Raiya: Starter Zone - A LitRPG Saga: Archon's Chosen - Book One

by Russell Wilbinski

  “That if he didn’t shut his yapping snout, I would leave him in the warrens to be torn apart by those soldiers, leaving his body to be devoured by rats as we sailed away from the island.”

  Skree winced, the image playing through his mind. “You are one scary lady Kamilla.”

  Glancing at the younglings, huddled together and gently weeping, watching the few adults that were broken by the violence of the day, staring blankly into the darkness of the tunnel set her resolve to stone. She met his gaze.

  “Lord Skree, I have given up that name. You must call me Priestess from this day forward. My people have to know that I am here for them.”

  A gave her a small nod. “Lead on, Priestess.”

  “Okay everyone, time to go. Remember what I said, hold onto the Kobold in front of you and don't slow down.”

  The younglings stepped back into line, a look of grim determination on their faces. He more than likely understood that it was a lie, but it was enough to get him through the next few hours.

  Kamilla ducked into the tunnel, motioning for them to follow. They grabbed the tail in front of them and followed her into the dark, with Zuka just behind them. Skree took one more glance around the room, noticing a container of arrows which he snatched up, placing them into his new quiver. He looked back to the entrance, took a deep breath, and entered the tunnel to the surface.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Sawbones stood his ground, watching the shimmering wall as the shadowy demon tore violently at the magical barrier. It released a torrent of bright blue flames from its mouth, the raging fire cracking the barrier even further. He began channeling he most powerful spell, a raw arcane blast that he had learned when he had claimed the Heart of the Island. He would give Skree as much time as he could to escape with the last of his people.

  Around the cavern stood less than a dozen Kobolds, some trained warriors, others just the unlucky mothers and fathers separated from their families, prepared to give their lives so that their children could escape. They all carried weapons now, scavenged from the dead soldiers and their fallen brother and sisters. They were a ragtag group, but they stood bravely as they waited for Priestesses power to fail. They waited with courage as death clawed and screamed its way to them.

  "I can't... hold it... much longer!" Priestess said through gritted teeth. She redoubled her efforts, watching her mana drain away. Eight percent, six percent, two percent. The barrier shattered into glittering shards as the massive shadowy figure burst into the warren. It slid to a stop amid the glittering starlight of the ruined spell, glancing slowly about. Its lips peeled back, revealing a burning red light emanating from deep within, a smile so filled with hate some of the Kobolds took a step back.

  A dozen soldiers entered the chamber, standing lazily beside the beast as if they were bored, not at all concerned by the enemies before them. A towering figure marched into the chamber then, it's black armor reflecting no light. It stood beside the beast, deadly sword slack in its hand dripping with blood. It moved forward, taking several steps into the chamber, directly toward Sawbones. It did not move with purpose, instead sauntering as if he were walking through a park without a care in the world.

  It reached up and removed its helm revealing a human face, with flowing golden locks cascading around his shoulders. His piercing blue eyes were serene as he looked around the warren. He smiled genuinely before speaking to the assembled Kobolds.

  "Greetings. I am Emperor Tamarand, ruler of the kingdom of Taymo. I have been ordered to recover the Heart of the Island and return it to my master. As you can imagine, I am none too thrilled at having been sent on this errand, to this garbage dump of an island yet again. So, I will make you a deal." Gesturing to his men and the terrifying beast that stood motionless at his side. "Return the stone to the temple, allow my master to claim the power of the stone and I will allow you to live as slaves in my kingdom. It will not be a pleasant life, that much I can promise. But you will be alive, which is more than most of your people can say." He said plainly, gesturing around the cavern at the corpses strewn about.

  Carver growled, his tail swiping angrily behind him. "I would rather die than be a slave."

  Emperor Tamarand shrugged. "Suit yourself." With a barely perceptible motion, his hand shot forward releasing a bolt of pure darkness. Carver barely had time to understand, let alone react to his movement before the searing bolt passed through him, blood and viscera exploding from his chest and back. The bolt continued on, hitting a wall at the back of the cave. The power exploded, showering the room in burning shards of rock. Carver collapsed to the ground, his body utterly destroyed by the blast.

