The Land: Raiders: A LitRPG Saga (Chaos Seeds Book 6)

by Aleron Kong

  You have found:

  Trollium Collar of Submission

  Durability: 112/267

  Item Class: Scarce

  Quality: Well Crafted

  Weight: 0.7 kg

  Traits: If you manage to collar a monster with this item, they will become your slave. The monster will be unable to harm you and will strictly follow your commands. Can only be used once.

  Richter’s eyes widened. He had assumed that the troll soldiers had tamed the beast or that they had some type of racial magic to make it fight on their side. It turned out it was much more simple. It also gave him an absolutely horrible idea.

  The chaos seed ran at the troll’s back and jumped as high as he could. One blade plunged into the monster’s back. The troll roared and turned quickly. Richter’s legs flew out to the side as if he and the troll were a spinning top, but he maintained his grip. With a hard pull, Richter leveraged himself closer to the monster and slammed his second blade even higher into the troll’s back.

  Once again, everything seemed to stop for a moment, and all sound faded away. An inane, possibly insane, part of his brain noted that this was the second time he had climbed using his weapons in the past two days. He really had to get some of those climbing claws. The world sped back up, and the troll’s rage-filled scream filled his ears.

  The monster reached back to grab him. Richter let go of his lower weapon and rotated his body to the side. Its claws gouged furrows in its own back, but it missed the chaos seed. Richter’s finger wove in a specific configuration, and he spat a word of Power. Flames shot from his hand and into the troll’s questing one. The monster shrieked in anger and yanked its claw away. The chaos seed thanked his lucky stars that the myths about trolls hating flame seemed to be true.

  Richter wasted no more time. He pulled his dagger from his belt. He used his short sword as an anchor and pulled himself up again, before plunging his dagger into the troll’s shoulder. He let go of his second short sword and reached into his bag. Praying for a better result this time, the chaos seed whipped the Quicksilver Collar of Submission around the troll’s neck. The two ends of the collar quested for one another, driven to fulfill its purpose of dominating another creature’s will. The silvery metal moved around the monster’s neck… and clicked into place!

  The troll went ballistic. Richter was shaken free from his precarious perch, not even noticing the ghostly silver ring that appeared on his thumb. Within a second, it solidified into a plain quicksilver band. The chaos seed fell to the ground, barely keeping his feet. The troll immediately reached for him, bellowing in anger. With the claws scant feet from his face, he flung one arm out and shouted, “Stop!”

  The mountain troll froze. A cold sensation on Richter’s left hand made him glance down and see the ethereal ring for the first time, but his gaze shot right back up to the monster. Richter wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it what happened next was shocking. It screamed. It wasn’t a bellow, a yell, or even a roar. It screamed in pure and utter agony!

  The high pitch noise escaping monster’s throat was bone chilling. It began to tear at its own flesh while two opposing magics used its body as a battleground. Though the monster’s claws came near its own neck, a magical field sprung up around the collars protecting them from the enslaved creature. Both collars, one of fluid silver and the other of green-steel, began to glow red and sparks shot between them. Richter felt like he was watching a battle in space!

  The chaos seed’s identification Talent went into overdrive. The durability on both collars plummeted. Richter couldn’t even be sure which collar was winning, the numbers fell so quickly. Within seconds, though, the trollium necklace broke off and fell to the ground. The sudden magical feedback in the collar caused the accompanying ring to explode. One of the troll mercenaries fell to the ground with a scream of his own as his hand exploded and his arm was engulfed in flame.

  Richter smiled at the sound. Should have paid for the quicksilver model, asshole! His soldiers looked at the mountain troll in trepidation, but they relaxed after he shouted, “Bend down!” and the mountain troll did as it was told. The chaos seed smiled as he retrieved his weapons from its body. He looked around at his fighters and shouted, “Well, get back in there! We’ve got a battle to win, don’t we?” They cheered and dove back at the goblins and trolls with a vengeance.

  An enemy Champion has been converted! -100 Fighting Spirit for enemy forces for the duration of the battle! +50 Fighting Spirit for allied forces for the duration of the battle!

