Champion's Prophecy: A LitRPG Adventure

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  “Technically, I didn’t defeat them straight out, so much as convince them it wasn’t worth the fight,” said Terran, leaving it purposely vague. The truth was that when he’d taken out the Trio, but left the gold for their payments intact, the Crimson Brigade decided their contract was essentially void. Terran had rightly assumed that greed and self-preservation would win over a pointless fight.

  “A cagey answer, one I’d probably give myself if I were in your shoes. Keep your strengths close to your vest. I can’t say I like you, Terran of Gneiss Glen, but I respect you, and that means more.” Estabario softened his expression towards Zara. “You, on the other hand, I’m delightfully intrigued by—not only by your prowess in battle, but your beauty.”

  Terran’s gut tightened, and he expected Zara’s jaw to tighten and her fists to clench, so he was surprised when her freckled cheeks blushed and she stared at the floor like a girl at her first dance. The reaction wasn’t what he expected, but Estabario, upon second glance, was more handsome than he’d first reckoned. If the crime lord’s interest in Zara lubricated the information he needed—especially when his friend didn’t mind the attention—he wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass.

  Eventually, Zara cleared her throat. “Uhm, thank you.”

  Estabario clucked his tongue. “Oh, what a quandary. A good part of me senses that you’re nothing but trouble for my operations, but I have given my word of protection, at least while you’re in the Pit. On the other hand, your arrival might be an opportunity. Dagrath is in something of a slump right now, and I don’t have anyone with enough cunning to cut through the crap.”

  “Your protection money has dried up,” said Terran.

  Estabario winked. “Bingo. These businesses, especially the inns and taverns, have been particularly vexing when it comes to on-time payments. All these interest payments are hell on my books. While the future earnings are intriguing, I prefer my money exist in my pocket rather than as a scribble of ink.”

  “Especially with so many mouths to feed,” said Terran.

  “Exactly,” said Estabario, nodding. “You understand the perils of leadership quite well. Everything falls on your shoulders. What I wouldn’t give for a few competent lackeys, but lacking them, I’ll have to use what tools have presented themselves.”

  A tightness formed around Terran’s middle. He knew what was coming next, and the crime lord didn’t disappoint.

  “I need you to settle those debts for me,” said Estabario, tapping on his chin. “Namely the Golden Kumquat. They borrowed money from me a while back and have accumulated a large sum which needs collecting. Plus, I simply cannot stand that name. If you can retrieve these payments for me, then I will provide you with the information you require.”

  You have been offered a quest: Collect Della’s debt for Estabario in exchange for information.

  You could always burn down the tavern for insurance money...if they have insurance.

  “You haven’t even asked what it is I’m looking for,” said Terran.

  “Precisely,” said Estabario, flat-lipped.

  Terran sighed with the realization of why. “If you don’t know the question then it’s not your fault if you don’t really have the answer.”

  “If you got your intel wrong, that’s on you,” said the crime lord. “But I will promise that if I know what it is you seek, I will tell you.” He lifted his head. “Right, gang? I always deliver?” The crowd of thugs, which had been quietly watching, gave their voices of assent. “See. I’m an honest man.”

  The continued assurances of honesty did the opposite for Terran, but he wasn’t about to upset things now. He’d let them play out and see how it ended.

  “Fine,” said Terran. “We’ll collect the debt.”

  “Make an example of them,” said Estabario with a delighted sneer. “The others will see the light and make their payments.”

  The way the crime lord was looking at him suggested he knew exactly the dilemma that this request was putting him in. Seeing there was nothing more to say, Terran gave a head bow and left the hall with his friends trailing behind. While Estabario thought he’d placed them in a bind, if they could find the Tavern Killer and collect the reward, they’d earn the money to solve both quests.

  Terran was so busy thinking about the next steps with the serial killer that he stuttered in his tracks when they left the building, heading right into a group of familiar thugs, the ones they’d bested at the Golden Kumquat.

  Chapter Eight

  Hands reached for hilts, though they didn’t look as eager this time for a fight. When Flinty Tim opened his mouth as if he were going to make an announcement, the cross-eyed woman—sporting a bruise on her forehead from Zara’s chair break—placed a hand on his arm.

  “If they’re leaving the Pit intact...” said the cross-eyed woman.

  Eventually Flinty Tim got her meaning and nodded, brushing past them on the way into the Pit.

  Once they were gone, Zara said, “Not that I wouldn’t have thrown hammers, but I wasn’t ready for another fight so soon.”

  Luna looked up at the tall redhead. “Are you well? We might need to find a bloodletter to bleed out those bad humors.”

  “Hopefully they don’t complicate things, but I assume our deal with Estabario still holds,” said Terran.

  “We’ll find out when we return,” said Zara with a shrug.

  You are now level 17!

  Terran twitched at the level notification. “Hey, I leveled from all that.”

  “Me too,” said Zara, gaze taking on a hazy look as she accessed her character screen.

  Luna shook her head. “You Offworlders are strange.”

  “Give us a moment, Luna,” he said.

