Seth stood in a glass box that showed only a long dark path ahead. To his left stood five other glass boxes, each holding the other top participants of the group challenge. As he began checking out the new scene, a pair of hard, brown eyes met Seth’s from the nearest box. Ty’s mouth opened slightly upon sighting him, but his expression quickly calmed before he gave Seth a small nod and turned his attention elsewhere.
It seemed all of the participants were equally measuring each other up from the narrow boxes. Anxious glances were passed around as they all waited on edge for something to change. Then, as if on queue, a series of spotlights blazed to life, lighting up the surroundings to reveal six individual glass roads leading as far as the eye could see. Empty space consumed the rest of the surroundings, as if the entire area was hovering just above the Void.
Finally, a large screen appeared above the entire challenge area, displaying the names of the six participants, as well as an empty value slot next to their name that was held for the individual’s ranking. Another screen followed consecutively after the first, but this time appearing before the participants themselves. In Seth’s case, two screens had appeared.
Welcome to the Bonus Challenge
-All of the top six participant’s challenge points have been revoked.
-Physical offensive abilities cannot be used.
-Physical contact between participants is forbidden.
-Changing lanes is forbidden.
-Dimensional Storage will be unavailable during the race.
-Participants will race along the allotted path attached to their starting position.
-The participant that reaches the finish before the other participants will be the winner.
-If no participant reaches the finish before the end of (24) hours, the participant closest to the finish will be the winner.
-The winner will receive the entirety of the challenge points that have been revoked.
-The current total that will be awarded to the winner is (892,240)
-Bonus challenge cannot begin until a name is chosen. (Current Slot: Undecided)
Seth sputtered for a moment before breaking into a fit of coughs.
The rules had literally and figuratively knocked the wind out of him, and by the sound of muted groans and shouts, the other participants felt the same way.
They “revoked” our points?! And only the winner gets any?!
Seth almost felt sick. If he didn’t win, he wouldn’t just lose the chance to get the fate treasure, but also the chance to get any reward at all. Sure, he had made a lot of personal progress throughout the group challenge that couldn’t be taken away, but the idea of losing a guaranteed Class A treasure was a huge loss! After a few more seconds of moaning, Seth chomped on his lip to focus his mind.
Nah… This might not be as bad as it’s made out to be. I might not be a gambling man, but the idea of increasing my total points by over 800% isn’t something I can say no to. I’m already faster than the average tier three due to my titles and augmented constitution, so if I can pull out a win here, I’ll get a fate treasure and more if the challenge points spill over for the minimum reward requirements.
A warm fire began growing in his body, burning away his anxiety and building his confidence. As he glanced around at the others, he could tell they were beginning to gather themselves as well. Remus even sported one of his textbook predatory grins, as if he was already sure of his victory. Seth didn’t want the rest of them to have enough time to get too confident though, so he turned his attention back to the second screen while shaking off the odd feeling of not being able to draw Anar.
Do they seriously need a name for the leaderboard? Seems kind of redundant if you ask me.
Seth ran a hand through his shortened hair. He had used a variety of handles during his time online, but picking out one in particular was a difficult task. It’s not like he really cared what it was, but he was also aware that whatever he chose now would probably follow him through the rest of his time at The Incubator, perhaps even after. He thought about the names he had already seen throughout the leaderboard. Most had been a combination of actual names as well as factions they belonged to. Others had been titles such as the boy named Eminence, or Ty’s handle: Son of Gaia.
Well, I don’t have any faction, and I’d rather not put my actual name on the board.
He reasoned. “Ah, I think I got one.” Seth muttered. He silently entered the name onto the main screen, causing the far off board to change as well.
Ruler of the Inferno, Remus ---
Princess Caladenia, The Radiance Court ---
Eminence ---
Nigel The Redeemer ---
Son of Gaia ---
Still ---
Still was a handle he used for most of his single player games. It was one that warranted no extra attention, nor admiration.
He had originally thought of the name after going to his parent’s funeral, as the thing he always remembered more than anything was how still and lifeless they had been. After using it once during a particularly emotional phase following their deaths, he hadn’t ever had an issue with choosing another name after that, so Seth continued to utilize the plain name for most games. He would change it up for usernames on websites, social media platforms, and multiplayer games, but other than that, it didn’t change.
Finally, after entering his name, a large countdown appeared under the main screen, counting down from ten. After one more sidelong glance at the others, Seth readied himself inside the box, waiting for the race to begin.
--------
“Are you sure we should just walk in?” Will asked with a hint of worry.
Bruno’s large hand hovered above the ornate handle of the large entryway, hesitating a bit.
“What do you think Egora? You’re the expert about Oxuvoz, do you think it’s safe?”
A short dwarven woman stepped forward and inspected the door. “I’m certain of nothing in this place, but given the extensive distractor myths and the unique circumstances surrounding our discovery of the palace, I would say more power was oriented around never finding this place rather than preventing entry upon discovery.”
