You have been issued the Quest: Find the Octopus Mural
The Lore Keeper, Alice, has offered you a Quest to go and find the Octopus Mural located somewhere within the library.
Do you accept this Quest?
Yes or No
Success Rewards: Unknown
Failure Rewards: Unknown
Garath and Auto silently read the unexpected quest prompt before turning to each other, and then back to face the octopus. Alice had already turned back to her books.
Alice has left your Party.
They both turned away in stunned disbelief.
In all, it took about an hour of wandering the ten-floor building to find the mural mentioned in the quest, an octopus reading a book on a wall between bookshelves on the fifth floor. Garath called Auto to come check it out over the Party communication channel.
“She’s totally fucking with us, right?” Auto asked.
“Maybe,” Garath agreed. The expression on his face was an ongoing battle between stunned disbelief and a shit-eating grin. “Did she paint this here, or was this always here? And if it was always here, then did she get the octopus form just to fuck with us?”
Auto’s gears turning visibly behind his rapidly blinking, uncomprehending eyes looked almost painful to Garath. Unable to say for sure one way or the other, the Chimerist and the Necrologist headed back up the book spiral to turn in their quest. They got off the escalator on the tenth floor and turned left into the ‘Reading Room’ loft. When they passed two nearly-empty buckets on the ground and an octopus-less stack of books, they continued on until they ran into the far wall and were forced to take another left. As they rounded the corner, Garath and Auto both had to stop and admire what Alice had done with the place.
Alice was now in her natural form, wearing a white lab coat and yellow rain boots, but she was the least interesting thing in the room. If Garath had to guess, he’d bet Alice had spent about ten hours a day since The Culling collecting some of the most interesting tidbits in Seattle. He wasn’t a history expert, but the paintings leaning against the far wall looked more like they belonged in a museum than a library and even those barely caught his eye with Jimmy Hendrix’ famous purple guitar standing only a few feet away. Other oddities appeared everywhere he looked. Aquariums. Road signs. A box full of rubber duckies.
“This is my room,” Alice said with her arms folded sternly over her chest. “If you do not mind, we will talk in the lobby.”
Garath finally stopped looking around at her eclectic collection and studied the Lore Keeper in her human form for the first time. She was small, only an inch or so over five feet, and probably weighed a hundred pounds, soaking wet. Garath couldn’t be certain she was even fully grown, but she didn’t look like a child. Her oversized, stone-grey eyes stared, unwavering, from behind locks of raven hair that looked as though it’d never met a comb. Alice’s other features were small and delicate, an interesting contrast from eyes and hair that were anything but. Garath wasn’t sure if she was currently accessing her MENU panels, or if she just had a vacant-eyed resting face. Overall, he felt like there was something off about the small human and for some reason, she made Garath uncomfortable.
Alice led Auto and Garath back to where she’d been reading when they first met, and the two young men retrieved three of the chairs from the pile near the escalator. Garath had so many questions running through his mind that it was hard to decide which to ask first. Alice beat him to the punch, though.
“The remainder of your Party is arriving this afternoon, correct?” Alice asked in her deadpan voice.
Garath nodded.
“You have questions,” she said, taking a seat on the chair that Garath brought over for her and crossing one leg over the other. “Everyone has questions. My patience is limited, and the remainder of your Party is likely to ask many of the same questions when they arrive. I strongly dislike repeating myself.”
Garath’s look of disappointment caught the Lore Keeper’s attention.
“You may ask questions for the next ten minutes,” she conceded.
A timer appeared in Garath’s mind’s eye that immediately started counting down from 10:00, and Garath panicked. Completely unsure of where to start but also unwilling to waste any of his allotted ten minutes, he asked the first thing that came to mind. “What’s with the box of rubber duckies?”
Auto punched him in the shoulder. “Don’t waste our question time with shit like that, dude.” He gave Garath an incredulous look, then turned back to Alice and smiled. “Let’s start with this one: how did you become a Lore Keeper? I didn’t see that as an option when I picked my Class.”
