Soulstone: Oblivion (World of Ruul Book 3)

by J. A. Cipriano

  I watched my EXP bar rise, fill completely, and then fill up again, kicking past the second level to around 30 percent toward the next one. At the same time, Elizabeth said, “Level Up! You have reached level 24. Level Up! You have reached level 25.”

  That was fucking awesome. I’d leveled twice in five seconds. I popped up my stats for a quick look:

  * * *

  CHARACTER: Kahn

  Alignment: Neutral

  Level: 25

  Health: 522

  Mana: 447

  Synchronization: 90%

  Strength: 20

  Dexterity: 20

  Constitution: 20

  Wisdom: 20

  Intelligence: 20

  * * *

  HOLY SHIT, I had a ton of health and mana! Plus, as we got through without me being forced to pick a Branch for Revering Vendetta, I could choose the best option once we caught up to Sabre that would let us best save Two’ Manchu. I also took a second to glance at the newly empowered Amulet:

  * * *

  AMULET OF ULTIMATE OBLIVION

  Material: Gold and Crystal

  Durability: 400

  Bonus: +15 to Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, Light and Shadow Resistance

  Bonus: +15% damage for all Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, Light and Shadow element attacks

  * * *

  FOR A LONG MOMENT after the Dungeon Lord fell, no one moved or spoke. Then Crash’s voice broke the silence. “Sweet fuck, we actually beat this place!”

  Terra nodded, letting out a low whistle as she stared at the newly empowered amulet. "Yeah! And even better, I didn't get left out from any phat loot, now that this amulet boosts the actual element I use."

  “Uh … what’s that, then?” Nova said, pointing toward the pit where the dark crystals were rising out of the gloom, orbiting each other in a slow rotation.

  Crash groaned. “Seriously? I quit. I’m not fighting one more stupid elemental monster.”

  The crystals started to glow softly. But instead of firing monster-spawning lightning bolts, they spun faster until there was just a four-colored blur, and then a sparkling flash of light that faded to reveal a single, large crystal with four glowing sections of red, blue, white, and yellow. It floated gently to the intact altar in front of the oblivion hole and came to rest on the glossy black surface.

  I circled the hole slowly, walking toward the crystal. “Holy shit,” I said. “I think that’s a soulstone.”

  36

  “Yeah, that’s definitely a soulstone,” Terra said as we stood around the safe side of the altar, looking at the four-colored crystal. “And I’m taking it.”

  I stared at her. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me,” she said as she stepped forward and reached out. “I started this dungeon, and you all just played through my instance—”

  “I don’t think so.” I grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand back. “We did all the grinding in this place, and you only came in at the last minute. Hell, your sister deserves to have it more than you!”

  “Guys? Um, why don’t we vote?” Nova said hesitantly, trying to step between us. “Maybe we could—”

  “Hell, no!” Terra said as she tore from my grip and stalked a few paces away. “Look, this whole thing was my idea! Nova wasn’t going to come in here at all, and you guys … well, I don’t even know where she found you. But I was here first.”

  I went after her. “We came here to level up, and because I thought there might be a soulstone,” I said, trying to sound reasonable. “We just happened to run into Nova outside the place, and she convinced us to help her save your ass. If it weren’t for us, you’d still be passed out and poisoned in the wind area, or dead!”

  Terra snorted and turned away from me, crossing her arms. “I could’ve done it. If Nova came in with me in the first place.”

  “Maybe you could, but that means you still would’ve needed help,” I pointed out.

  “I need to get back at Wynn!” She whirled on me, her green eyes blazing. “That douchebag son of a bitch already has a soulstone. If I had one, I could …”

  “What? Kill him?” I almost reached out to her, but I backed down at the last minute. “Come on, Terra. You don’t actually want to kill people,” I said. “You know if they die here, they die for real.”

  “Okay, fine. Maybe I don’t want to kill him,” she said through clenched teeth. “But I do want to kick his ass, repeatedly.”

