Chương 26: Split

Time until next Elemental Storm: 5 Days He was lucky they hadn't set up a watch. The entire party was tired, and the brazier was absolute in warding away the monsters, so it made sense not to. Once he rose, he quickly made his way down the stairs. He put his shoes at the bottom. The bubbling lava and sounds of monsters drowned out his footsteps, letting him follow the feeling in his soul to its source. How much further is it gonna take me? Ethan wondered as he travelled down the bridge.

He boosted his legs and ran through the shrine. If any monsters wanted to fight, they were too slow to reach him. He narrowly avoided clashing with the fire lizards, snakes and other reptiles, reaching the point where the tugging at his Talent felt the strongest. There was just one problem. The source was in the walls. He looked through the many holes and tunnels carved into the obsidian, but couldn't tell them apart. If he wanted to know what was calling him, he'd have to take a massive leap.

Ethan took a few steps backwards and activated his external skill. He made a wide and thin sheet of bone with handholds, and raised it above himself. Never used an airglider before. Here's hoping I don't burn myself alive. Ethan took a running start, and jumped off the edge of the platform. The monsters below called after him, but he sailed past on his bone glider, before reaching a hole. When he touched the lip of one hole, he let go of his hands, and rolled forward into the tunnel.

The bone glider fell back into the lava and dissipated. Ethan turned to the darkness of the tunnel, and bought a torch out of Unimart to light his way. The walls of the tunnel were jagged and rough, completely unlike the smooth faces of the walls outside. They also felt warm to the touch, and only grew more so the further downwards Ethan travelled. He found many openings on his path, but Ethan ignored all of them that didn't take him further downwards.

That's where the feeling was the strongest, and he used it as a guiding star. Finally, after his torch had burned down to half its size, he reached the end. The tunnel curved back to normal, and Ethan saw light coming from outside the hole. When he reached it, he found the source. It was a small pool of lava, with walls on all sides surrounding it. There were stony footholds that led to the centre, where a half-burnt church somehow still stood. Alphome… Ethan realized. The God wanted to speak with him again.

Ethan jumped from the hole to the first foothold, and then the next, before reaching the ruined church. Thankfully, there was a lot of solid ground around the church, letting Ethan freely walk around before he entered. The outside of the building was black stone, and shattered red mosaic glass still held in some of the windows. Ethan stepped inside, his footing uneasy beneath him. He didn't know if and when the ground would give away, and he didn't want to find out.

When he reached the statue in the centre of the church, the feeling in his Talent grew the strongest. Ethan raised a single hand, placed it against the statue, and Alphome spoke." It is good to see you again, my champion."

"Why did you call me here?" Ethan asked." I wished to check up on a promising Trial Goer. Your abilities are developing nicely. I trust you haven't forgotten our deal?"

"I haven't. But I also know that's not the only reason you called me. Tell me the real reason you brought me here," Ethan said. He wanted to get back to the team as soon as he could. The God paused for a bit before talking again." Your teammates. I trust you understand what they would do if they found the source of your powers?" Ethan stared down at his feet.

"They'd turn me in if they knew the Starlaws were searching for me."" Correct. They are but pawns in the Gods' game. Of use to you for clearing the Trials, but nothing more. Do you understand?"

"Some of them are good people. Emma, Bradley and Penny. Maybe I could convince them?" Ethan asked." Of what? That all they know about the world is wrong, that they must enlist themselves in a war they had no knowledge of before they met you?"

"I listened, didn't I? What makes them so different?"" They are not at risk from the GPA like you. And they will not be able to keep up with you. You, whose Talent surpasses theirs in potential. Only Penny Lovelace has any potential, and that too requires close nurturing to truly flourish." The God didn't want Ethan to even have friends? That didn't seem like a strength at all. That just left him with less help.

"You need allies, don't you? For whatever you want to do to the Gods? Wouldn't recruiting more people be helpful?" Ethan asked." A weak link breaks the chain. You already have allies in the Samsaran Order. As long as you can survive the Trials ahead, you have no need of more." Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. One question had been burning in Ethan's mind as soon as Alphome had begun talking.

A question that had been there since he first realized the writing on the walls.

"I don't believe that," Ethan replied.

"You had allies before too, or friends. There's writing all over the shrines of someone talking to you. Who is that person, Alphome, and why do they keep appearing wherever I go?" Alphome went deadly silent for a moment, the feeling in Ethan's heart completely disappearing." They still kept the writings?" He asked a question, but Ethan didn't think it was directed towards him." The author of those words… they were an old friend of mine.

Obsessed with the ancient dragons, their demise, and ultimately, recreating them and their special abilities."

"That's fine and all, but who is the actual writer?" Ethan asked. He heard no reply. Alphome had gone silent, and it angered him.

"Dragged me all the way out here into this hot prison, and you won't even tell me something as small as that? Fine, keep your secrets, I'm leaving," Ethan replied gruffly, before turning to leave." Good luck, my champion. And do understand, I only wish to guide you right, where I have travelled wrong." Ethan stopped to ponder the words for a second. I'm still not making good on our deal, Alphome. Why should I? When you're the one who cursed me in the first place?

He then left the church, and returned to the brazier.

