Ring of Promise: A LitRPG novel (Elements of Wrath Online Book 1)

by J. A. Cipriano

“Touché,” I admitted. “Anyway, he really thinks outside the box, and he’s probably not that much older than you, if I can judge it properly. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he seems to be super rich, at least in game.”

  She tilted her head a bit. “Are you *zzt* sure he’s a friend, then? I know how *brt* you get about work.”

  Chrissy knew me all too well, but I was pretty confident in my assessment of things. “No, I’m sure. He’s been a big help with a lot of things lately, and we’ve certainly joked around a bit.”

  “You’ve been shut in *sssss* so much that I have to check these things. *zzt* For your own safety, of course!” She gestured with her prosthetic hand, spinning it 360-degrees as if to say to get on with it … which she did, in fact, say a moment later. “Get *brt* on with it.”

  “Okay, fine,” I said with a chuckle. I really should have talked to her about this earlier … not that I had a lot of ‘earlier’ to do this. “The other two are guildies for one of the big raid guilds. I think you’d like this one because it’s a girl’s-only guild.” Chrissy had gone through the same NSAF research and rehabilitation I had, so she knew that meant actual women at the helm.

  I could tell that made her happy, even if she opened with a tease. “It’s about *zzt* time! Do I need to *kzrk* teach you about the birds and the *bzz* bees?”

  I mock-sighed with all the bluster I could muster. “No, Chrissy, I know how sex works.” My smile came back to me as I pushed on past the teasing. “There’s Crysta. She’s an Aurum Ranger who plays Support. Would you believe she collects junk drops?” I knew the look in my sister’s eyes and cut her off before she could say anything. “And no, I don’t like her like that. She’s Promised already so definitely not.”

  Chrissy knew enough about the game from my stories to know what Promised usually meant. “Ah, *zzt* I see. So it’s *zzt* the other girl that you like?”

  It was meant as a poke, a good ribbing between brother and sister, but it hit home. It’s not like I hadn’t thought about myself enough, but it was always easier to push it aside. Now, with that question hanging in the air and thinking about these past days (which felt a lot longer than they actually were), I had to admit to myself that I did. I did, indeed, ‘like’ Kayla.

  Why wouldn’t I? I could figure from how I knew the avatars were modeled that she was good-looking, yes, but more importantly, she was smart, she cared, and we shared something important: we both loved Elementalis Online. Look, the couple that played together, stayed together … especially in the deep-dive.

  The big question was if it would become anything. So I liked her, but that didn’t mean she liked me, well, in any romantic sense. Even if she did, what would happen if we actually met in, well, real life? I was a poor, crippled guy in a wheelchair. Not exactly relationship material.

  “Max?”

  I started. “Huh? Oh, right. Maybe I do.” I rubbed my temples and forced a smile. No matter how much I hated myself, I wasn’t going to lie to my sister about Kayla or what I thought of her. “Her name is Kayla and she’s pretty awesome …”

  Up until Patch 2.0, the story of Elementalis has been a straightforward one. Though each kingdom has its differences and there are multiple outside factions, the combined focus on all sides has been to rebuild the world after the Sundering while holding back the Elements of Conflict. With the lead-up to Crystalfire, we are working to build a more nuanced story, one that will give more paths through the game for the hardcore gamer while greatly enriching lore for the roleplayers and lore historians.

  Kyle Patruski, EO lead developer

  Much like the Nix that form the majority of its citizens, the Water Kingdom is a nation that prides itself on flexibility and compassion. The Ocean Mother and her princesses form the backbone of this fluid culture, providing a vital point of stability for what can be an otherwise chaotic government. All creeds and philosophies are welcome in the Water Kingdom, even some devotees of the Primal Dark, providing they pass certain unknown tests of loyalty to the Ocean Mother herself.

  From the Water Kingdom section, EO internal wiki

  19

  What dreams I had that night were a confused, garbled mess with nothing making much sense. In other words, they were pretty much bog standard. There was a small subset of NSAF users that reported all manner of trippy dreams caused by the constant neural back-and-forth of the gear, and I was fortunate I wasn’t one of that group. There were enough things for me to worry about without having my dreams dissected.

