The Imagineer's Bloodline: Ascendant Earth Chronicles – Book 1

by J. J. Lorden

  A bit of grumbling and muttering followed, but soon enough, they both jumped down, and minutes later, they were gathered at the bottom of the long slope. The area was dark, but Carson and Valerie had the Elven racial trait, Night Vision, while Erramir had True Vision, so they could all see well enough.

  The bottom of the ramp opened into a long, high-vaulted room. The floor was tiled with large, cream-colored stone, set diagonally to the ramp. In the center, a statue of a serpentine dragon wrapped protectively around the base of a giant pine tree dominated the space. The dragon faced them menacingly.

  The tree rose fifty feet or so, all the way to the ceiling, where the top merged into the stone, effectively making it a structural column. To the left and right were arched openings, and at the back, beyond the statue, was a raised dais with a throne in the center. In all, Erramir estimated the room was about two hundred feet deep and a hundred feet across. Another message indicator appeared and got his attention.

  Congratulations, you have discovered the ruins of Qar’Dakar. This city was once a great center of commerce and influence, from which its lord ruled the Dakaril region. It still resonates with great, yet dormant, power.

  Experience Gained: 3500

  Carson called out, “I leveled up! I’m level four.”

  “Nice, man,” Erramir said, nodding toward his friend. He looked at Valerie. “What about you, Val?”

  “I’m level four. No level-up, though. Almost all my gains are from crafting my staff. I got a metric ton of XP from that. But 3500 is a good chunk; got to think offing a few decent mobs will push me up to five.” She paused with a furrowed brow. “Can you guys see how much experience you need for your next level?”

  “Nope,” Carson replied. “I looked too; it’s hidden.”

  “Me either,” Erramir said. “Be good to know that. Hopefully, we’ll unlock a way to see it.”

  Val grunted. “Yeah, no insta-heals on level up either. Figured that one out when I brained the deaver.”

  “Really? That sucks,” Carson said.

  Erramir pulled up his new skill, distractedly adding, “Not very realistic though, realism was my focus.” Carson made some noise in response, but Erramir was already considering the runecrafting skill description.

  It sounded like runecraft was a method to enhance weapons and armor–or anything really, judging by the skill description. Someone had used it here to lock this place. So, logically it could be used to enhance buildings too.

  He nodded to himself. Runes are potent. Could be a critical path to becoming more powerful. He tucked that thought away. When they found a home base, he definitely wanted to work on runecrafting.

  Before closing his avatar data, Erramir noticed his banked attribute points. The forced withholding grated a little. Generally, he didn’t agree with holding points in reserve. In his way of thinking, unused points meant you weren’t maximizing your current potential and could mean giving up a percentage of experience, money, and loot gains.

  Those losses could add up over time. This wasn’t true about all games; some actually rewarded you for playing underpowered. But he preferred to play at his peak potential and push into more difficult fights and challenges, where the benefits were higher. In this way, he could still play underpowered from the game engine’s perspective without holding himself back.

  This tactic didn’t always work out. Sometimes it got him, and consequentially all of them, in over their heads. But it was a mindset–he wanted to be pushing forward and challenging himself.

  Even so, he decided the banked attribute points were for the best. Without understanding Kuora better, he could easily screw up allocating them.

  He looked to his friends, who were both reviewing some part of their avatar data. We’re such dorks, he thought, then got their attention. “Hey, let’s have a look around.”

  They decided to each take a separate direction to cover the space more quickly. Valerie started to the right, Carson left, and Erramir walked down the middle toward the statue.

  As he drew close to the dragon, it loomed larger than he’d initially thought. The tree base was easily five feet across, and the dragon head stood a full ten feet above the ground.

  The level of detail made the stone facsimile spring to life; it appeared more like a moment frozen in time than a simple statue. The boughs of the massive pine spread to cover about fifty feet, half the width of the hall, and roots radiated from its base as if they’d grown there.

