Drake's LitRPG Megabundle (7 Books)

by Adam Drake

  He hip-checked the skeleton, bashing the shield into it and causing it to fall backwards to the ground. Its mace was now stuck to his shield.

  Quickly, he moved forward and swung his sword down. The skeleton was too busy looking at its empty hand in what had to be confusion to notice Rob's sword slicing toward it.

  He struck the side of its skull and the thick bone imploded into shards. The skeleton went still.

  Heart thumping loudly in his ears, Rob turned to one of the skeletons moving around a large gravestone toward him. Gripped in its fleshless hands was a sword that glinted in the light.

  Behind it, he saw Jace swinging his axe at the other skeleton, only to have the strike deflected by the being's shield. It stabbed forward with a long trident which the woodcutter barely dodged.

  Rob looked at the sword wielding skeleton. Even though it didn't have a face, it exuded confidence, as if it was once a warrior when alive.

  Cautiously, Rob closed the distance between them. This time he didn't attack first.

  The skeleton took the initiative and swung the sword, bringing it crashing down onto Rob's shield. The blade splinted the shield's top edge, causing Rob to flinch, but the attached mace took much of the blow.

  Rob swung wildly and struck it in the chest. Snapped ribs went flying. The attack would have eviscerated a normal opponent, but the skeleton didn't even look down.

  It swung again at the shield, heedless of the mace stuck to it.

  Again, Rob swung and more cracked ribs went flying.

  The skeleton struck downward, but this time when Rob tried to block it, the sword glanced off the shield and its tip sliced through his right thigh.

  Blinding pain shot up his body and he cried out.

  My, God that hurt! he thought. But before he could look at the wound, the skeleton attacked again.

  The force of the blow split down the shield, snapping off a sizable piece. Rob found himself holding half a shield.

  Suddenly, his anger exploded in his chest like a nova.

  With a shout he swung his sword at the skeleton before it could recover from its swing.

  Rob's blade cut through the being's chest, snapping arms, ribs and spine.

  The skeleton clattered to the ground and Rob glared down at it.

  Its lower half had gone limp. But the severed stumps of its arms and head still moved. The thing looked up at him, snapping its teeth together and trying to reach for him with the stumps of its missing arms.

  Rob cleaved its skull into bony shards.

  Adrenaline coursing through his body, he looked to Jace.

  The woodcutter was having trouble getting within range to strike due to the length of the skeleton's trident. Each time he attempted to move in for a swing, the skeleton lunged forward with the long weapon. Rob could see blood on Jace's shirt where he'd been stuck by the trident's prongs.

  The anger which flamed in Rob's chest intensified.

  Dropping the useless fragment of a shield, he charged forward, sword in both hands, shouting.

  Upon hearing him, both Jace and the skeleton looked in his direction. The skeleton tried to turn and counter Rob's charge with the trident, but Rob was already on the undead creature.

  He brought down his sword just before the skeleton could bring its shield around. The blade smashed through the front of its skull, snapped its ribs and severed its spine at an angle.

  The skeleton fell to the ground in a pile of bones.

  Rob and Jace quickly looked around, expecting more of the undead warriors to come clambering toward them. But the graveyard was empty.

  Panting heavily, Rob felt his anger crest and subside. He nodded at Jace's wound. “You're hurt.”

  Breathing just as hard, Jace shrugged and looked at the gash on Rob's thigh. “So are you.”

  Rob raised his eyebrows with a questioning look. “Gotta spell for that?” he said with a smile.

  Jace stared at him for a moment, then a grin tugged at his beard. He started to laugh.

  Rob joined in and soon the graveyard was filled with the men's laughter.

  A single wild thought consumed Rob's mind.

  Damn, that had been fun!

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Once they had finished their celebratory laugh, Jace said, “If you will permit me, I'll tend to your wound.”

  Magic! Rob thought. “Yes, please do.” He was going to experience magic for the first time. All his anger was forgotten, eclipsed by his excitement.

  He motioned for Rob to sit so he perched his butt on the nearest gravestone.

  Jace placed his huge hand over the bloody gash and uttered a few words Rob didn't catch. Instantly, the pain in his leg vanished. When Jace removed his hand, the gash was completely gone!

  A short red bar flashed briefly at the top of his vision with Hit Points Full next to it, then blinked away.

  “Whoa!” Rob said, astounded. “That's incredible.” That's it. He needed to get that spell.

  Jace placed a hand over his own wound on his abdomen and repeated the phrase again. To Rob's ears, the soft words seemed to echo like he was whispering in a cavernous room.

  When Jace removed his hand, the wound was gone. The flesh completely unmarked or scarred.