  The room fell silent, the last of the shrapnel clattering to the ground. Sawbones knelt beside his friend, closing the dead Kobolds eyes gently. He shut his eyes, grinding his teeth as the reality settled heavy in his chest. This was a fight they could not win, so it was all up to Skree now. He would die here, but hopefully, he could take this evil bastard with him.

  The crown king of Kobolds stood, nodding to the Emperor. "I accept your offer. You will guarantee the safety of my people?"

  "Of course, I am nothing if not a man of my word." He replied, clearly bored by the exchange. "I find slaughter to be quite dreadful and I imagine that the high houses would love an opportunity to purchase a few... exotic pets."

  Priestess took a step forward, fists clenched, her claws drawing hot streaks of blood from her palms. "Pets? PETS?" she howled in defiance. "I will be no one's pet." She began a casting of dangerous magic, consuming the blood in her palms and filling her veins with fire. Her eyes began to glow with a hideous red light. The emperor watched with disinterest as the air filled with static, watching her display of power with boredom.

  Her scales began to curl from the power and cracks formed across her scales as she drew far too deeply from her blood. She spoke rumbling words of power, the debris scattered about the room vibrating as her power filled the space. "Begone from this place foul demon!" She released the power, a frightening ray erupting from her chest, streaking across the distance. Just before the powerful spell impacted the Emperor, the smoking monster vanished and reappeared directly in front of him, intercepting the beam.

  The creature opened its mouth, its internal red light growing intensely bright. The powerful blood magic streamed into its shadowy orifice and Sawbones watched in horror as the creature gulped the energy hungrily, growing as the power flooded into its body. The demonic creature began to crackle with electricity, sharing the same ominous red color as light from its core.

  Priestess poured thousands of points of mana into her spell, consuming increasingly more of her blood as the Kobolds watched in terror, watching the beast greedily consume the deadly magic. After a few seconds the spell faded, Priestess collapsing to the floor, blood flowing freely from her eyes, ears and mouth. Her skin was broken and torn, cracked like clay topsoil in the desert. Her body was withered, eyes covered in a milky white haze. Sawbones crawled to her, openly weeping at the sight of his friend.

  He pulled her to his chest, cradling her ruined form. She coughed, a sickening, hollow sound that tore as his heart.

  “I gave it everything I had my king." She said, coughing the words through bloody teeth. She reached up, stroking his face.

  He stroked her face lovingly. "I know you did. I know."

  "I am sorry, I just couldn't listen to another word. I just..." she coughed again, black blood flowing in great rivulets from her mouth, soaking through his clothing. She sank into his arms, her lifeless form now limp. Sawbones hugged her tightly, then set her gently on the ground.

  "NO MORE!" Sawbones yelled, looking to his people.

  They dropped their weapons without complaint, willing to surrender to keep their lives. Swords and spears clattered loudly in the silence and they fell to their knees. Many of them closed their eyes, others holding each other and crying softly.

  "I am afraid my offer has expired, your Grace." The Emperor said with on
ly a hint of anger. "I wanted this go smoothly but, you have made it very clear: you would make terrible slaves. Far too much pride, it seems." He waved his hand. "Kill them."

  The beast, coursing with excess power vanished in a streaking cloud of black lightning, appearing amid the weaponless Kobolds. It lashed out, grabbing two of the cowering figures and crushing them in its grasp. The sounds of shattering bones broke their spirit, the remaining lizard folk attempting to flee but it was useless. The creature extended a smoking tendril that pierced through several Kobolds, snaking through one to another to another. Five Kobolds died as the vaporous creature disappeared again, streaking from one fleeing form to another. Slashed, cut, and torn to pieces, they died in seconds.

  Sawbones didn't even have time to get to his feet before it was over. The beast vanished once again, reappearing beside the Emperor, standing still as death. Tamarand moved forward, shaking his head as he approached Sawbones. The High-King was kneeling, his soul nearly destroyed after the ruin of his kingdom and his people. He was numb, everything he should have been feeling vanished in the mind shattering agony of his loss. He gasped for air, struggling to breathe. He knew his people would die, he couldn't have stopped it, but knowing he was this powerless was too much.

