by Han Yang
A wave of moisture coated my mouth, and the magic quenched my thirst in an instant.
“Thank you. Can you free my legs?” I asked politely.
“I can and will, Father,” the small being said. “After we have a nice talk. Oh, in case you were wondering, these runes keep this conversation private.”
Unable to hold back my curiosity, I asked, “Who and what are you?”
The green eyes fixated on mine in sadness. “They killed mom, slit her throat and laughed while doing it. She asked me not to cry if the bad men came, and I didn’t. Dad ran in to check on me, finding mom and the baby who pretended to be me; both were dead. The assassins killed him by poisoning their bodies. He touched them and convulsed not long after,” the being said.
“Jax?” I asked in dismay.
“In a way, yes, I am that baby Jax. An immense explosion brought the roof down, and unlike you, I died in the collapse. Since no one stole my orb, or killed me as I converted, I became what the elva feared,” the little being said.
“Asha and Yermica are dead,” I said sadly. “I… I… this.”
“Not all is lost. But yes, they died, and their sacrifice, as well as yours, will not be forgotten. You are my Father. Does that make sense now?” the little demon asked.
I held in my groan, instead smiling. “You would be dead if you were a normal child. Therefore, this new you is attributed to me, and without me, you wouldn’t exist. I see the logic, but would call it a stretch,” I said.
“And now I’m a blessed demon on a planet filled with endless prey,” the demon said. “If only. Even if it is a stretch, the fact remains that you’re my father, the reason I exist.”
“Can I call you Jax? I always loved spending time with you,” I said.
“I retained Jax’s memories, and his name is my name. So, yes, you may. I do think you hate what I am,” Jax said. It wasn’t a question.
“I preferred to save the baby’s life. I failed, and I hate that fact. Even with your unique appearance, I miss Jax, I hope you understand that. However, I try really hard not to judge people by their appearance,” I said and added. “Your current form is different. I associate it with evil, but perhaps I shouldn’t.”
“You should. But your heart is in the right place. Do you know what I am?” Jax asked. I shook my head no. “Care to guess?”
“A Leo god?” I asked.
“Close, but no. I’m the spawn of the Creator, sort of. It’s complicated, but I can say I’m different than anything you can understand. I also will not be staying here. I want to, though. You seem fun,” Jax said with a smile.
The rows of serrated fangs frightened me, but I managed to smile back. “I’m going to miss you, if that is the case. You are much more than I expected. I had this notion of a mindless… well, armored baby.”
“I’m different, and advanced. I came for two reasons. I sensed you nearby and spent the last day trying to find you. Your pleas for help saved you, and I’ll not forget the man whom I call Father. I’d like to think saving you can be a pinnacle of my life.”
“And the other?” I asked.
“Well, the first leads to the second. Necromancers can revive the dead - the fully dead in the soul pits.”
I shook my head. “Only Caitlyn can, and she says that it comes with limitations. Both of your parents have been remade once already. I don’t have any such power.”
“Ah, one day soon, you will be able to. It is an unlock and a magus level spell. I figured you would have achieved it already.”
“Those runes ward off the Six and their gods from hearing?” I asked, and he nodded. “I’d wager it is at level twenty. Caitlyn said not to advance past twenty. She never said why.”
“Your goddess is wise and also a fool. I do not know what she warns you about. I only have an inkling of knowledge from the Creator himself. I do know that there is no such limit as one revival per. Maybe the Six have that rule, but it does not exist.
“As for you holding such a power when you reach a certain level, this level twenty sounds about right, and you can bring back my parents. One revival a year, or so I’ve been led to believe,” Jax said.
“Once a year is horrid.” He shook his head at my words. I changed my tune. “Good thing I’m immortal,” I said with a grunt.
“See, there’s the right attitude. I need your oath, unfortunately. They meant everything to me,” Jax said.
“Ah, the crux of the matter. My life to save theirs. In doing so, I ignore my god's warning,” I said.
Jax flashed a wicked smile.
