Orphan [LitRPG Adventure] - Book One Complete!

Chapter Sixty-One


Alarion had to think about the question before he answered. "I recognize the name. One of the mothers, right? She represents… challenges, I think?"

"Correct. And what do you know of the Four Mothers?"

"Only what mine told me, which wasn't much," he admitted. "And offhand mentions from you or ZEKE."

Elena nodded reassuringly. "This is not a test. I just want to know how much you know about the subject."

"Very little."

"The full course, then. Come with me." With that, Elena set off into the darkness with Alarion quick at her heels. "The last time we spoke, you talked of lesser, inner, and outer gods. Was that correct?"

"Yes. You said the mothers were inner gods."

"By local definitions, yes," she nodded. "Beyond that, it is more complicated. Many Vitrians do not acknowledge the existence of any gods. What we used to think of as lesser gods turned out to be nothing more than powerful Thoughtborn, so why should the Mothers be divine?"

"Thoughtborn are, like…" Alarion trailed off as he struggled for the proper words.

"They are what they sound like. Steelborn are artificial life, made from base metals. Systemborn are those creatures transformed or empowered by the system. Thoughtborn are those created by willpower or desire. If a community spends a generation worshiping the mountain god, eventually that belief can coalesce into something real. Something powerful."

"People can just be willed into existence?"

"With enough time, willpower, or emotion? Yes. Though most Thoughtborn are rarely people in a traditional sense. The overwhelming majority are closer to concepts given form and sometimes power. Typically, they only take on a humanoid form when they result from a single mind." Elena glanced back over her shoulder, a sly smirk on her lips as she added. "And before you try to will yourself a lover, please understand that the willful creation of a Thoughtborn is an exhaustive process. As with Steelborn, it takes something out of the creator to give life to a being with free will. Most Thoughtborn are only partially sentient, things of action and instinct, or servants like familiars. Independent Thoughtborn that are created unintentionally are dangerous, and should be taken seriously."

The darkness thankfully hid the slight color in Alarion's cheeks as he ignored her provocation. "So you think the mothers are Thoughtborn?"

"No, not at all. Watch your head." Elena interrupted her thoughts to warn him as she ducked beneath a slight outcropping of stone at the valley's edge. Alarion had noticed the small cave on his second day in the valley, but he'd been too busy to explore it. Not that he was the sort who went caving to begin with. "My point was that just because they are powerful does not make them divine."

"Flare." Alarion incanted as he pushed out his mana. The ring on his finger reacted, and within a few breaths, a small globe of light danced around them as they delved deeper. "Why have different names if everyone else thinks they are gods?"

"Because the word god carries substantial weight. If you acknowledge a god, should you not worship them? Should you not obey them if they give you commands?"

"Ah."

Elena dipped beneath another low rock before the passage opened up ahead of her, large enough for them to walk upright. Its walls were jagged and unfinished, but also somehow unnatural, as though the tunnel had been dug by crude tools.

"Regardless of what you call them, they are powerful and unique. Vitrians call them Incarnates because of their unusual nature. The Mothers are both mortal and immortal-"

"What?" Alarion interrupted as they squeezed through a narrow portion of the passage. "How does that even-"

"If you would let me finish." Elena scowled at the boy, who correctly took the hint. "The Mothers are immortal in that they can transfer between willing female hosts. When Incarnated, they increase the lifespan of their host, drastically raise their Aptitude, and give them access to special skills, feats of strength, flaws, and even a unique attribute. Even so, the incarnated Mother is still mortal. They might live double the natural lifespan of the human they inhabit, but eventually they die like anyone else."

"Only women?"

Elena laughed slightly at his downcast tone. "Yes, Alarion. Only women. There have long been rumors of four fathers, but I would not put much stock in them. If they exist, they are well hidden."

Alarion scowled anyway. "How do they pick their hosts?"

"Ah, now that is an astute question." She paused briefly as the pair navigated a winding section of the path, then continued. "Though the answer depends on the Mother in question. Lal Tia chooses her new host; Lal Sera is inherited through a familial line, and Lal Kales' new body is decided randomly. And Lal Viren? Her patronage is earned."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The path ahead opened into a small chamber dominated on its far end by a broad set of double doors. The sight caused Alarion to tense, but even at a glance, he could tell that this portal was not the same as the one he had been herded toward some weeks earlier. It was dark iron, inlaid with silver arcane symbols. Some he recognized from his training; others were familiar but too complex.

"Ages ago, Lal Viren, aided by her sisters, seeded the world with places such as these: challenge rooms, challenge arenas, challenge dungeons. They were designed to test mortals who wished to be her next incarnation, but they serve the dual purpose of being spaces where an Awakened can rapidly grow in strength."

"They are dangerous, then?" Alarion asked, careful not to touch the door as he studied its intricate markings.

"It depends on the dungeon," answered Elena. "They were not created merely to test fighting ability. This one, for example, will push your magical abilities to their limit. Some trials will throw you against dangerous foes, while others exist to pick away at your knowledge, musical ability, or culinary skills."

