Warning: Hostiles have entered the area of influence around your primary node!

  Devin let out the breath he’d been holding when he remembered that his primary node was Winsley Farm, and it was 50 km on the other side of the pass.

  He pulled up the map of the farm. Six red icons were moving through the trees towards the farmhouse. Five of them were unenhanced, but the sixth was marked with a ‘C.’ They each had a tiny horse icon next to them to indicate they were mounted.

  Devin focused on the enhanced icon. It was a lot easier than it had been with the mushrooms.

  Squire Igor Rostov (Soldier, Copper, Hostile)

  This is a Copper-level servant of Patriarch Felle.

  Devin reported what he saw over Party Chat while he slipped into the interface cam. The clearing around him faded and he watched the intruders. He settled on a top-down view with enough of an angle where he could see the soldiers’ faces. It was a lot easier to zip around from that high up.

  The soldiers dismounted at the edge of the forest and tied their horses to the tree. The Copper level didn’t bother. He dropped his reins, and the horse stayed. Devin zoomed in on the horse.

  Tethian Squire’s Horse (Horse, Copper, Hungry)

  This warhorse has been enhanced to Copper level.

  Devin – Milo, do all the Patriarch’s knights and squires have enhanced horses?

  Milo – They do.

  Casey – Thank Rainford the rebels haven’t arrived yet.

  Grigor – Let’s go through the portal and take care of this trash.

  Devin – I’d love to, but no. If this patrol disappears, others might come looking. We don’t want to call attention to the farm until we’re set up.

  The soldiers split into two pairs to search the farm. The Copper-level man lay down next to the farmhouse and took a nap.

  Devin – Napping in the middle of the day. I wonder if he’s related to Milo?

  Milo – You’re not nearly as amusing as you think.

  Asha – Nobody could be as amusing as Devin thinks he is.

  The soldiers’ search was thorough, and it was obvious they were looking for people. Devin flitted back and forth between the groups for a half hour until one of them said something interesting.

  “What the hell are we even looking for?” the soldier said.

  “More villagers to torture, probably,” the second soldier said. “I didn’t sign up for this shit.”

  Despite his complaints, he poked at the weeds with such enthusiasm that anyone hiding would probably get stabbed.

  “Don’t let Squire Rostov hear you say that, or you’ll be the one getting tortured,” the first soldier said.

  “I almost don’t care at this point,” the second soldier said. “How many villages have we burned since we left the keep?”

  “It hasn’t been that bad,” the first soldier said. “Most of those villages were empty.”

  “That means they're hiding in the countryside waiting to ambush us.”

  “It’s too late to get all sappy. The villagers know what we’ve done, and they’ll kill us if they get the chance. It’s us or them.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Don’t worry. We’re safe as long as he’s with us." The soldier gestured at the sleeping Squire. “Not even the craziest peasant is going to mess with a Copper. We won’t be here much longer anyway."

  “What do you mean?” his companion said.

  “You didn’t hear? We’re linking up with the High General himself at Horgoff tonight. We’ll catch that mob of traitors by morning after next.”

  “I hope so. Otherwise, I might desert and join the rebels myself.”

  “Idiot! What if he’s pretending to sleep? You need to commit to the cause or you’re going to get us both killed. If I hear one more word like that, I’ll kill you myself.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Devin had heard enough. It took a few seconds for him to come back, and he found he was exhausted.

  Casey had guarded him through his trance. She handed him a glass of water and a piece of jerky.

  “Do you have coffee in Teth?” he said.

  “Yes, but it has to be imported,” Grigor said. “Nobody gets it but the nobles and the army.” He sighed. “It wasn’t always that way. I miss coffee.”

  “We’ll have to get our hands on some,” Devin said. “If I have to take a nap every time an enemy sets foot on one of my territories, we’re in trouble.”

  “You’ll get used to the backlash from Concentration use,” Casey said. “A few more times and it won’t even bother you.” She frowned. “Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t accessed the Matter sphere yet.”

  Asha and Milo returned with several game birds and a bunch of herbs. The party gathered to discuss what Devin had found out.

  “That was awfully convenient that they were talking about their plans out in the open like that,” Devin said. “Could it be a trap?”

  “It’s unlikely,” Milo said. “They’d have to know where our node was.”

  “It’s not that strange,” Grigor said. “Every officer knows that soldiers are always running their mouths about things they shouldn’t."

  Devin glanced at Casey and Asha. “Thoughts?”

  “Trap,” Asha said.

  “I think we got lucky,” Casey said.

  “No one’s that lucky,” Asha said. “It’s a trap.”

  Milo glanced at Devin.

  “What?” Devin said.

  “I was just thinking about how difficult it can be to get helpful advice when you are withholding valuable data from your allies,” he said.

  Asha and Grigor looked confused. Devin looked at Casey, and she nodded.

  Devin opened Party Chat and brought the two newest members up to speed on his Gamebreaker class.

  Asha – OK, that explains why you’re always doing stupid things.

  Milo – I don’t believe that’s the only reason.