“Your oath, Father. I will accept nothing less.”
I glared at him and crumbled. Asha, Yermica, and Ike. I would bring them all back, the consequences be damned. For some unknown reason, I felt like this was a terrible decision even if it was what I wanted.
“I, Damien Moonguard, give an oath to one day unlock the ability to restore the dead into the living again, whole and complete. It may take time. I am only level sixteen. When I can revive the Yermica Moonguard and Asha Moonguard, I will do so as a top priority. On this I swear,” I said, hoping that was enough.
“You can revive Dad first,” Jax said, referring to Asha as Dad.
“Is that -”
A searing pain erupted in my chest. I immediately flooded the damage with healing magic, losing the battle. My vision fading to black, and the deafening screams of pain vanished as I lost consciousness.
∞∞∞
I stirred, finding myself bundled in a warm goop. I wanted to open my eyes but pressure from some liquid told me to keep them closed.
The sensation faded, and suddenly I found myself sitting on a hard stone floor with a green hue illuminating the space. The suspension magic completely faded, and I stood.
The room Jax and I talked in had changed. It was bigger now, about three times the size. More importantly, I had legs. I felt a searing pain over my heart. Burned into my flesh, like a branding, was the rune Jax drew.
I found my elva armor and sword hanging from pegs on a wall near the inscriptions Jax had left to protect the room.
I quickly geared into armor and a sword, not certain how long I had been out this time.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The repeated thud came from somewhere close and sounded like a hammer against stone.
A note rested on my sword’s hilt, and I unfolded it.
Step in the middle of the room, touch the oath rune in your chest, and the protections of this room will vanish. The moment you do so, you’re vulnerable. I thank you for everything, Father. Tell my parents I loved them greatly. Oh, your friends were closing in on the city, so I’m gone. I hope the creator lets me visit so we can play a game of chess. I’d like that a lot.
Jax the Destroyer
I did as the instructions stated, and the paper flashed into nothing. The runes on the wall faded to plain stone, and an ascending tunnel with stairs showed the way out.
“Damien!” Tarla called out. “Damien!”
“Down here, my love,” I said.
The sound of feet racing down stairs echoed fiercely. Suddenly, her rush changed, and the footfalls vanished.
“Oh shit!” Tarla shouted in panic.
Slam! Bang! Splat!
Tarla’s dead body tumbled out of the stairwell and onto the small cavern’s floor. Her neck twisted backward, and I never smiled so big in my life.
I condensed my magic and latched onto her orb.
Resurrect Tarla Moonguard (YES) or (NO) Tarla is pregnant, the odds of saving her baby are 90%. This can be improved by leveling your healing. - Yes Selected. Pregnancy saved.
The golden light beamed down, correcting her neck with a pop. She stood a moment later, only being still for a fraction of a second. We rushed into each other’s arms, smashing together in a loving embrace.
“Don’t rush stairs, my Queen,” I scolded with a chuckle.
She kissed me a thousand times all over. “Perks of hav
ing a healer husband.”
After a long and passionate kiss, we touched our foreheads together.
“Everything okay?” a surly dwarf asked from above.
“Peachy, but we need a minute,” Tarla called up. “Focus on helping the edrino rebuild the city now that we cracked the casing.”
The dwarf shouted that he’d do exactly that. We hugged, kissed, and my eyes got watery from the cavern air. Eventually, I calmed from the joy of our reunion.
“What casing?” I asked.
“Cecil knew you lived but couldn’t find you. We rushed back to the city since all the armies who fought here died. The edrino have been reconstructing our home according to Famo’s schematic.
“About three days ago, they found a spot they couldn’t melt. This container. We knew it had to have you in it. No magic could meld the stone, but good old mining worked. The repeated smacks must have woken you,” Tarla said.
“And the Creator’s Cave?” I asked.
“Collapsed and ruined from the blast. All of your minions and the arcane mages perished. We found your skeleton fragments everywhere. How you survived, we…? We’re grateful,” Tarla said, the tears of joy moistened her lips when she kissed me. “How did you live?”
