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

by A. M. Sohma

  Miles nodded, his mind made up. Then I shall set my course for Fìone and leave this city filled with babblers.

  He turned so he looked out at the Aridus Plains and called his pet. “Sinistre. Come.”

  When darkness had settled over Luminos, the creature had settled down outside the city walls. It perked up when it heard Miles speak—as far away as he was—and was visible only by its copper-colored eyes.

  Though Sinistre couldn’t talk, Miles could feel his curiosity. “We’re leaving Luminos,” Miles said.

  Sinistre’s copper eyes disappeared in the darkness of the night.

  Miles waited until he heard the steady beat of Sinistre’s wings, then leaped off the edge of the tower, landing on the back of his dragon. He positioned himself behind the beast’s black shoulder blades and held onto plate-sized scales. “Fly,” he said, “for Fìone.”

  13

  Elven Reputation

  To get to the White Veil Nunnery, Kit and Gil took a transportation gate to Vippa, the satellite city near Luminos. From there, it was a short ride north along the river.

  “We’re almost there,” Kit said. The forest trees began to thin out as Chester tried to snag a snack of leaves.

  Gil, steering his horse with one hand, glanced at her in surprise. “You recognize this area?”

  “Nope,” Kit said. “I’ve only been to the White Veil Nunnery a handful of times. It’s just that I can hear the bells in the distance.”

  They popped out of the forest and halted their horses where the Aridus Plains opened up before them. The White Veil Nunnery was located in the middle of a lake formed by a dam in the river. The nunnery was white with accents of royal blue and gold, and it was reminiscent of European cathedrals with impossibly tall spires topped with star steeples, flying buttresses, and a domed ceiling. The sunlight made it and the clear blue lake that surrounded it sparkle and glitter.

  “It’s beautiful,” Gil said.

  “More importantly, it’s holy.” Kit nudged Chester forward, and the plump pony swished his white tail as he ambled toward the cathedral.

  It didn’t take long to pass through the giant nunnery gates and trot down the long, white stone bridge. They had to pause when the curse kicked Kit in the chest, and she fell off Chester, but she recovered in record time and hauled herself back onto the pony, determined to rid herself of the painful de-buffs.

  When they entered the cathedral courtyard, they dismounted and dismissed their horses.

  Gil fondly patted his horse’s neck before it faded away. “To complete my quest I must seek out Vicar Dominique. But first, I believe we should take you inside.”

  Kit snatched her hair out of Chester’s mouth before the pony left her. “No, it’s fine. I’m totally capable of getting inside the cathedral on my own. I’ve been in it before, and I know what to do to get this curse off me.”

  Gil eyed her. “Are you certain?”

  Kit nodded as she watched two priestesses and a buccaneer exit the cathedral. “Yes. I want to take as little time here as possible, so separating is the most efficient thing to do. Go get your quest. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”

  Gil nodded and strolled away, heading for one of the tall spires. Kit turned her attention to the cathedral and made a beeline for it. Players entered and exited it in a slow trickle, creating a quiet hum of conversation and footsteps.

  Kit paused outside the large wooden doors, taking a moment to straighten her clothes.

  “Oh, my!” A nearby nun wearing a habit placed a fist over her mouth in horror.

  “Um, hello,” Kit said.

  “My dear, we must take you inside immediately!” The woman grabbed her by her hand and patted her consolingly before she opened the large doors with ease and dragged Kit inside.

  The interior of the cathedral was just as impressive as the exterior. Just about every surface glittered, the air was lightly scented with frankincense, and a choir hummed quietly in the background.

  The moment Kit crossed the threshold of the cathedral, a white light gathered at her feet, and the skull icon below her name faded away. A bell tolled in the highest bell tower, and Kit could feel the de-buff dissipate. “Wow.” She blinked. “I don’t believe it. I didn’t even have to be blessed to get that curse off me.”

  The nun smiled piously at her. “Indeed, I should expect so—though for your moral benefit, I do recommend you are blessed before you leave here.”

