Chapter 142
The Ally
Monday
Alexa appeared on the sandy shores of a minor beach that looked out over a vast ocean. As soon as she arrived, alerting runes flared to life, runes that alerted others of her presence. Within seconds, Alexa moved to gain control over the runes, but it was already too late as the damage had been done, her presence had already been detected by not one but two different sets of runes. Apparently, the orcs and elves had both been actively monitoring this place for signs of people arriving.
Within seconds, the massive warships that were squaring off with each other in a constant battle for supremacy of the ocean, began lowering smaller boats into the water to come to her.
With this, Alexa felt that she was onto something, that if she just waited long enough, then she could begin to hopefully tell the difference between the oncoming orcs and elves, both sets of which she assumed would be mere Summoned Aspects of real orcs and elves. With that understanding out of the way, she would then hopefully be able to fine tune her scans using Life magic to find a truly living creature out here. That was the goal at least, and that was why Alexa chose that moment to get out of her canoe that had also transferred over with her. Not that a landlocked canoe would do any good. For the canoe itself to be helpful in this situation it would need to be in the water. The only real benefit that the canoe could offer were the runes that helped her expand the distance of her scans and view further out into the ocean than she might otherwise have been able.
Just rising from the canoe, Alexa could feel her effective scanning range drop in a noticeable way. One second she was able to scan the beach she was on, all the way out to the closest two warring ships, and the next she could only scan the inlet. In fact it took her quite a while to be able to pick up the small rowboats that were desperately trying to race towards her.
As the rowboats raced each other, the two sets of crew began fighting one another on their way to the shore. The elven boat fired arrows at the orcs, while the orcs brandishing spears and large cleavers swerved towards the elven row boats.
Seeing their actions Alexa herself could only shake her head slightly in disgust. Then using the time, she tried something, copying the runes she had on the rowboat, she began weaving a few of the more important runes onto parts of her skin. Only allowing them to become visible when she channeled mana into them.
Once that was done, she felt fairly confident with her progress, even weaving in a few obfuscation runes for good measure. Then on the soles of her feet she wove in water density runes, or runes that would purposefully force water molecules to bind together and bunch up. This was one that would have to be powered directly by her own mana well, but that was not a problem for her, not with her mana reserves when compared to the relatively low cost of maintaining a rune.
Feeling that she was confident with the structure of her water walking runes, for that is effectively what they were, she walked forward making sure to activate the runes as she strode confidently forward. There on less than an inch of water, she felt the runes come to life and add surface tension to the water particles that were directly beneath her feet. Seeing that her first step was a success, she strode forward, occasionally having to jump over incoming waves, or ride the surface of the water as waves rippled wildly underneath her feet.
Alexa was a good two dozen paces in, when the first boat recognized what she was doing.
“She is walking on the water.” One elven rower said in elven, as he rowed forward.
As soon as the lead elven rower pointed her out, an orc rower who had been trying to get closer to the elven ship saw the gesture and also looked. From there they too turned to see Alexa.
“The water walker has arrived, just like the prophecy foretold.” The orc rower said, making sure to get the attention of a particularly burly orc who used that exact moment to hurl a metal spear at the elven vessel.
Seeing the flying spear, the elves in a truly remarkable display of unity all decided to use that moment while the spear was hurtling through the air to jump out of the boat and to dive deep under the water.
Crunch!
The spear struck into and through the hull of the rowboat, instantly causing water to pour in from the newly made hole, created by the spear.
The elves then went back to the boat and clearly tried to take out the spear and stuff different items into the newly created hole. One elf took off their vest and jammed it into the hole. This was clearly just a minor stop gap measure, but was one that would allow them to get to land if they tried.
“What do we do?” The elven archer said, throwing their now waterlogged bow onto the boat.
The tallest of the elves paused for a second, before speaking. “We go get the new recruit and the orcish boat. If we die, well we will at least not have to swim back.” The elven leader said, as he stared back to the main boat that they had all come from.