“My Class was assigned to me,” Alice explained. “Before you ask ‘by whom?’ I will tell you that I have only very limited information concerning the Entity that altered the planet.”
Garath deflated. He was hoping to finally get some answers about that. It didn’t escape his notice that she had used the same term that Aldrasyl had when referring to the unknown being, and wondered whether or not that could be a coincidence. “Entity?”
“Yes,” Alice confirmed with a too-slow nod.
Garath stared blankly at the Lore Keeper.
“Entity,” she said again, now taking on a deadpan tone of recitation, “a thing with distinct and independent existence.”
Garath raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking if she had seriously just recited the definition of entity in response to his query. Her continued silence and vacant expression told him that she most certainly had done exactly that.
“Oh.” Garath blinked rapidly, then shrugged it off. He had a perfect question for someone who claimed to know so much. “One member of my group unlocked a non-Class Skill called Spell Design. I’ve tried replicating her process a half dozen times, but no luck. Do you know how it’s done?”
“Non-Class Skills are unlocked based on a combination of natural affinity and circumstance,” Alice told him. She then looked intensely at Garath from head to toes and back to his head. “You do not have the necessary affinity to unlock Spell Design.”
Garath slumped. “Never?”
“Unlike many aspects of this new world, affinities cannot be changed. Your affinity for Spell Design is zero percent. To unlock a non-Class Skill, your affinity toward it must be at least five percent. At that point, like your Tracking non-Class Skill, you may unlock it, but it will never progress past Rank 1.” Alice paused. “Simply put, never.”
“Can you tell me what non-Class Skills I do have a high affinity for?” Garath asked hopefully. If he couldn’t learn Spell Design, there had to be something cool he could learn.
Alice looked him up and down again, and her vacant expression showed the smallest hint of amusement. “Yes. If you conquer The Tower, I will provide you with a comprehensive list.”
Garath scrunched up his face. “Yeah, alright.”
“My turn for questions, time hog. What is a Lore Keeper, exactly?” Auto asked.
“To put it simply, a rare, non-combat Class. Apart from myself, there are only two other Lore Keepers here on Earth,” Alice told them, then shook her head. “And one in the sky.”
“Wait, sky?” Garath asked.
“She was orbiting the Earth when The Culling began. She is still in orbit now,” Alice explained.
“I have more questions about that too, but first, how did you survive The Culling with a non-combat Class?” Auto asked, punching Garath in the arm for interrupting his question time.
Alice tilted her head, somehow managing to look confused without changing her vacant expression at all. “I was an octopus,” she said, as if that explained everything. Then, seeing Garath and Auto’s expectant faces, Alice elaborated. “I hid.”
Garath nodded thoughtfully. He had wondered several times if any of the survivors across the globe had found a different way to get through the catastrophic event. Apparently hiding was an option. Who knew?
“So it’s a non-combat Class,” Auto continued. “Wh
at kind of Skills or Abilities comes with it?”
“I do not have Skills or Abilities like those of other Classes. My mind was augmented to improve memory, processing, multitasking, along with many other, less easily explained alterations. For example…” Alice closed her eyes and the timer counting down in Garath’s vision disappeared and then reappeared.
“You can mess with people’s shit?” Garath asked dumbly.
“I can interact with individual user interfaces,” Alice corrected him. “You have the Ability called Inspect, correct?”
Garath and Auto both nodded.
“Inspect has an innate, albeit rudimentary, likeness to my ability to interact with user interfaces. In short, when you ‘Inspect’ something, you are given system-provided information about it. Your Ability only grants limited information, of course, but it is similar to the manner in which I am able to glean information from the system. I am granted much more in-depth information and the ability to interface with almost anything directly.”
“Okay,” Garath said as he tried to chew through what she’d just told him. From what he was hearing, Alice had a more direct connection to the system governing the planet. “Is there anything you can do with your ability that will help us inside the Dungeon?”
