Pandora left Robert sleeping alone in her mother’s castle. He’d be up soon enough and on his way north with everyone else to take the portal to the Trial of Transcendence. Her primary body and the second Replicant were busy working with her mother, her Primaries mother, the hell with it, her mother. They were all mentally connected anyway; it was pointless to get bent out of shape thinking of any portion of herself as not her. Since the other two concurred, that’s all she needed to know.
Pandora walked out into the closed garden, took in the night, and activated Shadow Step. The replicated shadow realm held the shapes and even some creatures that moved to attack her until she flared her aura. She made sure to release only enough of her aura to scare the animals off, not destroy them utterly. Her attributes were so far above what anyone expected with the new limits in place that she had to be careful, or she’d kill anything that interacted with her.
Pandora released her aura and watched as the creatures modified their behavior instantly. They fled. She smiled, shifted to her Umbral Dragon form, and launched into the air. Hunting the low-level monsters down wouldn’t net her enough experience to be worth the effort, so she left her aura at about what she’d give off if she were about level 2,000. Anything above that level that decided she was worthy of coming after might be worth the effort of killing for its experience. Then again, she didn’t care about killing just to get experience. She’d inherited her mother’s views toward killing. She wasn’t going to go out of her way to kill other creatures unless she was hungry or the creature crossed her in some way.
Pandora brought her thoughts back to the current moment, turned to the north, and adjusted so that she was rising to the height she’d need to be by the time she reached the cliff face. The aerie, or tower, rested on the edge of the cliff almost a mile high over the hills and forest below it. She had memories of the area through the copy of her father’s memories in Tantur, but she’d never traveled out of the city until today. As this was a different Universe than the one her father had first traveled to, there were slight differences.
Pandora stayed in the Plane of Shadow until she reached her father’s abode. She crossed back into the Material Plane and landed on the aerie’s roof. As she landed, she polymorphed back into her human form and stepped to the corner of the roof where her mother said the portal would be. Pandora's high perception allowed her to recognize the portal immediately.
Pandora stepped through the portal and found himself in a clean room, just like the one her father had created for Portal’s Inc.
You have entered the Outer Domain of Adamantadine.
If you do NOT wish to leave your current Universe, please return through the portal you just stepped through.
Pandora looked around. The chamber was well-lit and about 50 feet square. There were four portals in the room: three in line behind her, about 10 feet apart. The fourth portal was directly in front of her. Behind and to her right the portal had the number 911 painted on the floor. Pandora looked down. Directly beneath her feet was the number 997. Behind her and off to her left was another Portal with the number 1,009 painted on the ground. Additionally, “Racoon City” was painted below the numbers. There was nothing painted on the ground to the fourth portal directly in front of her.
As she looked around the room, Pandora’s perk, Nanite Communication, activated. A brief communication happened before a voice started speaking from the air in front of her. Once the voice started speaking she realized the room was saturated with nanites as Nanite Communication was able to communicate with the nanites there.
Intruder Identity Confirmed.
Defenses Deactivated.
Welcome Pandora.
This chamber acts as a bridge between three Universes and the Domain of your father, Adamantadine.
Universe 911 contains both Earth and Primore, which can be reached from the portal with 911 on the floor beneath it. If you enter the portal, it will take you to Stonehenge on Earth or your father’s Aerie on Primore. The Archways to the Trial of Transcendence are located on this Earth.
Universe 997 contains both Earth and Primore. Again, this portal exits at either Stonehenge on Earth or Aerie on Primore. This Universe contains the kingdom for which your mother serves as queen.
Universe 1,009 contains both Earth and Primore, though the portal for this universe only opens to Racoon City. It should also be noted that this Universe most closely resembles your father’s original universe in that Nanite Technology is not suppressed at all within this Universe. Your father has left the counterpart to Tantur he created, Ray, in charge. Ray is currently repeating what Thor and Odin did in the original digital Universe, in so far as that is possible of course.
May I be of assistance?
“Who or what am I talking to exactly?” Pandora asked.
