Pandora felt a mental pressure growing and unconsciously reached up to grab her head.
Robert looked over at her and asked, “Pandora?”
“Spy,” Pandora said as she pitched forward and darkness encompassed her. She felt as if she were falling. There was definitely a sensation of speed as she sped through the darkness. Pandora tried to reach out and noticed immediately that her connection to Caspa wasn’t there. She was once again utterly alone in a realm of pure darkness as she fell from a very high point toward a pinpoint of white light that spread out and focused into the landscape of a mountain range with peaks. In one direction the snow disappeared and became a gigantic forest below with a very long drop-off. Along the natural cliff, there were mountains and ice on the plateau above. A single word entered her mind, Primore.
The image shifted and the direction she was falling altered course away from the drop-off to a small peak with a cave behind an ice flow near the top. She looked down and realized that her body had changed to that of a Black Dragon and she was coming in for a landing. As she did so, she made her way into the cave where a large trove of treasure waited. She sniffed the air and noted with satisfaction that nothing had disturbed her treasure.
Pandora’s thoughts were shattered when a voice asked excitedly, “Where is this?”
Pandora thought about the question and realized she did not know, she instinctively knew that the memory she’d just lived wasn’t her own.
“Never mind, then we do this the hard way,” the female voice said into her mind as the ice cave disappeared and Pandora’s mind relived the life of Adaline, from the time of her hatching until Adaline’s memories were imprinted into Pandora’s mind. As she lived through Adaline’s life Pandora met her father for the first time, which was when he’d knocked Adaline unconscious as she tried to use her Breath Weapon on him. She listened from the cold floor inside Apolyn’s Abode, a small fort built into the side of the bluff that overlooked a huge forest far below the abode, as Johnathan, her father’s name was Johnathan Bennard. She listened as Johnathan Bennard called down the wrath of a God on its Paladin and smiled.
She lived through the respectful way Johnathan treated her mother and how her mother’s heart melted as she started to fall for this ‘human’ male who wasn’t human. Pandora watched the relationship unfold which eventually led to her birth. She lived through the memories of her mother right up until she imparted all of her knowledge to her, which she now understood was everything. It was both the greatest gift the creature invading her mind could give her and the stupidest. Concepts Pandora had never considered were now accessible to her. She now understood what it meant to be a product of the 20th Century though her mother had only just learned the concepts before she was born.
She was thankful to her enemy because she understood instinctually that she was not as intelligent as her father but that had not stopped Adaline from learning as much as she could about technology or the Planet her father came from and now she had full access to every one of those memories. She could have lived without the memories that led to her conception but everything else she learned was a treasure trove of information.
Her enemy was stupid because Pandora now had a better understanding of what it meant to be a Creature of Chaos and why things happened the way they had been around her. As the mind invading her memories came to the moment she was ripped from her mother’s arms and flung through Primal Chaos when the experience that she had been accumulating had been stripped away and formed a consciousness of its own, she now understood instinctually that the chaos had always been and now was again a part of her that could never be removed. She reached out with her mind and Caspa was there.
Those around Pandora were surprised when a moment after Pandora had pointed at the woman and declared her a spy, before she collapsed, a white pearlescent glow surrounded Pandora’s body and grew in intensity around her head before a tendril of energy shot from her head into the floor down and in the general direction of where they’d been told the tunnels to the city above were.
The Telepathic link to the absorption of the gem had unknowingly created a link to a previously locked aspect of her racial ability Absorb that wasn’t supposed to be unlocked until she’d gained all the other aspects of her evolved Absorb ability. Pandora’s chaotic nature followed the telepathic link back to the source and surrounded the attacking mind in a lattice of chaotic energy that surrounded the Spider Queen’s head. As this happened notifications began appearing in Pandora’s mind.
Mental Combat has been initiated by Spider Queen.
Spider Queen has successfully infiltrated and read Pandora’s memories. Combined Intelligence and Willpower score of 436 versus Pandora’s combined Intelligence and Willpower score of 400. Additional skills and abilities modify the base 36% chance to 236% of success.
Spider Queen successful, Ability Search Memory activated.
