Nightmare Realm Summoner

Flowing blue grass stretched out before Alex as his feet fell on Mirrorlands soil once more. It was the same location the portal near Towntown had dropped him off last. He could see the warped city in the distance, the towering stack of street signs near its entrance rising into the twisting smoke far above like a landmark.

Alex wisely stepped to the side as Claire emerged from the crackling purple portal behind him, stumbling before catching her balance. He held an arm out to her even as her eyes shot up, bloodshot.

She latched onto it. Her fangs dug into his wrist and Alex repressed a grimace as Claire drank from his arm. He scanned the sky around them in search for any portals that would mark the arrival of a Riftwarped monster.

Claire released his hand with a relieved sigh. ”Thanks. I bloody hate portals. They wring me out like a wet towel.”

”I got to eat at Dorriv’s place, so I can’t complain about you getting a meal of your own.” Alex said absently. He turned in a circle, frowning. ”Do you see any portals forming?”

Claire shook her head. ”No. Huh. Maybe we managed to avoid notice this time around? Is it guaranteed that something finds us when we come in?”

”I don’t think it’s guaranteed. Berith said that the monsters would be drawn by power when a portal opens, either mine or the power of the location. This spot is pretty normal, so maybe there wasn’t another Riftwarped Monster close to this location.”

”Huh. Well, guess that means we get to save some energy to fight later on,” Claire said with a shrug. She started toward the warped city that loomed in the distance.

As Alex turned to follow after her, a flicker of pink energy rolled across the grass. A dull, chittering buzz rang through the air. He and Claire both spun toward its source. An electric pink portal hummed in the air above them.

Mandibles broke free of the portal, followed by a long, flowing insectoid body. Legs covered its length and swam in the air like oars as the monster emerged into the Mirrorlands. Purple energy arced and snapped around the monster as its eyes focused on Alex.

Riftwarped Block-Eater Centipede (Initiate 1)

The monster wasn’t anywhere near as large as the City-Eater Centipedes that patrolled the cities, but it was still easily three times as wide as a human and dozens of times longer. It coiled down toward Alex, chittering in hunger.

”We spoke too soon!” Claire yelled, raising her sword before her and setting her stance.

Alex reached into himself and called on his Qi. Warm energy rushed through his body, but before he could even try to summon Glint or Spark, another portal snapped open before the centipede.

It slithered into the portal. Another disk of pink energy yawned open behind Claire. She flung herself to the side and hit the grass in a roll as the centipede burst free of the portal. Its mandibles ripped through the grass where she’d been, tearing a huge chunk of dirt free. The monster hissed in displeasure and turned courses toward Alex.

”Glint!” Alex commanded, pushing his Qi into the command. ”Come out!”

The air before him shattered. Shards of glass rained down in a clattering rain as his Shardwalker emerged. The mirror shards jutting from his body hummed with rift energy. Pressure washed off Glint with enough force to press into Alex like a strong wind.

Curiously enough, the effect where Glint had shifted in and out of existence had vanished. He seemed solidly grounded in reality. There was no time to wonder why yet.

”Show me what you can do,” Alex commanded. ”Kill the Block-Eater Centipede. Normal rules for the fight.”

Glint lurched into motion. His claws flashed as he leapt for the Block-Eater.

The centipede jerked to the side, slipping into another portal an instant before Glint could connect with it. Light illuminated Alex’s back as a portal snapped open behind him. He mirrored Claire and dove to the side.

Mandibles snapped shut over his head with a loud crack. He hit the ground in a roll. By the time he rose again, Glint was upon the monster. His claws raked across the armor on its back with a loud shriek.

The chitin rent like it was paper. Black blood spilled across the Shardwalker and the centipede screamed in agony. It thrashed violently, launching Glint from its body and pelting the Shardwalker into the ground.

Alex was pretty sure that a blow of that strength normally would have killed Glint — but instead, the monster rolled back to his feet. Several of the mirrors on his back had shattered and impaled themselves in the ground, but he was still alive.

Claire took advantage of the centipede’s distraction to bound across the ground and leap into the air, driving her katana into the wound Glint had made in the monster’s side. The sword bit deep.

The centipede thrashed in agony. Claire’s eyes widened and she found herself with the same treatment as Glint. She lost her grip on the sword as the long monster bucked, launching her straight into the ground.

There was a loud crack of breaking bone as she hit it. The breath left her lungs in a pained grunt. But, even as the centipede turned toward Claire, Glint leapt at it once again.

A portal yawned open before the centipede and it slithered into it, slipping out of the way moments before Glint could connect with it. The Shardwalker landed on the ground and spun to look up into the air.

The Block-Eater Centipede emerged from above a new portal far above them, but it made no move to descend. Dull pink energy gathered between its mandibles and formed into a shimmering orb.

Alex activated Mirror Image.

Purple energy crackled out from him like the branches of a tree blooming in real-time. It slammed into the ground and erupted with a brilliant flash. When the light faded, two perfect clones of Alex appeared beside to his side.

