Allevia gasped for air as she dragged herself through the currents to reach the rocky land that ran next to the underground river. Water gushed out of her mouth as she choked up the contents of her stomach and lungs. She rolled over onto her back and took deep breaths of air as she considered what she should do next.
'I'm still behind enemy lines and this cave is probably part of some underground structure the Eldens built to defend this mountain...' Her situation was not looking good at all as she glanced around at the jagged walls and roof of the tunnel. The orange glow cast deep and strange shadows all over the place.
'What the hell is so important about this mountain anyway?' It was a question that she could not help but ask herself. Jor was willing to throw his whole Pantheon into a war with the Elden over it and the other side seemed desperate to protect this place. 'There has to be something that's worth all of this.' Her eyes narrowed as she glanced down the winding tunnel that led towards the glow.
'Maybe I should try to sneak it out on my own. At least then it would make deserting worth it. If it's something I can't use, I could always use it as a bargaining chip to join another Pantheon.' Allevia sighed as she slowly climbed to her feet and drew her shield and spear. 'There may be some Eldens down here. I doubt I can win if I run into trouble, but I may as well be prepared to put up a fight.'
Allevia proceeded towards the glow cautiously. Tilting her head from side to side to listen out for any sounds. Her shield was raised to protect her body and her spear was pointing forward. Allevia gulped as she thought she heard movement. 'Is it just my mind playing tricks on me?' She wondered as nothing seemed to follow it.
The warm glow was getting brighter as she continued onwards. She recognised it as coming from a fire, but that only made her concerned. Usually, a fire would be an indicator that there were enemies nearby. Otherwise, who would have lit it? That was when she could clearly hear the fire crackling. The sound made it clear to her that it was just around the corner.
She held her breath as she watched for any shadows of someone moving in front of it to be cast on the bend, blocking her view. Out of cautiousness, she waited for a good half hour, but nothing changed. Eventually, she gained the courage to take a peak. However, what she saw left her feeling breathless.
The room around the bend was a large open space with a solitary stone plinth standing in the center. However, it was what was on top of the plinth at chest level that took her breath away. Sitting there was a bright, fiery orb that looked like a miniature sun. Except its surface flowed with orange, red, blue and white flames, depending on how you looked at it.
From time to time sparks of electricity danced across its surface and she was almost certain that she could see a small black flame and a golden one spinning around each other at the core of the strange sun. 'Is this what everyone is fighting over?' A frown appeared on her face as she bit her lower lip. There was no other entrance to the room, so she felt sure that she was safe there for the moment.
She stored her weapon and shield as she approached the plinth. There was strange writing that she could not read written on it. 'What the hell is it? Can I even take it?' She frowned as she wondered if it was even safe to touch. For all she knew, it could kill her. 'But if Jor is really after this, then there must be a way to claim it.
She eyed the multicoloured sun nervously as she wondered if it needed a special container or something. 'Screw it! I'm not leaving here without anything!' Her hand trembled as she slowly reached out with her bare hand. However, before she could touch it, a flare occurred on its surface! The flare shot out to touch her fingertip, and she felt a burning sensation spread throughout her entire body!
Allevia collapsed to the ground and writhed in pain. Shrill screams escaped her throat as the surface beneath her skin seemed to glow with an inner fire. The flare had followed her as collapsed. Staying connected to her finger. Allevia was unaware of how long she endured that pain. In the moments when the blinding pain seemed to clear, she managed to see that the sun was growing smaller the longer it was connected to her!
'I can do this!' She yelled in her own mind as the blinding pain returned again. She decided the pain she was enduring was some kind of trial she had to pass to claim that sun. There were moments when she thought she would pass out. But whenever they came, she would bite down on her tongue to remind herself not to give in to it.
What seemed like weeks to her mind passed in the solitude of that strange room as the glow dimmed. Allevia's mind struggled to remain sane under the constant torturous pain that she endured. However, despite her efforts, she felt her consciousness begin to fade. A sigh escaped amongst her screaming as she realised she could not deal with it any longer. 'I've failed...'
As her mind turned blank and her vision darkened, she failed to notice the last embers flow into her body. Throwing that seemingly ancient room into pure darkness. The white-hot glow beneath her skin faded as smoke rose from her still figure...
In the numerous lines of code belonging to Pantheon Online, a singular line at that moment was marked as important.
[Player: Allevia has claimed The First Flame...]