The Stone Tree: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 1)

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  "I have just the thing," Terran said as he blinked open his inventory, looking for the rock he had taken from the stream.

  He hadn't noticed before, but the rock had a purple outline around it indicating it needed to be identified. There wasn't time for that now as he heard the Spirit Bear crashing through the trees, headed their direction. He used the rock to scrub at the sticky substance around the lynx's foot. Soon the rock had absorbed enough of the gooey tar-like stuff for the lynx to get her foot out.

  "Quickly, up the tree," the lynx said, directing Terran towards a large tree with her muzzle.

  Terran's heart sank as he realized her only plan was to climb to safety. He could barely manage that task before with a pile of rocks. There was no way he was going to be able to hoist his frame six feet off the ground with a bear clawing at him.

  "I'll never get up there," Terran yelled at the lynx. "This is your escape plan? Why did I even bother coming back?"

  "Oh, and your banana-tossing skills were going to do you much good? All you managed to do was enrage the bear. Grab hold of my tail and quit bitching," the lynx countered while easily jumping up to the first limb and lowering her tail for Terran to reach.

  He thought about trying to escape on foot, but the white bear came barreling through the trees, jaws covered in slaver.

  "Shit."

  Terran grabbed her tail and used it like a rope to climb the trunk. Her tail felt strong in his grasp and seemed to actually help drag him up the tree, but he worried that it wouldn't be in time. As soon as he reached the first branch, the bear slammed into the tree, shaking leaves into the air as if it were a parade. The lynx scrambled higher, while the bear stood on its hind legs, reaching out with its massive claws.

  Terran scurried further up the trunk as the bear tore the limb from the tree, right where he'd been perched a moment before. He followed the lynx into the middle section of the tree, straddling a thick branch while he caught his breath.

  "Spirit Bears do not normally climb," said the lynx. "Now we just have to hope this one isn't hungry enough to exceed our patience or learn a new skill."

  As Terran eyed his empty stamina bar he hoped the lynx was right.

  Chapter Four

  It was difficult to relax with a giant bear pacing around twenty-five feet below him, but somehow Terran managed to rest enough to refill his stamina before loud rumblings announced themselves from his stomach. He eyed the rations in his inventory, looking for some relief, but decided he wasn't quite hungry enough for beef jerky. Instead, he took the rock out of his inventory to keep his hands busy and provide some distraction from the current situation.

  "I think I'm beginning to understand people's fascination with pet rocks," he said to no one in particular as he rolled the unidentified rock around in his hands. "Though I doubt most people's rocks do much more than stare at them. You're special, Spongy. We're going to be friends."

  He was filled with the memory of Flynn talking to his skull while they all laughed. The thought disappeared, but the longing feeling remained when he heard what he assumed to be a small laugh from the lynx several branches above him.

  "Pet rocks and stone bananas. Trying to compensate for something?" the lynx asked.

  "Hey, don't bite the hand that frees you," Terran shot back, then glanced between his legs. "How long do you think he'll keep at this? It's almost been an hour."

  "I've seen hungry bears wait for days," she responded. "Unless something better comes along or he gets too annoyed to bother, there's no telling how long. Alive and waiting is much better than being bear food though."

  A pine cone tumbled to the ground as Terran shifted his weight on the branch, trying to find a more comfortable spot. The bear stopped its pacing and looked up at Terran when the pinecone landed several feet in front of it.

  Terran grabbed two nearby pine cones and tossed them at the bear. The bear casually swatted the large seeds away and growled up at Terran. The pine cones were too light to gain any velocity, but it gave him an idea. He gathered up several more pine cones and focused mana into his hands, casting Stone Touch on them. As soon as the spell finished, the brown fist-sized seeds turned gray and heavy in his hands. He threw one as hard as he could right at the bear's head. Upon impact the pine cone shattered into dozens of rock shards, pelting the bear.

  [You have learned the Rock Shards spell]

  Rock Shards – Spell (END)

  Cost: 15 Mana

  Duration - 1 minute

  Create a stone item that explodes into pieces upon impact.

