Dark Knight
Jack appeared in the capital of Silvas and made his way to the fallen city closest to him. To speed up his journey, he transported collapsed portals 30 kilometers into the distance through his window portal, which allowed him to reach it in only a few minutes. Once there, he let ten bat creatures clean up the city and made his way to the next one. Using this approach, he was able to free the fallen cities in a matter of hours and had all five cities in the South Alliance safe and secured by his bat patrol by the end of the day. He had set up large portals on the city walls that connected all the cities he was protecting in the South and the Cibolas Alliances as well as his cave in the high-density area so that the bats could freely move between them and rest when they needed to. Since they also had flight duty to reach the city of Zios in 12 days, this was the most effective way of dynamically allocating his swarm. Thanks to the assistant, his bats were able to use his portals freely, but others could not use them without his permission, which added an extra layer of security.
After Jack had reclaimed the places, he appeared back in Silvas City while riding Alpha to claim his reward from the Supreme General. What Jack was not aware of was the immense pride all the nations in the South Alliance had for their military prowess and power. In this culture, strength, and even more the elusive character trait of grit, was the greatest ideal to be achieved. Their recreational entertainment consisted exclusively of combat sports and strategy games, which highlights their cultural obsession. And often, the most revered athletes were not only the winners but also those who had given their all and never gave up. It was nearly a religious obsession.
As Jack and his bat swarm had descended onto the territory and killed creatures in 5 major cities, he was being recorded attentively. At first, the people were scared since they only saw the new type of flying creature that was more powerful than the tentacle-type creatures they had seen before, but soon fear turned into awe once they got to work. And when someone connected Jack, the mysterious man in the fox mask, with the hero who had single-handedly saved the city of Batan wearing a rabbit mask, the crowds watching him through their Sym devices could not stop themselves anymore. To them, this man was a savior. A man to look up to and revere since he had reached the pinnacle of strength but was using it to protect the people.
As a nation, Silvas had too much pride to give up and would gladly fall in order to save face, but its people did not have such a luxury. They had families, businesses, and lives to protect. They would fight when they could, but they would also ask for help when they needed it. Many had died in the past months, but the government had remained silent. They had no answer to the threat, which made the citizens suffer and gradually lose hope that they would be protected. With every city that fell, they wondered if theirs would be next. No guns or armies seemed to be enough to avoid the disaster. Now, for the first time, they have been given hope. Something their thousands of years of military expertise and traditions could not provide.
When Jack arrived at the government building, a crowd of people had gathered there in celebration. It reminded him of a rock concert since the people had formed mosh pits where contenders would spontaneously wrestle each other to the cheers of the crowd. It was truly a culture that loved combat, he thought. He left Alpha in the air and used a window portal to jump back into the government building where he saw the Supreme General holding a meeting with his advisors. This time, he did not interrupt the meeting but jumped in front of the door where two security members stood guard. As soon as he appeared, he expected to be attacked, but after an initial shock, the two men saluted spontaneously and looked at him with large eyes. One of them said, "Mr. Dark Knight, I will let the Supreme General know of your arrival." Then he disappeared into the door while his colleague looked at Jack with big eyes.
Jack was taken aback by that embarrassing nickname, but the assistant filled him in, "Apparently, a dark knight who is riding a flying monster is part of their culture's mythology. It is a very popular motif that has been adopted into many plays and novels. Your appearance when riding Alpha must have been a perfect match to meet that image, which is why you are known as the dark knight nationwide and beyond."
Jack shook his head and blushed in embarrassment, "Oh my god."
"You also have a message from Fey. She writes: 'Thanks for saving the country, Mr. Dark Knight. Smiley face.'" The assistant read.
Jack smiled and looked up when the door opened. It was the guard who had entered before and was now holding the door open for Jack to join the meeting. When he entered, everyone except for the Supreme General stood up and stared at him. Only the General sat and looked at the papers in front of him, unimpressed. "Sit down," he said to Jack, without looking at him.