Error Noted.
The Full Combined Intelligence and Willpower of Pandora were not utilized during the initial calculation. Base 636% versus Pandora’s Full Combined Intelligence and Willpower of 3,336 reduces the chance of mental attack success to -2,700%
Spider Queen Attack negated.
Error, Telepathic Link Present
Error, Creature of Chaos Racial Ability has been activated
Error, Racial Ability “Absorb Ability” has been unlocked.
Error, Racial Ability “Absorb Ability” has evolved
Racial Ability “Absorb Racial Ability” has Evolved to “Permanently Absorb Racial Ability” –Upon touch or making a Telepathic Link with the target, 100 mana may be spent to temporarily copy the target’s racial abilities for one hour. Doing so will immediately render the subject unconscious for a number of minutes equal to 60 minus their Willpower. Targets with a Willpower greater than 60 are not rendered unconscious.
Additionally, if mana is spent equal to 100 + 100 x (Target Intelligence) racial abilities of the target are permanently removed and acquired. This process also permanently destroys the mind of the target and leaves them in a permanent coma. If an additional 1,000 mana is spent the subject loses all autotomic functions and dies immediately.
Please Choose from the Following Options
- 100 Mana – Temporarily Gain Racial Abilities for 1 Hour
- 22,800 Mana – Permanently remove Racial Abilities from Spider Queen and Add them to yourself
- 23,800 - Permanently remove Racial Abilities from Spider Queen and Add them to yourself and kill the Spider Queen.
Pandora chose option 3.
A Mana pool of 16,684 noted. Mana regeneration of 28 per second. The ability must be sustained until complete.
For the next 4 minutes and 15 seconds, Pandora was held immobile while the Spider Queens’ abilities were absorbed and her mind destroyed. She struggled and tried every trick that she knew but nothing could break the chaotic energy that had surrounded her head. Nothing could prevent the inevitable. Unlike the Spider Queens’ vicious attack that had forced Pandora to live through her mother’s life, the Spider Queens’ memories were systematically scrambled and ruined.
During that 4 minutes and 15 seconds, Pandora listened to the Spider Queen rant and rave as she described just how dead Pandora and her team were going to be. She boasted about the 7 leaders in “Her” lower city and that her small contingent only consisted of a couple of high-level dark elves while all the others had been sent here to experience life among the other races of the Underdark. Pandora would feel the full weight of dark elf society when those from the true depths rose to annihilate her. Pandora now understood that Spider Queen ran an outpost/embassy for her people. Was going to suck to be her she thought, then considered where that thought had come from. It would seem that unlocking her mother’s memories had unlocked some of her base attitudes as well. Pandora smiled within her mind, Cedrik was going to love her new attitude, but Callum and Pythias, not so much.
Pandora easily resisted each attack the Spider Queen made against her. As the four minutes it took for Pandora to sustain the ability to scramble Spider Queen’s mind and acquire her abilities progressed the Spider Queen’s struggling lessened and then ceased. When it was done, new notifications began appearing.
Congratulations You have killed a Level 380 Female Dark Elf
You have received 2,413,000 XP from assisting your party in this kill.
You have advanced from level 84 to level 109.
You have learned two new Racial Abilities
“Telepathy” - You may make a mental link with any creature you can see or any creature that carries a focusing object you have created for that purpose. This ability allows for both verbal and full sensory communication if that is desired. Additionally, this ability can serve as a vehicle for other mental or spell-based attacks.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Ambidextrous” - You may make attacks from any limb as if it were your dominant hand. You do not receive an off-hand penalty when attacking with a weapon in each hand.
Pandora opened her eyes and immediately noticed that the woman she’d named as a spy was now tied up and sitting against a wall as Callum stepped up to her.
“Pandora, what did you do, we all just leveled again?” Callum asked.
“The female leader of this part of the underground city is dead, She thought of herself as The Spider Queen, but she was really a dark elf,” Pandora said.
“Dead?” Callum asked.
“As a doornail. Oh, that’s an expression from my father’s planet,” Pandora said.
“You sound different,” Robert said.
