POV: Darren
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"Wait, can you tell us more about this high rank breach and the Swift Knight you just mentioned," Darren asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "We've still got a little time left to wait anyway, right?"
The weather was dreary with heavy cloud cover, and the first couple of cars Darren had seen since leaving his apartment slowly cruised by them. The eyes of those in the vehicles were wide as they witnessed the literal hole in the air.
EDS spoke as if he hadn't noticed the people or their bewilderment. "Indeed, we do. The Swift Knight is one of the seven Titled Knights, like you and Kaycee. His name is John Armstrong. I believe you will probably meet him sooner rather than later."
"We will?" Hardy asked curiously. "Does he live around here too? Another one as strong as these two would be crazy."
"No, he does not live near here. There is a possibility that he will make his way here, though, given that his entire city was completely destroyed by the arrival of Hiraeth and the unfathomably tall tsunamis it created. Though, for now, he is doing everything he can to help those nearby who are still alive, including dealing with breaches," EDS explained. "And, actually, he is stronger than Darren and Kaycee."
"Whoa, really?" Darren asked excitedly. "I want to meet this guy!"
"Hopefully you will. He is a good man, and he has lost more than can be quantified. I have already told him about you two, though, and advised him that he may find a bit of rest and refuge here in the Ozarks," EDS said.
"He's more than welcome to join us," Darren said matter-of-factly. "Now, what about this high rank breach he faced? Is that something we're going to see here in the near future?"
"I doubt a breach of that rank will appear again any time soon," EDS began, "As I said before, it was an anomalous breach. The one who opened that breach is known as a Chronovore. This is a dark being that comes from the lower realms of the Dimenova. I believe the Chronovore sensed John's building power, and that's why it came to Earth. John barely escaped with his life and actually ended up in the Dimenova for a short while and almost died there too.
"At the last moment, as the Chronovore was attempting to drag John through the breach it had opened, John used his strongest ability and slipped from its grasp, destabilizing the breach and escaping into the Dimenova. The closing breach shredded the Chronovore, though I'm not sure if it's totally dead or not," EDS said, answering the questions on everyone's minds.
"Now I want to meet this John guy even more," Darren said, chuckling. "He sounds really strong!"
"EDS, you explained why the breach was anomalous, but don't you think it's possible stronger creatures will want to come to Earth?" Kaycee asked.
"I believe that any number of malevolent entities will seek the many treasures that can be found here on Earth," EDS said. "But there's a reason that Earth has been mostly protected from these inter-dimensional and extra-planetary threats, aside from a few times in Earth's ancient history, and that is because there simply hasn't been a direct and consistent flow of FLUX energy to Earth.
"There is always some small amount of FLUX everywhere you go in spacetime, but for breaches to open there must be vast amounts. Once the effects of the Great Tempest struck Earth, then beaches began opening, but not before that because there simply wasn't enough FLUX. When Hiraeth became part of Earth, it brought with it a direct link to an endless supply of FLUX. Are you with me so far?" EDS asked.
Darren, Kaycee, and Asher looked back and forth between each other, not quite believing EDS's sarcastic tone. They burst out laughing, but soon calmed down and asked EDS to continue.
"Having said all that, you need to know that the stronger a being is, the more power is required for them to cross dimensional boundaries. For instance, a puppy can go through a small doggy door, but a fully grown human cannot. The analogy has to do with size, but now equate the smaller doggy door, and the weak puppy, with a weaker breach, and equate the fully grown human, and a full sized door, with a stronger breach.
"Weaker creatures can enter through weaker breaches, but it takes far more time, effort, and energy to create a breach powerful enough to sustain the passing of a powerful being. Chronovores, though extremely rare, are notorious for being able to skirt the normal laws of spacetime. Does that make sense? I feel like I've been doing a lot of talking lately…"
Another round of laughter burst from the three companions. Darren was the first to speak after the laughter died down.
"Yes, EDS, you have been talking a lot lately, and we're very grateful for that. You have helped us greatly," he explained.
EDS remained silent, clearly done speaking for the time being.
Darren focused on the quest timer, seeing it tick down, leaving just about ten minutes before the breach fully opened. His heart began to beat more rapidly and he felt his breath coming more shallowly. He breathed deeply, managing to get some control over his building anxiety. EDS had given them some ideas about what awaited them on the other side of this bridge, but he really didn't know what kind of enemy he'd be facing.
A lot had happened, which sounded to Darren like the biggest understatement of the century, but even so he knew he was still brand new to all of this and really knew nothing in the grand scheme of things. But, he expected this anxiety to remain regardless of how long he was a Knight and no matter how many breaches he faced. How could it not?
Everyone remained silent as the timer counted down, and the tension in the air felt palpable. Suddenly, they heard distant sirens fill the air, drawing their attention away from the breach.
