Grand Game 239: Fate’s Key (Patreon)

Barely taking the time to acknowledge the Game messages, I spun around, ready for the worst. There were still multiple hostiles in the chamber after all, and amongst them were too many wyverns for comfort.

But I needn’t have worried.

My foes were stampeding for the exit.

With the sector boss dead—and their minds unfettered—the dungeon’s denizens were making a bid for freedom. My gaze slid to the right, where the injured wyvern had huddled. But even she was retreating. Where they were going, I had no idea. Perhaps they hoped to find shelter somewhere on the plains, but it was not my problem anymore.

I was done. The dungeon defeated.

I could scarce believe it.

Slumping to the ground, I inhaled a tremulous breath. Game messages were vying for my attention, but for the moment, all I could manage was breathing in and out, gulping in deep lungsful of air.

What plagued me was not physical exhaustion. It went deeper than that. I was emotionally and mentally wrung-out.

I had spent the better part of a year in the Guardian Tower. If not for the wolves, I wouldn’t have lasted that long, but even with their support, the dungeon had taken a toll on me.

Maintaining my resolve after months of delays, failures, and hardship had been difficult. Keeping my fears at bay—about the mantises, those I’d left behind, and the course I’d chosen—had not been easy either.

I’d survived only by narrowing my focus to the dungeon, and not looking too hard at matters beyond it.

But, now that I was done… the future stared me in the face.

Had I made the right choice in coming here?

Time to find out.

Rising to my feet, I turned my attention inwards to the waiting Game messages.

You have reached level 129!

Your dodging has increased to level 107. Your shortswords has increased to level 113. Your chi has increased to level 105. Your telekinesis has increased to level 109. Your insight has increased to level 124.

The final sector boss has been slain. Congratulations, Michael! You have completed the Guardian Tower.

You have accomplished the feat: Solo your First Dungeon! Requirement: Complete a dungeon while not in a party. As only the 534th tier 3 solo player to finish a tier 4 dungeon, you have been awarded the item: Fate’s Key. This artifact is a non-saleable, single-use soulbound item that can only be applied to unopened dungeon loot chests.

When you activate the Fate’s Key, it will create three different variants of the loot chest in question, each with items of comparable level that have been tailored for your use.

You must choose which of the three chests to retain as your reward.

I blinked in astonishment.

The level-up and skill-gain messages came as no surprise. The feat I’d earned, though, was unexpected. Slowly, my gaze dropped to the key that had materialized in my hand.

It was ordinary looking, indistinguishable from any other, but going by the Adjudicator’s message, it was an item of incalculable value.

And aptly named too.

The key was not the only item that had appeared in the wake of the Game messages. Sitting innocuously in the middle of the compound was a loot chest. Not a wooden one. Nor even a silver one.

But a solid gold one.

Excitement bubbled up in me. “Gold,” I breathed. In my time in the Game, I’d encountered only one chest that was not wooden, and inside it, I’d found my psionic Class. That chest had been bronze.

The gold chest had to be at least two tiers better—if not more. What would I find in this one? I squatted beside the sealed box, my fingers itching to open it.

But I restrained myself.

My gaze flickered from the artifact clenched in my hand to the chest. It seemed… hasty to use the item so soon after acquiring it. But would I ever get a better chance to use the key?

And it was now that my need was greatest.

There will never be a better opportunity, I thought. Uncurling my fingers, I placed the key on the loot chest.

It’s time to decide my fate.

A Game message unfurled in my mind.

Activating Fate’s Key…

Before my eyes, both chest and key disappeared. I held my breath in anticipation. A moment later, they were replaced by three other sealed boxes.

All identical. And all gold.

Fate’s key activated.

The existing loot has been discarded, and in its place, three new sets of items have been generated. The choice is now yours, Michael. Determine your reward for completing the Guardian Tower.

A smile that was as much an expression of nerves as of excitement twitched at the corners of my mouth.

