37 Return to the Wolf Clan

Two gliders flew in large circles high above the desert sands. Waves of heat rising up from the sands distorted the distant horizon. Red followed Kenzo closely, her pale features locked in a wide smile despite the decidedly uncomfortable temperature. 

[Group: Moira] If it's this hot up here, what's the surface like?

[Goup: Kenzo] Unpassable, yet caravans try to make the trip yearly. 

[Group: Moira] Will you stop in Jela? Or go straight to the Silverfang Clan?

[Group: Kenzo] I'll ensure you land safely and head to Baer.

[Group: Moira] Say hi to Vess for me.

[Group: Kenzo] Of course. 

Kenzo circled their Jela Depot a short while later while Moira glided in for a landing. 

[Group: Kenzo] Nice landing; push a bit earlier on the horizontal bar, and you will land a bit softer. 

[Group: Moira] I will wait to do solo flying.

Kenzo smiled at the admission; Red habitually did whatever she liked but always kept her word. 

[Group: Kenzo] We'll talk soon. 

Kenzo headed toward the coast and followed it north, retracing the Silverfang captives' route to the Goddess Lands. He crossed the familiar mountain pass and was high over the forest when he spotted the settlement. From the sky, Kenzo was delighted with the layout of the Silverfang village. A massive lodge where the clan ate and held meetings was surrounded by dozens of smaller structures extending to the shore. Kenzo had carefully planned the dock and wharf area to take advantage of the large freshwater lake. 

The fragrant scent of pine, coupled with the smoke streaming steadily from the lodge's central chimney, brought back memories of camping with his parents. 

A long howl filled the air as a Silver wolf broke through the woodline at a dead run. Mika could run down almost anything she chased in her natural form. The Silverfang Clan Warleader spun excitedly before morphing into her human form and skidding to a halt. 

"Kenzo!" A wide smile creased Mika's pretty face as she waited patiently while the human engineer stepped out of his glider harness. 

Kenzo accepted a hug from the waiting spectator, noting that Mika looked happy. "How is the clan?"

Mika claimed one of his arms as he turned to walk toward the main lodge. "We are happily thriving in the Lands of the Goddess." 

Kenzo nodded in agreement; Mika's lith form looked healthy, and her long silver hair flowed down her back, kept out of her tanned face by a bone hairclip. "I missed you."

Mika blushed happily before buzzing Kenzo's cheek with a light kiss. "Same old Kenzo. Will you be able to stay for a while?"

Kenzo nodded. "I have nothing pressing besides working on my City Fort plans, but I can do that here."

Mika matched his stride as they walked toward the main lodge. His black hair hung to his shoulders and was kept out of his hair by a simple headband. There were other notable changes: his skin was darker, and he shone with health and vitality. When she first met him, his appearance resembled someone recently released from captivity. "You will stay with me and mom." 

Clan Chief Valen waited with a familiar figure as Kenzo approached with Mika. 

Kenzo shook Valen's gnarled hand, not surprised by its strength. He had only a moment to greet the older man before being wrapped up in Sun's warm arms and kissed on both cheeks. "That's what I call a greeting." 

Sun smiled beautifully, ignoring the pointed gaze her daughter fixed her with. "When you get older, you learn that letting your loved ones know how much you miss them is more important than maintaining the semblance of decorum." 

Valen cleared his throat. "As Mika told you, we have discovered something hidden in the mountains." 

All three Silverfang members morphed into their wolf form and headed toward the mountain's base while Kenzo followed at a trot. While they traveled, Kenzo noted several large trees that could be harvested to keep the forest healthy while adding to his stockpile of building supplies. 

Kenzo stopped when the group shifted back to their human forms, stopping in front of an archway carved into a flat mountain section. "Was this exposed the entire time?" 

Mika shook her head. "A rock slide buried this entire area in several tons of stone. It took weeks for us to clear it; too bad you weren't here."

Kenzo nodded in agreement. He could have made the entire rockslide vanish into his inventory with a touch. "Better take it now before we go further." The human engineer visited several mounds of stacked stones piled haphazardly in the area. 

Mika shook her head in amazement as all the rocks from the slide disappeared into Kenzo's inventory. "I have a few requests for the settlement." 

"Of course," Kenzo agreed. "I assumed you would have a few improvements in mind." 

Valen gripped the iron rings of the doorway and pulled. The light from several torches was evident as he stepped inside and motioned the others to follow. 

"Damn..." Kenzo noted the smooth walls and engineered floors. "How big is this structure?"

Mika grabbed a torch and motioned for them to follow. "This hall leads to a large, domed room where we found the object. Several smaller exits from that room appear to be natural caves rather than carved by anyone's hand." 

Kenzo whistled softly when he spotted the raised platform with the multiple archways. "It's a portal. I've seen them from the earlier screenshots of the Gaia... Roxy told me they were all removed." 

"Portal?" Valen's wrinkled face showed his concern. "I'm not familiar with the term."

