ALEXiThymiA: Chapter 53: The First Monster of Pandora

Chapter 53

The First Monster of Pandora

All the villages were the same. From the layout, to the different enslaved races being forced to gather a natural resource needed to fuel an army, to the secret entrances to the town hall. The only difference that existed were who oversaw the different villages.

Elves of course enslaved both the gnomes who were assigned to produce grain, and the dwarves who were assigned to harvest ores and other natural resources.

Orcs were the owners of the other two villages. Orcs had enslaved Satyrs, or at least that is the best that Alexa could describe them as. They were weird goat people with furry legs, large horns on the tops of their heads for the males. While the females had two or three sets of smaller horns along the sides of their heads. They were odd but enslaved. Not only were they enslaved, but they were enslaved to Orcs, which meant Alexa had no problem keeping with the status quo. Especially when the status quo was a deep brooding enmity between the orcs and her.

So far of the three villages each village gave a different fragment, but only when she freed the village from oppression and refused to take the resources that the village provided. The second village she went to, East village, at least that was the name she had constructed for the village in her mind. That was the village of that Satyrs, who oddly enough Alexa could speak to. Only after the fact did she realize the Satyrs spoke a language called Chaos, fortunately that was one she had stolen from the dragons. That village gave her the top right corner of her Divine Item. When she held out the two, pieces she could see that it had the making of an intricate rune on it.

Though the rune was not like any she had ever seen before. At least these were not the types of runes that Polyglot and the other supers used to ward areas. Instead, this was a rune that had patterns within patterns that spiraled in among itself. Of course, Alexa wasn’t exactly certain of the spiraling inward pattern, not until she got the bottom right portion of the stone, which she got from the southernmost village.

The southern most village, the village of dwarven miners, was the one that gave her the bottom right portion of her Divine item. By now she was certain she knew the language of the rune. Oddly enough, she knew the rune to be written in Celestial, a language she also received from her numerous battles with dragons.

Once she got the third segment, she was almost certain she would be able to decipher the pattern that the runes were all merging towards. There was of course just one major problem.

Well two main problems. First, major issue was that even with being able to identify the language that the stones were written in, she wasn’t exactly certain what she was supposed to do with the tablet once it was completed. The second major issue was time. Alexa started her campaign to clear the fourth village, when she was had already been in the dungeon for ten hours, and eleven minutes. This meant that by her estimation she started the third village by the time her homeroom was just about to start. All but proving her earlier prediction correct, that she was going to be late to class.

On the one hand, Alexa hated the idea of being late. She was also aware that despite being able to push herself well beyond the mortal limits of most people, especially her peers, thanks to her increased Attributes. She was not invincible. She knew that she would need to rest and regroup. Had she just gone for resources, she could have likely completed two or three additional runs by now. As it stood, she would be lucky to make it out by noon.

Still all of that paled to compare to the fact that there was a Divine level item hidden in the third stage of the Trials of Ascension. What did that mean about the rest of the trials? If there were seven more stages after this one, did that mean that there were likely more Divine level artifacts just lying around, waiting to be found?

Fortunately both of Alexa’s core thought processes were in lock step about skipping class. Something that normally graded on the very core of her being. Her rational mind, or the part that was almost always in control, wanted to find out what the Divine item was and what it did. Her emotional state that took over when she was killing orcs and elves also wanted to stay, despite having doubts about the ruthless methods Alexa would employ to achieve her victories. See the emotional side of Alexa felt deeply for the oppressed people and saw their being freed as a deed worth performing.

Since they were both in agreement about the end goal, there were no issues between the two. So with her typical slow deliberate pacing she made what had become by now her standard attack pattern for the fourth village, the one that covered the westernmost portion of the dungeon map.

This time, she was met with the same exact quest goal as she had when she entered the dwarven village to the south.

Quest: Ore Production: You have stumbled across an enemy settlement that produces ore. Stop the production and confiscate the spoils.

This time, rather than Satyrs running the mines, it was goblins. Goblins who not only recognized Alexa’s approach but avoided her while trying to find new open areas to mine from.

Of the different villages the mines posed the most chance for being spotted as most of the approach was on open land. There were no large stalks of grain to obfuscate her approach or mask her movements.  Fortunately, most orcs who had been sent to watch the fields were in tunnels. The tunnel systems were perfect for Alexa and her Eyes of the Architect as she could see the moving orcs, so long as they were within a certain range and not blocked by many walls.

