The Luckless: A MMORPG and LitRPG Online Adventure (Second Age of Retha Book 1)

by A. M. Sohma

Cookie reluctantly hefted it. “If you say so…” She put it back in her inventory.

  “I do.” She glanced at the entryway as she started to scrape herself off the ground, then froze. “Everyone get back!”

  Standing at the entrance to the treasure chamber was a bony creature that was clothed in a sickly green-black cloak. Its head was that of a cow skeleton, with horns that jutted out on either side, and it held a warped, black sickle that was larger than it was, and its eye sockets glowed poison green.

  It took Kit a moment to identify the creature as a shadow reaper—one of Malignus’s minions that usually popped up in important quest lines. They were always a bugger to kill, but a quick glance at this one revealed it was only level twenty-one. It outleveled them, but Kit had faced shadow reapers as high as level ninety-nine. This one should be easy in comparison.

  The reaper laughed, a hissing noise that made all of its bones clatter. “Heroes,” it said in a slithering voice.

  Cookie retreated to stand with Vic and Riko while Axel unsheathed his sword, and Gil adjusted his grip on his shield.

  The shadow reaper tilted its head in a putrid imitation of human curiosity. “Always parading around, completely ignorant of the glorious kingdom that is about to return to this land.”

  “What are you talking about?” Axel demanded.

  “Why, the kingdom of Lord Valdis Moarte. Malignus stands on the threshold of returning Lord Valdis to his rightful throne, and when he succeeds, chaos and darkness shall descend upon Retha, and all heroes shall be slaughtered.”

  A whimper slipped out of Vic; it was so quiet, Kit would’ve missed it if not for her elf ears. Riko patted the young wizard reassuringly on her shoulder. “It’s okay,” she murmured.

  “What do we do, leader?” Prowl asked, his eyes hooked on the creature.

  Kit narrowed her eyes. It’s okay. It’s just a game. As frightening as this shadow reaper is, I can’t afford to surrender to fear, or I’ll lose sight of the real enemy: time. “Gil, cover Vic and Riko. Axel, Cookie, Prowl, attack from three different directions,” she murmured into the party chat. Even though the creature couldn’t hear her in the private channel, her voice wouldn’t let her speak above a whisper.

  “Got it,” Gil murmured.

  The shadow reaper looked up and down the line in which their party stood. “You have recovered the dwarves’ seal. Give it to me.”

  Kit snorted. When it looked at her with its eerie glowing eyes, she shrugged. “What? You thought just because you asked nicely we would hand it over? Here. Have a caramel!” Kit threw one of her burnt caramels, which popped the shadow reaper on the eye socket and fell straight through the hole.

  The creature was frozen for a moment, then snarled. “So you will not surrender? Very well. I will recover the seal from your dead bodies.” It extended its scythe, muttering darkly, then slammed the weapon into the ground. Five shadow snakes erupted from the blade of the weapon and launched themselves at Kit and her crew.

  Gil stepped between two of the shadowy reptiles and Vic and Riko. He grunted when the snakes slammed into his shield, and his health dropped by at least 20%, but Riko was on him in an instant, healing his fallen health bar.

  “Axel, Prowl, Cookie, attack one snake together,” Kit yelled as she started her Battlefield March skill. “Vic, Riko, attack one of the snakes Gil is tanking for you.”

  As Kit moved to join the wizard and druid behind Gil, the shadow reaper appeared between her and her friends.

  “As for you,” the shadow reaper said as he pointed a finger at her. “You shall know the wrath of Malignus!” It swung its scythe, slicing straight into Kit before she had the chance to flee. The weapon curved around her back and sent sizzling black bolts of magic up and down her spine.

  Her health bar dropped, crawling all the way toward zero. Stunned, she dropped to her knees as pain spread through her body before being replaced with the numbness that signaled death. “You one-shotted me! You puss-eating—”

  Before she could finish, the world grew black.

