Kora got to her feet without saying a word. As she looked around and took in the damage done to the area, she wondered how it was that they were still alive. She still could sense Lem Solaris’s indignation permeating the air.
Then she felt Keynes’s emotion bursting out of him like a tide wave. Kora didn’t remember the last time she had felt so much raw and unfiltered emotions coming from Keynes. He usually was very secretive and careful in this regard. But not today.
His rage didn’t last long as it morphed into anger and eventually even anger dispersed. All that remained was a resolve. She considered speaking up, then thought better of it. Keynes would talk to her when ready. Rushing him would be counter-productive. He could be stubborn at times.
At last, Keynes turned to her. She searched for any hints of emotions on his face but all she found was serenity.
Also, Keynes’s eyes changed colour. They acquired a strong violet tint.
“I am free but they still try to control me.” He shook his head. “I won’t let myself be told what to do. I am going to live my life my own way and if I fail, I fail. I’m no one’s tool, no one’s property.”
Kora stayed quiet. She didn’t try to understand Keynes. She didn’t think anyone on the planet could. On his shoulders rested the future of humankind. His Talent was the greatest responsibility a single person could possess. It was not fair to place it all on him and while she disagreed with certain decisions, she wasn’t going to argue with him as it wasn’t her life. She didn’t think she would do any different if she were in his shoes.
“What is the plan?”she asked after silence returned.
“Fourth Degree,”he replied. “Then…” He glanced at her. “...then we leave Earth.”
“Leave… Earth?”
“Yes.” Keynes nodded. “It was a mistake to open rifts here when the universe full of planets is out there.”
***
“You did the right thing,” Traveller said as he appeared beside Lem Solaris. She didn’t sense him through the bond! That sneaky bastard. “Tricking him into creating such a strong resolve. Who knows maybe he will accomplish the impossible and achieve nineteenth degree.”
“Why are you here? Have you found answers?”
“Some,” he replied. “I tracked a bunch of Level 60s and 70s and made them talk…”
“And the System didn’t intervene?”She interrupted.
“No, she did not, which means her control is still limited.”
“She needs more rifts.”
“Indeed.” He nodded pensively. “It appears that the System was forcibly modified a long time ago following an event that scared the shit out of the most powerful ascenders at that time. They hacked it, set the Level cap at 50, wiped the life from the Universe, then planted crippled Seeds of Life and sealed all the rifts across the Universe.”
“But why?”
“You really wish to know?”
“Hmm.” Lem Solaris actually had to pause and think this over. Sometimes knowledge was a curse. She threw caution to the wind, it wasn’t like she could survive without Traveller anyway, and nodded. “Fine. Tell me.”
“Alright then.”
***
Keynes and Kora were back to hunting dominion monsters but their goals had shifted. They were no longer considering reaching the sub-boss as their main goal despite Lem Solaris’s insistence. It did make Keynes wonder what was so important about it and why she had asked him only to reach the sub-boss not to kill it. But for now, if ever, he didn’t have answers to these questions.
Because of the limitations imposed by the System, Keynes fought the monsters alone, while Kora and her spiritual companion searched for valuable plants and trees. She also started to cultivate the essence to get to the Elevated stage to gain the ability to spiritually communicate with Keynes without worrying about distance.
It would allow them to cover more ground as some of the plants turned out elusive. Even with tips from the Web, they were having trouble. They were not surprised. They ranked 7 and 8 so only 6 ascenders were ahead of them. The forest looked quite different from their early days inside the dominion. There were fewer monsters running at large and those they encountered were very extremely good at stealth, not always keen to face them. They noticed that with Level 5 came a shift in intelligence.
It was unsettling to face something other than a dumb and bloodthirsty beast.
Two weeks after the face-off with Lem Solaris and over 60% in most attributes, Keynes and Kora started to run into problems. At some point, they had crossed an invisible line and the forest around them slowly shifted including new plants and trees.
Trees were higher and thicker, their canopies covered the sky, cutting off daylight. Shrubs got more exotic and sinister. They saw flowers, leaves and even stalks that shone brightly with fluorescent light. Keynes's Pure Body buff pinged constantly around them. Kora was in a similar situation as she constantly empowered [Mind Fortress] to ward off the mental attacks of the plants.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Then the ground started to change as well, the solid, even ground turned into meadows, slow rivers became fast rapids and hills morphed into complex, treacherous valleys.
[Night Sight] was a must for Keynes, while Kora used [Nature Aura] to feel her way around.
It was the aura that also opened their eyes on something else. With some practice, Kora was able to ‘sniff out’ plants of interest. Some of them had a morphing or stealth ability, which also hid their spiritual signature. Only after Keynes studied them with his spiritual aura and [Identify Plant] he was able to spot other plants from the same specimen.
The dominion wasn’t idle though and soon Keynes and Kora had to fight their way to acquire these plants. Several intelligent Level 5s working in tandem within the environment they were created for was a challenge. Yes, Keynes could overpower them with [Chaos Aura] and if they needed it, they still had empowerment from Kora’s Talent but nothing was for free in the System.
These plants were very delicate and could be easily damaged. Actually, some of the monsters did just that when they were overwhelmed by the two ascenders. They ate or smashed the plants and fled or perished.
