The Dead Fortress: A LitRPG Epic (World of Samar Book 3)

by LitRPG Freaks

  Maverick’s massive beast head bobbed a she, Arthur, Sorgon, and Calista took point. As one fierce wall of attack, they charged into the room, pulling aggro. Once they had it, Bishop and Giles attacked alongside Jimmy as Shamus shimmered out of view and moved in for his stealth attacks. Bishop smiled every time he used his Explosive Fiery Arrow, watching the insects explode into piles of wings and legs. It was never growing old. Jimmy cackled with delight beside him with each kill. The only downside to his upgraded ability was the cooldown which had become a bit longer, so he was constantly switching between Instant Shot and Increased Swift Bow.

  The first room was cleared out and Maverick and Arthur made quick work of the four supports. The walls and ceiling trembled as they collapsed inward, destroying the hive as they rushed out of the first room and immediately ducked into the second. They kept up with the rest of their guild and, by the time they reached the bottom of the hive, each side with one room left, their added quests were almost completed. Bishop checked his bags, but he hadn’t picked up any good loot yet. Not that it mattered. He was looking more for money so he could help Calista buy her new shop. They only need a thousand more gold and it could be hers.

  As the last insect died, Bishop grinned and collected the last few bits.

  Quest Completed: Collect Insect Wings and Legs.

  Quest Completed: Destroy the Larvae.

  XP points flashed and he backed out of the room as Maverick brought down the last support structures they needed. It didn’t finish the quest though.

  “Must be bigger ones for the main part of the hive,” Jimmy said, peering down the corridor. “That…that is one giant ass bug.”

  Bishop hustled to his side and cursed. “Trajan is not going to be happy.”

  “You think? It’s three stories tall! How the hell are we going to kill that thing?”

  He arched a brow and held up his bow. “With fire, lots and lots of fire.”

  Trajan was looking at them funny when they turned around grinning like little kids. “I don’t like that look on both of you. What’s in that room?”

  “Just remember, once we get through this dungeon, we’re going to be out of this swamp territory and moving back up north towards snow and mountains,” Jimmy said, spreading his hands wide as he painted the picture.

  “What the hell is in that room, Jimmy?”

  Zoe was already walking past them and barked a laugh. “Oh man, this is definitely worse than the waves of zombies in the harbor.”

  Trajan grunted and several very vivid expletives were shouted, bouncing off the surrounding walls as the guild laughed behind him. “I hate you all. I really, really do.”

  “Buy you a keg of ale when we finish,” Bishop promised. “Buff up everyone! We have no idea what his special attacks might be so keep alert and call out an ad spawns or traps set by the boss.” He’d been saving the Mark of the Red Witch until they reached this cavern and reminded the others to use theirs as well. He hoped it would stack but, when he activated his and Jimmy tried to do the same, only one of them activated. “Well, one will still help,” he said. “Hold onto your marks! Looks like it only lasts for five minutes and the cool down is an hour, so we’ll have to rotate.”

  “I’ll call it out,” Jimmy said. “Everyone ready? Trajan? You got this, man?”

  Trajan’s face was set, but he nodded firmly. “Let’s kill this monstrosity and get the eff out of here.” He stomped forward and the guild followed.

  Bishop brought up the rear with Giles and, when he blinked, the room before him shifted and changed. He paused and gave his head a hard shake, and he was back to staring at Drax, the giant hybrid Demon wasp standing in the center of the hive.

  “My children!” Drax wailed as they approached and started the fight. “You have murdered my children! None of you will leave here alive! Guards! Attack them!”

  “Ads up!” Bishop hollered. “Tanks, focus on the boss. DPS, pick’em off!”

  He focused on the first guard charging towards the healers and started with Penetrating Shot to break down their gear. He followed the attack immediately with Increased Swift Bow and ended with Explosive Fiery Arrow as Giles shot his net through the air as an AOE attack, pinning three of them together.

  Bishop called out another set of guards flying down from above. But when he shifted his gaze, the room changed again and he was looking up at the familiar ceiling of Valen’s throne room. His mouth gaped as he spun around on the spot, trying not to freak out.

