Limitless Lands Book 3: Retribution (A LitRPG Adventure)

by Dean Henegar

  “Yes sir,” The manager fumbled a bit, looking at his dataslate before proceeding. “Sales are still on the projected path. There are indicators that the major markets in the United States and Europe are reaching saturation, but the asian markets are seeing a surge,” the manager reported, glad to be finished with his part.

  “Good news. I’m concerned about us reaching saturation, but there are only so many people who want to play. Have we looked into any other revenue streams to supplement our numbers once everyone who wants to play has bought the game?” Raines asked.

  Gloria Treese from marketing spoke up next. She had done a stellar job in getting the word out on the game for its initial launch.

  “We do have an amazing new merchandising line coming out in the next week, Mr. Raines. As you know, we acquired a stake in a new startup 3D-printing company that is using the latest software to speed up production and improve the quality of items made for the gaming markets. ‘Yourchoice3D’ is the company, and we have been able to link between the game and their purchase interface to allow our customers an exciting opportunity.” Gloria paused dramatically while taking a sip of the coffee in front of her. It was hard to turn off the showmanship in most marketing folks.

  “Starting with the next patch, customers can now take a screenshot of their character, have it 3D-printed in full-color, and delivered by drone to their home in under twenty-four hours. Anything from a single character to an entire diorama of a dramatic fight can be ordered. The customer’s choices can also be made into plushies if they desire. Either in a realistic style, or a ‘cute’ mode. Who doesn’t want a cuddly plush version of the big, evil creature they just defeated? We have several other collaborations in the works, but nothing we’re ready to reveal yet,” Gloria finished.

  “That’s good news, Gloria. Let’s move on to Trey and the medical division before we finish up. How are things on your front, Trey?” Raines asked.

  “Trials with the non-veteran patients are going well. The medpods are performing as advertised and some of the less serious cases are scheduled to complete treatment in the next few weeks. Our first veteran patient we expect to recover is a Mr. Ty, who’s recovery is at eighty-eight percent and is tentatively scheduled to pull from emersion at the end of next week.

  “Of course, anything can happen, but that’s the plan. The FDA is expected to approve the device within the next sixty days once the first recovered patients are given a final exam. The only other thing is an interesting conversation I just had with a Dr. Nasif at Vanderbilt, asking about the possibility of using the medpod to help treat drug addiction.

  “I’ve sent the request and data over for the appropriate parties to look at,” Trey finished up. He thought he should have asked Chairman Raines for a raise after hearing about the plushie marketing plan . . . he was going to go broke once Lauren found out. She would want him to buy her one of every critter in the game.

  “Thank you, Trey. The only other item is about our press release concerning the medpod program. It’s felt that the program has been successful enough to announce it along with our initial results in a few days. Gloria will be the point of contact for any media inquiries, and I suspect there will be many. Be sure to go over the policy on communicating with the media with all your subordinates. We want to have a consistent message that the medpods are the treatment choice for the future. I’m proud of all we have accomplished so far with Limitless Lands. Everyone keep up the good work,” Raines said, ending the meeting.

  Trey made a call home to his wife and child before taking the rest of the evening off. He wanted to see his mother again in the morning before making the long drive back to Knoxville.

  Chapter 14

  Lauren was dying to log back into Limitless Lands as soon as she returned home from school, but she had to finish her chores and homework first. She was angry at her friend Steve, who played the halfling ranger Quimby in-game. Steve hadn’t finished some homework project and had been banned by his parents from gaming until next week. Luckily, that kid Nolen she had met in the hospital had agreed to join. While Quimby’s ranged damage was useful, having another front-line fighter would also benefit the team. After finishing up the last of her homework, Lauren did her chores, which consisted of taking out the trash and feeding the family cat.

  “Well Captain Paws-a-Lot, here’s your food. You’re just sooo cute, but I have to go see my other cuddly little pet in-game now. I wish you and Crunchy could play together,” Lauren said as she finished filling up the cat bowl and giving Captain Paws-a-Lot some fresh water.

