ALEXiThymiA: Epilogue

Epilogue

Captain Rayne Johnston

Rayne listened to the two girls tell their story. A story that seemed almost too fantastical to believe. One where the group of three girls went into a dungeon. Then the Necromancer, if their reports were to be believed, managed to speak to the dungeon so it would have an already cleared room for them. Then while in that cleared room, the two girls watched as Alexa went through trial after trial against dragons. Not only did she go toe-to-toe with said dragons, but she won. Or at least managed to force her opponent to leave.

Rayne Johnston herself was well aware of the dangers of going into a Tier II and above Red difficulty dungeon. That was how the Trials of Ascension were started. That was also where the alleged countdown timer for every adventurer’s inevitable fall came. When they would go and face off against a dragon.

Rayne had heard rumors of top ranked adventurers perishing in dungeons. Rumors where the best of the best were mowed down in their primes as they got too greedy. Yellow was called the Gold standard for a reason, in fact most people would kick out adventurers who wanted to go into Red level difficulty dungeons.

Still these girls insisted that not only had Alexa gone into one of these death traps and survived, but she then opted to stay? Not just stay, but apparently, she used up her allotted number of stays she was granted. Going so far as to be able to scare the final two dragons away at her mere presence.

“Now that I have your story, I want to make sure I have the details of this trip down. You three went through ten levels, five green, then five yellow. Is that correct?” Rayne said, falling back into her interrogation role. These were heavy charges, and ones that she would be laughed at for merely trying to enter. Let alone acting upon.

“Yes.” They both answered in unison.

“During this time were you exposed to, or possibly exposed to any chemicals?”

“We did not do drugs, if that is what you are asking.” Gina said, defensively.

“Not what I asked. Did you at any time get exposed to, or were you in the same room when possibly hallucinogenic chemicals could have been added together?” Rayne asked.

The two paused, “well there were the traps in the rooms.” Julie answered.

At that Rayne Johnston nodded.

“All right, let me try to break this down for you. Your story is fantastical on many different levels. You say Alexa spoke to the dungeon, but it only listened when you entered the Red floors, is that correct?”

They both nodded.

Good, Rayne had not missed that detail.

“That is also when the Dungeon not only seemed to respond, but when Alexa left to go off on her own. That is when the dungeon clued you in by showing you a video of Alexa allegedly doing Necromantic activities? Is that also, correct?”

The girls nodded.

“This was also after you were possibly exposed to hallucinogenic chemicals, is that correct?”

The girls again nodded, this time their faces began to sag as the line of questioning that Rayne Johnston was conducting began to make sense.

“So, is it possible that this might be a hallucinogenic dream brought on by a bad chemical reaction from exposure to a dungeon’s traps? Traps that are by their nature designed to make you mistrust your own party?”

With that the two girls slumped in on themselves.

Then as if one last act of desperation, Julie looked up and asked. “What about Alexa breaking up the pack bond? Doesn’t that show something?”

Judy was the one to come in at this point.

“You said, that there is an intense emotional connection made from that Pack Bond?” Judy, Alexa’s mom and retired Super asked.

Julie just nodded.

“Well, Alexa is very sensitive to the way people perceive her. It is part of her condition. But if what you are saying is true. That you doubted her and were frightened of her at that moment she returned. That would have likely been too much for her to handle. So, she would have likely tried to end the connection anyway she could. Which in this case means that she severed the pack bond.”

At that Julie and Gina both slumped in depression.

“Wow, we ‘effed up royally.” Gina said.

Julie just nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Rayne Johnston took the lead. “So now are you sure you want to submit this story about Alexa killing dragons with Necromantic powers? Powers you admit to not seeing firsthand, but by a TV provided by the dungeon. The same dungeon that is designed to kill you, and get you to kill your partners?”

At that Gina just started crying. “No.”

Julie too looked sad at the exchange.

“Good.” Rayne said, as she hit delete on the forms, she had spent the last hour filling out. “Now I guess we just must ask the last major question. Where exactly is Alexa?”

Alexa Thyme

There had been so much, emotional feedback from the Pack Bond. Too much feedback, fear Julie truly feared her. They saw her, at her truest form. They saw her dark secret, that she was a battle junkie and a crystalline user. They saw her and were frightened by what they had seen.

Alexa had left the dungeon and taken off running. She didn’t know where she ran exactly, but over time she found herself heading home. Well not home, she didn’t have a place she felt like she could be herself at. Instead, she ran to Dawning Light, her temporary home.

This was good, as it gave her time to think. As everything was happening too quickly. She needed a moment to think. It was too much, she was betrayed. Worse, she couldn’t even get angry at it all. Now that she severed all ties to that oppressive emotional feedback loop, she was numb again. No, slightly worse than numb, as now she knew there was a giant empty hole in her heart, where the emotions she once had shared with her pack were ripped away.

