The Guild Core: The Complete Saga Boxset: A LitRPG Dungeon Adventure

by TJ Reynolds

  With little more than a thought, Kai veered to his right, plunging downward at an incredible rate. The wind tore at his ears, but his heart sang as he plummeted. Stretched before him, Kai saw clawed hands, or, paws rather. They were his paws.

  He didn’t have to look to know his ribs were coated in gleaming scales of every color.

  He knew instinctively that this was his true form, his body as it was meant to be.

  The mountains rose up beneath him, coming so close he could see the individual trees growing on steep slopes and could spot a few scattered mountain goats prancing on a cliff wall.

  An explosion sounded as his wings filled with air, and then he was rising again.

  Kai had no direction in mind, no destination he had to pursue.

  This was merely play for him. The skies were his and his alone.

  And as he looped up and plunged once more, Kai opened his maw, his tongue sliding over massive fangs.

  Then he filled the sky with his fire.

  A plume of roiling flame rippled and tore through the air before him. The fire washed back over his body, dousing him in cleansing heat. From within his coat of scales, the fire’s edge was blunted. He found it soothing, natural, almost like a balm to his skin.

  The Emerald Dream collapsed around Kai.

  His body was small, frail, and far too soft.

  Choking, he sat up. The pool of sweat had turned into slime, filth having fled his system when the perfection of his Mandala cleaned his core.

  Ban, Kai tried with his mind.

  No answer came even after Kai had found his feet, legs wobbling with fatigue.

  He stood up, grateful he’d asked for fresh clothing.

  Kai dressed himself, aware that much of his filth hadn’t been washed free. It didn’t matter. There was much to be done.

  A series of explosions shook the keep, and Kai heard the morbid song of men screaming as they died. So, it’s begun, Kai realized.

  Not wanting to sit out the fight any longer, Kai spoke once more. “Ban! I know you’re busy, but I can’t get out. Can you remove the walls please?”

  Kai pushed against the unyielding stone, but no response came from the Earth Core.

  More explosions sounded, Fire skill attacks coming from the Brintoshi soldiers most likely. Yet here he was, stuck in a ten-foot-by-ten-foot box in the corner of Ban’s core room.

  He sighed in frustration but refused to delay any longer.

  Pulling ether from his core, Kai activated Flame Spear. The spell burst from his hand and lanced through the stone wall. Ban hadn’t reinforced the stone with mortar, so it tumbled away easily enough.

  Kai coughed, dust and ash filling his lungs.

  He stepped out into Ban’s core room and looked around. All was as it had been before the battle started. Honor nickered, disturbed by the blast but refusing to leave his post. After much discussion, the group had decided the horse would be a valiant body guard for Ban’s core.

  Asking the beast to fight in the confines of the keep seemed cruel, and besides, having Honor here to guard the Earth Core and dragon eggs made more use of the war horse’s abilities than merely staking him out of the way in some corner of the chasm.

  Kai stroked the horses flank, calming it and whispering encouragement.

  Then he briefly inspected the rest of the room and its most valuable contents. Ban’s core glowed in its dais and the dragon eggs sat safely warming in the hearth. All was well for the time being.

  Then he remembered the good news.

  Kai had just ascended. His core burned in the nine-sided pattern of the Fundamental Dragon, and he had Attribute Points to spend.

  Scanning his Etheric Interface, Kai found he had exactly ten Attribute Points to allocate.

  Ten! By Ban’s core, that’s insane! Kai thought, already greedily looking forward to the pleasure of applying such an improvement to his mind and body.

  More screams outside reminded him that this was no time to dawdle, and he could always balance his Attributes in the levels to come.

  Two points were automatically dropped into Intelligence.

  As a caster, Kai had seen the potency of his spells too many times to dismiss their value. Intelligence would boost his ether regeneration as well as the power of his magic.

