The Fool's Freedom

The situation looked hopeless.

The rain of skills was growing weaker as people once again ran out of mana and stronger skills to use. Wuros had his permanent grin pointed at Emerson, making a lot of the others feel insignificant.

Not Alan.

While he had grown much more confident, the pressure was too much when he had no adequate response at hand. The good thing was that Wuros didn’t seem to have an idea about the quest given by the System. If Emerson had told him before having his change of heart they would probably all be dead by now.

As it stood, he wanted to learn more and apparently didn’t consider them dangerous at all. It was hurtful but logical. They were babies in his eyes and he was here to enjoy stealing their candy.

Emerson was relentless in his attacks. His skills seemed focused on boosting his attributes, with nothing flashy going on. As long as one didn’t consider the self-repairing full-plate armor flashy.

Still, Wuros’ defenses did little to stop the man’s charge. The chitin flowed like water and hardened in layers stacked one behind the other just to kill the strength behind each swing of Emerson’s glowing mace.

The three-eyed alien even started dodging, using a small platform to drag him around, uncaring that he looked like a puppet with broken strings.

After what seemed like minutes of one-sided attacks and defense, Wuros finally countered. But he didn’t go for Emerson, instead throwing his own body in the middle of a bunch of humans who were entranced by the fight.

There were screams. The white plague skill was back and Wuros giggled as people hurried to cleanse or escape from his range. Few managed though, and even Top Rabbit didn’t leave unscathed.

Thankfully he saved the light beam girl and himself, before pulling out a charm much like the ones Alan had gotten from Mr. Muge and cleansed the wound. The dangerous skill still took some flesh, leaving a few of his fingers as bare bones.

However, the young man didn’t let a single sound of pain.

Emerson roared in rage and the gray light around him strengthened as he thundered toward the giggling Wuros.

Alan retreated further back, toward the fight against the purespawn. He had no way to confront the ‘boss’ anymore.

Just as he did a spike shot toward him. It was a half-assed attack; it didn’t come from Wuros’s direction but from one of the shattered shields that had once again tried to hinder Emerson’s movement.

It was like a short sword or shrapnel and flew like an ordinary projectile, with none of the directional changes the tendrils were capable of.

However, without [Monochrome Armor] on Alan was barely faster than an ordinary man. The Spike tore straight through his thigh and passed through, making him stumble and fall.

All he could hear was Wuros’s giggling from behind.

“I still want to dissect your soul, you know?” the voice came… from the spike itself.

Shit.

It bubbled and twisted as Alan scrambled away.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

He summoned a dagger and started charging a [Shadow Slash] to try and counter the incoming projectiles. In a sudden burst of inspiration, he canceled the skill and instead held the dagger sideways and used [Shadow Weapon] to turn it into a shield.

The shadows intertwined, forming a massive wall in front of him that sucked most of the mana he had left.

The impact of the multiple spikes sent him rolling back, but they didn’t manage to penetrate it.

Motherfucker.

In the next moment, a jolt of electricity passed through his body, and the world became blue for a second. Alan barely had the time to react as he felt a hand grab the collar of his shirt.

Then the world spun and he was someplace else, sitting on the grass. He saw the explosion of white some distance away, where he had been just a second ago.

He looked up. Top Rabbit was above him and the weathered face of Walter peeked from behind.

“Thanks.” It was all Alan managed. The last thing he had expected was for someone to save him. Not many people had a reason to want him alive, and he had given plenty of reasons to ignore the shadowy asshole he had turned into.

It seemed like Walter had something to do with it. With a pang of horror, Alan realized that the man’s left arm was missing below the elbow. It was not bleeding and the sleeve of the shirt was tied and clean.

Top Rabbit nodded once without a word and continued staring at Wuros and Emerson’s fight.

“You okay, Alan?” Walter asked.

“Been better,” Alan replied. He almost asked why Top Rabbit was working with Walter but decided that he didn’t really care at the moment.

The fight between Emerson and the alien invader had taken a turn for the worse. Multiple spikes had broken Emerson’s plate armor and penetrated his body all the way through, holding him in place.

Alan heard Wuros’s giggles that sounded as if he was chewing on a bone. His heart sank as the alien’s body was lowered near Emerson, but not too close.

