Reincarnation Trials: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Systems of Salvation Book 1)

by Han Yang

  Lornsto Docks

  “Sally was my neighbor. The woman was always an angel, and we were blessed by the Great Mother with her presence. I - I - I managed to keep the dark at bay with the light she shone through her personality. During the trying times, she made the greatest friend and the best kind of person to have around. Rest well Sally, and may your rebirth be the best one yet,” Kevin said with his hand over his heart.

  Dex and Fen shoveled in the hole Sally fell in, giving us an opportunity to say goodbye. The old woman was blunt and to the point. I’d miss her, becoming saddened at her loss now that we could spare a second to grieve.

  After a moment of silence, we broke apart to accomplish the infinite tasks ahead of us.

  I left Yilissa in charge, staving off all attempts of others to join me as I headed to the mines. The others were repairing the road and offloading supplies for when it came time to bring our supplies up the incline.

  At the same time Craig could rest his leg and Trisa could detox in a bed. Once we knew the full route was clear, I’d have them secured in the mine.

  The scrape and crunch of loose grit under my boots provided comfort. I entered a battle trance, scanning every boulder and crevice while keeping my head on a swivel.

  Before cresting the lip of the incline, I stole a final glance below. The dead narocks would swelter in the heat, turning to rot soon.

  A few smiling faces waved at me between shifting supplies onto the shore. In a moving gesture, Kevin created a flag with silk and a stick to fly over Sally’s final resting space.

  I turned back to my task, resolute in my purpose. My brooding silence ended with Cella shouting for me to wait.

  I crested the ridge without her, hearing her footsteps catching up.

  “Hey, hero, give a minute,” Cella said with a grunt.

  I rolled my eyes. “Keep up, pretty lady.”

  “You think I’m pretty?” she asked with a frown.

  She joined me, matching her steps with mine. We inspected the minimal ruins of Lornsto with me. The tracks from the swarm of earlier laid a clean path from the mines to the shore, telling me we alleviated, at minimum, some of the siege.

  “You are pretty, and yes. Also no. My heart sings for -”

  “Roma. Interesting though. I figured you’d soil your good name by making such a comment.”

  “I have gotten to know you to an extent. You value propriety, status, and looks. I said the comment because it is true, and I enjoy making you happy… as a friend. Also, Cella, you need to let it go that Yilissa is screwing for fun instead of love. Don’t let it bug you,” I said.

  “Um… Yes, yes it does. I would like to court Fen, but he sees Dex and Matt having showers with Yilissa, so he invites me for a shower instead of tea,” Cella said.

  “There’s no tea.”

  “That’s beside the point. Look, this isn’t about my lack of a sex life and the fact I can’t parade Fen to my parents in the proper ways. Or that I’m a lowborn teacher who wanted to be a noble and therefore act like a noble. At the same time, the noble’s daughter is a… free spirit,” Cella said with a huff.

  “Oh, I misread the situation. All this was my figuring you were coming to complain about Yilissa’s habits. For that mistake, I apologize,” I said.

  We reached the cellars, and I had my final dragon at the ready. A baby narock scampered up the ramp with curiosity, almost smiling in its innocence. I blew its brains out with a well-aimed shot.

  Cella kept talking while we cleared the other cellars, but my ears rang, and I had little notion of what she said until I caught the tail end of her spiel. “And I think I may go with them.”

  “Oh, man. Shit, Cella. My ears were ringing, and I figured yours were too,” I said with a snicker.

  “The kids hate you. The teenagers anyway,” Cella said with a loud tone that ended with a huff.

  “Huh? What caused that?” I asked with confusion.

  She huffed. “The sex limitation, the bossing them around. They’re mini adults. Not adults. They survived for a month on their own, Theo.”

  “Cella, yes to them. No, you may not go with them,” I said in a resolute manner.

  “Uh… you’re not my boss.”

  “You wanna bet?” I asked, watching her react. “Look, hear me out before you get all prissy.”

  “Not a nice way of keeping me calm,” she said with snort. “Now I know why you led with niceties.”