  He rounded the tree and found the back was carved with equally realistic detail. Turning from it, Erramir approached the dais. The throne sat atop a three-step rise, and two dragon statues framed it on either side.

  They were about his height. The one on his left rested peaceably on its haunches, taloned hands folded over its chest, eminating a regal bearing. The right one appeared ready to launch off the ground, spread its wings, and attack.

  The message communicated was clear–wisdom before violence, but don’t forget about the violence.

  Erramir was mesmerized by them. Like the tree, these two were amazingly detailed, right down to the individually ridged scales, vivid eyes, and corded muscle. They were masterfully done.

  Reaching to touch the shoulder of the warrior dragon, he found the stone warm. So unexpected was the heat that he jerked his hand away. Erramir leaned in for a closer look; heated stone in this cool underground chamber wasn’t natural.

  There was more going on here, and he began to wonder if the statues were as inanimate as they appeared.

  His True Vision was still active, and he couldn’t see any energy signature around them, but that could have been the low level of his ability. When he touched the wise dragon statue, he found it was also warm to the touch.

  Continuing his search, Erramir circled around the throne to the left and discovered the rear wall of the raised platform was actually a false back. Behind the wall, stairs were cut into the floor. They descended and curved toward the front of the throne room, disappearing beneath the dais.

  The stair treads were carpeted in a deep cherry bordered on the sides with a cord of bright silver. Squatting, he touched the fabric and found it soft, densely piled, and free of dust or dirt. That shouted magical preservation to him, but still, nothing was illuminated in his True Vision.

  Looking around, Erramir realized the whole place was the same, and he’d just overlooked it. Definitely preserved with magic.

  He walked across the back of the dais and found stairs on the right, in a mirror image of the left. He guessed they met in the center. The stairs were a likely path forward. But Val and Carson were still searching, so he went back to inspect the throne.

  It was upholstered in the same crimson cloth with bright silver trim. The arms were silver with curving concentric lines in their surface that arced toward the opposite armrest. It looked as if they were opposing sides from the crosscut of a massive tree. The effect gave him the impression that the throne had been carved from an enormous tree of silver.

  Above the head was a foot-high statue of a regal human woman. She wore a Romanesque gown, had wavy hair–some of it piled high within a circlet–and had both arms stretched forward with palms turned up and slightly in, as if in welcome. Erramir ran his fingers lightly across the rings of the left arm–text appeared before him.

  New Quest—Blood of a City—Welcome, Child of the Ancients. The lost city of Qar’Dakar has lain dormant and uninhabited for millennia. Only one of the ancient blood can reclaim the city and reawaken its living heart.

  You possess the blood; however, this task cannot be completed alone. Will you assemble and lead a team to cleanse the evil infecting the city, then lend your lifeforce to reawaking its ageless power? Yes or No?

  Quest Rewards—Unknown

  Erramir instantly accepted the quest, and the notification flashed out of sight. He turned to see where his friends were. Carson was already walking in his direction, apparently done with his search, while Valerie stood before a closed door close
to the dais. He waved a hand at Carson, beckoning him over while speaking aloud to them both.

  “Hey, I just got a quest from the throne. Come on, see if you guys can too.”

  They both reacted with enthusiasm and ran to join him. Carson arrived first, taking in the two statues and the throne. He responded much as Erramir had, ignoring the throne and moving to the dragon statue closest to him, the one that seemed the embodiment of wisdom.

  Carson was also awed by its level of detail and leaned in close to inspect it. As he reached out a hand, Erramir told him not to be surprised by the warmth of the stone.

  Carson acknowledged the warning and placed a hand on its side. He was still visibly shocked by the warmth.

  Val arrived. She too was brought up short by the statues and stood staring at the one on the right, the one that appeared as the embodiment of war.

  “This statue looks so real,” she said. “It’s almost as if it should be alive. Gods. It’s intimidating as hell. Anyone sitting in that throne with these here would have a massive advantage in any trade or negotiation conversation.”

