Chapter 239 - Gains Translated

Nate went over the last of their gains as they prepared to exit the Dungeon. Eight Challenges had resulted in nine Dungeon Rewards. Nate had come away with a number of Stat Orbs from two different rewards that he had already used to raise his Mana Absorption and Perception Stats. He had two Skill Enhancement Orbs, one Mythic and one Legendary that he could apply towards his Skills. Then there had been the Mythic Ring. He glanced at the ring again, as it had been useless in the Dungeon.

Skill Empowerment Ring (Mythic)
Features: Skill Selection (Mythic), Skill Empowerment (Mythic)

Skill Selection: Select a Skill from your Class Core. Selected Skill will benefit from the secondary effect of this item. Current Selection: Conceptual Insight.

Skill Empowerment: Increases Skill Efficiency by 50%. Current Effect (based on Skill Selection): Excess Mana Absorption Rate increased by additional 15.1%. Current Total: Mana Absorption Rate is 45.4%.

The effect would improve the rate he advanced his Sigils to higher tiers. The last battle had proved how important that was. His arm was still hurting even as the Death Concept that lingered within his arm finally ground to a halt, failing to progress deeper into his body. While the Life Barrier rune held it at bay, Nate had been unable to do more than seal off the rest of his arm using another Life Rune to prevent him leaking blood or getting an infection. Though maybe the latter wasn’t even possible. Who knew if microbes could survive the mana concentration of a Wild Realm. Surely they had to have some though, he thought. As for the area of his arm filled with the Death and Fire Concepts, it had resisted all healing and left Nate with a right arm that ended at his elbow.

The final reward had been a dragon's hoard of mythic paints. Nate had plans for that, and since he was now level eighty-six, he had time to spend on those plans. As they prepared to leave the Dungeon he considered his past on Galle. Specifically, when Aisling, Evindal and Luc had left to tackle an Epic Dungeon. They had been gone for months and at the time he had chalked it up mostly to travel time. After all, the Dungeons that Nate and Kiri had completed had rarely taken more than a few days. Having spent almost two months in a Mythic Dungeon now, he acknowledged the Epic Dungeon back on Galle might have taken the three Platinums a few weeks to complete. Maybe longer. Being high-level Platinums might be a respectable achievement on Galle, but in the greater multiverse it sounded like they would be on the lower end. They might’ve needed longer to recover between Challenges.

With his musings done, Nate glanced at Kiri, “Ready?”

“Ready,” she replied, finished changing into her new white and black leather. The juxtaposition of tones made her look ethereal.

“Take us out, Frick,” Nate called.

“That’s take us out, High Captain Frick!” Frick replied, the flying ship remaining unmoving.

Nate sighed, “Take us out, High Captain Frick.”

“Aye! Avast!” Frick hollered.

Nate moved to put his head in his hands in response to find he only had one. Any amusement he might’ve had at his Familiar’s antics evaporated. Then they were flying out through a spatial aperture that had appeared nearby.

Instead of the expected sounds of the jungle, the first thing Nate heard was the mutter of voices. With his sphere of awareness stretching for forty metres in every direction he took in what looked like an encampment of Calikex waiting around the Dungeon. With the ship floating only a few metres above the jungle floor he was able to walk up to the edge of the foredeck and peer down at the people waiting below for them. Strange words and voices reached his ears as they yelled something about the ship. A few pointed at his arm, or lack thereof. Others brandished weapons in preparation. 

Finally, three walked forward and their movement caused silence to fall over the gathered crowd of Calikex. Nate took the time to take in the appearances of the three. They were all clearly older, as he judged it, with the first being a tall and thin, clean shaven male with white hair and colourful feathers tucked into his hair along with a cloak of feathers that draped all the way down to the forest floor. A simple, white robe completed the outfit and Nate was reminded of the Heavenly Sky Wardens who had ridden huge birds into battle in the second Dungeon Challenge. 

The second was a female and her dress looked like it was made from some sort of seaweed. She was unadorned but her black hair was almost as long as the first man's cloak and trailed oddly, as though it was fighting nonexistent wind currents. There was a Concept at play there but it wasn’t Water, though whatever it happened to be Nate suspected the two were related. 

Finally there was a thick and powerful looking male with the dark fur draped across his shoulders. His hair was more grey than white and he had a beard to match. On each side of the man's hips hung a small axe. Around the three were ten individuals that wore armour and carried shields made of carapace. Another reminder from the second Challenge as they bore some resemblance to the Keepers of the Deep. Conceptual Sight of the Runic Artist returned the Classes of all three.