  Terran immediately placed his stat increases in Charisma and Intelligence. He was using his earth powers much less than his bardic abilities, and if he wasn’t going to need the endurance as much, it made sense to place the second point in Intelligence for more mana and faster acquisition of mental skills.

  Character: Terran

  Level: 17

  Class: Earthen Mage

  Crystal Bard

  Subrace: Rock Leaf Elf

  Champion of the Mother Tree

  HP: 527

  Mana: 440

  Stamina: 950

  Strength: 5

  Intelligence: 13

  Endurance: 19

  Cunning: 4

  Agility: 4

  Charisma: 14

  The new level also came with another point in the Champion’s Path. He examined the Earthblood path again.

  Earthblood [1 pt available] - Utilize the connection with earth for more power

  More points available as champion path goals met

  More abilities open at higher levels

  Sacred Ground: Reflect damage against enemies for 3 seconds per point in skill [0/5]

  Stone Heart: Increase armor and abilities related to stone spells and skills [0/5]

  Earth Friend: Increase stats and abilities when traveling underground [0/5]

  The general increase of power was tempting, but they seemed too specific. He wasn’t sure how often reflecting damage for a few seconds would be useful, and he wouldn’t be traveling underground anytime soon. He supposed that Sacred Ground could be useful against the right opponent, but it didn’t last long enough to deal that much damage.

  The problem was that he needed the points in Worldwalker for getting around the continent and taking his friends. Traveler’s Gift would be nice for the overall boost, but he couldn’t afford a point in that skill for now.

  Pathway traveler allowed travel to more distant locations. Another point would allow him to teleport to another continent, while the final point would allow him to move to another realm. The caveat being that the further he traveled, the more chance of ending up in the wrong location. This chance would reduce the more points he sunk into Worldwalker, so that was a reason to keep focused on the one path.

  The ability to b
ring more of his friends was intriguing as well. He’d eventually have to sink a few more points into it so he could bring his friends, but he wasn’t sure if now was the time. Terran left the point available rather than decide for now.

  “Ready?” he asked Zara when she looked up.

  The streets had been busy during the day, but seemed almost deserted as night had fallen, even though the lanes were well illuminated by lanterns and torches. They managed to catch a food vendor as he was closing, buying up the last of his spiced meat sticks at a discount.

  “You shouldn’t stay on the streets at night,” said the brown-skinned vendor. “It’s not safe.”

  “I appreciate the concern,” said Terran as he bit into the speckled meat. “Mmmm...quite delicious. What is it?”

  “Griffon,” said the vendor as he threw the last of his gear in a wheelbarrow.

  “Hey, how many taverns and inns are in Dagrath?” asked Terran as he licked the tasty spices from his fingers.

  The vendor paused. “Maybe twenty or thirty. Hard to say. A few have closed this year.” He grabbed his wheelbarrow and hurried away. “Good luck!”

  Zara stripped her spiced meat stick clean, using the end as a toothpick. “Tasty. I didn’t know I liked griffon.” She belched. “What now?”

  “We skulk around, maybe the Tavern Killer will try to attack us,” said Terran.

  “Big town,” said Luna. “Have to get real lucky with twenty or thirty places to look.”

  “We’ll have to narrow it down somehow,” said Terran. “For now, let’s just keep our eyes out.”

  The streets got quieter and quieter over the next hour. The only other faces they saw were the guards at the gate, or in patrol. Zara looked hopeful to see the initial guard they’d greeted at the entrance, but she was clearly off duty. As they circled around the temple district, Luna froze as they crossed the street.

  “What do you see?” asked Terran. He held still, keeping his eyes searching.

  Luna leaned forward, furry eyebrows hunched. “Down the street, past those torches.”

  “Yeah? All I see are shadows,” said Terran.

  “Keep watching those shadows.”

  He thought his furry companion might be seeing things until the whole sheet of darkness shifted like a living thing.

  “Crater’s Abyss,” said Terran. “Shadows.”

  “Yeah, Luna already said that, but what’s the deal?” asked Zara.

  “No, living shadows, like the ones we fought in Wunderlust Keep,” said Terran. “I wasn’t expecting them here. The bigger question is if all shadows are connected to the Shadowbane.”

  Zara crossed her arms. “I’m going to assume we’re following those shadows.”

  “We have to know,” said Terran. “Plus, they might have something to do with the deaths. The figure on the wanted poster is covered in shadows. You can’t see his face. It could be we’re dealing with a shadow shape-shifting into human form.”

  The shadow had headed down an alleyway. They followed from a distance. The shadow moved at the pace of a solemn priest, slowly and inexorably. At the end of the alleyway, it entered a building—Terran was surprised by the opening and closing of a door, as he’d half expected it to float through the barrier—and then it was gone.

  “That looks like a temple of some sort,” said Luna, head tilted back.

  It was a larger building with a steepled roof. The door wasn’t locked, but if the place was known for the shadows, he couldn’t imagine why anyone would just wander in. Terran cracked it open, peering in and expecting darkness, but a strange dim light made sight possible.

  “I guess you can’t have shadows without light,” said Terran. “Keep your axe and teeth at the ready.”

  They entered an alcove, which under normal circumstances would have been a cloak closet for the priests. There were markings on the wall that had been burned off, which suggested this temple had been repurposed from its original god. Once inside, a low chanting reverberated, more murmuring than exaltation.

