Chapter 229 - Willing Restrictions

Nate walked carefully through the jungle, his senses extended to catch anything approaching. After their work on bringing their Classes and Skills up to speed, it was time to venture into one of the Dungeons of this Wild Realm. It was easy to see that while they could gain levels and the like in the outside world, it was likely to be considerably slower than inside a Dungeon. Added to that, Nate had come around to Kiri’s way of thinking that they should prioritise raising their Secondary and Tertiary Classes first. Well, mostly Secondary in Nate’s case, but he wouldn’t completely neglect his Tertiary Class in favor of his Primary. That led to this walk to one of the two Dungeons Frick had found. The blue goblin happily floated along next to them, thankfully remaining relatively quiet. 

They didn’t feel like they were particularly under threat from the local predators, in the form of snakes and spiders, who mostly seemed like ambush predators and were easily avoided. As for the Dark Ligan they had encountered, there was no sign of it along their path. Nate didn’t discount that it might have a way to hide itself from his sphere of awareness and remained appropriately paranoid, just in case.

They’d also chosen to walk due to the cost in mana and soul energy to teleport within the Wild Realm. The sheer abundance of ambient mana pressed down against them, reinforcing the existing Concepts of Reality and resisting their attempts to make alterations. That resistance meant that more of their own energy was needed to accomplish their goals, and given that they were about to enter a Dungeon that could be Legendary or higher, they were hesitant to start burning through their resources. On the bright side, with Nate’s new Spatial Anchors Skill, he could carry their house with him, which meant they would always have a comfortable place to rest. That was just as well, because the jungle itself was hot and humid with the sun pressing down on the canopy above, and Nate no longer had his robe to keep him the perfect temperature. He’d debated spinning up a rune to accomplish the same thing, but resisted the urge for the same reason that they were not teleporting.

Thankfully the walk itself was relatively short, with Kiri clearly going slow for Nate’s benefit. As they approached the fold in space that represented the Dungeon’s entrance, Nate began to frown. His sphere of awareness made him fully aware of the surroundings and as Kiri broke through a fern in front of him, she was treated to a sight of what he’d already sensed. The Dungeon hung in the air in the middle of the clearing. A clearing that had clearly been intentionally maintained, with standing stones arranged in a circle around the entrance. Shapes that might have been some form of writing were carved into the stones and they were clearly maintained, as no vines or moss hung from the rocks.

“You didn’t mention this,” commented Nate, glancing at Frick.

“Thought it would make for a good surprise,” replied Frick. “Means you two aren’t alone in this Wild Realm. Would me telling you have made a difference?”

Kiri just shrugged and Nate considered the question. He might have kept a better eye out if he knew there were other sapients somewhere on the island, but then, he’d been pretty careful anyway. They both had, and Frick knew it.

“Not one of your better surprises,” Nate griped, but left it at that. Withholding the information for half-a-day wasn’t a big deal and Frick was right in that it wouldn’t have changed anything.

“Wonder why they maintain it like this though,” said Kiri, looking over the so-called writing but not touching anything. “I mean, it’s a Dungeon, sure, but it’s not like they move. Just making the clearing would have been enough. Do you think it’s maybe directions or information about the Dungeon? You know, to help other people who show up to do it?”

Nate just shook his head. He had no more idea than any of them, and Divine Translation had done nothing, so he was as in the dark as the rest of them.

“Spend more time investigating, or check out the Dungeon?” Nate asked.

Kiri squinted at the writing for another second before stepping away from the stone, “Check out the Dungeon. Not going to learn anything out here.”

Nate stepped forward, and as one, the three of them passed through the spatial aperture and into the Dungeon. They alighted on a plateau, high up on a mountain, with a valley arranged below them that stretched into the distance. Before Nate could take more of the sight in, the Dungeon notification appeared in front of him.

You have entered a Dungeon!

The Assessment Period will begin now. You have five minutes to choose to leave the Dungeon before the entrance will be sealed.
Dungeon Name: The Shattering of Halureth
Dungeon Tier: Mythic (Mid)
Dungeon Challenges: 8
Dungeon Challenge Rules: Choose a side. Will you defend Halureth, or help shatter it?
Exit Conditions: Find an Exit Portal

Divine Energy Detected!
Entrants must make a choice! As at least one entrant is capable of utilising Divine Energy, which exceeds the Dungeon Tier, the entrants must decide whether they wish to seal access to their Divine Energy for the duration of the Dungeon. If not, any rewards will be vastly reduced.

Seal Divine Energy for duration of Dungeon? Yes/No

Walk your Path. Reach your Goal. Become One with Mana.