As she made her way through the mines several blue ore clumps glowed brightly from within the walls. Alexa had thought about mining those as well but thought against such an act. First it would be the same thing as stealing resources from the goblins, but it would also take time. Time was a luxury that Alexa could not afford at the moment.

So instead, she just made her way around the mine shafts with brutal efficiency. Using Arcane Wind Bladesindiscriminately on the orcs, while being thankful for the fact that the species she was sent to protect, the goblins were far shorter.

There had been a few close calls with the Satyrs, while they were shorter than the orcs. The male’s long horns would often stick up and be close to the neck level of the towering orc captors. Fortunately, she had been able to avoid any major issues, but that had been a concern of hers throughout that entire village.

Once she had cleared the mine of all orcs, she left. Just as before the dark yellow colored goblins turned a lighter and lighter shade of yellow with each orc kill she managed.

Then exiting the mine, she made her way around the village, until she once again saw the tell tale markings of an escape hatch and followed the small trail to the main house.

Despite being repetitive, Alexa never lost focus. This was something that she considered to be a gift. She didn’t get bored, or at least she found her tolerance for boredom was far higher than others. In part this was why her dating site had been such a success. She could sit through dates that most people would have found to be horrible.

She didn’t find them to be horrible, but rather she just realized what was being discussed was not something she would care about.

All these thoughts went through her mind as she made her way down the long tunnel. Then the moment she got to the end of the tunnel and could see her next set of targets, her mind shut off and she focused on the task at hand. She still carried her twin elven daggers with her. After the first village she had kept them, as a necessary component for this quest.

In all she was happy with keeping the length of the daggers. For fighting outside the confines of the town hall buildings, they were too small to be overly effective. Fortunately for her, she didn’t need the blades outside the town hall. She just needed the blades to help her deal with over using her Telekinesis too much.

Seeing the two, Alexa moved with surgical precision. Over the different runs she found that targeting the far opponent with Telekinesis, while charging in to stab the nearest enemy was the best use of her time and energy.

Slice, squish.

Arterial blood sprayed from two spots, one on the leg of the great monster, and one from a well placed slice to the side of the neck. Given her speed, and quickness she was already in the hallway, before either orc guard could react.

Gulg, glug.

Crackle pop.

The far orc’s head popped. Orcs apparently had a thicker skull than elves did, meaning the amount of force would be greater at first. But that did little to stop the full force of her Telekinesis. If anything, the increased durability just meant that once the skull did crack open, it impaled the orc’s mind easier, killing them instantly.

Of course, Alexa wasn’t content to let a bleeding orc turn about to face her. As the guard she had been stabbing to this point was still turning to try to face her. Fortunately, Alexa’s fast reflexes, and keen senses let her predict the direction the orc would turn. Allowing her to turn in synchronous movements with the warrior.

Stab, slice.

A quick stab to the right kidney.

Upward thrust.

An upward jab with her left hand went up and under the ribs. Then with a quick flick of her wrist inward, she changed her angle and drove her dagger upward with her full force.

She could all but see the moment the blade connected with the monster’s heart. One second the monster was standing fully erect, rage filling its muscles with extra strength. The next, the color and intensity of its green skin began to fade.

Seeing that sudden drain of color, Alexa nodded to herself as she quickly removed her dagger before the huge orc could fall on it and prevent her from retrieving it.

Of course, just as she would expect the next set of guards came forward, but Alexa herself was already running towards the intersection. The entire time she tracked the glowing red indicators of the giant orc bodies.

The minute the first orc rounded the corner, Alexa was already striking out and up. Her blade going straight up and into the skull of the massive orc warrior.

Despite the orcs all being excessively large, all being over six and a half feet tall. Far taller than the normal human, they were still well within Alexa’s reach. Her long arms whipped out and struck lightning fast blows, then she retreated before the large frames of the orcs could be used to stop her.

Thud.

The first body slid to the floor, but even the sliding of a large body could be heard within the hallway. This of course alerted more orcs to her presence. But she was fine. So long as she kept her pace up, the orcs couldn’t touch her. Her naturally high reflexes, her stolen Agility, from the elves, along with her numerous titles made it so she could easily out maneuver the cumbersome orcs.

Once the outer hallway was clear, Alexa once again made her way around the main room, found the orc leader and squished his head. It had worked the first time, why not this time as well.

