Kolrath, the Arcane Obstructor, watched the native. He certainly knew the possible skills that berserkers received, and [Power Through] was included. It was a skill meant to be used when the berserker was surrounded by a lot of strong enemies. Only then would it prove worth the downsides.

However, since the skill came during the third tier of certain berserker classes, it meant that the native really was close to Kolrath in levels and power, which the Drathan had experienced firsthand. How the native had taken such a leap in a short period was unfathomable and made the Drathan a bit jealous. Yet, the moniker of aberration had been truly earned.

To use that skill would effectively remove the native's intelligence and ability to reason, all for a minor power increase since the native and Drathan were similar in strength. That would even help Kolrath more than the native, since fighting an unreasoning beast is easier than a tactical sentient.

Out of habit, Kolrath refreshed his [Repulsion Shield] and [Arcane Reinforcement]. The first provided his barrier and the second a significant vitality boost. He followed it with his [Proximity Discharge] for offense. Dropping the native's amalgamated weapon, he used his own [Summon Weapon], a low tiered skill that allowed the Drathan to convert his mana into his weapons of choice, in this case two shields in his hands.

Then he waited.

Kolrath watched as, expectedly, intelligence left the native's eyes. They glazed over, only to be fired up with a fury that couldn't be quenched. Then, as expected, he listened to the native roar to the night sky like a beast, followed by snarling and growling.

A shake of Kolrath's head expressed his disappointment and regret. He understood why the native fought so hard, with such determination. The native seemed honorable in a way, even through his anger. The words he had chosen and the willingness to offer compromises, even as the berserker state tried to take him over, showed that he had more depth than most combatants that Kolrath had met. Both among the Drathan and other races. It would have pleased Kolrath to learn more about him in a peaceful setting.

Yet, that was not to be. This fight held all the meaning for both Kolrath and the native. Both were trying to save their troops. Both sought power to help protect.

It was a shame that one would have to fall, and even with the native gaining the upper hand in their last exchange, Kolrath was confident in his chances. He began preparing his trump cards.

[Connected Evacuation] would help him escape if things got too dangerous, but even before then he began activating the Tier 4 skills he had received. [Leader of the Troops] triggered. It wasn't usable very often and required Kolrath to be at the head of an army to be effective. The skill would boost Kolrath's strength and vitality by 10 for each soldier he was in charge of. With thousands of Drathan in the base, that would be a huge amount. It wouldn't be activated until he was damaged and then would only last 10 seconds. That would be enough for him to counterattack.

The final skill he prepared was called [Double Dip]. All damage he took during it would be reduced by his mana until it was empty, allowing him to take almost twice as much damage before it became fatal.

All of these skills, plus the general toolkit he had, gave him the confidence that the native wouldn't be able to overcome his defenses. With [Motionless Stance], Kolrath dug his feet in to make sure the sloped terrain wouldn't affect his combat.

The native began stepping sideways, practically rabid as he sized up Kolrath. Back and forth he stalked as the heat coming off him increased.

Kolrath frowned. That shouldn't have happened. The power he was feeling from the native was increasing. Concern began to form in Kolrath as moisture from this world began to bead on his skin. Even though the native's tag said he was a level 7 Protector, that didn't mean he hadn't gained levels in his previous class. There was something here that Kolrath was missing as the native's power continued to surge. [Power Through] didn't work that way.

That was when something began to dawn on Kolrath. He had seen a couple of flashes from skill activations by the native, but not nearly enough to explain all the skills he had used.

Panic crept into Kolrath's thoughts. There was something he wasn't aware of. The native began to move towards him. There was a flash, not of a skill, but of the air blurring as it was pushed out of the way by the strength of the native's dash.

Without waiting, Kolrath triggered his escape skill and [Double Dip]. The power difference had continued to grow even at the last second.

Forcing all his energy into [Connected Evacuation], Kolrath felt his feet leaving the ground as he lifted into the air to retreat. Then he felt his [Repulsion Shield] shatter with such force that the mana within his skin dimmed.

"Aber…" whispered Kolrath.

Then he felt nothing.

***

Drathan "Arcane Obstructor [14]" slain. 62,763 XP gained.

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Adam stalked around the body of the Arcane Obstructor. Most of the chest and one of the arms were missing. Black tar-like blood oozed in a puddle beneath him. It had no place to go as the Drathan's heart and other organs had been destroyed.

With grunts and growls Adam seemed to be taunting the invader to get up and challenge him again. To allow Adam to prove repeatedly that he belonged at the top.

CONQUER! His soul screamed.

A howling yell lifted into the air when Adam's instincts accepted that there was no remaining enemy before him. [Power Through] released and Adam's thoughts cleared while his intelligence returned. He panted heavily, struggling to get oxygen into his lungs due to the sweltering heat that surrounded him.

"Well, that was more destructive than I expected," panted Adam when he felt his immediate surroundings and the mess he had made of a formerly formidable enemy.

"A shame too. I feel like we could have gotten along. Just one more knock against the [System]," he thought, but didn't feel safe verbalizing it.

With a bit of fatigue, Adam dropped to the ground. He took a few moments to catch his breath. None of the Drathan were around him, at least alive, and he could still hear the sounds of battle. Technically it hadn't been going on for very long. He also noticed that there were a lot fewer of the flying creatures in the skies.