  “Bishop! They’re out!” Giles yelled and, suddenly, he was back in the midst of the fight.

  He used his Rain of Thorns AOE, but it didn’t stop the insects and him and Giles were swarmed in seconds. “Gah!” he yelled, batting at the insects, unable to use his bow. He drew his Dagger, Slashing and Slicing. It was hard to see and the buzzing drowned out the other noises from the fight.

  Calista’s battle yell broke through the din and she swiped her weapons in a wide arc, busting through the attack for Giles and Bishop to get back the use of their bows. She didn’t stick around long and rushed back to take aggro from Trajan when the boss delivered a nasty blow, leaving stinging damage that acted like a bleed, a heavy bleed.

  “What’s it doing?” Giles gasped. “Bishop!”

  He glanced up as Drax spread his six insect wings and launched himself high up into the hive. “Take cover!” he yelled when he saw the red mark appear on the ground. “Move!” He took Giles down with them, throwing them out of the way, hoping the rest of the guild did the same as the insect landed with tremendous force in the center of the hive. It rumbled like an earthquake and, when Bishop poked his head up, he saw all their tanks at half health and everyone else down a quarter if not more. “Benji! Heals, man!”

  “On it!” he yelled, and mustered up a mass heal to at least give them a bit back.

  The only good news was, after the attack, the boss wavered as if it had knocked itself into a state of disarray from such a massive assault. Trajan noticed it too, and yelled for them to charge in before it wore off.

  Bishop, Giles, and the other DPS continued to take out guard as they flew to save their master. He watched his mana levels closely, not wanting to switch to Endurance stance and lose his crit hit chances. However, the fight was dragging on longer than anticipated. He saw his Mark of the Red Witch fade. Luckily, Jimmy caught it and activated his next. The boost appeared on everyone’s morale again and Bishop’s hopes rose they might not lose anyone on this fight. He and Giles killed another set of guards and he glanced up when more charged in.

  “Giles, support beams,” he said, pointing up towards the massive stone columns. “Think we can destroy them and it’ll damage the boss?”

  “Or it kills everyone,” he said. “Do we risk it?”

  Bishop glanced around frantically, wanting to ask the opinion of the rest of the guild, but they were too busy keeping the boss from attacking the healers and the DPS while they dealt with what Bishop sensed were the last ads.

  “Damn!” He focused on one with his Explosive Fiery Arrow, but hesitated. The last thing he wanted was to inadvertently kill any of his guild mates.

  He blinked and the room changed again so all he was seeing was the cavern around him and Valen’s throne across the chamber. She grinned from her seat and motioned to another beside her, just as magnificent. She beckoned to him with her clawed hand, flashing her fangs.

  “Bishop! The ads are down,” he heard Giles yell from far away. “Bishop! The boss is barely taking any damage and he’s taking off again! If you’re going to do it, do it now!”

  Valen nodded in agreement, mouthing words Bishop couldn’t hear, but he understood them. His fingers let the arrow fly and, when he blinked again, he saw Drax near the ceiling right when his arrow hit one of the structure beams. The stone shattered and landed on the boss, knocking him back to the ground. Bishop yelled in warning and everyone scattered, dodging the falling stones and the massive body of the boss. He crashed down hard, but was not
dead.

  “What the hell was that?” Trajan shouted. “Bishop!”

  “It worked, didn’t it,” he snapped. “If we bring down the others on him, we can kill him!”

  Trajan glowered at him, but then called out for the other hunters to target the beams while warning everyone else to stay out of the way and keep the boss off them. Bishop’s hands grew clammy and his chest tightened with anger. Trajan didn’t have a right to be pissed at him. All he was doing was trying to finish this fight faster. No one was dead and Bishop was going to keep it that way. There were eight supports total in this room and he targeted onto the next one in his sights.

  One by one, the beams collapsed, hurting Drax and keeping him pinned so the tanks could move in and deliver heavy blows before dodging out of the way again.