"You did not answer," noted Alarion.

She laughed in response. "I suppose I did not. This one can be dangerous, but it is not likely to be fatal. You blessedly cannot feel it, but this dungeon is the source of the island's intense magic. It is an unbound challenge. Most are linked to specific skills, levels, or attributes for entry. Others require a specific item or some task to be accomplished. This one has no entry requirement and scales to your rank and UCL. It should be difficult, but safe enough."

"Why are you only showing this to me now?"

"Truthfully? I did not wish for you to use it. Even now, I am of two minds." Elena caught his eyes and held them as she spoke. "You must understand, access to an unbound challenge dungeon is almost priceless. There are only seven that are publicly known. Of those, only the dungeon in the Throne Lands would be accessible to you. One was lost to the fiends, while foreign powers hold the other four. And critically, each can only be entered once."

Elena's words brought her concerns into stark focus as Alarion returned his gaze to the double doors nearby. "You did not want me to waste the opportunity."

"Correct." Elena paused to consider her following words. "This dungeon was the deciding reason my husband took the governorship. Controlling access to such a resource buys a lot of easy political power back home."

"So why do you not want me to use it?"

"Typically, an Awakened gets the most value from using a challenge dungeon as they close in on a rank up. Levels and attributes are all well and good, but the benefits of being challenged are not to be overlooked. If you do well, you can earn new skills, traits, and feats of strength, all of which will lead you toward a better rank-up. Going in without a solid foundation risks an early failure and a loss of that opportunity. I'm worried you are not ready."

"Then why show me at all?"

"Because it is time for you to make some of your own decisions. Even if they may be poor."

"No. You cannot," ZEKE said flatly, as though his word and his alone were the end of the conversation.

"Why?"

"Pick one of an infinite number of reasons." The words brought a quick snort of amusement from Elena, which fanned an already steady argument between boy and teacher. "I cannot believe we're even having this discussion."

"Elena said that it is my deci-"

"If Elena said it was your decision to jump off a cliff, would you also take that as permission?" ZEKE's voice was just shy of a shout as he paced back and forth. "What you are suggesting is stupid, Alarion. And not 'pick up an imperial greatsword and stubbornly come out on top' levels of stupid. This is 'set ablaze a small mountain of curium' levels of stupid. You should not be touching this resource until you're closing in on the pinnacle of rank II. Possibly even rank III. You are wasting-"

"Ezekiel." Elena's tone was sharp, a single word rebuke.

Her word had its effect. ZEKE stopped in his rant, even as he continued pacing. When he spoke again, his voice was more measured. Careful. "You want to enter now?"

"Yes."

"Even though you've been told it is a bad idea."

"Mm."

"Why?"

Alarion met ZEKE's question with another question. "Has anyone like me ever entered a dungeon like this?"

"I'm sure plenty of stubborn idiots have-"

"ZEKE." This time, it was Alarion who scolded him. "You know what I meant. People with high aptitude, but no applicable class levels."

"No," ZEKE replied, "because that would be incredibly wasteful and foolish."

"Because most Rank I classes are easy to obtain, right?" Alarion pushed.

ZEKE grudgingly nodded, sensing his point.

"What you are trying to teach me is not," he continued, "and I am no closer to it than I was a month ago."

"You are being impatient."

"I am being realistic!" Alarion shot back. "Training with the sword, I could tell when I was close. There was a pressure, like I only needed one more gasp of air. I do not feel that. I do not even feel close."

"And if you plateau later?" ZEKE asked.

"Then I will wait until I am done with my induction. By then, I am sure the House of Hunger will willingly throw all manner of resources at the boy with an aptitude of two-hundred and thirty-eight."

There was a little too much smarm in Alarion's voice for ZEKE's liking. But from the machine's body language, it was clear that Alarion wasn't wrong either.

"I know this is a risk. If you think we should wait a few weeks-"

"That is out of the question," ZEKE said. When Alarion began to protest, ZEKE stopped him with a hand. "Mistress Elena did not explain the time dilation, did she?"

"The… what?"

"Time dilation," ZEKE repeated the words slowly, making sure Alarion caught the latter before he continued. "The time in a challenge dungeon is at a different pace from the time spent outside it. Each hour inside is three outside. If you spend a week inside, it will be three weeks outside. You will have approximately thirteen days to train if you enter today."

Alarion frowned. Thirteen days felt like a lot for a single dungeon, but ZEKE's tone suggested it was anything but. "How long does it usually take to finish it?"

Elena and ZEKE exchanged a glance before the former answered. "There are eight challenges in this specific dungeon. To my knowledge, only two Vitrians have advanced beyond the sixth. Neither completed the dungeon."

"One every two days seems doable." Alarion thought aloud.

ZEKE snorted abruptly and waved the boy off with a hand. "Go, let him waste his time and opportunity if he wants. He could stand to learn some humility."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, Alarion. Try not to die."

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