Outside the Wall Part 4: Delivery
A large amount of energite in crates floated out of the wreckage. Following that was a tarp wrapped machine that must weigh a ton. Spoon hovered both next to him as both Steve and Copper stood in front and to the left and right respectively. Jane brought up the rear, as all eyes were kept on the shift mass of Vorpals swarming around their small circle of light, illuminated by Spoon’s personal synthetic light.
Steve fired another warning shot as the Vorpals in front edged closer to them. “Jane, talk to me. Are you seeing movement?”
Jane was silent, and Steve spun around to see a look of terror as a ten foot tall Vorpal was stalking directly towards them. It was a long, green snakelike being, with a human face and six arms. It hissed before leaning back, preparing to strike. Steve immediately fired a shot directly into the body of it, causing it to hiss more aggressively as it circled around to the other side. Steve called out to Copper. “Copper! Watch your flank!”
Copper acknowledged by lighting up the night with a massive jet of fire, eliciting screeching as the Vorpal retreated back into the swarm and the circle of safety expanded ever so slightly as the rest grew more cautious. Spoon noted their behavior. “These aren’t like the ones we saw in Tempora… these are ferals. They have a swarm mentality, but no higher brain functions. If we are cautious, then…”
Several lunged from the front at once, prompting a barrage of fire and electrically charged projectiles from both Steve and Copper. The Vorpals began to get bolder and more aggressive, each attack shrinking the circle as they advanced. The group kept walking, but everyone was starting to feel the panic as the seriousness of their situation set in. A massive giant-sized vorpal stepped forward, with three eyes and carrying a massive club. It raised it high, to bring it down on the group now that escape was impossible. Just when all seemed lost, a blur with a battleaxe decapitated the giant Vorpal, whose detached head stared blankly as it fell and dissolved on the ground. The blur dashed around and pushed back the other Vorpals before standing in front of the traveling group. He hoisted his massive battleaxe onto his shoulder, fist on his hip in a confident stance. He had a full set of dinged up armor but no helmet, allowing his dirty blond hair to blow free at shoulder length as he regarded Steve and company with a determined glance. He cracked a smile.
“About time you got here. Name’s Crust, I’m with the Gatekeepers. Let’s get this stuff to the warp site, and we can end this whole debacle.”
The Gatekeeper named Crust cut through the swarm of Vorpals effortlessly with wide slashes of his axe. Eventually, the Vorpals dispersed and the entire party breathed easier. But Crust was not any happier with the development. “They’ll be back. And more will come. That’s the problem.”
The group reached a clearing, where a wall of trees had been pushed down and back from the center. On the ground near the center was a swirling vortex of blackness, as if the night itself had been distilled into a liquid form. Crust explained as Spoon levitated the equipment back to solid ground nearby, breathing heavily after the continued exertion. “These portals naturally occur sometimes. They connect the Inverse with our world, and once Vorpals discover the corresponding point in their world, they start coming through in droves.”
A standard model Drone painted entirely black and with white face paint in the form of a skull walked up. He started grabbing the crates and opening them, distributing energite bars in a formation around the portal. Though he did not slow down, he used the shared Drone mental connectivity to explain to Steve and Jane rapidly so they could then explain to the rest. “The equipment you brought can close the portal, all we need to do is set it up.”
There was only one other bystander, a man in a white lab coat examining the placement of the energite and making adjustments when necessary. Spoon commented on the small number of Gatekeepers for such an important mission. “Why are there only three of you? I would expect many more Gatekeepers for something this dangerous.”
Crust's expression grew grim before he responded. “We did have more. We can’t predict when more Vorpals will come through, and we can’t track them properly with the interference from the portal. We’ve lost four Gatekeepers.”
Spoon, Steve, and Jane all looked at each other. The portal was still there, so the danger wasn’t over yet.
Copper watched the black Drone with a curious eye. “What are you?”
Giving her a bewildered look, he activated his auditory converter and answered as he continued working. “I’m Skull, a Drone. That’s a weird question to ask, though, when you are traveling with two Drones yourself, Draaconian. By the way, mind helping me get this tarp off?”
Copper, showing very little caution, set the tarp on fire. The Drone panicked for a moment before he managed to tear off the tarp and put out the fire. “God-folding-dammit, what the rift?! You’re lucky this final machine isn’t fragile!”
Copper snorted. “What is it?”
The Drone pulled the machine into position, a set of metal bars arranged in a pyramid structure, with a coil of wires running inside along the center bar. He spun it around to aim it, using two handles on the opposite side of the base to point the end of the antenna directly at the portal. “An electro cannon. I’m going to use it to collapse the portal, but the recoil is going to be massive. That’s why we need the perimeter of energite.”
With a hum, it began charging as the Drone kept both hands on each handle, electricity sparking around his arms as he funneled it into the machine. Crust and the other Gatekeeper watched, though they kept glancing around as they expected a Vorpal attack at any moment.
As if responding to their paranoia, an amorphous black shape crawled out of the portal, along with several others. One turned into a wolflike beast, with glowing red eyes and several human arms assisting in crawling towards the Gatekeepers. Another formed into a giant spider, extending several feet high on tall spindly legs. It had a maw with crooked teeth, and two disturbingly unblinking bright green eyes.
Crust charged forward, past the perimeter. “Skull, hold off! Fire as soon as I am clear!”
He cut down the spider efficiently, cutting several of its legs with one swipe and lodging his axe in its body moments after it hit the ground. The wolf targeted the scientist, who reacted with concern but still performed his response without hesitation. Raising a single hand, he stated: “Fireball.”
The wolf ignited, falling to the ground and rolling around as it tried to extinguish the flame. But the flame persisted, eventually causing the movement to cease. Just when Steve was becoming desensitized to the acts of violence, he saw the final opponent. It was no feral. It was the woman he had spoken with before. The Vorpal with the one eye and four arms.
She looked scared, but stood tall against her opponents with her back to the portal. “I… I won’t let you do this. Let it be known, my name is Oracle. And I’m not going to let you close this portal!”
Spoon gave Steve a sidelong glance, then stepped forward. “Go back where you came from, Vorpal. Your kind is not welcome here.”
The Vorpal stepped back slightly, but held her ground otherwise. “This portal is sovereign Vorpal ground. I may not be able to fight, but… I know someone who can. He will stop you!”
Crust looked around as he started to stalk closer to the adversary. “Really? And where is he now? Because unless he shows up soon, seems to me we are going to be successful, and you will be going back the easy way or the hard way.”
“Hmmmm… yes, yes, where could he be? Where is this gallant master of combat, ready to ride in on the metaphorical horse to save the day?”
Both Jane and Steve looked between them to see a Vorpal had appeared. They leapt away from it, though it barely reacted. It had a top hat, a white suit, and no eyes. With sickly tan skin and a perfect yet wicked smile, the Vorpal tipped his hat to all the eyes now on him. “Dapper. At your service, Oracle.”
Oracle let out a breath of relief. “Dapper, destroy their infernal machine. I’ll help as much as I can.”
Dapper adjusted his hat and cracked his knuckles. “Jolly good. Let there be fisticuffs!”