  Erramir hadn’t considered that perspective, but it was undeniable that this was a throne room of sorts–an unorthodox one, since it was several stories underground and had a colossal tree statue in the center. Still, these statues would definitely intimidate anyone calling on the monarch.

  “I can feel all four elemental resonances in this one,” Carson said softly. “As well as some other energy that I don’t understand. It’s an extremely complicated magical structure... powerful too,” Carson ran a hand slowly down the side of the left dragon.

  That got Erramir and Val’s attention.

  “That kind of makes sense. I think these statues may be more alive than they look. The quest I got talks about reawakening the city’s living heart. These could be tied to that power and only dormant because it’s dormant. They might just be asleep.”

  In unison, Carson and Valerie looked at him with concern and stepped away from the dragons and closer to the throne. They stood close to him, and both shot anxious glances back at the mythical stone creatures.

  Erramir indicated the throne. “I’m pretty sure we’re safe. Just touch the throne; that’s all I had to do.”

  Both did and then gained the far-off look of reading text only they could see. Valerie turned her gaze toward the floor a moment later with her forehead creased in thought. Then she looked at Erramir.

  “This is interesting. I got a companion quest to assist you in reawakening the city’s heart, and the reward is undefined.”

  Carson concurred that he’d also received a companion quest. “I wonder what kind of evil we’ll need to cleanse. We’re pretty low level to be taking on much of a significant threat.”

  Erramir nodded at his friend. Then he decided to ask about something that had been nagging at him. He’d been hesitant up to now, for fear of making Carson feel bad, but he needed an answer.

  “Yeah, I don’t think Val and I are typical low-level builds,” he said. “We both managed to unlock an Equilibrium bonus in character creation. It’s a pretty significant buff to starting attributes, per level point gains, and it also included some extra rare traits and skills. That’s why I have DrakkenWood Skin.” He indicated Val. “And why Val has Wood Weaving.” He lifted his chin toward the mage. “Did you manage to get anything like that?”

  Erramir had watched his friend’s demeanor brighten as he was talking, so he wasn’t surprised when Carson nodded.

  “I did,” said Carson. “I’ve got a Silver Equilibrium avatar. And yeah, it’s a huge bump to my starting attributes, plus I get 14 points per level instead of 6. It takes a lot more experience to level, but the boost adds up fast. Even now, at level four, I figure I’m a match for a normal level seven player.”

  Carson’s face split in a grin. “Do you guys realize how broken this equilibrium bonus really is? I mean, we don’t even get our freely assignable points until level ten. That’s going to be forty points, and even without them, we’ll already be at the power level of a normal level eighteen or nineteen player.”

  “That sounds about right,” Erramir said. “It’s 90% more experience per level for me. So, nine levels of power difference make sense. The free points will definitely make a huge difference, but I think the biggest advantage is the starting abilities. True Vision and DrakkenWood Skin are both powerful, but I also got Curious and Observant. Curious gives me a bonus to Agility and Constitution whenever I’m in a new area.” He looked aside and said, “Hold on, let me check that.”

  Erramir pulled up his avatar attributes and found a green +2 beside them. “Yeah, it’s active now–I’ve got +2 to both. It also kicks in when I’m trying to learn or craft something new and boosts my Intellect and Agility.

  “Then Observant allows me to learn any skill, even racially locked ones. It might not be so useful in a fight, but you guys know how I love my shop.”

  “Sometimes, to a fault,” Val said. “But wait, you said you need 90% more experience per level? I only need 80% more.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Carson said. “I get fourteen total attribute points per level. How many do you guys get? Including the free ones we can’t use yet.”

  “Same, fourteen,” Val said.

  “Fifteen here,” Erramir said. “So, I need to gain more experience, but I also get more points.”