  Rob laughed. “That has to be the most incredible thing I've ever seen,” he said, amazed.

  Jace raised an eyebrow. “Considering you are new to our world, my Lord, you will soon learn what a tiny thing it is.”

  Before Rob could ask what he meant the woodcutter waved at the fallen skeletons.

  “If you will stand watch, my Lord, I'll gather everything together,” Jace said.

  “Gather what together?” Rob said, feeling better.

  Jace arched a brow. “The loot, of course.”

  “Oh,” Rob said. “Okay.”

  The woodcutter moved about the graveyard, picking up the weapons from the different skeletons.

  Rob kept his head on a swivel, watching all the graves, as well as the forest. Their fight had been loud, especially with Rob's shouting, and might have attracted attention.

  He felt pleased with himself. He'd engaged in genuine hand to hand combat and came out the winner in each contest.

  Well, hand to bone contest. The pain in his thigh had been intense. He'd never suffered a wound like that before in the real world. The pain of the wraith's attack was different, though. Worse even. That had been a wound on his soul.

  He noticed a small stack of message prompts at the corner of his vision and decided to take this peaceful moment to review them.

  You have learned a new skill: Shield Bash. Advancement in this skill will allow you to knock opponents back. Later advancement adds bonus damage to such attacks. Requires a shield.

  Achievement Unlocked! 'Bash This!', This achievement is earned when you damage your first opponent with your shield. Reward: 100 Experience Points.

  Rob laughed. That hip-check had resulted in a new skill. He didn't even realize such a thing could be classified as an improvable skill, but he'd take it.

  Achievement Unlocked! 'A Bone To Pick', This achievement is earned when you kill your first undead opponent. Reward: 150 Experience Points.

  You have advanced in Basic Swordsmanship! Skill has increased from 10% to 15%.

  You have advanced in Basic Defense! Skill has increased from 10% to 12%.

  You have advanced in Basic Shield! Skill has increased from 5% to 10%.

  You have advanced in Block! Skill has increased from 8% to 10%.

  You have advanced in Basic Combat Attunement! Skill has increased from 5% to 7%.

  Nice! Rob thought, scrolling through the messages. It was good seeing something of note come out of his first real fight. But he was disappointed his Dodge hadn't increased at all. Of course, he didn't do much dodging so maybe that had something to do with it.

  Jace lined all the items the skeletons possessed on the ground in front of him. The woodcutter frowned down at the selection. “Quite meager, if you ask me. I
'd have expected better.”

  “Why is that?” Rob said as he knelt down to inspect their loot.

  “Usually, fighters are buried with their finest items. Best sword and gear that sort of thing. These had barely anything of worth.”

  “I don't know about that,” Rob said. “Let's see what we got.” He picked up each item and examined them in turn.

  You have taken an item: Rusty Spiked Mace

  Durability: 8/20

  Damage: 1-6

  Value: 25 Copper Pieces.

  You have taken an item: Trident

  Durability: 20/25

  Damage: 2-7

  Value: 50 Copper Pieces.

  You have taken an item: Steel Sword

  Durability: 25/30

  Damage: 4-8

  Value: 10 Silver Pieces.

  Rob whistled. The sword was much better than his iron one. The base damage started at 4 compared to his sword's 1.

  He placed his iron sword on the ground, and hefted the steel sword. It felt much better to hold and the blade appeared sharp.

  Rob looked to Jace. “Mind if I keep this for myself? I'm in need of an upgrade.”

  Jace shrugged and pointed at his axe. “Splitting skulls is easier with one of these. Besides, this is all your loot.”

  Rob looked at the weapons on the ground. “No, its not my loot. Its the kingdom's loot. Right?”

  The woodcutter cracked a genuine smile. “Yes, that is true, my Lord.” The look he now gave Rob no longer held ambivalence, but perhaps respect.

  Rob checked to make sure the sword fit into his sheath and it did. Then he picked up the shield.

  You have taken an item: Sturdy Wooden Shield

  Durability: 45/50

  Block: 4

  Value: 2 Silver Pieces.

  “I think you're in need of that one, now,” Jace said.

  “Yup,” Rob said, slipping it on his arm. It felt considerably more solid than the piece of door, and the straps were made of a thicker leather allowing for a better grip. Its front surface was marred with deep scratches, but nothing too deep.

  Can't wait to bash something with this, he thought.

  Jace waved at the items on the ground. “Keep 'em all, my Lord?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  The woodcutter put the mace and iron sword in the large backpack, then picked up the trident. “This won't fit, unfortunately. Could carry it in my free hand, but would slow me down.”