  No matter my troubles (or maybe because of them), I was more eager than ever to get back into the dive that morning. Spending time with Chrissy was always good for my psyche. Despite the horrible hand she’d been dealt, my sister wouldn’t be kept down. Maybe part of that was the lack of knowledge she had about how bad things were looking for us, but I had a feeling she realized more than she let on.

  She had imparted on me some sage advice regarding my new friends, namely one particular new friend (Kayla, if my implications weren’t heavy enough). I honestly wasn’t sure if taking her advice was the wisest idea, as it essentially boiled down to ‘Go for it, Max’. As I was unsure if there was anything to actually ‘go for’, it probably was pointless, but it couldn’t hurt to keep in mind.

  Chrissy would grill me about it later so there was no point in trying to avoid it.

  The other thing that was on my mind as I rolled my wheelchair into position was the streaming footage from the night before. I was sure Burndall’s message had been dead on and my own hunch about selling piggy-back rides on my brain would bring in money, that wasn’t the issue. It was the growing feeling that maybe there were things, parts of my experiences that I shouldn’t sell. Then again, it wasn’t like I had a buyer yet. I could kick that can down the road.

  With a smile on my face, I hit the deep-dive and descended toward Elementalis. Sure, the future was still uncertain, but I felt like I had a plan, and there were chances ahead that there hadn’t been before. Everything was going to turn out okay somehow, right?

  Yeah, me being optimistic is never a great idea. As soon as I was back in Shale’s body, a collection of Herald alerts the length of my arm greeted me. Friend requests and received messages dominated the list from all corners. What the heck had happened overnight?

  It didn’t help that I was also getting incoming chat from multiple sides.

  Burndall: You didn’t drop me a reply, dude! I think I’ve got you a sweet deal if you want it.

  Kayla: Hey! I think there’s something really wrong with Crysta.

  Crysta: Shale, I don’t know if I’ll be good for much today. You might want to look for someone else.

  Nahma: Mr. Shale! Good morning! Is there anything I can do for you today?

  I closed my eyes and tried to order my thoughts. Years of having my brain plugged into these things did have its benefits and the ability to multitask so many functions at once was one of them. A deep breath later and I fired off a shotgun of messages as I opened my eyes.

  To Burndall: Sorry, man, things got busy last night. If you haven’t talked to Kay, we made a major breakthrough. We can talk about whatever you’re talking about as we meet up.

  To Kayla: I think you’re right. She shot me an odd message; I’ll see what I can find out.

  To Crysta: What’s wrong? It’s something about Vanni, isn’t it?

  To Nahma: Uh, good morning. No, I don’t think so, but thank you for asking. I’ll let you know, I guess.

  Granholm Plaza was buzzing with activity and unlike most days, people were starting to notice me and stare. Some pointed and the chatter increased along with my feeling of discomfort. Yeah, some big streaming star I was going to be if it only took this few people looking at me to make me feel uncomfortable. Having hundreds of people riding my brainwaves would make me want to run off into the hills to live with the bears or whatever actually lives in what remains of the wilderness. I beelined for Champion’s Hall as the next volley of messages hit.

  Burnda
ll: Understood, man. Kay and me are at the hall waiting for ya!

  Kayla: Thank you, Shale, I really mean that. I had some thoughts about what to do for the quest and sent them in a letter, but don’t worry about it now. We can talk when we meet up.

  Crysta: Yes but … you know I can’t tell you the rest. I won’t be reliable at all, and I don’t want to mess up the great run you guys have had.

  Nahma: Oh, okay, Mr. Shale. I talked to Mr. Burndall, and he was going to talk to you about some things so please get back to me.

  Blowing a sigh through clenched teeth, I took a glance in my inbox. One look and I was completely put off from ever opening my inbox ever again. The avalanche had only grown from the previous evening and there were scarce few names I recognized. The curse of fame, however little and fleeting, was the obvious reason and I hated it already.