Jack did not dislike the General, but he pitied him in some way. He was bound by his prideful ways and could not do the right thing even if it was easy. This was the best he could do, maybe not only because of his own limitations but in order to keep the order in his own government. If he had just asked for help, he might have lost support in his administration, Jack thought. He sat down and looked at the General with a smile. "I've heard that you've got a nice bounty for me."
The General looked up at Jack, "Indeed, for your glorious contributions to protecting the five cities of our great alliance, you will be awarded with a bounty befitting of a hero. We will send you the details through your contact device." Then the General looked back at his papers and seemed to have nothing more to say to Jack.
A man sitting to the right of the General then took over, "Mr. Knight, we thank you for your contributions. If I may ask, what are the creatures that are with you? They do not look like normal creatures."
Jack looked at the polite-sounding man with a gentle smile, "They are my pets. They are creatures but under my command, so you do not need to fear them. Please tell your militaries to not engage with them in any way. I will leave a few of them in the affected areas on patrol to avoid any further attacks," Jack explained.
"We will honor your wishes," another man said who was wearing many medals on his uniform and seemed to be a seasoned war veteran. "Regarding the formal truce agreement you have proposed-"
"That is enough," the Supreme General said with a loud but controlled voice, interrupting the man. "We thank you for your service. You may leave now."
Jack stood up, smiling, and made his way to the door. All but the Supreme General stood up and some even saluted his exit. When Jack had left the room, he opened a portal and returned to Alpha, which had a crowd watching it in awe from below. Jack looked at them and winked as he flew by, which made the crowd erupt into cheers. "Playing hard to get, huh?" he mumbled while thinking about the General. "Send a message to the administration that I will patrol the areas as long as the alliance does not attack the others. And tell me once they send me the location of my new villa." He opened a portal and returned to his cave where Alpha had seemingly created a small nest made of sticks in the corner, next to his luxury home. He smiled and went inside to shower and take a short nap.
Now all that was missing was the West Alliance, the most mysterious of them all. From what the bats that had been flying towards the capital had reported, there seemed to be many nomadic tribes in the area and they had witnessed a variety of different lands. Agriculture was very sophisticated and there seemed to be a strong focus on religious ceremonies and rituals. They seemed to have a religion that worships death or sacrifices in some way based on the types of altars they used. But they had only covered a fraction of the land, so Jack would have to wait for more details. He had been continually updating the assistant's database wherever he went and he even attached a small communicator to all of his bats in order to automatically receive the data from the locations they were in. This way, the assistant had the most comprehensive and updated database on the planet. If there was such a thing as an internet on this planet, then it was the assistant's bat-network.
Gradually, the assistant got more data from the environment and could learn more about the state of the West Alliance. It was by far the largest alliance by size and population, while the country of Seinas, which was its leader, was by far the largest on this planet. The territory intrigued Jack since it seemed to have both very high and very low temperature regions that seemed to be in remarkably close proximity. The assistant suggested that the phenomenon was a side effect from the Sym energy in the area, which seemed to show some interesting fluctuations. It was also higher in Sym energy than the other areas, but it was still below the toxic levels. But the ability users in the West Alliance were generally known to be more powerful for that reason. Their bodies were sturdier and their abilities reached further.
What Jack found particularly interesting was their philosophy and their government structure. They were technically a monarchy with a group of families effectively governing all the countries in the alliance. The leader of the country and the alliance had the title of Messiah, which showed their strong religious bias. Their faith itself was quite obscure. They did not believe in a god or any god but in an oppressive force they simply call Sym. This force is shaping their lives, the universe, and everything in it. It brings life and it takes life. As opposed to god-based religions, this Sym was not viewed as an entity that made decisions or had opinions. It was rather seen as a natural disaster or blessing which just was. There were no scriptures or rules to follow but only rituals designed to help people accept Sym without resisting it. To Jack, this religion appeared like a grotesque mix between Buddhism, Aztec human sacrifices, and tantric ascetics.