  “What do you mean ‘expect so?’” Kit asked.

  The nun stopped towing her forward when they reached the front pew. “The White Veil Nunnery is the most holy place in all of Retha,” she said. “Even setting foot in it will fill your body with holy light.”

  Kit, who had been watching nuns slowly circle the perimeter of the vestibule, glanced at her name. Sure enough, a shining star icon that represented a holy status bonus shone beneath her name. “I see. That’s amazing.” She absentmindedly played with her bell bracelets, wondering how she could use it to her advantage.

  When she played as Azarel, cursed status ailments hadn’t meant much to her. To begin with, curses didn’t affect humans as badly as they did elves, and a holy status bonus hadn’t done much for her either.

  It’s interesting. I thought Retha was the same no matter what kind of character you played. But playing as an elf compared to a human has been a radically different experience…dancer class notwithstanding.

  “So how do I get a blessing?” she asked.

  The nun beamed. “I would be delighted to bless you, my child.”

  Unbidden, a novice nun holding a piggy bank-sized wooden chest popped up at the nun’s elbow. “Do you need any help, Sister Miriam?”

  The nun smiled at the novice. “No child, unless you have your own prayers to add.”

  The novice shook her head, though she glanced curiously at Kit, her eyes lingering on Kit’s bare belly before she rolled her eyes.

  You and me both, Kit longed to tell her.

  Before she could speak, the nun began. “May the light of heaven shine upon you, brightest of the elves. May it guide your actions and keep you safe as you venture into the darkest of battles.”

  Lights from one of the skylights fell on Kit like stardust, making her hair glow pink.

  The nun beamed and clasped her hands. “There. You shall be protected now.”

  “Thank you,” Kit said. “Do I owe you anything for your services?”

  The novice nodded and rattled her piggy-bank coffer, but the nun shook her head. “No, child of light. Here at the White Veil Nunnery, we offer our protection and services to any who need them. Furthermore, as you are a child of the light, it was my delight to aid you this time.”

  “Though we would appreciate funds for a new roof,” the novice whispered.

  The nun shook a finger at the novice. “We do not shake down those who seek the light, for it is our honor to aid them.”

  When she turned her back to the novice to face Kit again, the novice pressed her lips together, stared at Kit, and pointed to her coffer.

  “If you ever have need to restore yourself in the light again, please return,” the nun said to Kit.

  “Thank you,” Kit said genuinely. “I will.”

  The nun bowed her head, then glided away, the robes of her black habit swirling around her.

  The novice stayed behind for a moment longer and shook her coffer.

  Stifling a snicker—for she had never before met such a logical NPC—Kit dropped a few bronze coins through the opening of the coffer.

  The novice nodded her head in thanks, then hurried after the nun, her coffer jingling.

  Kit smiled as she glided back down the cathedral aisle and slipped out the doors, emerging into the warm sunlight.

  A breeze touched the back of Kit’s neck, signaling the activation of the party channel.

  “Hey, Kit,” Riko said. “Besides more health potions, are there any supplies you need?”

  “Are you at the general st
ore?” Kit asked.

  “Prowl and I are,” Riko said.

  “Vic, Axel, and I are on Retailer Row. Do you need something special?” Cookie chirped.

  Thinking of her candy, Kit said, “If you wouldn’t mind picking up some goat milk and butter, I’d be forever grateful.”

  “Sure,” Cookie said.

  “How much you need?” Vic asked.

  “Probably fifty of each.”

  “What?” Vic hissed.

  “I’ll pay you back. Oh, and there’s something I’ve been meaning to give you, Vic,” Kit said. “Now that you’re a high enough level, I can give it to you when we meet up again.”

  “This had better be worth it,” Vic muttered.

  Kit laughed. “I think you’ll like it.”

  “How much longer are you going to take?” Prowl asked.

  “I’ve been cleared of my curse, but I think Gil is still working on his quest. We shouldn’t be much longer, though. Meet you at the market soon.”

