The Wanderer's Rebirth: Other Paths

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Welp,” Joram said, staring at the solid floor that was revealed by his Olympian Model construct.

Everyone looked around again, not quite sure what to do.

Joram?

He formed his N7-90 and reconfigured its loadout. He dropped one point of enhancement then swapped out [Holy] and [Seeking] for [Collision] and [Psychokinetic Burst]. Joram then lined up the alter, expended his [Psychic Strike] to use [Telekinetic Edge], aiming for dead centre of it while everyone looked on in confusion.

Then he shot, and shot, and shot, and shot, and shot, and shot, taking advantage of [Multi Shot] and [Rapid Shot]. Then he shot once while focussing to regain his [Psychic Strike]. Then proceeded to repeat the process while muttering in english.

“Oh, so you wanna play dirty, eh? Well, I’ll just break your precious altar. Won’t need it anyways, right? Gonna break that disgusting rock, them I’m going to tear this place apart, stone by stone by stone until there’s nothing left…” and so on and so forth.

The only person who didn’t look both confused and a bit nervous was Asami who was suppressing her laughter because she could read his surface thoughts, and thus understand what he was going on about.

“What’s so funny?” Myra asked, looking both annoyed with Asami and concerned for Joram. “I don’t recognize that language. Is he OK?”

Then Asami could no longer hold back her laughter and let out peals of rich, crystalline laughter. It took her a bit to stop laughing and answer a red-faced Myra.

“He’s just mad,” she said, catching her breath. “He’s cursing out the dungeon in his native tongue.”

Myra looked a bit suspicious, as though Asami was trying to pull one over on her, but then turned back to Joram and looked a bit closer at his expression.

He wasn’t a terribly expressive person, for his ears didn’t shift position with his mood, nor did he have a tail that could tell her what he might be feeling. Even his features were usually stoic. His cheeks were covered by his beard, so that also made it a bit harder to see if he was smiling or not. Or if he was clenching his jaw.

“… I can’t tell…” she admitted, realizing that she hadn’t spent nearly enough time looking at his face, taking in his expressions and mannerisms.

“Yup. I’d say that he’d about as angry as I’ve ever seen him,” Asami said, nodding as she folder her arms across her chest as Theril and Reldan watched in awe.

“Wait, I’ve seen him lose it,” Theril said, coming back to the conversation. “It was when those goblins attacked on your second visit,” he said, reminding her of the ridiculous sword he’d used to cut the hobgoblins to bloody chunks.

“Yeah, this isn’t as bad…” Myra said, shaking her head. “If anything, I think that he’s just letting go of some pent-up frustration.”

Asami snorted as she tried to hold back her laughter.

“I’ll help him with that,” she said with a wicked glint in her eyes.

Reldan was about to say something when Theril placed a hand on his shoulder and just shook his head.

“Ha!” Joram shouted in triumph as the altar finally broke in half, resulting in a light shining brightly on them.

“Huh,” Joram said, eying the bright gem the size of his fist that had fallen to the floor from inside the altar.

It was brilliant, enough to light up their surroundings, but also iridescent, shifting between colours as they watched. He also noted that it wasn’t perfectly spherical, but cut in many facets, reminding him of a giant 100-sided die.

He reached down, letting his N7-90 vanish as he did, and picked it up just for it to vanish in a swirl of light that then entered his hand.

“What the fu-,” he cut off as a System window popped up in front of his eyes.

Congratulations!

You’ve cleared the dungeon Goblin Home as a Pathless! Extreme experience and rewards granted.

Congratulations!

You’ve cleared a dungeon 10 levels above you! High experience and rewards granted.

Congratulations!

You’ve cleared a dungeon 20 levels above you! Great experience and rewards granted.

Congratulations!

You’ve cleared a dungeon 30 levels above you! Extreme experience and rewards granted.

Congratulations!

You’ve contributed more than 99% in clearing the dungeon. Extreme experience and rewards granted.

Congratulations!

You’ve gained the following Titles and Achievements:

- Title: Dungeon Master

- Title: Hardcore Delver

- Title: Master of Ectoplasm

- Title: War Machine

- Achievement: Creationist

- Achievement: Fire Power

- Achievement: Magical Control

- Achievement upgrade: Magical Control I -> II

- Achievement: One-Man Army

- Achievement upgrade: One-Man Army I -> II

- Achievement: Pathless Dungeon Conqueror

- Achievement upgrade: Pathless Dungeon Conqueror I -> III

- Achievement upgrade: Pathless Slaughterer I – III

- Achievement: Skill Efficiency (Magic)

- Achievement: Skill Manipulation (Magic)

Joram stared at the window, flabbergasted. Dumbfounded. Astonished. Stunned. Uncomprehending. But ridiculously pleased with that ludicrous list lighting his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Myra asked, sounding concerned as she stared from his hand to his glassy eyes.

“I think I… did a few ridiculous things,” he said, shaking his head a bit. “Are [Title]s and [Achievement]s rare?” he asked, finally remembering to ask someone.