”I don’t think that’s good,” Claire said, pushing herself up to her feet. Black veins pulsed beneath her skin and she grimaced. ”That thing is bloody strong, in case you were wondering.”

”Figured,” Alex replied, and his voice came from all three of his bodies instead of just one. It almost looked like the centipede was charging a —

The centipede’s jaws snapped shut. A beam of burning pink energy shot from its mouth with a loud crackle and carved straight toward one of his clones. The hair on Alex’s arms stood on end as his mirror image evaporated. The beam drove into the ground behind it, scorching it black with a loud hiss. Black smoke curled up from the patch of melted dirt and grass and an acrid smell filled the air.

Purple magic gathered at the centipede’s jaws once more as it started to charge another attack.

”Bleedin’ thing is cheating,” Claire hissed. Black veins carved down her arms and pulsed beneath her skin. Two jet black wings burst from her back with a loud ripping sound, tearing straight through her shirt. She flapped them once, launching herself into the air toward the centipede.

Its head snapped toward her, but it hadn’t finished charging up its magic yet. Claire slammed into the underside of the monster and drove her katana straight up into it. A scream ripped from the centipede as it thrashed.

A pink portal snapped open before the monster and it swam into it. Claire dropped away an instant before she fell in. Her wings snapped open, slowing her fall before she could splatter against the ground.

Another portal ripped open to Claire’s left with a loud pop. She tucked her wings in and dropped, hitting the ground in a roll, as the centipede emerged where she’d been moments before with a chittering screech.

She landed on the ground beside Alex and prepared to launch herself back into the air.

Alex turned to give Glint a command, but it never left his lips. His eyes widened in surprise.

Rift energy swirled around the Shardwalker like a miniature storm. The purple Qi that Alex had infused Glint with zipped within his mirrors as if seeking an escape, and his eyes glowed like two miniature spotlights.

The Shardwalker swiped his claw through the air. A loud, rending screech tore out as his claws carved a furrow through reality. An identical rip formed in the air directly above the centipede. The monster twisted toward it, but not nearly fast enough.

Glint flung himself through the unsteady portal. He slammed down on the centipede’s head from above. Glint drove his huge claws straight through the centipede’s eyes and into its brain. Chitin and flesh rent like paper and the centipede thrashed in agony.

The final remnants of Riftwarped Qi within Glint drained out and his appearance returned to normal.

An instant later, jagged shards of glass tore free from within the centipede’s body. They sprouted from beneath the chitin like a parasitic fungus, ripping the huge monster’s body to shreds within instants.

The centipede plummeted from the air — and straight toward Alex and Claire. Alex’s eyes widened. He and Claire both sprinted out of the way, narrowly avoiding the back end of the huge monster as it slammed to the grass behind them with a resounding crash. The ground bucked beneath Alex’s feet and he stumbled, nearly losing his balance as he spun back toward it.

Glint stood victorious upon the monster’s body, blackened blood dripping from his claws and the glistening fangs in his mouth parted in what could almost have been considered to be a smile.

Then there was silence.

What the hell was that? Glint can fucking teleport and control his mirror shards?

That must have been the Riftwarped Qi. It used up the purple magic when he used both of those abilities.

No wonder that other ranker was so concerned with it. This is a ridiculous boost to Glint’s power, and I bet it affects other spells the same way.

I do wonder why he wasn’t flickering in and out like he was back on Earth, though. I’ll have to test that.

Energy flowed into Alex — a respectable amount of it, but not as much as some of the other fights he’d been in. They were getting stronger. The centipede would have been a nearly impossible fight before, but this time around, Alex hadn’t even needed to call Spark in.

A Soul Flame flickered to life above the dead Riftwarped Block-Eater.

Low Grade Initiate (Riftwarped Block-Eater)

”Alex?” Claire asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead as her wings sank back into her body.

”Yeah?” His voice came from two locations, both himself and his remaining clone speaking up at once.

”Glint is bleeding terrifying.”

”Yup.” Alex scooped the Soul Flame off the ground.

For an instant, he felt a connection form to the centipede. Then it snapped shut, sealing itself off from him. Something about the Riftwarped Soul Flames prevented him from bonding to them… yet. Alex wasn’t bothered. He needed energy to level up Glint and Spark anyway. He was confident he’d eventually find a way to break through the barrier and bond a Riftwarped Monster if he ever met one he really wanted to summon.

Alex stuffed the Soul Flame into a Spatial Mirror. His clone mirrored the motion. Alex glanced at it, then back over to Claire. ”You ready to go find the next one? That barely made me break a sweat.”

”That’s because Glint did all the work.” Claire snorted and walked over to the centipede and grabbed her sword, ripping it free of the monster’s stomach. She flicked the blood from its blade, then nodded. ”More than, though. I have to catch up to you.”

”Great,” Alex said, turning his gaze toward the warped city. ”Because I’ve got some more abilities to test and a new monster to get my hands on.”

A grin crawled across Alex’s features as they set off, Glint falling in at their side.

I wonder what kind of summon I’ll be able to get this time around.