Dream Stream Reality: Publisher's Pack Books 1-2: (A LitRPG Adventure)

by Derrick Burke

  Before any of us can reply, an armoured figure crashes to the ground in an open space near us, with his spear piercing the pavement. A shock wave spreads out quickly, and when it hits me, my body freezes up completely. I can't move a muscle except for my eyes. Moving them around, I can see that everyone is also completely frozen, even the goblin flying through the air that Kazzrak just flung away by its foot.

  What's going on?

  I flick my eyes to the debuff timer. A thirty-second stun? What kind of skill is this powerful?!

  A hauntingly familiar laugh pierces the air. No more than half a yard in front of me, a tall night elf materialises slowly, spinning two daggers in her hands like pistols. She has a red tag above her head where her name would normally be, but it’s blank.

  She grins manically. “Oh, hello, Donald. I haven't seen you in sooooo long. I thought that I would say hello.”

  I can't even speak; this stun is that powerful. I can only look at her with a questioning gaze before it dawns on me.

  Vicky? Oh fuck. How did things turn around so quickly?

  “I don't have too much time, but I thought that I would take this perfect opportunity to take you and your team down a notch or two. I really don't like the way you treated me and mine on the other side. Not to mention surpassing me in levels every time I almost caught up with you. That really, really ticked me off,” she says with some heat.

  Then she leans in and says softly, “So now I'm going to make you pay. You should really have gone to the bank sooner and received your relic; you might have stood a chance then. See, mine is very special. All I have to do is nick you in the same spot twice and poof! Dead you will be. Although I hear it is quite excruciating for the few seconds it takes to actually kill you. I have to be quick though. I only have ten seconds left.”

  “I hope you haven't become too attached to this little friend of yours. Little brother? Isn't that what you said?” Vicky moves away from me slightly and laughs with a triumphant glint in her eyes. She grins at me, watching me as she sinks a dagger into Knax's shoulder to the hilt.

  Right where she stabbed him before.

  Oh shit. NO!

  Sybaal: KNAX! NO!

  My little brother's eyes bulge, and I can see he is straining against the bonds of the debuff holding him still, but to no avail. He's looking at me with tear-filled, pleading eyes, even as the light begins to fade from them.

  Knax: Sybaal! Help me…

  Straining against my own bonds, I still can't move or speak. I can't do anything.

  Nothing at all.

  Sybaal: KNAX! Oh god, no! I'm so sorry, Knax, I'm so sorry.

  Kazzrak: Knax! When I get out of here, I'm going to tear her apart with my bare hands! Rawr!

  The light fades from my friend's eyes until he is just an empty shell of what he was, still stuck in the stunned state.

  Through our blood-brother bond, I can feel his pain and anguish as he passes.

  My mind breaks.

  I howl and scream within my cage. I push against this bond holding me down and feel it start to weaken. My mind fades out of coherency and my vision tunnels on Vicky.

  Die!

  A furious roar assaults my ears, and suddenly I'm free.

  Vicky has a horrified look on her face as I swipe my claws across her throat, tearing it away completely. Before I can do anything else though, her other dagger pierces my ribs. I don't even feel it through my all-consuming rage.

  She killed Knax! I'll rend her limb from limb!

  Again, I can't move?! I howl in fury and pain. I'm frozen as the pain Knax must have gone through—the excruciating pain, worse than anything I have felt previously—courses through my body. It's like a thousand fire ants continuously biting into every inch of my skin.

  My rage hasn't been assuaged yet, it just keeps compounding as the pain gets worse, and I'm stuck within a cage of bonds once more.

  Slowly my vision fades to black as all I can see is the bitch with her torn throat dying with me as she falls backwards as if in slow motion.

  You have died.

  You will respawn in 10 minutes at your last bind point.

  You have not bound your spirit to an altar.

  You will respawn at the nearest altar.

  Nearest Altar: Tarnstead Chapel.

