Chaos Rising: The Realms Book Six: (An Epic LitRPG Series)

by C. M. Carney

  Errat reached up and placed his hands on the ceiling. Gray light flowed around his hands and into the stone. Lex fired another burst of fire, but some maggots skirted around the flames and began to crawl up Errat’s leg.

  “How much longer?”

  “Errat needs a few more seconds friend Lex.” The warborn seemed unaware the maggots were there, and Lex feared that they would reach the top of Errat’s boot and find easy access to the warborn’s flesh before he finished casting. If that happened, the sudden pain would cause spell failure or worse mana feedback.

  And then we’ll all be dead. Grimacing, Lex bent and swatted the maggots from Errat’s boot. He dislodged several, but the majority latched onto his hand and started to feed. A biting pain shot up Lex’s finger and into his forearm, but he didn’t dare stop brushing the chaos spawn from Errat. More of the maggots sunk their teeth into his hand and then burrowed into his skin.

  “Move back friend Lex,” Errat said as he took several steps further into the tunnel.

  Strong hands pulled Lex back and then the roof above shuddered and collapsed. For a moment Lex feared it would bury him alive. The rumble sounded too deep and the cloud of dust too thick. But he was safe, at least from falling rock.

  Pain exploded into his hand as more maggots sunk their teeth into him. Lex screamed and held his right hand before his eyes. Writhing worms the size of fat grains of cooked rice covered his entire hand, but it was his middle finger that had suffered the worst fate. They had devoured it down to the first knuckle and the vile larva were still feeding.

  Lex called up the last of his mana and his hand exploded in a halo of fire. Maggots shrieked and crisped, falling from his hand like victims jumping from the deck of the Titanic. The pain was nothing compared to the insult of his missing fingertip and he raged. He bent the other fingers down and turned his nub of a middle finger towards the caved in entrance to the gate chamber.

  “Fuck you,” Lex said in a low, pained voice. The world became distant and sound turned odd. A part of him understood that he was in shock, but that part wasn’t paying much attention. Errat hefted him onto his shoulder and they ran up the tunnel. Behind them, the maggots dug under and around the cave-in and advanced.

  They ran and Lex continued to waggle his middle finger nub like a drunk man. They exited into the blessed warmth of the sun, slammed the door and collapsed onto the ground. After a few minutes, Lex regained some of his composure.

  “Are they following us?” His voice sounded desperate.

  “No,” Vonn said. “It appears the Nimmerians built this facility well. There’s some kind of low-grade energy field around the whole facility. The maggots on Simon turned to dust once we exited. But I wouldn’t open up that door ever again.”

  “We should leave a sign,” Lex said. “Beware killer maggot swarm. Carve it from some nice wood, use some gold paint to make it really stand out.” He waved his hands in front of his eyes as if he were envisioning it and the missing part of his finger taunted him with throbbing pain. “These fuckers ruined my flipping off finger.”

  “And all the Realms will mourn the loss,” Vonn said, handing him a healing potion.

  Lex poured a bit of the potion onto the stump of his finger and watched as the skin healed over the wound. He downed the rest in one gulp and squinted at Vonn. He did not see any jest in the rogue’s face. Dammit, I must still be in shock.

  6

  The grass was soft, and the sun-warmed Lex's face. Despite the throbbing in his finger, he decided a nap was in order. He didn’t bother telling anybody of this plan. He wasn’t even sure he’d agreed to it, but his body decided it was the boss. As the soothing calm of sleep settled over him Simon yelled and ruined everything.

  “There’s a giant hole in me,” the lich lord teen bawled.

  Lex lifted his head ready to berate the kid for startling him from his slumber, and his eyes widened. Simon stood, face shocked, arms akimbo, staring down at his midsection. Through a basketball-sized hole, where normal folk kept their stomach, the top of Harlan’s Tower glinted in the sun.

  “Well, that can't be good,” Lex muttered.

  “Of course, it’s not good. I’m missing part of me.”

  “Technically inaccurate,” Vonn said from his good leaning spot against the trunk of a nearby tree. “That is Dirge’s body, which you’ve either borrowed or stolen, depending on what school of semantics you favor. So, none of ‘you’ is missing.”

