Alex released a long sigh and dropped bonelessly to the ground and lay on his back looking up at the sky.
“Till? Are you ok?”
“I’m fine. It’s just good to be out of the city. Really good.”
The professor turned back to look in the direction they had come from, then looked down at her companion.
“It really looks like the city was dropped into the middle of a small dessert, you can even see the greenery starting up.”
Alex rolled over and looked in the direction of the Colorado then slumped down again, his voice came through muffled as he spoke into the dusty soil.
“You’re telling me I dramatically dropped to the ground and if I’d waited a few minutes I would’ve been dropping to grass not… this?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it!”
Alex struggled to his feet and dragged himself the rest of the way. Instead of dropping to the ground he took the time to look around.
“This is really odd.” Alex opened the Map and looked at where he was, then looked back in the direction he’d come from. “Professor, this doesn’t make sense.”
“You’re just noticing the issue with the Colorado?”
“You knew?”
“Of course.”
“But… why?”
“Use your words.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“It didn’t really seem important. You were busy and what could you do?”
“What could I-” Alex pressed clenched fists against his face and counted to five. “Nothing. But it is very unusual.”
“My hypothesis is that when the System tinkers with geography it doesn’t recreate areas it takes them from Earth’s that didn’t develop. Viracocha created thousands of Earth’s, surely they didn’t all develop life. The System could be copy and pasting, or drag and dropping sections from other primeval Earth’s and using them to create areas. Like a developer using code from one project to speed up another.”
“That’s far more logical than what I was thinking.”
“What were you-”
“Never mind. So, same river, just different?”
“Eloquent. Basically, the question that comes up now is why the Outpost was in the primeval section and not the Earth 0 part.”
“System Fuckery?”
“In this situation I think your crassness is accurate. I would postulate that due to natural changes in the geography of Earth 0 since the Outposts were founded that some areas were no longer accessible and they were transferred to a primeval location. Others will have remained in place, or as close to their original location as Systemly possibly.”
“Works for-”
“Gods! Do you ever stop blathering?”
Alex and the professor looked at each other then turned to see a tall, slender man standing behind them. Both opened their mouths to reply but Alex spoke first.
“Rude.”
“Accurate.”
Alex turned back to his companion and shook his head.
“You were speaking more than me.”
“This time. It’s usually you, talking more than you need to, typically when you should be paying attention as the elf walks up to stab you.”
“Elf? Oh, this muppet?”
Name: Malveron Darkthorn
Race: Dark Elf (Earth 93)
Class: Ebonshadow Saboteur
Title: Eclipse Blade, Master Assassin
Pantheon: Mörkaldrek
Level: 60
“Mörkaldrek?”
“The Dark Elf Pantheon. Only a few Earth’s acknowledge their existence.”
“The existence of Dark Elves?”
“No, that they have a Pantheon. Interestingly, the Mörkaldrek is only found on Earth’s where Norse mythology is completely different, that is to say, the Dark Elves killed the Norse, the Æsir and their followers before the stories of Odin, Thor and the rest could spread. They then seeded the stories of themselves in the minds and hearts of the fledgling Dark Elf population that they populating the vacant Norse lands with.”
“So, there are Dark Elves on other Earth’s, they just don’t have a Pantheon.”
“Yes.”
“So they might worship the Æsir, or other Pantheon’s?”
“Some do, yes.”
“Heretics!”
The companions looked back at Malveron.
“Heretics?”
The Dark Elf stared at Alex then spat, the liquid landed on a rock which seemed to burn like an acid was eating into it.
“Any residents of Svartálfheim that worship the Æsir are hertics and should burn in døkk eldr!”
“Looks like we have a fanatic. Professor what is ahh… ‘dork elder’?”
The professor frowned at Alex then shook her head slightly.
"Døkk eldr is dark fire.”
“Of course it is. If you don’t like someone you just burne them until they go away.”
The professor cleared her throat pointedly and Alex looked at her, taking in her raised eyebrow and he coloured slightly.
“Right. Pot calling the kettle… dark elf. Anyway. What can I do for you, Malveron?”
“You need to die.”
“I need to… what?”
“Die!”
“I get that, but why?”
The elf had started to move forward then stopped, visibly surprised.