  “Then toss it, I guess.” Can't keep everything they find.

  Jace hoisted the trident in his hand like a javelin and threw it up onto the roof of the crypt with a clatter.

  “Why did you throw it there?”

  “If one of those things crawled out of the ground, it could use it against us,” Jace said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “Good thinking.”

  They approached the tomb, climbing several steps to its sealed entrance. Solid stone faced them. There wasn't a doorknob or handle or any obvious way to open it.

  Rob pushed at the stone with Jace joining in. After several moments of futile grunting, they gave up.

  “Maybe he isn't in there,” Rob said, stumped. Did they need a spell to open it?

  Jace placed a hand against the stone door and closed his eyes. Rob watched him, curious as to what he was up to.

  After a few moments, the woodcutter's eyes opened. “He's in there,” he said with certainty.

  Rob stared at him. “How could you possibly know that? A spell?”

  Jace shook his head. “Perrin was my king, once, as much as it pains me to admit it. In some ways I am bound to him, still, like this kingdom.” He looked at the stone barrier. “I can feel him in there.”

  Rob decided to take that at face value and examined the door more closely. Much of its surface was covered in moss and vines. He pulled at these, trying to clear some of them away. After a few moments he found something.

  A deep engraving of a crescent moon. Looking at it, Rob felt a memory tickle at the back of his mind.

  “Find something?” Jace said.

  “Yeah,” Rob said, the memory vanishing. “Looks like a socket of some kind.”

  “For a key.”

  “Possibly,” Rob said, but where the hell was the key? He certainly didn't have anything. It was something they hadn't found yet. What if there was another quest he was meant to go on before this one? One that rewarded him with the key?

  “Damn,” Rob said, frustrated. He glanced up at the forest canopy, in the direction where the wall loomed. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there.

  And it would be getting closer soon.

  Then he recalled the crab from the beach.

  “Hey, did you find anything else on those skeletons?”

  “No, just their weapons. Why?”

  Rob said, “Keep watch, I want to double check something.”

  He went over to each skeleton and inspected their remains. With the tip of his sword he flicked the bones around, hoping to find something beneath them.

  His frustration grew, as he wasn't finding anything, until he went to the first skeleton he'd slain. He poked at its bones and noticed something inside its smashed skull.

  Not wanting to stick his fingers inside, he rolled it over with his boot. An object slid out.

  A crescent moon carved from stone.

  Bingo, he thought and picked it up. This time a message did not appear telling him what it was. He shrugged and went back to the door.

  “What do you have there?” Jace said, allowing himself to sound intrigued.

  Rob held the stone up to the socket. It looked like a perfect fit. He carefully placed it inside and heard a loud click.

  Suddenly, the huge door swung inward with a deep rumble. Both men had their weapons ready before it had finished opening.

  “A key,” Rob said with a smile and entered the tomb.

  It was a small dusty space with bare stone walls.

  At the center of the room was a set of stairs that descended into the floor.

  They carefully approached and peered down.

  A dozen narrow steps ended at a dirt floor, flanked by stone walls. It appeared to be the beginning of a hallway. Light emanated from beyond.

  “Someone is home,” Rob said.

  With a nod to Jace, Rob climbed down the stairs, his shield held in front of him like a riot cop. The woodcutter followed.

  At the bottom, Rob could see that the hall continued for a dozen paces, lit by glowing white crystals set into the walls.

  The hall ended at a curious looking red door.

  Cautiously taking each step, they moved forward until they stood before it.

  Rob blinked at it. This wasn't a door, it was a barrier similar to the giant walls outside, only a deep effusing red.

  “What the hell?” he said. He looked for a way to move or open it but there was nothing.

  “My, Lord,” Jace said. “You are not going to like this.”

  “What?” Rob said, confused. “Like what?” His anxiety was kicking in.

  “Touch it,” Jace said.

  “Touch it?” Rob looked to see if he was serious. The grim set of the woodcutter's jaw told him he was.

  Rob looked at the barrier. Okay, then. I'll touch it.

  Not wanting to sheath his sword, he reached forward with it and touched his knuckles to the barrier.

  A message appeared.

  Rob read the words in shock, his anger suddenly returning.

  You are not of high enough level to access this section.

  Please return when you are level 3.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “What the hell?” Rob said staring at the words. He looked to Jace, “What is this?”

  “Perhaps the gods do not deem you ready to face Perrin, right now,” Jace said.

  “Well, right now would be the best time as those walls are closing in!” Rob shouted. He wasn't angry at Jace, but at the situation. “How many experience points do
I need to get to level 3?” he wondered aloud.

  A message appeared.

  You require 425 experience points to attain the next level.