“They can be, yes,” Asami answered. “Though, one usually has to specifically go out to acquire one of those,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re outrageous, though,” she finished, shaking her head as though she too were in disbelief.

“Does that mean you got a [Title] and an [Achievement]?” Reldan asked excitedly, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Yeah, I did,” Joram said, leaving it vague. “Did everyone else get the notification that the dungeon has been cleared?” he asked, redirecting the conversation away from him.

“Yes.”

“Yep.”

“Sure did!”

“I did, yes.”

Nodding at that, he turned in time for another announcement from the System.

Attention:

You will now receive a chest containing your adjusted rewards.

Note:

Currency and cores have automatically been added to your inventory.

Then five chests appeared amongst them, each one varying in size from one another and resting beside each person. Looking at them, they reminded him of treasure chests that you’d see in a period movie or drama. Solid wood build, metal strapping, and a solid set of clasps.

Looking at them, he started feeling self-conscious because his was more than thrice the size of the next largest chest present. He was tempted to see if he could store the chest away into his inventory, but then remembered what Myra had said about inventories and registering. He knew that Asami also knew about his inventory, but Reldan and Theril didn’t, so he held back. The fewer people who knew about it, the better. In his opinion, anyways.

Reldan looked over the moon to have a reward chest appear, as did Myra. Theril kept his cool, but his tail gave him away by wagging more than usual. Asami looked happy enough, but didn’t seem as though she was eager to pop it open right away.

“Does everyone want to see what they got, or just start heading back right away?” Joram asked, more inclined to open his chest in private.

It seemed as though his thoughts were read, as everyone said that they’d wait, though a bit reluctantly in Reldan’s case.

With that decided, Joram created another astral construct to carry everything. This one was shaped like a centipede, but its body segments were shaped for individual seating… like car seats, though with openings for tails in the backs of the seats. The final segment was basically just cargo space, enough for all of their chests to be piled in without having to worry about anything falling out.

What really caught his attention with this construct, though, was that the details were much higher than he was used to. Even the ectoplasm seemed to take on a darker hue than what it usually did.

Maybe I passed some sort of threshold for detail or something, he thought before deciding to check his logs after they returned.

“Let’s hop in,” Joram said, then took the front seat and waited for everyone’s astonishment to first fade, then for them to each hop in, with Asami right behind him, followed by Theril, then Reldan. Myra had recovered last, so was left with the rear seat. But being as stubborn as she was, and not wanting to lose out to Asami, her jaw firmed before striding up to Joram’s section.

“I’ll sit with you,” she stated while looking at the size of the space.

“I’m not sure…” he trailed off as he saw the look on her face, then wisely kept quiet as she hopped in and sat on his lap, crosswise due to her tails needing the space.

Which left her left side pressed against him as she studiously looked to her right. Not wanting to rock the boat, as it were, he mentally commanded the centipede model forward while designating it as an [Astral Ally], then dismissed his Olympian model.

The ride out of the dungeon went quickly and smoothly due to the many legs of the construct. He had also added [Muscle] x2 and [Celerity] x14, so they went at a decent clip through the forest, illuminated by early afternoon light. The best part was that the construct wouldn’t tire, so having it “run” meant that they were travelling at a good 120km/h all the way back.

Which meant that they arrived back at Kirkwall about nine thrilling minutes later. Directing the centipede model had both been exhilarating and much easier than he’d expected it to be. But he didn’t let that bother him, as having Myra tightly clinging to him the entire way, with her head buried in his chest, had been more pleasant than he’d have suspected it to be.

With a bit of regret that the ride hadn’t lasted longer, he directed the centipede to pull up to the barricaded south gate as the guards were calling out in alarm. Once they got a better look at Joram and the other passengers, the guards calmed and instead started calling down orders to clear the way for the returned “heroes”.

That last bit got him.

“What?” he asked out loud, not understanding what they were talking about.

Myra quickly hopped off his lap, not seeming to have heard him as she immediately prostrated herself on the ground and proceeded to try to hug it tightly.

“I won’t leave you again,” she practically sobbed as she rubbed her cheek on the grass as tears rolled down her other cheek.

Joram was about to ask what the deal was, but then Avi spoke up from beside him.

‘I suspect that they’ve never before experienced such speeds,’ she said, then pointed behind him.

He followed her finger and saw that the others had copied Myra in hugging the ground.

‘But those two went for rides on the dragonfly…’ he sent, more confused than ever.

‘Yes, but you had it go slowly, nowhere near its top speed,’ Avi said, pointing out the obvious, causing him to have an “Oh” moment.

Feeling a bit bad now, he sent the centipede model to go chill at his house, then remembered to send his other surviving [Astral Ally]s there as well, hoping that nothing had happened in their absence.

Once he was able to get them all back on their feet and steadied, he slowly escorted them into Kirkwall.

He had barely entered the village when people started gathering, along with more foxes- which reminded him that he’d rudely left the skulk that’d followed him back at the dungeon. Trying to not let their stares and chatter get to him, he continued along the main street until he was close to Town Hall, where he stopped with a sigh.

