Vault of the Magi: A LitRPG Adventure (Stonehaven League Book 5)

by Carrie Summers

  “These ones don’t even taste like donkey vomit,” someone called from the crowd. Judging by the gravelly voice, it was probably one of the dwarves.

  Tamara smirked and shook her head. “It’s not the drop I’m worried about. It’s getting back out.”

  Oh. Right. The whole point of the moat was to keep people from crossing it. A task that was going to get even harder once they figured out how to divert stream water and fill the thing up.

  Devon was about to call something else out to Tamara, but her friend had already zipped off. She’d spotted what looked like a fallen acacia tree and was apparently…planning to try to ride across the slippery trunk? Devon shook her head. Crazy woman.

  Deld cleared his throat, pulling her attention back. “Sorry,” she said. “Go on. A problem?”

  “Well, I’m afraid to say it, but it’s affecting all the major professions in the settlement.”

  Yikes. This sounded bad. Devon turned to face him, putting all her focus on the man.

  “You see,” he said, shuffling. “Lots of the folks that have arrived from Eltera came with some experience. They’ve been able to help out, and even increase their skills. But those with no trade and those without a lot of natural talent for gaining skills all by themselves—they aren’t progressing very fast.”

  Prester nodded, taking up the thread of conversation. “We’ve started to fall behind in housing construction. Lots of newcomers are still bedding down outside.”

  “And if we ever want to, say, wall off the orchard, I’m not sure we’ll have the hands to accomplish it while keeping up with repairs and upgrades to the main fortifications,” Deld finished.

  Devon blinked, confused. “But I thought you were training new people. Apprentices.”

  Prester took a deep breath, but before he could speak, Dorden detached from the crowd of Tamara’s spectators and shouldered into the conversation. “What they’re reluctant to say, lass, is that they can try to give instruction, but the process is none too reliable. Some folks just can’t learn outside of a formal apprenticeship. It’s the only way to properly take advantage of the mentor’s skill when helping a wee beginner advance.”

  “Okay…I still don’t understand though. Have you already maxed the number of apprentices you can take?”

  Dorden sighed heavily. “Sorry, boys. The lass can be a bit of a dunderhead.” He turned back to her. “At this moment in time, your trusted leaders of Stonehaven’s most important trades can’t take apprentices.”

  All at once, Devon realized the problem. She rolled her eyes and sighed. It felt like years ago, back before they’d even reached the site where Stonehaven now stood, that she’d learned the differences between advanced and basic NPCs. The NPCs that she’d promoted could choose a second profession or class, could be resurrected at the Shrine to Veia…and they could take apprentices.

  She shook her head. “I get it now. Man, I can be an idiot sometimes.”

  As if on cue, she heard the familiar, strangled sound that was Greel’s attempt at a laugh. “I have been saying that for months,” he said as he joined the conversation.

  Devon gave him a flat stare, but inside, she felt the excitement starting to burble. It had been a long time since she’d made NPC promotions. And seeing how Veia had filled four of her precious advanced slots, Devon wasn’t inclined to procrastinate on any of the other choices. There might be a more optimal way to fill out her allowable roster of advanced citizens, but there wasn’t a more fitting way than to promote the original members of the Tribe of Uruquat and the remaining members of the Stoneshoulder Clan. The groups that had been with her from the beginning.

  Laying a hand on Deld’s shoulder, she sent him off with instructions to gather her original followers and meet her on the third floor of the Inner Keep. As he trotted off, Devon turned back to the field and watched Tamara somehow hop the bike sideways off the fallen trunk, landing in perfect balance in the grass on her wheels. A moment later, the woman shot forward, racing across the grass many times faster than the most hasted player Devon had seen.

  Wait.

  Devon glanced around, searching for Chen, and spotted the knight near the shadow of the wall. He was crouched down, a hoop of metal and a ball of twine in his hands. Another Tinker experiment, perhaps. Seeming to feel her eyes on him, he glanced up. Devon nodded toward Tamara and waited as her revelation dawned on him, too.

