Hardly had the seven stepped through the portal when dry, hot air hit them. The new world appeared parched, scarred by the sun – an endless expanse of dust, rocks, and dead ground. The portal had opened on a barren hill. From up there, they could discern a small village in the distance, nestled between rock formations.
"Close the portal, quickly," Keal said softly. Nerion nodded and let the energy fade. The gate vanished without a sound.
"We must remain inconspicuous," Keal continued. "It's night. That gives us an advantage."
"Why is it dark here?" Mika asked in surprise. "We just left at dawn."
"Not every world follows the same calendar," Nerion explained calmly. "Each has its own rhythm – its own sun, its own rules, its own magical foundation. And my powers must adapt to it."
They agreed to find a hiding place for the night. If this was a world of the Dark Alliance, they could take no risks. The rocky terrain offered cover. While Keal and Mika cautiously approached the village, the others set up a makeshift camp in a narrow rock crevice. Nerion covered it with cloaking magic.
"I hope your spell actually protects us this time," Kiro murmured, giving him a sideways glance.
Nerion replied irritably: "How they found us last time, I still don't know. Probably because of the energy from the stolen spores. Normally, we are invisible to such creatures."
He looked down, then continued: "That was a lesson for us. We must not interfere with the nature and history of worlds. Our mission is clear – track down the enemy, report their location, and move on."
Torgul grinned: "But we can try the food, right?"
Elandra laughed. "Don't worry, Torgul – we won't let you starve."
Meanwhile, Keal and Mika had reached the village. Under the cover of darkness, they observed the first inhabitants.
"Have you ever seen such beings?" Mika whispered.
Keal shook his head. "No. Never."
The inhabitants walked upright, had four arms, purple skin, green hair, and horns that curved over their skulls. The male beings had long fangs and simple, leather clothing. Their huts consisted of mud, stone, and wood – the style was reminiscent of the Middle Ages.
"There seems to be no technology here. But they live like humans – in community, with simple means," Keal observed. "Come, that's enough. Before someone discovers us."
Back at the camp, they reported their observations.
"I don't think this is a hostile world," Keal said. "But I'm not sure. We should move on as soon as possible."
"That won't be possible for four days," Nerion said. "The crystal charges slower here. This world's magic is weaker than the last one."
Kiro frowned. "Last time it took two days."
"Every world has its own magical foundation. And my powers must adapt to it," Nerion explained.
"What do we do in the meantime?" Mika asked.
"Stay hidden. And observe," Keal replied. "A peaceful village doesn't mean there's no enemy here. Tomorrow we'll scout further."
He turned to Mika: "Can you transform into these beings?"
"I've seen enough. It should be doable."
Mika closed her eyes – a gentle glow enveloped her. Her body transformed: green hair, four arms, purple skin. When she opened her eyes again, astonishment spread across everyone's faces.
"Unbelievable," Unutay murmured. "You are fantastic."
"So that's what they look like…" Nerion said curiously.
"Pretty ugly, if you ask me," Kiro interjected.
"We must adapt if we want to survive here," Keal said. "Clothing, appearance, language – everything. We must not stand out."
Everyone nodded.
"And remember," Keal added seriously. "No matter what happens: We take nothing from here. No artifact, no plant, no weapon. We are only observers. Understood?"
"Understood," they answered in unison.
Night fell over the arid world – and unknowingly, they were about to be drawn into a conflict that would change everything.
The group settled down for the night. Even though it was night, they had, from their perspective, been through a full day – weariness set in. Keal and Torgul took the first watch, later handing over to Mika and Kiro.
The night was quiet, almost too quiet. Only the soft hum of insects permeated the darkness. Mika pricked up her ears, frowned.
"Did you hear that?" she whispered.
"What? I only hear the humming of animals," Kiro mumbled, half asleep.
"No… that sounded like… screaming. Very faint, but real." Mika sat up. "I'm going to look around."
"Wait, Mika!" Kiro whispered, but she had already transformed – into the likeness of a native. Thus disguised, she sneaked out of the camp. In the distance, she saw nothing at first – but then, on the horizon, smoke rose. Exactly from the direction of the village they had observed yesterday.
"Kiro…" she whispered, looking back. "There, look! Smoke. From the village. I have to get closer."
"No, we can't do that. What if it's the Dark Alliance?"
"Exactly! If they attack, we can't just stand by!"
The voices woke Torgul, who grumbled and sat up. "What's going on here?"
Shortly thereafter, Keal, Nerion, and Elandra also stood beside them. "What happened?" Keal asked.
"I first heard screams," Mika explained. "Now the village is burning."
"That's none of our business," Kiro said softly.
"And if the enemy strikes?" Mika retorted. "Are we just supposed to look away then?"
Keal looked at Nerion, who slowly nodded. "If it's Sereth's people, we cannot stand idly by."
"Mika – fly ahead. See what's happening. The rest prepare yourselves."
The group armed themselves and sneaked among the rocks, taking cover towards the village. Mika flew ahead, soaring over the area – and what she saw made her heart stop. The village was a heap of rubble. Houses burned, corpses lay scattered in the alleys. But it was not an attack by the Dark Alliance – it was their own troops. Armed warriors were plundering the ruins.
As the group approached, the first survivors ran towards them – women and children, exhausted, terrified. Keal immediately raised his hand.
"Take cover! Hide yourselves!"
Behind the rocks, they watched riders on lizard-like beasts pursuing the fleeing villagers. A woman stumbled – a rider raised his weapon.
At that moment, Kiro drew his bow – the arrow whistled and struck the attacker in the back. The warrior fell from his lizard.
"What are you doing?!" Keal cried, horrified.
But it was too late. Torgul, Elandra, and Unutay charged out of their cover. "We can't just stand by!" Torgul shouted.
Keal cursed, grabbed his sword, and ran after them. "Damn it, stop!"
Kiro grinned, looked at Nerion. "I just couldn't watch."
"If you hadn't shot," Nerion said dryly, "I would have struck him down with a lightning bolt."
Then they too charged.
Torgul tore off the head of one of the lizards with a mighty blow. Elandra let her arrows fly, each hitting lethally. Unutay was a whirlwind of motion, leaping between two riders, striking both down in mid-air.
Keal grabbed a warrior, threw him to the ground. One of the attackers tried to flee.
"There – one is escaping!" Keal shouted.
Elandra shot – narrowly missed. The rider was too far. But from the sky, Mika plunged down, tore him from his mount, and struck him down. The lizard fled without its rider into the night.
The remaining villagers stopped, trembling. Fear reflected in their eyes – they had never seen beings like these. But in their gazes, something else dawned: recognition. These strangers were their saviors.
Nerion slowly stepped forward. "Do not be afraid. We are not enemies."
The villagers recoiled. Mika, still in her transformed state, stood by Nerion's side – a sign of trust.
Torgul, Keal, and Unutay put away their weapons. An elderly woman cautiously stepped forward, bowing slightly – a hesitant sign of gratitude. As she spoke the first words, Nerion activated his translation spell from Azura. Faint runes glowed briefly on his hand – then the foreign voice transformed into understandable language.
"You have saved us. Thank you. But you must disappear. If these soldiers do not return, they will be sought. Search parties. You must go. One cannot live here."
Keal stepped forward. "We mean you no harm. We didn't want to interfere – but we couldn't look away."
At that moment, a little girl ran forward. "Can you save my dad too?" she asked with a trembling voice.
The mother pulled her back, but the child looked up at her. "They are strong, Mom. Maybe they will help us. Otherwise, no one will help us… maybe they will."