  With a snap, the pain is gone and the endless black around me takes a proper hold on me. Its emptiness begins to soothe my roaring rage. I have no voice, no body, only the essence of myself with my thoughts. Railing at the darkness becomes a pointless venture, so my mind begins to deal with the grief over losing someone I considered to be my little brother.

  Someone I wish I had been able to spend more time with. Someone I wish I could have protected. All he wanted to do was to help us and those around him, to get stronger for his people, for his own little brother he couldn't protect.

  Why? Why couldn't I save him? Oh, Knax, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry your life was snuffed out so quickly, before you had the chance to enjoy it to its fullest. I'm sorry you had to endure such a horrific end from some crazy psycho vindictive bitch you didn't even know.

  Something within me snaps and crumbles. I can't, I just can't let this go. I must have recompense. I—I will have my vengeance for you, Knax. I will repay her for your life a thousandfold. More. I will make her wish she had never set foot within this game.

  Wherever you are, Knax, know that I will never let this happen to another friend ever again.

  This I promise you.

  Know that I will become stronger, the strongest this world has ever seen. I won't stop till I can protect everyone, till I can keep everyone safe.

  This I promise you.

  Just wait and see, little brother. This world will tremble where I walk. This world will hide from my wrath. Any who wish harm to me and mine will be torn asunder unto true death.

  This I promise you.

  One day, Knax, one day I will see you again, and on that day, I hope you can forgive me for the havoc I will curse this world with. I will avenge you, Knax.

  This I promise you.

  Hidden Quest: Rebirth of a pure soul.

  Rarity: Unique/Legendary.

  Details: You have made four soul promises to your deceased blood brother, who possessed a pure soul. Your conviction to avenge the death of Knax has resulted in your blood-brother bond evolving. A fragment of his pure soul has been condensed into an item he was carrying and is now soul bound to you. Find it and find a way to give him a new life.

  Conditions: Find Knax's soul fragment and give him a new life.

  Failure: Not collecting Knax's soul fragment within the hour. Turning Knax's soul into an undead.

  Refuse quest: True death of your blood-brother Knax.

  Reward: Unknown.

  Accept quest?

  Yes/No

  Shock makes my grief and rage condense into a tight ball of emotions. It sinks deep within the chasm of my heart and takes root with the other balls of extreme hate of the few others in my life who have done me an unforgivable wrong. Looking at that abstractly, more and more of late I am becoming more vengeful, and I'm not sure how I feel about that, to be honest.

  I accept the quest and it feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. With this quest, a legendary one at that, I can bring Knax back to life.

  I won't forget the promises I made to you, Knax.

  You'll see.

  10

  Why is my entire life turning upside down? In a game no less. The emotions I am having within this game feel so real. There has been more happening in my life in the last week than in the last several years. Whilst not necessarily a bad thing, it certainly has made my normally quite solid emotions go on a weeklong rollercoaster ride.

  These are some of the thoughts that assail my mind during the last few moments of my ten-minute respawn timer.

  A pure white light envelops me and I feel almost as if I'm yanked into a new direction I never knew existed. I'm being pulled towards what looks lik
e a stone altar in a sea of glowing, white roiling smoke.

  On top of the altar is my dragonkin body wearing nothing but its birthday suit. Faster than I can even imagine, with a force like falling from the tallest building in the world, my essence crash-lands into my body with an earth-shattering explosion.

  The force of being slammed back into my body forces my back to arch, my muscles to spasm, and my eyes to fly open in shock while I gasp in the biggest lungful of air I've ever taken.

  Holy fuck.

  Almost as if turning off a light switch, my body relaxes and becomes as unresponsive as trying to catch the last tiny and elusive wet noodle from a soup dish with chopsticks. It just doesn't happen the first time. Or the second.

  Oh god, this sucks. I really need to not die anymore. Not if it's going to be like this every time. Ugh.

