Chapter 3 - An Agreement

In the room that resembled a living embodiment of a medieval feast painting, I could identify many beings, some as large as the host, while others as small as the smallest dwarf I have personally seen.

"I can see that what you're seeing surprises you," the host said.

"I'm not accustomed to seeing so many beings different from myself. I apologize, I have no experience with intergalactic gatherings."

I believe reading my mind gave that great being a reference, because when I finished my response, I heard a loud laughter.

"HAHAHAHA!!! By the Gods, you're quite amusing. I can almost taste the irony and indulgence in your words. Come with me, I want you to meet the other harvests."

Having someone reading my mind all the time was, at the very least, saddening. No matter how hard I tried to think of joyful things, my doubts, frustrations, and fears would seep through. What made me feel even more uneasy was knowing that there would be no secrets about my misfortunes and unhappiness.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, and whatever you may call yourselves. Please, make yourselves comfortable in my humble abode. We need to discuss the reason why you all are here."

As he rambled on about a story of legends, heroes, and betrayals, I found myself wondering what the point was in taking us away from where we were to try and resolve something that mattered little to us. But it seemed our host knew the answer to this.

"I see that many of you haven't focused on the grand history of our continent, but I find that understandable; after all, you come from another universe. What difference would one less planet on the menu make in the grand wheel of time? I want you to understand that everyone is here because they want something, and they want it with such fervor that it is tattooed in their blood and bones. And if I told you that it's possible to have what you desire, what would you do? Or rather, how far would you go?"

I cannot deny that his words struck me in an inexplicable way, and the feeling of having something long lost reignited within my soul. A purpose.

"In this manner, I, Gildor, the first of my name, propose an agreement to you all. Help me achieve the freedom of my people, and there will be no limits to what I can offer you."

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

I could see his gaze scanning through everyone in that room until it landed on me. In that moment, the possibility of reclaiming what I had lost, however small, gave me the certainty that I would face whatever was necessary.

"Well then, I see motivation in your eyes, and that's what I need. Let's go over what you need to know."

As I paid attention to every word, nuance, and meaning, I understood the situation of this vast continent.

The Great Oracles of this world, whoever they may be, predicted what they called the Calamity, which is nothing more than the rise of the infernal underworld into the great continent of Baliscore. It was said that this event would be the end for all races on this planet, which, despite their power, could not compare to the underworld.

Of course, the story was confusing, and most of the motivations were incomprehensible. But in that moment, I didn't need a reason, I needed a goal, something that could bring back what was important.

"We knew when it would happen, which is why we prepared and created all of you. However, we have been fighting against this plague for over a thousand years without making any progress in any direction. That's why we need as much help as possible."

Gildor explained in a convoluted manner that his strategy was to invade what he called the Dungeons and destroy them one by one. But the simplicity ended there, as for this purpose, we were bestowed with a blessing or what he called a Gift. It was random, and to put it in perspective, it was like a massive die with infinite possibilities, where only a few finite ones were useful. The vast majority of powers were irrelevant, to put it simply, trash.

The idea implemented by the Alfs was to create numerous planets within the vastness of the known universe, maximizing possibilities and adding more numbers to the equation. A commendable idea.

"I would like to say that your mission will be easy and that you will be able to finish it in this lifetime, but to be honest, after so much time, all we have left is hope. I hope that you can achieve your dreams by fulfilling ours."

Just like the first time I was catapulted into this world, my body shimmered once again, and I realized that I was being teleported into the unknown.

"Well, I guess that sums it up. Each of you will be transported to your respective designated regions. Strength, gentlemen."

I had many unanswered questions, and the explanation given was extremely vague. How does the dungeon work? What is that panel that appeared on my face? What about classes? What will happen to my dogs? Anger welled up in my throat, but I remained calm, as a strike from that huge being would turn me into a mere statistic.

"Oops! I forgot to mention soul storage. Well, I guess the folks on the other side will explain it to you. HAHAHAHA!"

His laughter was intimidating, and despite the content of what was said, it didn't seem like he genuinely cared about the future of his race. Nevertheless, I was being carried along by the tide of events, and staying out of all this was not an option.

I wanted to understand how far I could go and how challenging it would be to achieve my objective.