  “And while we’re speaking of your idiocy—”

  She spun, nearly knocking Greel off his feet.

  “Sorry, no time to talk. I have to go order some more bikes.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “DEVON,” CHEN CALLED.

  She paused and waited for him just outside the Woodworker’s Shop, the second specialty workshop that she’d ordered built after learning from Prester a few weeks ago that almost everyone in town was sleeping on the floor because carpenters couldn’t make beds.

  The teenager hurried to catch her, little Sigfried sprinting along behind. When the knight stopped, slightly out of breath, Sigfried mimicked his pose.

  “You get it, right?” she asked. “The bikes are how we outrun the Stone Guardians.”

  Chen nodded. “Yep, And I think it will work.”

  “We need enough bicycles for a party of players—you, me, Torald, and Tamara as a guide. We’ll have to work hard to keep her from getting aggroed. And I think we should make one for Hailey in case she turns up. Speaking of, you haven’t heard anything from her, have you?”

  Chen shook his head. “Not a peep. How about Jeremy? Shouldn’t we bring him?”

  Devon grimaced and glanced around in case the troubadour was lurking. He wasn’t in sight, which meant he was probably off making up another song about her. “Crud, I guess it would be dumb to leave him behind just because he's annoying. One of his songs has a haste buff. We’re gonna need all the speed we can get.”

  “Party of six. A good size. Almost like we have the whole group back together again.”

  Devon smirked. “Except Maya. Somehow I doubt she’d be much of a cyclist with her mermaid tail.”

  Chen laughed. According to Jeremy, the final member of their regular group from their previous game was stuck on some remote island playing the part of a mermaid queen.

  “Hey, so, Devon? You did a good job on the bike design, but there are some issues.”

  Devon blinked. “Huh? Tamara seems to be doing okay.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, she’s like some sort of mutant. But if the rest of us are going to be able to ride any kind of distance, I know some modifications that would help.”

  She smirked. “Don’t tell me you want extra padding to protect your delicate tush.”

  He rolled his eyes, and Sigfried did the same. “I mean, mechanically. The drive train seems solid, but the problem is that there’s no freewheel.”

  “No what?”

  “You can’t coast. So in order to keep going, you have to pedal nonstop. It could get dangerous on the downhills actually because there’s no way to brake besides somehow resisting the pedal movement.”

  “Okay…? I’m not sure how to fix that. We’re basically in the Middle Ages.”

  Standing straighter, Chen held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. “Fortunately, unlike the real medieval times, in this case you happen to know someone with a knack for magical devices.”

  Devon thumped the heel of her hand against her forehead. “Duh. Sorry, Chen. I should have asked you in the beginning.”

  “It’s okay. Honestly, I hadn’t been focusing on either of my combat classes for a while…not until Emerson sent me into the underworld. Just felt weird to think about fighting after what we saw on the beach after Hailey and I crossed the Noble Sea. So in your case with my abilities, out of sight, out of mind, right?”

  She shrugged. “So how do you know so much about how bikes work?”

  “An ill-fated stint where my parents tried to put me in BMX classes. I
really wasn’t good. And by that I mean I totally sucked. But the mechanical end makes sense.”

  “Hey, speaking of mechanical, mind asking Tamara if she wants to help design? She works—worked—as a bike mechanic. Actually, they keep her on a few hours a week, but I get the idea that it’s pretty awkward. A crash left her with lung damage.”

  Chen grimaced. “Sure, no problem. She probably knows way more than me.”

  “Well, in that case”—Devon glanced at her in-game clock—“seems like you’ve got this pretty well handled, and I’ve got some promotions to hand out.”

  Sigfried crossed his little arms pridefully as Chen nodded. “Rush order for five new custom bikes and one retrofitting coming up, Sarge.”

  She smirked. “Sarge, huh? That mean you’re going to start taking orders from me without an argument?”

  “Not a chance.”