“I am a welcome program that your father designed to prevent intruders from accessing other universes without permission. I am a limited Artificial Intelligence designated only as The Guardian by my programming.”
Pandora thought about her family and friends who would be visiting this location soon and trying to make their way to the Trial, and then she asked, “What exactly are your instructions?”
“I am to prevent anyone who is not authorized from utilizing the portals in this room to any place but that from which they emerged. However, if they are from Universe 911 or 997, they may utilize the portal to travel between Earth and Primore freely.”
“Who is authorized to enter this room and use all four portals?” Pandora asked.
“Full access is granted to Adaline, Pandora, Abi, Amanda, Mom, and Dad”
“Access to Universe 911,997, and 1,009 includes Desirae, Clarence, Callum, Asling Pythias, Robert, and Cedrick.”
“No other user access listed.”
Pandora listened as the A.I. read off the access and when it was done, she asked, “How do you prevent others from utilizing the portals,”
“This room is an extension of Adamantadine’s Domain. This program has been permitted to control and remove any who violate the sanctity or rules of this space.”
“Very well,” Pandora said agreeably. How do I get to the Trial of Transcendence from here?
The Archways to the Trial of Transcendence are located on Earth 911. The Archways are located at the following locations:
Pocone in Brazil, South America
Elk Island National Park
Bratsk in Russia
Prague in Czechia
Gosses Bluff Crater in Australia
South Pole in Antarctica
L’Agulhas, South Africa.
Pandora looked over the list. None of the locations were close to Stonehenge, but a couple of them weren’t that far away either, “Others will be coming here in the next day or two; will you give them the same information?”
“Not normally, no. Doing so was not in my instruction set.”
“Please do. I'd appreciate it if you could also provide a map to the closest archways for them.”
“I can do this, but it will not help them out. They must still make their way to the archways in a world recently introduced to magic.”
“They should be fine; just do that, please,” Pandora asked.
“As you wish.”
“Is there anything else I should know?” Pandora asked.
“Only that the temporal rate in this domain and on Universe 911, where the Trial of Transcendence takes place, is set to one million times faster than universe 997 or 1,009
“Are you saying that not even a second has gone by back on Primore in Universe 997?” Pandora asked.
“Yes”
Pandora, with the help of Tantur within her, thought about how long one day would be, “So what you’re saying is that if I continue, it will be almost 3,000 years before my friends get here to travel to Universe 911 and enter the Trial of Transcendence.
“Correct.”
There was nothing for it. She didn’t want to wait any longer. In fact, it really didn’t matter if she stayed now. Time for her friends and family had almost come to a standstill. Pandora smiled, “Thank you for your assistance. I would ask that you help my family and friends as much as you are able. I think it’s time I was on my way”
“Safe Travels Pandora”
Pandora walked over to the portal to Universe 911
Chose a Destination
1) Stonehenge
2) Aerie
Pandora chose Stonehenge and stepped through.
Before she could get her bearings, a group of soldiers leveled their weapons at her. The one on the right yelled “Freeze!” in English, except that, wait, the one on the far left had a wand in her hand.
Pandora considered how to react and then decided to ignore them as she activated Shadow Step and left them behind. If more than 2,000 years had gone by in the day it had taken her to get here, then this Earth would be nothing like the world she…
“Where do you think you're going?” the female soldier with the wand said as she cast a spell that attempted to use the shadows to bind her arms. Pandora laughed, “How interesting; you actually thought shadow magic could bind a creature that could naturally step into shadow. Though, to be fair, such magic would normally be the most powerful magic you could utilize here,” Pandora said as she took control of the shadows around her and morphed them to her will. “What is your name, little shadow caster?” Pandora said in a tone that conveyed absolute authority. She wasn’t used to acting like such a haughty bitch, but hey, she hadn’t been the one to attack first.
“Surrender now,” the female soldier said in a shaky voice, “and there won’t be any trouble.”
“Really? Trouble? From whom?”
“The Grand Mage, of course! Now, Surrender, or I will signal him.” The soldier said with a little more backbone in her voice.