  Simon glared at Vonn, shock painting his sallow features. He turned to Lex and shot him a ‘can you believe this guy’ look.

  “Trust me, kid. You’re getting off easy.” Lex stood and walked over to Simon, his face showing concern and understanding. “It is pretty gruesome though.” He turned Simon back and forth, staring through the hole. Vonn’s face came into view and Lex waved. “Helloooo Vonn,” he said in a distant voice.

  Simon smacked him and moved away. “Man, you’re a dick. What am I supposed to do about this?”

  “What’s there to do?” Vonn asked. “Cover it up and none will be the wiser.”

  “I’ll be wiser.”

  "Doubtful," Lex said, holding back a snicker.

  “It is too bad that Errat did not bring one of his brother’s arbalests with him.” The others all stared at the warborn, faces full of incomprehension. “I could have laid many a very good ambush by hiding behind Simon and shooting through his stomach hole. We could catch many a bad guy by surprise.”

  Lex didn't know if Errat was being serious or not, for the idea was both absurdly hilarious and strategically intriguing. “I’m game if you are.” An image of the seven-foot warborn trying to hide behind the slender, short Aegyptian corpse made Lex chuckle.

  “Arrrgghhh!” Simon roared. He kicked a rock in frustration. It zipped in an upward arc narrowly missing Errat, before bouncing off the trunk of a nearby tree. It bounded back and through the hole in Simon’s stomach.

  A stunned silence fell, and everyone exchanged shocked glances. Had Simon not been inhabiting a corpse, Lex was sure the kid’s face would have turned crimson in surprise, anger, and incredulity. Errat bent down and looked through Simon’s gut hole to see the rock had landed near the moss-laden trunk of another tree.

  “Ha,” the warborn said and pointed at the stone with all the glee of a toddler seeing his puppy for the first time.

  “Well, that was ... unlikely,” Lex said. “But it proves one thing.” Simon glared at Lex daring him to mock him. “We’re gonna need to find something to cover up that hole before we get to town. I have just the thing.” He pulled a length of bright red cloth from his bag. It was a scarf woven from spider silk that Yrriel had made for him. It was far too embarrassing to wear, but he couldn’t just throw it away since it was a gift from his 'relationship status TBD.' With Vonn’s help, he wrapped the scarf about Simon’s midsection, hiding the hole.

  “I look like an idiot.”

  “No, it’s good,” Lex said, standing back and admiring his work. “Makes you look sophisticated. Like a swashbuckler.”

  “Or an interpretive dancer,” Vonn countered.

  “I hate every one of you guys,” Simon said and stomped off towards town with his chin held high in smug irritation. The long strand of cloth flapped in the wind behind him like a cape worn by some upper-class twit.

  They walked through the thick forest surrounding the town of Harlan’s Watch in silence. Although this was civilized territory, Lex still kept an eye on the surrounding woods. One never knew when a bear or a wolf or a chaos corrupted baalgrath with massive bunny teeth would leap from behind the nearest bush and try to eat them.

  It had been a rough few days. First, he’d learned that he was one-fifth of the traitor god Cerrunos. He wasn’t even a whole person. Then, right as Lex was about to tear the Godhead from Aluran’s wondrously groomed head, the High God had escaped. While horrible, neither compared to the deep emptiness over losing Gryph, again. It wouldn't surprise him to find a gaping hole where his own g
uts should be. But unlike Simon, Lex deserved his guilt. He was an NPC, and he’d failed his one task.

  He had not protected Gryph.

  If the feelings of shame and guilt swirling through him were the new norm, Lex would rather head back to fight more of the worm guys. At least they’d devour him quickly. He kicked a rock and watched it skitter before him, each bounce a wondrous show of the unpredictability of life.

  It was obvious the Source was having a joke at Lex’s expense. How else had he become the group's de facto leader? Perhaps chaos has already taken over and we just haven’t noticed. His lips turned into a scowl and he kicked the rock again.

  “Quit wallowing,” Vonn said ahead of him without even turning to face him.

  “I’m not wallowing,” Lex grumbled. “And you didn’t even turn around, what makes you think I’m wallowing?”

  “Cuz I know you.” The rogue still hadn’t turned. “You’re beating yourself up. Stop it. Gryph’s disappearance was not your fault.”

