Dreamland: Freedom (Terror Infinity, Ultimate Evolution)

The expressions on the party's faces were grave, as Eden had so far appeared to know everything, both about them and their conditions, so his prognosis sounded especially ominous.

So, he added, "I know it's a lot to take in, but we need to move. There is another nearby."

Shadowheart asked, "Is it the Gith?"

Eden raised an eyebrow, surprised, "It is."

"And you think she could be an ally?"

"I do. Now come, before anything happens to her."

The group moved, and indeed, they only had to go a little deeper into the mountain to come across a suspended cage with an armored Githyanki trapped inside. Two red-skinned Tieflings, humanoids with horns, were currently discussing her fate.

Seeing the group approach, they appeared guarded before relaxing as they saw they were not Githyankis.

One of the two, the man, said, "Careful there, this is a dangerous creature!"

Gale stepped forward, donning his most charming smile as he said, "I understand your reservations, but we happen to know this Gith. Would you consider freeing her?"

That was the wrong thing to say as the two immediately placed their hands on their weapons, not quite drawing them, but ready to do so. Seeing this, Sylfine coaxed, "Wait, he is saying the truth! There is no need for bloodshed; we merely wish to take her with us."

The man looked at them, his gaze settling on Eden, who gave him an unsettling feeling, courtesy of his Cursed Energy, and put his hand away from his weapon, clicking his tongue, "This is not worth it. Come, Nymessa."

"But-"

"Now!"

The girl pursed her lips, but still followed after him as they left. Seeing this, Astarion looked bored as he drawled, "Why bother? Ozymandias could have just gone *fwut*," he slid a finger over his throat, "and taken care of them."

Eden looked at him, warning, "The goal is not for me to carry you around. I dealt with that Illithid because it was beyond you, but anything you can handle, I will let you take on. How else do you expect to recover your power?"

Astarion rolled his eyes, and the Githyanki urged in a harsh, raspy voice common to her kind, "Stop gawking and release me already."

Eden swiped his hand, sending a Dismantle at the top of the cage, cleanly cutting through the wood as the cage crashed to the ground.

With the top cut off, the cage lost its integrity as it fell, freeing the Githyanki, who landed solidly on her feet.

[Name: Lae'zel]

[Title: N/A]

[Talent: ?]

[HP: 150/150]

[MP: 100/100]

[Strength: 17]

[Agility: 13]

[Physique: 15]

[Intelligence: 10]

[Wisdom: 12]

She looked at the group, her eyes showing recognition as she gazed at Sylfine and Shadowheart. Her chest was pushed forward, proudly showing off her finely crafted silver armor, encrusted with a red gem in the center. Her features, though lizard-like, held urgency as she said, "Finally! Come, we must follow the horned ones to their camp. One of them claims to have spotted a nearby Creche."

Seeing no one react to her words, or even attempt to follow her, she snarled, "What are you waiting for?"

Sylfine tilted her head, asking, "What's a Creche?"

Lae'zel was obviously frustrated, and Eden added helpfully, "A base for Githyankis. They have a Zaith'isk, supposedly capable of removing an Illithid tadpole."

This caused Lae'zel to look at him carefully, observing, "You know a lot, Istik."

The members of the party smiled wryly at that, realizing they were all saying the same thing to him. Eden, on the other hand, said flatly, "We are on a mission to stop the Grand Design, and you will join us, young Gith, if you wish to prove your worth to your goddess."

Her race's supposed superiority over others had long been ingrained into her bones, but the possibility to prove herself before her queen and goddess overpowered it by far as she said, "Fine, lead the way then."

With an additional member, the group started moving once more. Eden did not lead them towards the Grove, however, but to the nearby crypt instead. Meanwhile, the group introduced themselves to one another, although they had a stiffness to them. They had been forced into a group, so it was inevitable, but Eden knew it would get better with time.

As they got to the crypt, they spotted a gnome standing on a crate, overlooking an area, his back facing them.

Astarion immediately proposed, whispering, "I could take care of him."

He looked at Eden, saying that, but Eden shrugged, stepping back to show his stance. With his earlier warnings, they understood he was leaving them the voice of how to deal with the situation.

Immediately, Gale said, "Look at his armor, it's cheap and worn. He's taken pieces from different sets. Could be an adventurer, or a bandit. Either way, he is probably not alone."

Lae'zel clicked her tongue, "Why gawk? He stands in our way."

Shadowheart huffed, "I hate to say, but I agree with the Gith."

The two stared at each other with a mix of mistrust and understanding.

Sylfine, on her end, muttered, "I think we should talk to them. They might be able to help."

"Or take our coin."

Gale placed a hand on his bag, held at his waist. Eden curiously used Analysis on it, suspecting it might not be a simple bag.

[Bag of Holding]

[Rank: Uncommon]

[Effect: The space inside this bag has been stretched to hold 20 cubic meters, and is capable of holding 226 kilograms.]

