Wes was again the first to let Eve in on the mood. “I just love you so much,” he gushed to her, tears still streaking down his face. “You’re so fun and responsible, like the big sister I never had.”
Great, Eve thought to herself, we’ve reached the ‘pouring our hearts out’ part.
“Wes, I’m younger than you.”
“Whaaat? No. You’re the one who’s always telling me what I can and can’t do. Don’t set fire to this. Don’t set fire to that.”
“Someone has to stop you from burning the city to the ground. That doesn’t mean I’m older than you. You’re almost twenty and I’m only… eighteen.” Eve realized she’d let her birthday come and go unnoticed at some point in the Dead Fields. “Shit.”
“Look, I’m just trying to say I love you, man,” Wes continued. “You’re like my best friend. You’ve saved my life more times than I can count. You helped me unlock this awesome class. Hells, if it weren’t for you I might not have ever met Preston! I appreciate you.”
“I appreciate you too. All of you.” Eve turned to include the others. Perhaps it was Wes’s kind words, or the exhaustion of the day’s events, or the winter sun setting early on the distant horizon, but Eve felt her own wave of sentimentality rising up.
“It’s been an absolutely insane few months,” she said, “from Nowherested to Lynthia to the Dead Fields to…” She trailed off. “I know things haven’t been easy, and I know at least some of that is my fault, and I… I want to say thanks. Thanks for being my friends, for fighting by my side, for coming with me on this bullshit quest. Really. It… it means a lot.”
Wes wrapped his free arm around her chest in the best approximation of a hug he could manage while slung over her shoulder. They walked together like that for some time, enjoying companionable silence as the scenic Leshkian countryside slowly faded into the gloom of early evening.
Preston was the first to come to his senses. “Wow, that was… that was weird.” All manner of drunkenness had vanished from his voice. “Let’s never do that again.”
“You’re back!” Eve let Wes down. He landed without stumbling. “Is Art okay?”
Preston nodded. “Looks like he fell asleep. Poor thing’s probably lined up for two hells of a first hangover.”
“Good thing you’ll be there to heal him then,” Wes said. “Like any good Caretaker would.”
Preston smiled up at him.
“Wait, if Art’s asleep, and that means you all are sober now…” Eve thought aloud, “that means the guards are sober too.”
Wes cursed.
“Looks like we’ve got further to go today if we want to get away clean.” Eve turned to Reginald. “What do you say? You got any running left in you?”
The drake bobbed his head enthusiastically.
Eve nodded to Preston and then looked back at Wes.
“Nope.” The fire mage vigorously shook his head. “Nope nope nope. I’ve had enough of riding the Eve Express, thank you very much.”
“Wes, I can still see Pyrindel,” she argued. “If we don’t get further out, they’re going to catch us on horseback.” As if to punctuate her point, the alarm bells echoed out once more.
“Then I’ll ride Reginald.”
Eve rolled her eyes. “You know he can’t carry all of you.”
“But what about—”
Eve grabbed him. “Let’s go!” With supernatural Strength, she tossed Wes back over her shoulder and took off down the northern road. Reginald followed.
And so they ran.
With Preston, Art, and Reginald at her side and Wes flailing wildly on her back, Eve charged through the fields and hills of the Leshkian heartland, through the orange glow of the setting sun and the deep blue hues of falling twilight, through the dark of night and the glimmering brilliance of the stars above.
The party ran on, away from the capital, from the palace, from the tournament, away from the mundanity of civilization and into the mystery of the unknown. They ran and they ran, and nothing, not the royal guards, nor the fear of failure, nor even fate itself, could ever catch them.
Until they found their next adventure. Then, all bets were off.
Legendary Quest Milestone Reached: Stumble Free!
+512000 exp!
Level Up!
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Epilogue
YOU HAVE DEFEATED level 109 Lithodemon: +9050 exp!
You have defeated level 109 Lithodemon: +9050 exp!
You have defeated level 109 Lithodemon: +9050 exp!
You have defeated level 109 Lithodemon: +9050 exp!
…
You have defeated level 87 Lithodemon: +6850 exp!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
…
Level Up!