Kenzo frowned slightly. The presence of the portal represented a security concern for the Silverfang Clan. "It enables instant travel across vast distances. All you need is another portal that is attuned to this one. Admittedly, this is the first one I've seen in Gaia." 

"Could the other wolf clan use this to invade us?" Valen asked. 

Kenzo nodded. "If they had one calibrated to this one, they could. The odds of that happening are slim."

 Mika tilted her head slightly. "It's making noise." 

Kenzo pulled Valen away. "Get ready for trouble." 

Valen morphed into his wolf form and howled loudly; within seconds, dozens of other howls filled the air while the group of four retreated to the room's entrance. 

A minute later, several wolves of different shades of brown and gray filtered in; they assumed a perimeter around the portal. By this time, the noise from it had increased dramatically. 

"Somethings coming," Kenzo armed himself with a javelin and waited. 

An instant later, a dozen people appeared on the platform. Shot rang out, and an all-out battle commenced. Kenzo dived to one side when a shotgun was leveled at him. Did someone have guns in Gaia? 

Rolling to one side, Kenzo brought out his stylus and pad; a transparent barrier appeared between the Silverfang and their attackers immediately. 

"Who are you?' Kenzo shouted over the sound of gunfire as bullets bounced harmlessly off the glass wall he had built. His gaze fell on the woman leading them and the male at her side. Neither of them were involved in the fighting. "Hey... I know you." 

The group retreated to the caverns, making Kenzo curse himself for not sealing those off. He rectified that mistake with his stylus, sealing each entrance with a meter-thick glass barrier. He touched the glass wall he erected to shield the Silverfang clan, sending it to his inventory. Whoever the group was, they didn't hesitate to attack. 

"It's making noise again." Mika limped closer; her front leg had a bullet hole entirely through it. 

Kenzo gritted his teeth... "Stand back, everyone." This time, he was ready when the portal flashed. A spider/human hybrid appeared, and he immediately sealed her in a glass dome. "Tend to the wounded..." 

The spider hybrid punched her glass prison before a frown etched on her beautiful face. Her warm green eyes focused on the approaching human. 

"Why did you attack my friends?" Kenzo had seen many hybrids in Gaia, but this one was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. 

"I attacked no one. I am Angel Rembrandt from Fora." Angel bowed her head slightly. "I'm pursuing the group that exited the portal before me." 

"Fora?" Kenzi smiled despite the circumstances. He had always wanted to play TAP. "You're from TAP?"

Angel nodded. "I'm on a special mission on behalf of Q." 

A few hours later, Kenzo sat near one of the lodge fires with Angel and Mika. The Silverfang Warleader wore a bandage on one arm, and her pale eyes watched their guest closely as she talked with Kenzo. 

"I need to talk to Roxy." Kenzo used his hud and attempted to contact Roxy and Bai. They didn't answer but would receive the query and reply when they had the opportunity. 

"You said you recognized one of them?" Angel instinctively knew that Kenzo was no danger to her; she was also aware that he had been given abilities that would be difficult to overcome. "The one I'm chasing is called Nora Salo. She is responsible for many wrongs against my family over the years."

Kenzo shook his head slightly. "I don't know that name, but the guy she was with is Michael Benz. He built this world but was supposedly dead." 

Angel smiled slightly. Kenzo reminded her of QJ, although, admittedly, the latter gave a fair amount of threat. She felt nothing like that from Kenzo, which made him terrifying. "It seems like no one is staying dead nowadays." 

***************

Roxy smiled at Kenzo while Bai used the table hud to record everything. "I've been in contact with Anna Li; Exodus is preparing a response to this incursion into Gaia."

Kenzo glanced at the Spider Queen sitting next to him. "Anya says that Q will probably come?"

Roxy nodded. "I'll let you know when Exodus figures out what they want to do. Gaia has been sectioned off from other virtual worlds; they'll need Karl Benz's permission to do anything." 

The statement made Kenzo uneasy. Karl may decide not to cooperate because his Grandson was involved. "Let everyone know that Anya is safe; I will protect her while she is here."

Angel smiled at Kenzo's words. The human engineer made a good impression on her. 

******************

The next few days saw Kenzo working around the Silverfang Settlement. He had already decided he would deconstruct the portal once this was over. During the evening, Roxy had told them that a team from One Problem was coming through the portal. This included QJ, Quinn's son. 

Anya grinned at Kenzo; his disappointment was obvious. "You wanted to meet the Spider Nemesis..." 

Kenzo nodded. "Yeah... I'm a huge Q fan." 

"They are scared of giving more power to Q." Anya smiled secretly. Instead, they gave it to his son, who grows more formidable daily. "QJ and his guild are up to the task."

The portal activated at dawn the next day, and a group of ten appeared on the platform. Kenzo glanced at Anya to verify this group was who they were expecting. 

Anya nodded happily. "It's my minion and his people." 

QJ stepped off the platform and met Anya's warm embrace before glancing at her companion. "I'm QJ, Vice Leader of OP."

Kenzo extended his hand. "Kenzo, Human Engineer, and Gaia's only player."