There were no formal laws in most of the countries in the alliance. The only thing that was enforced by the government was the continuous pursuit of religious rituals, while cities were required to create their own forms of order. It was a strange place and Jack wondered how such a large territory was able to remain stable without any proper laws. He would have to see it with his own eyes.
Jack still had to wait for another 11 days for the bats to reach the capital, so he had time to think about his way home. But he felt like he needed to relax as well and not overwork himself. He pulled out the communicator and texted Fey, asking her if she would like to see his home. She responded immediately with a single 'yes'. Jack got dressed and opened a portal to her apartment. She opened the door wearing her evening outfit consisting of loose jogging pants and a tight top. As soon as she saw him, she opened her arms and gave him a long and joyful hug. He kissed her head and hugged her back. The smell of her body made him instantly relax, which he felt he should get more of to not become too obsessed with his projects. Fey was a good balance to the increasing pressure he felt from the Sym energy. She looked at him with her blue eyes, "You should be careful. People might recognize you here."
Jack smiled at her and gave her a kiss, "You are right, I will jump inside your apartment next time." He created a barrier around them to protect Fey from the high-density Sym energy and brought her into his cave to see his luxury home. Once they arrived, Fey's eyes looked around and got startled when she saw Alpha lying on its nest in the corner. Its huge body was scary-looking to normal people, but since her hometown was part of the South Alliance, she was more happy than scared. "Is that your dragon?"
Jack laughed, "It's not a dragon, it's a bat creature."
Fey inspected it carefully as they walked closer to it, "But it has no tentacles."
"It's closer to the humanoids in that way. I think the humanoids and the bats are their own species while the normal creatures with tentacles and animal features are just mutated from the oceans." Jack explained.
"Wow, how many do you have?" Fey asked.
"Over 30 for now but I can get more. They are very loyal." Jack said.
Fey smiled and rested her head on Jack's chest, who was hugging her from behind. "I now have a team to help me locate lost dimensional storages. We will start traveling soon," Fey said softly with an unsure tone in her voice.
Jack pulled a pendant out of his pocket and put it around her neck. It had a golden chain and a nice pattern engraved in it.
Fey looked at it and smiled. "I didn't think you were the type to surprise me with a present."
"It contains a portal. Whenever you need me, I can come." Jack said while stroking her body.
Fey turned around and got on her toes to kiss him, "Thanks."
Jack then jumped with her to his new villa which was provided by the Cibola Alliance and the two spent the night there.
During the night in bed, Jack had been receiving reports from the bat creatures he had stationed in the alliances. He had decided to send all of them on patrol along the borders to the high-density Sym energy area to avoid any surprise attacks. They were able to take out some stray creatures here and there, but there were no major attacks. They had also not found any more humanoid creatures except for the ones in the cities that had fallen or were already being attacked. And none of the humanoids had any dimensional links. He had sent Omega on a special mission to look for patterns around the cities that had been attacked. Since it had a detection ability in addition to high intelligence, it was to look for fluctuations in Sym energy fields or any other hints. But so far, it has found nothing.
Jack felt nervous about this development. It felt like the creatures were changing their strategy and were reacting to his movements in real time. As if they understood what his goals were, so they pulled back. He was concerned that they would start a large-scale or a sneak attack that he would not see coming. He was also concerned that there were more powerful and intelligent humanoids out there that had not made an appearance yet. Even his own bat creatures suggested that there could be entirely different species of creatures out there that he had not encountered. He had too many questions and needed more information.
Instead of waiting for Fey to wake up, he quietly left in the middle of the night and decided to go into the planet with the bat creatures and expand his fleet. He left a note for Fey telling her to wait for him and then left for the hunt.
During this trip, he did not waste much time on being careful but attacked the solo bat creatures ferociously. He would nearly kill them by ripping off a wing or breaking its skull and then bring it back through his healing ability. This way, he could grow his fleet much faster and managed to get 70 more bat creatures in only 4 hours. It was a great yield and his swarm now consisted of 106 bats in total. He let the assistant compile the abilities and peculiarities of all creatures for him but postponed its analysis for later. For now, he let all his new creatures join the patrol outside the city borders and especially around the areas with high-density Sym energy. He had removed all of his creatures from the cities themselves to allow the people to return to them with peace of mind.