  “I’m pretty sure you don’t need a soulstone to do that,” I said with a grin. “You’re pretty kick-ass already. Besides, if you have a soulstone, that means Wynn is gonna try to kill you. Bounty on my head, remember?”

  Some of the tension drained from her face, and she cocked her head. “You do have a point, I guess,” she said, and then gave a small smile. “You really think I kick ass?”

  “I really do. I mean, you punched a wind spirit in the face,” I said as I looked back toward the altar, where Crash and Nova were still staring at the soulstone. George had wheedled himself into Nova’s arms, and she cradled him while she stroked his fur. He probably couldn’t care less about the soulstone right now.

  Terra let out a long, shuddering breath. “I suppose I’d rather not have every player in Ruul trying to kill me,” she finally said with a slight shake of her head. “So … good luck with that, I guess?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” I smirked and nodded at the altar. “Let’s go check this thing out, huh?”

  “All right,” she said as she smiled.

  We headed back, and Crash tore his gaze from the glowing crystal to look at me. “Are you guys done? Because I’m not seeing any portal out of here, and I’m pretty sure we’re not getting one until somebody claims that thing.”

  “What, you mean you don’t want to possess a soulstone?” I said with a laugh.

  Crash gestured with both hands. “No thanks, dude. I’m a fan of not dying, especially from a bloodthirsty player mob. It’s all yours.”

  “All right, then. Any other objections?” I said, looking at Nova.

  She smiled. “I don’t want it.”

  “Suddenly I’m not sure I do, either. But here goes,” I said as I reached for the altar and picked up the crystal. For a second, I thought maybe it wasn’t a soulstone after all. It could be just a unique boss drop or something.

  But then the crystal warmed in my hands, and words flashed across my HUD.

  World Achievement: Player Kahn has found the Soulstone of the Elements.

  “Awesome. Thanks again for announcing that to everyone and their grandmother,” I said under my breath, smiling anyway.

  Looking at the crystal up close, I could see that the glow from within wasn’t just light. There were illusions trapped beneath the glittering surface — rain in the blue section, flames in the red, metallic bronze flakes in the yellow, and swirling smoke in the white. Like miniature elemental worlds.

  I checked my screen. The stats for the new soulstone had appeared without having to cast Identify, just like they had for the soulstone of death.

  * * *

  SOULSTONE of the Elements

  Material: Crystal

  Durability: Unbreakable

  Bonus: Increases all Skill Effects by 100%. Increases Mage Skills by an additional 50%. Increases the strength of all buffs by 50%.

  Party Bonus: Increases Party experience by 100%. Increases Party regeneration by 50%.

  Set Bonus: Unknown

  * * *

  HUH. This soulstone had a ton of awesome bonuses too, and it looked like it would’ve been amazing for Nova. But I was pretty sure I couldn’t give it away now that I’d claimed it, or whatever.

  It made me wonder how someone could take the soulstone that Wynn already had, if they wanted it. Someone like me.

  “And there’s the portal,” Crash said with a heavy amount of relief in his voice. The shimmering doorway had appeared in the entrance to the earth level — the door we’d come into the dungeon with. “Hey, Kahn. Do you mind if I look at
it next to the Soulstone of Death a second?” he said, pointing at the soulstone. “Just real quick before you put them away.”

  “Uh … sure.” I pulled out the Soulstone of Death and held them both out to him. “I’d hand them to you, but, you know …”

  “Right, of course,” he said as he stared at the pair of crystals. A distant look came over him, and he suddenly went very still.

  “Crash?” I said with concern. “You okay, man?”

  He blinked and shook his head. “Yeah. I’m fine. I think … I get it now.”

  “Get what?” I asked, putting both Soulstones back into my inventory.

  “Uh, never mind. It might be nothing,” he said, that strange look flashing on his face for a second. “Let’s just get out of here.”