“There must be a better way to deal with them,” Keynes complained, staring at the ruined plant at the bottom of the deep gorge. He stood to his knees in the water as the heavy raindrops pelted the leaves around them. The rain didn’t reach this deep directly because of the heavy canopies.
The walls of the gorge were in no better condition as the fight with an armoured ten metre long snake had been a fierce one.
“Dominions exist for a reason,” Kora said, moving her hand over the snake’s armoured skin. The monster’s passive [Inverted Armour] almost proved fatal to her as it redirected physical damage back to the attackers.
“And what’s the reason?” Keynes asked, turning to her.
“The same as everything else. Growth.”
“Growth?” Keynes chuckled. “I think you got too much of [Nature Aura]...”
In response, Kora sent a pebble in the direction of Keynes’s head, forcing him to duck. Keynes immediately raised his hands.
“I’m joking. I agree. The dominion is a challenge and the harder it is the more worthwhile the reward will be. Right?”
“Yes,”Kora admitted, though Keynes could swear he noticed her nose scrunch in a grimace. “These armour plates appear valuable. Help me skin this thing.”
Keynes deflated at the thought of extra work. He hoped for some rest. His stamina was low and the constant heavy rain did nothing to improve his mood.
***
“We’re third and fourth in the ranking,” Kora said a week later.
They were mere two kilometres from the centre. Keynes could feel the tremendous pressure of the spiritual energy coming from there. But this was where the good news ended. The forest around them turned into a labyrinth.
Trees and shrubs grew so dense and dangerous they became impassable. Cutting through was possible with [Chaos Aura] empowered by Kora’s Talent but it was ill-advised as each attempt sent dozens of Level 5 monsters their way.
And these were champion-level creatures.
Twice they forced Keynes and Kora to retreat as the forest around them awoke, suppressing even [Nature Aura]. It put the Level 5 rifts in a different perspective. Obviously, not every rift had monsters of this strength and intelligence but some had and if they would constantly spawn such creatures how could anyone survive that?
Following the labyrinth, the two ascenders continued their effort of collecting and assembling plants. None of the combinations or plants were listed on the Web. Apart from the two ascenders ahead of them, they were in uncharted territory. They also got better at neutralising the monsters before they could destroy the important plant.
Finally, [Light Bomb] paid dividends as they discovered that the light was the weakness of most monsters in the dark forest. While Kora blinded them, Keynes used [Telekinesis] to snatch the plant. Only after the plant was secured, they proceeded with the fight.
Fights got significantly harder as well and several times Keynes asked Kora for help forfeiting his maxing attribute out gains.
I am not so sure about this combination, Alice said as Keynes and Kora worked on the small patch of the ground. The plants morphed and transformed as they planted them. It was a bizarre spectacle.
Why? Keynes asked.
Its connection with the dominion is…different. Stronger. Stranger, she replied.
Roused by her words, Keynes investigated the mutant-plant in front of him. [Identify Plant] came empty as it was no longer a plant but something else. His spiritual aura was much more helpful. While he didn’t sense the connection to the dominion, he noticed a thick root running very deep.
“Be careful, Kora, this one appears to be a big daddy.”
“Seriously,”she asked with disbelief. “Big daddy?”
Nothing else was said as the impulse of spiritual energy came out of the now morphed plant-something and an instant later Keynes found himself standing in total blackness. Even his [Night Sight] was of no use.
As he spread his spiritual aura, he realised with growing frustration that he was no longer in the forest.
Alice, anything? He asked in his head.
Nothing, master. I sense nothing, she replied. He was glad that she was here with him.
“Lem Solaris, is this your doing?”No response.
“Congratulations, young ascender,” a voice said Keynes whirled finding a tall figure standing amid the darkness. It wore tattered rags, while a leather sash was wrapped around his abdomen. His legs were obscured in the black smoke that flowed from the floor.
Half of his face was hooded, while the other one was overgrown by a bark with a few small offshots creating an impression of small horns. Both eyes were green and shone brightly.
I’m not sensing it! Do you? Keynes asked.
Nothing, replied Alice.
Can it be a system entity? Keynes asked hopefully.
I do not think so…
“Hmm, a mute it seems.” It stopped several steps from Keynes, towering over him. The thing had to be three metres high, Keynes concluded.
“Are you a part of the System?” Keynes asked. He badly needed to figure out what he was dealing with. “Or are you the sub-boss of this dominion?”
“Not a mute then. Hmm.” The creature’s two eyes focused on Keynes completely and he felt his head spin. The Pure Body buff reacted but failed to stop intrusion. Keynes shook his head and noticed he had fallen to one knee. “Third Degree as well and soon, if the System allows, Fourth Degree. Very good.”
“What are you?” Keynes said through his teeth as he pushed himself up. His body felt sore and it took effort to stop it from shaking.
“I’m the guardian of the Inner Sanctuary,” the creature replied.
“And what’s that?” Keynes asked, preparing an attack.
“The place where the Father of the Forest lives. If you wish to meet him, you must show your worth. Impress me, young ascender.”
“With pleasure.” Keynes smirked.