“Well, you see, that’s because little spy bitch,” Pandora said pointing to the female slave that was tied up, “had a focusing object of the Spider Queen so she could talk to her whenever she got the desire. When I tried to stop her I accidentally linked mind to mind with that crazy bitch.”
“What happened,” Asling asked.
“First, she ransacked my mind like I was spring fair being visited by a couple of thousand halflings. No stone was left unturned or untouched and all members of the town feel like they need a full body wash afterward. I’m the town in this analogy. Anyway, in doing so she unlocked all the memories I hadn’t accessed concerning my mother, which I have now accessed. Just so we’re clear, knowing how your mom and dad literally made you, no child should have to know that crap.”
Everyone in the party and even a few of the slaves winced when she shared that tidbit.
“So, a telepathic link was formed and then we got to the part where I was flung through, what I now know to be Primal Chaos. I learned a couple of interesting things about myself. One of which is that my body does not like to be locked down like it was and the memory of my brush with Primal Chaos was enough to activate one of my Racial Abilities which unlocked another aspect of my Absorb Ability.
“What did you do,” Pythias asked with a bit of concern in his voice.
“It seems that I can either temporarily copy someone’s racial abilities, or if I’m willing to pay the cost I can permanently remove those abilities which will destroy their mind.
“Some kind of mental vampirism?” Pythias asked.
“I don’t think so, I think it has more to do with my chaotic nature and my Absorb ability. As a creature that is chaotic in nature, it looks like I can take on the abilities of others temporarily. The ability actually evolved during her mental attack to make it so that the effect could be permanent.
“I wonder if that ability will evolve again so you don’t have to kill people to keep their abilities permanently,” Cedrik said wonderingly.
“You’re always looking out for me aren’t you Cedrick”
“You are my favorite, whatever race you really are, Pandora. Every time one of us stops moving or goes to sleep everyone gains levels. You need to keep that shit up, let me tell you!” he said emphatically.
Pandora laughed as she asked, “What level are all of you now?
“129,” Callum said, “Which means you all need to spend your attribute points and get your new class abilities. Looks like you found a way to keep up with us ability-wise anyway Pandora.”
“It does, though I don’t plan to kill creatures for their abilities, though as a mental attack, the ability is devastating that’s for sure,” Pandora said.
“Well, if you can, get another ability and spend your attribute points.
As everyone’s eyes glazed over Pandora moved off and put her back to a wall as she looked at her Personal Information. Pandora looked over the various aspects of Absorb she could learn and decided that she didn’t want to count on luck if she tried to absorb something she shouldn’t again. She chose “Absorb-Magic Items.”
Magic items: at a cost of 99 mana per pound Pandora can absorb any item she is touching and convert it into Magic Levels Absorbed. Each pound grants one Magic Level Absorbed. Additionally, any charges the item might carry also grant one Magic level Absorbed. NOTE: If an attempt to absorb a magical item fails due to not having space in the Magic Levels Absorbed attribute, damage equal to the total Magic Levels Absorbed that could have been provided multiplied by 3 occurs in a 10-foot-diameter centered on the object. From 10-20 foot diameter one-half damage. From 20 -30 foot diameter one-quarter damage.
Hopefully, there wouldn’t be a next time, but if there was maybe this aspect of Absorb would nullify whatever she was absorbing so she wouldn’t find herself in a mental contest within a being that was more than three times her level. She also went through and distributed her attributes. When she was done, none of her abilities were lower than 200. It also looked like Caspa had leveled as well. Nothing like a super-powerful boss getting killed to improve one’s day.
“I’m done, I chose to pick up another aspect of Absorb, this time I should be able to absorb Magic Items without difficulty, “Pandora said.
“I improved my Cleave ability. I can now hit up to three opponents that are close together, Callum said.
“I picked up Stealth as an ability,” Asling said.
“I picked up a pretty neat spell called, Shadow Camp,” Robert said.
“What’s it do?”, Cedrik asked.
“It creates a door into the Shadow realm where we can all rest for eight hours, though when we come out only an hour will have passed,” Robert said. “It can only hold six people though.”
