Elsewhere.
He starts to feel himself rising up out of unconsciousness. A familiar feeling, as he's gone through similar often before.
As he does, he starts to remember. And though at first he only gets fleeting images of what happened.
The memory of what happened comes in at full force when he begins to wake up, after being unconscious, for who knows how long.
He remembers casting the spell. This time far outside of the town they were staying in. For in a previous instance, a number of years ago.
He cast something similar, which destroyed the inn they were staying in, and a fair bit of the town it was located in.
And it also sent the group at the time, and other poor unfortunates caught up in that particular spell. Across to the other side of the world.
And the group had to spend more than half a year, closer to three quarters of a year, traveling back to the Southlands, from the far east coast of the continent, which is where they ended up.
This time it was different. For though nothing like that happened. In fact it went fairly smoothly. One could say it was perfect.
Just the one problem though. It wasn't a rift spell he cast, which he was attempting to do. It was a portal. And not an ordinary portal. But a portal to who knows where. Something he found out when he stepped through it to see if it had worked or not.
And what he does remember after that, is seeing everything was pretty much all red wherever he looked. And that he couldn't breathe.
The last thing he remembers just before he fully wakes up out of unconscious, was that he grabbed a spell gem from the sleeve of his black hooded cloak, and activating it as he couldn't sense his magical power within himself. The fact he did that, is the only reason he's alive.
Mira Reinholt the mage groans as he wakes up, and he realizes that something covers his mouth and nose.
The once powerful mage who is lying on his side, goes to reach for whatever it is, but he can barely move his arm, then he hears a voice say "Don't touch that".
It's a vaguely familiar voice, and after it says "You'll die if you remove it" followed by a loudly muttered "You fucking prick". He sourly smiles as he instantly recognizes who it is.
The mage who also happens to be a swordmaster, opens his eyes. And he sees the ground directly in front of him is red. He sighs as he's still here, wherever here is.
He tries to move his head, to look around. But he's unable to. He can only see the red coloured ground. And a slightly less red looking sky.
Then something, or more precisely someone steps into view. The mage Reinholt, who hails from the city-state of Vexil, blinks in surprise.
He clears his throat, and realizing that he can speak with whatever that's covering his mouth, Mira Reinholt the mage then says "Er your armour looks different".
"Tell me about it" dryly says Lord Farque as he stands there with the Sword of Power in hand, just a few feet in front of the incapacitated mage.
The spellcaster who lost the vast majority of his powers a number of years ago, when he went off world through a rift/void that he accidentally cast. Not that he knows that. As it's been wiped from his mind.
Goes to say something else, when the undead warlord tells him "Shut up mage" followed by a loudly muttered "I'm fucking busy".
Then in a blink of an eye, the large, heavily armoured deathlord is gone. And at the same time, the once powerful mage who is in exile from his homeland, hears a loud screeching roar, that shakes the very ground he's lying on.
The fuck is that? Mira Reinholt thinks to himself, as he lies there on the ground, feeling highly vulnerable as he's unable to tap his magical powers. And is basically unable to move as well.
The swordmaster Reinholt who hopes to hell Lord Farque can deal with whatever it is that's nearby. Grimaces as he hears the screeching roar again, this time much closer. The ground shakes so much more violently this time. That the prone mage moves a couple of feet forward.
Then the screeching roar turns to an angry screech of what can only be described as pain, which comes to an abrupt halt.
Then the Vexilian mage in exile hears a loud, reverberating thud from nearby that shakes the ground again.
The mage Reinholt sourly smiles as he feels slightly sorry for the poor dumb creature that was stupid enough to attack Lord Farque.
An undead being so powerful that he once killed a Greater Dragon. Who it seems is just as powerful here, wherever here is. As he is on the physical world of Volunell.
The practitioner of magic who is also a highly skilled swordmaster, hears the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque approaching. And a few moments later the undead warlord is standing in front of him again.
"Come on mage, up you get" says Lord Farque who bends down and picks up the once powerful spellcaster, who is in his forties.
The deathlord of Farque with one hand, lifts the prone mage up onto his right shoulder, and tells him "Whatever you do, don't remove that breather" followed by "It's the only thing keeping you alive in this shitty fucking place".
"Good to know" says Mira Reinholt who figured as much, and has no intention of even touching whatever it is that the undead warlord called a breather.
The once powerful mage, who is painfully aware that he's fairly close to Lord Farque's sword, something he definitely doesn't want to touch. As it can kill anyone, and anything that touches it.