  "Oh wow! I wasn't expecting that," Terran exclaimed. "All the little pieces of the pine cone just shattered everywhere. Look how pissed that bear is now."

  Terran continued pelting the bear, who roared in anger as it tried to dodge the stone projectiles. When the lynx saw what was happening, she gathered pine cones in her mouth and tossed them to Terran, who used them to rain stone upon the bear. After several minutes of being pelted, the creature shambled into the forest. Although the bear's health bar had barely moved, Terran noticed small red spots of blood spattered on its white coat.

  [You have increased your skill Improvisation]

  Skill: Improvisation 3 (INT)

  Keep it up and pretty soon you won't be as dumb as a bunch of rocks.

  "That was some quick thinking. We should get out of here as quickly as we can," the lynx said, jumping from the tree and landing in true cat form on all four paws.

  Terran wasn't nearly as graceful as he scraped his arms on the bark and somehow managed to snag his bow on a limb on his way down. The cat made a sound of laughter as she headed off in the opposite direction of the bear.

  "Hey, wait! I don't even know your name," Terran called after her while trying to catch up to the graceful cat.

  "I suppose since I owe you a life debt now, I could tell you my name. I am called Luna because I was born under a full moon and excel at night hunting," she responded as he caught up to her.

  "I'm Terran. Nice to meet you, Luna."

  "Seldom do I see humans roaming the forest alone. Where are you going, Terran?" asked the lynx.

  "I don't actually know," he sighed. "I was in the Winding Canyons when I was cursed by a witch, and when she killed me I respawned here. I'm trying to find a way back to my friends. I thought there may be a town along the river, so I was heading that direction."

  "There are no human settlements within my territory, but perhaps the cave dwellers may know of something. I could take you there if you would consider that payment for the life debt."

  Suddenly Luna crouched down and perked up her ears. She motioned with her tail for Terran to get down. Confused, Terran dropped to his stomach and watched the lynx for clues as she slunk across the ground towards a small pile of moving leaves. As silent as an owl, Luna pounced on the pile. She stood back up with a small rodent grasped in her teeth and greedily devoured it. Terran wasn't sure if he was more impressed or grossed out watching her eat the tiny animal.

  When Luna had finished her lunch she licked the back of her paw and wiped her face until it was clean. Terran's stomach emitted a low rumble while he watched Luna clean up.

  "Any chance we could cook one of those? I don't normally eat things that are still wriggling."

  Luna laughed. "First, you'd have to be able to catch one. I may be able to help you catch something a little easier. Come."

  Luna silently padded off into the forest, switching her tail each time Terran snapped a twig following behind her. Terran thought she looked like a dog greeting its owner after a long day of work. Turning around and letting out a low growl, Luna narrowed her eyes at him.

  "You're louder than thunder echoing through a canyon," she chided. "You will accomplish nothing if you cannot learn to be silent."

  Terran shrugged. "I promise I'm trying."

  After about an hour of walking they came upon the mouth of a large cave. The smell of rotting flesh and wet dog oozed out of the depths of the darkness.

&
nbsp; "Yuck! I hope we're not getting dinner in there. Smells worse than a locker room full of teenage boys after wrestling practice," Terran said, scrunching up his face.

  "Oh no. I wouldn't go in there. That is the lair of the Crag Trolls. Nasty things," Luna responded. "We should keep moving. I'd rather not run into one of them."

  The eerie silence that surrounded the mouth of the cave gave way to a bustling forest. Birds chirped and insects buzzed as Terran and Luna wove along what must have been an animal track.

  "Where are we going?" Terran asked.

  "To hunt Bullywugs. Even a lumbering ape like you could catch one, and humans say they taste like chicken once roasted on a fire. A group of them live by the pond not far from here."

