Earthdom: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Ether Collapse Book 3)

by Ryan DeBruyn

  Karl and Rocky returned to the entrance doors. Rocky pulled out fifty Crystals from his Bag of Holding. “Get everything you need, and make sure all the change gets returned to Smith. I will make sure the council is on top of this in the future.”

  Karl thanked him and put the Crystals into his pocket. He walked away—back straight, stiff legs, and stunted movements—like he was trying not to storm off. He didn’t quite manage it and was obviously still upset.

  Rocky walked into the clearing where the Council Meeting was taking place, and he was thankful they had started without him.

  Smith, as the interim head of the military, was doing the final recap. “The first stage of the plan is to drop a quarter of the military, the Golem Knights, and Adam's Elites outside of North Bay. The A-Team will remain in the Grotto with the final quarter of the military. Once The Scourge has dropped off our assault team, it will complete each escort quest in the area. The return of the other half of our military forces from the surrounding towns will then give us the flexibility to bolster our assault, defend the Grotto, or attempt further survival quests from small cities.”

  So Adam and his golems are coming with us now?

  “To further bolster the Territory defense, the Exiles will be allowed back into the Grotto. Instead of hunting, they will perform community service and report to the military daily. Sela and I believe that they have redeemed themselves,” Rocky chimed in.

  Most of the council grew excited, and Meghan, the wife of an exiled member, stood up. “Thank you for allowing our loved ones to come home. I hope this is not too soon, but the highest citizen voted council member was Derik. Would he be allowed to join on his return or after his community service?”

  Rocky sucked in a breath, his emotions all flaring together. He had just finished a similar thought but to have Derik’s skill thrown in his face? He gave Meghan a withering stare and she shrunk back into her seat.

  Sela placed a calming hand on his shoulder. He shook his head, clearing his stupid emotional turmoil, and forced a smile. “I am sorry, you caught me off guard. I believe Derik should be placed back on the council. Additionally, he will be in charge of the day-to-day needs of the Territory. His role is to bring those issues to the Council Meetings with suggested solutions.” Smith nodded and smiled in relief. Rocky motioned for him to continue the meeting and sat back down.

  It was mid-morning, and everyone had eaten already. The bonfire in the center of the clearing produced small wisps of smoke, and the sun had removed the dew from the grass. All in all, it was turning out to be a beautiful day.

  Rocky turned his face up to the sun and basked in its warmth. The rays didn’t feel as strong as a few weeks ago. He sighed and came back to reality. How long until winter arrived here?

  We need to save as many people as possible before that happens.

  A runner jogged over, interrupting the meeting, and waited outside the circle.

  Smith dismissed the runner after he received the message.”The pilots have finished reading the manual. They have asked for five other operators as crew for the vessel. I must excuse myself at this time. Before I leave, my last report relates to the blueprints and the need for a shipbuilding yard. The council has been considering what the top priorities of the Territory and the world are. I want to put forward this project and a planetary defense grid as viable areas to spend Territorial Ether.”

  The crowd went silent, and Rocky knew he needed to tell them about Amber. This was the moment. He opened his mouth, but Sela beat him to it.

  “That should conclude today's meeting. We have a lot of work ahead of us today, and as we move forward. When we meet next, we will hear more about the top priorities and make final decisions.”

  Rocky glared at his guide, not sure if she was attempting to omit the decision they had made. They had talked just this morning, and he bit back his gut reaction. Yelling at her wouldn’t help trust. They would talk again soon, but he wouldn’t approve a single point of Territorial Ether until then.

  Zippo tapped him on the shoulder. “Let's go. I want to see the inside of the ship.” The kid practically shouted while bouncing on his feet. His excitement was infectious, and as he walked with Rocky, Sela fell in step with them.

  “Any idea where Azoth is this morning, Sela?”

  She pointed toward the shop and warehouse building. Azoth was perched on top of the ship with one leg raised.