Their voices carried on the surface of the water, something that they seemed to know, and not care about the orcs overhearing their conversation. It was clear that either no one from either group spoke the other’s language, or that they didn’t care if the other party knew of their intentions.
Looking at this, Alexa could see this as a benefit of being a Summoned Aspect, and knowing that your life and death here were just minor things in the grand scheme of events. This allowed people to push themselves to their limits, push themselves beyond what they normally wouldn’t dare try on the off chance that they might find a new personal best. In a way these dungeons allowed people that were fully integrated, to see and experience life to the fullest, all while having only benefits gained from the interaction. Then those that chose like her to experience the true dungeon would be rewarded even more.
In her mind she saw the Summoned Aspect, as probably the lowest level setting of challenging a dungeon, somehow even lower than Green. For as easy as Green difficulty runs were, there was still a chance of death from taking on such a challenge. As a Summoned Aspect, there was no real threat posed to the participant. Still this thought only had enough time to enter her thoughts, before she saw the approach of the Orcs. Seeing as the orc rowboat was the only one still moving, it made sense that they would be the most immediate concern.
Focusing on them, she decided to enact the auxiliary runes that she had woven into her flesh. For a second, her skin and uniform lit up with particles of Light magic. Light that quickly expanded out, before closing back in around her and enveloping her in a bubble of light refracting magic.
One second she was there, then the next she was gone.
While this was hardly the best time for her to try out new theories that had been coming to life within her mind, she also knew that this was exactly what the dungeons were designed for. Dungeons were meant to give you rewards and knowledge that you were then supposed to use in new and creative ways that helped you face down the true threats to the universe, to life itself. Now Alexa knew that Dungeons also had a vested interest in their teaching others, as it seemed that they were both aware of how the universe worked, but were seemingly unable to truly interact with or prevent terrors from happening in the universe. A key example of this were the dungeons that were bound and enslaved by dragons. While Alexa couldn’t state for certain that conquered dungeons came from planets that had been completely conquered by demons, she felt the case wasn’t far off. Still such philosophical questions were supposed to be had elsewhere, when she had time, not when she was being charged down by a pack of war orcs.
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The orcs for their part, just paused.
Six dumbfounded orcs sat, having their boat rock up and down for a full second, as they stared vacantly at the spot where Alexa had just been standing. A spot where she still stood, as she had not moved, just enacted her newly acquired knowledge in a different way, through runes.
Realizing her mistake, she began to move, subtly, still walking on the water, but in an opposite direction. In a way runes made it feel like she was cheating. Normally keeping two different spells active would stretch her mind to its limit and even then she would not be able to focus, whereas using runes made it so she could both walk on water and keep a bubble of refracted light around her active at the same time, with only a minor drain on her mana. Realizing this, she felt that maybe Mr. Mackie was onto something when he covered the whole school with runes. While they were crude and extremely wasteful with mana, they did provide the ability to do multiple things all at once. Then deciding to do just that, she used her Life monitoring amplification runes and reached out her senses until she finally found the source of life she had been looking for.
Badump.
Life was just slightly different from the others that were here. While most of the life forms she found here were muted imitations, there was one that was full and vibrant, like a spot of color in a noir film. That was what she found, when she identified what had to be Kelvin’s life, aboard the large war vessel to the right.
Seeing the person she was looking for, or at least relatively certain she had found a life of a second living breathing person here, she began to run.
Splash, plop, splash.
“Wait. Get us out of here!” A powerful orc voice cried out, apparently having heard her attempts to run on the water.
Hearing them, Alexa turned back and stared at the orcs.
There in the boat was an old female orc that had a pale glowing aura to her. She looked like she had both one foot in the grave and one foot firmly planted in the realm of deep magics. Looking at her, it was clear that magics that Alexa had never seen before radiated from her.