  The loading screen resolved, and Lauren found her character Yendys inside the Petty Dispute tavern. Ty was seated at one of the long tables in the back with her other friends. Spotting Yendys’ arrival, Ty waved her over to join the rest of the party. Yendys patted her animal companion Crunchy on the back of his shell as she hurried over to tell her friends what she had found out. She had to mumble several apologies along the way as Crunchy bumped into various tables and chairs. The beetle companion had continued to grow each time Yendys leveled, making him a bit clunky when maneuvering in tight spaces.

  “Hey guys! I found something out about our quest. That Phineas guy told me that the Bloody Blades may have a camp nearby. I have the directions and we can go there right away unless there are any better clues you guys found,” Yendys said excitedly.

  “I don’t think any of the rest of us have found anything better, so I vote we go investigate the Bloody Blades camp,” Nitor said.

  “What happened to Quimby?” Ty asked. “I saw he declined the invitation.”

  “Yeah, Steve . . . I mean Quimby decided to try and skip out on a school project to get more game time in. His parents found out and banned him from the game for a week. Don’t worry though, I have another friend that will join us to help . . . and there he is!” Yendys said, waving excitedly at Smashem, who had just walked in the main door of the tavern. Smashem looked about the packed tavern in confusion until he spotted Yendys. He smiled, waving as he approached the group.

  “Hi everybody, Yendys said I could play with you guys to help Mr. Raytak. If that’s okay with everyone?” Smashem asked shyly. Nolen was usually very bad with people but playing his in-game character Smashem had helped his socialization immensely, Lauren had observed from the short time she had known him. Still, he was a bit shy when meeting strangers. She knew most of his experiences with trying to make new friends in real life had led to him being teased by the people he wanted to hang out with.

  “I don’t see why not. If Yendys vouches for you that means you’re okay with us,” Ty said as he patted the huge Smashem on the shoulder. Smashem was the first player that didn’t even budge when Ty patted them on the shoulder. The large barbarian was even bigger than Ty, slightly less muscular but still larger overall. Smashem had gear that appeared to be of good quality for his level of eight. He wore sturdy leather pants that were reinforced with bronze armor plates, along with a bronze chain shirt. His helmet was something out of a bad Viking movie, with large horns on either side, but it would offer strong protection for his head. His main weapon was a huge, two-headed hammer that was carved with various runes. A bundle of javelins were slung across his back and there were several daggers strapped in various places on his person.

  “Sounds like were ready to roll. Anyone need anything before I finalize the party and we head out?” Jacoby asked before hitting “Form Party” on his interface.

  Questing group has been formed for the questline, Saving Raytak. This is a multi-stage questline that has a time sensitive component. Starting this quest will start the timer. Party will consist of the following players.

  Party:

  Jacoby, Warrior. Level 7.

  Ty, Imperium Scout. Level 8.

  Kathala, Cleric of Light. Level 7.

  Yendys, Druid Summoner. Level 7.

  Smashem, Barbarian. Level 8.

  Nitor, Skald. Level 7.

  ***

  The party finished
up their food and drink and began their journey. Ty scouted ahead a bit, looking for any potential dangers on the trail. The party would be traveling on the relatively safe main road for a good portion of their journey, but Yendys knew caution was hardwired into Ty. Nitor began a light and uplifting chant as the party progressed, his skald ability allowing the party to travel at a twenty percent faster pace if they weren’t in combat.

  The party followed the road past the ruins of the original town of Hayden’s Knoll. The soldiers from the defensive garrison still guarded this area, despite Raytak being removed. The AI-controlled soldiers stationed at the crossroads greeted the party as they passed through, letting them know there were no known dangers in the area. The patrols had fought off a band of gnolls a few days earlier, but the creatures had been half-starved, likely separated from their tribe.