  ***

  Devon really didn’t spend enough time in her “chambers” on the top floor of the keep. Looking out over the town from the high, stone-framed windows, she couldn’t help feeling a bit like an actual ruler from long ago, her domain spread wide beneath her. She scanned the horizon as she listened to her original followers file into the room, the hardened leather of their boots scuffing over the chamber floor.

  Stonehaven was both a hamlet and a castle now, and the settlement was well on its way to the next set of upgrades. The food supply was secure, and finally, she understood how to get across Ishildar and—barring some other nasty surprise—retrieve the final relic that would grant her ownership of the city and whatever power it would allow her to bring to bear against the demon invasion.

  It was time to share the success around and thank the loyal friends who had brought her this far.

  She turned to face her followers and grinned as Gerrald stepped forward and handed over his latest creations.

  You have received: Frostwielder’s Belt

  Slot: Waist

  Specially designed for casters proficient in ice and water magic, the hardened leather is set with lapis lazuli mined in the Argenthal Mountains.

  10 Armor | +2 Intelligence |+10% Ice and Water Damage | 72/72 Durability

  You have received: Ornate Sheath

  One of a kind with gold and iron filigrees. Perfectly molded to Night’s Fang.

  5% Melee Attack Speed | 55/55 Durability

  You have received: Champion’s Circlet

  A delicate iron circlet designed to sit upon the brow of she who carries our hopes on her shoulders.

  5 Armor | +3 Focus | +2 Charisma

  For once, none of the items were tacky or had sarcastic descriptions. Maybe even Gerrald—or Veia, working through him—had managed to channel some sort of seriousness into the crafting of the final pieces of equipment she’d take to the Stone Forest. For half a second, she let herself wonder whether Veia and her mouthpieces had started to gain some respect for her, but she quickly ditched that idea. Probably just a coincidence.

  “Thank you. These are amazing.”

  As Gerrald rejoined the others, Devon scanned the faces of her original followers. Everyone who hadn’t already been promoted to advanced NPC was here, as was Dorden, who had helped round them up. As she met their eyes, she wondered why she hadn’t done this before. If any of these humans or dwarves had died over the past weeks, she never would have forgiven herself for failing to promote them when she’d had the chance.

  “Before I launch into a speech, I wanted to thank every one of you for what you’ve done for Stonehaven, and this is the best way I know how.” Focusing on each of them, she brought up a context menu and selected the option to advance them. “I now pronounce you all as advanced citizens of the Stonehaven League, the leadership of our settlement.”

  You have gained a skill point: +1 Leadership

  A cheer went up as her friends clapped each other on the back. Devon glanced at her settlement interface and noted that she now had the exact number of advanced NPCs needed to upgrade to township. It was almost as if it was meant to be. Even if there were a slightly more optimal set of citizens she could have selected to fill the promotion slots, she wouldn’t have chosen strangers no matter the stakes. These people, her friends and followers, belonged as permanent members of the town.

  She sighed in contentment as the hubbub died down. Once the hugs and congratulatory chest bumps had settled, she raised a hand to gather their attention.

  “I’m sure most of you have heard the rumors.”

  “Ye mean the demon invasion, Mayor?” one of the dwarven fighters asked.

  She nodded. “I don’t know exactly when it will come, but I think it will be soon. And I think it will be the hardest trial Stonehaven has ever endured.”

  The mood in the room turned somber, her followers crossing their arms and balling their fists. No doubt some of them were thinking of the last time a demon attack had come. The fiends, under Devon’s command as her alter ego, Ezraxis, had finally managed to batter down the wall. Much of the village had been destroyed.

  “And what may be even harder to hear is that I may not be here to help you fight, at least not initially.”

  A wave of indrawn breaths passed through the crowd. Devon wanted to pause and reassure them it would be okay but forged on instead. They needed to understand the seriousness of the situation.