  Really? Is he trying to mark the ship as his?

  “He says ‘ship stupid. Ship no talk. Azoth talk. Ship ugly metal..”

  It wasn't like pee was going to damage the metal. At least, Rocky hoped it wouldn’t.

  ***

  An hour later, Rocky and Sela were flying on Azoth's back on the way to North Bay. They would arrive there a few hours ahead of the main assault force. The pilots of the ship needed to run a few maneuvers and get the other five individuals up to speed. Zippo had insisted on being part of the inaugural flight of their new starship and had stayed behind.

  If Azoth hadn't had a tantrum, we all could have been on the first flight.

  Azoth hadn't wanted Rocky and Sela to fly any other way. It was touching that his friend wanted to be with them. Frustrating, but touching. Sela pointed out that someone should scout the area anyway.

  North Bay hadn't been a large town. Rocky dredged his memory and guessed that it might have been nearing the fifty-thousand population mark before the wave of Ether. The possible saving grace was that the city had not one, but two, colleges practically side by side. As they approached, they could easily make out the structures of the schools from the air. It wasn’t hard when a broad ring of golems of various sizes surrounded the buildings.

  There were one hundred of the creatures, at least. He yelled to Sela over the wind. “There are at least three of those Basalt Golems; do you think they are leaders?”

  Sela gripped his waist tighter and pulled herself close. “Let's go take a look, but my guess? Larger towns and cities had much higher probabilities of spawning leader class and sapient golems.”

  She must have mentally directed Azoth, as he gradually veered toward the schools. A few wingbeats later, Rocky received a notification.

  You are entering a Territorial Zone of a powerful being. If you continue, it will be alerted to your presence. Depending on your intentions or its mood, you may be in danger.

  He had seen this notification three times now in total, confirming that North Bay contained a Territory below. The next flashing notification was new to him, however.

  The system has marked you as an owner of a starship. If the starship attacks or is too near a Territory, protections or drastic mutations may occur to increase the difficulty of the challenge.

  Well, that settles the bombardment discussion.

  He leaned out over Azoth’s wing and scanned the terrain below them. It was a wide-open landscape, pockmarked by trees, stones, and tall grass. He couldn’t see the Territorial Leader—the creature was either hidden, below ground, or—he jerked his neck upwards. Nothing was above them and he breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Azoth says he can smell something, and his description isn’t great. He claims, ‘Smells like damp ground. Nests,’”Sela relayed as her arms tightened almost imperceptibly.

  That would explain why the creature was hard to see from the sky. Sela, Azoth, and Rocky flew over the area once more and began their descent. A few people on the schools’ rooftops scattered when they saw Azoth’s winged form approaching. Seeing the human figures duck into the stairwells made him hopeful. They didn’t seem to be in the dire straits that the small towns in the area had been.

  Rocky called to Sela, “I don’t want to land in a clearing where anyone could make a mistake and shoot Azoth. Do you think that the roof is safest?”

  They angled toward the highest roof in the complex. “Don’t shoot! We are here to help. Don’t attack!”Rocky shouted the instant they touched down.

  He slid off of Azoth’s back, and Sela’s feet thum
ped down beside him. He tapped Azoth twice, and the beast flew off into the air. Rocky figured Sela had explained the situation, but it was going to be much easier to talk to the survivors without his pet wanting to play or curiously sniff them.

  No one came out of the door. Instead, it clanked shut. Rocky walked slowly toward the door with his arms above his head. Perhaps they hadn’t heard him the first time. Once he was a bit closer to the door, he tried again. “We come to offer our aid and support. We are from a Territory south of you. We have brought food and water.”

  The door stayed shut and Rocky considered using Dark Blade to force the issue.

  A nervous voice, muffled behind the door said “Could you please wait? We sent one of our scouts to inform the boss that people are here. If you attack, we have you surrounded.”