  The prompt was auto-minimized to the side due to Richter being in battle, but his soldiers’ response was proof of its truth.

  “Fight for Lord Richter! Lord Richter and the Mist Village!

  CHAPTER 40 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 15,386 EBG

  Richter cast Minor Slow Heal on the mountain troll. The damage it had taken as the collars warred for dominance was prodigious. It was true that it could heal on its own, but he needed it at fighting strength immediately. There was still a battle to be won. The chaos seed looked to the left, intending to send the troll to fight the Druid’s pet, but was incredibly pleased to see that the battle was not going as badly as he thought. The decaemur knight had entered the field of battle.

  The undead creature’s broadsword was sticking out of the cat’s shoulder. Blood flowed freely from the wound, but the panther was barely slowed. The knight currently had both hands on the sides of the cat’s mouth. The cat was straining forward to rend the decaemur with its jaws, and the knight was slowly being forced back, but they were more or less at a stalemate, at least for the moment. Arrows stuck out of the panther’s fur, but they had little to no effect.

  Just like the troll, the panther had moved well behind the front line. Richter’s forces had been able to reform a cohesive defense, centered around Yoshi and Caulder, but that left precious few guards to keep fighting the cat. Richter watched, confused for a moment because something was missing. Then a broad grin crossed his face. His own pet had arrived!

  The shale adder, perfectly matching the grass it had slithered through, shot up from right beneath the panther. The snake had moved unseen through the cat’s own legs! Richter’s tamed creature latched its six-inch fangs onto the cat’s neck and yanked for all it was worth. The decaemur knight tightened its grip on the panther’s mouth and pulled at the same time. The Druid’s pet crashed to the ground, and the adder started wrapping its body around the panther’s neck, choking off its air supply. That was all Alma had been waiting for. She descended from where she had been hovering, and a golden glow surrounded her body. A few seconds later, she finished casting Summon Weak Gold Fox. A golden disc disgorged the Life creature, and Alma latched onto the cat’s head, committing to her special attack!

  Richter sent his now enslaved mountain troll to wreak havoc among its more “civilized” brethren. The monster knocked down several guardsmen as it rushed to fulfill his order. None of them seemed too hurt, but one gnome vomited from having the wind knocked out of him. The chaos seed made a mental note to send the guard a fruit basket when they got back, but he couldn’t help but grin savagely as the troll attacked its former masters.

  The sprites were continuing to rain death on the rear ranks of the goblins. If not for the spider traps bottlenecking the enemy, the allied forces might have been overrun, but the courage of the Mist Village soldiers was felt by the goblins in every sword swing and mace blow. The third attack wave of the goblins had failed! The allied forces had paid a heavy price, but hundreds of goblins lay dead and dying, and their bodies had even created a fleshy bulwark in front of Richter’s people in places. The two armies had to climb over the dead to continue their fight in places, and the victors stood high while the losers rolled to the bottom like so much trash.

  The mountain troll was exacting a heavy toll from its former masters. The trolls were almost completely wiped out, and even the panther was almost conquered! The cat had gotten back to its feet, but each of its breaths was a hackin
g wheeze as it strangled to death. No surprise seeing as how twenty feet of adder was wrapped around its neck and body. Richter indulged in a moment of smug superiority. Buffed or not, the panther still needed air, and his own tamed pet was proving its match. The chaos seed had a feeling the Druid would regret sending his pet so deep into enemy territory!

  Unfortunately, he was right.

  The final reserves of the goblin army had joined the battle minutes ago. That included Heqht-jo who was currently exchanging blows with Yoshi. Both Professionals had destroyed the soldiers of the other side, but once they locked eyes, they had known only one of them would live to see the sunset. Yoshi had raised one blade in salute, and the battle was joined!

  Radg-or and the other goblin mages had also gotten close enough to the battling armies to cast their spells. Bolts of black lightning, spheres of acid and rays of Death energy began to descend upon the allied forces! The Druid himself was casting a spell that was causing the clouds to darken above him.