“Can’t die, huh? Those on top love their toys and keep them alive, I know now. Stay here then, it is time I finish this.”

Wuros turned and Alan prepared to flee. The fight seemed hopeless, and the only thing that mattered now was survival.

Energy harvested: 100%

Quest completed.

Commencing containment.

Thank fuck.

“What?” Wuros looked around in confusion as multiple sighs of relief sounded at the same time.

The golden shield around the borders of the Sanctuary disappeared and in the next moment, similarly golden pillars shot out of the ground around the alien man.

“No! She will not forgive me! NO!”

For the first time, Wuros looked terrified.

The air was brimming with energy and everyone froze.

Alan felt a brief of something familiar as shadowy ropes tried to form around the alien man but melted under the gold light.

Was it the girl? She had probably cast the shadow bolts from earlier, and he had seen her try to stop him with magical chains. Was the skill she tried to cast a delayed one, or had she thought she could fuck with the System?

It was gentle and all-encompassing, and then the alien man shrunk before their eyes before he fully disappeared. A golden arch rose around the pillars and Alan gaped.

The System was creating a doorway of sorts. Large, magnificent, and oppressing. [First Pathfinder] screamed as space distorted and the building grew and grew until everything was calm again.

Temporary Prison Dungeon created. The Sanctuary will be left without System protection until the Dungeon is cleared. Once the time limit expires, the one trapped inside will be freed.

Time before expiration: One year.

Number of clears left: One.

Challenger limit: One at a time.

Number of failed attempts: 0

Objective: Slay the priest of the self-proclaimed Goddess of Purity and remove the traces of his corruption.

Reward: A skill of one’s choosing of the Ancient or lower ranks provided by the Skill Library of the Savinary Council.

This was… a tremendous opportunity and an insanity. The System was using the whole situation to create another challenge and to put more pressure on those surviving.

The lack of protection from the horrors in the forest would be a huge problem too. The Wailers, the Echidnas, the mutating beast that seemed to grow faster than most humans. Alan couldn’t imagine the bloody battles and the hard times that were coming.

Pressure makes us grow, huh?

The System was taking that notion quite literally and doing its best to create opportunities for even one outstanding individual to be born from the masses. Even if that meant all others would die in the process.

The reward sure sounded amazing. He didn’t know what that council was, but judging by the state of the Transient Bazaar there were quite a few powers in the vast universe.

The excitement that came was quickly put out by the cruel reality that he had gotten his ass handed to him. He didn’t feel like his ego had suffered as the alien man had fought off the whole of Sanctuary alone. And he was still there, somewhere inside of the Dungeon, waiting for a challenger. Or for the time to run out so he could finish the job.

Alan tensed as he saw groups of people walk over.

He was in no way in a condition to fight. The System healing charm had helped a lot, but the reality of things, as they stood, was that without [Monochrome Armor], many would be able to hurt him if they wanted.

I have to deal with the Vitality and stamina issues as soon as possible and get new skills too.

Alan saw Cole in front of the crowd and mentally prepared himself for a scrap. The staff was already in his hand, helping him recover some mana. [Synaptic Failure] would be enough to deal with a bunch of lackeys and Cole, hopefully.

However, the people parted like the prophet of God had made them. Some with fear, others with respect. Ashlyn walked out from the back.

Most of her clothes were shredded, even the so-called indestructible cloak. It was probably just very sturdy and she had joked about it being indestructible. It was wrapped around her like a skirt as her pants and shirt were mere pieces of cloth hanging from her body.

Her muscles rippled with each step and Alan saw many faint pink lines covering her toned body - Recently healed wounds. Her bow was gone. The massive hammer she had carried to bash the purespawn was gone too. All she had was her enchanted one-handed axe in her right hand.

Alan quickly took out some clothes from his shadow inventory and gave them to her wordlessly as she stopped near him.

“Glad you are okay,” she said.

“I’m glad you are okay too. You are, right?”

The girl nodded. Alan took out his endless, but not really, flask of booze and took a long gulp, uncaring of the people around. Then he offered her to Ashlyn.

