[It's time!] After ten minutes of agonising silence, the Grand Elder's warning flashed. Moth took a deep breath, reviewed the desperate offer he had drafted, and hit send the moment the communication window flickered open.
Far across the planar expanse of the Hescos world, Hye was seated on the bridge of his flagship. The past few days had been a whirlwind of successful, frantic conquest. He had reached a major Hescos city, found the portal network as he had theorised, and used it to hop across the world like a stone skipping over a pond.
He had already successfully occupied two more shadow cities, adding their God-Ore stockpiles and populations to his growing tally. He was currently in transit to the third when the priority burst from Moth hit his console.
As the text scrolled across his vision, Hye's eyes widened in genuine shock.