  “I think I’m going to buy face paint,” Axel announced.

  “Why?” Vic asked.

  “To make it harder for those sneaky elves to see me in their forest.”

  “It won’t do you any good,” Vic said pessimistically. “You open your big mouth all too much to go unnoticed.”

  Kit laughed as she walked around the cathedral courtyard, the bounce back in her steps. “Play nice, guys. We’ll be there soon.”

  The chattering on the party chat continued as Kit glanced at her character panel, purring over her holy status bonus and absence of the curse. Her eyes lingered on the still dimmed community tab.

  It still hasn’t been that long. I have to remember that. Time passes much faster here in Retha...but how much longer will this go on?

  Kit and her party took the Fibbit teleportation gates as far as they could, but once they reached Fìone Forest—the largest domain of the elves—they were forced to ride in the rest of the way to the elven city of Lèas.

  “So, I don’t get it,” Vic said. “Aren’t there a lot of elf settlements that will let everyone inside?”

  “Yes,” Cookie said.

  Vic picked up her calico cat, the gift Kit had alluded to, from where it sat perched on the front of her saddle and tickled it under its chin. “But in these woods, once you reach a certain distance from Lèas, you can only enter in if you are an elf ally or an elf?”

  “Correct,” Riko said. “While there are a number of elvish cities scattered around Retha, there are only two areas the elves technically have dominion over: these woods, and an area to the far east. The Eastern elves are much more relaxed and let just about anyone in. But Fìone Forest is considered the homeland for elves, so they’re pretty picky about whom they let into Lèas.”

  “And that is why we must rely on Miss Kit,” Gil said. “Because as an elf, she should have access to the city, yes?”

  “Right,” Riko said.

  “I’m still not sure about that,” Kit said. “The two elves I met in the dwarf dungeons hated me. Like, a lot. I kind of doubt they are going to let me into Lèas since I’m pretty disliked.”

  “Even if they hate you, it’s still a basic race trait that as an elf you are allowed into all elvish strongholds,” Prowl pointed out.

  Kit shrugged a little but said nothing more and busied herself with peering around the woods. It was an area she was well acquainted with, as she had played as Azarel in Fìone Forest to get the highest reputation level with the elves. Even so, the area still inspired awe as many of the trees were thick enough to drive a car through and sported leaves as big as Kit’s head.

  The forest was alive with wildlife, and thankfully there were very few monsters. There was an unfortunate number of bobokins scattered in the woods, but they usually congregated around camps and moved at night, making the woods one of the safest areas to troop through even though the party was still horribly under-leveled. (They had done their best to snag a few levels on their way to the forest, but Kit and Vic were still the lowest in the party and were only level sixteen.)

  Kit would have preferred to level a little more, particularly as it was only going to get worse in terms of needing levels to retrieve seals, but they were trying to finish the quest line as quickly as possible; level grinding was not high on the priority list.

  “Is that a wall?” Axel asked, pointing straight ahead of them.

  Living trees that were planted so closely together their trunks brushed and branches intertwined created a solid wall, barring them from going any farther.

  “Yeah, this must be the beginning of the city limits,” Prowl said.

  “How are we supposed to get in?” Cookie asked.

  “There should be a guard station somewhere nearby,” Riko said.

  “I see it,” Kit turned Chester, directing the portly pony to a gap in the natural wall, which was guarded by six elven warriors. The party rearranged themselves and set out for the gap.

  Vic petted her cat. “So because Kit is an elf, she should be able to get us inside as well?”

  “Maybe,” Riko said. “Once players with elf characters get to a certain level, they are allowed to shuttle party members in and out of Lèas. Problem is, I don’t remember what the required level is.”

  “It’ll be easy enough to find out,” Prowl said. “All she has to do is ask if she can bring us inside.”

  Axel scratched his chin as his horse tossed its head. “Unless because she’s hated, everyone associated with her is also automatically hated?”