"Someone get the flyers!" Jeffrey shouted, his hands raised to recall his daggers. Flying snakes hovered around the platforms, flash-bombing the area with their frills every now and then. Mia hounded them with her drones, but it was only doing so much to keep them at bay. Ethan and Emma were busy keeping a car-sized Magmizard from rushing down the entire platform and pushing them out the side. Boost, Ethan stabbed into its side and punctured a lung.

He pulled out the spear and ducked a blast of magma, before switching around. Emma was laying shallow cuts all along the body. Penny's falcon flew up, aiding Mia's magical drones in battling the snakes, while Bradley set up his trees once more.

"Active!" He shouted. Jeffrey's steel daggers came back to his hands. With pinpoint accuracy, he shot them through the flying snakes' wings, pinning them against the wall or sending them careening downwards. With the flashing gone, Ethan sped up and stabbed deeper into the Magmizard. His Boost switched from hands to feet in seconds, and when he brought out the spear, splashes of magma landing on his chestplate and helmet. Faster! He told himself, pulling out the spear and plunging it back in.

Lungs, stomach, guts and throat, he stabbed a hole in each, until the Magmizard raised its neck for a scream. Now! He and Emma had the same idea, dashing to the front of the beast. They landed shoulder against shoulder, and stabbed into the chest. Blade and spear sunk through flesh and pierced its heart, before coming out in a red-hot blur. They jumped before the monster's head landed on the ground, and a new notification appeared.

[+125 Credits] Credits were divided amongst the fighters based on their performance, and Ethan and Emma had taken down the monster all by themselves. There was still an Axolotl to deal with, but Jeffrey and Mia took care of it before long. After that, it was just a matter of cleanup and essence harvesting. They'd been fighting their way back through the hallway. With the lava raised, more monsters assaulted them this time, but it also meant more opportunities for earning credits and essence.

[Credits: 2040] He'd earned over six hundred credits by himself, and he was sure the sum was around the same for the others. If they all put their credits together and found a seller, they might've even been able to buy themselves a new Skill Stone. He wouldn't bet on it though, considering Jeffrey's disposition.

"Collins, what are you doing?" he asked as Bradley nursed a burn mark on his hand.

"What are you talking about?" Ethan replied. Jeffrey got in his face and stared down at him.

"You think I don't notice you holding back? The rest of us are burnt down to the bone and you're here walking around like you just came out of the showers."

"Huh? That's because of my Talent, you—" He wanted to say idiot, but that was just what Jeffrey was looking for. He was hurt and tired, and needed another punching bag. And he wasn't the only one. Mia and Bradley looked jealous of Ethan's powers too, even when held back. If he hadn't kept them a secret, could he have prevented them from getting hurt? Got rid of the snakes out of the sky with DE Shot and planted death essence into the Magmizard? Maybe, but he couldn't risk it.

He didn't put too much stock in Alphome's advice, but he had a point. Weak links break the chain, and Ethan didn't want a broken chain wrapped around his neck.

"You're the one who hired me. You don't want me here? Just give me a return crystal and my map and I'll go," Ethan replied. Jeffrey's grip tightened around his hammer, and Ethan Boosted his legs once more. He dismissed his armour and summoned a fresh pair, ready for a fight. But then Jeffrey's grip lightened, and he turned away.

"Lucky bastard…" he whispered, but Ethan let it go. Lucky? If only he knew. They were back at the centre of the dungeon soon enough, and theIR burns had been healed well enough for most of them to continue.

"Which direction are we going down next?" Bradley asked.

"We're splitting up," Jeffrey replied. Bradley frowned.

"You gone mad? We're barely hanging on with six of us here."

"That's cause we're slow. One of you gets caught between a monster and the rest of us have to stop, letting them swarm us. If we go this way, the storm'll catch us. Better to split," Jeffrey explained.

"How do you suppose we do this, then?"

"Two teams. I'll lead one and Collins leads the other."

"You want me leading a team?" Ethan asked.

"Only cause you'll survive it. You'll take one member along with you, and the rest are coming with me," Jeffrey told him.

"If you run into problems, you come back, and if you reach the end, text us." Ethan understood what was happening immediately. He's testing me.

"Two people can't get through, you know that," Penny chimed in. Not unless they're running past the monsters, Ethan thought.

"Why not?" Mia asked.

"They'll get overwhelmed!"

"Not if they run. And if you're so worried, why don't you go along with him?"

"Good idea. Do you volunteer for this, lass?" Jeffrey asked her.

"Fine, I do," Penny barked back. She huffed and came over to Ethan's side, while the other group stood with four people. It was already between her, Bradley and Emma for Ethan, so he was glad she chose to join him herself.

"Maybe I should go along too?" Bradley asked.

"No, Emma and Bradley need you, babe," Penny said." You two need me just as much," Bradley told him.

"I'm with Penny on this one. If we're going to be running past most of the monsters, you'll only slow us down. Sorry," Ethan added. Bradley still looked conflicted, but he seemed to understand the logic.

"Fine, but remember what Jeffrey said. Soon as you think you can't handle it, you come on back, alright? And text us so we can come save your arses," he lectured. He also gave them their own return crystals, much to Jeffrey's chagrin. With that settled, they picked directions. Ethan picked the topmost point of the pentagon, while Jeffrey picked the hallway opposite to their starting one. As soon as they were decided, the two groups took off from each other.