“That still sounds like it will be really handy,” Callum said.
“Yeah,” Cedrik agreed. I picked up an upgrade for backstabbing. I guess now when I attack with two daggers I can do critical damage from both strikes instead of just one.”
“Well, Level 100 allowed me to choose an ability that everyone will like,” Pythias said, “I picked up Resurrection. I can just barely cast it. Mana wise it’s 1,000 mana which I barely have but it will also remove one of my Constitution points permanently.”
“Wow, that’s a pretty steep cost,” Robert said.
“Yeah, but I can bring someone back to life within just a little over two hours after death,” Pythias said.
“Resurrection wins,” Callum said,” He’s right every one of us will be happy if he ever has to use that spell on us.”
Pandora made her way over to the slave that had tried to use the ruby to call forth the Spider Queen, “Would you mind explaining why you would sell out those who were trying to help you?”
The bound woman looked up at Pandora and sneered, “Because the Spider Queen is much more powerful than you and soon her minions will come and you’ll be her pets or dead!”
“Obviously you haven’t been listening,” Pandora said “She’s dead, I killed her. “
“You lie, no one can kill the Spider Queen!”
Pandora reached out with her hand and touched the woman activating her new Absorb ability as she only spent 100 mana for the temporary effect of the ability. The woman went limp and fell unconscious as Pandora received a notification.
No Abilities to Absorb Detected
Wow, no wonder she was so easily turned. She had nothing to help her resist in any way. How sad.
“Did you kill her?” Callum asked as he walked over.
“No, I was just trying the more limited aspect of the ability. I tried to copy her abilities for a little bit, but she doesn’t have any”
“She doesn’t have any abilities?” Callum asked.
“None, which begs the question. The other seven slaves know what she’s done in the past and what she tried to do. What do they think we should do with her?”
Callum called the other seven slaves over to the unconscious woman against the wall, “I asked you over here to ask what the seven of you want to be done with this one, knowing she was helping the Spider Queen and the dark elves.
“Can’t say as I care,” One of the slaves said.
“If you’ll turn on your own kind once, you’ll do it again. I say we leave her here or kill her,” another said.
After a few more minutes it was obvious five of them didn’t care for her and didn’t want her to come with them but that she didn’t need to die for her previous crimes. The other two wanted her dead but agreed that the majority of the slaves should decide. The decision was made to leave her.
The party filled their empty water skins, took all the food except for one piece of bread, and untied the traitor. Then they left the room and locked it. One of the slaves knew the route to the tunnels that went up to The City and she guided them through some hidden passages for the next half hour. Every once in a while the party would hear movement off in the distance but who, or whatever, it was moved quickly and ignored them.
Eventually, the party came out into a larger cave and they made their way around the edge until they could see a tunnel.
“That’s weird,” one of the slaves said.
“What’s weird?” Callum asked him.
“Usually there are two dark elves here guarding but they’re gone..”
“What about the other races down here,” Robert asked.
“Down around that corner there,” The slave said pointing. “That way leads to where the Kobolds are. There should be two guards over there too. This room should have something like 10 guards in it spread around the area to keep an eye on the access points. We usually have to come in here and clean the walkways. There is no one in here though,” he said thoughtfully. Then he asked, “Did you really kill the Spider Queen?”
“I really did,” Pandora said.
“Well, they could all be falling back to protect the weakest but that doesn’t make sense from what I’ve witnessed. More likely there is a power struggle going on.”
“Are we going to escort these slaves to safety or do we continue with our quest?” Pythias asked.
“I think we should head back to the surface, at least until we know they’re safe up there, then we can head back down. Besides The City needs to know about this tunnel and they need to put some guards on it,” Callum said.
Everyone nodded and Cedrik went into the tunnel that started to wind its way upward at a small angle. They’d only been following the tunnel for three hours when Cedrik held up his hand and moved forward.
Pandora shadowed him until they were a good two hundred feet further along and even she could hear the clinks of chains coming from farther along. They each found imperfections in the wall until they saw a group of four dark elves and 12 members of various races being herded down the tunnel toward them. Pandora targeted 5 Mage Orbs on each of the dark elves as Cedrik disappeared after pointing back the way they’d come from to let her know he was going to tell the others.
