Nightmare Realm Summoner

”Impossible,” Rhyss said instantly. ”There cannot be a second trial. A trial is a trial. There are no re-does. No second attempts. What’s done is…”

The advisor trailed off as he stared at the screen before Alex. His words didn’t mean much when the System was literally denying everything he said. Murmurs ran through the crowd behind them as the former campers tried to figure out what was going on.

In the time that Alex and Rhyss had spent gawking at the screen, it had already updated itself.

Warped Embassy

Ambassador: Claire (In Town Trial)

Town Potential: 24/100%

The potential continued to change rapidly, uncaring of its stunned spectators. The completion rate raced upward, reaching 50% within moments and showing no signs of stopping.

”Rhyss?” Alex pressed.

”I — I don’t know,” the monster said. For once, his controlled exterior was cracking. ”This should not be possible. You only had one Town Token. There’s no way for a second trial to occur, much less from a mere building. This has to be something to do with you.”

”With me?” Alex exclaimed. By now, the completion rate of the trial had already reached 70%. ”What do you mean?”

”This option was not one born of the native offerings,” Rhyss said, lowering his voice so nobody could overhear their conversation. ”It came from you. Much like your town ability. The system tailors certain offerings to the one that created the town, based on their achievements and history. Even if this building became an option because of your completion rate in your trial, giving you a second trial is ridiculous. Such a thing cannot be done.”

Alex pointed at the screen. The completion rate had hit 95%. ”Tell that to Claire.”

”What’s going on?” Orchid asked. ”Where did Claire go? I don’t hear anything.”

She couldn’t see the screen with the trial upon it and hadn’t been close enough to pick up on Alex’s conversation with Rhyss.

”She’ll be back soon enough,” Alex responded. He knew the Town Trial carried a very real chance of death with it, but he didn’t doubt Claire for a moment. He knew she’d clear it. The only question was how much of the trial she’d be able to clear.

I wonder if it’s the same trial that I took or an entirely different one.

”This can’t be happening,” Rhyss whispered, pressing two fingers against his temple. His frown deepened. ”The potential of such a thing was not even calculated by the System when it formed me. It breaks rules. Rules that the System is built on. You cannot earn something from nothing, and rewards must be fair. Your completion rate was very good, but that cannot justify an entire extra town.”

Alex watched the completion tick up once more, and a small smile parted his lips.

Town Potential: 105/100%

Good shit, Claire.

She wasn’t going down easy. It looked like she was also shooting for the 200% mark. Rhyss barely even seemed to notice. The advisor looked like he was a half-step away from a mental breakdown.

A distant part of Alex wondered if that would get him a Title Fragment. Causing a System Advisor to lose their shit within five minutes of arriving on a new world had to be a pretty rare feat.

Town Potential: 152/100%

Yes! But… honestly, why are we getting a second trial? Rhyss is right. It doesn’t make sense. The System wouldn’t just give me it for free, and this reward seems way too good for even something like a Mythic Boon.

Wait.

”You know,” Alex said slowly, a theory starting to form in his head. ”Rhyss, I think I might know what’s going on.”

Rhyss spun to him. ”What is it? How is this possible?”

Town Potential: 164/100%

”I don’t think it’s that we’ve gotten a whole new town.” Alex’s thoughts whirred, but he became increasingly convinced of his words even as he spoke. ”It’s that we’re getting access to what everyone normally has.”

”What are you talking about?” Rhyss asked.

”The Mirrorlands are a reflection of the world. Worlds, I guess. Either way, the more magic a location has, the stronger its reflection is on the other side.” Alex gestured to the Warped Embassy. ”And this building is an embassy. What if it’s giving us access to the Mirrorlands version of the town?”

”That… I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Rhyss said. His head tilted to the side as he considered Alex’s words. ”If that’s the case… that could be it, yes. But gaining influence over any portion of the Mirrorlands seems ludicrous. Unless…”

Rhyss’s eye narrowed as he examined Alex.

”What?” Alex asked.

”How deeply tied to the Mirrorlands are you?”

A chime echoed in Alex’s ears. He jumped at the sound, his eyes darting back to the screen. His grin widened and a laugh burst from his lips as he read the new information upon its face. There might have just been three measly lines, but they were exactly what he’d wanted to see.

Warped Embassy

Ambassador: Claire

Town Potential: 200/100%

”A second one,” Rhyss breathed. He almost sounded numb at this point. ”Two individuals capable of reaching 200% completion. What are the chances of that?”

There was a thump from within the ramshackle cabin. Everyone other than Alex and Orchid took a step back as the door rattled. Riftwarped energy crackled across the walls of the Warped Embassy, arcing out like skeletal fingers rising from the grave.