  Pushing myself into a somewhat sitting position on extremely shaky arms, I notice my surrounds for the first time as I look around. I'm in what looks to be like a small circular antechamber in a religious building from back in the real world. Stained-glass windows depict a visual representation of the resurrection I just went through.

  The domed ceiling is covered in the same glowing white roiling smoke that I just flew through. Maybe that's how they explain the mechanics of respawning in this game? Oh well, something to ponder some other time. I have more important things to deal with right now, like getting out of here and back to my friends.

  Oh, and finding Knax's soul fragment. That's currently topping my list with a close second of snapping Vicky's neck. Yeah, that sounds pretty good right about now.

  On shaky legs, I lurch to my feet with the help of the solidity of the stone altar. My stomach does a couple of backflips, and I could swear I've just been on a three-day bender as I struggle not to hurl over all the bleached white tiles.

  Managing to control the urge to projectile vomit everywhere with deep, slow, even breaths, I finally stumble my way to the engraved door in front of me. It's the only way in or out of this place.

  I'm about to open the door when I remember what I'm dressed in, or not in. Opening my inventory, I see that all my gear is right there ready and waiting for me. As I equip everything again, I wonder what would have happened to my stuff if my bags were full. Probably don't want to find that one out the hard way, and it's really not worth feeling like this, so I think I'll shelf that inane query for another time.

  Now back to wearing full gear, I see that there is a slit in the front of my armour where Vicky stabbed me. I check the durability of it and see that it has gone down a few notches. Guess I need to get it repaired now.

  Pulling the door open, I come face to face with a majestically winged female knight in sterling silver and gold filigree armour. Glowing golden locks of hair flow from under her full-face helm and float around her as if she is under water.

  “Um, hi there,” I stammer, quite gobsmacked. Did I actually die and go to heaven or something? Like, jeez, this isn't something that I've ever experienced before.

  Before I can utter another word, the armoured angel knight in front of me removes a glowing white whip from her belt. I didn't even notice it was there. Now that my attention is drawn down, I see a longsword hanging from her other hip, and get slightly scared.

  In a booming voice, so loud that I feel as if I'm standing right next to the subwoofers of a massive concert, the angel knight proclaims, “Victoria, you have violated the laws governing your immortal souls in this world with the killing of the kobold mage Knax. You are hereby sentenced to be forcibly imprisoned unto such a time as the judge governing your sentence deems you fit to return to your journey.”

  Without further ceremony—and to my extreme confusion as I look behind me, seeing nothing but an empty room with a stone altar—when I look back to the angel knight, she pulls back her arm and then flings the end of the whip straight at me.

  I try to dodge to the side without even realising it, but all that happens is that I fall flat on my ass. Looking on, completely shocked, I see the glowing whip cut itself off at the threshold of the door.

  This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

  As I sit and just blink a couple of times, trying to come up with an explanation without success, the angel knight tugs on the whip hard. It coils itself automatically in her hand as it retracts from wherever it went, and Vicky suddenly appears out of thin air.

  She is tied up several times with the whip and is being dragged screaming towards the waiting hand of the angel knight, who grabs her by the throat in an armoured gauntlet. I can see Vicky's name is actually Victoria and it is marred by the black name tag of an NPC killer.

  My eye twitches and my vision begins to tunnel as I lurch to my feet, not caring about the tumble dryer that is my stomach or the drums beating a bloody rhythm in my head. Stumbling across the threshold, the claws on my hands grow longer without me even realising it as they stretch towards my new mortal enemy.

  Somehow, I feel the angel knight's gaze pierce my soul. “She is mine until she is released. You will have to wait to unleash your wrath, Lord Sybaal. I pray you find peace.”

  “Nooo!” The tips of my claws almost graze Victoria's neck before they both disappear in a flash of light. I roar in despair at the anguish of having her literally slip through my fingertips.

  A flock of birds lifts off from a few nearby trees, frightened by the roar of the angry predator that I am. Closing my eyes and pushing back the tunnel vision of my rage, I bundle it back up and shove it deep down where it belongs.