“Why?”
“Well yeah, why do I need to die? What have I done to you?”
“To me?”
“This is going to get old. How bout, and I realise this could be hard, how bout when I ask you a question you just answer it. Instead of repeating some of it then looking all confused.” Malveron's eyes widened and Alex pointed at the elfish face. “Like that.”
“The Mörkaldrek demands it.”
“So the Dark Elf Pantheon demands that you kill me?”
“Yes.”
Alex pinched his nose and sighed softly.
“Why? Wait,” Alex held up a hand and breathed out, visibly calming himself. “Why has your Pantheon decided I need to die?”
“Another Pantheon requested assistance. An agreement was reached, a mutually beneficial agreement.”
“That's how it was explained to you wasn't it, just like that.”
“Yes.”
“The Onix Trono?”
“You dare speak of Celestial Accords.”
“Yes. Fuck me, these pricks just keep getting more desperate. If it wasn't for the fact that they godnapped Viracocha I'd think they were the Multiverse's deified versions of the robbers from Home Alone.”
The professor snorted softly then frowned.
“Stop swearing! Also, I think that was your first unprompted pop culture reference. Proud professor moment.”
Alex and the professor smiled then turned back to the fuming elf who was summoning and dismissing long daggers made of pure darkness as he looked from Alex to the space where the professor was.
“He can’t see you-”
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“Who are you speaking with, human?”
“That answers that,” Alex kept watching the daggers as he replied, “My companion. Now, are you sure we can’t just go on our way? You can… how are you here?”
“My Goddess delivered me personally,” the elf seemed to swoon slightly and his dark eyes lit with a new intensity, “she has charged me with the duty. If I fail, I’ll never return to Svartálfheim. I’ll be cast out.”
“That’s a bit rough. Did your Goddess our anyone from the Trono give you any advice? Do you know how I fight?”
“I have received a Buff from My Lady of the Dark, Zyrithia, the Shadow Reaver.”
“So they threw you in rough, surely you have fire protection?”
“Fire…?”
“Yeah, it’s famously good against shadows.”
You are being Scanned
“There we go.”
Alex and presumably the professor watched as Malveron read the detail on the Scan screen. Turning to the professor Alex say that she had moved off to the side and was sitting in her ethereal thinking chair while reading a book.
“Really? You’re reading now?”
“This was too slow. You’re like two courting baboons. Just get to it. Kill him and we can move on.”
“I feel bad, it’s honestly like they’re throwing anyone at me now. This guy? He should’nt be here. His Goddess dropped him off… it’s just cruel.”
“Is that confidence or arrogance?”
Alex tilted his head to the side then looked back at the elf who was swiping through screens, or waving mindlessly at the air, either was possible.
“Honestly? Both, but mostly confidence. Look at this guy.,,”
The professor squirmed in her chair until she could see over her shoulder and grimaced.
“Poor guy. The Trono is getting desperate. Unless this is all an act. He does have the Master Assissin title.”
“True. Maybe there’s a way to buy titles on his Earth.”
“Regardless, just finish this, I’m bored.”
“Apologies your majesty, I ws trying not to be too bloodthirsty.”
The professor gave Alex a look then shook her head slightly before going back to her book and Alex walked back to the elf.
“Let’s do this then. Out of curiosity, how did you get the Master Assassin title? Was it a Quest?”
“I inherited it from my father’s sire.”
Alex sighed and hung his head.
“I really don’t have time for this. Are you sure you won’t just go home?”
“My Goddess wouldn’t allow such a display of cowardice. No, we fight and I will be vict-”
“Blazing Hurl.”
Alex walked forwards as he released the axe, watching the pools of fire that were released in the weapon’s wake. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the professor put a bookmark in and close her book before both it and the chair disappeared. With a strangled scream the axe buried itself in Malveron’s chest, lifting the slender elf off his feet and slamming him into a tree which in turn caught fire when he slumped to the ground at its base. Alex stepped into a pool of fire, disappeared, then reappeared in front of the elf who was screaming as his clothes burnt.
“I didn’t want this. Your Pantheon-” Alex cut himself off when he saw the fear in the elf’s eyes. “The Onix Trono sent you here to die, this is on them.”
