After the Portals Opened (Aether Ascension Book 1) Read online

  After the Portals Opened

  Aether Ascension: Volume I

  Gavin Langston

  Copyright @ 2021 Gavin Langston

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact [email protected].

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  I never understood why authors included requests for reviews in their books until now. Reviews are the lifeblood of independent authors. The ratings and number of reviews have a huge effect on independent books. At the end of this book, please take a moment to rate and review the book.

  Of course, If you don’t enjoy this book please lie, and still take a moment to give it five stars and leave a review about how much you enjoyed this book. Thanks.

  For any comments or concerns, I can be reached at [email protected].

  Thanks,

  Gavin

  Cover art by Stefan Keller from Pixabay.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Afterward

  Chapter 1

  They aired it live on television, streamed it to every TV, iPad, and cell phone. Giant portals hundreds of feet tall ripped into the fabric of our world. The largest portal appeared outside the U.N. headquarters.

  Talking heads on the news declared the world was ending. But the world didn't end, it just went about its business a different way afterward.

  The Doom Rabbit screeched in agony after my mana bullet struck its hind leg. The force of the bullet threw the Doom Rabbit onto its side. Its cries broke the silence in the cavern. The cries lasted only moments as the Doom Rabbit died quickly. I immediately looked around to ensure no other creatures rushed from the surrounding caves in response to its cries.

  When nothing appeared, I found the second Doom Rabbit and began creating another mana bullet. I reached inside myself to my mana well and drew mana into a ball in my palm. I felt the mana begin to gather in my palm and pointed my arm at the Doom Rabbit. I shaped the mana into a bullet and willed it forward.

  The mana bullet shot forward from my palm and struck the Doom Rabbit twenty feet away. It was killed instantly. I jogged towards the rabbit's corpse, scanning the area around me. I held my short spear loosely in my hands while I ran. I observed the creature's small body as I approached it. Its fur was dark grey, where it wasn't covered in blood. By all appearances, it looked like a normal rabbit.

  I reached the corpse and leaned down to grab it with my left hand. Once the corpse was secure, I willed a small amount of mana into the ring on my left index finger. My mana activated the storage ring and a small portal around a foot in diameter opened. I dropped the rabbit corpse into the portal where it fell into my dimensional storage. After disposing of the body, I wiped my hand off in the grass.

  I had practiced using mana bullets all morning. Because of the time spent practicing, I had only killed five Doom Rabbits today. Disappointed with my small catch, I decided it was time to leave the dungeon. I stood and rested my spear against a small bush next to me. I adjusted the Glock on my hip and made sure my armor was still tightly strapped to my body. I would not die because I didn’t check my gear. Everything was in its place. I picked up my spear and started moving.

  I was on the first level of the dungeon, so life-threatening danger was scarce, but I was trying to practice good habits. In deeper levels, bad habits could and would kill me. The drawback of hunting on the first level was it took over half a day just to find and kill a few Doom Rabbits.

  I made a slow turn searching the corners and crevices of the dim cave. Seeing it was clear, I ventured into the tunnels. I entered the same tunnel I had exited just before killing the Doom Rabbit. I travel slowly but steadily through the tunnel. I checked around each bend for any creates. Thankfully, the tunnels were littered with small plants, nothing large enough to hide a dungeon creature. I was not worried about any dungeon creatures sneaking up on me. The tunnel extended for several hundred yards before I reached the next cavern.

  The first levels of the dungeon consisted of thousands of caverns connected by tunnels of varying lengths. The caverns varied in size from the area of a small room to hundreds of yards long and tens of stories tall. Rumors existed of caverns that were miles long and tall enough you could see clouds, but I had never found any like that.

  I was currently hunting Doom Rabbits, the only sought-after dungeon creature on the first few levels of the dungeon. The dungeon had created an entire ecosystem in its depths. The first levels contained plants and small creatures. Doom rabbits were the largest creature found on the first levels. There were also apocalyptic sparrows, ominous cockroaches, gloom worms, and foreboding mice.

  The people who discovered the first creatures in the dungeon had thought they were diving into the darkest pits of hell. They only found Disney-like woodland creatures. They were convinced the creatures would turn out to be demons in disguise, but they were wrong. Regardless, the names stuck.

  I recognized the cavern I just entered. I had been in this cavern and walked this same path thousands of times. I briefly looked through the trees to see if any dungeon creatures prowled. I do not see any.

  I jogged through the trees and ferns hoping to avoid any confrontations. I made it almost to the end of the cavern before I noticed a small white flower at the base of a tree. I always tried to remember the flowers I saw at the alchemist’s shop. This flower looked similar to flowers in the alchemist’s shop.