  That is, until the next time I see her again. They can't keep her forever. The angel said so herself. One day Victoria will feel my wrath. Hopefully soon.

  When I finally open my eyes again, I see that I'm standing in the large courtyard of a chapel dedicated to some goddess I don't even know. That is if the statue of a woman in flowing robes posing elegantly in the middle of a fountain is actually the depiction of a goddess and not just art. Trees line the stone walls around the courtyard while grass covers the rest of the ground.

  Standing next to the statue is the cloaked woman with the glowing white eyes from earlier. Her two armoured knights are standing at the entrance to the chapel courtyard.

  We stare at each other for a few moments as the silence grows uncomfortably long. I'm not sure what to make of her being here.

  “Lord Sybaal, is it?” asks the womanly voice within the hood. “What brings you away from the lands you rule, and where might those lands be?”

  Squinting my eyes at her, I decide to respond truthfully. “My friends and I are exploring the surrounding areas, as well as finding ways to further advance my people in all areas. Defence being a major priority at this point in time. As to my lands, I am the Duke of the Glade of Everhein, which is due west from here. To whom am I speaking?”

  “You are speaking to the one who brought justice to your departed friend,” replies the woman, her eyes flashing. “I witnessed his courage and untimely demise from one of you immortal beings. I could not let that act go unpunished, so I came here to pray to the goddess of justice, Iustitia. It seems that she is of the same mind, as one of her angels arrived immediately and has been waiting for this Victoria to respawn on the altar.”

  “I see.” Taking a deep breath, I rein in my anger at having Victoria escape from my grasp and this woman being the reason why. There is nothing to be done now. If anything, I should probably thank the woman, even if I don't want to. “Do you have a name? Is there also some way I might be able to help you, as you have done for me? I believe in repaying in kind, as you may have noticed.”

  “I did notice that. I apologise that you have to wait for your vengeance.”

  I nod my head in acceptance but stay silent.

  “As for what you might do for me, I am heading in the direction of your Glade with my companions. We might pass through, or even settle down near there; we are unsure as of yet. Would you be able to help with any supplies we might need? Would you also be interested in a t
rade agreement? Between myself and your people?”

  Frowning, I don't remember there being much in the way of anything else further west of us on the map. I know it's blacked out past our border walls, but I was under the impression there wasn't anything there from the lack of interesting sites garnered from Patricia Jones’s journal. I had actually thought we might be on the coast or some such like that.

  “I am willing to accept a trade agreement, as long as it is fair to both of us. I will make the trade agreement valid with my guild, Venatores. Every one of my vassals are also guild members. You are welcome to join us if you do decide you wish to stay. Or even if you don't. You have certainly proved yourself by your actions.”

  “Unfortunately, I must decline your invitation into your guild at this time. Perhaps another time may be more worthwhile. As for trade, how does a flat twenty percent off of all goods bought or sold between us sound?”

  Thinking it over for a moment, I'm not surprised at the figure, or that she refused to join my guild. Especially seeing as she knows nothing of me and mine besides wanting to fight and being consumed by rage. No wonder.

  I nod. “I agree to your terms. I also propose to extend my protection to you and yours if you do so need it or ask for it.”

  The hood cocks to one side for a brief moment. “I also agree to your terms and will offer the same in kind. Are we in agreement?”

  You have been offered a protection alliance with Vitea, which also gives a 20% discount to buying or selling wares between you both.

  Accept Alliance?

  Yes/No

  “We are,” I say as I accept with a bow. “I look forward to doing business with you, Vitea, and also to helping each other grow. Please don't hesitate to contact me personally if you ever need anything that my guild members can't provide for you, or even if you just want to chat.”

  Congratulations! You have entered into an alliance with Vitea. She will come to your aid when needed or requested, and you will also do the same for her. If you break this alliance by refusing aid or the trade discount, you will not like the consequences. The same applies to Vitea.