  Within minutes, he was down to his last sliver of health. Bishop turned his bow on Drax, drew back his Explosive Fiery Arrow, and launched it right for the boss’ heart. The arrow exploded his chest cavity and, with a high-pitched scream, Drax’ crumpled body hit the ground, sending a shockwave through the hive.

  Quest Completed: Destroy the Hive from within.

  Quest Completed: Kill Demon Lord Drax in his Hive.

  “Sweet,” Bishop said with a holler of excitement. “And no one died.”

  “Not thanks to you,” Trajan snapped. “The next time you want to pull crazy stuff like that, warn us. Those stones could’ve damaged us too, maybe even killed us.”

  “Stop whining,” Bishop sneered. “You’re just pissed because I did more damage than you did.”

  The guild circled the two leaders, sheathing their weapons and looking on worriedly.

  “Bishop, he’s right,” Calista said. “All you had to do was yell before you did it.”

  “I was busy. So sorry for trying to end the fight early so baby Trajan could get away from the giant, scary bug,” he mocked with a ruthless laugh. “Jeez, why’s everyone so pissed off, huh? We did it, he’s dead, and we can walk out of here happy and alive. I don’t even think my gear’s damaged.”

  “That’s not the point, asshole.” Trajan breathed out heavily through his nose. “You’re supposed to watch out for your guildmates, not purposely put them in danger like you’ve been doing for the past week now!”

  See how little they appreciate you, a familiar voice whispered in his ear. Bishop tilted his head to listen and the anger on Trajan’s face turned to confusion and worry. They don’t deserve you. They lie to you, keep secrets from you. They will turn on you.

  “Bishop?” Calista reached for him, but he backed away, not sure if he was seeing her…or another face trying to lure him in. He held his head with a groan and staggered away from them all. “We need to get out of here right now and get you out of this game.”

  “No, no I’m fine,” he said through gritted teeth, holding onto his anger, but then he looked up and frowned. “Guys? What’s going on?” He saw the defeated boss and the destroyed hive. “Where are we?”

  “Damn,” Jimmy mumbled. “Bishop, we’re in a dungeon. Do you remember that?”

  His head throbbed and the room flashed before him. Valenastrious sat on her throne in all her glory, with a man next to her. Bishop.

  He straightened and smiled. “Yeah, course I remember. Why wouldn’t I? Are we done here? I need to sell all this useless crap in my bags.”

  Calista’s mouth dropped open. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “What? The boss is dead and we’re alive, right? Let’s go.”

  “Are you seeing her, right now?” she challenged and blocked his path.

  “Seeing who?” he asked, stifling a grin. Valen stood right behind Calista, staring with such hatred down at the woman.

  “You know damn well who! I swear to god, Bishop, if you’re messing with us right now, you’re going to regret it. I will kick your butt outside of this damn game!”

  Her anger hit him like a punch to the gut and his mind wavered. Just as soon, Valen whispered in his ear, soothing promises of power and having that throne beside her, and he shrugged. “I said I don’t see anyone and I’m—”

  He never saw the hit coming until he was already on his back, the air knocked out of him. Calista shook out her fist, glaring down at him. He didn’t feel pain exactly, but his head ached and he clutched at it as the room spun around him. He tried to speak, but a sharp shriek left him gasping for air as he rolled on the ground. The others’ mouths moved, but whatever they said was lost in the ear-piercing sound. Trajan hoisted him up over his shoulder and the guild left the dungeon behind, the portal dumping them back outside the cave they had entered through.

  “Bishop? Damn it, look at me,” Calista pleaded, holding his shoulders after Trajan set him back down. “Log out. You need to log out!”

  He didn’t understand what was happening, or why he kept hearing voices in his head, or why Calista was telling him to log out. Everything was fine, right? They had just killed a boss. They should be celebrating.

  “I don’t think he can hear you.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “Bishop? Open your eyes, man.”

  Bishop heard their voices, tried to talk, but then another voice whispered in his mind and peace settled over him. It’s time, Bishop, you know it is. It’s time to leave them and join me. It’s time to learn the truth.

  His eyes opened and he sat up. “That was weird,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Did you guys hear that high-pitched whining, too?”

