Acexe
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Chapter 30 Bouncing Between Worlds
🕑 Added 2025-01-04 23:30:40 +0000 UTCI collapsed in pure exhaustion after the notification. One hour was not going to be near enough to get all my energy back, but it would be enough to get some. Sitting there looking at Grull, I grabbed his body and threw the whole thing into my Inventory. I wasn’t sure if his body contained anything of value—perhaps a rare material or a clue to his power—but I wasn’t going to leave behind any potential advantage.
Grull had been a formidable opponent, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that understanding more about him might prove useful down the line. I was not versed enough in the biology of the creature to know if something on it was important or useful, but I knew I wanted his pants and sword, which I crawled over to and stored in my Inventory, and anything else on him that I might not have seen.
After that I just lay there going over the fight with Mental Reverie. I only allowed myself to sit there for another ten minutes before getting up and heading over to the stairs that lead higher into the tree. I did not want to run out of time and risk the chance of losing something extra.
Climbing up the stairs was an excruciating experience. Every single part of my body throbbed with pain, as though it had been pounded relentlessly, leaving me bruised and aching with every movement. I was happy that I decided not to wait as it took me over twenty minutes to climb the stairs. When I finally reached the top there was a door that was locked.
I grabbed Grull out of my Inventory and went through his pockets, finding a golden ornate key. Throwing Grull back in my Inventory, I used the key to unlock the door and walked inside the room, taking in its surprisingly bare interior. The sparseness felt almost deliberate, as though the room’s emptiness was meant to hide something or tell a story I couldn’t quite grasp. My eyes scanned the space for any hidden meaning—were the bare furnishings a reflection of Grull’s life, or simply another mystery the Dungeon wanted to leave unanswered?
I mean sure there was a small box at the foot of a bed, a desk with nothing on it and a pillow on said bed. I threw everything into my Inventory save for the small box which I opened. Inside there was what looked like an old worn teddy bear, another set of pants, and a piece of paper that was so old it crumbled to dust when I touched it.
Whether the story about Grull was real, or just fabricated by the Dungeon, it was going very far to sell the story. I stored the two items and box as well before heading back down the stairs to rest for the last little bit before heading out the exit portal. I knew that I could wait until someone came in, however I was worried about, what I now assumed to be gnolls, goblins, and fenrics, being outside. If they could get in when the Dungeon is no longer locked, I didn’t know what would happen.
I knew that the ones outside the Dungeon would be weaker than the ones inside had been, but I was still extremely tired. At least on the outside I might be able to Arcane Step into a tree and keep doing that to get away.
I waited until there was only a few minutes left and then heavily debated whether I should use Arcane Armor or not. Thinking about the fact that it glowed in its purplish light. If I went out without it, I might be able to hide. Deciding that was the best course of action, I stored my shields, which I might need new ones from how beat up these were, away and remembered that I needed to check my notifications.
Grull the Kingdom Destroyer – Goblin Emperor (L) – Level 52
+1260 xp
While that was a good amount of experience points, I have to admit that for the entire Dungeon to boil down to just that, seemed somewhat anticlimactic. I mean no titles for completing the Dungeon, no achievement, or some special skill just some experience.
With a shrug I went ahead and headed to the portal, and I want to point out how this portal was a big dark circle in the world, seemingly leading into the void. If the one outside had looked at all like this, I would not have been in this situation.
The moment I stepped through the portal I used Arcane Step to get into a tree. Only for a knife to be placed against the back of my neck. Panoptic Sense having spread out to slowly after arriving out of the portal. “QuchwIj tu'lu. nuq DaneH?” A voice said behind me. The language harsh, but the voice itself seemed smooth.
I didn’t move anything except my arms very slowly and deliberately to the I surrender position. “I have no idea what you said, so hopefully you understand me. I am Jace Obexis, long story short I was trapped in that Dungeon and I just got out.”
After finishing my statement, I just sat there waiting. Not daring to say or do anything that might get me killed. I may not have spoken the language, but I knew it was elvish, which meant, as a human, I was trespassing.
“Human? How odd, you do not stink like one normally does. You have an interesting talent human, tell me what it is, and I might let you go.”
“I thought you Elves were known for treating children well, yet here you are holding a knife to a ten year old and threatening me.” I said letting my mouth get the better of me.
Even with all of the levels I had gained fighting everything I wasn’t able to resist when the Elf grabbed my should and spun me around. She, as I now noticed, narrowed her eyes as she looked me up and down as though I was a horse she was deciding whether or not to sell.
“How the hell are you so tall. Your face looks young, but more like a young adult than a child. Even with all that though, nature tells me you are speaking the truth. Explain now!”
Something I did not notice while I was fighting Grull, or even the other goblins and gnolls was that The System had been slowly and gradually making me grow. It made sense, kind of, how would someone with the body of a ten year old be able to support the strength and power that I currently had. I was just glad that my clothes were already a looser fit as my mother had been planning for me to grow.
“Uh, I would really rather not, but I can swear that I have no bad intentions toward the Elves and even hoped I would be able to visit someday.” I blurted out hoping to get everything out before she killed me.
“Well, Jace.” She said in such a condescending voice that it made my stomach drop. “I guess we will have to see what is decided about you.” After she finished speaking, she swung her arm down slamming the butt of her dagger into my temple so hard and fast that I didn’t have time to react.
My father from Earth was right—I really did have a hard head. The elf’s first swing seemed decisive, but she clearly wasn’t taking any chances as she delivered a second blow with unrelenting precision. I saw her eyes narrow in my slightly stunned state before I felt the second blow to my head that knocked me out.
When I woke up over her shoulder bouncing around like a caffeinated squirrel jumping on a trampoline, I knew I was not going to like this girl. “You can either enjoy the ride or I can knock you out again. Even with that fancy little talent of yours I doubt you can keep up so stay put.”
I didn’t know how she knew I was awake already, but I knew she was right. I had to close my eyes as I watched the world actually blur underneath us. And, that wasn’t even the craziest part, she was running that fast in the trees. Maybe when I was about fifty levels higher, I would be able to do the same.
I thought about talking to her to try and pass the time, but the feeling of her shoulder constantly slamming into my gut had me decide against that. Instead, I decided to use Mental Reverie and Panoptic Sense at the same time. While the world seemed like a blur to my eyes, Panoptic Sense worked effortlessly, mapping out the terrain and movement around me in a vivid mental overlay. It was as though a second set of senses extended outward, detecting the smallest shifts in the environment—branches swaying, leaves falling, even the distant rustle of unseen animals. Though I believed we were heading North, that conclusion felt more like an intuitive guess than something directly informed by the skill.
With Mental Reverie I was reliving my battle with Grull, trying to figure out how I could improve – “What are you doing?” she asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“I was trying to meditate, but someone decided to interrupt me. Is that what Elves do? Do they—”
“No, you weren’t meditating, I felt nature pull toward you, as though it was trying to help you, teach you. Humans cannot do that. Who and what are you Jace? Don’t worry you don’t have to explain now, all will be revealed soon.” She said with an ominous tone.
“So, Elves are interrupters got it.” I said somewhat snarky. Was that the smartest move? Absolutely not, and the extra-long drop into her shoulder jarring everything inside of me proved that. Was it worth it? In my opinion yes, but I have been called a masochist before so take that how you will.
Before I went back to using Mental Reverie, I tried to add my mom or dad to my party mentally. Unfortunately, I received no response. Whether that meant that they were out of range, or because they were still in their own group or what I did not know. So instead, I went back to using Mental Reverie and just let the time flow by.