  I stopped jogging and reached out with my right hand. I sent a small amount of mana into the storage ring on my right hand and created a portal to my storage ring. I pulled out a small pouch.

  I had a simple storage system, corpses go into the ring on my left hand, and items go into the storage ring on my right hand. Most storage items would kill any living thing placed in them, as well as potentially damaging the storage item itself. Only expensive storage items could contain living things. I recently started bringing small pouches in my right storage ring so I could bring back living things.

  I opened the small pouch and knelt before the flower. I created a small ball of mana in one hand and formed it into a half-circle. Carefully, I used the shaped mana to dig out the flower, keeping most of its roots intact. Once the flower was removed from the ground, I placed it into my pouch. I attached the now full
pouch to my belt. It was not the best system, but it allowed to me bring back various plants or other living things to sell. I knew some people could afford storage items that kept things alive, but I couldn't. I stopped adding magic to my homemade mana shovel and it dissipated into the air.

  I wiped sweat from my forehead as I stood up. Manipulating mana into a physical shape and using it to interact with physical items was always exhausting. I thought about carrying different tools, but you never knew what you would need in the dungeon. I packed essentials only and used mana as a utility tool for anything I couldn’t carry.

  I slowly started leaving the dungeon again. I passed through several tunnels and caverns, walking close to a mile. I recognized the caverns and knew I was approaching the entrance. Other dungeon crawlers nodded or waved as I passed. I did not recognize anyone as I left, but that wasn’t surprising.

  Nearing the entrance, I started to see farmers going about their business. Farmers were ascenders who entered the first levels of a dungeon or tower and collected the same materials over and over, or ‘farmed.’

  There were several types of farmers. Corporate farmers were the most common. Corporate farmers were employees. Corporations would supply farmers with quality dungeon gear and owed anything the farmers collected. Corporate farmers earned a consistent salary. They risked never hitting a big payday though from a rare item or unbelievable find in the dungeon.

  On the other hand, independent farmers had to supply all their own dungeon gear but could earn more coins. Being independent was risky. Good farmers were rewarded and bad farmers struggled or died.

  Occasionally, I would also see sect and guild farmers. Off-world farmers on Earth always belonged to a guild or sect, while Earth farmers usually worked for corporations. Each type of farmer was identifiable by the colors they wore or the patches on their clothes.

  “Hey Gavin,” I yelled, seeing my favorite farmer.

  I was a farmer in all but name. I cleared the early levels of the dungeon repeatedly and sold the goods. I called it training and preparation, but I was doing the exact same thing as the farmers.

  “Hey Ethan,” Gavin shouted back. “Heading out already?”

  “Yes, I got five Doom Rabbits.”

  “Impressive,” Gavin said, laughing at me.

  “Screw you,” I responded. “Your just jealous the Doom Rabbits don’t like you as much as they like me.”

  “Whatever you say,” he managed to get out while laughing at me. “It’s been over a year, if you don’t start descending soon, I’m going to start offering jobs farming with me at Bamazon.”

  “I appreciate it, I really do. But I know what I’m going and what I want. I’m going to descend. I just need one piece of information from Tobin.”

  “Sure, sure. You have already bought books from Tobin and didn’t start descending, what will be different this time?” Gavin asked. He was earnest, not mean, and only trying to understand what I had been doing with my life the last year.

  “Honestly, I’m tired of waiting. If this book doesn’t have the information that I’m looking for then I’m going to descend. I’m done waiting,” I responded.

  “Good luck. I’ve lost friends to the dungeon and the old world, I don’t want to lose you too,” he said.

  "You won't," I assured him. "Plus, with how good-looking I am, even the dungeon wouldn't want to deprive the world of such a prize physical specimen."

  Gavin practically fell to the ground laughing at my proclamation. I resumed my trek out of the dungeon to the sound of his laughter ringing in my ears.

  The dungeon entrance and exit cavern was the largest cavern I had ever seen in the dungeon. It stretched several hundred yards long and was over ten stories high. The beginning of the dungeon looked like a huge meadow hidden in a cave. It had a field of ankle-level grass that belonged on a prairie. Past the grass, one side of the cavern had a small forest growing. The opposite side consisted of swampland and marsh. Small creatures were almost impossible to see in the water, vegetation, and mud.

  The ceiling of the cavern produced a bright light, similar to the sun. No one on Earth was sure how dungeons or towers produced light. The Aldari family and representatives from the Empire tried to explain it, but not a single person on Earth had enough magical knowledge to understand the explanation.