  12

  Status Ailment: Curse

  Kit snapped awake just outside the feasting hall—the designated respawn spot for all the areas around Brunascar. She sat pretzel legged and pursed her lips at her health bar. “I don’t mind being fragile—or I would’ve never played as an echo on my main character. But couldn’t I at least get some kind of kickass skill to go with being so easily killed? Or at least some kind of skill that makes me feel better about all these high-health/high-level monsters that kill me? Like…the ability to put bunny ears on them or something?”

  She sighed and raked a hand through her hair, upsetting her perfect locks. She was tempted to talk in the party chat, but she didn’t want to distract everyone else while they were in the middle of the battle. A handful of dwarves passed by, peering at her from under furrowed foreheads. She managed to pawn off peppermint sticks on all but one of them, when Vic abruptly joined her, respawning next to her.

  “It’s absolutely unfair that getting hit hurts way more than dying does,” Vic announced as she brushed off her cloak.

  Kit offered the wizard one of the few pieces of toffee she had made that had turned out halfway decent. “Did a snake get you, or was it the shadow reaper?”

  “A snake.” Vic took the proffered treat and chewed it angrily. “The shadow reaper left after killing you.”

  “Ahh. That figures. Here I was hoping Prowl would have another sneaky and powerful skill to blow him up with.”

  Kit heard a hissing noise; when she peered over her shoulder, though, there was nothing there. She was about to ask Vic if she had heard anything when all the air was abruptly squeezed out of Kit’s lungs.

  She coughed, trying to regain her breath, but nothing worked. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears, and knife-sharp pain spread to her heart.

  “Kit?” Vic asked. She crouched down next to her. “Are you okay?”

  Kit shook her head and tried to speak, her lungs burning with the need for air. The hissing stopped, and as abruptly as the pain had come, it left. Relieved, Kit took in great gulps of air. As soon as she recovered enough, she snapped upright and glared at her health bar.

  She hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a little icon of a cow skull beneath her health and mana bars. “Fa la la la la—I’m cursed,” she groaned.

  “Cursed?” Vic asked.

  Kit stared gloomily at the icon. “Cursed. It’s a high-level de-buff that can give you some pretty serious status ailments depending on the kind that’s cast on you. Unfortunately, they affect elves the worst—something to do with the darkness being extra effective against their pure natures. Unlike most de-buffs, however, curses won’t come off if you’re killed—or even if enough time passes.”

  “How do you get rid of it then?”

  “It has to be removed. Some player classes—like priest or priestess—can do it. Otherwise, you have to go to a cathedral to get blessed, which will cancel it.”

  “Do they have cathedrals here?”

  Kit lay flat on the ground, her limbs sprawled out so she resembled a stick person. “No. They’re only found in human cities.”

  Vic thoughtfully narrowed her eyes. “Won’t that make it hard for you as both Imperials and Court of the Rogue allies hate you?”

  “Yep,” Kit said in the dead voice.

  “We defeated all the shadows snakes,” Riko said via the party chat. “We’re just about to meet up with the dwarves and hitch a ride back in the mine carts. We’ll meet you at the feasting hall.”

  “Yeah, that will work,” Kit said. “We can talk to King Brasil and head off on our merry way.”

  “Roger that!” Cookie cheerfully chirped.

  “At least this time we won’t have to ride all the way to the Lèas,” Prowl said. “We can take a transportation gate to Luminos and ride from there.”

  “About that,” Kit said. “I’ll need to take a little side trip.”

  “Why?” Axel
asked.

  “She’s cursed,” Vic piped in.

  Prowl whistled. “You have the worst luck, don’t you?”

  “Where will you get it removed?” Riko asked. “The cathedral in the capital is guarded by Imperial soldiers. There’s no way you can get past them without being spotted.”

  Kit finally peeled herself off the ground and popped up into a standing position. “I was hoping maybe I could ask other players for help in the capital.”

  “You do that and the Court of the Rogue NPCs will hear about it and come for you,” Prowl said.

  “Couldn’t she go to the White Veil Nunnery?” Gil asked.

  “The what?” Axel asked blankly.

  “The White Veil Nunnery! I’d forgotten about it! It’s the biggest cathedral in all of Retha, and it’s also where all priests, healers, and priestesses have to go for their character class side quests. It’s located just a bit north of Luminos. You’re right, Gil. That’s probably my best bet,” Kit said.

