Olympus and all of its citizens and settlements had returned to Earth. The culmination of a two-month long journey and the beginning of another. Their abrupt return to Earth was an expected outcome. What wasn't an expected outcome was the view that lay before them. The Council of Olympus, along with many citizens made their way up to the balcony of the Hall of The Aegis.
The view that greeted the citizens of Olympus was something they were entirely unprepared for. Where once had stood forests and fields, towns and cities, there was now only desolation and ruin.
The land was parched and lifeless, the soil cracked and brittle. Any greenery that may have existed was long dead, leaving behind skeletal trees and desiccated bushes. Rolling hills of grey dirt and stone stretched as far as the eye could see, broken only by jutting shards of concrete and twisted metal - the last vestiges of civilization.
Large swathes of the terrain were blackened by fire, entire neighborhoods were reduced to piles of charred rubble. The remains of familiar buildings and landmarks could be seen in the distance, their proud facades now crumbling ruins sinking into the barren earth. Roads lay shattered, splitting the landscape into fragments. Vehicles sat motionless, forever trapped in endless traffic jams leading to nowhere.
Gusts of hot wind, reeking of sulfur, gusted over the balcony in irregular bursts. In the distance, cyclones of grit and ash danced over the devastation, whipping debris into frenzied tornadoes.
To their right, the familiar blue waters of the Lake of Olympus were replaced by an endless expanse of ocean. The waters churned with a fury. The new coastline stretched along the horizon. Thunderous waves crashed against sheer cliffs that had not existed previously along the shore. The calls of gulls and lapping of waves were replaced by the shrieks of winged creatures circling high above.
Calvin tore his eyes away from the dismal vista, a sadness weighed upon him. So much had been lost in their absence. While they had grown in power, Earth had been ravaged.
The others stood in solemn silence, struggling to comprehend the scale of the devastation before them. Their home had become an alien world, inhabited by nightmares.
Calvin's hands clenched around the railing. His expression was grave as he surveyed their surroundings. “We’ll make it right. All of it. No matter what it takes.”
The rest of the group nodded in agreement, their faces set with determination. The battle to reclaim Earth had just begun. Their trials in the tutorial had prepared them for this task. Mankind would rise again. The light of Olympus would shine through the darkness.
Calvin raised his hand and a brilliant spear of lightning arced overhead, illuminating the sky. The creatures in the distance turned their heads upward at the flare, bellowing in rage.
“We’ll take it all back,” Calvin declared, his voice carried down to the central plaza and across Olympus with authority. “Every inch. Earth belongs to us!"
Calvin's attention focused on something rather significant. Their base rune had expanded considerably. It stretched on for miles past their walls, having grown in the transition. They had acquired several boons to their city as rewards for their missives. It had been upgraded another tier, and they had been granted the Aetherian Capital modifier. Calvin accessed the base management screen and noted the new city tier.
Aetherian Capital - Major Metropolis - Olympus
Andy, can you give us a quick rundown on the features we've unlocked?
"Of course. as a capital city of the Aetherian Collective, you are the rebirth of the Aetherians. As the collective grows, it will grow from here and be governed from here. The entirety of your construction options have changed."
As Andy said that, the group flipped open their construction windows. Marshall whistled at what they saw within.
Gone were the standard wooden structures and stone fortifications. Thousands upon thousands of entries existed. Many of them were locked for various reasons. Some required a higher city tier, some required the completion of certain objectives, but they could see the details of the buildings. Calvin even noted multiple entries for various types of spaceport.
"As I'm sure you've noticed, the land around you has changed considerably. To you, it might look like Earth is dead and barren. This is not the case. What you're seeing is the vast array of essences at war with each other. There is no balance in the system and essences are in constant conflict. It will not be like this everywhere on the planet. Eventually, pockets of attunement will gain the upper hand and those areas of the planet will be fully attuned to that essence. In these areas, powerful entities may take up residences to feed upon that power. I have taken the liberty of attuning the base rune to bio-essence for now. In short order, life will return to the area governed by Olympus. Flora and Fauna will return to these lands."