  A flock of geese landed in the water as the pair reached the forest pond. The ripples from their landing sent waves along the once glassy water. The sun poured in from the opening in the trees, warming the air. As Terran looked around at the beautiful landscape he spotted what he could only call giant frogs on the other side of the pond. There were three of them crouched in waiting, then they would suddenly burst into the air, flinging their tongues towards an unseen insect one at a time. The yellow health bar from Terran's analyze ability reported the Bullywugs must be near his level.

  "Since you cannot be quiet, stay here and I will herd them towards you. Try to attack from afar before they reach you. Those tongues are deadlier than they look, so you don't want them getting that close to you," Luna instructed as she silently headed off around to the other side of the pond.

  As soon as Luna left, Terran prepared several nearby pebbles using his Rock Shards spell. He wasn't sure he could throw as accurately as he could drop pine cones, but he didn't have any other ideas. He concentrated on each pebble in his hand, transferring his magic into them. Within a few minutes he had a substantial pile of prepared rocks and an empty mana bar. He prepared to throw one at the exact same time that Luna came crashing out of the trees, sending three Bullywugs frantically hopping in his direction.

  Racing around the edge of the pond, the Bullywugs were headed straight for Terran. The first stone he threw shattered into pieces at least fifty feet short of his targets, so he waited briefly for the giant frogs to get closer before unleashing a volley of the prepared pebbles. The debris flying in every direction made it impossible to tell if he was hitting his targets, but Terran kept throwing until he realized the pebbles were no longer exploding.

  "Oh shit, the spell only lasts a minute!" Terran wailed, realizing his error.

  One of the Bullywugs lay motionless on the ground, but the other two were headed straight for Terran with their giant, sticky tongues lashing out in front of them trying to get a taste. Terran backpedaled, unsure of what to do without any more rock shards to throw. He nocked an arrow in his bow and shot towards a Bullywug with only half of its health left. The arrow flew wide of its target and pierced the ground several inches from the trailing lynx's foot.

  "Hey, watch where you aim that!" Luna roared as she lunged towards the Bullywug closest to her.

  The lynx pounced on her prey and quickly subdued it with a bite to the throat. Its legs gave a few final twitches as it lost consciousness while Luna tossed her head back and forth, gripping the giant frog in her teeth.

  Terran scrambled backwards wishing he had dug a trap or something to catch the giant frog on his tail. Since his mana had regenerated enough to cast one more spell, Terran bent down and grabbed the nearest rock, willing his magic into it as he immediately threw it at the Bullywug, whose tongue was only inches from reaching him. The rock shattered on the giant frog's chest, sending shards everywhere. Terran's health fell a quarter as he took some of the shrapnel in the face, but the damage was lethal to the Bullywug, and it collapsed to the ground, tongue unfurled.

  You are now level 3!

  Terran bent over, panting from the exertion as Luna strolled up to the Bullywug on the ground and nudged it with her muzzle.

  "Not much meat left to cook, but at least the legs are still intact. They're the best part anyway," Luna said cheerily. "And you seem to have grown some from the experience."

  "Yeah, but there has to be an easier way to do that."

  Luna nodded with a smile. "Cut off their legs and we'll find a safer spot to make a fire so you can roast some frog legs for dinner."

  Terran set to work gathering the six hind legs with his rusty dagger while thinking about how he would spend his ability points. He was tempted to spend the points on Endurance and Intelligence again since that would increase his hit points and those were the abilities that affected his spells and skills the most. On the other hand, increasing his Agility would help him be quieter. Once all the legs were packed away in his inventory, Terran sat down and opened up his character sheet to place his points in the same abilities that he had before.

  Character: Terran

  Level: 3

  Class: Undetermined

  HP: 45

  Mana: 140

  Sta: 130

  Strength: 1

  Intelligence: 3

  Endurance: 3

  Cunning: 1

  Agility: 1

  Charisma: 1

  Spells:

  Stone Touch (unique)

  Rock Shards

  Skills:

  Improvisation (INT): 3

  Commune with Nature (CHA): 1

  Nature's Lore (INT): 2

  He decided to let Luna keep chastising him for his inability to keep quiet. That could be her job. He needed to focus on improving his spells. After placing his points, Terran stood, shouldered his backpack, adjusted his bow, and readied himself for more walking.