Nate read over the notification before glancing at Kiri, “Thoughts?”

“Seal it, of course. We wanted to get some new equipment or supplies. Sealed, we should be able to get Mythic tier rewards. Otherwise we’re just farming processed mana.”

“Think we can handle it? It’s a Mythic Dungeon. Probably looking at enemies in their third or fourth evolution, and likely to actually be holding Legendary or Mythic Classes,” Nate countered, playing devil's advocate. He was comfortable with sealing their Divine Energy but he wanted to make sure they were aware of the risks they were taking.

“Yeah, but there's also no time limit in here as far as we can tell. If it looks too tough, we can just entrench ourselves and ride it out while you build us the tools to succeed.”

Nate nodded and glanced at Frick, “And you?”

He, of course, knew what Frick’s answer was going to be.

“Oh fuck yeah, lets do it. Goblin Mode!!!!!”

Nate stopped himself from rolling his eyes when he caught Kiri rolling hers.

“Alright, let's accept the limitation then.”

As one, they both agreed to have their Divine Energy sealed, and Nate literally felt something shift on his Class Core before access to his Divine Energy vanished. The feeling was accompanied by a new notification.

Access to Divine Energy sealed. For the duration of the Dungeon, challengers are considered to be of the Mortal Strata.

Nate’s eyes widened at the contents and without thinking about it he mentally asked the obvious question.

“Is it possible to seal Divine Energy outside of Dungeons to be considered part of the Mortal Strata?”

He hadn’t expected a response, but blue text immediately flashed across his vision in response.

It is possible. However, Class Core manipulation is a violation of Reciprocity. A price must be paid to restore balance. Debt reduced minimally.

Nate controlled himself before asking any follow up questions. He did however explain to Kiri and Frick the discovery he’d just made.

Kiri nodded along before staring at him intently, “What are you thinking?”

Nate took a moment to think about how he wanted to explain his hypothesis.

“When I manipulated your first Class Core, I was effectively forcing the Class Core to materialise, even though you were still alive. Because of that, I was violating some unknown agreement with The System. As I had nothing else to pay with, it sent a System Challenge to balance Reciprocity. A punishment for a violation is basically a return to balance, and this next part is just guessing, but since my violation was unintentional, the punishment also had to be one that I could plausibly survive. Balance.”

Nate paused to take a breath before rushing on, “Coming up with a way to seal our Divine Energy when we wanted would also involve a form of Class Core manipulation. It didn’t seem to have an issue with forcing Skill synergies, but when I was doing that, I wasn’t doing something the Class Core didn’t do anyway on it’s own. Part of its function is to create Skill synergies. That is why the runes for the Skills shift over time. Once they start to overlap, a synergistic Skill is offered. I was accelerating the process, but it was a normal process, so it was acceptable. It seems sealing the Divine Energy container isn’t a normal process, and is something The System allows to make sure Dungeons still get cleared. I mean, it creates Dungeons right? And makes deals with Spirits to oversee them? So it wants Dungeons to be cleared. But outside of the Dungeon, sealing your Divine Energy is against its interests, so it incurs a cost.”

“That all makes sense,” Kiri interjected. “But what’s the relevance?”

“Reciprocity,” Nate stated firmly. “The System is bound by its own Embodiment. We can do things that violate its rules, so long as we have something to trade that The System wants. It clearly wants something from us in regards to Arikanvil. But I think there is something else it wants too. The answer is in my birth universe. Why do Dead Realms exist?”

Kiri just shrugged, not following.

“Arikanvil told us that every Class Core has a small amount of Divine Energy from The System. The fuel that converts mana into processed mana. Which means, it has to give out Divine Energy every time it gives out a Class Core. Which means, it needs Divine Energy to expand into new universes.”

Kiri tapped her lip in thought, “I mean, it makes sense. But how much is it going to ask for to let you modify our Class Cores so we can seal our own Divine Energy? Sounds costly. Also, we can’t have been the first ones to think of this. Also, wouldn’t that only work with acting within the Mortal Strata? Divine is still broken into three Stratas and that’s based on the number of Divine Classes, right?”

Nate nodded, “It needs some more thought, and maybe it doesn’t matter to us, but I still want to better understand The System and its purpose.”

Kiri grunted agreeably, “I’m not saying stop. Just saying, maybe think about it when we’re outside of this Dungeon?”

“Yeah, that’s fair. Well, we’re sealed and stuck in here. Lets see what this Dungeon is about?”

“Finally,” Frick muttered, clearly impatient to get into the thick of things and go ‘goblin-mode’.