  “How did you know about the White Veil Nunnery?” Riko asked.

  “I also have a character class quest that sends me to the nunnery to retrieve a blessed item.”

  Kit, feeling much more cheerful about her future prospects, clapped her hands. “Perfect! Gil and I can head to the nunnery, and you guys can prep for our trip to the elf lands.”

  “Sounds good,” Riko said. “We’ll see you in a minute; then, we can chat with King Brasil and get on our way!”

  The party was reunited just outside the feasting hall. Cookie launched herself at Vic with a cry. “I’m so sorry, bestie! I failed you. I can’t believe I let you die!”

  Vic tried to dodge her, but Cookie was too fast and had her in a chokehold-hug within the blink of an eye.

  “Sorry you died, Kit, and I’m really sorry about the curse. I wish I could do something about it” Riko said, her eyes flickering to the skull icon below Kit’s name.

  Kit shrugged. “It’s probably better that he killed me and hit me with this de-buff as everyone else is about ten times more useful.”

  Riko winced. “I think you’re being overly harsh on yourself.”

  “No.” Prowl, chewing on a mint leaf, shook his head. “You’re totally not.”

  “So what are we waiting for?” Axel reached for the iron handles of the feasting hall doors. “Let’s go inside—whoa!”

  The doors were abruptly thrown open, nearly nailing Axel in the face. “Welcome back, heroes! Congratulations on your successful quest,” King Brasil thundered.

  Behind him, Drust clapped politely, and the rest of the feasting hall was stuffed with dwarves and players roaring with laughter and raising their mugs in toasts.

  “At least, I assume you successfully retrieved the seal?” King Brasil asked.

  Riko was all smiles, having made the switch to her diplomatic mode. “Indeed, we did. Thank you for providing transportation for us.”

  “‘Twas the least I can do,” King Brasil said. “And how did your battle against the dragons go?”

  “We only killed one,” Kit said.

  King Brasil squinted at her. “Just one?”

  “Indeed. We successfully snuck past the rest,” Riko said.

  “That’s using your head, I guess.” King Brasil scratched his grizzled beard. “But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for you to kill the dragons so we could reclaim that chamber. But, no matter! You retrieved the seal which was your most important task...I suppose.”

  “Oh yeah, I still have the seal.” Cookie once again plucked the seal from her inventory and held it out.

  “If you don’t want to carry it, Riko is probably the wisest choice,” Kit said.

  Cookie studied Kit with her wide eyes. “Shouldn’t you take it as our leader?”

  Kit laughed dryly. “With my luck? Absolutely not.” As if on cue, Kit heard a hissing noise she was quickly coming to hate, and just like the previous time, all air squeezed out of her lungs. With a strangled urk, she fell to her knees and tried to calmly ride out the curse as it pried at her chest and shot through her heart.

  King Brasil frowned down at her. “What is wrong with our not-a-real-elf-elf-friend?”

  Riko bit her lip in worry as Kit struggled—and failed—to breathe. “After sneaking the seal out of the treasure chamber, we were attacked by a shadow reaper.”

  King Brasil puffed up in anger. “A shadow reaper? In my halls?” He whipped a battle axe off his belt and turned to the feasting hall, clearly intending to rouse his fellow dwarves.

  “It’s already gone!” Kit managed to choke out. The curse ran its course and slowly left her. She panted on the ground for a few moments before recovering enough to stand again.

  “You defeated it, then?” King Brasil asked.

  “Nah,” Prowl said. “It ran off.”

  King Brasil raised his battle axe with renewed vigor, and Riko was quick to add, “We’re certain it is gone, though. It is also attempting to gather the seals, so as we have the dwarven one, I doubt it will remain in your domain.”

  The dwarf king thoughtfully ran his thumb over the sharp edge of his weapon. “You may be right. It does make me glad, though, that you retrieved the seal, or it would bode poorly for the future of Retha.”

  “Which is why we must set off immediately. May we use the Fibbit services to take a teleportation gate?” Kit asked.

