Worlds Across

Chapter 8: Geared up

We get our gear on-armor strapped, weapons gleaming-and I do the only logical thing: sell our house. Not much point in keeping real estate when you've got a crazed voice in your head threatening to break the Tower of Aetherfall and trap you in a realm full of bounty-hungry vampires. With the house out of the picture, we pile into the van. Miraculously, it still has fuel. In Duskwatch. I'm not questioning it; I'm just hoping it lasts.

We set off, driving toward the next town in Duskwatch, hoping for answers, maybe even a place that doesn't scream 'you're about to be someone's midnight snack.' But, as we roll through the eerie, misty streets, my luck seems to run out fast. Just as we hit a long, winding stretch of road, I see something in the rearview mirror that makes my stomach drop.

Eighteen more bounty hunters charging toward us. Eighteen. Decked out in every piece of sharp, deadly-looking gear imaginable, all of them wearing that familiar, unnerving grin that says, "Let's hunt." Some are on horses, others on foot, but they're all picking up speed and closing in fast.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," I mutter, gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turn white. "Could we not go, like, five minutes without someone trying to kill us?"

"Alright, everyone, brace yourselves!" Sage yells from the back, clutching her new staff, which glows faintly with some kind of ancient magic. "This is gonna get bumpy!"

I slam the gas, sending the van lurching forward. But the bounty hunters are faster than they look, closing in on us like a tidal wave of pure chaos. Draco, sitting shotgun, smirks as he grips his war hammer, electricity crackling along the handle. "Think they'll mind if I give them a little shock therapy?" he says, laughing.

"Just don't aim it at the van!" I snap back. "Or me!"

Meanwhile, Matt has his daggers at the ready, and Tony's got his crossbow loaded, practically bouncing with excitement. "Finally, a chance to use this baby again," he says, grinning like a maniac.

I'm about to yell at them to stay focused when Sage leans over from the back, holding Tata in one arm. The cat's decked out in his tiny armor, looking completely unbothered, if not slightly annoyed. "Hero, just keep us moving. We'll handle the rest," she says, her voice somehow calming despite the insanity.

The first wave of bounty hunters reaches us, their footsteps thundering as they close in. Draco throws open the passenger door, hangs halfway out of the van, and swings his hammer at one of the hunters, sending a bolt of lightning through the air. It slams into the guy, sending him flying backward into his comrades. Two more hunters leap up, managing to grab onto the back of the van. They start trying to claw their way in.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Matt shouts, leaning out the back window and stabbing one of them in the hand. The hunter screeches, letting go and tumbling off into the road. But the other one is still hanging on, his face twisted in determination.

"Hey, buddy, we're full!" Tony calls out, firing a bolt from his crossbow. The bolt slams into the hunter's shoulder, and he falls away, finally giving us a bit of breathing room.

Or so I thought.

Ahead of us, blocking the road, a new group of bounty hunters appears, forming a solid wall. One of them-a guy wearing a horned helmet and wielding a massive sword-raises his weapon and points it right at us.

"Alright, Hero," Sage says, tightening her grip on her staff. "Time to show them what we're made of."

"Here we go," I mutter, barely managing to swerve the van to avoid slamming into their blockade.

"Think we'll survive this?" Draco asks, his voice more curious than worried.

"Oh, I don't know, Draco," I snap. "Maybe if we don't get stabbed, shot, or turned into vampire chow in the next five minutes, we might have a shot!"

The van barrels through a narrow gap between the hunters, grazing one of them so close I hear the scrape of metal against the side of the van. But somehow, we make it through. I hit the gas harder, pulling us away from the bulk of the group. For a split second, it feels like we've escaped. Until I see a looming shadow in the rearview mirror.

It's the guy with the horned helmet, now on horseback, and he's gaining on us fast.

"Seriously? Does this guy have some kind of personal vendetta against us?" I shout.

Just as I'm considering swerving to shake him off, he leaps from his horse-yes, leaps-and lands on the roof of the van with a loud thud. The whole vehicle shakes, and I hear the ominous sound of metal scraping above us.

"Oh, hell no," I growl, slamming the brakes and hoping to throw him off. But this guy's got a death grip. He slides slightly but holds firm, his sword stabbing down and piercing the roof, narrowly missing Sage's head.

"Alright, I've had enough of this guy," Tony says, pulling himself up and aiming his crossbow straight at the ceiling. He fires, and I hear a muffled grunt as the bolt hits its mark. But this guy's persistent. Instead of falling, he rips his sword out of the roof and starts banging on it, trying to break through.

Just when I think we're out of options, I see Sage's eyes light up with an idea. She whispers something under her breath, and her staff starts glowing. Then, without warning, she presses her hand against the ceiling, and there's a blinding flash of light.

The guy on the roof screams, and then there's silence.

"Did... did you just vaporize him?" I ask, blinking in disbelief.

Sage shrugs, looking a bit too casual. "Let's just say he won't be bothering us anymore."

Everyone cheers, but the relief is short-lived. As we round the next bend, we come face-to-face with an enormous iron gate leading into what looks like an ancient fortress. Strange runes glow along the gate, pulsating with eerie energy.

"Well, that's... new," I say, pulling the van to a stop. The bounty hunters are nowhere in sight, and it's as if we've crossed into another level of this bizarre world.

"Do we go in?" Draco asks, gripping his hammer.

I glance back at the group, each of them looking at me with a mix of excitement and dread. Even Tata lets out a tiny growl, his tiny armor glinting in the low light.

"We've come this far," I say, nodding toward the gate. "Might as well see what fresh nightmare lies beyond."

With a deep breath, I push open the van door, step out, and start walking toward the gate. The others follow, weapons at the ready. As we approach, the gate creaks open, as if it's been waiting for us.

The moment we step through, an eerie, bone-chilling wind sweeps over us, and I hear that familiar, mocking voice in my head once again: "Welcome to the endgame, little mortals. Ready or not..."

Before I can react, the gate slams shut behind us, sealing us in.