  Thankfully, the defensive garrison was not directly controlled by the current commander, Lieutenant Burnside. Yendys had even heard a few of the defensive garrison troops complaining about the new commander and mentioning they missed Raytak. Burnside had been content to sit in the garrison and not come out much. Occasionally the npc would go into town to shop for odds and ends or enjoy a meal at the Petty Dispute but he rarely interacted with other players.

  When questioned directly about Raytak, the Lieutenant had simply stated that information about internal Imperium matters was not for public discussion. The soldiers under his command were trained well but tended to their duties in a lackadaisical manner that mirrored their lazy commander.

  The main road turned south toward the transition point a few miles past the crossroads. The party left the road at that point and continued west, following the directions given by Phineas. The terrain was easy enough to travel in, consisting of rolling plains covered in tall grass with only the occasional, small forested area. Picking a spot, the party decided to call it a night. Players in the game didn’t need to sleep, but their overall stamina would drain very slowly during normal activities, forcing players to stop and rest for an extended time each day if they had traveled hard like the party had been doing.

  If a player didn’t rest, they would face a small penalty to their stats. The penalty would continue to increase until the player stopped to rest or became essentially useless in combat. The party set a watch at Ty’s insistence while the group rested and enjoyed a meal. Food and drink would restore stamina at a faster pace, requiring a shorter rest period for players and providing a booming market for tasty travel rations and food.

  “So, when you get higher level can you ride the beetle thing?” Smashem asked. Yendys had noticed he had taken a liking to Crunchy and would often pet the huge beetle like you would a dog. For his part, Crunchy didn’t seem to care for, or be annoyed by, the extra attention.

  “Woah . . . I hadn’t thought about that. I really hope so. I mean, little Crunch Crunch here is getting bigger all the time, so he should be able to carry my weight soon,” Yendys said, excited at the possibility. She spent the rest of their rest time trying to figure out where you would put a saddle on a giant beetle.

  “No wonder he’s growing with all he eats,” Kathala said, annoyed that Crunchy had gotten into her pack and eaten half her rations. The beetle was always ravenous, eating anything it could get its mandibles on.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I owe you dinner once we get back to town. I’m trying to train him not to steal food . . . but I haven’t had much success,” Yendys admitted. Crunchy took that opportune time to try and reach the food in Smashem’s pack as the half orc knelt to pet the beetle again.

  “Noooo!!!” Smashem roared at the beetle. The barbarian drew his hammer from behind his back and slammed it onto Crunchy’s back. A crack rang out as the hammer smashed through Crunchy’s carapace, dropping his health down to eighty percent and leaving the beetle with a shattered armor debuff from the damage to his shell. Yendys growled and began to cast a spell, but Ty held her back.

  “Woah there, Yendys. Let these two sort this out themselves. We’ll step in if they begin to really hurt each other,” Ty advised.

  Crunchy let out a squeal of pain and lunged toward Smashem. The horn on the giant beetle barely missed Smashem as the half orc dodged the blow. After rolling away from the impaling horn, Smashem backed away, putting some distance between himself and the unicorn beetle. The two stood there facing off against each other for a moment with Crunchy looking between his opponent and the bag of dried meat he was holding. The beetle made an angry clicking sound that turned into a whine when its gaze turned toward the food. Noticing this, Smashem thought for a moment before coming to a decision.

  “Here you go, beetle guy. I’ll share, but don’t steal again . . . deal?” Smashem said as he tossed a handful of the jerky to the beetle. Crunchy caught the meat in its mandibles and quickly scarfed down the food as healing from Yendys and Kathala repaired the damage done by Smashem’s hammer.

  After a few minutes and the apparent truce between Crunchy and Smashem, everyone’s stamina was replenished, and the group continued with their journey despite the growing darkness. With Ty’s scouting ability they were confident they would avoid any ambushes or creatures that were too powerful for the party to overcome. Nearing the suspected location of the Bloody Blades camp that was crudely depicted on Phineas’ map, the group slowed as Ty started to move forward for a look. Ty suddenly stopped and held up his hand to let the party know that he had found something.