“Oh, yes,” Alice confirmed seriously. “It is vital that we claim The Tower as soon as possible. I will do everything within my power toward accomplishing this task.”
“That’s great,” Auto said. “But rare Class or not, you don’t have any combat ability. How can you help us in the Dungeon?”
Garath looked at his friend out of the corner of his eye, then back at Alice. It was a legitimate question, sure, but he was surprised by Auto’s direct approach.
Alice tilted her head again before her single-word response. “Situationally.”
“Can you give us an example?” Garath prodded flat-faced.
“I know that you have made use of the forums, Garath. Auto, you have read the forums but refrained from posting a single thread or comment to date, correct?” Alice asked.
Garath and Auto nodded and waited for her to continue.
“I have used my advantages to absorb and retain all available information. I have read every thread and comment in every forum. I have absorbed one-hundred-and-thirteen such writings posted across the world during this very conversation. In essence, I know more than any living person. My knowledge will aid you. I also have many helpful abilities that will only be useful in certain scenarios. You asked for an example. The countdown you are both able to see at the corner of your vision is perfectly synced. Does that not meet your criteria? A group working with a synced clock, visible to each member, could be the difference between a perfectly executed plan and a fatal miscalculation. So, as previously stated, situationally.”
Garath was impressed, the small, computer-like person standing in front of him was like a new world Pokédex. He wondered if her expression always looked vacant because she was constantly accessing new information as it became available. Instead of asking, he decided to learn more about The Tower itself as the timer in his mind’s eye ticked down under five minutes. “Do you know how many groups have tried to claim the Dungeon?”
“To my knowledge, three groups have entered.”
“How many of those groups did you go with?” Auto followed up.
“Two.”
“And everyone died in there?” Garath had to ask the question, even though he knew it was likely that entering a Dungeon would be similar to entering a dungeon. Once you go in, you have to complete it to get back out.
“Nobody has ever left The Tower,” Alice said without any change in expression. Then her head tilted, and she revised her answer. “Except for me, of course. I intend to brief your entire Party at once regarding The Tower. To avoid unnecessary repetition, please save those questions for after the briefing.”
“Alright,” Garath agreed. “My other questions were about the Entity and The Tower.” He looked at Auto. “Do you have any more questions?”
Auto shrugged. “Not really.”
“Wonderful,” Alice said, her deadpan tone in disagreement with her choice of words. She stood up, closed her eyes briefly, and then the timer in Garath’s vision was gone. “Then feel free to explore my library until the remaining members of your Party arrive. I will be in my room.”
Garath and Auto shared an uncomfortable look as the petite Lore Keeper left without further ceremony. For a few seconds, they just sat there silently mulling over the strange conversation. Eventually, they did exactly what Alice suggested and explored the library.
After long hours, the rest of the Dungeon team arrived at last. Garath sent a private message to the Lore Keeper upstairs to let her know, and then lined the team up outside the library to meet her.
When she arrived, the Lore Keeper slowly made her way down the line, stopping to look at each person for a few seconds, until she made it to Daisy and was forced to look down. Alice tilted her head as she stared vacant-eyed at the Archmage for long, awkward seconds. While establishing her acceptable Party parameters, age probably hadn’t occurred to the Lore Keeper. Finally, apparently satisfied with whatever information she’d gathered, Alice continued down the line. When her inspection of the Party was complete, the Lore Keeper turned to Garath and motioned for him to follow her into the glass building.
“Your Party has met my requirements. However, you have brought a child. If you were unable to gather ten able-bodied adults that meet the requirements, you should have told me. I would have put you in touch with a candidate to fill any role you were lacking,” Alice said.
Garath coughed. He wasn’t surprised that Alice felt this way, but Daisy was legitimately the best option for her role on the team and Garath was more than prepared to go to bat for her if he needed to.
