Sworded Affair

Chapter 162: The Wall

Emma emerged from the portal into a scene straight out of myth. She stood atop stone walls that stretched to the horizon, as far as the eye could see. A brilliant violet sky, not a cloud to be found, as the sun set in the west, plunging the distant forests below into darkness.. Emma had never left England before, but even she recognised the Great Wall of China, having seen it many times on TV and online. As it was, she got a full minute to appreciate the sights, before everything faded to grey.

[Time has stopped.

All traits and abilities disabled.

WARNING: This Dungeon is unstable, and will collapse if unbeaten in 13 hours.]

Then, to make things worse, a boulder appeared behind her in the distance, its girth taking the entire space on the wall as it rolled towards her.

“Whoever designed this dungeon played too much Temple Run,” Emma huffed, as she took the hint and began to run; going forward, as it was her only choice.

It was easy going at first: the floor beneath her was surprisingly solid, showing none of the disrepair one might expect of a millennia old construct. The pursuing boulder followed at an olympic sprinter’s pace, setting an absolute time limit, albeit a generous one given Emma’s capabilities. Predictably, that was when the obstacles started appearing.

[Fragment of Will (Outer Disciple) - Level 5]

Ghosts appeared to bar her path; faint wispy figures that retained only an outline of the men and women they once were.

[20 EXP gained.]

Those that tried to contest Emma directly died immediately; even without her abilities, her physical strength was far beyond them; she didn’t even need to fight back, the momentum from her run alone was enough to disperse them. The problematic ones were those smart enough to employ trickery. Emma ducked as one flew overhead, lunging at her from the side with the intent of throwing them both from the wall. She jumped right after, hopping over nets, caltrops and snares; none of them able to do much harm, but which would cost precious seconds to unravel.

That third hop nearly did her in, when the previously solid stone began to crumble, bricks falling to leave square voids leading to certain death far below. Now, Emma found herself moving diagonally more often than not, sacrificing speed for increased evasion as the traps, suicidal disciples and floor hazards combined into something far more dangerous than the sum of its parts; all the while, the boulder drew closer with every passing minute.

The System’s clock had stopped with the first announcement, so even Emma couldn’t be sure how long she spent running this gauntlet, all of it gradually blending into a single sequence as pure action tends to. When the end finally came, it was incredibly sudden,

[Time is reversing.

Traits and abilities are restored.

Prepare for resynchronisation.

WARNING: This Dungeon is unstable, and will collapse if unbeaten in 13 hours.]

Emma barely had time to read this before the colour returned to the world, and she felt a persistent suction at her back.

[Null Zone (Toggle: ON)]

Emma slammed Null Zone back on, and the pull stopped for her. Finally, she was free to stop running, and spare a look behind her. The boulder was receding far faster than it had arrived, pulling back in defiance of gravity and momentum, as fallen bricks flew up to make the floor whole again.

[100 EXP gained for surviving the Wall.]

Relaxing slightly, now that she had her final arsenal back, Emma finished the last stretch of wall at a light jog, this time taking the moment to admire the view.

“Do you have a way to take pictures?” Emma asked aloud. “Somehow, I doubt international tourism is going to be on the cards again. Not anytime soon, at least.”

[Such things are typically the purview of crafting classes. Keep levelling that other body, if that’s what you want.]

Emma nodded, content with that for the time being. She was climbing now, ascending the final stretch to an outpost that marked the staging point between two sections of wall.

[Fragment of Will (Inner Disciple) - Level 10]

“Halt!” The fragment commanded, raising a spear to her face.

The weapon, much like the disciple himself, was a dark green verging on brown, bringing to mind the famed Terracotta Army of the First Emperor. This, Emma had actually seen before, or at least their likeness formed in wax, courtesy of Madame Tussauds.

“None may pass without making a sacrifice to 天! This is the way!”

Is the translator broken? Emma wondered, staring at the unfamiliar character in her chat log. I didn’t even hear what he said, and I don’t read Chinese.

[That’s the character representing Heaven; applicable as either the celestial body, a name for the Sky God who rules over that domain, or synonymous with the Emperor. The meaning has changed drastically over the dynasties, and cannot be pinned down in a single translation. Nonetheless, you’ll want to do as he says.]

“I’m new here,” Emma deadpanned. “What’s the going rate for a sacrifice these days?”

“One steer or lamb is preferred, a sow may also suffice if your means are insufficient.”

Emma stared at him for a good long while, before deciding to make a counteroffer.

[50 Thrones withdrawn.]

“Would this be enough to buy such a sacrifice?”

The Disciple put his spear away, now hunched over and looking around with a shifty expression. Seeing nobody else present, he reached over without a word, and took his cut, before standing aside to let Emma pass.

[40 Thrones stored.]

That was cheaper than I expected, Emma admitted, as she passed through the outpost that doubled as a toll booth.

[10 Thrones was worth a lot more during the Song Dynasty. Inflation is inevitable, and on that note…

50 EXP gained for solving your problems with the power of money!

Level up!

Practitioner Emma Knight

True Form: Level 16 Damned Apostle]