  The allied forces quailed before the magical onslaught, but then Hisako and the sprite magi entered the battle! The five mages supporting her began casting counterspells. The bolts of necrotic energy fizzled out, the lightning was redirected to strike the ground harmlessly, and walls of earth rose to block the acid globes. Hisako focused on the Druid.

  Radg-or’s spell completed, and lightning began to crackle across the sky. The Hearth mother cast two Earth spells in quick succession. The first, Spire of Iron, made a thirty-foot high spike of black metal rise from the ground. The second, Superior Earth Shield (Active), erected a powerful sphere of protection around herself and one other mage who kept his hand on her shoulder, feeding her mana. The protection was specifically attuned to resist the Air magic the Druid was summoning.

  Hisako’s globe appeared just in time. The first bolt of lightning struck the spire a second later, followed in quick succession by twenty more. Instead of savaging the allied forces, the lightning was spilled into the ground and into the Hearth Mother’s shield. She winced slightly at having to feed mana into her active spell, but her protection held. The sky began to clear, and both she and her support mage downed blue mana potions. The Druid stared across the field at her with hate in his heart. The pale red glow in his eyes deepened to crimson, and he pulled deeply from the Bloodstone’s mana.

  While the Druid prepared his next attack, the fighting grew furious between the two armies. Richter and Sion battled side by side. The chaos seed blocked an overhand swing with his moonstone short sword, and Sion opened the goblin fighter belly to balls with his elementum blade. The sprite cast Weak Lightning Bolt at a grinder who blocked with his shield. The damage was decreased, but the goblin was still stunned for a crucial second. Another allied soldier stabbed the green skinned creature in the leg causing him to fall back with a cry when the Stun status wore off.

  The goblins grew to fear Richter’s blades. Periodically, the Disarm enchantment on his elementum short sword would fire, and whatever goblin he was facing was left without a weapon. It became a common one-two punch. The goblin was left partially unprotected, and then the enemy encountered the horror of his Dense Moonstone Short Sword of Goblin Slaying. The merest touch of the blade drew wheals on their green skin, and Richter was not being gentle. Massive rents appeared in the bodies of the goblins he faced, and his entire front was drenched in black blood.

  Then Richter fought his first troll Warrior. They eyed each other for a moment that Richter used to Analyze his foe.

  Name: VuzembiRace: TrollDisposition: DistasteProfession: Warrior

  Trolls are more evolved than their wild cousins. They still possess modest health regeneration, but it is much weaker than their ancestors. The sacrifice has not been in vain, however, as troll society can be as evolved as any human kingdom. Trading has been known to occur with other races but is unlikely for two reasons. One, due to their martial prowess, warfare has become almost a racial pastime. Two, even goblins are considered handsome compared to frightening visage of trolls. Trolls gain three points to distribute per level, and each level gives +2 to Constitution. Due to their regenerative capabilities, “cutting” is a popular practice among troll mothers to increase the Constitution of their children.

  Level: 25

  Health: 734Mana: 130Stamina: 240

  Strength: 36

  Agility: 25

  Dexterity: 26

  Constitution: 71

  Endurance: 24

  Intelligence: 13

  Wisdom: 11

  Charisma: 8

  Luck: 12

  Richter’s face paled slightly at seeing the troll’s insanely high Constitution. The fact that he had a couple of rings augmenting his stats and what looked to be sturdy armor didn’t help. It was somewhat of a surprise that the troll’s disposition towards him wasn’t lower than “distaste,” but he supposed that to the mercenary, he was just a payday.

  The troll saw his hesitation and smiled while hoisting both shield and mace. Richter snarled back, “Keep laughing, asshole!”

  The merc swung his mace in a mighty blow, left to right. The chaos seed dodged back and counterattacked with Samara Seed Falling. The troll had immediately reset his stance, however, and both of Richter’s whirling blades encountered only the mercenary’s shield. The green-skinned Warrior activated a Talent, Shield Bash. His steel shield struck Richter fully in the face. The chaos seed was knocked down onto his back and blood gushed out of his nose. The Warrior brought his mace down, but Richter caught the weapon in the “V” of his crossed blades as he spat his own blood. Richter’s lips twisted in a bloody smile when the Disarm enchantment fired from his blade, and the mace was cast upward.