  “Of course!” King Brasil thundered. “By all means, do not let us stop you! Though…we had hoped to throw a great feast in your honor.”

  Vic raised an eyebrow as she looked past the king and into the packed hall. “It appears you already started the feast even though you did not know we had succeeded.”

  “Yes, well, we thought we would either honor your successful quest or honor your valiant memory.” King Brasil smiled broadly, making it impossible to stay mad at him.

  “I’m afraid we’ll have to pass this time,” Riko said.

  “But if we return, I’d like to try a firebrand kegger,” Axel said excitedly. When all the members of the party turned to stare at him, he shrugged. “What?”

  Vic pinched the bridge of her nose. “You have no sense of urgency.”

  “I think it is more that he is optimistic,” Gil said.

  “No, that would accurately describe you. Axel is an idiot,” Vic said sharply.

  “Hey!”

  Kit ignored the squabble and smiled at the dwarven king once more. “We thank you for everything you’ve done to aid us. And we hope to one day return to this mountain to celebrate our friendship.”

  “May the forges of prosperity swell for you on your journey,” King Brasil said.

  “And also for you.” Riko bowed deeply. “May the weapons of your enemies shatter, and your health run as thick as your mead.”

  Instead of grinning broadly, as Kit expected, the dwarf king’s expression grew serious. “Mind your back. The shadow reaper only proves my previous warning. Dangerous times have come, but we need your help, heroes. Fight well, and with great courage.”

  The rest of the party murmured various goodbyes, then together they set out for the Fibbit service stall—which was located on the other side of the city near the Silver Pickaxe Inn.

  King Brasil stood outside the feast hall, watching them until they turned up a street, and he disappeared from view.

  “So that’s one down and three to go.” Axel folded his arms behind his head. “After Kit gets rid of her curse and we replenish our supplies, where are we going?”

  “To the elves,” Kit said decidedly.

  “You mean we’re going to see Lèas?” Cookie asked excitedly.

  “Yep.”

  Cookie skipped ahead. “I can’t wait! I love the elves! They are so beautiful, and elegant, and stately. Just like you, Kit. They’re pretty enough to be princesses!”

  Vic frowned. “If you love elves so much, why did you choose a human character?”

  “Because I knew you wanted a wizard character, so I was better off choosing a t
hief character to counter you,” Cookie said.

  “That was quite thoughtful of you,” Gil said.

  Axel, who marched next to Kit, glanced at her. “You don’t look too thrilled with our next destination.”

  “I’m a little nervous,” Kit admitted. “I’m worried they might hold my character class against the entire party and give us a more difficult quest on purpose.”

  “I wouldn’t be too worried,” Riko said. “You are still an elf. They might be snotty about you, but everyone knows elves have the most race pride in all of Retha. It will be fine.”

  Kit tilted her chin up to peer at the Fibbit services stall at the far end of the street, making her bell earrings jingle. “I hope you’re right...”

  Even with Riko’s encouragement, Kit couldn’t shrug off the unease that plagued her.

  I hope it’s just the curse. It must be the curse. Or else getting this next seal is going to be impossible without help.

  After days of failing to find the mysterious Milk Crown member in Luminos, Solus Miles was ready to banish himself from any settlements that contained other players and roam the wild parts of Retha until EC restored log off capabilities.

  He hadn’t been able to find a single whiff of the Milk Crown player—he didn’t even know what character class she played as, on her main or on the secondary character.

  Moreover, Miles was always a man of few friends, but the few players he was comfortable with were all offline. This ratcheted Luminos up from being merely annoying with its great mass of eager players to downright intolerable.

  He stood on the roof of the tallest tower in Luminos and stared down at the glittering city.

  Where can I go that will be quiet, less populated, and where I can still continue my unfinished quests? Miles opened up his quest log and skimmed over the options. I could work on the questline the Sword of Deceit expansion brought…but no, I need to visit the City of Wizards for that, and that place will be almost as bad as Luminos. Where else?

  His eyes stopped when he reached a questline that took him to Fìone Forest—the dominion of the elves. If there was a sanctuary in Retha, it was Fìone.