Descending from the mountain wasn’t too hard, as Kiri and Nate both started making use of their teleportation capabilities. The cost in energy was similar to outside the Dungeon, as the ambient mana inside of the Dungeon was similar to the Wild Realm. Once they reached the bottom of the mountain they found themselves on the rocky edge of a forest that seemed to cover most of the valley floor. The action also triggered a new notification.

Dungeon Challenge: The First Strike
Choose a side: Defender of Halureth/Invader of Halureth

Kiri looked at Nate and he answered her unasked question, “Defender.”

There were a couple of reasons for choosing to play defense. Nate was just better at defence for one, with many of his higher-tier Sigils focused in and around defence. But even if that wasn’t the case, being the aggressor never sat well with him. He just hoped they weren’t defending something evil. Then again, it was just a Dungeon, and likely didn’t matter that much. With the decision made, another notification appeared before them.

Dungeon Challenge: The First Strike (Defender)
The forces of The Eternium are invading Halureth. Defend the temple at the centre of the valley from the invading Mortal army while their Divine Masters do battle in the skies above.

Nate looked at Kiri and without words exchanged the pair began quickly teleporting towards the centre of the valley. Alighting on a temple made of stone, hidden within the heart of the forest, they found it surrounded by others already. The beings looked mostly humanoid, with dark red skin that was striated with paler stripes, not unlike a tiger. The humanoids stood around, bearing tridents and spears, their yellow, green and red eyes turned towards the sky, as if waiting. None of them acknowledged Nate, Kiri or Frick’s presence. Nate wasn’t sure what was going on as the whole Dungeon seemed to wait in a pregnant pause. Then the sky broke apart, clouds obliterated and washed away as if they were never there. A black-scaled dragon swooped down from on high as portals opened far in the sky above. From that portal walked five individuals, each bedecked in armour and weaponry. Nate had expected to feel their presence, especially that of the dragon, but instead it was like watching a movie. A play put on in the heavens. The arrival of the five armoured individuals must’ve been the signal as Nate, through his farsight sphere of awareness, sensed portals rip open across the valleys edges.

The humanoids, which Nate had identified as a Calikex, roared at the sky in response, brandishing their spears and tridents, before one wearing a large headdress made of colourful feathers stepped forward and screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Cala un jakk!!!”

The Calikex roared louder in response. Their enemies, armoured and wielding all manner of weapons breached the forest, charging for the temple as they yelled their own battle cries. Then Kiri was among them, eleven tethered arms flicking in and out, Mythic daggers searching for gaps in armour. Nate was already divesting himself of Epic materials as he activated Conceptual Automated Existence over and over again to try and halt the tide of invaders with his own makeshift army. Frick had transformed, becoming a gigantic, blue goblin as he bowled over some of the attackers, but they kept coming and Nate settled in for a long fight.

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

Ra’Tiki waited for Ha’Jak to dismount from his Igrit and give his report. Around them, the archipelago stretched, their view from this high letting them see for kilometres in every direction. Of course, they had not breached the clouds on their flight, being careful not to trespass on the territory of Death’s Shadow.

“What have you found?” Ra’Tiki asked of Ha’Jak after he had settled his mount.

“Humans. Two of them, First Rider. They entered the Sacred Trial.”

Ra’Tiki eyes widened and he reached out, clapping a hand on the dark red skin of one of the Igrit Riders under his command, “You are sure? Only two? Did they see you?”

“I saw them enter with my own eyes. A Spirit was with them, but Oceansoar sensed no other beings. Oceansoar and I hid in the light of the sun, just below the clouds. I do not think they saw us.”

Ra’Tiki thought over the implications. The Sacred Trial was incredibly dangerous, and when new Elders were sent in, they were sent with a full team from the Feathered Guard. To go in with only two was… suicide. Unless they were Ascendants. Ra’Tiki’s lips firmed.

“We must tell the Elders then. Hopefully, they are just lost, but they might be scouts for our ancient enemy.”

“If they were, First Rider, would Death’s Shadow not have acted?” asked Ha’Jak.

“I… I do not know,” answered Ra’Tiki honestly, before whistling to Whitecloud.

His Great Igrit, squawked in response, climbing to its feet and ready to be mounted.

“Gather the other Riders and call them back home, Ha’Jak. I go to inform the Elders.”

With one last glance at the shattered archipelago, Ra’Tiki took flight. The wind rushed across his skin and sun shone on his back as he flew as fast as he could towards home, hoping in his heart that the Elders would know what to do. Praying their ancient enemy was not returning.