She said with a sly glance at Will. I still don’t understand how a mere infant such as this boy was able to find this place before anyone else. The Royalia clan spent a small fortune raising him to tier four, but even then, I’ve never met anyone in the Configuring Stage that could outperform several experienced tier sixes! Watching him walk straight through a distractor myth meant to ward off tier sevens just about made me hack up a lung!
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Bruno let out a low roar before beating his chest once. “That’s good enough for me!”
He wrapped his meaty hand around the knob while the rest of the party readied themselves for anything. Will ran to the back of the group, before hunkering down behind one of the vehicles they had brought with them. He screwed his eyes shut and covered his ears, expecting the worst. After a moment, he heard a muted crash and felt a slight shudder in the ground before everything became quiet once again.
Curiosity overcoming him, Will opened his eyes and cautiously stood up to peer over the hull of the large truck he had cowered behind. He glanced around and noticed a crumpled door lying a little ways away. It seemed that Bruno had decided to rip the door clean off its hinges, which was where the crash originated from. Nothing else was amiss though, as the group had already begun moving into the palace. Will soon followed, only to discover that most of the team had already fanned out through the multitude of fancy hallways that led away from the large scale main hall.
Bruno waved him over to where he and Egora stood, only twenty or so meters deeper into the main hall. Will scampered over to them, all the while fawning over the beautiful interior of the emerald palace. He also noted that the presence he had felt outside was no longer present. This change didn’t help with his growing anxiety, so he was happy to arrive back under the care of the hulking Bruno, the group’s strongest fighter and the closest to the seventh tier.
“Alright kid, according to Egora, the artifact we are looking for is straight ahead.”
He threw a large furry arm around Will’s shoulders and pointed at a small, plain looking iron chair that sat at the end of the hall. Sitting atop the chair was a similarly plain looking emerald circlet.
“If our intel is right, we just grab that little beauty and head home where a huge paycheck is waiting!” Bruno laughed with fervor.
Will couldn’t help but crack a smile at Bruno’s enthusiasm. At the end of the day, like Bruno, Will was a treasure hunter, so the prospect of a parade of praise and money waiting for him back in Ethin was tantalizing at worst. Plus, the fact Bruno didn’t seem too worried about the palace or possible traps that might be around helped Will relax, even if it was just a smidgen.
“If it’s right there, why did everyone else leave?” He asked.
Bruno gave him a soft flick to the forehead. “Rule number one of treasure hunting: If it’s there, it’s yours. Are you really going to leave a palace that hasn’t been touched in eons after picking up a measly one artifact?”
Will rubbed his forehead with a pained grunt, then refocused his attention on the emerald circlet sitting unassumingly across the room.
Seems a bit greedy to me, but I guess he’s right. After all, they’ve been doing this a lot longer than I have.
“So, do we just go get it, or what?” Will inquired.
Egora hacked out a ball of spit onto the polished tile floor before taking out a complex looking device. It looked to be some sort of supped up magnifying glass with a series of myths inscribed into the multi-layered looking glass. Upon taking out the item, the short woman started drawing out three different ritual circles, each with their own set of myths. Will didn’t know what any of them were for, but he assumed the best course was to stay quiet and observe. After a few minutes, Egora finished her drawings and stood up.
“I’m going to check out the room now, I would recommend leaving for a minute or two, as I have only drawn up protections for myself. When I have a proper read on the situation, I’ll call you both back inside.”
Bruno gave her a nod and quickly herded Will outside of the palace. Only a few minutes later, they were called back inside by a now tired and sweaty looking Egora. Will rushed over to check on her, while Bruno brandished a cruel looking axe.
“What happened? Is there something else here?” He investigated.
Egora held out a hand to Will and took a deep breath before straightening herself out. “It’s nothing that an axe will be able to help. It seems the artifact is being guarded by a Jhin.” She heaved.
Bruno let out a growl and threw his axe to the ground, burying it deep in the floor.
“For Null’s sake, of course it is. What rank?”
Egroa gave him a bone-weary look.
“It’s an unleashed familiar, my best guess is a tier seven at the very least. On the bright side, I don’t think it’ll attack as long as we don’t get near the crown. It said that we were free to loot the palace, but the second any of us try for the artifact, it would kill everyone.”
Will looked taken aback by the information, but Bruno just let out a heavy sigh.
“That’s what that strong presence was, a Jhin? Is that some sort of monster or spirit?” The minotaur shook his head. “A Jhin is a conjured soul, not a real being but also not imaginary. They were brutally efficient at soul attacks, a technique that was incredibly hard to defend against unless you were relatively high tiered. I’m on the high end of tier six, and I still have difficulties protecting myself from even basic soul attacks.”
Egora nodded at his explanation before giving Will a cautious look.
