The Last Dainv

Chapter 287

The ice sphere slowly descended through the snow-covered treeline, branches scraping against the surface, snapping on impact. Gale's Distort orb flickered out of existence as well. Maintaining it for an hour had only taken away 120 essence out of 3540.

As the orb of ice shattered before touching the ground, Gale dropped to the floor while Erin descended in a controlled state, settling on a just a couple of centimetres above the ground.

All around was a snowy forest. Pine trees were covered in a blanket of snow. Cold winds gently shook the trees, scattering powder across the landscape.

About thirty metres ahead was a metal fence that emerged from between the trees, chain linked and barbed. A yellow snow covered sign was posted with even two metre spacing.

[KEEP OUT. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT.]

If it was fenced, why would they need to have such a stupid sign? Gale shook his head. The letters were just stating the obvious.

"Find the rift," Erin said.

Gale nodded, spreading out Presence Between's tendrils to map the area. Spreading towards the fenced area, they fed him the visual of what was inside.

A complex of metal structures that looked straight out of a military sci-fi fiction. Smooth satin walls in rectangular forms stacked on top of each other, following what seemed like a modular design.

And a little bit to the north of the complex was the rift. Its triangular form had shattered glass edges as if reality had been punched through.

Gale pointed directly towards where the rift was, and Erin floated them over the fence.

"I could've just phased through it."

"Silence, child. We move," Erin said.

Sighing, Gale moved forward and led the way.

Suddenly, multiple signatures converged towards their direction. 8 of them coming in hot from all sides.

"People are coming," Gale said. Looking through the tendrils, he saw all the men were suited. "Path operatives."

"Let them come. Our credentials provide necessary access. If not, we move regardless," Erin said, with not a hint of emotion, gesturing for him to move.

Continuing to move towards the rift, the operatives were about to hit them in 2 minutes.

The first operative emerged from behind a tree to their left. Black suit under a thick jacket. Sunglasses that had green outlines peeked through the lenses.

"Freeze! Hands where I can see them!"

Two more appeared to their right. Same appearance, different haircut.

"We're friendly!" Gale shouted.

"On the ground! Now!"

One of the operatives rushed forward with a baton, aiming for Gale.

Erebus materialized on instinct into an edgeless sword. One swipe of his blade, and the operative's baton bent in half and flew at a tree. Side-stepping, Gale hit the man's stomach, causing him to hurl bile.

An operative shot his gun at Erin. Her shoulder was hit, but no pain or sign of backing down came from her. More shots fired, and this was when Erin raised her ice shield, completely blocking all the bullets.

"Hostiles reported! Lethal force is allowed!" an Attuned operative shouted from behind.

Gale rushed down low at the operative who just shouted. He must've been the leader or at least the coordinator.

The man tried to leap backwards. Shots fired multiple times at Gale.

Erebus deflected all of the tracing bullets that shot out. One hit to the head with the flat, and the man was KO'd.

Two down, 6 to go.

And that was when the Early Resonant entered the fray. His signature roared into life, the shotgun in his arm glowed brightly as lightning charged up.

"Cease the hostilities," Erin said calmly.

She raised one hand. Blue light flickered around her fingers. One snap of her finger, and all their guns, hands, and feet were instantly covered in ice.

The Early Resonant among them, a woman with short brown hair, struggled against the ice hold. She tried to wrangle her feet off the ice to no avail.

"Resistance is inefficient," Erin said. "We are not hostile."

"Then why did you attack my men?!" the woman shouted.

"They attacked first." Gale dematerialized Erebus. "We're here to enter the leisure rift. That's all."

"Why didn't you enter through the main road? There's a proper checkpoint." The woman sighed, shaking her head.

"We flew here."

"You... flew?"

"Yes. From Yellowknife. About an hour ago."

The woman stared at him, then at Erin, then back at him, narrowing her eyes. "Whatever, you flew here, fine. You still should've gone to the checkpoint."

Scratching the back of his neck, Gale said, "Well, we didn't know there was a checkpoint."

"Fine..." the woman said. "Show me your credentials."

Erin released her hold on everyone, and as soon as she did, they holstered back their guns and closed in on them.

Gale's eyes darted around, Erebus ready at a moment's notice.

"Relax," the woman said.