  “No, we didn’t hear anything,” Calista said. “Are you…are you alright?”

  “Yeah, yeah I’m good. I feel fine now.” Jimmy pulled him to his feet and helped brush off his gear. “So we all good to head back and turn this quest in? Think we got a decent amount of Demon Shards.”

  They continued to stare at him as if he had grown a second head. It was Jimmy who finally said they could go back to town. “Guess we’ll turn in, repair and sell. Move onto the next region, too.”

  “Yeah, we got through that dungeon pretty quick,” Bishop agreed. “Might even pick up the next chunk of quests.” He whistled at how full his bags were. “Think we have enough gold to buy your shop, now too, Calista.”

  “Probably. Uh, Bishop,” she said. “Do you remember what happened at the end of the fight?”

  He frowned. “I remember the beams collapsing and Drax dying,” he said slowly. “Did something else happen?”

  “No, nothing,” Trajan said with a grin. “Let’s get back to town.”

  Bishop shrugged and turned to leave the cave behind, happy knowing they had defeated another Demon Lord.

  ***

  “We can’t wait any longer,” Jimmy whispered, keeping a close eye on Bishop not far away.

  “You’re going to talk to Dennis?” Calista asked.

  “What choice do we have? You saw him back there! He was two different people and he nearly killed half the guild and didn’t care.” He shuddered. “It’s like Bishop’s gone and someone else took over him.”

  Calista rolled her eyes at the exaggeration. “Are you saying he’s possessed? By what?”

  “The game, the Demon Queen,” he ranted. “Hell, I don’t know and, honestly, I don’t care. What I know is that man over there is not Bishop.”

  Calista listened to Bishop laughing with Giles as they repaired their gear and set about making the latter a new bow. Bishop had managed to find another gemstone like the one he had secured earlier, and they were attempting to craft a second powerful bow. She wanted to believe that was the same man she’d grown so fond of, but Jimmy was right.

  “Fine. Talk to Dennis.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Find out what else might be driving him to turn into this crazy man we don’t recognize anymore.” She’d been to his room plenty of times and, though she hadn’t meant to, she had seen the code to his room and could easily get inside. All she needed was to make sure he wasn’t around.

  She left Jimmy and Maverick
to make their plan to talk to Dennis and found Arthur. “Later, when we log for the day, I need you to keep Bishop away from his room.”

  “And how do you want me to do that exactly?”

  “I don’t know, take him to the rec room. He seems in a cheerful enough mood.”

  “Ha, cheerful, good word for it.” Arthur shook his head. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s bipolar, or split personality or something. He’s losing it, quick.”

  “I’d prefer him not to,” Calista told him. “Do your best?”

  “I will but, if he decides to leave, I’m not about to tackle him.” Arthur stared warily at the man they had all grown to trust and be friends with. They cared for him, but Calista wasn’t about to ask anyone to put themselves at risk in case Bishop did completely lose it.

  Another hour at most and they’d log out for the day. They decided to save the next area for tomorrow, a fresh start, and spent the remainder of their time relaxing and upping their crafting skills. Calista would purchase her new shop tomorrow, if they logged back in.

  If they logged back in at all after they tried to help Bishop before it was too late.

  Chapter 15

  Callie waited until after dinner to slip away. Jimmy and Alana had already headed off under the guise of taking a walk in the garden while Arthur loudly challenged Harrison to a game of table tennis. He acted normal when they logged out and happily accepted the invite to a game. Once they were in the rec room, Callie hurried from the cafeteria and down the halls with their rooms.

  She looked up and down the hall when she reached Harrison’s door and, praying she remembered the number correctly, punched it in. The door opened and she quickly rushed inside and closed it behind her.

  The room wasn’t messy when she flipped on the light, which made her search that much easier. After he figured out she’d gone through his things, she expected him to be pissed, but it’d be worth it if they could catch his relapse while it was still early.

  She searched through the closet and the chest of drawers, but found nothing. She shook out his duffel under his bed and then checked the drawers on the desk. Still nothing. She was only going to give herself five minutes, and those five minutes were drawing close.