From there, it was all downhill. The orcs were less disciplined than their elven counterparts. Many often trying to seize the moment of power for themselves, by striking at their peers, or what was more often the case, charging forward without the support of their comrades. Either way, Alexa was able to take down the elite guards that lined the main room with relative ease. While they were slightly stronger, and would take longer to subdue, they were uncoordinated and cumbersome with their movements. Having neither group tactics down, nor how to be proficient. Instead it seemed that the orcs main way of attacking was to stand still take your attack, then while your weapon was stuck, strike you down.

Fortunately, Alexa made it a personal goal to not get hit, and to not allow her weapons to get stuck.

Thud.

The last elite orc guard’s body fell to the ground.

Alexa looked around the room to see that once again six goblins were in the room. Not wanting to waste any more time than was absolutely necessary, Alexa said another iconic line.

“I’ll be back.”

With that, Alexa took her two elven blades and went about freeing the rest of the village from their oppressors.

Thirty-three minutes later, a blood-soaked Alexa came back to the town hall room once she had received the message she had seeking.

Quest Complete: Ore Production: You have stumbled across an enemy settlement that produces ore and have managed to subjugate it under your control. Rewards: speak to the village leader to determine your true reward.

Once Alexa returned to the room, she was greeted with a message she was very familiar with by now.

Choose Reward: You must choose who will receive the supply of ore.

“Great leader, how may this one assist.” An old, withered goblin said, as he prostrated himself before Alexa.

“Rise and be seen as free people. From this day forward, your work will be that of your own. All your production will be what you use to better your own people with.” Alexa said.

Rewarded: The Goblins have been awarded the supply of ore.

With that, Alexa did as she always did at this point. During her time at the second village everyone looked at her like she was crazy until she turned. Since then, she just made turning a matter of habit to speed up this whole process.

“Wait.”

With that Alexa paused and half turned around to face the old goblin.

“I need you to take this.” The goblin leader said, pulling out a blue stone from a hidden compartment of the throne. This one did not require any intricate movements, just a side piece that had been blended in with the side.

“Wait you can’t.” The goblin leader’s son spoke out.

Alexa just stood there letting the whole dialog play out. It was clear that this was scripted, that these scenes were meant to be performed multiple times. But Alexa could only look on as she silently watched her timer count down within her mind.

Countdown Timer until World Integration: 00 Years, 2 Months, 0 Days, 10 Hours, 57 Minutes, 46, 45 seconds.

She had spent a little over ten hours working on completing these final three villages. Still, she was not done yet, she still needed to wait for this all to pan out.

Then finally, the goblin chief, after having convinced his son of the importance, handed over the fourth and final fragment.

Partial Divine Item Found: You have found a portion of a divine item. Current stats: Soul Bound.

Hidden Quest Completed: Fragments of the Lost: You have found the fourth and final fragment needed to create a Divine Item. Assemble the pieces and become the speaker for the downtrodden.

Alexa held up the fragment she had just been given, while holding out the three other fused pieces. Holding them out, she watched as the last piece welded itself to the rest.

Gasps.

The goblins all let out a collective gasp of awe and reverence at the sound.

Alexa for her part looked at the symbol engraved, then opened her mouth as if to speak the word she saw.

“Not here!” The goblin chief said fear evident in his voice as he dashed forward.

“What?” Alexa asked, suddenly tearing her attention away from the stone tablet in her hands.

“You cannot speak the sacred stone here. You must go to the mountain and say it for all to hear.” The goblin chief said, pointing out a window and up to the mountain top that Alexa had first appeared from.

Alexa just shrugged her shoulders at that suggestion. To her it made no difference where she spoke the word o the tablet. But it did help that this final step would be done from a place that was right next to the exit.

Still, she found the entire thing to be odd.

There was just one word on the tablet. Well, it was more of a complex concept than anything, but it would be summarized in one word.

The concept was written in Celestial, just as Alexa had thought. Though the concept was far deeper than she had initially expected. There were layers to the concept. Layers that were symbolized by the ever-increasing spirals of patters that wound around the core concept and bound everything together.

On her way back to the top of the mountain monsters either avoided her, or she had killed them all on her way to the villages. Either way, her return was just enough time to think about the concept on the tablet and what it ultimately meant.

For a divine item, this tablet seemed to be missing something. At least that was what Alexa thought, but she had come this far, might as well take the last minute to find out what all the effort was for.

As she got to the top of the mountain, she saw the first tree she created, along with the exit door.

Then next to the door she saw a giant green circle on the ground. Seeing the circle with her eyes, Alexa moved to the indicated area. The minute she did, the black tablet in her hand began to glow a deep blue.