  Rocky entered a quick Meditation and scanned the immediate area using his Ether Manipulation. The kid was lying, and he felt their weak presence behind the door. Beside him, Sela circulated her Ether through her Channels in the pinwheel design they had learned earlier. Rocky smiled, seeing that she had chosen something new. He hadn’t liked any of the new patterns as much as the flower petals.

  He reconsidered breaking into the school. Sela had already stepped back, so he followed her lead, moving away from the door to wait. They weren’t left long, as groups of twenty-something year olds flooded out from the door, carrying all kinds of makeshift weapons and gear. The vast majority sported hockey gear and wielded sticks.

  He made a quick Analyze of a few and saw that they all had levels in the high teens of the Apprentice Rank. He was surprised—they were doing far better than he had expected.

  A man in a suit walked onto the roof. He looked to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties. Rocky figured he had probably been a teacher or coach at the school. He quickly Analyzed the man.

  Richard Sun

  Apprentice-Trainer

  Level 24

  Health Points: 240 /240

  “What makes you think we need your help?” Richard asked.

  “The other survivors in the area have been near starving. They have desperately needed food and supplies. May I ask how you have managed to fare so well without removing the golems?”

  “That is none of your business. We will continue to build our strength until we can defeat the local Territory.” Richard squared his shoulders and raised his chin slightly.

  The teenagers surrounding them seemed pretty healthy, but they didn’t look clean or happy. He turned back to Richard and tried a new approach. “We already own a Territory nearby, and our starship is on its way to help everyone here escape to a place of safety and community. We have enough room—”

  “We do not need charity. These boys and I have defended the people of Canadore and Nippissing. We will continue to do so, and you can take your offer of help back to where you came from.”

  Rocky had seen the nearby young adults shift from foot to foot, and some were still bouncing. “We have more than enough room, water, food and are currently trying to collect everyone from the surrounding villages and towns—”

  “I said you should go.” Richard snapped and stepped forward, his fists clenching and unclenching.

  “We can search for lost families and friends using a computer program.” It wasn’t really a computer program, but that was the easiest and fastest way to make everyone understand. It was a bit of an oversell, but it wasn’t completely untrue. More like an omission, like Sela had said.

  One of the boys spoke up, “Richard, we could find out about your wife. We could find out about my brothers, my parents.”

  Richard’s visage cracked and his eyes grew glassy. The man regarded Rocky warily and asked, “You aren’t lying to us? Trying to take our Dungeon and supplies?”

  “We are not lying,” Sela reassured him. Every young man in the group instantly gave her their full attention—they weren’t blind to her beauty. “Our ship will be here soon to pick you up. However, if you truly have a Dungeon, we would be interested in adding it to the Grotto and the two we already have.”

  Richard broke down, and a few of the kids hugged each other, removing their hockey helmets. The group looked relieved, like the final shot of the game was passed to the team's top scorer. They had done everything they could to create an opportunity, but now it could be left up to someone else to bring it home.

  And he had committed to being that leader. To hold all that responsibility and withstand that pressure. For the briefest moment, he wished he could trade places.

  “Yeah, we have a Dungeon. It’s a bit of a nasty piece of work, though. It seems to be trying to trick us all the time. You progress through levels of the Dungeon. It's never the same puzzles or questions. Sometimes it gives you a puzzle that looks the same, but with a different answer. We have been trying only to farm the first few rooms for food and water, but a few more ambitious students thought they could get better things further in. We haven’t seen—”

  “This Dungeon always has questions? In each room?” Sela asked, intentionally interrupting what likely would have been saddening news.

  Richard nodded, and she turned to Rocky, excitement gleaming in her eyes. “It’s a puzzle Dungeon.”

  “Well, we have quite a bit of food and water we would like to share. Do you have an area where you all meet and eat?” Rocky continued her momentum. Keep them happy and get them back to the Territory. To safety. They could break down there and recover with the support they needed.

