Pitch black swallowed the mystic land. It swept over Raine, plunging him into the vastness of a cosmos without stars. Only the skulls on the ground around him, and the cave near the top of the mountain, provided any semblance of light and realism in a universe without sound or color. In less than a second, a dozen new rifts formed around him, nearly encircling him.
Of course the scythe was powering the damn shield!
He bound to his feet, the abrupt motion triggering a bout of vertigo that he fought off with the urgency one finds at death’s door. Knowing he was about to be yanked into the sky again, Raine ignored all else to focus every ounce of his mental capacity on his Connection. The air above him firmed slightly from the knee-jerk reaction. The intense concentration mingled with his already degraded mental state, causing his head to throb and blooming an instant headache. The pain actually helped with the vertigo.
Thankfully, the expected suction failed to materialize. Raine was well aware his Connection wasn’t strong enough to prevent himself from being dragged into the air. He maintained it anyways, preferring the headache over the flipping in his gut.
Before storing the scythe in his inventory, he double-checked the shape of its butt. Sure enough, it was in exactly the shape of the tiny hole in the platform of the gateway that brought him to the mystic land. He had the key and it was beyond time to go. The logical part of his brain told him to run there with all haste, before the rapidly opening rifts made traversal impossible.
His gaze tracked south, toward the distant gateway, then back to the top of the mountain where that Lustrous Blue glow gleamed tauntingly. Finally, his eyes fell to the skulls at his feet. There was no need to consider what had to be done. With racing steps, he snatched up the skulls, leaving one in each hand to guide his way.
Leaning forward, he pumped Discipline into every step, madly sprinting around the abundant rifts to reach the edge of the crater. The atmosphere was thinning, sucked away into the sky to make his lungs burn with every breath. Gravity lessened with each step, giving his meager efforts to firm the air dire purpose.
Several new fissures formed and he was forced to jump, only for his eyes to snap open when another began to form right in his falling trajectory. The burnt ground stretched and twisted as though a giant's fist grabbed a chunk of reality and pulled it through a tube. Raine’s Discipline bottomed out when he firmed the air beneath his feet and Lunged midair. He flew over the second rift, hitting the ground running.
More and more fractures appeared around him, some directly blocking his way, others barring any path of retreat. He sprinted between two that were close enough they tore at his skin, threatening to consume him in suffocating darkness. Every step was agony, cutting away at his health. [-20] [-20] [-20] He pressed on, making it through the encirclement with strobing crimson lights in his HUD.
The edge of the crater was near, and far beyond it, a cave promising riches and glory if he would only keep going. Raine’s voice failed him, but the words rang loud and true in his mind.
I do not raise my fists wishing for an easy death! I do not turn from danger. I fear, but I do not relent!
Raine crooned the phrase from his favorite novel as he combined a sidestep and shuffle, blasting around a fresh rift. Just before the edge of the crater, he reached the previously weakened part of space to find the ground chock full of impenetrable darkness. Already, it would be impossible to cross.
He looked up, still able to see the mountain and cave, which meant the way was clear. Shaking his head and repeating the line again, he ate a Stremph Berry for the Potency and Discipline, then bent his knees. He Leaped straight up, and with gravity sundered, he flew high into the air, were so far, no rifts existed.
With a swift motion, he stored the two skulls and withdrew his drifter.
[Gromglenn Premium Skydrifter - Marvelous Gold: Activate outside of combat to glide from a high elevation. Premium version is equipped with textile obfuscation, sound canceling, wind harnessing, and enhanced durability. Creator is not responsible for device failures that result in prolonged screaming before sudden death. (Durability 143/200)]
The device harnessed what little wind remained to pull him in the direction of the mountain. When his Discipline regenerated to ten, he stored the drifter and Lunged straight up, only to re-activate the device once more. Normally, such a strategy would be laughable with so little Discipline, but in this reduced gravity, it worked just fine.
The real issue was speed. He wasn't getting anywhere fast. A minute later, he had enough to Lunge forward. He alternated between altitude and speed, his goal swelling in his eyes with proximity. All else was long since darkness. A tremendous cracking resounded through the land. It was followed by a whooshing of displaced air as though the world itself had been whisked away.
His drifter harnessed the displaced air and he shot forward far too quickly to dodge any of the rifts that began forming around him. The sky was no longer immune.
