Baba Adenoga sat cross-legged on bare floor. He clutched his carved talisman close to his chest as he bathed in the shifting purple light of the portal anomaly several meters away from him. This close to the other world, he had a clearer connection to the ethereal realm and the whispers from his talisman reassured his resolve.
The chamber was reinforced with metal plates in the walls and ceilings. There were mounted automatic machine guns affixed to the walls and ceilings around the portal. A series of steel hurdles were set in concentric patterns around the portal meant to give cover for their defenses and a way to stall any invading entity. Hidden cameras lay embedded within the chamber as well, providing a live feed.
The portal appeared as a thin two meter long jagged line floating in the middle of the chamber; it radiated a shifting purple glow, emitting a constant ringing hum. Occasionally, small sparks of black lightning spat out of the portal at random moments while ethereal wisps of deep purple lights swam freely around the periphery of the portal.
A security door hissed open behind Adenoga. Eight armed and combat ready soldiers marched in lock step into the chamber. They strode up toward the portal, stopping several meters away from it. Behind them walked two researchers in environmental protection suits followed by three porters carrying empty sample collection bags, finally, Dr. Semyon, followed by Petyr entered the chamber. Throughout, Adenoga didn't react to their presence.
Dr. Semyon strode past the assembled squad and up to Adenoga.
He spoke "We're ready."
Adenoga rose to his feet, floating off the ground until his legs dropped and he stood, the many charms and talismans on his person clinked as he moved.
Adenoga smiled, flashing a set of browned and broken teeth "Time don reach. Any tin you want inside?" he asked the Doctor.
"Just bring back more samples and less dead bodies."
"You no wan make dem die. No be normal people be dis." Adenoga chuckled as he gestured to the men assembled, "Abeg, I go fit try make about half fit survive."
"They aren't all regular soldiers. I sent you a report about them Adenoga."
"Who wan dey read dat nonsense. You wan tell me sumtin, you tell me wit mouth."
Dr. Semyon simply shook his head. He walked up to the leader of the squad and gave him a few extra instructions before he turned around and left the chamber, followed by Petyr.
Adenoga was slowly dropping back to the floor, when the squad leader cleared his throat loudly at Adenoga's direction. They locked eyes and the squad leader nodded towards the portal.
"Una dey ready?" the men nodded, "like dis?" chuckled Adenoga again. He pulled out his talisman and whispered into it. This close to him, the empowered soldiers caught a few words he spoke and raised their eyebrows as he had spoken in a language they couldn't even recognize.
Adenoga walked slowly until he was a few feet away from the portal. He pulled out an empty snail shell, marked and inscribed with various symbols. Adenoga pressed the shell to his lips, he willed the Dark Matter within him to move and it flowed out of his mouth as a purple and black stream of energy which merged with the shell causing the symbols to glow brightly. He tossed the shell into the portal.
On contact, the portal's light dimmed for a moment, all wisps of light were then sucked into the portal as it changed to a uniform deep purple color. Adenoga didn't hesitate and stepped through, disappearing upon contact with the portal.
The squad leader sighed, he hoped their 'consultant' would be at least more communicative.
"Move out." He ordered and the group marched towards and into the portal.
Squad Leader Yani felt a strange pressure push all over his body. For an instant, there was no air to breath and he felt the air get sucked out of his lungs, he was in utter darkness, gripped by a sensation of weightlessness that he found unnerving.
It passed as quickly as it came and Yani found himself standing on a rough rocky place. The sky was covered with dark clouds, roiling with flashes of red lightning without sounds of thunder.
He took a second to get over his own shock of visiting another world, technically, it was an alien world.
"Sound off." He order into the communication earpiece they all wore.
One by one the members of his squad responded. Followed by the researchers and the sample collectors.
Immediately, the researchers pulled out several tablet devices while the collectors pulled out several toaster sized machines from their bags. As these were being hooked together via cables, Yani looked out for their 'consultant' and found Adenoga sitting at the edge of a cliff a few hundred meters away.
Yani charged up his body and several long thin flesh colored tendrils of energy shot out of his chest and back; they stretched about 20 meters ahead, pulling and supporting his weight as they transported Yani to Adenoga's side.
Yani heard a few whispers from Adenoga in that strange language.
"Wetin?" demanded Adenoga. He had cast off the appearance of an aged and bent man. Instead, Yani was inwardly surprised to see the normally bent backed old man, standing straight to look him in the eye.
"We're ready to move out. The reports mentioned a-."
Adenoga pulled out the shell cutting off Yani's words. The shell still radiated its glowing lights yet now the illuminated symbols pulsed softly as though alive.
"Wen we wan commot, I go break am. E go carry us out." Said Adenoga.
Yani reached for the shell, but Adenoga pulled back, saying nothing but chuckling to himself as he walked past Yani.
Yani turned to argue but he was shocked to see Adenoga in the distance with his squad. He looked around only to realize he was alone, Adenoga had somehow relocated himself in an instant.
Yani sighed and pulled out his tendrils, quickly returning to his squad.
They travelled along rocky landscapes for several hours. The clouds overhead seemed to always remain in a slow drift. All around them for kilometers was nothing but barren rocky terrain.