Let’s see what’s behind door number one, I thought and reached out to flip open the first chest.

~~~

There were only three items inside.

Stilling my momentary disappointment, I analyzed each.

This is a greater attribute gem. It grants you 3 attribute points.

This is the advanced ability tome, moderate chi heal. You have the necessary skill, rank 5 chi, to learn this ability.

This is a master Class stone. It contains the path of a stygian magus and is not aligned to any Force. This Class specializes in wielding magic, not just elemental magic but also magic born of the nether.

Those with the ability to wield the nether are few and far between, and while a stygian magus may learn other types of magic, it is nether wizardry that is his most potent tool. But beware, magic of the nether is not without cost. As a magus’ knowledge of the nether advances, so too do the debuffs he suffers when outside the Nethersphere.

This Class stone bestows a player with three skills: elemental sorcery, nether wizardry, and channeling. It also permanently boosts your Magic attribute by +6. Note, both elemental sorcery and nether wizardry are Class-unique skills. And as with all master Class stones, this stone grants you a free Class ability, and its skills start at rank 1.

The air rushed out of me in a whoosh.

A greater attribute gem was unexpected but pleasing. So, too, was the advanced psi ability tomb. It would save me two thousand gold—the cost of an ability upgrade gem—and made clear that the loot in the chest had been matched to me specifically.

It was the last item, though, that was the most shocking.

A master Class stone—and one whose likes I’d not seen before. Not only did the stone contain a Force-unlocked Class, it granted two unique skills: elemental sorcery and nether wizardry.

I’d not heard of either skill, but I could guess what each entailed. Elemental sorcery had to be some combination of air, earth, fire, and water magic, while nether wizardry was probably magic similar to what the stygian creatures themselves wielded.

No matter what the other two chests contained, I knew that the items in the first chest were ones I’d be overjoyed to accept.

But there were two other chests.

How about we find out what’s behind door number two first, eh?

With a wry smile for my over-eagerness, I opened the next chest.

~~~

It, too, had three items, and without pause for breath, I analyzed each in turn.

This is a greater attribute gem.

This is the advanced ability tome, improved astral blade. You have the necessary skill, rank 5 telepathy, to learn this ability.

This is a master Class stone. It contains the path of a force adept and is not aligned to any one Force. This Class specializes in mastering the raw might of the cosmos. Where most players can wield only a single Force, the force adept can wield the Forces of Light, Dark, and Shadow equally well. But while a force adept may learn all types of Force skills, he is constrained from acquiring any Force Marks himself.

This Class stone bestows a player with three skills: tri-force, aether mastery, and channeling. It also permanently boosts your Faith attribute by +6. Note, both tri-force and aether mastery are Class-unique skills.

“Wow,” I gasped. The loot in the second chest was as good as the first one. A greater attribute gem, a tier two spellbook that advanced another of my scion-acquired abilities, and, of course, a master Class stone.

Once more, I was hard put not to reach down and grab the Class on offer. A force adept sounded like it had all the advantages of a faction Class but without any of the strings they came with.

Like the stygian magus, the force adept Class also had two unique class skills: tri-force and aether mastery. I was less certain what these skills encompassed, but it was clear that the Class would let me accomplish what none of the new Powers could: wield all three Forces simultaneously.

I edged over to the last chest. Surely, whatever it contained couldn’t outdo the other two, but for the sake of thoroughness, I threw back the lid and peered within.

~~~

It came as no surprise to find that the third chest also contained three items: a greater attribute gem, a tier two shadow blink tome, and a master Class stone.

Of course, my attention fixated on the Class stone’s offering once more.

This is a master Class stone. It contains the path of a void mage and is not aligned to any Force. This Class specializes in damage absorption and resistance.

Where other players use their mana to weave complex and elaborate spells, the void mage trains his magic with only one objective in mind: nullifying hostile attacks. However, while this allows the void mage to soak up incoming damage and, sometimes, even resist unfriendly abilities altogether, it also prevents him from using his mana for anything else.

This Class stone bestows a player with three skills: elemental absorption, null force, and channeling. It also permanently boosts your Magic attribute by +6. Note, both elemental absorption and null force are Class-unique skills.

I rocked back on my heels.

The void mage seemed almost a polar opposite of the other two Classes. Where the stygian magus and force adept focused on spellcasting, the void mage shunned magic altogether. Indeed, the Class appeared purely defensive in nature.

But that didn’t make it worse. Only different.

In fact, the void mage Class looked every bit as good as the first two, which fortunately—or unfortunately—only served to make the task before me harder.

Backing away from the chests, I dropped into a cross-legged stance and cupped my chin in my hands.

Magus. Adept. Void.

Which will it be?

Sighing, I closed my eyes. I had a difficult decision ahead of me.