Calvin looked out over the seemingly dead landscape and sighed. "How long do you think that will take?"
Andy pointed down toward the ground and the group followed with their eyes. A tree had sprouted and was slowly growing larger. Slowly was an interesting term to use, since they could see it happening right in front of them.
"It has already begun. Within a week, this entire area should be reclaimed by nature. Do be aware, that the various species of flora and fauna may differ significantly from what was here before."
Calvin called out across the plaza.
"Everyone! I know this is far from what we expected. We've attuned the area around Olympus to bio-energy and we will restore the vibrant life around our city. We will continue to do so wherever we go. For now, we can't delay. We have 24 hours of protection from this barrier and then we're on our own. That means we are on a timeline to prepare for our new situation. Everyone, please, grind out every preparation you can. We need food, medicines, items. We'll be expanding the walls and our defensive infrastructure. For now, please do not leave the barrier. We will prepare scouting drones to survey the area."
Calvin placed his hand on Seth's back. "Alright buddy, time to earn that Seat of Hephaestus title. We need to get our walls expanded to the new borders, with offensive and defensive capabilities. We also need to get scouting drones out in every direction. We need to see what's out there. Our priority is finding more human settlements. They'll have 24 hours of safety before their lives are upturned."
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"On it." Seth said before he quickly disappeared into the hall.
"Tank, get soldiers ready. We need watch posts ready to man our new walls. The area will be expanding significantly, so we will have less coverage. Work up a strategy to be able to rotate people in and out. Work with Seth for any infrastructure you need out there to support this."
Tank slammed a salute and went to get his soldiers prepared.
"Andy, do we have any contact from the other settlements?"
"Not yet. There is a solution to that, however. You now have the ability to construct teleportation pylons within your base rune. These allow for fast travel within your city as it grows larger. You also have access to the base management features of the settlements annexed under Olympus. I suggest you construct pylons in each of the settlements immediately."
"Excellent, thank you. Make it happen. Inform Seth and Tank so they can use these to facilitate travel to the walls. "
The next dozen hours were a flurry of activity within Olympus. The nanites worked swiftly, devouring the old ruins of Earth that lay within the expanded borders of the city's base rune. Decrepit buildings and rubble were efficiently disassembled and reconstituted into defenses for the fledgling Aetherian capital.
Under Seth's supervision, the walls grew along the new borders. They were taller and wider then the previous walls, reinforced by smooth metallic substances that shone with a faint azure glow. At regular intervals along the parapets, circular platforms rose up bearing powerful energy weapons. Each heavy cannon sat nestled within an array of runes and crackling tesla coils, ready to unleash devastating volleys of energy upon any encroaching threat.
Smaller, spherical turrets also studded the walls. These autonomous sentries swiveled back and forth, scanning for targets with wide sensor arrays. Beneath their glossy armored shells, coils of razor wire and deployable caltrops lay coiled, ready to ensnare invaders.
The new towers and fortifications seamlessly merged with the existing stone ramparts, blending aesthetic beauty with raw defensive power. Seth walked the perimeter, inspecting the additions with a critical eye. There was still much to be done, but the expanded safeguards would serve Olympus well in the coming days.
Within the city, sleek pylons of polished silver were being erected around the central plaza and in each of the outlying settlements. These new structures thrummed with energy, ready to facilitate rapid transport and communication between the different locations.
Once the network of pylons was established, the leaders of New Aspen, Icewatch, and the Cliff Dwellers arrived in Olympus via the new transit system. Stepping from the pylons into the bustling plaza, their eyes widened at the scale of activity and construction underway throughout the Aetherian capital.
The leaders made their way to the Hall of the Aegis and soon stood with Calvin and the Council around the central dais, hashing out strategies for mutual defense and exploration in the changed landscape. There was much to discuss and plan if humanity hoped to regain a foothold on Earth.
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Calvin met with Asher at the entrance to the newly formed dungeon. On a small cliff face, a wide set of doors barred the entrance. Out front, a glimmering orb was mounted on the wall.