  Richter got to his feet. As he did, he was shocked to see the troll had somehow maintained a grip on his weapon. The Warrior had needed to stumble back several feet in order to arrest its movement, but still, his Strength was enough to keep the handle in his grip! The troll brought his weapon back in front of him and reset his shield. Then a gloating expression took over his face. He insulted Richter in his native language. Then in heavily accented common tongue, he said, “You will have to do better than weak enchantments, human.”

  Congratulations! You have learned: Trollish.

  In perfect command of his new tongue, Richter replied, “Whatever you say, fugly!”

  It was the troll’s turn to look surprised, and that expression only worsened as Richter pointed a fist and unleashed Grease from spell storage. The mercenary went down along with three of his fellows. Both swords went back into their sheaths on Richter’s back in one fluid motion, and the chaos seed spoke a word of Power. Flames shot from his fingertips and ignited the grease patch. All four trolls started screaming as they cooked.

  A quick check showed that the charges on his weapons were almost depleted. Richter stepped back from the front lines to survey the battle and used some soul stones to recharge. The troll mercenaries outclassed his own soldiers in levels and training. The village healers, enchanted weapons, and potions made up a good bit of the difference, though.

  The mountain troll had already ripped apart a few dozen of the mercs, and the meidon sprites had joined the battle. Richter had made it a point that each of them were equipped with enchanted weapons. While his villager guards might have been overwhelmed, the sprites were giving as good as they got. Injuries were piling up on both sides, but the meidon sprites were bolstered by the healing magic of the biomages.

  Yoshi and Heqht-jo continued to trade blows. The Barbarian bled in multiple spots, but a red haze surrounded him, and he seemed completely unaware of any injury. Meanwhile, he swung his giant axe as if it was as light as a feather. Again and again, Yoshi missed death by a hairsbreadth. The press of the battle separated the two of them, but the Barbarian shouted threats at the adept the whole time.

  The magical battle also continued to rage. Two of the sprites’ mages were on the ground, and one had smoke rising from his charred form. Four of the goblins casters were dead in contr
ast, and the last was suffering under an onslaught of magic and arrows. None of the weaker magi were as important as the Druid, however. With a shout of arcane syllables, he finished his latest spell, Horrid Blight of Tantalus.

  A grey streamer of mist shot from the Druid’s hands. It split and split and split again. Within seconds, hundreds of tendrils of grey mist were shooting across the battlefield and entering the mouths of almost everyone in the allied forces. It didn’t matter how they moved or if their mouths were closed, the magic took hold.

  The soldiers quailed and five lost their lives in the first second, distracted by the soft tissues of their throats desiccating in an instant. To Sion, it brought back horrible memories of having to relive his childhood friend’s death over and over. To Richter, it felt as if he had never drunk a cup of water before in his life. Prompts appeared and were minimized in Richter’s vision.

  You are Blighted!

  You are Dehydrated! Any lost health cannot be restored.

  You are Severely Dehydrated! Ten health lost per second!

  Richter’s vision began to blur. He kept fighting, but he could feel his exertions worsening his dehydration. The chaos seed’s joints ached, and his insides felt like they had been replaced with sand. Only the beasts and the undead seemed unaffected. Alma, the shale adder, the knight and the puma continued their deadly struggle. To Richter’s left and right, his soldiers struggled to battle on as their very life was stolen by the Druid’s fell magic. He kept fighting, but in his heart, he knew that hope was gone. It had been banished by the might of the Bloodstone.

  Then Hisako raised her arm. A light appeared over them all, reminding enemies and allies alike that a Master of Light, Earth, and Life was present. Her magical sphere had protected her from the worst of the blight, but now she dropped it and stood tall. The Hearth Mother downed a Fortify Mana potion. She had kept it in reserve for many years, but knew that now was the time. Her mana pool increased by another nine hundred and seventy-two points. The spell she was casting would require all she had and more.