Pandora heard her party coming up behind her as the dark elves reacted to the noise. Not wanting to give them a chance she gave the command for her 20 Magic Orbs to strike, which they did. The combat was over before it began. Pandora checked the combat log and noted that each of the Dark Elves had been level 30 and they’d each only had nine hit points. Each orb had struck for 3 points of damage doing 15 points of damage to each dark elf They dropped where they’d stood.
The slaves looked around and cried as Callum rushed forward, Cedrik and Pandora bypassed the new slaves and made sure no one else was coming down the tunnel behind them. Once they were sure there was no one close by Pandora returned to the slaves and absorbed the shackles they were wearing which gave her another 11 points bringing her current total to 116 of 1,748 Absorbed Magic Levels. Damn, she hadn’t looked at that since she upgraded her Soul Core. Increasing her Soul Core to level 3 had tripled all of her attributes.
Callum explained to the 12 new slaves, 19 in total, that they had to keep moving to get back to The City while Cedrik looted the corpses and left them in the Shadow Plane. Once he was done looting, Cedrik led the way with Pandora close behind. Next came Pythias whom all the slaves followed with Callum, Robert, and then Asling at the back. If they were attacked, trying to protect those 19 slaves was going to prove problematic. How had the 4 dark elves kept them under control? Of course, they had been shackled so fighting back would have been nigh impossible. That implied there were supply points along the route.
The next three days, because they had to rest often for the slaves, went by without incident. Talking was kept to a minimum but they were able to learn that there had been fifteen slaves originally As they passed certain holes in the ground the slaves would describe how any of the troublemakers or those that were moving too slowly were disconnected from the chains and thrown into the holes. They said they’d heard screams for a while but eventually, they faded off into the distance. Pandora nodded when she heard that, that would explain how they kept them in line. Kill one or two as needed and even the stubborn ones would shut up.
On the third day, the tunnels changed and more masonry and molded stone became apparent as they entered an underground marketplace of sorts, though no other beings were present. It looked like it might have once been a place where goods could be traded between the undercity and the city above. Now it was just empty.
One of the slaves pointed to an archway and said, “We came from over there before we headed down.”
Cedrik made his way over to the Archway, looked at the ground, and nodded as he followed the footprints in the dust on the ground back to a blank wall. After he looked around for a bit he found a sconce that turned and unlocked a secret door that had a short hallway and a stairway that led up. Both Cedrik and Pandora made their way up the stairs quietly until they came into a small 20-foot by 20-foot room. As they reached the top of the stairs two dark elves were quietly making their way toward the stairway. Dark elf eyes locked with Cedrik and Pandora. Cedrik and Pandora moved first. Cedrik vanished and reappeared behind the Dark elf closest to the stairway with two daggers plowing into his back killing him instantly. Pandora, able to move 37 feet a second was on top of the surprised dark elf and had punched him in the throat. The strike had been critical and struck for 9 points of damage which doubled up to 18. There was a sickening crunch as the dark elf’s neck snapped and he fell to the ground.
They quickly searched the room, Cedrik looted the bodies and then Cedrik tossed them into the Shadow Plane. Opposite the small room, they found the access point to wherever they were in The City They both waited for the rest of the party and the slaves then Cedrik opened the door which ended up leading out into a back ally. No wonder no one had found it.
“Asling,” Callum called.
“Yes.”
“I want you to head to the Adventure Guild. Find Master Minegranet, let him know we need help recovering 19 slaves and that we’ll need to put guards on a location that leads to an unground city where dark elves, among others, have been abducting people from The City, then bring him back here. The five of us are going to set up camp and guard this tunnel. We’ll keep the slaves here until someone arrives who can question them and then get them back to their homes.
“On it,” Asling said as she rushed off down the ally, looked to her left and right as she came to a corner then headed off to the right and out of sight.
The slaves were given some food and water as they sat down to wait for the burly dwarf to get there. One question was on Pandora’s mind now that they were back on the surface though. She was wondering if they’d passed their Assessment.