  “As soon as our equipment is ready, I’ll be leading a party of starborn through Ishildar to the lost vassaldom on its northern edge. In the meantime, I need you to finish preparing the city. We’ve improved our food production and storage”—she nodded at Tom and Bayle who stood together, the husband nearly lost in his wife’s imposing shadow—“and thanks to almost everyone who has lent a hand either digging the moat or putting your trade skill at Jarleck’s disposal, Stonehaven is officially a castle, earning great defensive bonuses as a result. Now we need to focus on preparations for war. As advanced citizens, you are now able to take apprentices. I encourage each of you to do that, but I also need you to organize and guide the other citizens, even if their progression will be slower without an assigned mentor. Encourage anyone with an interest to take up trades as weapon or armorsmiths, as fletchers or bowyers. Those interested in the combat arts shouldn’t hesitate to begin training. It’s not too late. This will unbalance our settlement’s breakdown of professions, slowing our growth in other areas, but we will address that later. For now, we need to survive.”

  Devon waited until the nods of consideration and then acknowledgment settled down before speaking again. “Finally,” she said, “we need to talk about Stonehaven as a refuge and safe haven. There is an encampment of experienced starborn not far from here, and in recent days, starborn of a different caliber have been arriving.”

  “You mean the noobs,” someone commented.

  She smirked and nodded. “Yes. The noobs. They aren’t officially citizens of Stonehaven, no more than the starborn we’ve traded with for longer are. Either way, they’ll be welcomed inside our walls. And when the demons arrive, there may be non-starborn people and creatures that will come seeking sanctuary. I hope that by retrieving the fifth relic and reawakening Ishildar, the corruption will be purged from the awakening stones, restoring their original magic. The awakened races may come seeking help, or they might come to our aid. Either way, they will be welcomed in Stonehaven. Bring them in, give them jobs, and send their fighters to the wall to help defend the city.”

  “Mayor Devon?” asked Grey, one of the settlement’s hunters.

  “Yes?”

  “You don’t really think the attack will come before you return, do you? This is a just-in-case sort of speech, right?”

  She smiled at him and sighed. “I sure hope it’s just in case. Yes. I just want you to be ready, and some—”

  She was cut off short when the door to the chamber flew open. “Excuse me,” Greel said with an oily voice as he strode through the door with his typical crooked gait. He glared at her with both sides of his upper
lip curled into expressions of disgust. Following behind, his new follower shuffled into the room. Valious walked with shoulders hunched and what looked like a permanent cringe on his face. He’d replaced some of his gear, ditching the beetle skullcap, but unfortunately, the armor looked somewhat familiar. It took Devon a moment to realize that he was actually wearing Greel’s hand-me-downs. She shook her head. Poor guy.

  “First of all,” Greel said, “your voice has an abysmally piercing quality. I could hear it all the way down on the first floor. And if you wish to add this notion of Stonehaven being a refuge to our operating procedures, you will have to complete the town chartering process with the new provision attached as an amendment.”

  Devon smirked. She hadn’t actually expected him to turn up. Fortunately, she was prepared just in case.

  “Actually, I have a new version I would like you to look over. Since I wrote it from scratch, it shouldn’t require a notary or witness.”

  Reaching into her Sparklebomb Backpack, she pulled out a freshly folded paper airplane and hucked it toward him. The eyes of the rest of her followers went wide as the little plane floated directly to the lawyer. They still had quite a few centuries of progress to make before flying machines would seem commonplace.

  As Greel read—it didn’t take long—his face turned nearly purple. He stammered with indignation before reading aloud.

  “Be nice. Use common sense. People screw up, so be generous with second chances. If someone is a real jerk or does something really bad, put them in the dungeon.”

  The man shook his head, totally aghast. “This is completely unacceptable. We must have an actual definition of what constitutes a prison-worthy offense. ‘Nice’ is perhaps the least precise term I have ever heard. We simply must have a properly codified system of laws if we wish Stonehaven to succeed as a growing settlement.”

  Devon exhaled. “Yes, we must. But we can’t rush it, unfortunately. There are far bigger problems looming than the question of how many times someone can insult a city guardsperson—you suggested five—or the settlement’s lawyer—unsurprisingly, you suggested one—before a disciplinary action should be taken.”