  Tamarand paced over slowly, reaching down and grabbing the small king by his chin. "Look at me. LOOK! AT! ME!" he yelled, his tone commanding. Sawbones eyes shifted to his enemy, hot tears burning in his eyes.

  “You are a worthless King, your people utterly destroyed only a few days after your ascension." He scoffed. "You couldn't even save a single soul among these filthy animals. I have taken everything from you, except the stone. Now lead me to it, before I lose my temper."

  The Kobold could do nothing but stare at this horrifying man. He seemed unstoppable, his power nearly limitless. Sawbones nodded weakly and the Emperor released him. "Excellent. Please, lead the way." The emperor’s tone reverting to his calm and genial manner.

  Forcing himself to his feet, Sawbones lead him to a storage room with an iron chest in the center. On all sides barrels, bottles and strange alchemical equipment surrounded them. He marched into the room with the Emperor right behind him. He pulled a small chain from around his neck and began to unlock the chest. He popped open the lid, glowing blue light radiating from the container.

  "Wonderful!" Tamarand said jubilantly. He moved into the room, anxious to claim his prize. He gripped the edge of the chest and peered down at the stone with a mild grin.

  "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" he roared, whirling on Sawbones. Inside the chest was pile of the glowing blue lichen that illuminated the many caverns and tunnels of the island. He grabbed the Kobold by the throat and slammed him into a wall. Sawbones grinned, laughing through the pain.

  "I offer you something better" he rasped, a toothy smile crossing his features. The High King of the Kobolds released the spell he had been keeping in the back of his mind, the power nearly overwhelming him several times while he waited for this moment. His eyes twinkled with venomous hatred as yelled a single word, "SAMOLIN!" and released his power.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Skree, Kamilla and the remaining Kobolds stumbled to floor as a massive earthquake shook the tunnel. The rumble continued for several seconds, ending just as abruptly as it had started. Several of the children whimpered in fear, some clinging desperately to Zuka, tiny clawed hands gripping his fur tightly. Kamilla whispered to them "Shh, shh, it's okay, just a little rumble."

  She looked nervously at Skree who nodded sadly. She winced in understanding. Whatever Sawbones and Carver had planned, that was probably it. They were truly the last hope for her people, just her, Skree and handful of Kobolds.

  "I am sorry Kamil… I mean Priestess, but we have to keep moving." He said with a sorrowful tone. She turned and started walking, her tail dragging lightly on the stone. They moved through the tunnel in silence, the near absolute darkness starting to get to him. He decided to use this time to address all of the prompts he had waiting for him.

  Congratulations, you have reached levels 12 - 16 in Great Weapons. Great Weapon damage increased by 16%.

  Congratulations, you have reached levels 11 and 12 in Life Magic. All spells of Life Magic are 12% more effective.

  Congratulations, you have reached level 5 in Earth Magic. All spells of Earth Magic are 3% more effective.

  Congratulations, you have reached levels 2 and 3 in Water Magic. All spells of Water magic are 3% more effective.

  Congratulations, you have learned Unarmored Defense levels 1 and 2 - You have braved the perils of combat while wearing no major armor pieces. All defense while unarmored increased by 2%

  Congratulations, you have reach Druid Level 13. Through force of will and trials by fire, you have attained new attribute points. 5 attribute points unspent. You have earned 5 skill points, 5 unspent.

  Despite the joy of leveling, knowing that they had lost so much in the process it soured the feeling in his guts. He quickly allocated his points, increasing his strength to 31 to boost his damage as much as possible. He cycled through to his skill page and tried to spend 5 points on Great Weapons, reaching level 21 in the skill. Unfortunately, the warning that appeared further agitated him.

  Skill Notice - You may only increase your skills to rank 20, at which point you will require skilled instruction to reach the next rank. Would you like to increase your skill rating to 20? YES or NO?

