Alistair looked at Adam with concern. Discarding one's body wasn't a choice to be made lightly. Considering the trauma and repressed emotions the former elf must have endured, it would have been all too easy to be lured into making a harsh decision. The fact that Adamar had been able to change his name indicated that it had not been a small change, and it also explained why they could not find him in the registry. There were some burning questions Alistair needed answers to.
"What happened to you? And why did you not contact us?" Alistair asked.
Alistair could sense the guilt in Adam, his metallic face unreadable like a mask, though the light shining from his eyes dimmed slightly before he answered.
Adam let out what sounded like a sigh. "As you know, I wasn't in the best place. I was consumed by guilt and the idea of righting the wrongs and rallying the people who suffered under the empire's regime. It gave me a goal and a path to walk toward, so I threw myself at any monster I could find so I could evolve as soon as possible and hopefully gain either the influence of a high elf or at least the power necessary to bring about change with the help of the evolution stone."
Alistair quietly listened, neither Mitania nor Riseth interrupting him. What Adam had told them so far lined up with what Alistair had suspected, though the transformation into a Synth Lord didn't make sense. He expected that evolution would require a more specialized item than the evolution stone, though he hoped Adam would get to that part soon. To Alistair's shock, Adam placed the evolution stone on the table, which meant he did indeed not use it to evolve.
After placing the evolution stone on the table, Adam continued his story. "Once I got access to the Crafting Quarters from a dungeon reward, I was approached by a deity of the Synth Alliance. They had noticed the terrible state of Eldarion Prime and sympathized with its plight. They offered me power and support, a path to right the wrongs."
"And you let them abuse your emotionally vulnerable state to convince you to turn yourself into a machine?" Alistair asked, his anger barely contained. Riseth put her hand on his to calm him down.
"That was my choice to make. They did not threaten me or force the issue. I wanted it more than anything." Adam responded somewhat defensively.
Before Alistair could say anything, Adam reaffirmed his statement. "I had some time to think about it, and I don't regret my decision." After hesitating for a second, he continued. "I did some research on your world, too, Alistair. And it's also quite bad, though it contains a lot of wisdom. One saying stuck with me: 'Might makes right.' It's what had kept the empire in charge, and with the initiation, the saying is now more true than ever."
Adam continued by expressing his deep gratitude to Riseth, Alistair, and the rest of the dungeon group for their patience and support. He explained how he had embraced the nickname Alistair had given him after researching its origin and meaning, finding it more than suitable to his taste. He spoke of the allies he had made and how many of the oppressed humans and wood elves of Eldorion Prime had joined the cause. Adam also shared that he had found a wood elf lover, now carrying his child, who accepted and encouraged his transformation into a synth lord. Adam spoke of how his culture was a rot that could not be allowed to reach the stars. He revealed his plans to use the evolution stone once he reached Grade 8 to become a Synth Prophet, something that would have been impossible otherwise.
Alistair wasn't entirely pleased and found a lot of what the elf told him hard to stomach, particularly when he heard the term 'Prophet', but wasn't sure if it truly had any deeper meaning. There were many noble titles attached to racial evolutions that often didn't mean much in practice other than denoting their higher tier. He also sensed that Adam was either getting sidetracked or trying to avoid answering his second question, and he wasn't about to let that slide. He noted how Mitania observed the exchange with keen interest while his resonance conveyed that Riseth shared many of his concerns.
"You are avoiding the question of why you did not contact us," Alistair pressed.
"If I wanted things to change, I needed to become more powerful and surround myself with like-minded people. The two of you had your own plans, and I wouldn't want to mess them up, so I kept my distance. There was no need to pull the two of you into our mess; we barely knew each other," Adam admitted, a hint of hurt in his voice.
"Then why contact us now?" Riseth inquired.
"We have a bit of a situation, and the Mitania of the Lyraxis made an effort to bring it to our attention so we can resolve this amicably and help each other in the process," Adam explained.
Alistair threw a curious glance at Mitania, but she shook her head.
"It's a small matter, and there was a quite obvious solution, so I reached out to the Synth Alliance," Mitania said before giving Adam the floor to explain.
"The Ryser Clan is in possession of proprietary technology of the Synth Alliance without a license. The possession and modification of Synth Alliance Automata without a license is illegal and would usually incur the wrath of the faction." Adam explained with some hesitation.
Alistair looked at Adam with some disbelief and a hint of annoyance, while Riseth looked uncomfortable and worried.
"There is goddamn Copy Right law in the multiverse?" Alistair exclaimed.
"Not to worry. The models in your possession are not overly high-tech or valuable, and there are extenuating circumstances due to the trial handing out the tech. Usually, we, the Synth Alliance, would just ask for compensation and, if denied, capture the offenders repossessing the tech and have them work off their debts. Still, there is an easy alternative for the situation," Adam said hurriedly.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"Good fortune. I was getting worried they would send lawyers to shoot us," Riseth murmured.
Alistair was initially confused by Riseth's reaction but then realized that lawyers in her world were a different beast altogether, and this could be more common in the multiverse. A well-known faction like the Synth Alliance was bound to have powerful enforcers of its proprietary tech to discourage others from just ignoring them.
"And what's this supposed alternative?" Alistair questioned, feeling a wave of relief wash over Adam.
"I'm now a member of the Synth Alliance," Adam explained. "If you share the tech with me, it would save the Alliance from paying the System a ridiculous amount of money for providing me with the blueprints within the trial."
