A stunned silence followed the Grand Druid’s presentations. The spiritual auras were less restrictive and revealed a maelstrom of emotions coming from the contenders.
While Keynes kept his aura almost tightly controlled, Kora wasn’t as good and her reaction to the rewards was leaking out.
Her and others’ reactions made Keynes confused.
They weren’t disappointed but neither were they excited about the rewards like him. Did they even know how amazing these rewards look in comparison to the first global dominion? Of course they didn’t as none of them had been there.
The first global dominion was a joke in comparison to this though he had to admit that some parts of the reward were unclear. The personal insight from the Father of the Forest sounded odd and unappealing.
What Keynes was truly enthusiastic about were the Rod of Sanctuary and the Bountiful Sphere. Another Orb of Dominion would be welcomed but the first two items fit his plans precisely.
I wonder how the rod works. Can it be activated in space? Can I use it in different places?
Questions began filling his mind but very soon his attention switched to the green-haired girl. Keynes noticed he couldn’t feel any emotions from her. She stared at him with wariness, which was spurred by the fact that his aura was well-controlled. If she was able to pick this up in the spiritual chaos, she should be considered as a formidable opponent.
When she noticed his attention on her, she glanced elsewhere. Then after a short verbal exchange with his guardian, the tamer stood up.
“I can’t say I am thrilled about these rewards, but I won’t say no to the Orb of Dominion, however.” he paused.“I have a feeling that there is a catch.”
The Grand Druid turned to the tamer, considering him for a moment, which created tension among the contenders. They couldn’t forget where they were. For all Keynes knew, this could be another dream or illusion. He didn’t believe so but Lem Solaris had shown him how small he was in the face of greater powers.
“If you are asking about a possibility of betrayal from our side then rest assured, there won’t be any betrayal.”
The tamer snorted, shaking his head.
“Why should I trust your words?”That earned the tamer a few silent nods from other contenders. Keynes also wanted to know the answer to this question.
“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be able to share this information with ascenders because you have reached so far, I will offer this insight to you, contenders, “the Grand Druid replied. “The Father of the Forest is bound by the System. This means that the Father must fulfil his promise and adhere to the rules set by the System. The Father cannot cheat or break the rules.”
“What rules are you talking about?” the tamer voiced the question everyone had on their minds.
“Check the System,” the Grand Druid said.
Keynes and others did so, while Alice kept an eye on his surroundings.
The Final Challenge of the Inner Sanctuary
(The System-sanctioned Event)
Rules…
Keynes got a cursory look over the rules. The Grand Druid said the truth. The System guaranteed the rewards, safety of the contenders as long as they adhered to the rules.
It only made Keynes more confused. This dominion was nothing like the first global one.
Just to be sure, Keynes checked the System’s interface for information about the first global dominion. There was some general info but nothing like with this dominion. Also, this dominion was “sanctioned” by the System, which meant it was not created by the System itself.
Just what the hell is going on here? Alice, how’s this possible? Isn’t the Father of the Forest part of the System himself?
Alice’s answer didn’t come right away. Keynes actually felt her consider the question before replying.
I do not know the details but I have some residual information the System did not take away after disconnecting me. Some System-created entities have more freedom than others. Look at me for example, I was created by the System and yet I act with freedom. I believe this Father of the Forest may be similar to me.
So he’s someone from the System…
That is my guess, Alice agreed.
It was wild. Spiritual companions were one thing but having powerful systemic entities to gain independence from the System was insane. This is something I have to ask Lem Solaris about. I have to understand what the limits are. It appears that the Hidden Chambers may have more of these entities than we anticipate.
“Keynes,” Kora’s soft voice stirred him out of his mindfulness. Keynes’s eyes travelled back to the other side of the amphitheatre. The tamer still stood, staring defiantly at the Grand Druid.
“We weren’t told about these rules ahead of time,” he said to the Grand Druid. “How is that fair?”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Keynes glanced at Kora’s and his guardian but like with other guardians, found an alien, indifferent expression. They seemed unfazed by the confrontation between the tamer and the Grand Druid.
“Fairness is the privilege of the strong.” The Grand Druid’s voice turned a little sly. “It isn't a commodity freely given to the weak and yet the Father offered you more fairness than your strength warrants.”
Keynes didn’t like the druid’s words. Other contenders mirrored his thoughts as their expressions hardened, their auras showed anger, which seemed to prove the Grand Druid’s point. If they weren’t capable of hiding their emotions, they couldn’t compete with the strongest.
“Why bother then?” the green-haired girl asked. “Why set up this whole competition if you and your father see us as weaklings?”
“The Father wishes to witness a competition and so a competition will happen. You’re here to entertain him. In exchange you will be handsomely rewarded.”
“What kind of competition?” someone asked.
“Competitions will be revealed one at a time, a few days ahead of time. You will earn the Favour of the Forest and competition points. At the end, the competition points would determine who was going to win.”