  He accepted the suggestion, spending the 4 points. With his remaining 1 point, he increased his Light Armor Skill to 15.

  Another prompt appeared once he had confirmed his choices.

  Congratulations, by reaching level 20 in Great Weapons, you have earned the Trait - Shock Trooper 1: Your critical chance with Great Weapons has increased by 15%. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull. 15% increased critical strike chance with his Great Sword was absurdly strong. He closed the prompt, patting his sword lovingly.

  You have reached the skill rank of Novice.

  By reaching the rank of Novice, you may no longer gain additional skill ranks until you receive formal instruction in the art of Great Weapon Fighting by a trainer of at least Adept skill level. You will continue to earn skill ranks, but they will remain locked until you complete your formal training.

  He went onto the next prompt, looking over Zuka's status page.

  Congratulations, your companion has reached level 13. 5 Attribute points earned, 5 unspent. 2 Companion Talent points earned, 3 unspent.

  He put the attribute points into Intelligence bringing the total to 24, wanting to see how far he could develop Zuka's mind. So far, Zuka had been able to follow his commands and had an intrinsic understanding of what he wanted. The thing that interested him most was the mental connection that was growing between them. He could swear that he had heard the word enemies across their bond before they had left the chamber before the battle.

  He confirmed the choice and dismissed that prompt. He had 3 Talent points to spend but he was set on keeping them in reserve, especially after he had finally felt the power of Inspiring Howl. He would wait the required 3 more levels to continue into the Tier 4 Talents, either increasing the power of Maul or Inspiring howl. He was desperate to learn what he would find in the fifth tier.

  Zuka fell back, walking beside his master. He brushed against Skree's leg and a feeling of sorrow based between them.

  "Sorry." Came a quiet thought, rough and garbled, but a word nonetheless. A simple thought filled with remorse that had come from his companion across their bond, whose eyes held a deep sadness.

  Skree stroked his fur a few. "Thanks, Zuka."

  The Wolf looked up at him, his eyes glowing in the very dim light, giving him a terrifying visage. Skree smiled at their connection, knowing he was making a good choice by improving his companion’s intelligence. The more he could count on Zuka, the better. A gasp drew his attention and he looked up, noticing a faint light in the distance. Finally, they were approaching the surface.

&n
bsp; They reached the exit and stepped into open air, the sunlight stinging their eyes as they struggled to adjust to their new surroundings. Skree moved around the Kobolds, Zuka a step behind. He scanned the tree line, trying to get his bearings. They were in a thick forest, probably near the northern side of the island.

  "Priestess, which way do we need to go?" Skree asked.

  She pointed. "Two hours to the beach. The trees should provide us decent cover as we head that way. The last two miles or so we will be completely exposed."

  He nodded his understanding. "Okay, Zuka is going to scout ahead of us, You continue to lead and I will make sure no one falls behind. Can you handle that Zuka?" he asked his companion.

  The wolf yipped, silently dashing into the trees. Skree could feel his connection to Zuka stretch the distance between them increased. Hopefully he wouldn't get too far ahead in case Zuka needed circle back in a hurry. Kamilla signaled for the children to group up.

  "I know that you guys are probably pretty tired and maybe even a little scared. But I need you to be brave for me, and for your parents. Can you do that?" she asked them as they gathered around her in a tight group.

  "My dad says the surface is dangerous, is it dangerous?" a young female asked.

  Kamilla shook her head. "The surface is dangerous, but if you want to see the beach, you will have to trust us."

  "Don't worry Seema, Lord Skree will protect us!" one of the boys said, putting a hand on Seema's shoulder.

  "Yes children, Lord Skree will make sure nothing happens to you." Priestess said with a happy smile. Skree felt the weight of her words settle heavily on his shoulders.

  One of the boys rushed away from the group, hugging Kamilla. "I want you to protect me." He said meekly. His little eyes were bloodshot from crying.

  Priestess squeezed him, delivering a tender, motherly kiss on the top of his head. "I will. Now let’s get to the beach so I can show you the ocean." She released him, moving back to the front of the group.