  Next, he placed two in Constitution and two into Wisdom. Having a healthier body would help him in any number of ways, perhaps even granting enough strength to survive a nasty wound that would have otherwise killed him.

  Wisdom granted willpower as well as insight.

  Both would be needed in plenty.

  Knowing combat was on his doorstep, Kai placed two more points into Dexterity.

  With two more remaining, Kai decided to round off his Attributes, so he allocated one point each for Strength and Charisma. Both would only add to his overall survivability and efficiency in battle

  Finalizing his decisions, Kai gasped as his body flushed with the roiling flames of ecstasy that came with augmenting his base Attributes.

  His muscles grew dense yet somehow more flexible than before. Kai almost felt he was growing taller as his legs stretched beneath him, taking in the raging delight. Cheeks flushed, Kai reveled in the sensation.

  Simultaneously, Kai’s mind sharpened. His thought and perception focused, and he noticed a myriad tiny details he never would have before.

  Kai stared down at his hands, trembling slightly, and admitted in the privacy of his mind that the rush still rocking his body was a reward in and of itself.

  What I wouldn’t give to feel this daily, he admitted.

  Then, troublingly, he thought of Hastings. How must the bastard feel when he feeds off of an Earth Core? It must be a kind of ecstasy for him.

  Kai decided to do what he could to avoid such a fate. It might do to delay his next ascension until he gained some degree of restraint.

  He sighed as the rush subsided, already missing its touch.

  Then he scanned his EI and saw not only one but two new spell scale locations were open and ready.

  Not wasting any time, Kai scuttled over to his baggage and removed two spell scales from Imogen’s chest.

  He’d already decided which two would most help in the fight to come. As much as he missed Shadow Shroud, there was nowhere to hide. They were be sieged.

  A concealment spell was next to useless.

  Kai grinned down at the pearlescent scales, so light yet so beneficial to his defenses.

  The first, Barbed Barkskin, pulsed green before burning into his flesh with an itchy tingle. He read over the spell’s description once more, making sure he knew its cost and requirements.

  Barbed Barkskin - A spell of Andag’s Earth, Barbed Barkskin organizes ether to form crystalline structures over the body of the caster or chosen ally. The ether-forged second skin acts to both protect the user as well as propel their movements. Movement speed slightly increased. All slashing and piercing damage moderately reduced. Enemies who attack and make contact receive minor damage from the barbed effect. Cost: 25 AE. Casting Time: 10 seconds. Duration: 5 minutes.

  The casting time would be an inconvenience, but Kai was happy he could cast the spell on an ally. It added a great deal of versatility to the spell.

  Its AE cost was high, but after gaining Emerald 1 ascension, Kai had a comparatively massive reserve. Currently, he had a full 600 AE ready to lay waste.

  Placing the second spell scale on his opposite arm, Kai watched as the gold and white scale glowed and sunk into place.

  Again, ensuring he was ready to use the spell when needed, he read its description.

  Shimmering Shield Wall - A spell of Anlil’s Light, Shimmering Shield Wall projects a large protective shield of ether. The spell can be guided into nearly any position or shape, but is limited to a single wall with a maximum height of ten feet and maximum width of twenty feet. Cost: 40 AE. Casting Time: 30 seconds. Duration: 5 minutes.

  He hated the casting time.

  Thirty seconds durin
g any fight was insane. Too much could go wrong when channeling, vulnerable as he would be.

  Still, he couldn’t wait to see what the massive shield looked like and wondered how it might feel to manipulate and shape it. The only downfall was that he’d had no time to practice.

  Kai scanned his character sheet once over, appreciating his new upgrades.

