Gaia's Gambit: Evolution Online I (A LitRPG)

by D. L. Harrison

  Point was, I’d only been meditating for five minutes or so when I got three popups in quick succession.

  Congratulations! You’ve earned the Meditation skill, initiate level one. You have earned ten Experience Points!

  Congratulations! You’ve advanced the Meditation skill to initiate level two. You have earned ten Experience Points!

  Congratulations! Hey, is that the scent of wood burning? You’ve advanced the Meditation skill to initiate level three. You have earned ten Experience Points!

  Huh. It was almost as if my meditation skill and knowledge was already beyond what the system said I had, from that old-world experience with meditation. Once I’d triggered gaining the skill, it had leveled up as far as it could. Except, it could only give me what matched to my level. It was an annoying game mechanic in one way, but I got it. It would prevent someone of a low level running around with master level skills. Still, I was curious what it would be if that limitation wasn’t in effect.

  I got back to emptying my mind, and trying to feel at peace with this violent new world. Of course, this world also had Gwen, companionship, and growth potential, so it wasn’t all bad. I think I kind of lost track of time while doing it, because sooner than I expected I felt the morning sun on my skin.

  Gwen said, “Good morning,” as she got up and started to strap on her armor, and belt on her sword and dagger. She put the quiver and bow around her shoulders, and gave me a smirk.

  “Something on your mind?” she asked in a half teasingly challenging voice.

  I was confused for a moment, until I realized the reason for the smirk and teasing. I’d been staring. Her graceful movements, cute face, and lissome body had me mesmerized for a minute there. It wasn’t even about our sexual tension, it was more just honest admiration, but it made me realize I had it pretty bad. I got out of bed, and shouldered my pack. I didn’t have armor or weapons to worry about.

  “Any plans today, outside of waiting for an attack that might or might not come?”

  Gwen shrugged half-heartedly. Was she disappointed that I’d dodged the question? There was a fine line between moving too fast, and hesitation. I needed to test the waters soon, but at the same time I didn’t want to screw it up. We were kind of stuck together, living arrangements, grouped together, life and death, so the awkwardness and fear of rejection was kind of high as a result. Far higher than just picking up a new acquaintance at a party or something like that. The stakes were so much higher for both success, and failure.

  “Not much. Sparring with Wynn for practice, making new arrows, and maybe hunting, though we should be fine for a while on food.”

  I nodded, “Maybe I could help with that second part? I bet between my growth spell and water magic I could churn out a lot of shafts, they’d just need to be feathered and tipped.”

  She shook her head, “I appreciate the thought, but I want to level up the skill. The higher the fletcher skill, the higher the quality of arrow, and the more damage I’ll do with each shot. What about you?”

  “Not sure. Outside of working on my magic. I don’t think anything needs built right now.”

  She smiled, “How about a wardrobe, with wooden hangars. I’ll want more clothes when the outpost goes up, for under my armor.”

  “Fair enough, if you take me when you go hunting. Maybe we can pick up a bunch of wolf and bear pelts for trade with the outpost, and get some experience. We’re going to need more than the one free thing, and goblins don’t have all that much coin. Plus, my hunting skill is still at initiate level two, it’s the only one I don’t have maxed right now.”

  Of course, we still had that pile of loot as well, but a lot of it had gone to equip the elves we rescued. Half the point of hunting was to simply spend more time with her.

  She nodded, “Deal. Breakfast first. You build the wardrobe while I spar with Wynn?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter Ten

  Our plans for wardrobe making and hunting didn’t materialize, at least not that morning. The sky was clear again, and the humidity had dropped a good bit. I guessed with the gulf to the east and mountains to the north and south east, it must change the weather quickly. We were all eating the rest of the stew for breakfast, when an uneasy feeling entered my gut, and not from Gwen’s cooking.

  The welcome of the trees was still there, but there was more too it now, and anger and anxiety that I instinctively knew wasn’t aimed at us. I looked over to Anlyth for a second opinion, and he nodded once in verification.

  “The goblins are in the forest.”

  Wynn grimaced, “We’re ready for them this time. Let’s get moving.”

  I shoveled the last two spoonsful of stew into my mouth, and then took a drink a water. I really wished this place had coffee. My heart picked up speed as we stood up, but it wasn’t racing in fear, it was a mixture of anxiety and excitement. I was familiar with fighting battles now, but there was still the idea I could die, or worse, one of the elves in the group could. Mixed in was the desire to level and kick some goblin ass. With my magic of course, from a safe distance in at all possible.

  The goblins had a little less than two miles to move through woods, but we still moved toward the ambush point at a good jog. It helped to clear my mind and wake me up, but then so did the light surge of adrenaline at the thought of the coming battle.

  Gwen whispered, “Be careful.”

  I smiled, “You too.”

  Wynn said, “I’ll give the order to retreat to the second ambush point if the frontal attack starts to get overwhelming. Any of you can give the order to retreat if you see us being flanked.”