The party continued arguing for a while, and in their hesitation, inevitably attracted the attention of the nearby scout, who heard the whispers behind and yelled, "Gimblebock! We have intruders here!"

The party froze as five more people appeared. Eden quickly analyzed them all and, seeing they were Tier 0, stood back.

Their leader, another gnome holding a longsword that looked like a greatsword in his tiny form, tried to intimidate them, "What have we here, little mice? Did you think you could loot the crypt under our eyes?"

The members of the party shared a look, and there was no hesitation left as Sylfine leapt forward, leaping onto one of the bandits and striking him in the neck with a Ki-infused palm. At the same time, Astarion weaved between his comrades, firing an arrow at the gnome standing in the back.

The gnome noticed the arrow too late, allowing it to plunge into his shoulder. He looked for his assailant to replicate, but Astarion had already disappeared behind a nearby pillar, forcing him to switch his target as he aimed a green-tipped arrow at Gale.

The mage managed to dodge the arrow, but as it hit the ground, it exploded in a pool of green acid, splattering both Gale and Shadowheart. Hissing from the unexpected attack, Shadowheart charged at the gnome and slammed her shoulder into him, pushing him off his crate as he dropped from the ledge.

He harshly landed on his back, not quite dead, but not far.

Lae'zel went for the leader, her sword becoming magically enshrouded with flames as she unsheathed it, and sent a ruthless strike aimed at disarming him. It worked even better than intended as she severed both of his hands, and before his brain could even register the pain, another strike followed, severing his head from his shoulders.

Gale, spotting a seventh member dressed in robes standing further back, cast a Ray of Frost at her, but the distance failed him, the spell hitting nothing but rocky steps.

The bandits, although intimidated by the death of one of theirs, did not remain idle, and the four of them, next to the party, attacked.

The one struck by Sylfine in the throat made a strange gurgle as his eyes watered, and he swung his sword at her, but she easily dodged. Another, thinking she was easy pickings because she had no armor, also tried his luck, but missed completely.

The other two went for Gale, understanding they needed to dispatch the spell caster, but Lae'zel intercepted, forcing him to block her sword with his shield. Understanding he would not reach Gale without going through her, he slammed his sword into her side, drawing a grunt of pain from the Gith. Fortunately, her armor tanked most of the blow.

As for the other, as he reached Gale, the mage raised his staff to protect himself, but suddenly felt drowsiness as the enemy mage, safely standing some distance away, forced him into sleep with a spell of her own.

The bandit, about to reach him, grinned to himself, about to thrust his sword into Gale's throat, when his neck was suddenly cut off.

The last thing his severed head saw was Eden, leaning against the pillar Astarion hid behind.

Another unseen arrow flew past, burying itself in the neck of the bandit facing Lae'zel, the one who had been struck in the throat already. Sylfine slammed her hand into his chest, right where his heart was, the organ getting smashed apart by her Ki.

Shadowheart, immediately after pushing the gnome off his crate, sang the incantation for her Sacred Flame, and faced more success than before as the white, holy flame descended onto the gnome, struggling to regain his breath. He could not even scream as he burned to death, his entire being cleansed.

The last one only saw the tip of the flaming sword protruding from his chest, leaving only the mage behind.

Seeing she was about to weave another spell, and feeling like he had seen enough already, he raised his hand towards her and fired a Dismantle. The invisible blade severed her in half at the waist before she could finish her incantation.

His companions looked around, looking for another target, and only upon confirming there were none left did they calm down, looking at each other. This was their first fight together for most, and gave them insight into the others' capabilities.

Gale, despite his pride, knew he had performed the worst and could not help but rub the back of his head, saying, "Well, that was embarrassing."

Astarion appeared from behind a wall, taunting, "Oh, I'm sure those steps are shivering in their boots."

As if by a stroke of fate, the

moment he said this, Astarion stepped into the nearby grass, which happened to be twisting vines. They latched onto his ankle, and caught in the middle of his step, he face-planted into the ground.

There was another moment of silence, no one really sure of how to react, and Astarion freed himself from them. Getting back to his feet, if his body had been able to, he would have certainly blushed as he gritted his teeth, "Not. A. Word."

Although no one laughed, everyone felt more relaxed, the tension from the fight fading away.

Easily picking up one of the corpses, Eden checked his pockets, grabbing the few gold coins he had as he said, "You did fine. Better."

Shadowheart looked over the edge, at the descending stairs leading deeper into the crypt, and asked, "Say, why did you lead us here? Surely that Grove isn't in there."

Looting another, Eden explained, "For your powers to recover, you need to use them. Fighting is a good way to do this. Also, there is something interesting in there. Help me with this."

Lae'zel looked too proud to partake in, and Gale, feeling the need to prove his worth, helped, although he might not have normally.

Done with the corpses, they walked down the steps, which led to a door. Astarion, standing in front, tried to open it, but found it locked.

Behind the door, a muffled voice asked, "Gimblebock? Is that you?!"