  The hockey team escorted Sela and Rocky into Nippissing University. The hallways were barren and almost every classroom had been overtaken by makeshift beds and sleeping areas. The doors to the washrooms contained blockades of chairs and desks.

  “In the middle of the night, people were often too lazy to go outside to relieve themselves. The blockades were an early decision that stopped us from having to flush the toilets manually by carrying up buckets of water, which we were running low on,” said Richard.

  How could people be so lazy as to use toilets that didn’t work? Especially at the risk of others' lives. He considered what he would have done at the age of twenty if the world of luxuries he had always known suddenly vanished.

  They followed Richard down a wide staircase that led to the second floor, following the signs for the cafeteria posted on the walls.

  A thrum of voices echoed down the hallway as they drew nearer. The voices carried little enthusiasm, and Rocky thought of the schools and survivors in Ottawa. Surviving from day to day, but with no goal or future in mind. Just existing. When the doors opened, admitting the hockey-clad members of his escort, the conversation quieted. As Rocky and Sela entered the cafeteria behind them, silence blanketed the room.

  Rocky stepped forward to speak, and people cleared out of his way quickly, almost scared by his clean appearance. Or maybe they were embarrassed by their dirty and bedraggled ones. He stepped into a clear area between all the tables. It looked like they used it for announcements often. Nearly everyone was in their late teens or early twenties. He hoped they weren’t too old for a bit of a magic show.

  He mentally selected a skid of rations and a large water tank filled with clean drinking water from his Bag of Holding. He summoned them onto the cleared area in front of him. The teenagers gasped. He was sure that it had looked like he had invoked the items from thin air.

  He had their attention. Now, it was time to bring them home. “We are here to help. We have brought you food, water, and offer you a place in our community.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The arrival of the ship caused people to point into the sky and shout. A few teenagers ran away, even though they expected the arrival. Rocky had to admit that the sight was a bit disconcerting and not what he had expected. Instead of appearing on the distant horizon, it dropped through a sea of clouds directly above the roofs of the university.

  On the bottom of the vessel, numerous small, noiseless booster engines were affixed. The two bottom engines, each one the s
ize of a 747, pointed downward.

  Rocky couldn't believe how quiet the ship was during its descent. He was directly underneath it, and it wasn’t until the ship was within range of the roof that he heard a humming sound, Which felt as if cotton balls were stuffed into his ears. Rocky tugged at his ears a few times, checking if they still worked.

  The ship didn’t land—it hovered. It wasn't small enough to touch down on the school grounds safely. Rocky spotted Azoth on board the ship, stalking back and forth, and he laughed.

  Sela looked concerned but chuckled after a moment. Azoth supposedly wanted to try his claws against the metal. She had dissuaded his cat-like instincts—this time.

  Adam and his team rode the Chimera down to the surface.

  “We need to clear those golems if we want to land the ship.” Adam handed Rocky and Sela a new earpiece each. “This one connects through the ship. There is a whole pile of these devices in the comms room.”

  Rocky placed the radio in his ear and heard Gamma say, “We can just jump down from this height.”

  “We await orders, Gamma. Do you think golems dropping out of a ship will be responded to well?” Epsilon retorted.

  Omega’s surfer drawl filled his ears. “I also totally don't want to be attacking our brothers. I get that they’re dumb, but—”

  “Selaphelia Ardensai here. Knights. Your comm is hot. We can all hear you. Over.”

  A bunch of grunts and what might have been shoving or light punches transmitted over the comms. A slight rocking in the ship accompanied the strange noises.

  An unknown commanding voice came over the comms. “Captain here. Enough horseplay. You are rocking the entire ship. Over.”

  Rocky, who had agreed with Epsilon's first statement, smirked. The knights weren't as orderly and mature as they seemed. To him, it made them more human.

  “Epsilon, here. Apologies, one of our numbers hasn't figured out these devices yet. Awaiting orders. Over”