  “That’s the best idea you’ve ever had, priest,” George said as he leaped down from Nova’s arms and headed toward the portal. “Come on, guys! I want food, and a bath, and a big soft pile of sawdust to sleep on. And possibly a lady rabbit with questionable morals.”

  I laughed and headed after him. “We’d better keep up, or he’ll leave us here.”

  Stepping out of the Dungeon of Oblivion felt damned good. Whatever was on the other side of the portal, it had to be better than here.

  37

  We stepped out of the portal and into a vast, dark, blasted landscape covered with cracked desert ground and swirling dust storms, with red lighting repeatedly striking along the distant horizon.

  Okay, maybe this wasn’t better than the dungeon.

  System message: You have completed the quest Journey of Mercy. Turn in your quest at the Town of the Golden Knight to receive your rewards.

  I almost laughed aloud. I’d definitely turn the quest in, if I had any idea where the town was.

  “Does anybody know where we are right now?” I said as I looked across the apparent wasteland. The ground cracked and buckled in several places, forming crude foothills. Far off to the right, probably a mile or so away, there was a cluster of shacks and rundown buildings with a few shadowy figures moving around between them.

  And I thought I saw at least one bleached skeleton scattered around the base of a foothill.

  “I have no clue,” Terra said slowly as she turned in a slow circle. “Why didn’t the portal bring us back to the Town of the Golden Knight?”

  “Why does anything happen the way it does around here?” Crash said, throwing his hands up. “I bet this is the worst place in Ruul, wherever it is. That’d be just our luck.”

  “Well, there’s no way I’m getting my bath and lady rabbit here,” George said grumpily. “Somebody, get that portal back. I liked the dungeon better.”

  Nova stared at the distant cluster of buildings. “Don’t worry, George. I think that’s an outpost town,” she said as she pointed. “Which means they’ll have at least a tavern, and an inn, and a general store. And transporting scrolls.”

  “You mean like the ones that bring you back to the starter town?” I asked.

  “Exactly,” she said with a smile. “Only it’s not just Silver Gables. Most outpost towns have transporting scrolls that will bring you pretty much anywhere you want.”

  “Okay, then that’s where we’re going,” I said, but then paused before I headed toward the town. “But … what are we going to do?”

  “Shower, eat, and sleep. In that order,” Crash said promptly.

  “I mean, what are we going to do?” I said, moving a hand in a circle to indicate everyone. “You know, our party. We made a pretty good team in the dungeon…”

  “Are you saying you want to stick together?” Terra said as a wicked smile spread on her face.

  “Uh, yeah. I think that’s what I’m saying.” I looked around and shrugged. “Listen, I know you want to go after Wynn—”

  “Damn straight I do,” Terra said, her eyes flashing.

  “And I kind of have a personal stake in doing something about that guy. But the thing is, there’s something we have to do first,” I said, hoping she’d agree. “We need to rescue our friend, Two’ Manchu. He’s been kidnapped.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “By what?”

  “It’s a who, actually. Another player, named Sabre.” I couldn’t help sounding angry when I mentioned her name. “Tell you what, though. You help us get Two’ Manchu back, and we’ll help you deal with Wynn.”

  Crash made a startled sound. “We will?”

  “Yes, we will,” I said, giving him a hard look before I turned back to Terra. “Deal?”

  “Deal,” she said, and then blinked and looked at Nova. “Er, I mean, if that’s okay with you.”

  Nova laughed. “You’re actually asking me if we can do something? Wow.”

  “What do you mean, wow?” Terra said defensively.

  “I mean, you never ask. You just do, and expect me to follow,” Nova said with a fond smile. “It’s just nice to be asked, is all. And yes. I think we should stick with these guys.”

  “Good. Let’s get to that town, then,” Terra said as she started away.

