Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3)

by M Damon Baker

  I’d been dealing with those conflicted thoughts for some time, and whether it was intentional or not, Saibra’s comment, or at least the more subtle message of its veiled subtext, stirred it all up for me once again as we made our way back to my chambers.

  Once I was alone—well, alone with the stack of papers Talína had left me, I sat down to look over my prompt before I dug into the pile of notes. Most of them would be messages of support and the tallies of our supplies, I imagined, so I let them wait while I pulled up what I thought would be a very important notification.

  Quest, The Uniter, Advancing – You are at war for the first time, and must guide your Empire carefully through this difficult challenge. The reward you receive will depend on just how you achieve your victory, or if you do at all.

  Well, that was certainly… underwhelming, I thought. I had expected something a bit more momentous, and perhaps some sarcastic or biting commentary from one of the bored Gods who seemed so eager to amuse themselves by altering my notifications. Instead, it was a short and straightforward message simply letting me know that there would be some reward when I defeated my enemies. I refused to even acknowledge the notification’s final few words.

  At least the messages Talína left for me were somewhat more interesting. Evans had planned for the inevitable conflict we would face, and already had everything he needed for the Army to travel the long way to the horse lands. All that he required were some supplies, and of course, a great deal of food to feed our soldiers, but some of that was already in place.

  The farmers, hunters, and others were busy providing him with the rest. Everything that was ready for harvest and would last long enough to make the journey was being handed over, and the hunters were already out taking game to be smoked and salted. With the week it would take for the Army to be ready to move, it seemed that we would have ample time to shore up our supply of food. We would also be traveling through three allied Kingdoms, and close to a fourth before we reached our enemies’ territory, so any shortfalls could be purchased along the way.

  The only real question I had was who was going to be left behind. Someone needed to run things in my absence, but I knew that all of my companions would want to accompany me.

  My first impulse was to leave Venna in charge. As my Chief Minister, and second in line, she’d been doing most of the governing for quite some time. But she wasn’t only a warrior, but also a Curate, and as a healer of great skill, she might save many lives if I brought her along.

  If Venna came with me, Stel would simply not allow me to leave him behind either; the same would be true for Broda and Khorim, who I needed to oversee his ‘scouts’ and the other infiltrators we sent into the two defiant Realms.

  The only one left whom I trusted was Líann, and I knew just how well she’d react to the news that I was leaving her behind, but the Queen was no adventurer and had no skills to lend to the war effort. Even more importantly, Líann had more experience in governing than all of my Ministers combined. Although my mind was made up, I didn’t look forward to the conversation, and with our weekly breakfast scheduled for the next morning, I decided to wait until then to break the news to her.

  That left only one last thing for me to review: myself. I had all the God-forged gear I could ever want, and even my short sword, although not an Artifact like so much of the rest of my gear, had been enhanced by Nentai, turning it into a powerfully enchanted weapon. I’d been training my skills with Saibra and had other gains as well since I’d last checked my sheet, so with war on my doorstep, I opened it up to see just what I had to throw against my enemies.

  Dreya Dae

  Sintári Female

  Titles: Sintári, Empress

  Level - 33

  505029/521200

  Health - 341/341 Aura - 258/858 Endurance - 341/341

  Sintári – Sintári interact with their surroundings in unusual ways. The effects of these interactions can be unpredictable

  Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects

  Specialization – Protector

  Mastery –

  STR - 41 (+4)

  CON - 29 (+2)

  DEX - 26 (+2)

  INT - 26 (+2)

  WIS - 24 (+2)

  CHA - 49 (+4)

  Abilities

  Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. – 36%

  Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. – 35%

  Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 20%

  Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 47%

  Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 40%

  Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 40%

  Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost – 20 Aura. – 32%

  Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 40%

  Blood Price – Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura. – 37%

  Blind – Your next arrow has a chance to inflict blindness on a successful hit. Cost – 30 Aura. – 37%

  Achilles Strike – Cripple your target with a slash of your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 40%

  Penetrator – Advanced Ability – Your arrow pierces through armor easily. With increased proficiency it may penetrate through even greater barriers. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Aura. – 20%

  Disable – Advanced Ability – A successful strike of your blade to an extremity renders the affected limb completely useless until healed. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Endurance. – 40%

  Shockwave – Advanced Ability – Your arrow explodes on contact, dealing minimal damage but generating a stunning Shockwave in a radius around its detonation. Size and scope of this effect increase with proficiency. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 120 Aura. – 24%

  Sintári Abilities

  Natural Affinity – The Sintári’s unique connection with the natural world may manifest itself in random ways at times. While these effects are generally beneficial they are also typically outside the direct control of the Sintári. Modifier – Charisma.

