The tension in Reidar's shoulders eased as soon as they left the camp.

They traveled in silence for half a mile before the first rustle of movement echoed behind them, but his wolves didn't react. They should have growled and should have positioned themselves between him and the threat if there was one. Instead, they remained calm, as if the figure wasn't there at all.

They kept moving.

Another mile passed. The forest thickened; the canopy blocked most of the fading sunlight. Reidar spotted a clearing ahead and angled toward it. There, he saw something.

"There's someone," he told Lena and Jake when they reached the treeline. "Do you think it's from the camp?"

"Maybe."

The three went forward.

They moved into the clearing. It was a small meadow maybe fifty yards wide, with one huge oak tree standing right in the middle. The grass was trampled down in spots, showing someone had been here not long ago.

He walked to the center, stopping under the oak's sprawling branches.

A sound came from above. Reidar looked up just in time to see a figure drop from the branches. For a second, Reidar expected it to be Seraphine, but the creature that appeared was anything but human.

—[Xy'Tharr Kench—Level 421]—

The creature stood three feet tall and was covered from head to weird toes by chitinous plates. It had four arms and large eyes. Before Reidar could even dare to launch a skill, or Lena to intervene against the monstrosity, the creature bowed its head, which was as weird as it was formal for such a creature.

"Peace," the creature said. Its voice was strange, as if multiple beings spoke in at the same time. "I mean you no harm, Reidar from Earth."

"It's talking!" Jake said. However, the kid didn't notice the nightmare-inducing level above the creature's head.

Reidar's eyes narrowed. "You know my name."

"I know many things," Xy'tharr said. "I am Sub-Adjutant Xy'tharr of the Kytinn race, second echelon, military caste. I serve as liaison for the Aegis Phalanx."

"The what?" Lena asked. That was all she could utter, taken as she was by seeing death in its face.

Xy'tharr's multiple eyes focused on her. "The Aegis Phalanx. An organization you have not yet encountered, but one that has been sent here based on Morv'axil Xenth's report. We are here to offer help given your… your... circumstances."

Reidar and the others didn't really know what to say.

"Are you referring to the Church of Unbinding Existence?" Reidar asked. That was the only thing that made sense, but asking was better than not asking. The last thing he needed was for something else he didn't know to be around.

"Indeed," Xy'tharr said.

The creature folded two of its four arms across its chest. The other two remained at its sides.

"The Aegis Phalanx," Xy'tharr said, "is a multi-species coalition formed by the allied worlds. We currently employ Thalassari and us, Kytinns, into our ranks. I belong to Legate Lyra'xis Sola's citadel. Our purpose is simple: to ensure that promising individuals and groups survive the integration process and to stop the ascent of the anomaly you call the progenitor."

That was a lot to take in. The creature's words meant that whatever was happening after Morv'axil made his report was on a far bigger scale than he expected. But at the same time, something like this was expected.

The vendor didn't say things he didn't mean.

But there was something else. The creature in front of him, this Kytinn named Xy'tharr, was Level 421, a number so absurd it was less a threat and more a force of nature. Were those the allied worlds sent all at this level?

"Is the progenitor this big of a threat?" Reidar asked. This guy alone could wipe the floor with that thing. If an entire army of such behemoths came to Earth, then the progenitor was bound to get wiped out.

The problem was, that so many high leveled guys being around meant the Aegis Phalanx didn't think little about the Progenitor.

"It is. The Progenitor is an anomaly," the Kytinn said. "A human who broke the System's restrictions and achieved a level of power that threatens the entire planet."

There was a pause.

"Why approach me?" Reidar asked.

"Your actions have been noted. You have engaged the Progenitor's forces directly. You are a person of interest."

"And you want my help?"

"The Alliance wishes to coordinate with native assets. Your world is under threat, and we are here to help, but our presence is being already seen as a threat. People think we are here to enslave you."

Reidar studied the Kytinn. It stood perfectly still, but its posture was relaxed. It had approached alone and made no move to threaten.

"Who leads this Phalanx?" Reidar asked.

"There are seven Legates, each with their own citadel. Legate Rhy'vok Gret, Legate Vex'iris Nul, Legate Xyl'thran Kor, Legate Grul'ka Hek, Legate Kael'vorr Vex, Legate Kor'vash Jyn, Legate Lyra'xis Sola, and Legate Zha'tan Voss."

Reidar exchanged a glance with Lena and Jake, both of whom seemed as stunned as he was.

"Seven legates," Reidar said. "Each with a citadel. And you serve one of them?"

"I serve Legate Lyra'xis Sola," Xy'tharr said again. "She commands the citadel stationed above this area. My assignment is to establish contact with individuals of interest, such as yourself."

Reidar's mind whirred. A multi-species alliance. Citadels in orbit. Legates. This was far beyond anything he had imagined.

"And these legates… do they command forces?" Reidar asked.

"Each legate commands a significant contingent. My own level, 421, is considered a junior officer. The Legates themselves are far beyond that."

<What the fuck? This dude is considered weak? Level 421 is a junior officer?> Reidar tried to imagine the power of a Legate and failed.

"You want me to fight the Church," Reidar said.

"As I already said, we wish to coordinate with you and any other survivors willing to resist the Progenitor's forces. Your actions against them have been noted. We are prepared to offer material support, strategic guidance, and, if necessary, direct intervention."

Reidar looked at Lena and Jake, who were listening.

"What kind of support?" Reidar asked.

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