  Lex opened his mouth to object, but on realizing how whiny he would sound, he closed it. Vonn was right. Lex knew it, deep down in his soul, in Cerrunos’ soul. But that didn’t ease his guilt. “I just feel so helpless.”

  “It is the way of the Realms. Mortals grasp at the delusion that we are in control of our own fates, but we are not. We are mere detritus floating all willy-nilly on the endless Aether. We cannot control the joys and adversities that come our way, only how we face them.”

  “That both improves my mood and is no damn help at all.”

  Vonn shrugged. “Your journey towards understanding has begun.”

  They walked the rest of the way in relative silence. Only Simon’s occasional angry mutterings interrupted the sounds of nature, and none of them begrudged the undead teen his anger. The kid really had got a raw hand in the game of life. Lex made a promise to himself to be nicer to the lad.

  Not long after, they emerged from the woods to see the town before them. At the bridge Lex stopped, eyes drawn to the rushing water that had taken his life so many times while stuck in his time loop. That time seemed so long ago, a whole other lifetime, but it had been mere months since he and Vonn had escaped Harlan's Watch.

  Vonn put a calming hand on Lex’s shoulder, and he nodded his thanks. Across the bridge, a hill marked the edge of town. Atop the hill, gallows poked skyward, the site of Lex's near hanging. It was odd, despite experiencing so much death in this town, Lex still felt at home here. If he lived long enough to retire he’d buy himself a house or maybe become an innkeeper.

  “This town sucks,” Simon said. “I bet there isn’t one cute girl here.”

  Lex clenched his jaw and almost violated his new promise to be nicer to Simon. Sure, the kid has been through a lot, but he’s still a bit of a dick. Breathing deep, Lex kept silent, a heroic achievement in his opinion.

  Before they reached the end of the bridge, a heavily laden cart barreled towards them from around the corner. A ragged man that Lex recognized, but could not name, was at the reins. An equally worn woman and a boy of eight sat on the seat beside him. The manic eyed man snapped his whip, begging his pathetic mule to move faster. The froth around the beast’s mouth said it was already beyond its limit.

  He’s gonna kill the poor beast if he keeps this up, Lex thought. Why are they in such a rush?

  The cart was still a hundred yards off when Lex realized that the crazed man had no plans of slowing. The bridge was plenty wide enough to allow them to pass if the cart was moving slower and under control. With neither of those scenarios currently proving accurate, Lex feared the cart’s wheels would crush them.

  A flash of memory surged in him and he recognized the crazed cart driver. He was the same man who’d run over Lex with that same cart in one of his early time loops. It had crushed Lex to a bloody pulp. He had no desire to die that way again.

  It would be my luck though, Lex thought. Survive an encounter with Aluran only to get splatted by a git on a cart.

  Lex’s eyes snapped to the fast-moving water flowing under the bridge and his shoulders slumped. Great, this again. He looked at Vonn, who nodded in understanding. “We have to jump.”

  Before the words were past his lips a flare of deep orange light burst upwards from the hard-packed dirt between them and the cart. The mule hee-hawed and tried to slow, but its speed and the overloaded cart made that impossible.

  A rope of liquid red lightning snapped at the family, enveloping them in a sheen of dripping energy.

  The woman’s screaming ended abruptly as the lightning flash disappeared, taking the man, his wife, and the son and leaving behind an oily magma colored smoke. The mule’s eyes widened and then rolled into the back of its head. It stumbled and collapsed, falling to the ground.

  The cart smashed into the prone animal, crushing it and scattering blood, gore and body parts in a wide arc. The sight would have made Lex’s stomach churn if the cart and its load were not bearing down upon them.

  “Into the water!” Lex roared above the din.

  “I can’t swim,” Simon complained and yelped as Errat pushed him over the edge of the bridge. Vonn dove with grace as Errat jumped. With a grunt of annoyance Lex turned to join them. He twisted to avoid the cart and tumbled awkwardly over the edge of the bridge.

  He hit the water hard, an epic belly flop that would have earned sympathetic ‘oohs’ had there been any witnesses. Lex grunted in pain and then the current took him. At least my hands aren’t tied behind my back this time, he thought.