"So this is it?" Calvin asked as he examined the smooth stone doors. Intricate runes were carved into the surface, glowing with power.
Asher nodded. "Yes, the dungeon entrance finally formed early this morning. It's an E-grade dungeon, able to support creatures up to level 175."
"The essences are still stabilizing," Asher explained. "This one currently contains 25 floors to progress through, however, as it grows, it will gain more floors and higher level challenges."
Calvin frowned, thinking of the time it would take to fully explore such a dungeon. They were still establishing Olympus and needed to explore the surrounding areas. A lengthy dungeon crawl could set them back.
Noticing his hesitation, Asher said, "I know your concerns, but time flows differently inside these dungeons. What seems like weeks spent within would only amount to hours outside. It's some sort of system magic."
"Is that so? Makes sense. Can't have your strongest people get tied up for weeks at a time away from the city." Calvin murmured. They could use the dungeons to rapidly gain experience and resources.
"We'll organize a group for a thorough exploration soon." Calvin said as his mind raced with plans before his gaze settled on the orb. "What's that?"
"It binds the dungeon to a settlement. Once activated, only those authorized by the bound city can enter. It prevents others from poaching rewards and resources."
Calvin reached out a hand towards the glimmering orb.
He firmly pressed his palm against the orb. Power immediately flooded into him, probing his mind and soul. He grunted at the sudden invasion but focused his will. The power relented and settled within him. A connection formed between Calvin and the dungeon. Knowledge of its layout filled his mind and he could sense the life forces of the creatures inside.
"It is done," he said as he lowered his hand. A subtle hum of energy flowed between Calvin and the dungeon entrance.
"Excellent." Asher smiled.
Calvin was immediately prompted with a system message.
QUEST - DUNGEON OF THE UNDERWORLD
Explore the first floor of the Dungeon of the Underworld.
Rewards:
???
Fantastic he thought.
During the tutorial, they encountered the one dungeon and the various missives. Calvin had wondered if they would be presented with more such quests and opportunities to earn rewards, and here it was confirmed for him. He wanted to get Olympus settled quickly so they could get in here and scope it out.
"One more thing." Asher started.
"What's that?"
"While I don't know what rewards and challenges the dungeon will present, I do have some management features available. I can see that rewards are scaled up for smaller parties. This dungeon appears to be special as well. While I don't have any experience to compare it with, using the behemoth cores in its formation has created circumstances unique from any that I'm finding in the library's resources. "
"How so? What are you seeing?"
"It's difficult to explain. Most dungeons start as F grade, supporting up to level 99 monsters. Every record I've gone through details the birth of a new dungeon from an inert core and nearly all of them have 10 floors or less. In their infancy they're also described as being relatively 'soulless'. When this one formed though, I felt a presence in it that doesn't match my research."
"I think I felt that presence when I bound it. What's that mean?"
"I couldn't tell you. It could be nothing. It also could mean that this dungeon is unique and contains unique challenges. Listening to the stories of everything you all have gone through, it sounds like all of your challenges so far have been relatively unique in the scheme of things. I would prepare yourself for a dungeon that might be a lot more difficult than it should be."
Calvin thought on this for a moment. "Interesting. For now, nobody goes in. I want to take a peek and see what it looks like in there."
Asher nodded and went back to his work.
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Calvin stared out over the ruined landscape of Earth, lost in thought. He was thinking about the merger of the tutorial with Earth.
"Andy, can you come here for a minute?" Calvin called out.
The android administrator materialized. "How may I be of assistance?"
"I need to know more about the creatures that were in the tutorial. Specifically, the ones that didn't originate from Earth."
Andy's eyes flickered as he accessed the database. "When the two locations merged, all entities present in the tutorial were brought with."
Calvin frowned. He thought back to Tank's report about the ravenous bug horde they had faced. At the time, the restrictions in place during the tutorial had limited their strength and numbers. But now...
"Are you saying those same creatures are now loose on Earth with us, but without the tutorial's restrictions?"
"That is correct," Andy replied. "Without the limitations of the tutorial, they will rapidly propagate, evolve, and gain power."