His muscles relaxed. Guess the fight was over. Sighing and pulling out his wallet, he pulled out his NG ID card. Erin did as well from her lab coat pocket.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The woman studied both cards. Her eyes lingered on Gale's photo, then on his face, comparing.

"Gale Hathie," she read. "Affiliated with the Ann Family." Her eyes moved to Erin's card. "Erin Weber. Also affiliated with the Ann Family."

She looked up at both of them.

"My name is Edward," she said. "Before you ask, my parents wanted a boy. They didn't change it when I turned out female."

Gale nodded, not entirely sure why she mentioned that. The name 'Edward' could definitely be female. Names were just labels anyway. Just like Dark Hunter.

"Apologies for the rough welcome," Edward continued. "You entered through a defensive perimeter. Entry is only permitted through the checkpoint."

"I understand," Gale said.

"Yes. You should have," Edward said. "But your credentials check out. Welcome to Leisure Class Rift Site NW-7712."

The operative that Gale had punched finally got up, wiping his mouth off from bile. He glared at him with murderous eyes.

"Richardson," Edward said sharply. "Stand down. They're cleared."

Richardson's glare didn't soften and made the gesture to Gale that he was watching him.

Well, Mr. Richardson, I'm watching you too, if that is even your real name.

"The rift is about a hundred metres north of here," Edward said, pointing through the trees. "There's a base set up with supplies and monitoring equipment. Let's get you started on your leisure rift activities."

"Make haste," Erin said.

Edward's eyebrow raised.

"Don't mind her. She's just in a hurry to have fun."

"Sure..."

Edward led them through the forest, her boots crunching against the snow-packed ground. The other operatives stayed behind. The man who called himself Richardson stayed closer than the rest.

Every now and then, Gale looked back at him to glare back at him. Let him know that he was watching as well. That'll show him.

"The leisure rift has been in a constant state for decades," Edward said as they walked. "Inside, it's perpetual snowfall. Gentle, not a blizzard. The kind of snow you'd see in postcards or romantic movies."

"Romantic movies?" Gale asked.

"Couples come here all the time. Anniversaries, proposals, honeymoons," Edward said as she led them around a tree. "It's one of the most popular leisure rifts in North America. Think of it like Banff, but in a never-ending state of being blanketed by fresh snow. No roads. No highways. No tourists with selfie sticks. Just pure, untouched wilderness."

That actually sounded nice. She was marketing this really hard. Now Gale was anticipating the entry to the leisure rift. He didn't know entering rifts could be this fun.

"When you enter the rift, follow the poles marked with orange cloth," Edward continued. "They'll guide you along the established paths. The terrain inside is stable, but it's easy to get disoriented when everything looks the same. Snow, trees, more snow, more trees."

Gale nodded, but inside, he scoffed. Only beginners and amateurs would get lost in any kind of terrain. Was he an amateur? No, he wasn't. He was the bestest survivalist that he knew, discounting mom and dad.

They emerged from the treeline into a clearing. The base camp Edward had mentioned came into view. Several modular metal buildings with a semi shiny texture that they called satin sat around in a semicircle around a central courtyard.

At the east side of the courtyard led to the main checkpoint that Edward had mentioned. From there, a power line was connected to the main road.

"Before you head out," Edward said, leading them to one of the buildings that smelled of food and drinks similar to Chinatown. "Would you like some tea? Or perhaps lunch? We have a full menu here. Free of charge for Ann Family affiliates."

"Yes," Gale said immediately.

"No," Erin said at the exact same time.

They looked at each other. Gale narrowed his eyes at her, but once again, she showed no sign of any expression.

"We must depart to the leisure rift as soon as possible," Erin said firmly. "Delays are inefficient."

Gale's shoulders drooped. But free food was right there. "Can we... have it as takeout?"

Edward smiled. "Certainly."

She turned and signalled to two of the Attuned operatives who had followed them at a distance. "Relay the orders to the kitchen."

The operatives nodded and moved deeper inside the building.

Edward led them to one of the dining tables and sat down.

Gale and Erin followed suit.

"Before you enter the rift, there's some paperwork," Edward said as she extended her hand. One of her team members handed her a folder. She continued, "Standard liability clause. Any injuries sustained inside the rift cannot be attributed to Neutral Grounds, the Path, or its affiliated guilds, organizations, or corporations. You acknowledge that you enter at your own risk."