The group stopped from time to time as the researchers collected various soil samples.
An attack eventually came when following a slight rumbling, the ground burst open, disgorging a bizarre form of life. They were lanky framed beings on two long spindly legs that ended in three dagger like digits; their heads were large bulbous things, with no other orifice except a large mouth with endless amounts of razor-sharp teeth; their necks were long and connected to their legs before ending in a long sweeping tail. Their entire bodies were smooth, glistening skin of a light brown shade and at their full standing height were roughly three meters long, however, they hunched low to the ground and moved in powerful bursts by thrusting with their legs.
Four of the beasts burst out of the ground and dove for the center of the group immediately. The squad moved into formation. Yani immediately wrapped his tendrils around the first beast that approached and slammed it hard against the ground. The creature struggled to escape yet seemed unhurt. Another had climbed over it opening its mouth wide as it dove towards the squad.
Two of his squad stepped forward and both released a stream of flames focused on the beast. The creature was hit and jumped to the side, thrashing and screeching in pain as its body ignited. Its remaining brethren spread out to the sides as they charged. They dug their feet into the ground and thrust themselves teeth first at the group.
A soldier coated his body with white translucent energy shield and moved to intercept the left beast. He threw out his hands to catch the creature. They clashed, yet the creature's teeth shattered the energy shield in an instant, closing around the man and snapping him in half. The creature immediately jumped back, raising its head back as it swallowed the half of the soldier in its maw.
On the right flank, Yani watched as a soldier in the way had barely any time to ready his ability before the creature's mouth closed around him entirely with a sickening crunch. It stood, raising its head and swallowed. Yani pulled the creature he pinned, hoping to slam it into another beast, but it dug its feet into the ground and refused to budge.
The fire throwers moved out of the way so their flames wouldn't affect the rest of the squad, but one of them ventured too far away and as the creature thrashed, it suddenly rolled towards them, kicking out one foot. The sharpened foot tore through the torso of one of the fire throwers, killing him instantly. Without support, the flames effectiveness reduced allowing the creature to kick and swing its tail, harassing the at the fire soldier who had no choice but to make a slow retreat towards the group.
Yani felt his tendrils tear and break. His body was struck with a painful backlash, he felt as though he had just torn several muscles in his body, but Yani held strong. He pulled back the remnants into his body then immediately summoned them again, fully reformed, the tendrils latched onto the beast again catching it mid stride. Yani strained his body as he was able to haul the beast this time, slamming it into the one that had eaten half a soldier. Yani did his best to pin them both down.
"David now!"
The soldier did as ordered. He put his hands forth and began to generate a micro-singularity. Unfortunately, he took too long to gather his energy. The beast Yani held had already snapped the tendrils and dove, mouth first at the singularity, swallowing both black-hole and soldier alike. It staggered two steps until its neck area suddenly vanished gushing out silvery blood. The creature fell.
Immediately, the burned creature and the tackled one dove upon the corpses of their brethren, devouring them.
Seeing this, Yani immediately ordered a retreat.
He spat away a mouthful of blood as he reformed his tentacles again, picking up the three porters. He nodded to the fire thrower who then moved to pick up a researcher, and as Yani looked for who else could carry a researcher he spotted Adenoga far in the distance, perched atop a large stone outcropping, waving at Yani and pointing to where he sat.
Adenoga watched the group flee from the creatures. He chuckled once and whispered "from frying pan to fire."
The talisman he held was now vibrating nonstop. Inwardly he grinned with absolute glee. He was about to meet his patron after a lifetime of service, something none in his lineage could ever boast about.
Adenoga watched the people, who he planned to offer to his lord, scamper up to meet him. In the distance, the creatures had finished their meal. Their bulbous heads then turned to the group. The creatures shrieked to the sky then gave chase.
Yani was exhausted by the time the group managed to climb to the top. He wanted to berate Adenoga for abandoning them, but he didn't have it in him when he noticed the creatures were already coming for them. Despair flooded his heart. None of the reports mentioned beasts like this.
He sighed. This was not a good way to die.
The creatures had begun to climb up the outcropping, digging their spindly legs into the rock and pulling themselves up almost as effortlessly as running. Suddenly, they stopped. They retracted their legs, turning their mouths to the ground as they fell. With impossible speed, they dug into the ground and disappeared from view.
Yani couldn't believe his luck. With a wide smile on his face, he looked to Adenoga, assuming the 'consultant' had pulled some trick out of his sleeve.
Instead, he saw Adenoga bowing.
Adenoga was on his knees, his forehead pressed to the ground, his palms raised above his head in abject reverence to something. Muttering rapidly in that same incoherent language.
Yani turned to see. A bright red light overwhelmed his senses, rooting him to the spot. His head was suddenly bombarded with sounds of pitiful distant wails, cries of pain, of anguish, of anger and hatred. Yani's vision filled with flashes of images of blood flowing like a great river, teeming with human like forms and figures that thrashed, cried and begged for salvation from within this evil tide. His breath was caught in his throat, and the last thing Yani experienced was perceiving the silhouette of an approaching being, clad in robes, holding a curved dagger that radiated a sensation of endless malice.
Yani felt his forehead touched lightly, scattering his mind into nothingness.