Much of the mountain was gone as Raine reached the cave and gravity slammed into him. Not one rift polluted the cavern. He landed amidst Lustrous Blue radiance. It was a large space that looked like a king's private den, decorated with ancient plaques, banners, and finery. Much of it was withered by time, but his keen eyes knew every piece to be a treasure to the right bidder.
Unfortunately, there wasn't time. The fact the cave was free of rifts gave him the slightest hope that the gateway would be too, if he hurried.
Dashing toward the back of the cave, his fingers brushed across the lids of five Lustrous Blue chests. Since there were no enemies around, he could either remain in contact to open them after five seconds, or if he was the last to touch them within fifteen minutes, claim them as his personal property. He chose the latter, which allowed him to store the unopened chests in his inventory.
The seconds ticked away as he took them two at a time. Done, his nose practically dragged across the ground as he raced to a finely decorated display case with a full set of leather armor. His hands blurred as he stored each piece. He Lunged again, arriving at four special-looking items on a shelf inside an open armoire. The cave shook, the mountain cracking under immense strain.
Lunge maxed out his speed again and he dragged his tingling fingers across the surface of a weapons rack, storing several pristine Lustrous Blue armaments. He reached the back of the cave where an idol rested atop a familiar pedestal. it disappeared into the black hole of his inventory.
The cave shook hard enough to throw him into the air. A slab of stone slammed down from a hidden release in the ceiling, sealing the exit. A skull mounted on one of the walls clacked, cackling at Raine's arrogance.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Its eyes glowed, their lights a rainbow of hues that formed a king's image where they struck the carpeted floor. Then, surprisingly, the image spoke, “Thief, beggar, or descendant; I care not your origins, only that you are worthy. If you came to this place with honor and dignity, then my questions three you will answer with ease. Will you take my test, would-be monarch, or join me in eternal rest.”
“I'll answer!” Raine snapped, the usual politeness when speaking to a Vaaterran nowhere to be found.
“A wise choice. Now, my first query: Grief and misery are but one side of a coin, what is the other?”
Raine didn't dare utter a curse or even sigh loudly at the seemingly impossible riddle. He was far from without hope, as the answer could only have something to do with what he'd experienced inside the Mystic Realm. He forced his pounding heart to settle, and set aside his impatience to quickly review and catalog everything he'd seen.
A desert, jungle, and dead fields. A civilization left to ruins. Ancient guardians all that remain of a crumbling land. Rifts leading to the abyss. The idols!
Raine quickly read all three of their descriptions, immediately knowing the question pertained to the first idol.
[Korahn’s Idol of Indomitability: Polutan strove for peace through might of arms. His legacy was an empire without equal, built upon the suffering of millions]
If suffering of millions is the grief and misery, then the other side of that coin would be an empire without equal. Easy enough.
Raine was confident in his reply, though knew the questions were likely to get harder, “Prosperity.”
The king nodded sagely, “Precisely. A wise monarch understands why the people are made to suffer, lest their toils be wasted. Next: What does not exist in nature, yet foolish mortals strive to bring into being?”
So these questions are designed to test the competency of a ruler. That helps a little.
Raine found his next clue in the jungle's idol.
[Korahn’s Idol of Steadfastness: Xar strove for balance and absolute justice in all things. His legacy was a people gone blind and toothless, allowing nature to claim its vengeance]
Balance exists in nature, so it's not that simple. It's what the balance represents to a race, a civilization, that I need to figure out. They went blind and toothless from it. Something to do with being a ruler, no, to the act of ruling!
“Equality.”
“Indeed. Equality only exists when standing behind might capable of overturning the logic of the world. Where is equality for the ant? The bird caught by the cat? Those born poor or sickly? I will tell you where!” The image slammed his foot into the floor and the cavern quaked again, “We create it with absolute power! It is the privilege of the strong. May you be mighty enough to bring its light to your people without falling to ruin for daring to defy the natural order of the heavens.”
“My final question is both test and plea: Our slaves died for it, our warriors fought for it, and our very citizens came to spurn it. It is what you, and all without it, desire most. Yet those with it know not its value.”
Raine already knew the answer before the ancient king finished speaking. In the past, it had been all he ever desired, its lack a hole in his heart that had yet to heal. He checked the last idol anyway, not about to mess up at the very end from overconfidence.
[Korahn’s Idol of Scheming: Shirin sought to silence her enemies at their root. Her home fell to ruin as its most valuable resource fell to her blade]
Raine’s eyes watered, his uttered word thick with personal meaning, “Freedom.”