"That's right! At a lower altitude, this base is probably now within our territory. That means the guns and Rift Menu will work here," mused Adam.

He brought up the Rift Menu. He was able to watch the battle below.

The Sentinel Army was indeed climbing firetruck ladders to reach the edge, then they made their way upslope and inland where they joined others in trying to face the Drathan.

The battle itself was not in the humans' favor, although Brittney was leading the other tanks in holding off the Drathan. The slant of the island meant that it was literally an uphill battle all the way. The only benefit was that the base wasn't large enough for all the Drathan to gather. Instead, they had multiple lines formed, waiting their turns to push forward.

"The things I do for a floating island," muttered Adam as he pushed himself to his feet.

Then he walked over to the corpse of the Arcane Obstructor. He dug through the remains of the robe to find pockets. It was a bit gruesome, but Adam managed to find a pouch that had several items in it, including the one he wanted.

With a small, brown crystal bouncing on his hand, Adam approached the Rift control pillar, which was near the Runic Control Orb.

Owner of Dimensional Convergence Rift has died… Inheritor of Dimensional Convergence Rift, Triolon, Master Inscriber, remains. Inheritor has 96 hours to reclaim the Rift control crystal before losing their rights as an inheritor.

Adam groaned. He hadn't encountered a timer like this before, and there would be too many deaths if he didn't resolve things faster. Even with Adam's increased stats he didn't think he'd be able to take out the Drathan fast enough just by fighting them.

CONQUER!

His soul screamed for him to join the battle, to slaughter the invaders in the name of conquest. It took a lot of effort for Adam to turn away from the direction of the battle and instead head to the Runic Control Orb.

There he found a pool of black blood from when he damaged the Master Inscriber's face. Near that was a splatter from when Adam had used the invader's body as a shield against the Arcane Flare. Following the trail of blood, Adam moved away from the orb and then went down the slope until he found the broken body of the Drathan caught on a tree trunk.

With a sigh, Adam shook his head.

"Sorry to disturb you," Adam said into a Rift display to when his friends were fighting on the front lines, "but I need Abbey here immediately."

"Kinda busy, Adam," snapped Brittney as she blocked several magic attacks with her shield, and then bashed a Drathan defender in the knees, only to be blocked by a green barrier.

"I can see that," said Adam, "but it's really important."

"What's wrong?" shouted Abbey over the noise, from three rows behind Brittney. In the short conversation she had already cast [Circle of Life] three times and [Get Up!] on two injured Sentinels.

"Can't it wait?" asked Lucas, lunging out from behind Brittney to attack the Drathan before quickly falling back.

"Sorry, but it can't. I need a Drathan healed ASAP."

"Heal an invader?" asked Joseph. "Surprised you didn't kill him yet."

A thrust from Joseph's odd spread felt slow enough that anyone could dodge it, but it still managed to pierce through a blue wall of mana and into the stomach of a Drathan defender.

"That's why it need to be quick," said Adam. "I don't know how long I can last without killing him."

"If it's that important, we'll make it happen," said Lucas.

Adam watched Joseph and the reapers form around Abbey, while Brittney backed away from the front. They moved into the trees. Javier picked up Abbey, and the rest moved as quickly as they could through the forest at the edge of the base.

With a grunt, Adam turned off the display and stepped back. He breathed heavily and tried to think of happier things other than beheading the dying invader in front of him. Joy riding around the world in a floating base was a good start.

Sweat was streaming down Adam's forehead and neck from the effort of not killing by the time the group arrived. They weren't wounded, since Abbey was keeping everyone healed, but there were plenty of new cuts and burns to the group's armor and clothes. Several Drathan were also following them, casting various magical attacks at them.

Adam breathed in relief as he rushed forward to take out his frustration from needing to resist his soul's demands on those Drathan. When he came back to the Inscriber's body, Abbey was kneeling by it with a frown.

"Are you sure you want me to heal him?" she asked.

"Of course I don't want you to," said Adam, struggling not to snap at her. "But it is for the best."

"I trust you," she responded, placing a gentle hand on Adam's leg to calm him down. A soothing heal went through him, cleaning up light damage he had taken throughout the night.

Then she got to work bringing life to the near corpse. After several minutes, Abbey stepped back and said, "[Get up!]. [Walk it off]."

The Drathan's body looked like it was picked up by marionette strings as it rose without aid from the body's occupant. Then the Drathan's eyes opened.

"Wha?" it began but forcibly stopped as a spear blade pressed against the back of his neck and Akuji's scythe against his throat. His dual eyes took in all the humans around him without moving his head at all.

"Here's the deal," said Adam as he stepped forward. "If you take control of this base and open a portal, your people can return to their world. Then you will pass control of the base to me. I swear to keep you alive and unharmed to the best of my abilities until we find another Drathan base for you to join."

"How impertinent for a native! Know your place!" snapped the Drathan before the scythe pressed harder into his throat. His eyes went wide, and he calmed down. "I mean, you would do well to release me and retreat. Once Kolrath gets here then you won't stand a chance!"

Adam held the rift control crystal up in front of one of the Inscriber's eyes. "You mean the guy who had this? He won't be joining us."

The Inscriber gasped as his eyes began to rotate in fear.

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