The tadpole might have drained his physical power, but Astarion still had hundreds of years of experience at deception as he imitated the gnome's voice, saying, "Who else would it be? Open the door already!"

"O-oh, alright!" There was the sound of something being moved behind the door, followed by a click, and then the door was opened. The one behind barely had the time to do so when Astarion drove his dagger into his heart.

The bandit stared, wide-eyed, his breath lost as Astarion pushed forward, holding his shoulder with his free hand to make sure he wouldn't fall.

There was another inside, who was not paying attention to them, so Astarion yanked his dagger out and threw it at him. It pierced into his back, half of the blade piercing into his flesh, and a Dismantle finished him before he could raise the alarm.

As Astarion retrieved his knives, the party entered a large room that appeared to have been used by the bandits as their base, with a large table filled with provisions, as well as several beds. Before inspecting it, they cautiously approached the other door, and opening it, they noticed a large group huddled over a couple of barrels.

Recognizing one of the two as an oil barrel, Gale cast a firebolt.

"Ignis!"

The bandits turned around, alarmed, but that was all they could afford to do before the oil barrel they were next to exploded, swallowing them all into flames.

The group relaxed, thinking they had dealt with the enemy, when from the flames a bare-chested man came running out, roaring like an animal.

He leapt at them, slamming his sword into them. Because they were standing in a doorway, Shadowheart placed herself in front of the group, blocking the strike with her shield. Although she managed to stop the strike, she grunted from the effort, the man's strength having been turned inhuman while fueled by his rage.

This did not save him from a dagger to the throat.

With all the bandits finally dealt with, the group retreated a few meters as Astarion stretched his sore body, proposing, "Why don't we take a short break?"

The others immediately agreed, and Eden, who still felt full of energy, remembered that his stamina had been enhanced. The trek through the treacherous terrain had been a breeze for him, but for the others, who had just survived a crash, needing a rest was understandable.

Besides, he was happy with them. They were visibly growing more used to their weakened bodies and had started recovering. These corresponded to the first few levels in the game, so this progress was bound to slow down, but still.

Busying himself with looting the place, his soul eternally that of a hoarder, Eden saw Gale approach and asked, "Yes?"

The wizard helped, packing food into his own bag as he observed, "I'm sorry, but I've got to ask: what spell is this?"

Eden grabbed a large wheel of cheese and put it in his Inventory, the dairy product disappearing as he asked, "You mean this?"

Gale nodded, his thirst for knowledge not concealed in the slightest, so Eden offered an apologetic smile, "Not something that can be taught, I'm afraid. However, this might interest you."

Eden moved towards the barbarian from earlier, the one that had survived the initial explosion, and moved his palm in his direction, casting, "I cast Undead Servant."

Necrotic energy filled the corpse, and this time, he rose from the ground, groaning.

The rest of the party looked over, but quickly grew disinterested, none of them unfamiliar with necromancy. Gale, however, knowledgeable about magic, exclaimed, "How strange, you forced a manifestation out of the weave. I've never quite seen such magic, and that's saying something."

Eden glanced at the stats of the barbarian, which were lackluster, and said, "This is because I use magic differently from you. But tell me, what level would you say this magic was?"

Eden asked this because he wondered how the different circles translated to the level of spells in this world. In Dungeons and Dragons, the best spells a mortal could use were at the 9th Level, and could allow some reality-bending, but he doubted they matched the levels in Dreamland one for one.

Gale observed the barbarian Eden had raised from the dead, examining his tissues and poking his body, before eventually saying, "Acceptable conservation, a bit of an overload of necrotic energy, but otherwise quite skillful… This has to be a 5th-Level Spell, right? Is this an up-cast Animate Dead? Or a deformed and twisted version of Raise Dead?"

"I call it Undead Servant; it is a spell I created. And 5th Level? What about this?" He cast Mists of the Underworld further into the hallway, over the still-smoldering embers.

Gale curiously placed his arm into the encroaching darkness and rapidly pulled it away, confirming, "Yes, definitely 5th Level. It looks like Hunger of Hadar, yet it is different. How curious. Did you create this as well?"

Eden nodded, casting another Mists of the Underworld, but this one silently, resulting in a higher cost and lesser effects. Gesturing towards it, Gale followed as he once again tested it, and said, "4th level. Is this the original level of the spell?"

Eden hummed softly and took out the Necronomicon, not answering. Gale looked at it curiously, and Eden explained, "I learned from this. It's an evil book that would corrupt most, but it taught some interesting things."

"Could I take a look at it?"

Eden put the book back in his Inventory, warning, "Not now, your mind is still too weak. Maybe when you have recovered to an acceptable standard. We wouldn't want you to lose your mind, now, would we?"

Gale looked disappointed, but Eden did not let it get to him as he went to sit in a corner, silently meditating to recover his mana, while Gale observed curiously.

Author's Note: I loved writing this chapter.