The king smiled sadly, waving his hand, “Do not fail as we did.” Where he pointed, the wall fell away, revealing a smaller gateway than the one he'd used to enter the Mystic Realm. It stood on a raised dais with a tiny slot in the stones at its base.
Raine's muscles drooped in relief and he tilted to the side from the exhaustion that nearly overwhelmed him. The king vanished, along with everything remaining in the cave. With unsteady steps, not quite believing it was truly over, Raine stabbed the butt of Khoran's Judgment into the slot and the portal churned to life.
image [https://i.imgur.com/hpsW3fY.png]
The moment Raine stepped through the portal, he sank to his knees, unable to stand. His vision swam and his chest seized. He couldn't breath or think. He felt utterly trapped in a consciousness that wasn't his as he fell down a long tunnel through darkness that closed in from all sides. Someone, somewhere, was shaking in a full-blown seizure. For the life of him, Raine couldn’t figure out who.
[!CAUTION!]
[Safe brain function levels exceeded. Forced logout in ten, nine, eight…]
A gleeful voice called to him as blaring red exclamations strobed distantly in his HUD, “Well done, my pet. Well done.” Zoarra's quaking face popped into view, dominating the center of the tunnel. She waved her hand and the shaking stopped. He saw the idols that should have been safely tucked in his inventory floating before her ugly, wrinkled face.
With a snap, they turned to dark smoke that she inhaled through her nose. Her eyes rolled back in bliss. Raine’s consciousness continued to fade and her voice became distant like the memory of a memory, “The suffering of an entire race is truly delectable. I eagerly await our next foray, little pet. Enjoy your nap.”
The last thing he saw was her finger inching toward him from far away. She tapped his forehead. Instead of grasping her cryptic meaning, all he could think was that her skin looked much smoother than a moment ago. Then, the encroaching dark swallowed him whole.
Richtor KongRu
Kevinsbakon’s shield thumped into the huge level ten spider's face with another well-placed Bash. It shuddered, the motion sickening as its innumerable hairs quivered in response. None of them reacted to the sight, their eyes already turned toward the walls.
Kevins's spear slid free, allowing sticky innards to splash across the narrow canyon floor. The group retreated a few steps as it fell, none of them wanting to be soaked, again. Sheens of golden light cascaded around Deloralicious and Richtor while trumpets blared in their ears alone. The sound was both artistic and delightful, a portent of past and future victories.
[Level up! +5 free attribute points]
[Skill point acquired]
“We did it. We actually did it,” the disbelief in Richtor's whispered tone was mirrored in Delora's piercing gaze.
She turned her attention back to her own notifications as he allocated his attributes to Connection. His staff came to life in his hands; the grains tickled his fingers and the mysterious Celestial energy he channeled through it felt ready to burst free from his body.
He shook off the heady sensations, selected his next skill without hesitation, then returned a watchful eye to their surroundings.
Being his usual chatty self, TwistedReligion chose that tense moment to start spouting nonsense, “Guys, I think I figured it out.”
Knowing that he wouldn’t shut up until someone humored him, Delora rolled her eyes, responding in a whisper, “What did you figure.”
Twisted smiled mischievously, glad someone had fallen for his cleverly worded trap, “Raine. How he knows so much, and why he’s so strong.” All their ears perked up and suddenly the threat of ambush by another giant spider wasn’t so important anymore. Seeing he had their attention, Twisted’s grin widened, “Think about it, he was obviously a ZL beta tester that was restrained by a very strict NDA.”
Richtor gasped, then clamped a trembling hand over his mouth, “Mom and I thought he didn't have a job these last few years. What if he's been playing the whole time?”
Delora nodded, eyes wide, “If the NDA was really strict, and he couldn’t access most of his pay, then his little apartment and the sudden influx of credits makes so much sense!”
Milkdud appeared next to them, dropping from stealth and interrupting their conversation, “They're almost in position. Are we ready?”
The five of them shared anxious looks packed with more than a little excitement at their revelation, and the desire to repay DyingNight. Richtor nodded, his voice firm but still quiet, “Yeah, they're right on time. How about we do like the boss said and walk out of here on a road paved with their corpses?”
TwistedReligion’s toes curled and he flexed his arms so hard they shook, “Did the boss really say that? He's so digital!”
Richtor didn't respond, he didn't need to. After the countless life and death battles together, their teamwork was more in sync than ever. As one, they crouched, vanishing amidst the rocky terrain.