  Control – Effect varies, applies to all Sintári Abilities. – 64%

  Protector Abilities

  See Truth – Twice per day, the spoken words of your target become visible to you, allowing you to see the truth held within them. Strength and duration of this effect increase with proficiency. Cost – 60 Aura. Modifier – Wisdom. – 42%

  Spells

  Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. – 51%

  Create Trap – Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type, and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost – 40 Aura. – 53%

  Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost – 30 Aura. – 28%

  Spike – Launch Ice Spike(s), delivering bonus cold damage on a successful hit. Cost – 40 Aura. – 20%

  Bolt – Release a Bolt of pure Lightning at your target(s). Cost – 40 Aura. – 26%

  Find Weakness – Highlights vulnerable points on the target. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 80 Aura. – 20%

  Summon Elemental – Summons an Elemental creature. If you succeed in binding it to your will, the creature will serve you faithfully until the spell’s expiration. Modifier – Charisma. Cost 100 Aura. – 40%

  Shield – May be cast on self only. Manifests a forward-facing barrier against incoming projectile attacks. Duration and resistance of the barrier are based on proficiency and modifier value. Modifier – Constitutio
n. Cost – 80 Aura. – 22%

  Skills

  Bow – 55%

  Critical Hit – 43%

  Blades – 40%

  Long Sword – 40%

  Short Sword – 40%

  Dagger – 40%

  Critical Hit – 40%

  Two-Handed – 40%

  Pole Arms – 14%

  Spear – 23%

  Armor – 40%

  Medium Armor – 40%

  Perception – 53%

  Environmental – 54%

  Identify Enemy – 49%

  Identify Person – 53%

  Combat Dodge – 25%

  Subterfuge – 40%

  Stealth – 40%

  Find Trap – 20%

  Disarm Trap – 20%

  Set Trap – 20%

  Manipulation – 53%

  Persuade – 64%

  Barter – 39%

  Survival – 24%

  Tracking – 27%

  Identify Creature (Beasts) – 19%

  Skinning – 16%

  Field Dress – 15%

  Alchemy – 19%

  Herbalism – 31%

  Potion Craft – 27%

  Lore – 8%

  Identify Magical Item – 14%

  Saibra was a true master with her blades and had been able to raise all of my blade talents, some of them quite significantly. She’d also instructed me on some of the finer points of subterfuge and a few other things. As a result, I was almost as deadly at close range as I was with my bow. The fact that I could even hold her off at all during our sparring sessions was a supreme testament to just how much she’d improved my skills.

  My Empire had a plan and was making itself ready for war—I had my own plans and was ready myself as well. Despite the stupid and wasteful nature of the conflict, I also found myself looking forward to it. It had been some time since I’d been able to truly vent my rage. While Líann helped me keep it under control, there was really no substitute for the thrill I experienced when I let it go for real and felt myself extinguishing the life of a true enemy. I couldn’t deny the sublime satisfaction that I experienced in those moments, watching the light of existence fade from the eyes of a foe that I’d crushed with my power—it had been far too long since I’d felt the rush of those sensations.

  I only had one last, and perhaps my most important companion to speak with before my preparations would be complete.

  ‘Bane,’ I sent to him as I entered his room. ‘You are coming with me to war, and I will make sure that you feast well on the bodies of our enemies.’

  Bane’s golden eyes widened as he heard my words in his mind, and his response was tinged with a desperate sense of hunger.

  It has been too long since we last killed together, Sintári. I am eager to do so again.

  If I was any judge at all of Bane’s emotions, ‘eager’ wasn’t the half of it. I sensed the same desire in him that I felt—the almost burning need to kill, to not only defeat a foe in battle, but to rip them to pieces. I recognized it as my own darkness and realized that he shared my same inner demons.

  ‘It is time for us to do what we were meant for, Bane,’ I let my eyes flare as I responded to him. ‘Our goal may be peace, but you and I were made for killing. We will use the power of our own darkness against those who defile Arrika, turning their own strength against them. Our shadows are even stronger because we wield them in the name of light, and with them, we will crush our foes without mercy.’

  You do understand, Bane’s awe-filled response echoed my mind.

  ‘We are one, you and I,’ I replied, stroking the thick scales along his neck. ‘There is no need for us to hide anything from each other.’

  I need one of your kills, Sintári, he confessed, giving up the one thing he’d been holding back from me. I do not know why, but I crave the flesh of someone who’s life you’ve taken yourself.

  ‘You shall have it, and more,’ I promised him, as I almost tasted the strength of the desire in his words.

  We will be a terror on the battlefield, Sintári.

  ‘No, Bane. We will be magnificent.’