Just seeing the old orc caused a wave of greed to pulse down her spine, as part of her mentally hungered for the unique energies that she clearly held within her. Seeing the woman, and the fact that she was clearly no threat, Alexa immediately felt shame wash through her mind as well. What type of monster would she be, if she only sought to devour new and foreign forms of energy. Shaking her head, she almost turned to leave, but the woman called out to her.
“Wait.” The voice was both distant and right next to her ear. With a start Alexa realized it was a form of magic, one that she had never seen or experienced before. Again, this caused a wave of greed to go through her mind, but she fought it down. First of all, Alexa could tell that the figure she saw in the boat was just a projection, not even the real orc. A quick glance showed that the projection was tethered by a long thin strand to the other warship, the one that did not have Kelvin on it.
“You can see me, this is good, as it shows you are the one the prophecy spoke about.” The old orc said, her image suddenly appearing to float right in front of Alexa. Being this close Alexa could slightly feel the ripple of unknown magic that pulled the old woman here. She could feel the way the blind elderly orc used a different form of sight to see.
Then with a start, Alexa realized the old woman didn’t see, not truly, as her eyes had apparently long since gone away. Instead, it seemed that the old woman seemed to see the world in the same way she did. “You see energy?” Alexa found herself asking, trying to confirm.
“That I do child.” The old orc said, her voice somehow comforting.
Hearing that, Alexa nodded, it made sense, while she was hidden from those that used light to see, she had to stand out like a beacon to someone like her, someone who could see energy.
“You are like me?” Alexa asked.
“No child, no one is like you. I have waited for this day for a long time.” The old woman said, and then seemed to collapse to her knees in exhaustion. This was an odd sight, as the old woman just dropped down to the surface of the water and began riding the waves up and down, just as Alexa herself was.
“You have?” Alexa asked, wondering what the old woman meant.
“I have. This war, this battle for dominance, has gone on for too long. And I am too old and powerful to die normally. Now only you can send us all home.”
“Send you home?” Alexa asked, her mind trying to keep up with the old woman but failing to do so.
“Yes, we have been here in a constant battle for far too long. It is time for all of us to go home.”
“Why don’t you just solve the dungeon if it is that important to go back.”
At that the old orc just shook her head. “We are too foolish, too arrogant. None of us wish to move on, unless the opposing forces are also forced to move on. That is why you, and you alone can end this.”
Alexa paused, staring at the old orc, then with one word she said what she thought the old wise seer was getting at. “Banishment?”
“Banishment.” She said, nodding.
“How did you know I had that ability?” Alexa asked, somewhat confused.
“You have the Dungeon Runner title, not just that, but you have earned it a total of fifteen times, and even once for this very dungeon.” The old seer said.
“You can see which dungeons I have completed?”
“I can see a great many things. But yes, the individual dungeons completed are not beyond my realm of comprehension.” She said, as a matter of fact.
Alexa stared at the apparition before her, somehow she knew that if she reached out, her slotted class would allow her to not only disrupt the image before her, but also absorb part of it and its power. The energy called out to her in ways that both excited and frightened her. Clinching her teeth, she fought through the compulsion, the near growing need to consume the foreign energy before her. Something on her face must have shown her inner conflict, while she was winning, it was just a barely win.
“You have remarkably strong control. The last one of you who made it this far had lashed out at me twice by now.”
“The last one?”
“Oh yes, you are not the first to have been handed this burden. Nor will you be the last, but you are remarkably well controlled for one so young.” She said, approvingly.
At that Alexa nodded, but then turned away, as if that would somehow lessen the strain on her. The all consuming need to absorb the foreign energy and make it her own.
“Good girl.” The old crone said, a note of approval in her voice. Apparently she was happy with the fact that Alexa had chosen that moment to turn away, to not fully embrace the need to steal power.
“Was this all a test? Now that I have passed you do not wish to talk to me anymore?” Alexa asked, speaking to the being over her shoulder, while the temptation to steal the power was there, it wasn’t nearly as impossible to ignore anymore.