With that Alex reached out, shoved the axe through the elf’s chest then tore it up and out through Malveron’s shoulder. The elf died in silence as Volcanic Essence burnt his lungs, snuffing out his ability to even scream.
“What a waste.”
Alex looked up at the sky and shook his head before turning his back on the burning body and tree and walking away.
“Till, are you ok?”
“No. I will be, but right now I’m angry. Malveron was sent here to die. Sending someone that would be a challenge, sure, I get that, I like that, but sending… that,” he jerked a thumb over his shoulder which made the professor look back at the smouldering ashes that was all that was left of the elf and tree, “that’s just a waste of my time.”
“Exactly.”
“What?”
“It’s a waste of your time. You saw Viracocha, I didn’t, but from what you’ve said and what ‘Crush’ said to Mama, he wasn’t well. Is there a chance he’s only got a certain amount of time left? Crush said something about taking over world’s, that would remove some of dad’s power until they can kill him. He looked weak, maybe we are on a time limit.
The professor nodded slowly and stopped before turning to Alex.
“Dad?”
“What? Oh, ‘Crush’ refers to Viracocha as dad. You didn’t hear what he called Mama?”
“Fascinating. I thought that was just because of her name. Fascinating. I wonder…” The professor shook herself and kept walking. “You know what this means don’t you?”
“This was the first in a long line of delaying tactics, pointless fights.”
“That wasn’t a fight.”
Alex sighed and hung his head.
“Till, it isn’t your fault.”
“I know, still, I don’t like killing Adventurers, even ones from another Earth.”
“You’ll have to get over that before this all ends.”
“Ends? How can it end?”
“I, interesting. I’d never really thought about that. Have you?”
Alex shrugged and sped up slightly to keep pace with the professor’s glide walk.
“A lot. Viracocha back, designing Earth’s for, or with, the System and the Trono, a smoldering pile of ashes. Similar to old Malveron back there.”
“Too soon, Till. There's also a level restriction on Adventurer’s intentionally coming over from other Earth’s.”
“65?”
“No, why would it be… oh, Jadon. No, the restriction is 15 levels above the highest level resident. That means an Earth 0 born resident. Not Zargath.”
“So the highest level time waster will be 75. That could be interesting.”
“It will be if they group up.”
Alex rubbed his hands together and looked excited.
“What?”
“Looks like the Captain will be the third most powerful in no time.”
“Did you get experience for killing Malveron?”
Alex grimaced and shook his head.
“The System decided that the lack of ‘challenge’ mean that no experience was earned. I can't disagree, plus, I feel like that would give a lot of strong Adventurers an incentive to prey on the weak, something we don't want.”
“Agreed. Though, you think too highly of most 0's.”
“0's?”
“Reducing Earth 0 to something more easier seemed prudent with our expected guests.”
“0's. I like it.”
“What now?”
Alex pulled up his Map and pointed in the direction of the river.
“We run. I want to reach the river as soon as possible. The quicker we can Scan the shoreline the faster we can find the next Outpost.”
“Sounds like you'll be putting me to work.”
Alex laughed and sped up, calling back over his shoulder.
“It'll be good to get back to some archaeology, it was the best part of our time pre-Lost Vegas, and definitely the source of my best memories. At least before that night.”
“The three of us made a good team.”
“Four, Ben was there.”
“I choose to think of him as an unexpectedly intelligent pet.”
“He did act like a Jack Russell, loud and overly excitable.”
The professor laughed and would've run into a tree but phased through it without stopping.
“He was also loyal and would've done anything to protect… let's change the subject.”
The two continued in silence with the professor carefully watching Alex's jaw muscles as he ground his teeth. When the sounds of water made it to them he visibly relaxed, going as far as to shake out his hands which had been clenched so tightly she could see red crescents on his palm.
“Can you Scan the shore-”
Bonus Archaeology Quest Unlocked
Quest - Earth 0 | Incan Outpost Archaeology Site
Find all of Historical Significance at the Site
This quest is only accessible for 2 Earth 0 hours due to the proximity of an Adventurer/Archaeologist who has completed previous
Error
Completed previous parts of The Quest
This area contains a site where an Incan Scouting party initially made camp then set up an Outpost after being forced to divert down an unknown river while evading a highly aggressive and unknown
Error
While evading a highly aggressive Onix Trono Raiding party from another Earth
Site Accessible: 23:59:58
23:59:57
23:59:56
“Interesting. The text has been updated slightly from the last one.”