  As I understood, dungeons and towers created the light to sustain life in their levels. The entrance was the brightest room in a dungeon or tower. Each successive room had a light, but it could vary from barely a hint of light to the shine of the sun on a summer day. Supposedly, the entrance of a dungeon previewed the various environments the dungeon would consist of. This allowed ascenders to prepare themselves. I had only ventured through the first five levels and had only seen forest caverns.

  I walked towards a set of frames set at the edge of the entrance to the swamp. There was a small stream passing behind the frames. The ground under the frames was dark from spilled blood. I got to the frames and pulled out the five Doom Rabbits.

  I nailed the first Doom Rabbit to the frame and attached a bowl under the rabbit. I started the process of skinning and cleaning it. It threw away the waste and saved the internal organs and meat in the bowl below the rabbit. I set the fur aside to dry. Once it was cleaned and gutted, I carefully removed the small core where the rabbit’s heart should have been.

  Doom rabbit cores were not worth many coins, but some coins were better than no coins. I repeated the process four more times on each Doom Rabbit. I could have paid the butchers outside the dungeon entrance, but it was good practice for removing cores. Doom Rabbits were perfect practice for removing cores because the cores were junk. A mistake with a junk quality core didn’t change the value much. I washed my knife and hands in the stream that bisected the cavern.

  I walked out of the dungeon and felt my skin tingle as I stepped over the invisible line that divided the dungeon from the outside world. As soon as my foot touched down on the stone path muted voices filled the air. The entrance to the dungeon was another thing the Aldari family and other representatives of the Empire had explained, but no one on Earth understood. My understanding, poor as it may be, was that there was some sort of barrier between the dungeon and the rest of the world.

  Chapter 2

  Humans emerged from the portals first, followed by elves and dwarves. It was assumed they emerged in that order so the people of Earth wouldn't immediately attack. Three humans, a man and two women, lead the delegation. Dressed in clothes out of medieval fantasy, the world allowed them a chance to speak. Their words avoided an intergalactic war the Earth would have lost handily.

  The afternoon sun cast a glare into my eyes, and I raised a hand its offending rays. Subdued voices carried from the market through the open area surrounding the dungeon. A wide-open stone courtyard separated the dungeon entrance from the market.

  The only structure in the courtyard was a looming stronghold. The stronghold was made up of four towers connected by a stone wall, with the tallest tower peering down on the dungeon entrance. It still managed to miss blocking the sunlight that stabbed directly into my eyes.

  Every dungeon and tower was surrounded by markets. Uniformly, the markets forbid anyone from building any structure near the entrance to a dungeon or tower. The only buildings allowed near an entrance to a dungeon or tower were a stronghold and field hospital. The multi-story stronghold loomed over the opening, providing a false sense of security. The tower wasn't to protect ascenders, rather the market.

  I had no business at the stronghold and walked to the surrounding market. A waist height white stone wall separated the courtyard and the market. The sounds of the market carried over the wall as I approached. I could see only the first row of shops as I approached the market.

  I entered the rows of shops and voices burst from all around. Throngs of people walked through the shops. The market consisted of open stalls and shops of arbitrary sizes. The only rule seemed to be all the stores were under two stor
ies. The market reminded me of pictures I had seen of old European towns and markets mixed with African bazaars. Tents next to buildings, weapon smiths occupied shops next to bookstores, and restaurants were next to tradesmen.

  The people walking through the market were just as varied as the shops and stores. Earth humans mixed with off-world humans, elves walked next to dwarfs. Even an occasional gnome and fey were seen moving through the crowds.

  Clothing varied from medieval style outfits to Earth casual wear. I didn't even know how to describe eleven fashion style, except light-colored clothes that were empyreal. Elves stood in sharp contrast to dwarves, who were trying to live up to every Tolkien novel or Lord of the Rings movie. Humans were the dominant species, but everyone was represented. To top it off, individuals carried swords, daggers, magical staffs, Earth guns, and off-world guns. If you looked closely, you would occasionally see ascenders wearing Iron Man type armor, a mixture of technology and magic.

  The market was filled with ascenders, craftsmen, merchants, and customers. Ascenders sold corpses, plants, minerals, and objects found in the dungeons and towers. Craftsmen, blacksmiths, tanners, butchers, potioneers, and others would use those things from the dungeon or tower to create ascended items. Merchants tried their best to facilitate trade and make as much money as possible doing so. While ascenders grew in strength from challenging dungeons, craftsmen and merchants grew through the practice of their respective trades.