  Fair enough. I didn’t really mind Wynn taking charge of battle situations for several reasons. One, he had a lot more experience than I did with this world. Two, he was a weapons master and trainer, and had probably practiced the flow of battle for a while. Three, he listened to all my advice and ideas without judgement, as he did with the others, so I could still contribute to planning, but only one person could lead during a battle.

  The fourth reason was possibly a little more selfish, if he screwed up and one of the elves died, it wouldn’t be my fault. If they died in battle they wouldn’t come back, and I didn’t want that responsibility. Maybe they weren’t really humans, but then again, was I? I hadn’t had a real body in over a millennium, we were all just ones and zeros until the world recovered from the super volcano and Gaia grew us new ones. NPCs or not, they were real to me.

  Lyre gave me an excited smile that I returned, as we stood behind and to the side of the others, behind the second stone wall and thorn bushes. She was obviously ready for payback.

  I got ready for battle, dropping my detect life, and casting the new version of the spell. It would only detect goblins, and if they got within a fifteen-foot range the spell would surge and try to entangle them. The spell maintenance was only one mana every five seconds, and entangling them with growth would be four or five mana. It was just being careful, since the first fortification was about fifteen feet away, it would only go off if the fortification was overrun, or if we were snuck up on from behind or the side. I didn’t expect it to be a thing, but battles were hardly predictable. Best case scenario, it would aid Wynn, Anlyth, and Gwen if some did break through to melee range. The goblins would be fighting three fighters and roots at the same time.

  I also ran the concepts through my mind once more, for the modified fire blast spell. It cost sixteen mana for what I wanted it to do. The initial fire explosion would do up to twenty-six damage, then another fifty-two over ten seconds for a total of seventy-eight. Of course, armor, fire resistance, and other magic could reduce that damage. If that didn’t prove enough I’d have to adjust on the fly. It was more than possible these guys weren’t level one or two, like the ones we’d fought in the past.

  I could add another five seconds, but fifteen was far too long, I’d probably switch to casting two spells at eleven mana of cost, which would do over a possible hundred damag
e in the same ten seconds with two spells and the same five more mana added all together. Same mana cost, but the cost for shaving five seconds off was me needing to cast twice.

  Better, with fire control added to the spell I didn’t have to worry about setting the forest on fire, or even damaging one of the party even if the goblin I hit was within melee range of my party.

  I had my eyes peeled and was looking up the trail. We’d chosen this ambush point because it was in a direct line to our encampment, and there was a fairly large natural game trail. It was done in the hope they’d travel the path of least resistance through the small but thick forest.

  Lyre elbowed my arm lightly, and pointed north and to the side a bit.

  I adjusted my line of sight, and picked up some movement in the trees. It was hard to get a good count, but at a glance I could tell there was more than ten, but less than thirty. It would become a lot clearer as they moved in.

  I tensed, as Wynn raised his bow and pulled back the knocked arrow.

  He released it, and it whistled as it flew through the trees, coming close to more than one, and then sunk into a goblin’s shoulder. That signaled the beginning of chaos, as Gwen and Lyre also fired arrows, and Anlyth and I sent off our first spell. Mine the modified fire blast, and Anlyth sent what looked like a sharp metal arrow head, without the arrow shaft, flying toward the enemy.

  The goblins scattered for cover, and drew bows. Except for two. The one on fire screamed as he was burned alive, and the one hit by Gwen’s arrow screamed in rage and charged recklessly through the forest.

  A quick second volley of three arrows and a sharp metal object all hit the charger, and took him down permanently. That dark spell curse was really cool.

  We all ducked behind the midriff high walls as the goblins answered with a hail of their own arrows. My heart was pounding now, these goblins were smart enough to not fight stupid, and the scream of pain had turned into a war cry of rage. These goblins were more powerful than the ones we’d faced. I supposed in a way it made sense, the initial scouting, and unpleasant guard duty outside the cave would be given to the weakest warriors so that they could either gain in strength or be weeded out.

  This group of goblins was a heavier strike force, and proven warriors. There were around twenty of them, at a guess.

  I mentally switched to the double damage five second spell that cost eleven mana, though it wasn’t really a spell, I was casting the magic directly through concepts on the fly. Spells were just too limited, and a crutch for the mentally lazy.

  Another volley went over our heads, and I popped up long enough to target a goblin advancing toward us, from one tree’s cover to another and I released the spell. Before I could duck down Lyre also popped up, and released an arrow that exploded into fire mid-flight and hit the same goblin.

  It screamed like a stuck pig, and three seconds later the scream turned into a death rattle.

  I smiled and nodded at Lyre, neither of us could kill one quickly with one spell or shot, but my double damage spell, and her arrow and fire combination was enough to take it down.

  There was another loud roaring war cry, and I knew Gwen had managed to hit another one with her spelled arrow. Another group of arrows shot over our head, and I popped up just in time to see the enraged charging goblin take two more arrows and an earth magic attack, and the goblin collapsed to the ground, dead.