"Understood," Gale said.

"Additionally, if you wish to hire guards for your expedition, we have personnel available. Rates vary based on duration and risk level." Edward flipped through the folder. "And there's one more thing."

She pulled out a separate document and pushed it towards them while outlining the fine print.

"Should you locate and close the rift core, you will be awarded fifty Aur coins."

"Close the rift?"

"Correct."

"But... Ollie said leisure rifts are impossible to close. That's why they're called leisure rifts. They're stable."

Edward chuckled. "That's exactly why the reward is fifty coins. This leisure rift has been in operation since the 1980s. That's almost a century. Countless Aurians have entered, explored, and left. Not a single one has ever solved the core, let alone closed it."

90 years, that was a lot longer than Gale had been alive for. But definitely not as old as the grandma beside him.

"The time dilation inside is favourable as well," Edward continued. "One day in the real world equals approximately forty-five days inside the rift. You could spend a month in there and only lose a few hours out here."

In other words, wouldn't Kyle and Clyde love this leisure rift? It's curious why they weren't spending their time here. He'll ask them later if he remembers.

"Hand over the contract. I will sign as the adult." Erin extended her hand.

Edward's eyes darted between Erin and Gale with a forced smile. After a second, she handed the paperwork over. A brochure was then handed to her by her subordinate.

Looking towards Gale, she handed over the brochure. "For your takeout order," she said.

Gale swiped the brochure off her hands and then opened it immediately. On the other hand, Erin settled into a pace where her eyes went from left to right as if she were actually reading every fine print there was.

Crazy grandma.

Looking back at his brochure, he took in the saliva inducing view of the pictures. Rice bowls, noodles, sandwiches. He was expecting something more native, but it was as expected, Chinese food.

Then he saw the prize of the eye.

Bubble tea in multiple flavours. There was melon, mango, taro, strawberry, and other fruits.

Turning the page once again, he saw something that interested him. "Baked Spaghetti Pork Chop in Red Sauce."

The sound of 'red sauce' reminded him of the first meal he had in the agricultural sector where RAE tried to kill them. And that thought itself made him salivate.

He had to try it.

"I'll have three mango milk teas," Gale said, looking up at Edward. "100% sugar, 0% ice. And two orders of the baked spaghetti pork chop."

Edward's eyebrow rose slightly, but she didn't comment. She turned to one of the operatives near the door and relayed the order.

Then she turned back to Erin, who was still reading.

A forced smile appeared on Edward's face.

The silence stretched.

Erin continued reading page after page of the contract in very small letters. After about ten or so minutes, the food arrived before she finished.

A young blond man in an apron over his suit carried in a tray loaded with takeout containers. Three large cups of bubble tea with thick straws were placed on the tray.

Accepting the tray, Gale quickly unwrapped the straw and poked it out first. The two disappeared as soon as he touched them, which caused Edward to flinch slightly and wear a confused look.

Gale quickly sipped at the bubble tea in pure happiness, almost moaning as soon as the first hit of sugar touched his tongue.

Erin turned to the final page.

"I have read the contract in full," she said. "The terms are adequate."

Putting her palm face down on the documents, her elegant, intricate signature imprinted itself onto the areas required for signatures.

"Excellent," Edward sighed in relief. "Is there anything else you need before you enter?"

"Erin," Gale said.

Erin looked at him.

"Do you want anything from the menu?" He held up the laminated brochure. "They have interesting things. For science."

"I might as well," Erin said after a moment. "For science."

Gale handed her the menu.

Erin studied it with the same intensity she had applied to the contract. Each item was examined in great detail. Her eyes moved systematically from top to bottom, left to right.

Gale waited, finishing his first milk tea before she even finished reading the menu. Ordering three cups was a good idea. It was free too.

"This item," Erin said finally, pointing at something near the bottom of the menu, "Pineapple bun."

Edward leaned over to see what she was pointing at. "The bo lo bao? Excellent choice."

"Pineapple with bun cannot possibly mix together," Erin interrupted. "Bread and pineapple do not mix well. I need to verify the integrity of this dish. For science."

Her logic was impeccable. Pineapple could not possibly exist with bread. There was no way. He was also interested in how this pineapple bun would look like.

"For science," Gale muttered softly.