“I do NOT surrender, so please, call your Grand Mage,” Pandora stated pleasantly.
The soldier reached up and grasped a pendant that she pulled out from under her shirt.
“Any idea how long this will take?” Pandora asked as a pop sounded near the soldier, and an elderly man appeared.
Before Pandora could speak, the Grand Mage gestured, and an orb of sickly green energy began to form and fly toward her. As her body shifted into combat mode, the world almost came to a standstill. If she absolutely had to, Pandora could make 43 attacks within a single combat turn. Her average pace, though, was to keep her number of attacks to 24 or less. The stamina cost would only be 25,950, which her regeneration rate of 28,763 could easily keep up with. This allowed her to take at least two, what the SYSTEM called, actions every second with an additional four spread throughout the 10-second Combat Turn.
This gave Pandora plenty of time to talk internally with Caspa and Tantur.
Did someone pop in and attack us? Pandora asked
It looks that way. Let me Analyze that spell Tantur offered.
The female with the wand is watching with what I can only define as a snide little grin on her face; I do not believe we’re going to like whatever type of society has popped up on this Earth over the last 2,000 years.
It looks that way. Pandora agreed as Tantur shared the information Analyze had offered up.
Tantur interrupted Pandora and Caspa as he sent, The spell is called Enveloping Decay. It’s going to envelop us in an area of putrescent energy that will eat away all physical structures within it like acid. When it’s done, it disappears, leaving nothing behind.
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That sounds like an awful spell for killing monsters if you’re trying to get components for spells and such, Pandora pointed out.
Against us, it’s pointless, Caspa offered.
Yeah, if our magical resistance didn’t ignore the spell, the damage it’s going to do would be negligible. All spells are limited to level 100, and while level 100 can be pretty powerful, our attributes and resistances are so far above anything that the SYSTEM is allowing right now that it’s not even an issue, Tantur pointed out.
Did Dad or you ever figure out what the base damage for spells was?” Pandora asked.
It’s a bit complicated, but the gist of spell progression information is that damage follows a progressive pattern. At level one, base damage starts at 6 points, though that can be adjusted based on the spells. Air-based spells might do less, while fire-based spells can do more. For each spell level, base damage is increased by one until it reaches the next rarity threshold. From level 10 to 11, for instance. Base Damage is increased from 15 to 17 and increases by two for each level up to level 21 when the increase per level changes from 2 to 3.
That seems like a very linear and orderly pattern, Caspa observed.
It is. Now, take this spell coming toward us. Analyze informed me that it is being cast at level 77. The caster, Kyle Von Merlin, is a level 1,799 Perverse Mage. Spell damage is adjusted by one 10th of the primary attribute that the spell utilizes, so it is very possible that a basic classed person that earned four attributes per level could have equal attributes of 654 in each category. That would increase the Base Damage by 65. I’m pretty sure Merlin, as he probably calls himself, has a class that is at least Advanced, probably Master rarity, which means his attributes will be a little higher.
So what you’re saying, Caspa interjected, Is that even if this mage is 10 times more powerful than a basic class at the same level, the Base Damage, which was what, again, Tantur?
Base Damage for a level 77 spell should be 341, Tantur offered.
So what you’re saying is that even if this Merlin is 10 times more powerful than his basic rarity counterpart, the 991 points of damage that the spell will probably do won’t even dent our Physical Damage Resistance of 2,824?
That’s what I’m saying, Tantur agreed.
Okay then, time for me to get to work, Pandora said as she withdrew from the conversation and reached out and activated the Magic Absorption aspect of her Absorb Ability.
Absorb
Absorb Magical Spells
Spells: for 33 mana per spell level, you may absorb a spell and utilize it as if it were your own. If you cannot spend enough mana to capture the spell the spell will remain available for a number of combat turns equal to the mana spent divided by 33. For instance, if the Spell were level 11 and only 330 mana were spent, the Spell would be available for 10 combat turns after use and then disappear. This ability cannot be channeled. To capture a spell, the entire spell must be captured at once. If successful, the target must make Willpower savings throw against a target equal to the mana spent or fall unconscious due to neural shock. They will remain unresponsive for a number of turns equal to the level of the spell that was removed.