"I bet those people who drove by called the department," Hardy said, eyes directed toward where the sirens were coming from. Sure enough, moments later several patrol cars sped around the bend down the road and came to a rapid stop near the breach as the quest timer continued to count down.
The road was fairly sparsely traveled, though still inside city limits, and the police blocked the entire thing. Hardy turned and began walking toward a solid black Chevrolet Tahoe with blue lights flashing from inside the top of the windshield, the grill, and several other places. Officers began leaving their vehicles and standing in a way that said they were alert, but had no idea what to do in this situation.
Darren watched, unsure of what to do, as Hardy continued toward who Darren could only guess was a supervisor of some kind. He kept his eye on the countdown timer, though, afraid that if he didn't they would be caught unawares as some vile creature entered their world. Fortunately, they still had several minutes before the breach opened.
A tall man with short, gray hair and black rimmed glasses stepped out of the Tahoe. He wore a solid black polo and tan 5.11s, with a gun and badge on his right hip. Darren kept his eyes on the man as Hardy walked closer and began speaking with him. The conversation appeared to be somewhat animated, and shortly Hardy turned and walked back toward Darren and Kaycee, the gray haired man on his heels.
Hardy spoke as he and the other man drew closer, "Darren, Kaycee, this is Captain Faulkner. He's the one who found me unconscious at my home after being knocked out for more than two days."
Darren nodded, sticking his hand out toward the taller man, "It's good to meet you Captain Faulkner," he said. Faulkner took his hand firmly and shook it, returning Darren's greeting. Kaycee introduced herself and shook Faulkner's hand as well.
"What can we do for you, Captain?" Darren asked.
"Well, we got a pretty strange call from a rather hysterical woman saying another hole had opened up in the air like the recent one downtown," Faulkner explained. "Given the carnage that was left behind last time, we thought it pertinent that we be here to do whatever we can to protect the people of this town."
"I explained everything I knew to Captain Faulkner before coming to your apartment, Darren, so he's pretty well caught up," Hardy said. "There are a few things you don't know, Captain." Hardy went on to give a brief rundown of what they expected to be waiting for them once the breach opened. Apparently, Hardy explained, he had even been given the option by EDS to accept the Terror of the Duskborne quest, and could now see virtually everything on his HUD that Darren and Kaycee could see.
"Wait, you can do quests?" Kaycee asked.
"It seems so," Hardy said, shrugging. "Though EDS advised me that I can't level up or gain experience or stat points or anything like that, I can receive upgrade points that will allow me to upgrade my Knight's Beacon and Companion Band, increasing their capabilities and providing me with greater physical boosts."
A grin spread across Darren's face, "That's awesome," he said, "That means that Aiden and Ava should be able to do the same!"
"Indeed, they can," EDS said, startling the Captain. The other officers weren't close enough for the voice to sound like it came from nowhere, though that's pretty much what happened. "Though I won't be offering them quests that involve battle without consulting you, as you're their guardian."
"Well, I appreciate that," Darren said, "Sincerely."
"What the hell is that?" Faulkner asked gruffly.
"I am EDS," EDS replied.
"Oh, the…uh…entity," Faulkner said, clearly uncomfortable.
"I suppose that is an accurate description," EDS said.
Hardy continued speaking, "The timer is about to run out, and when that breach opens we have to enter it and destroy whatever opened it in the first place. You guy cannot go in."
"The hell I can't," Faulkner said.
"No, he's right," Kaycee began, "It's going to be extremely dangerous. I'm sure you saw the aftermath of the attack downtown. That was a D rank breach. This one is only E rank, but that doesn't mean it has no danger. Darren and I are still relatively low level, and Officer Hardy here isn't even at our level yet, no offense," she said, looking toward Hardy. He shook his head, letting her know he wasn't offended, and she continued, "We should be able to handle it. I'm pretty confident about that, but having un-powered people inside, even if they are cops, is a bad idea and it's only going to hold us back."
Faulkner stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating Kaycee's words. Darren's focus kept flitting between Faulkner and the timer, which was now at less than a minute.
"Fine," the Captain said, "I understand. We'll remain here and keep anyone from getting too close. And, if anything gets past you guys, we'll end it before it can get past us."
"That sounds great to me," Kaycee said, smiling.
"Perfect," Hardy said.
"It's settled, then," Darren spoke last. "The breach is opening any second now. You watch our backs, and we'll take care of business inside."
Faulkner nodded and turned away, giving instructions to the several other officers on scene.
Darren took a deep breath, steadying himself. The breach before him hummed, almost vibrating with power. As the timer hit ZERO, the tear in the air in front of them began to open wider, as if someone was actively ripping the fabric of space itself. Wind began rushing mightily into the breach, as if it were a giant vacuum.
Darren felt the pressure of the air pushing him forward, but he and the others stood their ground, waiting to see if anything would come through. Abruptly, a guttural war-cry echoed from inside the breach.
Darren turned, looked at Faulkner, and yelled, "They're coming!"