Tries to lift his head up to see where they are. He sighs as he can barely move his head. The mage Reinholt is just about to ask the deathlord of Farque what's happening.
When the undead warlord slightly turns to one side, and the exiled Vexilian mage spots what's nearby.
"What the fucking hell is that thing?" exclaims Mira Reinholt who comes from one of the wealthiest families in all of the Southlands.
"A pain in the ass, is what it is" replies the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, who follows that with "They all are".
The mage Reinholt's eyebrows shoot up in surprise when he hears that, then he mutters "Fucking hell". When Lord Farque turns again, and he spots three more of them.
Them, being some of the more vicious creatures found in this particular place. Long serpent like creatures. Over ten feet wide, and around a hundred feet in length.
They're blackish red in colour. And their heads are pointed, almost crocodilian in shape is how the once powerful spellcaster would describe it.
Two of the four are missing their heads, one is off to one side, and Mira can't see the other missing head.
"Big bastards" quietly says the practitioner of magic who also happens to be a highly skilled swordmaster.
"The fuckers can fly too" states the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque who is looking around in all directions.
"Huh?" says the mage Reinholt who follows that with "They don't have wings" he then adds "How do they fly?".
"With difficulty" says the undead warlord, who continues on with "Especially now, since they're dead".
The mage who hails from the city-state of Vexil sourly smiles at that, then he mutters "Fuck me".
After the lord of the death realm tells him "Those fucking things are" he pauses before adding "Difficult to kill, especially when they're in a cluster like that lot".
The once powerful mage knows that whatever they are. They must be tough if the undead warlord himself is admitting they're difficult to kill.
Then Lord Farque grunts and says "That way". And he sets off running, with the barely moving Mira Reinholt slung over his right shoulder.
The spellcaster who is also a swordmaster has to close his eyes for a moment, as he thinks he might throw up.
Once he gets some semblance of calm as the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque runs faster than humanly possible.
The mage Reinholt asks the lord of the death realm "Where are we going?".
"Back to your portal" is the reply of the large, heavily armoured deathlord of Farque.
The once powerful mage, who is a member of the personal council to Lord Farque, frowns before he says "Isn't that close to where I was?".
As he clearly remembers stepping out of the portal, near to what looked like abandoned farm buildings in the strange red landscape.
Then taking a few steps before dropping to the ground, unable to breathe the air in this particular place.
"It was" says the undead being, who has the name of Draugodrottin that the people of his lands also know him by.
"It's some distance away now" continues Lord Farque who effortlessly runs across the strange red ground, not even hindered by the mage over his right shoulder.
"It's where I came through it" adds the lord and ruler of the Lands Farque, who is continually moving his head, within the strange looking helm he's wearing. As he looks in all directions as he runs.
"How far away?" asks Mira Reinholt, who along with Dorc da Orc, has been in the group that travels with Lord Farque the longest.
"Well, it took me three fucking weeks to find you mage" states the large, heavily armoured undead being.
"Three weeks!" exclaims the once powerful practitioner of magic, who then mutters "No wonder i can barely move".
"Relax" says Draugodrottin, who continues with "It'll only be another day and a half or so to get there".
The undead warlord who also goes by the elven name of Des'tier, which means The Destroyer, then says "I know where I'm going" followed by "Unlike when I was fucking searching for you".
Mira Reinholt winces as he realizes he's extremely lucky to be alive. As anything could of happened to him in those three weeks Lord Farque spent looking for him.
The swordmaster from the city-state of Vexil is quiet for a little while, listening to the ground eating tread of the undead warlord as he runs at speed across the strange red landscape.
Then the mage Reinholt asks the large, heavily armoured deathlord, whose armour looks completely different here "There aren't anymore of those things around are there?".
"Not at the moment" is the reply from Draugodrottin, who after a brief pause as he leaps across a fifty foot wide dry river bed, continues with "Though I figure that won't be for long".
"Oh?" asks Mira Reinholt who starts to get an uneasy feeling about things.
"Those fucking things sense the living" explains the lord of the death realm, who follows that with "And now that you're out of that stasis you were in" he briefly pauses before adding "That means you".
The once powerful mage winces at hearing that, then the exiled Vexilian mage sourly mutters "Fuck".
"Exactly" says Lord Farque as he continues to run across the red coloured ground, then he says to the practitioner of magic slung over his right shoulder "Now shut the fuck up as I try to keep you alive, and get us out of here" . . . . . .
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