  To Burndall: On my way.

  To Kayla: Something bad is up with Vanni. Surprised you haven’t heard it in guild chat yet unless she’s just talking with your guildmistress, keeping it on the down low. Be there in a moment.

  To Crysta: First, you wouldn’t mess it up and second, while I don’t know what’s up, you’ll be able to handle it better with a morale boost from the game. Trust me, I know about these things.

  To Nahma: I will, trust me. Thank you.

  I burst through the door and was glad I didn’t run over anyone in the process. Keeping tabs on so many mental conversations at once was taxing and watching where I was going was the least of my worries. While the crowds here were no longer a surprise, what was a bit surprising was how they looked at me, Burndall, and Kayla, the others at their usual waiting spot in the central hub.

  There were those that looked at us with respect and admiration, but there were just as many that had a bit of a predatory gleam to their eyes. Higher level sorts, mainly, and for a second I didn’t quite grasp why because my brain was still multitasking in six or seven directions. It struck me by the time I walked up to the others: they were watching to see what we would do next. They were chasing our leads, chasing our success.

  I don’t know why, being that I’d followed plenty of guides and play information trailblazed by others in the past, but this didn’t feel right to me. It felt … off and simply added to my discomfort.

  “Hey guys,” I said with a nod. “Invites going out, okay?”

  Burndall, unlike me, was soaking up the attention, flashing me a grin. “Okay, boss man.”

  “What about Crys?” Kayla was taking this better than I was but I think that was as much because of her worry about her friend than not feeling as if this wasn’t a bit weird.

  Raising a finger to call for a moment, I waited to see who all accepted as I fired an invite Crysta’s way as well. Sure enough, she accepted along with the rest of the usual suspects. Finally starting to feel like I could breathe, I focused on the one communication channel and shut out all the stares around us.

  Crysta: I still don’t think this is a good idea. I don’t want to screw things up.

  Kayla: Don’t even think about that. It’s more important that you’re with friends right now.

  Shale: Exactly. The last thing you need to be when things are going to heck up above is to be alone. I really do understand.

  Yes, I did listen to all those therapy sessions, even if I was horrible at putting them into practice. Kayla glanced over at me and smiled thankfully. Yeah, I definitely like-liked her, as if I didn’t already know at that point.

  Burndall: Well, I got no clue exactly what’s up, Crys, but there ain’t no way you could screw up the healz! Join us!

  Crysta: All right. It’s not like there’s anything else I can do right now except try to stay busy and distracted.

  Shale: We’ll wait here for you. No rush!

  That was kind of a white lie. I really wanted to get on with things, to get out of Granholm and on with the quest. Far fewer prying eyes, at the very least, and that would be totally fine by me.

  Shale: So do any of you know what’s up with all the googly eyes?

  Burndall: Beats me, man, but I love it.

  The kid puffed up a bit more, preening like a strutting rooster.

  Kayla: The guild thinks it’s people looking for a scoop on the questline. We did sort of drop off the radar last night, Shale, and I think they think we figured out something.

  Crysta: Well, from what you told us earlier, Kay, you two did.

  Burndall: Which you didn’t actually talk about earlier, Kay-kay

  Kayla: Please, never call me that, kid.

  Fortunately, Crysta did not keep us waiting long. Our Ranger rushed into Champion’s Hall, causing another stir as the last of the ‘Firsters’ showed up on the scene. Anyone that wasn’t already watching us like a hawk was doing so now.

  On the surface, she didn’t look any different than she did before. The truth was writ large in her eyes and in her bearing, though. Her look was distant, her shoulders slightly dropped, and instead of that sprightly step she had, she was … grounded. She didn’t lack her grace but the airy breeze to her movements was gone.

  Without prompting, Kayla opened her arms and brought Crysta in for a comforting embrace. I never hugged anyone outside of Chrissy usually, but this time, I made an exception and joined in on the group hug. If the peanut gallery wanted to stare, let them.

  “Thanks, guys,” Crysta whispered, and I could tell from the waver in her voice she was hanging in there, but just barely. “It’s bad, and that’s all I can really say with the stupid lutefisking Filter.”