Divine Item Activated.

That was all the tablet said, as she interacted with he blue text. Seeing that this was apparently the place she was supposed to say the concept. She took in a deep breath and then began to speak. At least she tried to speak. Before she could, a stream of energy flowed out from her body into the tablet.

Instantly she felt waves of magic and mental energy flow around the tablet. Each strand of energy went into the runes, highlighting the interlocking markings that spiraled back among itself.

Gasps.

It felt like the wind was being pulled from Alexa’s lungs. She felt weak, as more and more of her energy was being pulled from her body. Had it been a trap? An elaborate death trap all along?

Alexa didn’t know, nor could she really spend too much time thinking about the possible betrayal of the system. At this moment all her focus was on just staying upright, on trying to keep her energy from bleeding out into the item.

Thud.

Alexa crashed to her knees, the sheer force of needing to stand up on her own too much for her body. Then warnings began to go off in her mind.

Warning: Insufficient energy found. Cannot complete full transformation.

Warning: No true class found; candidate unable to receive full benefits.

Warning: Severe internal damage being caused.

The more messages that passed through Alexa’s mind, the more she felt fluids running down from her face and eyes. She was in pain, not just pain, but immense pain. Pain on the scale of what the vampyre torturer did to her when she colluded with dark entities and obtained Necromancy. Pain on the course of what she felt, when parts of her soul were ripped out to pay the vampyre’s infernal contract. Pain that she hoped to never feel again.

For a moment, she thought about stopping. About wanting it all to end.

Warning: Emergency shut down of stage of the Trials of Ascension activated.

Warning: Candidate must speak the phrase to end the stage and subsequent transformation.

Alexa could almost feel the system talking to her. It couldn’t talk to her, not like normal people, but it could warn her. And right now she knew the system was warning her, she had gone too high too fast. She had done things that were supposed to be impossible, but she had somehow done them anyways.

Now it was telling her to speak the concept. The idea that was both all consuming but could be spoken with just one word.

The only problem was, Alexa was in too much pain to remember the word.

Zap.

A blinding light flashed. Alexa didn’t need to look, but she did so anyways. The black tablet was floating before her, spinning about wildly with her energy. The very energy of her body. Energy that her body was still providing the tablet even now. She was too low level, she didn’t have the natural reserves to do this, but she had done so anyways. Now she just needed to focus on the tablet and say the one word.

A word that would make the pain finally end.

Then it came back to her. Knowledge of the alien language that had been forced into her brain by this very system. Knowledge that would be the only way she could stop this from happening now.

Alexa opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was dry. Tears of blood rolled down her face as she tried to speak.

In the end she managed a low horse croak of a word. A word spoken in a long-forgotten language of the universe. A word that even now spanned multiple different concepts and meanings and combined them all into one ideal. An ideal combined the whole purpose for this stage of the Trials of Ascension into one concept.

The word that once spoken, rang out like a crisp ringing bell. A pure note of peace.

As soon as she spoke the word, her faction standing with the four races she had spent all day freeing rose from friendly to trusted status. Their shades of yellow slowly giving way to bright vibrant greens.

Then the world began to rip away from her, as she received another system message.

Candidate has completed the third stage of the Trials of Ascension, sending back to rest.

With that the world went away, the painful ripping sensation in Alexa’s body ended, but she was still in pain. Her eyes were shut tight, as she could see the message burned into her eyes.

Poof.

Alexa was forcefully ejected from the dungeon. The guards who were on duty. Ones who had long ago replaced the earlier team that first let Alexa into the dungeon were startled by the sound of an intense ringing bell. One that instantly called out to their soul.

They turned toward the source of that feeling of completeness. To find the burnt and smoking body of Alexa.

As the two approached, they saw that blood covered most of her face and body. Her body convulsing in pain, she was clearly delirious with pain as she kept uttering one word over and over again.

“Hope… Hope… Hope.”

With each utterance, the level of peace the two guards felt only grew in intensity.

“What the heck happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do we do?”

Before the second guard could reply, Alexa hearing the words of others, finally stopped her mad desperate cry to get the pain to stop. Hearing the two she opened her blood-soaked eyes and saw the two guards kneeling over her.

Seeing them, and no longer feeling the pain wracking her body. Or feeling the searing image of the Celestial rune being burned into her mind, she took one deep calming breath. She gave a deep smile with her now blood covered teeth, before closing her eyes and promptly passing out.