In his path was Celys, Nalun, and Kal. With them stood Linette, the cook whose name he still hadn’t remembered to get, along with the staff of Town Hall, the bank, Magmyr, Ilyana, and several merchants he recognized. And more people were gathering around them as he watched.

It was hard to gauge what Celys was thinking, or her mood. She had a really good poker face. But Kal wasn’t as practiced, and so Joram thought that the young man seemed… eager? Like he was anticipating something. Something good?

He wasn’t sure, but he decided to take it like a m- like an adult, so he started walking again, Myra still clinging onto one arm while Asami clung to his other. He didn’t know why either were still unsteady but supposed that the ride hadn’t been easy on them. It certainly hadn’t been easy on their hair, that’s for sure.

Once he arrived in front of Celys and family he stopped, unsure if he’d finally get an earful for not having done something about the dungeon sooner. He just hoped that clearing the dungeon would help sway her a bit.

“Joram,” Celys said, looking very serious. “I’m glad that you’ve returned. And with my wayward daughter as well,” she said, giving her daughter a very cross look. One that Myra pretended to not see as she looked around at those who’d gathered.

“Ah, yes. I made sure that we all arrived safely,” he said, trying to suppress just how nervous he felt while Asami started shivering. He hoped that she wasn’t still feeling sick from the ride.

“I’m glad that you’ve all returned safely,” Celys said, looking both relieved and still somewhat peeved. “I can’t understand why you decided to leave in the middle of the night. What were you thinking?” she asked, now giving him a searching look.

“I just wanted to… make things right,” he said, knowing just how feeble that sounded to anyone who might have lost more than just their homes in the attack a day and a half ago.

“How?” Celys asked, still looking as though she was trying to figure him out. “By getting yourself killed? You’re a citizen of Kirkwall. We weather things together; it’s how we’ve weathered Dungeons in the past, and how we operate. We work together to overcome everything that the world throws at us. Because when we work together, that’s when we’re strongest. Individual threads break while hundreds braided together can withstand tremendous forces together,” she said, looking a bit disappointed in how he’d gone off alone.

“And the rest of you,” Celys continued as she turned to regard his four companions. “Myra, of all people, I thought that you’d be wiser than to run off when a Dungeon Overflow was happening.

“Reldan, as a scout, you should know how important it is to make sure you report and wait for backup. Scouts are a support role, not frontline fighters,” she said, shaking her head like she was his mother scolding him.

“And Theril, I expected you to at least stop the rest of them from haring off like children chasing a chicken,” she said, shaking her head as she regarded the suddenly embarrassed [Guardian]. “Yet you left Amava with barely a word this morning while she was still coming to terms with losing your home.”

Joram watched as Celys’ words cut through those she’d directed them at. Even though he wasn’t as young as the rest of those who’d followed him- except for Asami, that is-, he still felt as though his mother was scolding him, even if he was really about the same age as Celys.

Asami pinched him, making him clench his jaw tightly against the sudden pain. He looked down at her and saw that she didn’t look too happy for some reason.

“So, what have you got to say for yourself?” Celys asked, pinning him with her very stern glare.

“I’m sorry,” he said, bowing his head as he spoke. “I didn’t know that they’d come after me,” he finished, not quite sure what to say under these circumstances. He didn’t want to make any excuses, as those where just hot air in the end. He’d messed up; what more could he say?

He missed the curious look that Celys and the others gave him while he was staring at his boots, wondering if he’d get kicked out of Kirkwall or something. If they were as community-minded as Celys was saying, he didn’t think that that was out of the realm of possibility. Especially given how he’d acted alone, inadvertently dragging his friends into the mess with him.

“Joram. Look at me,” Celys said firmly, though not unkindly.

Her tone caught his attention, so he looked up as requested. Just in time to have her arms wrap around his chest.

“Wha-,” he tried to ask, but was interrupted.

“You’re part of Kirkwall now. You’re family now. Family doesn’t let family go off and get themselves killed,” Celys said once she finished hugging him, then stepped back enough to place her hands on his shoulders. “I’m glad you returned before any of you could get hurt…” she said, but then trailed off as she seemed to notice the holes in his clothing for the first time.

“What happened here…?” she asked, looking a bit confused.

“We cleared the Dungeon,” Myra piped in, puffing her chest out proudly at the declaration.

Myra’s words caused the jaws of everyone in earshot to drop in disbelief or astonishment, he couldn’t tell because, quite frankly, the expressions looked much the same to him.

“You… what?” Nalun asked, stepping forward to regard his daughter seriously. The kind of expression that said if she was lying that she’d get her hide tanned.

“Joram cleared the dungeon, we just helped mop up a bit,” Asami said, giving Myra a bit of a glare.

After a few moments of processing her words, everyone present blew up; anything from exclamations of astonishment to doubt to questions were shouted out.

‘Hahahahahahaha!’ Avi laughed at him was he tried to slide behind his two female companions in embarrassment.