The Oblex, the Monsters, and the Arena: Lord Lachlan's Test of Strength

I reached out and touched the orb cautiously, feeling the warmth of its power. I wasn't sure what to do from there, so I took a moment to concentrate on my breathing as I closed my eyes in an attempt to clear my mind. After a few moments, I could sense something coming from the orb that seemed to be calling to me.

Opening my eyes, I could see a faint glow emanating from the object. Taking that as a sign, I focused my energy on unlocking it, and the glow intensified until suddenly, the orb split open with a loud crackling sound. Inside, a bright blue light shone through, and I felt an immense power running through me.

It was exhilarating yet terrifying at the same time. Lord Lachlan came up behind me and watched with wide eyes, obviously not expecting this outcome. He looked just like he did when I had healed my wound earlier.

"Very impressive," he said in a hushed voice before turning away, leaving me alone with the broken orb.

I was about to turn away, but I could feel something else pulling at me from the two halves. Slowly, I started to reach my hands back to the pieces, feeling drawn to them.

"Do not touch that, or you will be sorry. While I don't think that you are powerful enough to unlock what is inside of that, the creature that is inside of here could level this entire castle and town," Lachlan said from behind me, and I stopped just before touching it.

"What kind of monster is in there?" I asked, slowly turning away from the broken object.

Lord Lachlan raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "It's a creature called an Oblex, a powerful and deadly entity that feeds on emotion, thought, and memories. The Oblex can sense potential threats and will attack those who threaten it. It is incredibly dangerous and unpredictable - the kind of thing you should never attempt to handle on your own. They can absorb what you know and create copies of you to take your place. No one would know the difference unless they were a season monster hunter."

I shivered at the thought of something so powerful and dangerous being contained in a small ball.

"It was never meant to come out, not until it is necessary," Lachlan said as he walked away from me, leaving me alone with my thoughts. "You should be grateful that your own power wasn't enough to open it. If you are truly an Allgora, then one day you will have to face the Oblex."

I shivered at his words and glanced back at the broken orb, feeling a sense of dread fill my stomach.

"Why do these things exist?" I asked as I followed Lachlan. It seemed that we were heading to the front of the castle now.

"Do you really not know?" Lachlan asked without looking back.

"I mean, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't. You are clearly not a friendly individual, so I am not going to go out of my way to talk to you if I don't have to," I said with a sigh. I was really starting to get tired of this dark and brooding attitude.

"You are the reason, monster. All records recovered from the past show that monster appearances dramatically increase whenever you appear. Not only that, but the levels of destruction and war also dramatically increase during the periods that you are alive," Lachlan growled as we reached what I recognized as the front entrance that led to the inner courtyard, and I stopped as he turned to face me with a mean look on his face. "I traveled to the other worlds, and I have looked at the pain and suffering that you can bring through their records.

"When I appear? Do you mean that I just keep popping back up at another time each time I die? When was the last time that I was recorded?" I asked curiously, ignoring the part about me bringing monsters and destruction. I had assumed that this was what happened but in a different way. I thought that I was just restarting from the same point every time, but it seemed I was more like the recurring flu that never went away.

"It has been over a thousand years since the last documented mention of you, monster. That is why I am testing test you." Lachlan said and then started walking away again with a sigh. "Now let us go and see what kind of training you might need. I have brought a good number of monsters for you to practice training with."

I followed him, but the whole time I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. A thousand years had passed since my last documented mention… what must have happened during that time? Where did I go? What did I do?

So many questions flooded through me as we made our way out into the inner courtyard and towards the training grounds. Lord Lachlan stopped at the entrance to the arena, turning around to glance at me before he spoke again.

"I hope whatever you did or saw during that thousand years is enough to make you ready for this. You will be facing monsters that are much more powerful than even you, so be prepared."

He turned back around, and all I could do was follow him into the arena, feeling like one of the monsters he had mentioned. It was strange, but it felt so familiar to me.

As for the arena, well, that might be overstating the dirt-covered ring with wagons going around it. I didn't see this last night, but that must mean that Lachlan and the four large and rough-looking men that were each standing by a cart. They all looked like the roughest sort, and none of them looked very talkative, so I concentrated on the wagons behind them.

From what I could see, the wagons weren't moving, nor were there any sounds coming from them. I assumed that whatever I would be facing would not be quiet and some sort of wild and snarling beast. My mind was still a fog, so I really didn't even know what the word monster entailed. I knew that Melodious was a monster, and Lachlan kept calling me one, but I really hoped that I wasn't going to have to kill something that looked human.

Lachlan started walking to the middle of the ring and then turned to face us. "I have brought four monsters for you to train with. Each of them will be released one at a time, and your goal is to take them down without killing them. To do this successfully, you must use both speed and strength as well as your own special skills. Do not expect any help from these other men or me. If you kill one of the monsters, you fail the test. Show me that you are capable of taking down monsters, and I will consider training you."