  7

  A few minutes later, all four of them lay panting and drenched on the bank of the river. Muck covered them and they looked like sodden rats, but they were alive. When Lex finally caught his breath, he turned to Vonn. “What the hell was that?”

  “Chaos,” Errat said from behind him. Lex turned to find the large warborn hefting Simon to his feet. Neither seemed the worse for wear, but it was hard to tell since Simon already looked like a drowned man. He slapped at the warborn like an aggressive child.

  “Relax, kid,” Lex said. "We’re fine."

  “Fine? I told you jerks I couldn’t swim. I almost drowned. I almost died,” Simon snapped. “And I haven’t even really lived yet.”

  “You're already dead kid,” Vonn reminded him. “You cannot drown.”

  Simon’s shoulders slumped and his eyes lowered. “Do you think I don’t know that?” His eyes came back up to Vonn, this time sparks of green anger flecked them. “It's not like you don’t remind me of it every damn five minutes with your jokes and your dickhead comments.” Simon sat on a log and sulked.

  Guilt wormed its way through Lex. Simon was right. He and Vonn had treated Simon unfairly, callously. In the short time he’d actually been a live boy, the kid had been through a hell Lex couldn’t even imagine. His body tortured and his very soul stolen by Ouzeriuo, the future Barrow King. It was unfair of them to belittle that.

  “I apologize for pushing you, friend Simon. I was trying to protect you.”

  “It doesn’t mean you get to push a guy around. I’m sick of being pushed around like I don’t matter.” He smashed his fists into Errat. The warborn stood impassively, letting the angry teen abuse him. Finally, Simon stopped and pointed at Vonn. “I hate you, and you.” He pointed to Lex. He returned his ire to Errat. “And you, you big weird looking bald bastard. I hate you too.”

  Errat looked down on Simon, a deep sadness in his eyes. “I am sorry Simon. Next time I will let you be crushed.” Without another word, the warborn walked up the bank of the river and back towards town.

  “Was that a ‘fuck you’ from Errat?” Lex asked Vonn.

  “I think it was,” the rogue said in a grim tone, before following Errat.

  Lex turned to Simon. “We feel for you kid, we really do. And you’re right, Vonn and I have been a little insensitive about the whole undead thing. But I got a hot tip for ya pal. Errat is one of the good ones, perhaps the best of us. If you piss him off, you’ve gone past righteous ang
er into the realm of the douchebag. Try not to do that.” He squeezed Simon’s shoulders, and they slumped under his touch. Then Lex walked up the slope to join the others. Behind him, Simon gave him the finger. “And put that finger away, or I’ll feed it to the maggot swarm.”

  Lex caught up with Errat and Vonn at the site of their near-death by cart. A chaotic scrawl of incomprehensible runes and shapes had charred itself into the dirt and grass where the bolt of liquid lightning had emerged. Looking at the runes made Lex’s head hurt and his stomach queasy.

  “Can anybody read these?”

  “No, but I suspect that may be a blessing,” Vonn said.

  “Why?”

  “Because those who read the languages of chaos eventually go mad.”

  “Okay then. Note to self, do not join any chaos book clubs.” Lex had barely finished his quip when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. “We should back up now.”

  “Errat agrees. I am sensing a build-up of chaos.”

  A red glow spun to life at the center of the odd rune-form. All three of them backed away, keeping their eyes on the growing singularity. Simon chose that moment to climb up to the bridge from the riverbank and stood with his back to the chaos scrawl.

  “Hey look, guys, I wanted to say I’m sorry for being a dick. It’s just…”

  “Simon,” Lex said urgently as the light grew fiercer and sparks began to dance around the edges of the circle.

  “I’ve really never felt like I’ve belonged anywhere and…”

  “Simon,” Lex said again, his voice louder, more intense. Jagged spears of liquid energy spun in and out of the growing singularity

  “Well, I really like you guys, and I respect what you say and think, and I really want you to like me too, and…”

  “Simon. Shut the hell up!”

  Simon stopped speaking and stared at Lex. He looked every bit the broken teenage boy that he was, or at least as much as possible while occupying the regenerated corpse of an Aegyptian assassin. He opened and closed his mouth and his shoulders hung.