He saw Rosalyn and company walk over too. The woman had a tired expression and seemed to have seen a lot of combat too, even though her class wasn’t very combat-oriented.

Alan nodded to her.

Then everyone started in the same direction, and Alan inhaled sharply.

“Cover me,” he said. Ashlyn nodded and walked with him to the front of the crowd where she stopped.

Alan saw her focus her attention on the people, rather than him, and felt some of the tension he felt disappear.

He walked slowly. His wounded thigh was hurting, but he didn’t want to waste the other charm. [Warlock’s Body Mastery] would have to do.

Emerson was kneeling on the ground, sitting on his heels. The man’s head rose when Alan neared. Without the eerie gray glow, Emerson looked just like a really large human. There was an aura of danger around him that had certainly not been present before.

“Hey, Em,” Alan greeted and unceremoniously dropped himself on the grass.

“Hey, Alan.”

The two looked at each other for a while, before Alan grinned.

“Thanks for saving me back there. I really thought I was a goner this time.”

“Sure thing.”

Alan sighed. It was weird talking like that with all of Sanctuary staring at them.

There was a loud voice that broke the silence.

“Are you happy that you stopped us from executing him you fucking shit? Was he worth killing Dusty over?”

Alan looked in the direction of the voice. Cole, standing in front of his clique. He gave the man a cold smile and turned back toward Emerson.

Cole instantly started riling up the crowd and Alan was ready to get up and shut his mouth himself. Some of his lackeys were joining in too. His group had grown now that the danger was gone – many looked rested and well-dressed attesting to the efforts, or lack thereof, they had put into the fight.

“Let’s kill them both—,” Cole continued.

“Shut your mouth or you will get an execution you won’t like.” Ashlyn's voice carried far, like the roar of a beast. The silence that descended came fast. Her performance seemed to have put the fear of her in the people of Sanctuary.

“So… what happens to you now, Em?” Alan asked. He was not interested in playing the blame game or seeking fault.

“I will be sent to a faraway place called the Fractal Battlefields to earn my freedom. If I live. It is the punishment I picked.”

Getting to pick one’s own punishment was oddly cruel coming from the System, but Alan assumed there was something else going on. It was no time for that though.

“When?”

“Not much longer now. Less than forty minutes.”

Silence descended again and Alan took out his booze flask and took a sip, then offered it to Emerson who took it tentatively.

“Booze,” Alan helpfully explained.

Emerson smiled and took a few large gulps before he choked and coughed for a bit.

“Sorry, went down the wrong pipe.”

“Happens to the best of us.”

The crowd around them slowly dispersed. Some went to help those who needed healing, while others gathered in small groups and chatted among themselves. Everyone was waiting for one thing and that was the quest reward.

Alan had a thought that it would probably come once Emerson was gone but didn’t voice it. He enjoyed chatting with the man about the first few days of the apocalypse and the days at the camp. It all looked pretty far away now.

“It’s almost time,” Emerson finally said and stood up.

Alan followed and handed Emerson the bottle of booze and a cleansing charm. “It holds about 5 liters of liquids, and this is a [Cleanse] charm.”

“I’m good on the bottle, thanks. I will have the charm though.”

Alan wasn’t about to argue. Not now.

“Give them hell, Em. See you.”

Emerson smiled and moved a few meters away.

“See you, friend.”

About a minute later Alan felt the space start to twist around Emerson. It was a gentle dimensional force that was barely perceptible, despite the massive energy behind it.

Suddenly a rope like that one that had tried to attack Wuros in his final moments appeared around Emerson, but the man didn’t react.

What the fuck?

One end suddenly shot out and wrapped around Alan. He tried to pull at it, but his hands simply passed through.

“What’s wrong?” Emerson called, but then space shifted and he was gone.

Alan felt the mana around him stir. He felt a pull that was only growing. The rope went taut.

Motherfucker!

He saw the smirk of Cole and some of his goons in the distance. And close to them, he saw the girl from the bar, the one he had felt kinship with. Her lips were moving and a strange scroll was crumbling to dust in front of her. No one else seemed to realize what was going on.

The last thing Alan did was give the confused Ashlyn a reassuring smile.

The last thing he thought was much different.

Once I return, I will kill you all.