“Daisy is incredibly capable, follows directions well, and is a fucking Archmage. She’s adopted her chosen Class and taken to it more naturally than any of the adults in my group have. It’s not that I was unable to gather ten adults, Alice. In fact, so many people wanted to come to this Dungeon when I started assembling my group that I had to hold tryouts. Daisy may be young, but believe me, she earned her spot on my team.”
Alice looked at him for long seconds, the vacant expression briefly missing from her face. Finally, she nodded, then turned and led Garath back into the first-floor cavern. Garath took his place next to Auto at the end of the line. The Chimerist gave him a sideways look, which Garath returned with a casual shrug.
“I believe I understand your group dynamics, but for verification purposes, I will go over your roles verbally. Garath, correct me if I miss anything.” She paused to look at Garath, who nodded. “Atlas, Auto, Daisy, Jebawon, Garath, and Warrion will be your damage dealers. Maimon and Sharon 142 will heal. Athios fills the role of support, and Obawon will tank.”
Alice looked at Garath for confirmation.
“Close,” Garath told her. “Auto is the main tank. Certain hybrid forms he’s come up with have incredible damage reduction and threat generation potential. Obawon will be using a two-handed weapon unless a secondary tank is needed, in which case he’ll switch to sword and board.”
Alice nodded almost mechanically. “Corrections noted, thank you.”
“Hey, I gotta ask, because it’s not clear from looking at you. Whenever I try to Inspect you it just says ‘Alice, Lore Keeper’. How old are you?” Atlas asked from the middle of the lineup.
Alice looked at the ostentatious man with unblinking, stone-grey eyes, then looked at Garath. She raised one eyebrow minutely before moving along as if nothing had happened.
“I will now convey my observations regarding The Tower so far. Please refrain from interrupting. There will be time for questions after the briefing.” The Lore Keeper cleared her throat. “Each of the ten Dungeons on Earth has a unique layout. The Tower of Vy’thisrak’s internal layout has been entirely different each time I have entered. I am therefore unable to tell you e
xactly what to expect. What I can tell you is that each time, I have noticed certain commonalities. For example, The Tower has displayed a dynamic difficulty setting. In short, you will be met with creatures designed to be difficult based on the cumulative power of your Party. The difficulty will increase or decrease based on alterations to the cumulative power of your Party as they happen in real time. The Tower has also shown an affinity toward puzzle-oriented objectives. These will not be problematic. That is all, thank you for your attention. I will now answer any questions you may have.”
Garath mulled over everything he’d just heard. She almost seemed to imply with her verbiage that the Dungeon had an awareness of its own. Before he could ask to verify his deductions, Daisy piped up.
“Why don’t you think the puzzles will be a problem?” the little Elementalist asked.
“Because you are entering The Tower with a Lore Keeper,” Alice explained simply. “My mental capacity is several times greater than that of a typical human.”
Daisy smiled shyly. “I like puzzles too.”
“Are you seeing anyone?” Atlas asked.
Alice once again disregarded the Mage Smith and continued scanning the lineup for legitimate questions.
“What types of monsters should we expect?” Maimon asked.
“Only those you bring with you,” Alice responded cryptically.
Auto looked at Garath meaningfully.
“What are you looking at?” Garath asked, offended. “I’m not a monster…”
“Perspective, dude. You use dark magic and summon demons,” Auto said with a smile.
Athios laughed. “He’s got you there.”
“If that is all?” The Lore Keeper turned to face the dome in the center of the cavern. “The entrance is there.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven – One Small Step for Man
Finally standing before the unassuming doorway that would lead them into the Dungeon, Garath stood in front of his team. He pulled open the door and cautiously looked inside. Try though he might, the Necrologist couldn’t see anything beyond the open doorway. A strange sense of purpose welled up within him as he looked into the nothingness beyond. The preparations were made, the discussions had. After all the work they had put in, it was finally time to take the first step into the Tower of Vy’thishrak. Garath did so with a tempered confidence.
The Tree of Ascension: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Peril's Prodigy Book 2) Page 32