Alternatively, spells may be absorbed directly. For every level of the spell absorbed, one mana is earned.
With a flourish, Pandora held out her hand, plucked the spell out of the air, and drew it into herself. The look of surprise on Merlin’s face made the theatrics she’d just gone to, worth it.
“What? That’s not possible.” The Grand Mage declared.
Pandora smiled at the Mage, “Merlin is it? Would you like to talk, or are you going to keep attacking me?
“You must have an object of some sort that allows you to absorb magic very well, CONTIGENCY!” The Grand Mage Declared.
Pandora watched as two pulses of magical energy flew forth. The first was an anti-or null-driven sphere that popped into existence around Pandora, cutting off all mana. The second opened a portal directly above her, through which a very large stone column, at least 100 tons by her estimation, started to fall onto her. The Nullification Field prevented her from utilizing Mold Chaos or any other ability, perk, or spell that would have made taking care of the pillar of stone easier. That was okay, though. A 100-ton stone pillar only weighed roughly 200,000 pounds. She could lift if she needed to, over 2.7 million pounds.
She didn’t bother.
Pandora waited until the pillar was within arm's reach and then struck with full strength. There was a loud “CRACK!” as the pillar was pulverized. Her strike did 138,579 damage, which was well above the limit of her Physical Damage Resistance. That’s why she broke every bone in her hand, wrist, and arm. Before she’d even thought about pulling her hand back. As she considered what to do next, her Regenerate skill started mending the bones and fixing the pulped flesh. As the pebbles of stone cascaded down around her onto the plane of shadow, she calmly started walking toward the Grand Mage. The crumbled pillar of stone moved aside as she took each powerful step against pebbles and rocks that easily came up to her breasts.
She had to give the idiot credit. He didn’t give up. While she gave her body the 10 seconds it needed to reknit the bones of her right hand, a Fireball was cast and raced toward her. This time, she sent her fire orb to absorb and hold onto the level 63 spell while his other 20 orbs leaped free of her body and started to orbit around her visibility.
She’d tried to be nice, but this idiot was not listening. Pandora flashed forward, grabbed the mage by the head, and activated Absorb Memories, a skill she hadn’t used all that often. This individual seemed to be a perfect candidate to reacquaint herself with the skill and also get the lay of the land for this world.
Absorb
Absorb Memories
Memories: for 33 Mana, you may absorb the surface memories from the target. This will include everything the target has seen and witnessed within the last few (2) hours. How far you can copy memories from the target into the past can be extended at a rate of 33 mana for each additional hour so long as contact is maintained with the target. Also, memories can be reviewed at the time the ability is used, or the ability can be used, and the memories can be reviewed later. Memories reviewed are permanent and fade with time, as all memories do.
Pandora reviewed the ability she hadn’t used in a long time and directed 330,000 mana toward recovering her targets memories.
Are you sure you would like to spend 330,000 mana to 10,000 hours worth of memories from your target? Yes or No?
Pandora chose “Yes.” And shunted the memory retrieval to Caspa. While she held her hand over the mage's head, the first mage, the female that had summoned the Perverse Mage, tried to sneak up and backstab her with a dagger. Unfortunately for her, Pandora’s Perception allowed her to watch as she drew closer, and a simple shift allowed Pandora to shift and immobilize the young mage. As she opened her mouth to speak, Pandora’s Fire-based orb zipped in and acted as a ball gag, and it took up residence in her mouth.
“That thing in your mouth is technically A Wizard Orb of Fire that has absorbed a level 63 fireball. I would hold very still if you do not wish for it to go off before I’m done reviewing your master's memories,” Pandora said as she felt the mage go very still. Pandora released her while she kept her right hand on the Grand Mage. Caspa wasn’t quite done yet.
Pandora, I need a body. Now, Caspa said with a hint of anger in her voice.
Of course, can I ask why? Pandora asked.