Even Alex felt a wave of goosebumps roll across his back. His skull prickled and the trees around them swayed as if a violent gale had suddenly picked up in the center of the clearing.

The door to the embassy flew open with a loud bang. Claire stumbled out of it, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her eyes were wild and skin was dangerously sunken. She locked eyes with Alex and took a stumbling step toward him, extending a hand.

Alex knew what she wanted before the words had even reached her lips. He extended his arm to her, pulling back the sleeve. Claire grabbed the proffered hand and clamped down on it, her fangs piercing deep into his wrist. She drank deeply between gasps for air.

Somehow, despite all the strength he’d gained from upgrading his Mind Palace, her fangs pierced through his skin just as easily as they had the first time — and they didn’t hurt any less.

Claire drank from him for nearly a minute before she finally pulled back from his wrist. She blew out a relieved breath and wiped her mouth with the back of a hand. Nobody in the crowd seemed too surprised by her appetite for blood. Claire wasn’t the first Dhampir they’d met, after all.

”Bleed me,” Claire groaned. ”Thank you. That fucking hurt.”

”I think I’m the one that just bled,” Alex said, watching the puncture wounds on his wrist begin the healing process. ”What happened in there? I could see you were taking a Trial, but—”

”I passed,” Claire said.

”Yeah. I could see that bit too.” Alex lowered his voice. ”200%? Nice. I’m kind of pissed I couldn’t see it. Something tells me you didn’t manage that without using some of those powers you’re so determined not to let me see.”

She grinned in response. ”You’d be correct. I was going all out. Still got bloody thwacked at the end, though.”

”Death is inevitable,” Rhyss said briskly. ”It does not matter. What did you achieve in your trial? Was there truly another town?”

”Yes,” Claire said. ”And I have to say, that was not what I was expecting to be doing. I was going in there to bullshit some people, not take a trial. I think your theory about the Mirrorlands is pretty much proven at this point, Alex. The town was reflected over there. Kind of.”

”Kind of?” Alex asked.

”It’s hard to describe. Same in the way that the Mirrorlands are the same. Things were twisted. Warped. Completing the trial got me some Boons that I had to spend before I came back here. Some pretty good ones.”

”This is fascinating,” Rhyss murmured. His eye focused on her. ”Did you acquire an advisor in the Mirrorlands?”

”No. Because the town technically already existed, I didn’t get much extra to work with. The only reason I got anything was because of the 200% completion,” Claire said with a shake of her head. ”I didn’t have the boons to spend on an Advisor. I only got two things.”

”What things?” Alex asked.

”You should be able to see in your town management window thing,” Claire replied. A grin crossed her features. ”But I’d say I got some pretty damn good ones. I spent a long time trying to find them. It was a pain.”

Alex looked back to the Embassy window. It had changed again.

Warped Embassy

Ambassador: Claire

Buildings:

Dual Reality Obelisk [Destabilized]

Shroudmaker

Town Ability:

[The Mists of Vil’Kazer]: Hallucinogenic mist rises up from the grounds this town is built upon. Creatures that breathe in the mist will have their perceptions of reality twisted. The more time they spend within the Mists of Vil’Kazer, the more extensive the effects will become. Residents of the town are naturally resistant to the mist and will not be affected by it except in the case of prolonged exposure.

”Holy shit,” Alex said. ”You got a whole new Town Ability?”

”Incredible,” Rhyss said. ”The same town, but with new buildings and a unique Town Ability. It is unfortunate those powers are locked in the Mirrorlands. I know of the Shroudmaker. It is a very useful building that conceals a location from all senses by warping the magical area around a town, making it difficult to detect. But what is this other building you have chosen? It is another one unknown to me.”

”There should be one of them within the Town Hall here as well. I thought the same thing you did. It’s a bleedin’ shame to not be able to use any of the powers of the other town. No point in having access to it if we can’t use it. So I fixed that.”

”You fixed it?” Rhyss repeated. ”How?”

”The Obelisk lets the owners of the towns swap their locations,” Claire said with a smug grin. ”It’s destabilized right now, unfortunately. From what I can tell, that means it’s going to blow up and destroy everything around it at some point… but it pushes our problem back a bit, I’d say.”

Alex’s eyes widened and he let out a delighted laugh. ”Shit, Claire! If we can swap locations of the town, doesn’t that mean the System won’t mark it as an issue anymore?”

”I’d imagine the new town would have the same problem the old one did, but my bet is that we could reset the timer at least once by swapping them,” she agreed with a nod. ”It’s not a permanent solution, but if we can stabilize the Obelisk, it might become one.”

”And now we have another weapon to use against the Region Boss. A strong one,” Alex concluded. He and Claire exchanged an excited grin. ”This might just give us a fighting chance.”