  Nova and I walked after her, with Crash and George right behind. “I want the biggest damned salad they’ve got down there,” George announced. “And I want to check out the store, see if they have any more bunny-sized items to go with my vest. You’re buying, right, boss?”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “Yeah, yeah. Maybe we’ll buy you something with pockets, so you can get your own Rhuvians.”

  “Good idea,” Crash said. “Except you have to earn Rhuvians around here, and you’re nothing but dead weight, Fluff Brain.”

  “Really? Remind me how useless I am the next time you’re being attacked by evil cyclones, Holy Depender. Ha!” George crowed loudly. “I finally got it. That’s your name, loser.”

  “Great, thanks. I love it,” Crash said in a dry tone. “I’ll have business cards printed up.”

  “Speaking of thanks,” Terra said as she glanced over her shoulder at me and then fell back next to Nova. “I’m pretty sure you saved our lives. Both of us. Right, sis?”

  “Yes, I’d have to agree,” Nova said carefully, like she was suspicious about where Terra was going with this.

  Terra gave me a long look. “And we should thank him properly,” she said. “Maybe we should both thank him together.”

  Nova blushed and smiled a little, ducking her head. “Maybe we should.”

  “It’s settled, then. We’re thanking you when we get to town,” Terra said with a dazzling grin, and then went back to acting like nothing had happened.

  I could practically feel Crash glaring a hole in my back, but he’d get over it. Meanwhile, I was going to enjoy the hell out of my rewards.

  GLOSSARY

  This is a list of skills, spells, and terms used in the book, followed by a short description of them.

  Bind to Crystal – A skill used to bind spirits into a crystal.

  Blade Rush – A skill used by sprinting toward an opponent and swinging one’s weapon for extra damage.

  Blessing of Courage – A passive buff that gives increased health to party members.

  Body to Soul – A skill used to convert health to mana at a three to one ratio.

  Bone Shield – A skill that absorbs damage done to a user.

  Branch – When any combat skill reaches level 5, the player can select an additional skill bonus called a Branch skill. For attacks, these usually are elemental-themed. The elemental boost can be turned on and off at will. For every 5 additional levels the skill gains, the player can either increase the level of a previous Branch skill or choose an additional Branch skill option.

  Buff – An effect that generally helps a player.

  Chaotic – When a player kills a non-flagged player, his alignment will change from Lawful or Neutral to Chaotic. A chaotic player can be killed with no penalties, but gains a stat boost based on the amount of players killed.

  Chaotic River – A skill that summons skeletons from the abyss to do your bidding.

  Cha
rge – A skill used by sprinting toward an opponent and swinging one’s weapon for extra damage. This costs health to do, but all damage done to the target is regenerated as health if the attack is successful.

  Concussive Arrow – An attack that charges an arrow with explosive power.

  Chains of Frost – An ice spell that causes some damage but roots the opponent into place.

  Cone of Ice – An ice spell that does massive damage and freezes the opponent.

  Control Undead – A skill that allows the user to control an undead creature while it is still active.

  Corrosive Armor – A skill that massively reduces a target’s defense with a corrosive blast.

  Cure – A spell used to remove poison from the target.

  Debuff – An effect that generally hurts a player or target. Also known as a curse.

  Decrease Weight – A spell used to reduce the weight of a target.

  Defying Guard – A defensive skill that has yet to be revealed.

  Detect Invisible – A skill used to reveal objects or targets in an area that are hidden by magic.

  Detect Lesser Traps – A skill used to detect traps within a given area. Not as effective as Detect Trap.

  Detect Trap – A skill used to detect traps within a given area.

  Disarm Trap – A skill used to disarm traps.

  Discerning Eye – A spell that temporarily increases a player’s Intelligence stat.

  Dispel – A skill used to remove curses from a victim.

  Divine Hammer – A skill used to increase damage done by an attack by infusing it with holy magic.

  Earth Resist – A type of elemental resistance that affects Earth type magic as well as natural fire.

  Elemental Resistance – Resistance to the elements, both magical and natural.