Some people do not deserve to live, Caspa replied coldly.
Then why not Amalgamate this prick, and we’ll shunt him into a mind space where you can slowly take him apart while you learn everything there is to know from him? Tantur asked.
That is a really good idea, Tantur; I like it, Caspa agreed.
Pandora shifted her will and activated Amalgamate.
Amalgamate
You may completely absorb another creature. Doing so costs 99% of your remaining mana. During the Amalgamation, a contest of Wills begins. Your chance of success is equal to your Willpower multiplied by 1000% due to your ability "Creature of Chaos." Should you win the contest of wills, the mentality of the creature is absorbed, while the spark of will the memories contain is
Pandora flexed her will to bring her Combat Log into her vision.
Combat Log
You have initiated a Contest of wills with Kyle Von Merlin.
Contest of Will Factors
Effective Level (Pandora): 189,080
Effective Level (Merlin): 8,995
Pandora Aura Strength: 32, 955
Pandora Aura Defense: 31, 122
Merlin Aura Strength: 540
Merlin Aura Defense: 505
Pandora Willpower: 287, 591
Merlin Willpower: 3,279
Pandora Total Attack Strength: 509,626
Pandora Total Defense: 318,713
Merlin Total Attack Strength: 12,814
Merlin Total Defense: 3,784
Pandora Attack Strength More than 134 times stronger than Merlin's Defense
Pandora Defense more than 24 times stronger than Merlin Attack.
Pandora Wins the Contest of Wills
Pandora watched as the chaos within her spread from her hand and enveloped Merlin's body. Pandora began to convert and absorb the items on him. She’d spent 99% of her 3.4 million mana, which meant that she needed to get it back as soon as possible. She minimized the notifications because she really didn’t want to know what goodies she was missing out on.
Caspa, the little shits spark of will and memory is yours. You and Tantur feel free to increase the temporal flow rate in our Mindspace. While you're working on him, I’m going to have a little talk with our female friend here, Pandora said.
Don’t you worry about us. We’ll take good care of this asshole. We do not promise that his mind will be intact when we’re done, Tantur said.
Understood, Pandora said before she cut the connection and completely withdrew her attention from her Mindspace. She’d been in a mental state that allowed her to access it equally so she could talk to both of them more easily.
“wa do str,” the female tried to ask around the Fire Orb. There was drool dribbling down her chin as she tried to articulate what she was trying to say.
Pandora thought it was brave of her to try to talk around an object holding enough energy to destroy her, which was enduring, if pointless. With a thought, Pandora pulled the Fire Orb back into her hand and asked, “What did you say?”
The mage spit, swallowed, and worked her jaw a bit before she asked, “What did you do to my Master?”
“You saw, right? He’s gone. Now, please explain to me why I should get rid of you as well?”
Pandora’s Mold Chaos, Chaos Conversion, and high Perception alerted her to the woman attempting to activate a spell. Pandora sent the Nullification Orb into the mage at chest level, which disrupted the spell and left her with a small hole in her heart. Unlike the Grand Mage, this young mage had only been level 35 and had only 220 hit points. The orb hit her with enough strength to inflict almost 300 points of damage, which killed her instantly. What a waste. She’d been loyal in her own way. She might have been able to convert her at some point.
Pandora checked her mana. The mage’s body and magic items had netted her over a million mana, which she needed desperately. Without absorption, it would be at least 30 minutes before she was back to full again. Pandora felt the shift in her Mindspace as it resynced with her.
Done, Caspa declared.
And? Pandora asked.
And this Earth is fucked!
Fucked how? Pandora asked.
Pandora felt Tantur clear his voice before he continued took over for Caspa, It would seem that Merlin was part of a group of individuals that attempted the Trial of Transcendence. Once we go through the arches, there’s this whole…You know what, that’s not important right now. Right now, all you need to know is that a group of Trial takers abandoned the Trial and made their way back here about 100 years ago. At their level, it was child's play to utilize their powers to wrest control from the rest of the world and do what they wanted. A lot of people died.