“The System seems to be struggling to incorporate all the information you've learned with its usual quest text.”
“Do you think… could Viracocha be doing this?”
“I've never heard of another entity being able to alter System information, but if anyone could it would be the architect and builder of System worlds.”
“Right, where to start?”
“No, no. This is my time to shine Till.”
Alex held up both hands and stepped back, giving thr professor space. For her part she walked to the waters edge and held both hands out and released multiple pulse of light then faltered slightly but caught herself.
“Professor?”
With a slight shake of her ethereal hair and an arching of her back the professor nodded to her former student then after appearing to think on thr situation a little further pulled out her chair and flopped heavily into it. Alex crouched down beside her looking concerned.
“I'll be fine. That's the first time since my evolution that I've accessed my Archaeology subroutines, it took more energy than I expected.”
“You're sure you're OK?”
“Yes Till. Go on. I'll just sit here for a while. Go, kill things and find what we're here for.”
Alex stood and gave the professor a long look, then, seemingly happy with what he'd seen he smiled and looked out over the Colorado, then turned slightly looking north to where the Hoover was conveniently hidden. Pulling up his Map Alex followed the river with his left eye while tracing its path on the Map with his right. As he watched details populated on the screen.
“Thanks professor.”
She waved a hand while leaning back, apparently more interested in feeling the sun on her face.
Switching all of his attention to the screen he traced the river from Lost Vegas down to the Gulf of California, grimacing at how far they might have to travel. Walked away from the professor he made a few changes to the Map, asking it to display quest information, all details that weren't related to the river seemed to fall away and the section from where he stood South of the Hoover Dam to Bullhead City took on a new clarity and was further indicated by a glowing gold line.
“Till, company?”
Alex spun and saw what looked to be a large zip slowly opening in mid-air. As the opening grew, large claws appeared around the edges to tug and rip at the opening to tear it open faster.
“For fucks sake.”
A large Kyrn Rat tumbled through the half open tear in reality, it’s claws smoking until it drove them into the ground at it’s feet. As it stood, tugging the claws out of the ground it looked up at Alex and hissed, spraying out a mix of blood and spit.
“These pricks again!”
Alex withdrew his axe and with a sigh threw it at the tear so it embedded itself in the ground where the rat had spilled through. As the axe slammed into the ground a pool of firy lava spread out from it.
The rat had evaded the axe by leaping forwards and Alex mirrored it by moving so the rat was between him and his axe. Clenching his fists he called forth the Chains of Woe then pulled back with his left. His axe sprung from the ground pulling with it a a trail of fire and lava. The axe rotated and carved through the chest of the oblivious rat, leaving it dead before it hit the ground as the Volcanic Essence burned it from the inside out. Catching his axe Alex moved forwards scowling while tossing the weapon from hand to hand.
“Will you pricks fuck off?”
A rat stepped through, shrieking in pain as it walked into the lava that was already cooling into sharp spurs of basalt. Another step cracked the surface of the lava causing flames to spring up around the rat’s left leg. Then more of the humanoid rats came through the tear, claws and weapons brandished and ready to attack.
Alex broke into a run, growling to himself about the waste of time and ‘fucking rats’ which earned him a reprimand from the professor who hadn’t left her chair.
“Volcanic Eruption! Flame Whirlwind!”
Alex, flames, lava and an axe blade made of volcanic rock landing in the middle of the mass of rats. Smoldering Embers rolled out with the torrents of lava and the rats were locked down from the chains it generated. The chains, infused with Volcanic Essence pulled every enemy into range and dragged them to their knees, exposing their throats, reducing their fire resistance and increasing their damage taken.
The Fire Warrior’s fury because a physical weapon, both Primal Fury and Volcanic Fury activated without being called on, the unexpected surge in stats resulted in absolute carnage. Alex released a scream that scared any natural, Earth 0 animal away from the area. He was Fire and Fury incarnate. For the first time since the start of the Integration Alex had the attention of the Multiverse.