While the countries in the South Alliance were ecstatic about the patrolling dragons in the sky and followed them with cheers and even food as offerings, the situation looked different in the Cibolas Alliance. Jack had received many reports from the assistant of fleeing citizens and scared merchants who happened to be traveling through the patrolled fields. But this was not something Jack could fix or change, so he just let the government deal with the public perception. His goal was to take out all the humanoids he could find and to get more answers over their abilities. So far, searching for them in the high-density areas had not led to results as well, but he had sent a fleet of bats to explore the unknown areas as well. Since humans cannot enter them for long due to the toxicity and other dangers, there were no maps detailing the environment. With the help of his bats, he was able to gradually create a map and maybe also find the humanoid's hideout.
When he returned to his villa, Fey was still asleep and was fully covered in the large white blanket with only her blonde hair poking out. Jack smiled and went into the bathroom where he took a long shower and thought about what he would make for breakfast. The villa was well maintained and he even had three servants who were always on command. One was generally in the kitchen while the other two were performing different chores in and around the house such as gardening or cleaning. Jack had instructed them to not come to the second floor where the bedroom was unless he called for them. He was not trying to hide his identity, but he still felt that it was better to wear his mask in their presence and to not let them see Fey, which could put her in a difficult position.
Wearing his fox mask, he went downstairs and into the kitchen. There were two servants who had a meal and seemed to be chatting leisurely. As soon as they saw him, they looked startled and quickly got up to greet him, "Mr. Fox, what can we do for you?"
Jack casually walked towards the cabinets and the fresh food coolers, "Please sit down and finish your meal. I am just checking what you have in here."
The cook ignored his food and followed Jack, "How could I? I am happy to make you a meal right now. Would you like something light? Something hearty? I can make you a salad, a starchy soup, a meat stew which is a local delicacy or a simple fruit and cheese plate."
Jack looked at the man with a smile, "Great, please make all of that and enough for about 3 people. For drinks, a fruit juice and some tea would be good." Jack knew that Fey would not eat much and he would at least eat double of a normal person so that seemed like a good fit.
What he did not realize was that Fey's appetite had grown tremendously since she continually used her storage hijacking ability and ate like she had been starving for two days. She ate meat, cheese, fruit, and salad all at the same time while using her fork like she was playing Whac-A-Mole. Jack smiled as she looked for a tissue to clean her mouth. When their eyes met, they both laughed and Jack placed his hands on her shoulder. "Where will you travel first?"
"We will just visit the countries of the South Alliance and see what we can find. There should be a lot of dimensional links in graveyards and on old battlefields, we assume. But it will be difficult to find them," Fey said as she was pushing a grape-like fruit into her mouth.
"And maybe the links disappear after a while. Who knows how this works since they could also just move into the center of the planet or float out into space," Jack said while exploring the cheese platter.
"Yes, I am afraid that it will be a great waste of time. Walking through all of these cities will take time away from my training and it might not even yield any results," Fey said while falling back into bed.
"How about we make a deal?" Jack said as he lifted up her right leg with his hands and gave it a kiss.
"I will make any deal you want," Fey said with a relaxed smile while gazing deep into Jack's eyes.
Jack sat on the bed in between Fey's legs and had pushed his hip towards hers while she was lying flat on her back with her eyes closed. "I have a few bat creatures with detection abilities. I can have them screen for some lost storage dimensions." Jack knew that the assistant would be able to read the bat's detections and could easily find storage dimension links this way since that's how he had been screening the humanoids before. He didn't need money with all of the Sym crystals he had gathered, and it did not present any effort to him or his swarm.
Fey quickly rose up, opened her eyes and put both hands on Jack's shoulders to keep balance, "Really?!"
"Yes," Jack said with a smile. "But I need you to help me with some research." He leaned forward to push her on her back and kissed her.