  I stayed with him for as long as I could, basking in the sunlight that streamed in from the large opening that the double-doors of his room provided, but eventually, the torrent of messages resumed, and I had to leave him to attend to the needs of my Empire.

  The reports came to me throughout the remainder of the day and into the night, until they suddenly ceased to arrive. I had no doubt that Talína had halted even the more important messages from reaching me so that I might at least have a chance for a good night’s rest; once again, I was grateful for the skill and consideration she used to conduct my affairs.

  Tási had apparently received no such accommodations and didn’t return until sometime after I’d fallen asleep with Bane curled around me. Unlike when he was a little Rhastoren, Bane was the one who wrapped himself around me, and it was me who rested on him, rather than the other way around. Unfortunately, since she’d arrived after we’d fallen asleep, there was no way for her to join me without having to crawl over Bane’s body, possibly waking him, so Tási’d chosen to simply go to sleep by herself in our bed. Since she’d obviously had a late night, I left her sleeping there when I departed the following morning for my breakfast with Líann.

  “No!” Líann responded with both hurt and anger as soon as I told her that I intended to leave her in charge of my Empire. “Even if everything goes well, you will be gone for months. I won’t let you leave me for that long.”

  “Líann,” I tried my best to sooth her. “I need you to do this for me. This isn’t a punishment, and it’s not going to be easy for me to be without you either, but you’re the only one I can count on to ensure that things don’t fall apart while I’m gone.”

  “Take me and leave Venna,” she shot back at me. “She’s more than capable of handling things.”

  “That was my first thought as well,” I confessed. “But she’s a Curate, and I need her healing ability.”

  “I see. So, I’m the logical choice.” Líann snapped at me.

  “It doesn’t matter why you’re my choice, you’ll fucking do it because I’m telling you to,” I shot back, realizing that perhaps a firmer hand was required for her to accept my decision.

  I got up out of my seat and loomed over her as I continued.

  “This is not a debate, Líann,” I glared down at her. “You’re mine and I’m giving you an order, not making a request. You’ll do what I say, and if you do it well enough, I may see fit to reward you when I return.”

  “Yes, Empress,” she cowered beneath me.

  “That’s better,” I said as I took my seat once more. “Now tell me how your work with Talína went.”

  Líann brightened up a bit as she told me what they’d done.

  “You got quite a catch in her,” Líann complimented Talína. “She has an excellent way with words, and we managed to draft several different messages, all of which emphasized your Empire’s promise of equal treatment and respect for all. I imagine they will create quite a bit of dissention when the people realize the opportunity that the nobility has denied them.”

  “We also made sure to note the atrocities that were committed against your Ambassadors, and a veiled threat of your response to those acts. In particular, noting that your Empire has the backing of seven Realms, against just the two of them. We mentioned no specifics, but the implications should be obvious; they cannot win.”

  “You’ve done well, as usual,” I complimented her as I rose from my chair again, this time pulling Líann up with me. “To show you my appreciation, I will take you now.”

  I actually took her several times that morning, and each time I let loose a little more of my darkness on her, only stopping when she could withstand no more. By then, all Líann could do was just lay still in her bed, breathing heavily as she recovered from the last of what I’d done to her. But even in her exhaustion, she still drew me in, as I watched her chest rise and fa
ll with every deep breath, the taut muscles of her stomach flutter and tremble, and her hips shudder enticingly with the faint tremors that still coursed through her body.

  “I will see you once more before I go, Líann,” I told her as I left her there, despite my deep desire to take her one more time. “I took the liberty of having Talína schedule a final meeting for us, so that I can ensure that you understand exactly what I need you to do while I’m gone.”

  “Thank you, Empress,” she gasped softly.

  “You’re welcome, my pet,” I replied with a gentle kiss on her cheek.

  Líann didn’t really want my affection, and even though it wasn’t what she needed from me, after mistreating her, I never left without offering Líann some softer gesture. More for my sake than hers. After letting my darkness loose on Líann, the decent part of me simply couldn’t go without expressing how much she meant to me in some gentler fashion.

  With the governance of my Empire in my absence decided, after leaving Líann, I headed to the Imperial Barracks to tend to one final concern. The so-called nobles who ruled the horse lands had already proven to be a vile bunch, and I needed some assurances that they would not cause harm in the Imperial District while I was away. While I was certain that the troops that would remain behind manning the defenses were more than capable of handling any overt attacks, my concern was of a more personal nature.

  “Líann will be overseeing things in my absence,” I told Tási and Ella when I got them together in Tási’s office. “I need you to make sure that’s she’s protected. If they send someone here, she will be the most likely target for an assassin.”

  “I can see that some of the Ministers’ guards that aren’t coming with us are assigned to watch over her,” Ella offered as Tási remained silent.