “Use that for cover. You’ll stick out less to enemy mecha when the shields come down. And for god’s sake, retreat for the compound the minute you’re tapped or the enemy breaks past Bethany’s squad!”

  Julia paled before jerking a nod, quickly racing away as Val got on his bike once more, quickly looking back towards the central compound, catching sight of Sasha and Lisa bowing before what could only be Christine, bemused to note that the odd light had, if anything, enhanced his vision.

  Heart racing as he prepared himself to face the howling army head-on, he gazed up at the towering mechs beside him.

  “You ready, Bethany?”

  Her voice echoed through his brain. “You know I am, Val. And don’t worry. We’ll keep those bastards too busy to harm a hair on Julia’s head!”

  Val jerked a nod, feeling a curious shiver as Bethany's vision somehow overlaid his own. She might not be reading his mind at that moment, but his Assault bonus was letting his entire squad sense exactly the point of interests his eyes were fastened upon through Bethany's Psionically enhanced group link. Val could only pray it would give him the edge they so desperately needed to survive what was to come. "Good. Position the men. There and there, by the force field."