  “That’s kind of odd,” Carson said. “I guess there are different equilibrium bonus levels or something. Anyhow it doesn’t matter. They’re all ridiculous, and if I’m right, we’re going to crush the system.”

  Erramir was nodding along with him. “Yeah, I thought about this too. We’re going to be evenly matched with mobs that are several levels higher than us. Killing higher level creatures always awards more experience, that should help compensate for the experience point debt.”

  “Exactly, but it’s more than that. Like you said, Err, the rare skills and abilities are the key. My elemental affinity is super rare, and it’s amplified by my channel density trait, which allows me to use more power. It’s not so noticeable right now, but in twenty levels or so–look out, baby.”

  Erramir grinned. “You must be counting on some pretty powerful attack spells?”

  Carson nonchalantly cocked a shoulder. “Yeah, I’ve got some serious juice. They’ll be badass for sure.” Erramir raised his brow and nodded, gladly accepting the claim.

  “Oh yeah, I almost forgot!” Carson said, raising both hands. “I also got this epic quest about reuniting the Elven nation. Apparently, there was some big crack up a couple thousand years ago when the ruling monarchs were betrayed, and the queen died.

  “The king was some kind of dragon who could transform into a human. He didn’t take it well and went a little crazy. Eventually, he just... shut down the Empire.” Carson’s face scrunched. “Like, how do you even do that?”

  “He was a dragon. He probably just flew away,” Val said.

  “I guess, still seems kinda dumb. Anyhow, before that, the dragon king shut the Elven races out of his inner council because he thought one of their factions was responsible. But, he never found out who did it, and the Elven council turned on each other. Ultimately, this culminated in a brutal war that destroyed the council and caused the Elven nations to fracture.”

  Carson got a manic look, eyes flashing excitedly, and in a delighted whisper, he said, “It’s totally a white rabbit,”

  Then Carson looked at the central statue, the dragons, and the woman at the head of the throne. “A queen... a ruin... and dragons.” He gripped his chin with index finger extended up his cheek. “Humm.” Val nodded silently in agreement with his unspoken conclusion, seemingly immune to his antics.

  Erramir was not. “You’re unreal, man,” he said with a chuckle. “But yeah. I was thinking the same thing.”

  Val gestured with her staff. “There’s no denying the dragons. And that”–she indicated the head of the throne–“definitely looks like a queen. Plus, that Elven c
ity you found isn’t far. Those elves could be descendants of this place.”

  “Or the ones responsible for locking it up,” Erramir added.

  She nodded toward him. “Or both. Anyhow, Err, and I got similar quests, Car. Ours both involve the Pergothian Empire, the dragon king, and the death of the queen. That betrayal was a huge part of Kuora’s history. Even so, we don’t know if the evil that caused this place to be magically sealed is connected to all that.”

  “It’s connected; it’s got to be,” Erramir said. “And it’s a good bet we’ll run into said evil–if it doesn’t run into us first. But so far, this place seems totally normal. It’s just abandoned.”

  He swept the room, “Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s in here.” He looked back toward the ramp. “I’d also like to know if the elves did the sealing. Most importantly, why I’m considered ancient blood and why does that qualify me to take on this quest?”

  They all considered in silence until Valerie took the initiative. “Well, I think that’s about all we’re going to figure out standing here. I found two side passages with exits in them. One looks like it might be an armory or barracks, but it’s locked without a keyhole. There are some runes carved into it, though, so good chance that’s the lock.

  “The other one is a standard door with a normal lock, but it’s solid, and I couldn’t find a key.” She looked at Carson. “What’d you find, Car?”

  Carson pointed toward the largest opening in the room. It was wide as a garage and twice as high, just beyond the bottom of the ramp. “That big one curves downward to a huge door that’s got some of those rune-lock things on it. There are also these two parallel grooves all the way down that ramp.”

  He paused briefly and furrowed his brow. “They remind me of inverted railroad tracks, maybe for guiding something with huge wheels up from below.”