  “Yeah, well. I want you alive, not calm. The kids can go, mainly because I think it’s best for the group long term. But be honest with yourself Cella. I’m not the asshole who kidnapped you, I’m the nice guy who saved you, gave you a place to be you, and even let you keep your stuff.

  “I’m not weak though, I control the main party. The main party won’t want to give up too many supplies. The teenagers leave, because they’d leave anyway with enough time. You stay though. I want you with us,” I asked.

  “Why?”

  “Ideally I’d let no one leave. That is the cost for their departure, you stay. Tell them as much, but I’ll level with you. You can’t go because they’re going to die. Where are they going to go? Laro?” I asked and she nodded. “Yeah, they might find a nice bunker to crawl into. But ask yourself this. Would you rather be with six horny teenagers, assuming Winston goes, or with Fen and responsible adults?”

  “I’ve known Lenny since he was five. I can’t leave him.”

  I shook my head. “You can and you will. That is the cost, and my stance is firm. To be honest, I think they’re leaving because Trisa tried to kill me, but that is dumb. She’ll get better and needs Kevin more than her brother.”

  “Actually, it will be four teenagers. They’re leaving her. Lenny made a deal with Winston.”

  “Ya don’t say,” I said, kicking over a board. “Didn’t see that coming. To be fair, I expected this divergence to happen after they hated the mine, not before.”

  Cella shocked me by saying, “They planned on helping load the boat, camping a day north, and then stealing Apple. They can’t do that now.”

  “Damn Cella, you were in that deep? They’re not thinking straight. No one will follow them.”

  “Yeah, not sure ‘were’ is appropriate, either. I don’t want to see them die. As for Trisa, they can’t take her, and this is their best time to make the four-day journey. Lenny wants to stay but his… I cringe to say this. His wife Nancy, the other girl in the group, doesn’t want to be ruled by tyrants.”

  I snickered at her exacerbated sigh. “The follies of youth. Look, let them take whatever they can hold and to leave before I show up. The deal we made means you have to stay. It also means if they return in the next few weeks, we’ll let them in,” I said.

  “You… you’d do that?” Cella asked trepidatiously.

  “Of course, humans must band together. I’m only a semi-tyrant. I need you. I have children without parents in that mine. They need you. I need you. Fen needs you. The four runners… Well, those kids aren’t kids, you said it yourself. They’re mini adults. Plus -”

  “I want to be where I’m wanted. I hear you. After a few weeks it would get super awkward, and they’ll mark me as an outcast. The four of them are two couples and I need to think about myself. Something I struggle to do,” she said.

  “And partially why you're not leaving with them on my orders. Do not test me on this,” I told her in a firm voice.

  The young woman nodded in understanding and said, “Thank you for talking with me.”

  I watched her fade toward the shore, her shoulders slumped in sadness. I didn’t need to say much else. Fractures within survival parties were common throughout history. After our talk I felt like she had enough reason to leave Lenny to his own demise.

  A few days ago, I concluded Max was a troublemaker, and I knew we’d face a reckoning at some juncture. This seemed like a fitting way to say goodbye to the little shit.

  If I had to guess. They’d get a day or two away and die or use the Apple as a
base when they ran into territories filled with narocks.

  The steamboat had fresh water, bedding, a toilet, and you could block the captain’s suite while you slept. I wanted them to live, but I wasn’t their parent. Nor was I their boss, and if I pushed them hard pretending to be, I couldn’t help but feel they’d shoot me in the back at the first opportune moment.

  I walked the trail toward the mine, not seeing anything but brush, rocks, and the odd tree along the route. Five minutes into my trek, I could see the bowl for the basin. To my surprise, Hariet or Eric had ordered part of the opening to be covered.

  I approached slowly and methodically, knowing that a beast of some form lingered nearby. When I approached the edge, it became clear that whatever monster kept the siege active had to be inside the basin.

  Each step closer caused my heart to slam against my chest in anticipation. I listened intently, walking as quietly as possible. I swore I made a ton of noise and had to reassure myself I was actually being quiet.