  Someone must have snickered or some bullcrap because, as we start to pull apart, I heard Burndall smart off, “Hey, banana off, lady! Things are rough for her, all right?”

  “Don’t poke the trolls, Burndall,” I muttered and swapped back to group chat.

  Shale: Let’s get on with business. I think we could all use some MOBs to blow up or a puzzle to solve about now.

  Crysta: Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. What’s the plan?

  Burndall: Now that’s a good question, Crys. I don’t have a clue.

  Kayla: We found a quest-related event in the Tangleheart and it gave Shale and I a new quest.

  Shale: However, how it played out, we think there’s a chance you guys will be able to jump in for the real quest here. It gave us some lore info that could be critical.

  Burndall: So like that dialogue thing to start this whole shebang?

  Kayla: That’s our thought. If it doesn’t work, well, we will go take a trip … hopefully without our ever-growing fan club.

  Crysta: I hope so. I really don’t need all these people staring. It isn’t helping.

  Kayla laid a hand on Crysta’s shoulder, which brought a faint smile to the Aurum’s lips which grew a little more when I mimicked Kayla’s gesture. Burndall even joined in on this one, patting Crysta on the back.

  “Let’s go,” I smiled and started down towards Copperholt and Kallisandre’s post.

  I could feel Kayla’s eyes on my back, and I wasn’t surprised by the private chat that came in.

  Kayla: We do need to decide what we’re going to do. We have options here.

  Shale: Do we? You saw the look on those people’s faces.

  I still couldn’t see her face as I wove through the crowd with everyone in tow, but I was pretty sure she was smiling at me. I was getting a handle for the feel of that.

  Kayla: Well, that was my thought but I wasn’t going to assume. I know it has to be the right choice. Do you want me to take the lead on this one? I read up on the lore to prep for this.

  Before, I shied away from trusting in someone enough to give my control over, assuming I’d get taken advantage of. This time, I didn’t think that would happen. With a little bit of trepidation regardless, I turned over group leadership to Kayla. My old therapist would have been proud at the progress I was making on my trust issues!

  Burndall: What’s up, boss?

  Shale: Kayla’s got the info to handle this. Just let her do her thi
ng, okay?

  Crysta: Understood.

  Burndall: Well, okay, man.

  I flashed Kayla a smile as she swept past me while the rest of the group gathered around me in front of the princess. Down the hall, avatars kicked off walls or stood up, looking at us as a ripple of words rolled back down towards the main hub. It was about to get very crowded in here. As the NPC interface started up and the room went out of focus, my eyes glanced toward the BoarRide streaming control floating near the party HUD.

  I could always not distribute it if I felt wrong about it or if anyone else objected. It would be better to have the files to sell if I needed it, right? I mentally flicked the switch on as Kallisandre looked up from the maps she and Copperholt were examining to look at us.

  “Good day, champions,” she nodded. “I have no new missives of import from the sages, sadly. Do you have some other news or is there something you needed to ask me about?”

  It was a little odd to not have the focus immediately snap to me, but Kayla was ready for this. “Indeed, your Highness, we have vital news but could we perhaps have a word about another matter first? With perhaps a little bit of privacy?”

  Quest ‘Shades of Grey’ updated!

  New Objective: Tell the Riders’ tale to Princess Kallisandre.

  The princess quirked her head slightly, one eyebrow delicately arched, but she nodded a moment later. “Of course, Lady Kayla. You all have earned that much and more.” She nodded politely to the aging knight before leading us off to one side of the hall. I wasn’t sure how private that location was, but I had to trust the NPC interface to do this properly. “Now, what is it you needed to tell me?”

  Control of the conversation didn’t immediately shift down the party order; that must have counted as a transition scene. Kayla glanced over at the rest of us, and I gave her a nod. “Well, your Highness, Warlord Shale and I investigated the bandits that attacked you and your diplomats on the Trade Road, and we discovered some startling facts. Before we recount them, though, we also must relay a request for asylum by a small group of said bandits.”