With Astrid holding tightly onto my fur, I dive into the glowing vortex. The portal's energy swirled around us, crackling with raw power. Then, with a flash, we emerged into a sprawling space filled with far away stars. Floating islands shimmered in the distance, their surfaces adorned with crystalline structures and waterfalls that defied gravity. Stars sparkled in every direction, forming constellations that seemed alive. At the center of it all was a throne made of swirling galaxies, and sitting atop it was ROB himself. ROB looked up from his floating stone tablet, an exasperated expression crossing his face.
Setting the tablet aside with an annoyed sigh, ROB says, "Took you long enough kid. I assume you bringing her along means you're ready for the next one?"
I nodded, lowering my head so Astrid could safely dismount. She slid down gracefully, her eyes wide with awe as she took in the otherworldly surroundings.
With her voice filled with wonder, Astrid whispered, "This place is beautiful."
ROB chuckled, saying, "Yeah, yeah. Don't get too comfortable. You're only here because of him. So, Fen my man, ready for your next task?"
Stepping closer to me, Astrid asked, "What task?" .
ROB waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Nothing you need to worry about. This is between me and him. You'll understand soon enough."
I let out a low growl as a warning for ROB to watch himself, a sound that made ROB roll his eyes. "Fine, I'll explain. His next mission is to deal with a little, let's call it an oversight, of mine. My cousin introduced a rampant kaiju in a neighboring dimension. Think you can handle it?"
I tilted my head, giving him a pointed look. ROB smirked and said, "Yeah, Yeah. Big, scary dragon. This should be a walk in the park for you." He snapped his fingers, and another portal opened nearby, its surface rippling like liquid mercury.
Astrid, stepping in front of me worriedly, yelled, "Wait! You're sending him off to fight some monster? Just like that?"
ROB raised an eyebrow, saying, "He's not exactly a stranger to fighting monsters. Besides, this is what he agreed to. He'll be back before you know it. He'll literally step into and out of the portal as if he had never gone in the first place."
Turning to me, Astrid placed a hand on my scaled snout, saying softly, "Be careful, alright. And come back in one piece. Preferably in human form please."
I rumbled in agreement, nudging her gently before spreading my wings. With a final glance at Astrid, and a threatening glare at ROB, I leapt into the portal as the swirling energy enveloped once more.
When I emerged, the air was thick with tension.
I think to myself with a small sigh, 'Let's get this thing over with before ROB does something that we will both regret.'
As soon as I think this, a system message appears.
{Side Mission}
{Eliminate the kaiju}
{Time limit: 30 minutes remaining}
{Quest description: The ROB's idiot cousin decided to reincarnate a destructive psychopath into the body of a Kaiju. Your task is to neutralize the threat with any means necessary.}
{Threat level: LOW}
Taking a look around, I found myself in a ruined city, its skyscrapers reduced to rubble. The ground trembled beneath me as a massive kaiju, almost towering over my draconic form, stomped through the wreckage. Its body was a grotesque amalgamation of sharp spines, glowing veins, and armored plates.
The kaiju let out an earth-shaking roar, its glowing eyes locking onto me. In response, I flared my wings as I prepared for battle. This creature was unlike anything I'd faced before, but I felt it's miniscule power emanating from it and knew that it was an going to be an easy fight. With a deafening roar, I charged forward.
The ground trembled beneath my claws, vibrations crawling up my legs like warning whispers. With a thunderous roar of my own, I leap into the air. My wings snap once, twice, propelling me forward with speed that doesn't quite fit my size. The Kaiju tries to swing one of its oversized claws, but it was too slow. I spin through the air, twisting around its limb like a cyclone and slash across its neck with a claw crackling with an azure colored lightning. Feeling my claws take a chunk out of it's neck, the kaiju lets out a painful roar and falls to the ground.
Looking back at the now dead kaiju, I grab onto it and begin flying into the air. Once I'm far enough away from the ruined city, I launch the body into the clouds and begin to charge a plasma blast in my throat. When the kaiju body reached it's apex and began to fall back toward me, I released the built up energy. What came out was a massive, violet colored column of fire. It instantly vaporized the remains and continued to travel into the vast expanse of space.
As soon as I land on the ground, another portal identical to the one that brought me here opened in front of me. Seeing the portal, I quickly turn back into my human form and put the raven clan armor back on. After making sure I was fully ready, I walk back through the portal. Stepping through, I was immediately greeted by the familiar, star-strewn expanse. Astrid rushed toward me before I could say anything, throwing her arms around me.
She exclaimed excitedly, "You're back!"
Her voice was muffled in my chest.
Smiling, I chuckle and say, "And in one piece. Just as promised."
She pulled back to inspect me like a hawk, eyes narrowing when she spotted a faint bloody mark on my wrist.
Knowing she was about to start scolding me, I said with a small smirk, "Not mine. The other guy didn't fare so well."
ROB, lounging sideways on his galactic throne, gave a slow clap.
He looks at us with an exasperated expression on his face and says, "Well, you made that look easy. Guess I underestimated you. Again."
"Don't make a habit of it," I replied, my tone flat.
ROB grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes, and says, "You think I'm done with you? That was the warm-up. My cousin's mess was my problem, now we get to yours."
Astrid shot him a glare sharp enough to cut through asteroid metal. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," ROB said, rising from his throne and pointing a finger at me, "the threads of your fate are tangled across more worlds than you realize. And one of them is about to…"
The space around us dimmed. The constellations seemed to twist, stars bending and forming a spiraling void. The crystalline islands began to flicker like mirages. Astrid tightened her grip on my arm.
ROB's grin widened as he said, "snap."
"What's happening?" Astrid asked worriedly.
ROB's voice dropped to something grim, almost reverent. "A door is opening where it shouldn't. And something is calling you through it."
Before I could respond, the vortex erupted with a sound like a thousand glass panes shattering. A new portal formed—not of ROB's making, but a swirling storm of bright green and silver energy. Its pull was immediate, irresistible.
"Astrid—" I started, but the ground under us fractured. She stumbled, and instinct took over. I grabbed her, wings bursting from my back in a flash, but the force yanked us both forward as I curled my wings around her protectively.
ROB's voice echoed distantly as we were pulled in. "Careful, kid. This isn't my world you're stepping into."
The sensation was unlike any portal I'd passed through before. There was no smooth shift. This was raw, violent almost, like being dragged by a raging tide.