Soaring Sky Warden (L) (91) / Soaring Beast Tamer (E) (80) / Soaring Javelin Master (R) (40)

Lurking Depths Walker (M) (92) / Lurking Tentacle Mage (L) (70) / Lurking Water Mage (E) (40)

Unyielding Jungle Stalker (L) (89) / Unyielding Nighthunter (E) (72) / Unyielding Axe Warrior (R) (40)

It was the woman who spoke first.

“Sik kar juun dor?”

Nate was pretty confident that they were being asked a question but he had no idea what they were saying.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand you,” he replied even though he suspected it was unhelpful.

“Sik kar juun dor?” the female Calikex pressed and Nate could sense the tensing of muscles throughout the crowd.

Nate looked at Kiri, unsure what to do, when a feeling of imminent death fell across the entire clearing. The Calikex, as one, threw themselves to the ground while Nate stood stock still, unable to move. He unconsciously started reaching for his Divine Energy to protect himself when he felt something within him twist and change. Then the feeling of death was gone as quickly as it came.

“Nate,” Kiri whispered, her eyes still a little wild from the experience. “I have a Divine Translation Spell on my Status…”

Before Nate could glance at his own Status, another voice rang out.

“Death’s Shadow has passed his judgement. No blood will be spilled,” intoned the feather-wearing Calikex.

“I can understand you now,” Nate said, loud enough to be heard.

“I am Ra’Paki, Elder of the Igrit Riders. Death’s Shadow has blessed our meeting. Will you come down from your flying ship and speak with the Elders of The People? We have many questions.”

Nate glanced at Kiri and the pair nodded and moved to join Elder Ra’Paki.

*************

Nate sat on a plush rug in the open air tent, before him was seasoned and smoked meat that he had been nibbling at as they spoke. The Calikex, or The People, as they called themselves, had insisted that first all should share food and drink. The latter had been tea, which Nate had found a little too bitter for his tastes. The conversation, however, had just begun - though it seemed eating while they spoke was not frowned upon as the large and black-furred Elder, Rok’Nohn, continued to eat.

“So Death’s Shadow is the dragon we saw when we arrived? The same dragon that appears within the Dungeon… the Sacred Trial?” Nate asked.

“Yes. Death’s Shadow is ancient. He is the guardian of this world. An Ascendant without equal. While this world may be his, he allows The People to live upon it, protecting us from other Ascendants.”

Nate nodded along. Ascendants were clearly what The People called Divines. The difference mattered little, since as far as Nate could tell, it was purely a cultural name.

“How did you come to be here? Our oldest writings say that Halureth is hard to find.”

That question came from Elder Jin’Kahn, the only Mythic Class holder among the Elders.

“With The System’s assistance,” Nate answered honestly.

“We were sent here for training,” added Kiri. “We didn’t know that you considered this Dungeon sacred.”

“The Sacred Trial is a rite of passage for Elders and their protectors,” explained Ra’Paki. “A tool left to us by Death’s Shadow so that we may know our history. The true history of what The People were before the advent of The System.”

Nate felt his curiosity piqued at that revelation. It explained why the representations of the Calikex within the Dungeon had not responded to his Conceptual Sight of The Runic Artist. If what they said was true, and the Calikex predated The System, then they predated Class Cores. He had seen Arikanvil prevent him from receiving a Class Core by shielding him from the ambient mana. Was it possible that the ancient Calikex could have done the same?

“And you have now seen that history. Seen how we were attacked by other Ascendants who craved the artifacts of The People, and how we, with the help of Death’s Shadow, sent them and their servants back to their broken world,” growled Elder Rok’Nohn. “Now you come, opening another path between worlds. Will more come?”

Nate shook his head, “The System interfered with our planned destination. The pathway likely remains unknown to anyone else. At least, anyone willing to come here.”

Elder Rok’Nohn nodded thoughtfully, hand moving to the axe at his hip, “Then why should we not kill you and be done with it?”

Ra’Paki’s skin darkened and Nate could sense the anger emanating off him as he looked at Rok’Nohn, “They have been blessed by Death’s Shadow! You would spit on his blessing and spill blood?”

Rok’Nohn shrugged, hand still on his axe, “Death’s Shadow gifted them our tongue. Who is to say he did not do so so that we may learn from them before disposing of them? They are invaders. They have ventured into the Sacred Trial. It will be eight cycles before we may send a new Elder in to learn of our history. They have cost us much. They are outsiders. Let their blood water the dirt and we shall return to our own concerns.”