Good, you’re awake.
Alex groaned. Her head throbbed. She rubbed at her temples, quietly cursing to herself. “What happened?”
You survived.
“That’s what Survivors do, I guess,” she murmured. “That and hear voices, apparently. Great.” She sat up, noting that her head wasn’t the only thing that ached. Her every joint protested against the movement. “Where am I?”
Safety. For now.
Alex scanned the dark chamber around her, finding little of note. The walls were barren rock, unpolished and unadorned with torches or decoration. The ceiling was low, barely above her head even as she stayed seated. There was no door.
“It doesn’t look very safe. It looks like the inside of a coffin. How long have I been here?”
Too long. You were slow to evolve.
“Wait, did I…” Alex trailed off, deciding not to dive into her long list of notifications quite yet. She chose instead to question the voice while she could. “Who are you? What do you want?”
I’m the one who kept you alive while you slumbered. What I want is to make a deal.
“What happened to my friends?”
Your friends are long gone. You’ll find them eventually, unless I miss my guess.
Alex kept up the interrogation. “What does that mean? What kind of deal are you talking about?”
All in good time.
The solid stone before her rippled like a dense fluid, slowly parting to reveal a passageway. For now, take my token and return to the world from whence you came.
“Not great at answering questions, are you?” Alex patted the ground around her. “Will you at least tell me where this token i—” She cut off as her hand brushed against something solid, knocking it over. It was only when she picked the item up and squinted at it by the light of her Mana-charged hand that she saw it for what it was:
A chess rook, black as obsidian and frigid to the touch.
Motes of ash drifted off it, falling into her lap, but the piece itself never deformed or diminished in size. Alex shoved it into her pocket. “Um… okay? So I can just leave?”
The voice didn’t answer.
With no other avenue for answers, and the only path ahead of her clear as the daylight at its end, Alex crawled up the narrow passage. The strange voice that had apparently saved her life had issued its first instruction, and, at least for now, she was all too happy to follow it.
It was time for Alexandra Reeve to return to the world from whence she came.
STATUS
EVELIA GREENE
Manaheart
Level 52 The Defiant
Exp: 205385/1244699
Health: 1660/1660
Stamina: 0/0
Mana: 6300/6300
Constitution:166
Mana Density: 630
Intelligence: 47
Dexterity: 178
Strength: 211
Spirit: 0
Passive Ability - Haste
A quicker step is the difference between life and death. You run and swim [MND/4]% faster.
Passive Ability - Defiant Body
The will can only be as steadfast as the shell that houses it. You have cultivated
both. Gain increased bone density and sinew strength, resistance to impact, explosive, thermal, and slashing damage. Maintain control of your every motion. Gain increased traction, resistance to uneven terrain, resistance to immobilizing and destabilizing effects.
Passive Ability - Defiant Mind
Wield the unmatched will of The Defiant. Your mind is your own. Gain immunity to fear, pacify, and loss of control effects. Gain increased reaction speed. Unlock access to the Fatetorn Gaze general skill.
Passive Ability - Ethereal Metabolism
Overcome the inefficiencies of flesh. Mana is the purest form of energy, and your body has learned to use it. Metabolize food directly into Mana. All bodily functions require Mana instead of Stamina.
Active Ability - Defiant Charge
100 Mana
Face your foes head on. None shall stand in your way. Triple your Constitution and maximum running speed for [MND/5] seconds.
Active Ability - Mana Rush
X Mana/Sec
The strength of a manaheart is determined by the energy that runs through their veins. You’ve learned to use that to your advantage. Gain [XMND/20] Strength for the duration.*
Active Ability - Mana Burst
X Mana
You don’t need to be a master spell caster to simply throw Mana at the problem. Unleash a short-range blast of concentrated Mana, dealing magic damage in an area in front of you.
Active Ability - Jet
X Mana
Momentum is a tool just like any other, and you’ve learned to wield it. Massively increase or decrease your personal momentum or that of an individual body part.
This Class is Bonkers! (This Trilogy is Broken (A Comedy Litrpg Adventure) Book 2) Page 31