Nothing you describe is outside of what we expected to find. Why is a fragment of the Grand Mage in my Soul now? Pandora asked.
I was getting to that. Petra here is just one of his apprentices. Oh? She’s Dead? Well, she was one of his apprentices. Don’t feel sorry for either; she was pretty vile in her own right, Caspa said.
And the reason, Pandora asked again.
Oh yeah, Well, it seems that New London was that asshole's playground. He used all the women in that city who are still alive and the ones who aren’t as well. Some of the men, too. Children, there are no children. He killed all of them that he could find. That’s why he had to die.
So we just killed the primary protector for a small city of people that a powerful man was using as sex slaves?
Oh, it’s still a City, Tantur said.
“Yeah, if you crossed Las Vegas with Amsterdam and put them in Ancient Rome where everything is practically legal, Caspa added.
We figure we’re going to have to make a Replicant and leave it here to get New London under control,”
Not our goal, Pandora said.
No, it’s a meat grinder. That’s why the ones who returned did so, Caspa said.
Meatgrinder? Pandora asked.
Let me share a memory recovered from Merlin’s mind before he left this world, Caspa said.
Pandora was pulled down into her Mindspace, where Caspa linked with her and shared false Merlin’s memory.
The scene shifted to one that Pandora had a hard time making out. Someone, or something, was off to her left, walking beside her, but there was no Merlin. They were above the ground, not ground. She was looking down on a two-dimensional image of a planet as if it had been transformed from a sphere into a flat two-dimensional plane. From the map of the world, which she didn’t recognize as it didn’t match up to Earth, Primore, or any planet her father had visited, motes of white light could be seen popping into existence and shooting off toward the ceiling. Pandora followed the movement up, which resembled a fiber optic cable as it went up and up and up. Off in the distance, in all directions, she could see cable after cable reaching up into the sky. As she watched, those cables came together and split repeatedly until they disappeared.
“Why have you brought me here, Lord Erebus?” Merlin asked.
“I require subjects. The path you are on, the Trial of Transcendence. You came upon it late and must now compete with countless enemies that want nothing more than to see you dead. Your Death does not serve me in the way I desire. I need you and your friends to return and solidify control of Earth and dedicate every person you kill to me. In this way, I will become more powerful and can share a greater reward than even you can conceive of.”
“I mean no disrespect, Lord, but why should we do this? The Trial of Transcendence will eventually make us into Gods, as it did for you. We know that the offer by the SYSTEM is true because you exist,” Merlin reasoned.
“You are not wrong in that statement, but you are working with limited facts. The Trial of Transcendence is a Meatgrinder. Yes, it’s meant to create the gods, but more importantly, it is a way for the SYSTEM to bring back those that it had to store during the SYSTEM reset. It does not care if they succeed or die. It only cares that it brings back everyone it stored. If they die to fuel the growth of others, so much the better.”
“How do you know this, Lord?”
Lord Erebus pointed at the world before them, “What you see below is the current red designated planet you were on. We are outside of time and space at the moment and viewing things as if they were a video so as not to affect causality. This, “Lord Erebus said with the wave of his hand as everything went dark, “is what this looked like when this all started. The white motes you see are the souls of the deceased entering the cycle of reincarnation. Now watch.”
Pandora watched as the image started passing faster and faster. At first, a few white motes appeared, and then more and more and more until it was like a rainfall of white motes from the ground up into the sky and away. This went on for a good five minutes before the image froze again.
“This is but one red planet among countless other red planets that The SYSTEM has created. Those few of us who have become Gods are not sure what happened to the previous ones, but we know that we need more power to make sure that it never happens again. Our time is almost up. You can choose to continue along your Trial with the knowledge that the chance of you reaching divinity in this setting is low, or you can serve me, return to Earth, and live a life of decadence and perversion that will definitely lead to greater power; the choice is yours.”
As the image faded to black and Pandora found herself in her Mindspace with Caspa and Tantur again, she turned and commented, “It’s because of assholes like this guy that we can’t have nice things.”