“Oh no, everything I said was the complete truth. I wish for you to banish us completely. Even if you were not you, I would have asked you to banish us. The fact that you are you, just makes it that much better.” The old crone said.
“Let me guess, banishing the two fleets will not get rid of you?” Alexa asked.
“You are perceptive, yes. I sadly had to stay behind, to ensure we didn’t release another monster.” The old woman said, and as she spoke, Alexa could feel waves of energy rolling off of the form behind her. Waves that were so bright and intense that they almost felt like they burned her to her very core. In an instant, Alexa knew that her instincts were correct, that she didn’t want anything to do with this old creature who had more power than even Magdala, or the fully enhanced Elven princess. In the princess’s case it was only partial power due to her being a Summoned Aspect, and that is what this form felt like. But now that the old crone was no longer hiding herself, or her energies, Alexa could feel the second life form in this dungeon. The second true life form in this dungeon came directly from the internal hull of the orc ship.
Alexa nodded at the revelation that there had been other attempts to have someone like her, someone with the Absorber class come through these different trials. This old woman seemed to have come from a time before there was a rift between the elves and orcs. “So it’s true. At one point the Orcs and the Elves were united in a common war against the demons?”
“We are still united, though those who remained behind to run the Trials of Ascension, lost track of their original goal of being here. At first they were here to weed out the truly terrible monsters, those that would take and abuse their power for evil. Then over time, poaching became a norm, tagging one particularly promising recruit to be guided towards a particular path or group. Then, as time went on, everyone became occupied with getting the best recruits, versus our true purpose. I stayed behind, knowing that I was one of the last real checks to make sure we didn’t release a true monster into the universe. I am glad, that I didn’t need to stop you.” She said.
At that Alexa, feeling more in control over herself, turned around to face the truly powerful astral projection before her. Now it was clear that even a minor aspect like this one’s projected form would have been too much for her to compete against. It was the sheer overwhelming force that she now felt that made it all the clearer as to why her instincts no longer craved the energy, there was no need to crave something so far outside of your own weight class.
“And that talk of a prophecy?” Alexa asked.
Cackle.
“That was just nonsense spoken of to see if you had an inflated ego about yourself. No there are no prophecies, or destinies, only the path that you choose to take, and the way you choose to take it.” The old crone said.
At that Alexa just nodded.
“So what now?”
“Now you go banish the two opposing forces, thus stopping this ceaseless violence. You go rescue your friend and I go back to my ship.” The old crone said.
Alexa looked at the old woman, “that isn’t everything.”
Cackle.
“You are too perceptive, no, you are right, that is not everything. But it is what you will need to know for now.”
At that Alexa paused and was just about to leave, when she asked one final question. “What happens if this class is too much? If I feel that I am becoming a monster?”
“You will always have a choice. Never assume your life is set in stone. You and you alone will chose the ultimate direction your life will unfold.”
Poof.
With that the astral body of the old orc crone disappeared, with it, Alexa felt that a great weight had been released from her very soul, as she let out a long breath in relief. Never before had she felt such power, and she honestly hoped she would never feel that type of power again, though realistically, she knew she was just dreaming if that was to be the case.
Turning back to the ship that held Kelvin, Alexa focused her mind for a moment. Then began summoning thirteen copies of herself, all using the same sets of water walking and invisibility runes. Only once they were formed did Alexa begin the task that she was asked for. A task where she had to create a banishment circle large enough to send back both ships filled with soldiers. Normally this would take forever, particularly with needing to run three loops around choppy water, but with thirteen of her making the same track, she felt it would be manageable, even if it was slightly taxing.
Still she had a lot to think about, and such a long run would give her plenty of time to think about everything she had just learned.
So, at least one person remembers the original purpose for these Trials of Ascension, Alexa thought to herself, as she began the first part of enacting the old crone’s plans. Seeing as these plans worked with her own, she had no problem following them, for now.