  Devin – Dammit. I knew I shouldn’t have told you.

  Grigor – Don't be ridiculous.

  Milo – Did you tell Devin, of all people, not to be ridiculous?

  Devin – I'm not ridiculous! I’m lucky. There’s a difference. I’m sure of it.

  “Putting aside the vagaries of luck,” Milo said, “We now have enough to data to say with confidence that the enemy will arrive sometime between dawn and early afternoon the day after tomorrow. Additionally, we now know that High General Dimitri will be leading the party. I’ll devote some resources tonight to discover what I can about him.”

  “Sounds good,” Devin said. “I need to update General Landon. Does anyone need anything from the caves?”

  “I need iron,” Grigor said. “A lot of it. As many nails as you can get. Hammers, pulleys and buckets if they have them, which they probably don’t.”

  “Got it,” Devin said.

  “Do you want me to go with?” Asha said. “We can carry twice as much.”

  “Sure. Anyone else want to come?”

  “I’d like to speak to the General as well,” Milo said. “I have a few follow up questions on military matters.”

  “Great. Let’s go.”

  The rebel caves were a hotbed of activity. Lines of workers moved supplies to the outer caves to load on horses and wagons. Men and women wearing uniforms directed traffic through the caves. Ex-soldiers among the rebels organized and equipped groups of volunteers who trickled in from nearby farms and villages. It seemed like chaos, but there was a military-like organization underlying everything.

  The meeting with Landon didn’t take long. Devin updated him on their battle plans and got his own update.

  “Our mounted units left for Winsley Farm last night,” Landon said. “We’ve got a couple hundred volunteers already. We’re feeding them and getting them equipped.”

  Devin nodded. So much had happened since their meeting here, it was hard to remember it had only been a day or so. He waited while Milo asked Landon some questions about Dimitri, then they headed back with the materials Grigor had asked for.

  There was no easy way for Milo to haul anything, but Asha took a few boxes of nails and Devin took a crate of iron ingots. Unfortunately, when they popped back into the clearing, the crate and boxes were gone. They went back through and found them sitting on the ground next to the portal.

  Devin – Milo, what the hell is going on with this portal?

  Milo – It appears our network has some limits on what one can carry through.

  Devin – How do you not know these things beforehand?

  Milo- I’ve told you that …

  Devin – I know, I know. You’re not omniscient. I’m sorry. This is just … annoying. Why isn’t this stuff included in the description? We’re supposed to guess how things work? And it doesn’t make sense! Things we’re carrying are supposed to go through with us. What is it about those chests that made them not go through? Was it the size? The shape?

  Milo – I suspect there’s a requirement on how close what you’re carrying has to be to your own body. If the chests protrude from the area of effect, they’re left behind. Given the size of the chests and what we have been able to carry through thus far and considering what I know of the general parameters of dimensional magic, I suspect you can carry through anything that is held within 10 centimeters of any point on your skin.

  Devin – We need a bag of holding. Do they have those here?

  Milo - They do. However, if you’re thinking about using it to get around the Astral Hall rules, it’s been tried before. The gods won’t tolerate mass cheating through magic.

  Devin – What is magic if it’s not mass cheating?

  Milo – The rules are what the gods say they are. There’s always some wiggle room. If there’s a loophole, they won’t stop you from using it, but if you abuse it, they’ll find other ways to make you sorry. The gods have long memories, and they hold grudges.

  Devin – Lame. What happened to ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying?’

  Milo – I suspect your class does give you more leeway than most to bend the rules, but don’t expect immunity. Also, keep in mind we’re only talking about the use of magic here. If you’re not tapping into any magical pools, the gods don’t care how much you cheat. Though calling them lame for following rules that you literally break by design is not a great strategy. The gods have been good to you, but there’s usually two sides to that coin. A little gratitude might forestall the lightning.

  Devin – Fine. So how do we get this stuff through?

  Milo – I have a few ideas that rely on ingenuity instead of magic.

  They discussed several solutions before settling on one that worked. They stuffed as many pouches as they could carry with nails and attached iron ingots to their armor like Christmas ornaments, then stepped through. Devin emerged from the other side out of breath and soaked with sweat. Asha was on her knees.

  “Why is this so tiring?” Devin said.

  Milo stared at him and gave him a slow shake of his head. “The more mass you carry, the more energy it takes to move it."

  “That’s stupid,” Devin said.

  “If you filled a pickup truck with iron ingots, would you expect the gas mileage to be the same?”

  “Pickup trucks aren’t magic,” Devin said.

  “They are from a certain point of view,” Milo said. “There are laws of physics and laws of magic. When you understand the rules, it’s not magic anymore, it’s science.”

  “What are the rules, then?” Devin said.

  “If I knew them all, I’d be a god,” Milo said.

  Devin made three more trips. As he staggered towards the portal for a fourth, Grigor stopped him.

  “That’s enough iron,” he said. “Get some rest.”

  Devin’s legs buckled underneath him. Grigor caught him. Devin was asleep before he touched the ground.