“Missing, I need you.”
Retvik was half asleep, but Arkay and Litvir immediately snapped to attention. Arkay also summoned some wraps for the three of them, because they were all naked again.
“I, uh, take it this is pretty damn serious, since Retvik isn’t even awake yet…” Arkay glanced at Retvik, who was struggling to orientate himself. He was clearly so sleepy that it hadn’t quite occurred to him yet that he had been teleported out of his bed and into a chair.
“It is rather serious. You are currently available, yes?”
Retvik rubbed his eyes, then finally worked out what was going on. “Oh, hello Deathven. You caught us at an awkward moment.”
Deathven eyed Retvik, annoyed that he had used Deathven’s real name and not his codename. “Flamebearer…”
“Sorry, I just woke up. I was asleep before you teleported us all here.”
Deathven eyed Retvik some more. “You sleep?”
“Indeed. Litvir and I have only been deities for, what, five and a half year-strings now? We were mortal for a long time before that, so we still do mortal things like needing to eat and sleep.”
“And also, it is nice to lie in a warm bed with your partners by your side!” Litvir added. “You should try it sometime!”
Deathven turned his glare to Litvir, then growled and changed the subject. He had more important things that needed discussing.
“Whatever. You three, I need you for an urgent mission.”
“Is it Voidborns?” Arkay asked.
“Yes.”
“Is it a diplomatic mission with them? Am I going to have to make myself into Statarkon again?”
“Yes, but only briefly…” Deathven grunted, then started to explain. “You are all aware of Spiritguide of the Travellers, yes?”
The Missing all nodded.
“Good. Well, Spiritguide is not the only feline deity out there. He in fact occasionally watches over a small sect of feline Divine Guardians and Decay Lords who admittedly do not do much, but they do stick together and provide support and cuteness to those who require it. However, a Voidborn cult has attacked the Kittir’s base and kidnapped most of their members-”
“Then we have to save them right now!” Litvir interrupted. “Tell us where-”
Deathven raised his hands, prompting Litvir to calm down. “We are going to save them. Spiritguide has already found where they have been taken. However, the area is heavily fortified and blocked off by some sort of shield that only allows Voidborns through.”
“So you need me to get in and break that shield?”
“Actually, Deathbringer, I just need you to get in. You will be given a tracking beacon, and once you have passed those shields and are in a large space, Flamebearer, Souldrainer, the Travellers, the Aphthorai and several teams of Divine Trios will all be teleported to your location by my underlings. Once you are inside, Souldrainer, you are to accompany the Travellers while they seek out the location of the hostages, while the rest of you will cause as large a distraction as possible.
“Flamebearer, while Souldrainer works, you will be the one giving directions and examining the situation. You will also be given a beacon, and once the Travellers have completed their task and have been extracted from the situation, you will need to gather everyone together so you can also be teleported out of the wreckage.
“Deathbringer, when all allies are clear of the area, I want you to destroy as much of the Voidborn cult and their base as possible. How you do that is up to you, but I want these Voidborns gone, and I wish to send a message.
“Should any of you be hurt, my underlings and the Healers are on standby to teleport you out and get you fixed up, but if your wounds are not severe, you will be sent back in, until the Travellers have rescued everyone.”
“That… sounds doable…” Arkay shrugged. “Are we allowed to kill anyone before the “I start blowing things up” stage?”
“Normally, I would say no, we do not want too much bloodshed. But we are talking about a Voidborn cult that is threatening kittens, so you are free to murder as many Voidborns as you please. After all, beings who decide to attack and hurt cats do not deserve kindness. We have already lost several feline deities, we do not want to lose any more. We need to send a message.”
Retvik, Litvir and Arkay all glanced at each other, then nodded in agreement.
“Alright, we’re in!” Arkay exclaimed. “When are we going?”
“I will give you four hours to get yourselves armed and armoured, I will teleport you back here briefly to give you your required gear before sending you off. Spiritguide will lead things from there, and will be your superior for this mission. Understood?”
The Missing all nodded. “Understood.”
“Good. Get yourselves ready for a tough battle. We do not know why these Voidborns want these cats, and they will not go down without a fight.”
“That is fine. We have fought plenty of Voidborns before!” Retvik smiled uneasily. “I am sure we will have no problems at all.”
“Good. Very good. I appreciate your assistance.”
Deathven smiled a tiny bit, then snapped his fingers. In an instant, Retvik, Litvir and Arkay reappeared at Savepoint. Yet again, they had been teleported into the middle of their base and not back to their bedrooms or anything.
“Is everything alright?” Itaviir asked as he approached. “did Deathven summon you again?”
“He did, yeah…” Arkay frowned. “Were gonna be going on an emergency mission in four hours. Also, I need to work out how Deathven knows how to just teleport us three and not other people and how his powers work in general. Mostly just so I can work out why he can’t teleport those cat deities out himself.”
“We will work that out later!” Litvir growled as he stormed off, back to his bedroom, presumably to put some armour on. “We cannot delay ourselves here! We have fluffy kitties to save!”