  Kit snorted. “Just for that I’m not giving you any fudge, Axel!”

  “There is some risk to it,” Prowl said. “But it won’t have long-lasting effects.”

  “I am not a communicable disease,” Kit said.

  “We’re almost there,” Riko said. “Are you ready, Kit?”

  Kit squared her shoulders, and Chester tossed his head. “Yep. Here goes nothing.” Kit nudged Chester so he trotted forward, separating from the rest of the party. Kit put on her most cheerful smile as they approached the cloaked guards. “Good morning, brethren. I seek entrance to—”

  Before she could go on, one of the guards fitted an arrow to his bow and shot her in the heart.

  Kit toppled off Chester, but the blow was so powerful she felt no pain and only the numbness of death. She coughed and scowled at the guard. “I hope you go bald,” she managed to say before the last of her health faded and everything turned black.

  When Kit woke up in the respawn area of Fìone Forest—a cute little meadow filled with wildflowers and edged by a pond—she scowled. “I can get that they don’t like me and would maybe even forbid me to enter, but shooting me on sight? Really? Talk about overreacting!”

  “Another one-shot death, and this time by an elf!” Axel snickered over the party channel. “You should make a video montage of all the stupid ways you’ve gotten yourself killed.”

  “Shut up and ride,” Riko barked.

  Kit glanced at the party screen, taking in everyone’s damaged health bars. “What happened?”

  “After they killed you, they started firing at us,” Prowl growled.

  “Thankfully, it seems they did not want to kill us as they did with you,” Gil added. “They didn’t aim for our vitals.”

  “I don’t understand.” Kit pulled up her character panel with a frown. “I know my reputation is low with them, but as an elf I should still be able to get away with this. It’s usually only high-standing dwarves that they shoot at if they haven’t already become kindred with them...” Kit trailed off when she looked at her skill and trait list.

  Each race available to play in Retha had several unique skills assigned to it and checks to keep it in balance—like Kit’s superior elf senses had the check of being extra susceptible to curse status ailments and darkness.

  These traits were always clearly listed on the character profile.

  Elven Senses: Grants player superior physical and spiritual senses

  Pure in Spirit
: Players have affinity for holy status, but are especially susceptible to darkness

  Perfect Hair: Player’s hair is always perfect—never disheveled or dirty

  Elf Heritage: Player is granted automatic max reputation with elves and elf allies and entrance to all elven strongholds: VOID DUE TO SELECTED CHARACTER CLASS

  Kit stared blankly at the list. “This is so ridiculous, I’m not even upset,” she said.

  “What is it?” Riko asked.

  “My Elf Heritage skill is canceled due to my dancer class,” Kit said.

  “Huh. Your cousin was really doing his best to whack you out of balance, wasn’t he?” Prowl asked.

  “I thought Retha’s algorithms were so sophisticated they would counter-balance for something like this,” Cookie said.

  “In the actual game, sure,” Prowl said. “But it’s possible the algorithms are not designed to make allowances for anyone stupid enough to screw themselves over during the character design process.”

  Kit didn’t respond to Prowl’s sharp remarks; she just stared at her character panel. This most recent blow was almost freeing. It’s a relief to know there’s not a single redeemable thing about this character. “At least I have perfect hair,” she said dazedly.

  Prowl snorted. “Yeah, ‘cause looking awesome while you’re getting slaughtered should be a top priority.”

  “If you were kickass, it would be useful,” Axel said. “You could take video and be extra epic.”

  “Why would you want to record video now, in the middle of a crisis?” Vic asked.

  “You mean you’re not?” Axel asked.

  “…Do you seriously mean to tell me that while we are in a possible fight for our lives, you’ve been recording this?” Vic asked.

  “Yeah.”

  There were a few moments of silence, then Cookie said quickly, “Vic, you can’t kill him. That will get you labeled as a PK.”

  “A what?”

  “A player killer—someone who kills other players in a non-PVP zone.”

  “I think it would be worth it,” Vic said.