“Dorrigo National Park.”
“Oh, nice,” Jason said. “I love it there.”
“You might like it less crawling with interdimensional monstrosities,” Keith said.
“Wow, you do not know me at all,” Jason said. “If we’re going to chopper out, I’ll go grab your car.”
“What do you mean, grab my car?”
“I’ve never encountered a proto-astral space before,” Jason said. He was speaking through the headphones they were each wearing as their helicopter flew over mountains. “I’ve read about them, but that’s no substitute. What can I expect to walk into?”
“Incursion spaces can take a number of forms,” Nigel said. “Most common is some variant of the space it’s connected to, although those variants can be very extreme. The magic is usually very thick, although occasionally, it’s very barren. Kind of like your town.”
“It wasn’t quite the same feeling,” Gladys said, “although the results were much of a muchness. Did I sense the solar panels of your houseboat sucking up all the magic?”
“Yep,” Jason said.
“Did you make those panels yourself?”
“Kind of. More of a renovation to the base model.”
“When an astral space has low-magic conditions like that,” Nigel said, “the real challenge is environmental. We need to use spirit coins to keep our personal magic levels stable. In those cases, the ADE is usually the only monster that spawns, which is a blessing.”
“What did ADE stand for again?” Jason asked. “After dinner something?”
“Anchor Dimensional Entity,” Anna said. “If you’re going to join in our operations, Mr Asano, you’ll need to act with some professionalism.”
“When you see me get down to business, Anna, you may find you prefer this side of me. Nigel, what about the proto-spaces that aren’t magically barren?”
“Then we tend to have the opposite problem,” Nigel said, “and the incursion space is swarming with DE activity.”
“Which is definitely preferred,” Keith said. “The higher the magic, the more bountiful the harvest. Inert magical materials, essences, awakening stones. We have specialist harvest teams that work alongside the tactical teams to make the most of every incursion.”
“It may seem like we’re profiting off the danger to our world,” Anna said, “but those resources are critical to protecting it.”
“I believe you,” Jason said. “I know what it takes to fight monsters and Earth is a magical wasteland.”
There were already multiple military helicopters on site when they arrived, descending into a valley. There was no single open space large enough for all of them, so multiple clearings were being used. It was a full-scale military operation, one of the ‘terrorist readiness exercises’ that Jason had heard about.
Nigel and Gladys hurried ahead along a bushland trail towards the main area of operations. Anna, Keith and Jason made their way at a more measured pace.
“We’ve been working with a special military unit formed for exactly this purpose,” Anna explained. “We provide the military with category-one enhanced firearms. The military’s primary role is to protect the harvest teams until the ADE is neutralised, at which point our tactical teams will cooperate in maximising harvest yields and any necessary mop-up.”
“Are you going in?” Jason asked.
“No,” Anna said.
“We don’t have the training,” Keith explained. “We’d just get in the way of the people who know what they’re doing.”
“My job is administration and logistics,” Anna said. “As Operations Director, my job is to get the right people to the right place with the right resources and let them do their thing.”
As they drew closer to the centre of operations, the ambient magic grew stronger.
You have entered the vicinity of a proto-astral aperture. The ambient magical saturation has increased. Your recovery rates will remain at normal levels without spirit coin consumption.
They arrived at a bustling military camp Jason was startled to realise was only about an hour old.
“These military guys sure set up fast.”
“They’ve had a good amount of practise.”
“So they all get magic guns?”
“All the ones who go in,” Anna said. “It’s why spirit coins are important. That’s what we make magical ammunition from.”
As they reached the edge of the camp, they were approached by a pair of armed military personnel. Jason could sense the low-level magic in their sidearms.
“Mrs Tilden,” one of the soldiers greeted with rigid politeness. “Is this Mr Asano?”
“It is,” she said.
“Come with me, please. Mr Asano, please follow Private Cowell.”
The private led Jason through the camp to where Nigel was gearing up outside a tent while barking directives at a mixed group of people in military camo and paramilitary black. Nigel’s own gear was black, fatigues under magical tactical armour. Unlike the soldiers, he carried no firearms, just a magical, thigh-mounted knife.
Nigel’s gear was very basic magic. Humphrey’s power to conjure weapons for his summons produced items much of the same kind. Even basic, though, they were still bronze-rank items and would do the job for which they were intended.
The private deposited Jason nearby as Nigel dismissed the squad leaders and marched off with Jason in tow. They arrived at a group dressed in the same black tactical gear as Nigel, although most were holding guns. Jason could sense they were all bronze-rank essence users and, except for Nigel, core users.
“You’ll be with my section for protection,” Nigel told Jason.
“What am I protecting you from, exactly?” Jason asked, which drew a chuckle from Nigel’s section.
“Mr Culpeper’s directive was to keep you safe,” Nigel said. “That’s what I intend to do.”
“No offence, Mr Thornberry,” Jason said, “but I’m safer alone.”
“It’s Thornton, not Thornberry,” Nigel said.
“Who am I thinking of?” Jason wondered aloud. “Sorry, I’ll just stick with Nigel.”
“We carry out tactical operation in nine-man sections,” Nigel explained.
“Hey,” the solitary female member complained.
“Sorry, Darce,” Nigel said. “We operate in an eight-man, one-Darcy section, broken into three groups by broad power type. We’ve got heavies, who have the powers to give and take the big hits. That’s Darce, Jonno and Higgy.”
“Higgy?” Jason asked. Higgy was a good-looking man of Indian descent.
“H.I.G.,” Nigel explained. “Handsome Indian Guy.”
“I’m not Indian, Thorny,” Higgy complained. “I’m from bloody Woolloongabba.”
“Then we’ve got our scouts,” Nigel continued, “who are what it says on the tin. They have powers that make them fast and—if they can keep their damn mouths shut—quiet.”
“That’s one of my things as well,” Jason said.
“One of?” Nigel asked.
“I have a lot of things.”
“We prefer to get really good at one,” Nigel said. “Our scouts are Orange, Green and Woolzy.”
“Because I’m from Woolloongabba,” Woolzy said.