“Why should I bother with the competition if I can kill everyone, including your father. Isn’t killing the sub-boss the goal of the global dominions?”The green-haired woman asked.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” the tamer snapped.
Keynes noticed that the pair he’d met in the safe zone earlier moved slightly away from the green-haired girl. Also, the weirdly-behaving guy started to tense up, his aura turning very hostile.
Tension went up in a matter of a second. Keynes felt Kora’s hand on his shoulder, her grip tight, signalising readiness to fight.
Whoever this green-haired girl was, she was damn confident in her strength. Given that she was the first here, and Keynes could barely sense her aura, she might not be overestimating herself.
“Refrain from violence,” their guardian muttered. “You don’t want to break the rules if you wish to survive.”
Keynes squinted at him, considering their situation. What was going on here? Was this dominion so powerful that even top ascenders weren’t strong enough to fight it? It bothered him because he was missing something here.
“The same rules that bound the Father and us, they give us leverage over you. If this dominion were anything like the first one, your plan of fighting everyone would make sense, but as it stands, it is not the case. If you break the rules, you die, contenders. So, amuse me and try,”the Grand Druid said softly, not only sounding unbothered by the threat but also challenged the girl.
Alice, how strong is that druid? Keynes asked, feeling chill spreading through his bones. He didn’t want to be in mercy a ‘freed’ systemic entity.
I do not know. Most of my perception is connected to yours. However, the thing it said about the System’s rules giving them an upper hand, it does sound like something the System would do to validate the whole event.
If that was the case, it would be best for him and Kora to leave. But one of the rules forbids leaving. How convenient.
“Why is this dominion different from the first one?” the tamer asked, supposedly forgetting his ire at the girl. “The goal of the Dominion of Monsters is to defeat the global bosses. Your ‘event’ goes against it.”
“Indeed,” the Grand Druid agreed. “And winning this competition is equivalent to defeating the Father of the Forest. Once this is over, the second dominion will vanish and the third one will appear at some point.”
“But why is it different?” the tamer didn’t let go of the issue.
Keynes and Kora exchanged glances. They wanted to know as well.
“It is clear that it is the first Dominion of Monsters you experience, contender, hence you are unfamiliar with the nuances that govern such global events. For the starter, each dominion is inherently tied to its boss and shaped by the mind that rules it.”
“But the System—”
“It’s a framework far beyond your understanding,” the Grand Druid interjected, his voice getting a little hostile.
A stunned silence followed his words. No one seemed keen on further challenging the druid.
Seeing this, the druid nodded satisfied.
“I understand that you are curious, contenders. Through the Father, I know the history of this world and how little you know. So let me offer a bit of aforementioned fairness to you. The winner will be given answers to some of these questions.”
Winner Rewards amended
* Personal insight from the Grand Druid
“Interesting,” the guardian murmured behind Keynes and Kora. “To have the Grand Druid offer such a boon is a big deal.”
Not only Keynes didn’t see why but he had a feeling as if the whole Inner Sanctuary had history, which didn’t make sense for the System’s event.
The Grand Druid vanished as the system message appeared. Then all the guardians stood up and urged the contenders to follow them out of the amphitheatre.
“Where are we heading?” Keynes asked as the trio walked a distance from others.
“To your temporary accommodation.”
Keynes’s mind barely registered the surroundings but from what he saw, the dominion-created village was charming with awkward buildings sparsely scattered all over the valley.
Even though the buildings used cut stone and wood, they appeared to be created around trees that gave them defining shape and character.
Then saw something that brought his attention back.
Green and brown-skinned humanoids with moss-like hair and clothes made out of leaves and flowers. Kora and he marvelled at the unique sight.
“What are they?” she asked.
“They are called the Children of the Forest,” the guardian replied without breaking his stride. “Leave them be.”
Keynes found the change in the guardian’s tone suspicious. Something was up with these creatures. While they resembled little humans, their behaviour was different. They showed curiosity and thoughtfulness, and though they lacked human intelligence, they weren’t animals or monsters.
Just what the hell are these things?
When Keynes probed them with his aura, gently to not aggravate the guardian, he didn’t find spiritual interface ascenders possessed nor their spiritual cores resembled those of monsters. In other words, they were unlike anything Keynes had seen.
They appear to be proto-ascenders, Alice explained.
What the hell is a proto-ascender? Keynes asked, unable to contain his surprise. Then after a second added. It sounds like a human pre-ascender.
Not quite, Alice replied. Humans are a full ascender race though your access to the System is delayed by development of your spiritual cores. Proto-ascenders do not have access to the System, even though they have spiritual cores capable of establishing such a connection.
I didn’t know such a thing existed. So, does it mean that monsters are proto-ascenders as well?
No. Monsters are created by the System, proto-ascenders are not.
Keynes stopped, which in turn halted Kora and the guardian. He forgot himself and asked aloud, “If they weren’t created by the System, who the hell… oh, I see.”
“I said leave them be,” the guardian stepped closer to Keynes. “They are of no interest to you, contender.”