"And they'd waive the issues if we share the tech with you?"
"Yes. Your clan would receive an unlimited license, any costs would be waived, and you'd be in good standing with the Alliance," Adam confirmed.
Alistair pondered this unexpected turn of events. Reuniting with Adam in this manner was not what he had anticipated. The elf had changed quite a bit from the person he remembered, and Alistair wasn't sure if it was the race change or the elf's newfound purpose and potential indoctrination. All things considered, the situation wasn't that bad, and it wasn't a bad deal. However, there was one glaring issue.
"There is a problem. We shared the tech from the trial with the planet Neshan in an agreement that we cannot revoke," Riseth interjected before Alistair could bring it up.
Adam paused, his bionic eyes glowing blue as he raised a hand to indicate they should wait. Alistair exchanged glances with Riseth and Mitania. Mitania waved it off with a reassuring smile, which calmed him.
"I spoke to my contact, and it was deemed that this is still within the acceptable margin. We will contact Zaltom to resolve this, but as a reminder, you are no longer allowed to purposefully sell or give away the technology," Adam explained.
"Just to be clear, any additional rewards from that Trial are fair game with that unlimited license?" Alistair pressed.
"Correct. You are also free to modify any of our proprietary tech. Once the Alliance establishes itself in the new universe, you will also be able to purchase additional blueprints for USC if you so desire," Adam confirmed.
"What if we acquire more of your proprietary tech from another faction without purchasing it?" Riseth inquired.
"That is acceptable, and until we are established, we are willing to purchase any of our own technology at a premium, particularly any potential Synth Alliance Evolution Kits would be exchanged for incredibly high-value treasures and favors," Adam said.
Riseth nodded, satisfied with Adam's answer. "It's probably best to send whoever is in charge of trading to my sister Nessyra to retrieve the blueprints and handle further negotiations. She’s the clan's executive," she suggested.
"And you are sure you are fine with all this, Adam?" Alistair questioned.
Adam looked at him, and to Alistair’s surprise, he sensed both appreciation and worry from the former elf. "I appreciate your concern, Alistair, but you don’t need to worry. This is what I want, and I hope we can stay friends even if my goals have taken me down an unexpected path."
Alistair hesitated for a moment before responding. "We can stay friends, and I’m sure at some point after the trial, we’ll be able to hang out again. Although, can you even drink with me?" he joked.
"Sadly, I can’t, but I can still shoot things with you," Adam offered as his right arm transformed into the rifle Nuk had made for him.
They laughed, but after a short moment, Adam let out a sigh. "I’m sorry; as much as I’d love to stay longer, I must cut this meeting short. I absolutely must reach the next grade before the trial ends. I'll be dragged into the Ascendants Tournament soon and really need to advance before that. I’m sure it’s much the same for the two of you."
They stood up and embraced each other before Adam hurriedly left. Alistair could sense a deep sense of relief from Adam as he departed. Adam must have been quite worried about how he and Riseth would react. Alistair knew Adam viewed them as some of his first true friends. Despite not knowing the elf for very long, Alistair felt grateful for his help in saving Riseth. Adam’s allegiances and transformation into a machine didn’t truly matter to him. As Alistair watched him leave, he couldn't help but think of Es'ell. She was the last person missing from their group, and she had a key to the Study dungeon. She should have appeared on the registry, but her name never popped up. Alistair's karmic link was somewhat weak, but he was sure she wasn't dead. He might never find out if she did not show up by now. The most likely explanation would be that she had also changed her name. She had been a bit stand-offish and secretive at times, so he could see her not approaching them, though it still struck him as weird.
"I think it's time for me to take my leave as well. This is goodbye for now. Grow and prosper," Mitania said with a slight bow. She hugged them and exchanged a few last words before disappearing from the room like leaves carried away by the wind. Despite her vanishing, Alistair noted that the table and chairs she had created stuck around and radiated powerful concepts of nature and growth.
"Did she just casually create some growth treasures?" Riseth questioned, inspecting the left-behind furniture.
"I think she did," Alistair said as she successfully stored the treasures in her storage.
"I'll bring these to Nessyra so we can deploy them. We also need to refine the essence from that tea, so go ahead while I catch her up real quick," Riseth said.
Alistair nodded and then requested one of the chairs to add to their cultivation array. He headed directly to his study room to set it up. With not many days left in the Trial, he didn't know exactly when the Ascendants Tournament would drag him in. However, given his fully upgraded title, Elite Trial Tournament Champion, he was certain he would be one of the last in his galaxy to be pulled in.
Fortunately, unlike the previous tournaments, level-ups and growth wouldn't be halted during the Tournament, so he didn't need to worry about missing out on that. He was curious about who his first opponent would be. Besides the people from Earth, there were quite a few civilizations within the Milky Way. Among them were some mixed planets, a small collective of starfaring goblins, and a race of horse centaurs with furry horse beastkin bodies instead of human parts. There were also rumors of an angelic species within the Milkey Way that had kept a low profile so far. Alistair understood why, as many angelic species were often the counterparts to eldritch beings rather than the expected demon species and were somewhat hard to look at. Either way, he was already looking forward to a good fight.
Riseth did not take long to appear after he had integrated the growth treasure into the gathering array. She looked at him with a cheeky smile, wearing deep red lingerie and holding two bottles of their favorite spirit orchid wine, which they had found within the Deonida. "I really should have put a choker on her long ago," Alistair mused as he picked her up and kissed her.