  The expected snarls and grunts didn’t materialize. When I reached the ramp, an incredibly pregnant female basked in the sun. She had to be an alpha. Not a tier two, but certainly a tier one.

  She panted from the heat, comfortable in her setting. I saw the babies swimming around in her belly, making me want to vomit as the skin bulged from their movements.

  I had a few options. Circle around to line up for a headshot, try to hit the heart, or go for a wounding and finish her off with the dragon. I sorta wished I had brought a stick of dynamite so I could toss it near her butt.

  After considering my options, I decided to try for the heart.

  She never noticed my soft approach. When I leveled Henry, the beast squeaked out a long fart, and I swore her panting swapped to a grin.

  Bang!

  The alpha startled with a jolt before the bullet dove into her side. I spun, running for distance. I let Henry flop against my side and yanked my .45 off my belt.

  Crack!

  A gunshot echoed from the basin, and I smirked. That wasn’t from me or the people from Opo at the shore. This would be from those I left behind at the mine. Even though I was fairly certain they lived, this reassurance brought an elation I hadn’t expected.

  “Hariet!” I shouted.

  “Recovering from an injury to her shooting hand,” Gregory shouted back. “The beast’s dead. You killed her, but I made certain.”

  “By the Great Mother am I glad to hear you’re alive,” I said, checking my linker.

  Quests completed.

  Quest: Break Lornsto Siege.

  Reward: 10,000 points awarded, plus (1500x14) points per survivor equals 21,000, plus 10 points per supplies brought (in progress).

  I decided to check my stats. After all we had been through, I figured I’d be swimming in the points.

  Name: Theodore Karo

  Race: Human

  Age: 21

  Strength: 20

  Fitness: 20

  Aim: 22

  Survival Skills: 10

  Melee Combat: Novice.

  Weapon Combat: Moderate.

  Western Proficiency: 9/10

  Health: 10/10

  Thirst: 10/10

  Hunger: 10/10

  Weapon Rating: 8/10

  Gear Rating: 1/10

  Points: 165,899

  Ranking: 1st out of 152,777

  I did it. I freaking did it. I just had to hope that getting to this point paid enough to keep me in first because I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave again.

  “We thought you died,” Gregory said.

  “And Roma?” I asked, walking by the dead mother, her babies still swarmed under the skin. “One second.”

  My barrel shifted and I plugged eight rounds into her guts at close range, killing the tiny babies before they could understand we were enemies. I pulled out a silk cloth to wipe the gore off my face.

  Gregory slowly exited the tunnel, his eyes darting around the shaded part of the basin.

  “Roma is sleeping inside. We… they arrived after the fall of Laro, or so we surmised. The nights were the worst and because of the noise, we shifted to daytime sleeping. Not out of choice really. Where’s Craig? Kayla has been a wreck,” Gregory asked.

  “Down at the docks. What remains of them anyway? Let me wake Roma, but prepare to bring out the carts, we have a whole lot of work to do,” I said.

  “I take it the distant booms were you and not the big alpha trying to cave in the roof?” Gregory asked.

  I walked by the trampled oats, seeing a few reaching for the sky while most lay in ruin.

  “It was us. The shores are slick with blood, and not all of it narock. The good news is, I have brought friends, a whole lot of supplies, and most of the people are the right kind we need. Some wish to leave for Laro,” I said.

  “Mark and Charlotte were talking of making a run for Bisben. Over and over. Each day that goes by, they get louder and louder. Common sense seems to have failed them. They were talking of using an ox to haul a handcart that they’d ride,” Gregory said, leading the way into the mine.

  I smiled, feeling at home for some odd reason. The walls provided a comfort I hadn’t realized I missed.

  “We need the cart, especially if I have to start stripping the surrounding farm homes and hauling docking as we expand underground. However, there’s four teenage adults wanting to hoof it via foot,” I said in a snarky tone. “Maybe freeing up an ox or two is smart, especially if we can’t always let them out anyway.”