“What Bruno says is true, although, I am surprised to hear you felt a presence from outside the palace. Jhin’s are not known for projecting themselves unless threatened. Perhaps you felt it due to your ability to find this place.”
She continued to explain, but was interrupted as the three felt a powerful presence permeate the room, just like it had for Will outside the palace.
Will watched in fear as a ghostly man dressed in long gold robes formed in front of them, exuding a vast suppressive force. He looked to be of Asian descent, with green hair and no pupils. Will felt like an anvil was sitting on his chest, and he could barely manage to take in tiny, quick breaths to continue moving. He turned his strained eyes over to Egora and Bruno, who seemed to be holding up well despite the pressure. Egora even seemed to be getting prepared to address the hovering man.
To all of their surprise though, the Jhin turned to face Will instead of the other two.
“So, it was you who found this place child. Step forth and open your soul to me.”
The room itself seemed to fold and Will found himself directly in front of the Jhin’s outstretched hand. Will looked behind him in panic, only to find Egora and Bruno vanish after a wave from the Asian man.
“Don’t mind them child, look at me.”
Will turned his attention back to the Jhin, his body trembling in fear. The ghostly hand of the Jhin reached forward and rested upon Will’s chest, surprisingly relieving the immense weight he had felt before. He opened his mouth to speak, but found his voice unable to emerge still. He wanted to apologize, to beg for his life, to beg for his friend’s lives, but couldn’t get himself to say a word.
“Calm your mind child, I cannot read your soul with all this noise.”
In an instant, Will’s thoughts were stricken from his head, leaving behind an uncomfortable void of silence. Then, to make things even worse, Will began to feel a pressure all over his body, completely unlike the one from before. It was like a spiritual violation of privacy, disgusting and invasive. The pressure coated his body and infested his head, making it impossible to form a single thought while also giving him a splitting headache.
Just as he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, the pressure withdrew and exited his body, leaving him covered in cold sweat and wheezing for air. The Jhin’s hand retracted from Will’s chest and he quickly crumpled to the floor. The man rubbed his fingers together, inspecting his hand.
After a moment, he seemed satisfied and withdrew back towards the iron chair. Will watched with tearful eyes as the Jhin muttered something next to the circlet. Nothing seemed different, but the Jhin then turned around and returned to Will.
“My master’s crown has sat unclaimed for eons. Even after he passed on, I have been here to guard his most prized treasure. I acknowledge you have proven yourself by finding this place, and I was only tasked with watching over this treasure until someone such as yourself found it… but after all these years, I cannot part with my duty so easily. My master was kind enough to release me so that I wouldn’t follow him to the grave, but yet here I remain, keeping his legacy alive. What right do you have to end a tradition that started millions of years before your creation?”
Will couldn’t reply, as the Jhin grasping his soul had truly shaken him to the core. The experience was traumatic in a way that an injury from some beast could never be. Although no damage had been done, Will couldn’t help but feel as if he were a helpless child once more, having been violated not in his body, but his entire being. The Jhin leered over his prone figure, an almost pitiful look marring his ghostly visage.
“To think, such a helpless child has the right to take your dearest treasure, master? Is this the type of creature whom you imagined would become your successor? His soul might be Just, but is it not the power of his blessing that showed him the way? Would that not make him unfit for your prize?”
The Jhin moved closer and waved a hand over Will’s chest. It looked only for a moment before letting out a gasp.
“What is this sensation? Master? Could it truly be… of course!”
The Jhin backed away from Will, it’s pupilless eyes darting around violently while it fervently adjusted it’s robes over and over.
“Is that right? I might be right. I think I’m right! Who else but my master could have gifted you such an ability?! If that is true, then this is finally a message from my dear master!”
Ghostly tears seemed to leak from the Jhin’s white eyes.
“I am sorry child, who am I to question our master.”
The Jhin hurried over to the iron chair and gently retrieved the emerald circlet. It held the crown above it’s head, like an offering to the gods. Drifting slowly, it returned to Will’s side where he was finally beginning to compose himself and rise from the ground.
“Yes, rise my friend! Accept the heritage left behind by our master!”
The Jhin continued to urge him on as Will sluggishly rose to his feet. Finally, after he was able to brace his feet under himself, the Jhin lowered the crown onto Will’s head, letting it sit right above his brow. The circlet needed no adjustment, and the second the Jhin released his hold on the artifact, the emerald surface slowly corroded away. A fierce blue began to take the place of the faded green, creating a new and glowing crown of sapphire.
Will felt like he had been hit by a lightning strike, his whole body jerking erect, all trace of his previous weariness gone. Blue light been shining from his body, wrapping around him like a motherly embrace. Every cell in his body thrummed with power and comfort, showing Will something he had never felt before.
The Jhin watched from the back, it’s ghostly hands wrapped around it’s mouth in a look of complete awe as tears streamed down it’s face.
“A natural transfiguration of fate?! Master, could you have truly predicted that something like this might happen?”