  Family Name: Kaius Unterinan

  Alias: Kai

  Level: Emerald 1

  Elemental Affinity: Lumen

  Accolades:

  Core Mender, Briga’s Ally

  Attributes:

  Strength - 14 = Base 11 (+3)

  Dexterity - 15 = Base 10 (+5)

  Constitution - 15 = Base 12 (+3)

  Intelligence -20 = Base 9 (+11)

  Wisdom -14 = Base 10 (+4)

  Charisma - 13 = Base 7 (+6)

  Spells: Flame Spear, Restoring Tide, Confounded Core, Soul Projection, Breeze Step, Shimmering Shield, Barbed Barkskin

  My god, all those spells look pretty good. I wonder what I might be capable of at Viridian ascension.

  The thought made Kai laugh. He’d just done what most soldiers and heroes never could. He’d survived his Emerald ascension, and before his twenty-first birthday.

  And here he was dreaming of the next peak.

  Knowing what he had to do next, Kai pulled on his armor and took up his glaive.

  His best friend and only Earth Core was fighting a small army alone. The least he could do was guard the core room himself.

  Stepping just outside, Kai saw Rhona just fifty feet away.

  The faint afternoon light made her hair radiant. For some reason, she’d loosened her braid. The red hair lay about her shoulders like liquid fire, and never had she seemed so lovely.

  Maybe she used her Attribute Points on Charisma, Kai considered. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if she had.

  Fair skin and red lips, the monk meditated in perfect silence.

  Rather than bother her, Kai merely clutched his glaive and waited for what might come next.

  43

  Keep’s Gambit

  Ban

  Much of the nasty business Ban had designed for the first floor was straightforward and simple.

  Soldiers broke legs in spiked pit traps and twice more boulders fell from the ceiling when his hidden nymph archers activated the traps.

  This reduced Hastings’ force slightly, but the Brintoshi were determined.

  Also, several possessed healing skills similar to Kai’s Restoring Tide.

  It pained him to watch the group of Brintoshi recovering, safely tucked inside the top floor of his tower. The rest of the crossing had gone smoothly after Ban called the archers back.

  Now, one hundred and fifty-one elite soldiers waited for orders, the last few of their injured rapidly being healed.

  Ban had left much of the first floor empty. He’d thought to have his archers retreat and fire as they went, but the Brintoshi soldiers were clever and well-trained. They’d catch the nymphs or send their own projectiles to bring them down in short order.

  Instead, he lent the soldiers some feeling of false security.

  They didn’t know how big his core was.

  Better to let them anticipate weakness, then surprise them with his full strength later when it counted more.

  Hastings allowed his officers to command the troops to scour the top floor. They moved through the corridors at a frightening speed.

  In no time, they’d avoided most of the traps, healed those who were injured, and taken the top of the stairwell leading down into the second floor.

  There you won’t find things nearly so easy to accomplish, Ban promised maliciously.

  A squad of soldiers poured down the stairs and started down the long hall running along the outer edge of the tower. These souls were brave, no doubt about it. Swords in their hands and looks of determination on their faces, they would make any commander pleased.

  When the first sideways floor trap was activated, all but three of the soldiers slid out and fell to their doom though.

  Regardless of their discipline and precision, falling a hundred feet and crashing into stone remained one hundred percent fatal.

  Seven of the ten men in the squad died.

  A new squad was formed, and without pause, the invasion continued.

  Again and again, the sideways floor traps were activated. After the second one, no further deaths occurred. In fact, only a single soldier died from the second trap.

  The speed with which these men reacted and learned frightened Ban. It doesn’t seem fair that they can trigger the traps remotely, Ban grumbled as he watched yet another of his ingenious designs unfold with no results.

  Moving into the center of the floor, the first of his footfalls were discovered.

  The sheer intensity of the woman’s scream as her foot and ankle were obliterated gave Ban some pause. Should he ever be forced to defend himself like this in the future, he might consider avoiding the trap.

  This is war though, Bancroft, he reminded himself. They would do the same to you and yours. Remember that.

  Despite several severe injuries following, no more deaths came. That is, until they encountered the next major trap.

  A portly Brintoshi man who wore a short sword and a terribly unfashionable mustache triggered the mechanism.

  Hearing a loud crack as the ceiling opened wide, the man was struck in the face by a viscous fire slime.