Before Ra’Paki or Kiri could respond Jin’Kahn leant forward, the smell of the sea coming with her as she stared at Nate curiously, “Why did The Guide… The System… interfere with your intended destination?”

Nate stared back placidly, despite the itch and constant pain from his ruined arm. A niggling in the back of his mind warned him not to answer. Jin’Kahn wanted to know. She wanted to know badly enough that The System recognised the question as a request for an exchange and Reciprocity would need to be satisfied. So far nothing else had qualified, as the food and words were unimportant to both parties. 

“We are Ascendants. I cannot answer you without receiving something of similar value,” replied Nate.

Rok’Nohn scoffed, “You? An Ascendant? Losing an arm in the Sacred Trial? Unlikely. An Ascendant could have cleared the Sacred Trial with only a small application of truth.”

The final word rung in Nate’s ears. Whatever word Rok’Nohn had used didn’t have a direct translation in English or Etruan and so the Divine Translation Spell had filled it with its closest similar word. But the meaning was clear. Their truth meant Divine Energy.

Nate had planned on waiting, but his Divine Skills were all begging him to be raised. Three units of Divine Energy were pulled from where they resided in his Class Core and applied to his Conceptual Insight Skill.

Conceptual Insight 61 > 64

The area around them suddenly felt more real as Divine Energy was drawn forth from Nate’s reservoir and the sense of realness washed over the group. Nate smiled as a look of horror passed across the face of Rok’Nohn while Ra’Paki breathed in deeply, clearly worried. Only Jin’Kahn seemed unafraid, her smile one of victory rather than imminent defeat.

“What would you ask of me?” breathed the Elder.

Nate only needed to give it a moment's thought. 

“Can you make whatever is doing that…” he pointed at the way her hair drifted like it was in water, “more prevalent.”

Elder Jin’Kahn smiled, and suddenly it felt like the area around all of them was submerged beneath the waves. Down there, in the deep dark, something… lurked.

“Lurking,” Nate commented and Reality answered his Embodiment as Divine Energy rushed into him.

He chose to ignore the shocked looks on the faces of the three Elders and glanced at Kiri as he felt a twinge in his chest. He had gotten what he asked for. Now he owed an answer.

Turning back to Jin’Kahn, who stared at him intently, her dark eyes drinking him in, “You asked why The System interfered. It did so because it owed us a favour and it believed we were better served coming to this place, rather than somewhere else within the Wild Realms.”

The pressure that Reciprocity had exerted on him lessened, but didn’t vanish, and he could tell that exchange had been unequal, though not by much.

“Reciprocity is not satisfied, Elder Jin’Kahn. Ask something else. Something that you are curious about, but not terribly so.”

“Does The Guide still owe you a debt, or has it balanced the scales?” she breathed out.

The other Elders leaned forward curiously as well.

“There is still a debt,” Nate admitted and felt the final parts of Reciprocity's demands vanish.

“Heaven’s-blessed,” Elder Jin’Kahn stated firmly.

“Seconded,” stated Elder Ra’Paki, still glaring at the final Elder.

Rok’Nohn remained silent until Jin’Kahn elbowed the man.

“Witnessed,” he growled out, before standing up and storming out of the tent and then beyond the guards that waited at quite a distance.

“What was that all about?” Kiri asked as she watched the Elder leave.

“Elder Rok’Nohn is a descendant of the Dark Disciples. He has been angry ever since learning the truth of our past and the loss of the artifact that made his people what they were. He blames you, because you are outsiders, and it is easier to blame you than his ancestors,” answered Jin’Kahn. “Now, you receive an honour that he would give up his arm for. Something you have done already, it seems. A story I wish to hear, but we shall save it for another time.”

“Didn’t you lose all your artifacts?” asked Nate.

At the same time Kiri asked, “What honour?”

Jin’Kahn glanced at Ra’Paki who waved at her to answer.

“No, not all our artifacts were lost. Sometimes strength can be seen in more than battle.”

The answer was vague, but it might explain why Jin’Kahn held a Mythic Class and the other Elders had only managed Legendaries. A question for another time though as the Elder answered the second question.

“As for the honour, you are Heaven’s Blessed. The Guide watches your steps and desires you walk further. Soon, you must ascend the mountain. Soon, you must present yourselves before Death’s Shadow. So has it ever been.”

“So has it ever been,” intoned Ra’Paki.

Presenting himself before a dragon? Nate wasn’t looking forward to it, but perhaps that was why The System sent them here in the first place. After all, if the Calikex predated The System, so did Death’s Shadow.