  ***

  Creeping forward, Ty moved like a ghost through the tall grass. To anyone looking, his passage would appear as only the lightest breath of wind on the long grass. The sounds of battle greeted Ty as he looked down into chaos. Below him, Ty found a shallow gorge studded with tall pine trees: the perfect place to hide an evil guild’s base of operation. What he found was not what he expected, though. On the floor of the gorge, a band of dwarven pathfinders battled a creature that had emerged from a tunnel in the side of the gorge.

  The creature held a vague resemblance to a giant praying mantis but with shorter arms and a larger head with oversized mandibles. The creature had a sickly-yellow carapace that provided an armored shell. Of the dwarven pathfinders facing the beast, two were down and one held his arm at his side, desperately trying to reload his crossbow while the other five engaged with hammers and axes. Ty immediately recognized his npc friend Rollox as the injured dwarf trying to reload the crossbow.

  The creature attacking the dwarves had two bolts embedded in its abdomen, having barely broken through the exoskeleton. The axes and hammers of the dwarves were having little effect as the creature’s armor shrugged off most of the blows aimed at it. The AI populated information about the creature and its combatants to Ty as he observed.

  Ankheg, Level 8: The ankheg is a giant burrowing insect that spends most of its life underground. They move easily through dirt and rocky soil but cannot tunnel through solid rock. The creatures are ambush predators and are a scourge to most farmers. Defenseless, fenced-in livestock and the occasional farmer are key components of many an ankheg’s diet. Their tough exoskeletons are highly sought after as they can be worked into strong but light armor by a highly skilled armorer.

  Dwarven Pathfinder, Level 5 (5).

  Rollox, Dwarven Pathfinder, Level 7.

  Ty had seen enough. He shouted back to the party and charged toward the ankheg, hurtling throwing axes as he approached. The creature took notice of him and reared back its head, Ty assumed to ready a strike when he arrived within range.

  “Look out, ye daft fool!” Rollox yelled as Ty continued his charge straight at the Ankheg.

  “I know it’s dangerous, Rollox, that’s why we’re helping,” Ty answered, ignoring the coming danger. The ankheg was rearing back to strike, but not with its mandibles. The head shot forward as Ty was still twenty feet from the beast. A yellowish green glob of slime flew toward Ty, who was too committed to his charge to dodge.

  The blob of slime hit Ty square on the chest, rapidly dissolving his breas
tplate and eating into his skin. Ty was not deterred by the pain and finished his own attack. The two-handed axe slammed into the side of the ankheg, his powerful one-armed blow cracking through the abdominal exoskeleton. Gore leaked around the imbedded axe blade as Ty was attacked by the creature’s powerful mandibles. Searing pain flared as the huge mandibles closed on Ty, pinning his arm to his body.

  The dwarves redoubled the efforts to slay the ankheg when they saw it gripping Ty. Ty’s health dropped to twenty percent as the acid and crushing damage continued to build. Ty struggled against the mandibles, but even his prodigious strength was not able to force the mandibles back apart.

  “Arrrggh, let go of me, you stupid bug!” Ty roared as his body glowed red as he activated his Rage ability. Enhanced power flowed through his muscles as he redoubled his efforts to push aside the mandible holding his arm. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the rest of the party approaching at a run, but too far away to help him in time. Slowly, the mandible was forced from his right side as the enhanced strength took effect. With a clacking sound from the back of its throat, the insect-like creature activated its own ability. The ability details flowed across Ty’s vision as new agony engulfed him.

  Bisecting Bite: This powerful ankheg ability can be activated once per day. The mandibles will secrete the acidic slime the creatures are famous for, as well as becoming sharper for the next blow.

  The sickening sound of a cleaver cutting through meat was the only sound Ty heard as his health drained to zero and his vision switched briefly to third person for a few moments before he was sent to respawn. Looking down, he saw first his arm, and then the rest of his body get severed in half by the Ankheg’s mandibles. The creature slurped down his only arm as Ty found himself respawning.