  The minion rolled off the man’s face, its gelatinous belly bursting as it struck the short sword. This only served to release more of the slime’s fiery liquid.

  Others fell, ten in total, and the simple-minded minions peppered Hastings’ troops with their dumb, fleshy bodies.

  Screaming followed, fifteen men and women howling in pain and rage as their flesh sizzled.

  Most died immediately, cooked within their armor.

  Others panicked and ran back the way they’d come, knocking over their companions and causing more damage.

  Ban was simply delighted.

  His slimes splashed to their ground, the fluid nature of their bodies lending to an even wider distribution of toxic slime. Also, seven of the minions actually survived, and began to weave through the burning soldiers, consuming those teetering on the brink of death.

  A second squad rushed in, but rather than get close enough to be hurt by the slimes, they initiated Fire skills, scorching the monsters from a distance. When this tactic failed due to the slimes sharing the same element, one of the officers stepped forward.

  This must be a Lieutenant, Ban thought as he inspected the man’s core. He was an Emerald 1, stronger than Ban or his champion. Only Rhona or Kai could match him, that is, assuming they’d both ascended by now.

  This stray thought made Ban want to reach out and check on his fellows.

  His own world was pretty busy though, so he tucked the thought away in case a lull in the invasion happened.

  Breathing in deeply, the officer made a few motions with his hands, two fingers pointing as he traced arcane symbols in the air. Then a column of frigid air blasted down the hall.

  The slimes were frozen and destroyed in a flash.

  So too did the remaining soldiers die, their burning bodies extinguished so rapidly that a few merely shattered.

  The officer stepped back and ordered more soldiers ahead.

  Ban wasn’t the only one sickened by the gore left behind as evidence to how effective the trap had been. Sixteen mangled and smoking bodies littered the hallway.

  The companions, carefully stepping through the mess, looked anything but pleased.

  It was then that Ban started to realize the truth of the matter.

  These soldiers weren’t monsters. Having known Rhona so long, Ban should already have come to this conclusion. But they’d been chased and cornered. Now, they would fight for their lives against these men.

  If it wasn’t for Hastings though, none of the Brintoshi would be here.

&nb
sp; This is all for one man’s lust for power! Ban thought in a rage. If only I could kill just him.

  Such an outcome wasn’t possible though.

  For the man was this force’s commander. He strode beside another officer and a lesser man, perhaps a shield sergeant. Hastings was patient and clever. He was also having a fine time.

  With almost half of his soldiers dead already, one hundred and twenty-seven left alive, Hastings still wore a mild and amused expression as he walked through the keep.

  Ban decided he needed to ignore the man.

  Watching his uncaring eyes wouldn’t help win the day.

  The second major trap was sprung shortly after.

  As Ban had thought, the falling amethyst vipers were largely cut to ribbons. One man was bitten, but the rest died uselessly.

  The others though, emerging from the holes at the base of the floor, were a lot harder to detect.

  Seven more soldiers were bitten, their ankles or calves filled with quick-acting venom. Soon, they added to the death toll, bringing the troops’ total number down to one hundred and nineteen.

  Acting on a hunch, Ban ordered a single snake to remain hidden.

  The soldiers dispatched the other minions quickly, reorganized themselves, and progressed.

  No other major traps would be triggered on this floor, but the soldiers didn’t know that. They moved quietly, their hands trembling slightly despite years of training.

  Ban didn’t blame them.

  And when the man in charge of this terrible invasion walked past, Ban made the snake act.

  It emerged from its hole in the wall, fangs flashing out at Hastings’ leg.

  The man wore greaves, but only leather protected the back of his leg. Ban hoped the snake’s teeth would be strong enough to penetrate the thin armor.

  Reacting instantly, Hastings shot down his gauntleted hand and snatched the snake’s neck. His laughter echoed through the halls, disturbing more than a few of the man’s soldiers.