Barely ten minutes after Alex dropped the call on Agent Three, the phone rang.
Alex intentionally allowed the call drag a bit before answering.“What took you so long" the angry voice of Agent Three came from the phone.“Seems we have to pay some ground rules" Alex calmly said over the phone. “I may work for you or your organization but I'm not your errand boy. If you feel like you can get to the location of the Crown on your own you can simply come and do it yourself rather than making this all difficult . Secondly, you would never, I repeat, never yell at me when you talk to me again. And finally, I want to meet your superiors before I hand the Crowd over. Do this and we are square”.The call went quiet and Alex simply ignored and waited for Agent Three to talk.After the long wait, Agent Three finally spoke “First, you can see your mum for ten minutes only and that can only happen when we've confirmed the location and we have evidenceNew Mission: Healing Crown of AsteriaStage 1 (Mandatory): Locate the Crypt Keeper's Mountain TempleYour task is to find and pinpoint the exact location of this legendary temple which houses the powerful Healing Crown artifact.Reward: 500,000 gold, 10 Planar Traverse Scrolls, Bag of Holding (Increases inventory slots)Stage 2 (Optional): Infiltrate the Temple and Claim the Crown.Having located the temple, double cross Agent Three and brave the deadly gauntlet of defenses and guardians to reach the inner sanctum where the Healing Crown rests. Recover the Crown before The Seekers can.Reward: 1,000,000 gold, Legendary Weapon Box, Armor of Vitality (Continuously regenerates health)Stage 3 (Optional): The Crown's DestinyYou have obtained the mythical Healing Crown of Asteria. The choice is now yours - turn it over to The Seekers as they have demanded, or keep the invaluable relic for yourself?Reward: ???The system intentionally left the reward for the final stage a mystery, not rev
Alex was overjoyed seeing that he had another way out of the predicament he found himself, all he needed to do was play his cards right.He started formulating a plan on getting the crown himself.Once he located the Temple, he would immediately start clearing it, he was sure to do this because he already planned on using some form of backup.Secondly, he was planning on telling Agent Three after he had made sure he was close to the Crown or already had the crown on hand.Finally, he would delay her enough for Emma and Nexus to get to his mother and then he would bail on her with the crown in his possession.Although the plan looked full proof, no plan ever went the way it was supposed to but it was still better to have something in hand than nothing. Taking his seat on the deep dive system, Alex attempted to load the VR game.As Alex attempted to log into Elysium Quest, instead of the familiar immersive loading sequence, an error notification from the Nexus system appeared:"CRITICA
In that eternal instant, Alex's extrasensory perceptions flared to new heights of clarity. He could discern each individual mote of darkness as a singular discontinuity in the matrix of light and matter surrounding it. Infinitesimal fractal branches webbing outward, coagulating into constellations of Stygian potentiality against the bright world's shimmering interference. With a mere flicker of willful intention, Alex birthed forth a swarm of umbral seedlings from the void-stuff's primordial wombscape. Elemental shadows given purpose, focusing into egg-like nodules glistening like galaxies of purest antimatter distilled. These were the seeds through which he could gestate and project his interdimensional influence.The spherical seedlings shuddered with scarcely contained potential for a breathless moment before beginning to split apart along geometric fissures. Their forms unfurled in spiral fractals of exponential complexity, kaleidoscopic shards of obsidian reshaping into intrica
Kalthia's booming voice washed over Alex, but he paid it little mind. His eyes were wide, hands patting over his body in disbelief. The dragon's remarks about being flesh and blood barely registered."Legs? Check. Arms? Check. Head? Still attached," Alex muttered under his breath, wiggling his fingers and toes. A broad grin spread across his face as the tingling warmth of draconic essence flowed through him. He could feel every muscle, every hair on his skin. He was here - truly present in this fantastical world in a corporeal form."I...I made it. My actual self is in Elysium!" he exclaimed, clenching his fists in excitement. Kalthia watched him bemusedly as Alex stretched and bent, testing his physical mobility and sensations. Her prodigy seemed utterly absorbed in marveling at his own tangible existence here."This is amazing! If I can travel between realms like this..." Alex's voice trailed off as the implications dawned on him. He looked up at the dragon determinedly."I just n
“Can't you just go see her alone? Whatever you both discuss you can let me know about it later" Kalthia came up with an excuse.Alex paused and looked at her with a side eye. “If I remember clearly, you proudly said there was nothing impossible for you to do, so why are you scared of meeting up with your sister? Moreover, you promised that there was no request you would not answer to and here you are already trying to jump bail over my first request. Tell me how I can trust a word you say in the future?"The words Alex spoke hit Kalthia's pride so hard that her pale skin showed signs of redness in response to his provocation.“You think I'm scared of that Icy lump? If it comes to a fight, I would pin her down over and over again" Kelthia expressed her anger, “In fact, let's get going, even if she has grudges higher than the universe itself, there is no need to be afraid of her”.“Perfect, then I would open up a portal right now" Alex smiled.Seeing Kalthia's reluctance to involve her
"It's about your longevity," Alex began. "I realize even as powerful dragons, you can only live so long naturally."This piqued Kalthia's interest as well. She leaned forward slightly in her shadowy chair. "Are you implying you know of a way for us to extend our lifespans beyond what is possible?"Kelthia's expression was more guarded, but she gave a slight nod. "The strongest of dragonkind may only endure ten to fifteen thousand years before our essence fades. Kalthia and I have already experienced over six millennia.""Which leaves perhaps two or three thousand more years, if we're fortunate enough to live in peace," Kalthia added, somewhat wistfully.Alex nodded seriously. "I understand. But what if I told you there's a way to naturally and safely prolong your life spans much further - without any detrimental backlash?"The two sisters exchanged a startled look. Even for beings as ancient as them, the prospect of cheating their impending demise piqued their curiosity intensely.“No
“Now that we have taken care of the in-house fighting, there are some things we need to get done.”Alex looked the sisters deep in the eye. He needed to know if they were ready for what he was going to say next.“I would need you both to help me out with something and once this is done, we would start our journey, it's going to be a very long road but I have this hope we would get there" Alex couldn't just tell them that he had almost all the information from millions of dragons who had lived and died. He was like a walking data bank for dragons and the system made it far easier for him to process things.“Leave?" Kalthia asked, “We just can't do that," she said with a dull expression.Alex was surprised, “We just agreed that we were going to go on a journey that would change our lives and you say you can't leave this area? Then why bother agreeing in the first place?"" Don't get agitated” Kelthia stepped in "I would explain in a rather
Kalthia seemed to seethe silently at Alex's boldness in the face of the dragonslayer threat. He seemed to undermine the abilities. The dark shadows writhed more intensely around her human form."You dismiss their danger far too lightly, boy," she said in a low, dangerous tone. "These are not mere obstacles to overcome, but an extinction-level peril to everything we are. Don't you understand that?"Alex held her smoldering gaze, undeterred. "Then we'd better be prepared to face them when the time comes. Because they won't be the ones to stop us from our quest - and I repeat, not if I have any say about it."An icy pause lingered in the grand hall after Alex's defiant declaration. Kalthia stared at him like she was looking at a totally deaf fool seemingly dumbstruck that he would still push forward with their plans after learning about the dragonslayers and the other dangers it posses to them."You cannot be serious," the Umbra Dragon said at last,