  "Come on. I'm hungry. Let's find a place to cook these things," Terran said to Luna.

  Luna languidly finished cleaning herself then finally stood and trotted away from the pond with Terran at her heels. They had only been walking a few minutes when Luna suddenly froze, ears perked up, tail swishing. While watching the clouds move across the bright blue sky, Terran ran into her from behind.

  "Hey, what's—" Terran began.

  "Shh," Luna curtly interrupted as the sound of voices drifted towards them.

  Luna jumped behind a nearby bush and indicated with her head that Terran should do the same.

  "Hide!" she warned. "Crag Trolls use these paths, and we do not want to be seen by them."

  Terran hurried to a different bush. Trembling with anxiety, he crouched down behind the branches and held his breath as he listened to the footsteps and voices growing nearer.

  Chapter Five

  Crouched behind the bush, knees pressed into the rocky ground, Terran listened as the creatures approached. He hoped they would pass by his location without spotting him. He was glad that his high desert colors didn't stick out against the greens and browns of the Rockpine Forest.

  "So I had him by the collar, and when he tried to get away, I poured a whole bottle of fizzy juice down his pants," a deep male voice said.

  Two other voices, one male and one female, joined in the first's laughter.

  "He never should have said that about you, Kratow," said the other male voice. "When you mess with the bull, you better be prepared for some bullshit."

  "He shouldn't have thought to insult his betters," said the female voice with a trilling accent.

  Terran had been expecting Crag Trolls, but when he heard their honest-to-goodness real human speech, he popped up behind the bush to see three humans: a massive guy wearing leathers with a claymore on his back, a smaller guy whose skin was as dark as his clothing, and an attractive blonde wearing chainmail.

  "Hey!"

  He was so surprised at hearing other players that he forgot to think about the manner of revealing himself, because as soon as he appeared, the three adventurers fell into fighting stances.

  "A bandit!" cried the smaller guy.

  Before Terran could get another word out, the one who'd spoken extended his index finger, from which a fiery ray shot. The burst of flame
hit Terran right in the shoulder, searing flesh, so he threw himself back behind the bush.

  The hiss of steel exiting its sheath filled Terran with dread. As the party surrounded his hiding place, he shouted, "I'm a player! I'm a player! I'm a player!"

  Terran looked up to see the one called Kratow holding his claymore on his shoulder, face wrinkled with confusion. The other two stood beside him, hands on hips.

  "Who the hell are you and how did you get here?" asked Kratow.

  From his crouched position, Terran asked, "May I stand up?"

  Kratow nodded.

  "I'm Terran," he said, holding his hand out, then retracting it when no one made a move to shake it.

  "I'm Kratow, this is Roald, and that's Selune," said the guy with the claymore. "You shouldn't jump out of bushes and not expect to get attacked."

  "My bad," said Terran, then remembering Luna, looked around to introduce the Rock Leaf Lynx, but she was nowhere to be found.

  "Looking for someone?" asked Selune, following his gaze.

  "I, uhm, no," said Terran, deciding that since he didn't know much about these three, he wasn't going to tell them about her.

  Kratow thrust his sword forward, then shoved the tip into the dirt. "I thought I asked you how you got here? What's a newb like you doing here, and all alone?"

  "I got cursed by a witch," said Terran. "Then she killed me and when I respawned it was out here."

  "Whoa," said Roald. "That's one hell of a curse."

  "How do we know you're telling the truth?" asked Selune, squinting at him.

  "I, uhm, don't know why I'd lie about something like that," said Terran, holding his hands out, palms up. "We were exploring the Winding Canyons, which is on the Moranne continent. It's all high desert in the region we were in."

  "We?" asked Roald.

  "My friends and I. Unfortunately, I was the only one that got cursed. What about you three?" he asked.

  Kratow grunted, looking like he didn't want to answer the question. Selune rolled her eyes in the big man's direction.