  The hair on the back of his neck was at full attention as he peered around the wall to see dozens of church pews before an altar, which contained a swirling ball of darkness. The figures in the pews were mostly humanoid shaped, though a few of them shifted slightly, as if they hadn’t settled on a form. Many of the shadows were equal to their level, but the ball above the altar had a red skull for an icon, which meant they wouldn’t stand a chance against it.

  Terran was prepared to leave, but then he saw an actual human in a cloak heading around the back of the church. Zara grabbed his shoulder. She’d seen the cloaked figure as well. It disappeared into a basement from a set of stairs not far from their location.

  Getting on his hands and knees, Terran crawled behind the pews towards the basement entrance. The wooden floor was hard on his knees, but eventually they were able to slip down the stairs.

  [You have increased the skill Stealth]

  Skill: Stealth 10 (AGI)

  The infamous crawling technique, used by ninjas and drunks who’ve lost their keys.

  He was hoping for a simple space, but was instead confronted with multiple hallways as he climbed back to his feet.

  “Crap,” he said, looking down the various passages.

  “Left is right and right is wrong,” said Zara, taking the lead down her preferred passage with her enormous axe in her hands.

  The first door opened to a closet filled with mops and brooms. Zara smirked as she closed it. “Do you think the shadows ever spill themselves? Oops, I got some shadow all over the floor. Could someone mop it up and squeeze it back into my body?”

  “I’m glad our perilous adventure is amusing to you,” said Terran drolly.

  “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one ready with a good quip,” said Luna, bumping her shoulder against Zara’s leg.

  When Zara threw the next door open, they were confronted by a horrific scene. A gagged woman was bound to a steel table while a shadow hovered over her with a fist-sized orb of impenetrable darkness. The woman writhed, struggling against the bindings.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” said Zara, stepping into the room.

  Terran closed the door behind them as more shadows appeared in the back of the room, making the odds more even. Before Zara could reach the woman, the shadowy figure shoved the ball of darkness into her gut. The woman screamed against the gag, her muffled cries the agony of the end.

  Shadow Spreader - Level 19

  Shadows are infinite

  Terran lifted his staff to his lips for a Vocal Slam, realizing that his attack would be extremely loud in the basement room, probably bringing the rest of the temple upon their heads. He stepped around the table, swinging at the pair of approaching shadows, hitting them with his crystalline staff for a disappointing amount of damage. Unlike the ones they’d fought in the quarry, these didn’t split, but he hadn’t been expecting that since these seemed more corporeal than those flimsy sheets of darkness.

  On the other side of the table, Zara was swinging her massive axe in loops, attempting to hit the mobile shadow spreader as it shifted and slipped past her weapon. The big redhead grunted, but didn’t lose focus, working the angles to keep the slippery creature contained.

  The shadows Terran fought were much lower level, so he was holding his own with his staff, while Luna was lunging in, tearing away bits of darkness from the creatures. Together they were whittling away the shadows, though most of the damage was being done by his furry companion. He desperately wanted to unleash his bardic magic, but the short-term gains weren’t worth alerting the whole temple.

  In the heat of battle, it was only by chance that he glanced at the woman on the table. She’d stopped moving. He would have normally taken this as a sad sign, but her whole body glowed as if it was lit from within by a blacklight.

  “Zara,” said Terran. “I think we need to take care of these things quickly.”

  “I’m trying, but it won’t stay still,” she grunted as she spu
n the axe deftly in her hands, swinging through empty air where the shadow spreader had just been standing.

  Luna lunged in, killing the first shadow, allowing them to focus on the second, but the woman on the table arched her back, as whatever had been placed in her was straining to get out. Her stomach and chest extended upward. Terran found himself fixated on the woman, wanting desperately for her suffering to end, but also wondering what was going to happen.

  When the shadow morph burst from her body, Terran swung his staff at the creature’s head, which had only just extended from the dead woman’s chest. The impact deflected into the steel table, sending a vibration through the staff that made Terran’s teeth vibrate as if he’d bitten down on tinfoil. He matched it by humming in F-sharp, which eased the annoyance, taking a swing at the emerging foe a second time.

  He was surprised when the shadowy creature exploded into nothingness at the impact, a stout critical that annihilated the fledgling shadow. Terran was relieved to dispatch the creature so easily because of how difficult the battle with the shadow morph in the quarry had been.

  Luna managed to grapple the second shadow, immobilizing it in place. Terran thwacked it with his crystalline staff, but the damage returned to its normal low state.

  “Hurry, Terran, I can’t hold it much longer,” said Luna through gritted teeth.

  Terran stared at his staff as if it’d betrayed him, but then recognized that on the critical hit, his staff had been vibrating at its core frequency. He hummed another F-sharp, hearing the response in the crystal. The reverberation was like sitting in front of a warm fire, and for a moment he forgot himself in battle.

  “Terran!”

  “Right.”

  He swung the staff at the second shadow. With the vibration humming through his arms, the staff hit the shadow with considerable force, exploding it into fragments of darkness that faded to wisps.