“Uh… luck and then a friend.” I raised a finger to my lips. Tarla nodded, not wanting to step back. I showed her my branding over my heart. She gasped. “We lost three dear friends. This is to remember two of them. I have to be careful what I say.”
“Of course, of course,” Tarla said, running hands down my cheeks. “It’ll be okay.”
“I know, my love. I think we have so many dangers ahead of us that I struggle to stay positive,” I said.
Tarla smirked. “I have good news. The Podoni have asked for a peace treaty. They’re even trying to bribe us. You won. A pyrrhic victory if there ever was one, but we did win. The sight of your minions and soldiers marching to retake this city has crushed resistance.
“The elva have offered peace if you restrain your undead minions from breeding. We accepted. The Podoni offered supplies and Zorta if you join them in helping remove the wurm lords from the surface. The Yookree have surrendered, pleading to be spared. The Jeer have come for their crossbows, and we delivered, restoring our standing to neutral,” Tarla said proudly.
“So, we fight the wurm armies now?” I asked with a scoff.
“Heavens no. I made a deal with the wurm lords too, and only accepted a non-aggression pact from the Podoni Empire. We have peace on every front, my King. Can you believe it?”
I shook my head. “The gods want me to advance, and there are always enemies. I’ve sworn to become greater, and the second I do, something bad is going to happen. I just know it.”
“My dear husband. Stop. Focus,” Tarla said, her freckles covered in glistening tears. “You have a chance at peace for a little bit. Be happy. We both know the brewing storms and the coming battles will be great, but just let it go for now.”
Again, I shook my head. “I wish I could, but I can’t. Something awful is going to happen, and it drives me crazy not knowing what it is.”
“What!? What is going to happen?” Tarla desperately asked.
“We’ll find out together when I achieve magus at level twenty. Even though I’m worried and scared, I have my family and friends to lean on. So, it's not all doom and gloom,” I said.
“Together,” Tarla said.
I kissed her gently. “Together.”
“Tuck that sour attitude away. A special little girl has been missing her daddy. Come back to the daylight and see the majestic new city,” Tarla said.
“Nothing would make me happier.”
To Be Continued…
Afterword
Thank you for joining me on this epic journey. To start, it is not over. As the author and the guy closest to the story, I feel like everything constantly didn’t go his way. Over and over he combated challenges, and for once, he earns a respite.
I love writing as Damien, I really do. The transformation and progression has been great. Some folks weren’t willing to watch what he grew into, the burdens and responsibilities. I really like where he is in his progression chart and where he can go from here. Especially since he gets an opportunity to hone his skills and settle down before the next grand adventure.
I’m a work-a-holic, unnaturally so. I pass through the manuscript at least a dozen times, trying to create something that shines, but, of course, issues slip through. If you notice something or want to say hi. You can find me on that place known as facebook at https://www.facebook.com/han.yang.79069323/
Thank you to Sean Hall, Chief 37, P.B., El Geron, and all the other great people who helped create this project. These are never just 1 person creating a book and I don’t say thank you to the background efforts enough.
The dreaded asking for help. 2 things. Follow me on Amazon. Leave a review. There, I said it, and sorry I had to badger. Smash that follow button, type out 15 words saying - For Tribe Moonguard give me book 4 already. Like where is book 4? I want book 4 now.
What’s next?
Well shit, I got like 50 reviews asking for book 4 and I do read your feedback so onto book 4 it is.
Book 4 you say!?
Yes, quite right. Damien is in a relaxing spot but it won’t stay that way.
Where’s the audio?
My narrators are hard at work. I literally write faster than the narrators narrate and rushing them seems folly.
Where’s your patreon? Take my money!
Umm… I left the fence after book 1 and decided not to.
Once again, thank you for reading, have a great day/night/evening/week/weekend and I hope you try out book 4.
You can find other great books and resources for reading in this genre at these three wonderful groups.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books
https://www.facebook.com/groups/litrpgforum
Cheers.