  The fire spell left my hand, and Lyre’s agility and quickness had no trouble sending a fiery arrow right behind it, at the same goblin. I wasn’t sure I’d have been nearly as effective targeting her chosen targets in that way.

  We’d managed to take down five of them so far, and a few others were wounded, but they were closing in on us, and there were about fifteen left.

  Several arrows flew over our heads, and I popped up to cast only to take a straggler’s arrow in my arm. It wasn’t that bad, it’d just sliced a nice long and deep cut, and it hurt like a son of a bitch. I managed to release the spell, a goblin just ten feet away from the first fortification, about thirty feet from where Lyre and I were. Lyre sent another arrow that burst into flames on leaving the bow, but so did Gwen and Wynn.

  The goblin died without any of the additional lingering fire damage being necessary, from either mine or Lyre’s spell, and his burning body collapsed onto the ground.

  When I ducked back down, I cast the Heal spell, which took fifteen of my mana to close up the wound. Fortunately, I had plenty, the spells only cost eleven mana, and I was recouping that much every seven seconds or so. It was a good lesson, and Lyre was obviously right about my earlier poor mana management during a fight. I’d have gone through a lot more though, if we didn’t have to duck down all the time to avoid being pincushions. It only took a second or two to cast, but I was only casting every ten seconds or so.

  There was a loud shuffling of leaves and bushes from the front, leading to the left and right. They must have judged they were close enough to circle the fortification and rush us. It also sounded like there were way too many of them left.

  Wynn must have come to the same conclusion.

  “Retreat!” he ordered.

  I jumped up and ran full out for the pit traps between this ambush point and the one a quarter mile away. I was weaving through the trees at a dead run, but I tried to weave even more than necessary, running in a straight line was a good way to take an arrow in the back. As if to solidify that point, an arrow whizzed right by my ear.

  Lyre was a few feet ahead of me, and she moved gracefully at a run and still managed to be somewhat quiet, I wasn’t even trying to move silently. Her agility was much higher than mine, it took all my effort on running full out to keep up with her. She had that same flowing grace I’d seen in Gwen so often.

  At least, until the arrow shot past my shoulder, and impaled itself in her leg. She went down in a cry of pain, due to her leg’s muscles locking up I’d imagine, but managed to turn it into a diving roll that took her right back to her feet. She kept right on going in a shuffling and much less graceful run, also far slower.

  It wasn’t like we could stop and take care of it, the goblins shooting arrows were falling behind, but half their number were charging right behind us to run us down.

  “I got you,” I said, as I caught up, grabbed her around the waist, and swung her around and over my shoulder. My left arm joined my right to pin her legs to my chest and I kept running.

  Thankfully, she hadn’t resisted at all, and had even helped me, otherwise we’d have probably both gone down. My chest was pounding with effort, and my legs were burning, but a quarter mile at a flat out run wasn’t that difficult. It helped that Lyre was lissome, very light, I might have been the weakest one there as a caster, but I was still stronger than any human would be in the real world.

  I ran carefully between the pits. They were marked subtly with herb growth so I knew exactly where they were.

  The arrows had stopped, the ones that stopped to shoot were now in full out pursuit as well now that we were out of range.

  A few moments later, I heard the loud crack of many twigs breaking, and a goblin’s guttural scream of pain. Then another, and another. After the third one fell in a trap, the sounds of pursuit lessened, and I felt a sense of relief flush through my body.

  A few moments later, and we were at the site of the second ambush.

  I laid Lyre down, and examined her leg.

  Her face was a study in pain and perseverance, and she didn’t make a sound.

  I used water magic to cleanly and quickly cut off the head of the arrow, which just barely stuck out the front of her leg, then gripped the feathered shaft and pulled it out from the back. Blood gushed, but my mind aligned quickly with the sphere of life, and I cast Heal. It took a few moments, and cost me over twenty mana, but she smiled in relief when the pain lifted.

  She stood up gingerly, and tested the leg.

  “Thanks.”

  I nodded, “Anytime, but don’t let it happen again.”


  She laughed quietly, a bubbling and tinkling sound, “I’ll do my best.”

  I glanced over and felt relieved when I saw Gwen, Wynn, and Anlyth looking fine, and set up behind the forward fortification.

  We were quiet then, it wouldn’t take the goblins too long to catch up, the pits wouldn’t slow them down for long. At a guess, there were eleven or twelve of them left. We crouched down to hide most of our bodies, but peaked above the wall and through the thorn bushes and looked for their approach. It could have been worse, they didn’t seem to have magic at least. I imagined though, that would change before this goblin quest was finished.

  They couldn’t be far behind, or the system would have given us XP for ending the fight in retreat.

  I caught sight of one creeping from tree to tree, then a second, and a third. Several more were moving cautiously from tree to tree, their beady eyes peeled for us.

  Wynn signaled to attack, and three arrows, one on fire, one covered in darkness, and one of Anlyth’s small metal blades as well as my fire blast shot out. Lyre and I hit the same one, and took him down. The others impaled three goblin warriors, and then a quick follow up shot for the goblin that heedlessly charged.