  “Ah, I think I understand,” Gregory said. “No one has seen the sun in almost two weeks. The days shifted pretty quickly at times, and dreadfully slow other times. Almost three weeks you’ve been gone. Which… is a long time.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him, hearing dread in his voice. “Things are about to get better. How about Zachary and Lillo?”

  “Recovered and frustrated, the both of them. They adapt pretty quickly to new parents, but Lillo still cries at times. The big issue is, everyone loved when we could go outside. But Hariet had her hand break from an accident. None of us can shoot like her, meaning the monsters outside only grew in numbers until they trapped us,” Gregory said.

  “I… we’re going to build a better tomorrow,” I said to the man, walking through twists and turns in the defenses.

  Some of the wood had been shredded to nothing more than slivers piled on the ground. For the most part, Eric had placed all the reclaimed metal into defenses, and they held. Scales remained stuck on some of the jutting points, telling me the others pushed into the tunnel.

  I saw some side digging but the minimal marks gave me hope.

  “Any other injuries?” I asked.

  “We lost two of the oxen. Fell over and never got up. They’ve been starving since we rationed food,” Gregory said.

  “Sorry to hear that, we will probably need to put them all outside the walls until they can fatten up, if they can,” I said.

  After a dozen turns, we entered the old coal manager's floor. Gregory knocked on the door in a special code. I hoped to see Roma’s beautiful face, but Kayla waited with her babe.

  “Kayla, you look radiant,” I told her.

  “My husband? You sweet talkin’ me because he’s dead? Tell me he’s -”

  “Alive and mostly well. He lost a foot. After a week of agony, he recovered mostly. By week two, he could hobble with a filled boot. He has missed you something fierce, and Kayla, we found one of your daughter’s socks. He used it for strength to make it home,” I told her.

  She bit her lip holding back tears.

  “Hey, easy now. We can see the sun again. Theo and some new friends cleared the path,” Gregory said, trying to reassure her. He turned to me and added, “I am concerned about the oxen though.”

  I rubbed a supportive hand down Kayla’s back. “Head down to the mine with us to help me rouse the people. The surface is cleared of narocks for now. We have a whole barge worth of supplies and only about eight hours of daylight. Gettin
g some sun will help everyone.”

  “Thank you… thank you for bringing him back,” she said.

  I shook my head. “It was a team effort. And that team grew.”

  “Oh. Anything we need to worry about?” Kayla asked, following us deeper into the mines.

  “Not really, but you never know. The most troubled will be a young woman held prisoner who fell in love with a man I killed. To make it worse, her loving brother is leaving, they want to go to Laro,” I said.

  “Mark will want to join them,” Kayla said.

  “I think they’d shoot him, but if he wants to risk it, an ox or two should help him on his journey. And once you see the supplies we acquired, you’ll understand why the oxen need to be set free.

  “In due time, the monsters will get bigger and tougher before they starve, and their numbers reduced. At this rate, in a few years, we’ll be in a harmony of sorts,” I said, trying to be positive.

  Gregory nodded sadly and asked. “You fear we will lose the surface again?”

  “It is not ours to control, only to borrow during the day. Hence my desire for a tower. If you will excuse me, I have someone special to wake,” I said.

  I slipped away from the others and navigated the common areas until I pushed back my room’s sheet. At some point, Roma shifted to one bed. She snuggled with Zachary. Beside them rested Hariet and Lillo. All four of them slept peacefully and I hated to wake them.

  I kneeled beside Roma, feeling my allergies kick in. The damn pollen was making my eyes water again. I had wanted this moment for so long, and it was finally here.

  “Theo?” Hariet said, propping herself up on her elbows. “Why are you perving on Roma? Oh, you’re...”

  “I’m crying,” I said, wiping my eyes. “Hasn’t been easy getting back here and I kinda suck with emotions.”

  Roma’s eyes popped open, and she snatched me in a hug. “By the Great Mother.”

  I lost track of time somewhat, rubbing foreheads with the beautiful blonde I had grown attached to.

  “Theo! I knew you’d make it back. Hey, where’s your ear?” Lillo said.

  “His ear?” Roma and Hariet said in tandem.