In the end this was for the best. People like Alexa didn’t deserve nice things.

She knew that from the start, that she was not meant to be leader of a pack. She could barely lead herself, so why would she oversee the leading of a pack of werewolves. It was foolish of her to think she cold blend in. After all she was never able to blend in, only able to ever be accepted.

Then of course there was the fact that she was now death incarnate to dragons. That dragons a full level above her would flee in terror at the very sight of her. Still, even in their fleeing Alexa still gained bonuses from the great system. Each time she killed or caused a dragon to flee, she would gain the same three rewards: New Title, Class Upgrade, New Unique Skill.

Titles:

Dragon’s Bane (4): All Magic abilities increased by 10%. Magical effectiveness against all dragons increased by 25%.

Dragon Slayer (7): All Magic abilities increased by 15%. Magical effectiveness against all dragons increased by 50%.

It was like a switch would be turned on in her mind when she entered a dungeon with a dragon in it. One second, she was normal, well her new normal, which to be honest still caused her to be jittery. Then the next she could all but feel her titles burning her from the inside with power. Power that needed to be directed right at the dragons.

As for her Class Upgrades, they were somehow underwhelming. Especially after they capped out after the third upgrade. Eventually stopping at the apparent final evolution for this class.

Class Upgrade:

Slotted Class: Absorber (Apex). This is the final upgrade to your class. The amount of essence you can absorb is increased by 30%, while also increasing your link to the energies available within the essence by 75%.

That was everything her new class description afforded her.

As for her new Unique Skills, they too were underwhelming. At least at first glance.

In addition to her Dragon Tongue, she also gained proficiency in the following skills: Precursor Tongue, Celestial Tongue, Harbinger Tongue, Chaos Tongue, Runic Tongue, Elven Tongue, Orc Tongue, Gnomish Tongue, Dwarven Tongue, and Beastkin Tongue.

That was her prize, she could now speak in languages to creatures who were only rumored to have been seen within dungeons.

Of course, with each fragment of knowledge that was forced into her brain, she also saw a warning. A warning that she herself couldn’t quite fathom, one that seemed to be nearly too much for her to comprehend.

There was also the final reward. Her class rewards. The bonus to everything.

Dragons it seemed were one of the original architects of the system. This was noted in both the quest prompts that Alexa had received, and in her bonuses she managed to steal from the dragons.

Stolen Abilities:

Eyes of the Architect (4 of 4): You see the subtle signs of creation within the cosmos.

Hands of the Architect (8 of 8): You can manipulate the strands of creation within the cosmos.

With her class bonuses, even with the final few dragons fleeing in terror she managed to gain the two abilities that stuck out most to her.

Worse, she could now see something that she wish she could unsee. Or better still, something she wished she never was aware of at all.

Countdown Timer until World Integration: 00 Years, 2 Months, 5 Days, 3 Hours, 15 Minutes, 14, 13 seconds.

A countdown.

A quick mental math showed that the timer would end sometime around New Year’s day.

On that day, it was clear that something drastic would happen. The only problem was Alexa was uncertain of exactly what would happen.

Name: Alexa Thyme

Status: Pre-Awakened

Slotted Class: Absorber (A)

Trials Completed: 12 of 10 (8 Remaining)

Dragon Trials Completed: 11 of 10 (9 Remaining)

Physical Attributes

Strength: 150 (Max)

Agility: 150 (Max)

Endurance: 150 (Max)

Mental Attributes

Intelligence: 150 (Max)

Perception: 150 (Max)

Willpower: 150 (Max)

Skills unlocked

Wall Walking 11%

Parkour 11%

Gymnastics 15%

Throwing 26%

Perfected Skills:

Dragon Tongue, Precursor Tongue, Celestial Tongue,

Harbinger Tongue, Chaos Tongue, Runic Language,

Elven Tongue, Orc Tongue, Gnomish Tongue,

Dwarven Tongue, Beastkin Tongue

Psychic Powers (Related Attributes)

Mind Shield: (Willpower)

Telekinesis: (Intelligence, Perception)

Magic Disruption: (Willpower)

Magic Schools Unlocked:

Healing, Nature

Wind, Arcane

Titles:

Dragon’s Bane (4): All Magic abilities increased by 10% (40%). Magical effectiveness against all dragons increased by 25% (100%).

Dragon Slayer (7): All Magic abilities increased by 15% (105%) . Magical effectiveness against all dragons increased by 50% (350%).

Attribute Increase (5): All Attributes increased by 10% (50%).

Stolen Powers:

Regeneration, Night Sight, Agility, Longevity, Pack Link, Pack Bond, Eyes of the Architect, Hands of the Architect.