Alpha Test Subject #3435: A Roguelike LitRPG Adventure (Chronicles of Alamor Book 1)

by Adam Myhr

  A small temple elf chopped you! -2 HP

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the wolf streaking past the two of us, dodging arrows as she went. I hoped she would be able to hold her own until I could help. I stabbed at the elf, trying to get in above its arms before it could recover from the ax swing.

  You stabbed a small temple elf! 5 Damage

  It recovered faster than I expected, jabbing at me with the hilt while prepping for another swing.

  A small temple elf jabbed you! -1 HP

  An arrow flew past my head, suggesting at least one of the other elves was focused on me. Not wavering in my attack, I followed the stab with a slash across the leather vest of my opponent.

  You slashed a small temple elf! 6 Damage

  The elf followed my motion with its ax, chopping into my shoulder as it went.

  A small temple elf chopped you! -2 HP

  I managed to roll with the chop, minimizing the pain. I heard another arrow whistle past the space my head had just been occupying. One of these elves had to go down soon, or there would be some big trouble. I brought my sword back around, turning towards the bow-wielding elves in hopes of getting an update on the battle in the attack.

  You slashed a small temple elf! 4 Damage

  What I saw almost made me skip a turn. The wolf leaped into the gazebo and rolled into the ball of light, vanishing with a flash and sizzle. The elf which had been focusing on her turned towards me, while the other one let loose an arrow that scraped across my arm.

  A small temple elf shot you! -1 HP

  I barely managed to avoid getting the butt of the ax in the face when the elf in front of me shifted its grip, readying for another swing. I thrust my sword into the elf and up, striving to end it before it scraped even more hit points away.

  You stabbed a small temple elf! 7 Damage

  You defeated a small temple elf! +11 Exp

  Two arrows streaked my way. I manage to avoid one, and the other stuck in my armor, not quite piercing. Glancing around the room I found no cover save the gazebo, so I launched myself towards the elf on the right. The one on the left struggled to keep its aim true, loosing an arrow behind me. The one I was charging shot clean through my knee, slowing my charge slightly.

  A small temple elf shot you! -4 HP

  I recovered from the hit and continued my charge, both elves missing me this time as I wavered back and forth during my approach. I caught a flash of blue out of the corner of my eye, turning just enough to see the elf on the left now glowing. Figuring that couldn’t be good I decided to pour on the speed, getting me to the other elf, but not letting me attack until next turn.

  As I dove to put the gazebo between the glowing elf and myself a bolt of fire shot through the air I would’ve otherwise been occupying. This time I saw the source. An elf slinging magic had appeared from a door in the back of the room. The elf in front of me dropped its bow and pulled out a pair of daggers, flashing them around like a ninja.

  A small temple elf sliced you! -1 HP

  A small temple elf sliced you! -2 HP

  I looked up at the elf twirling the daggers. There was no fear, it knew it had the upper hand. I glanced towards the gazebo. It wouldn’t provide shelter for long. As fast as I’d seen these things move before, they’d be attacking me in two turns, max. The ball of light crackled and pulsed in the gazebo. The light my wolf companion had jumped into. Abandoning me when it looked like the odds were in our favor.

  I looked back to the elf in front of me once more, then the HUD. Based the last turn, I could be dead before the other two even made it over here. That sealed my decision. I pushed hard off the ground, twisting my body to go over the gazebos rail. The elf lunged at the spot I’d just left, it’s gaze lifting just in time to see my landing. Taking a deep breath and bracing for the dark of a virtual death I fell back into the ball of light.

  Frank: Average Human

  Str:6

  Dex:7

  Con:5

  Int:5

  Wis:6

  Luck:6

  HP:4 (20)

  SP:0 (0)

  Food:100% (9/50)

  Turn:503

  Exp:169

  Lvl:2

  Weapon:

  Tarnished Steel Short Sword

  Normal, 3-6

  Armor:

  Tree Folk Basic Outfit

  0

  Leather Vest

  2

  Equipment:

  lock picks, 2 dried peaches, Small Light Brown Vial

  Silver: 27

  Skills: (1)

  Dodge (2)

  Short Blades (2) +1 Dam

  Magic:

  Cracked Wooden Wand of Light Healing (??)

  Seventeen

  You have entered a new area. +5 Exp

  The world disappeared, replaced with a light so bright closing my eyes didn’t stop it. Static overwhelmed my hearing. My only consolation was that I couldn’t be dying. The noise and light were overwhelming, and I wanted to pass out. Instead, I felt myself land on something hard, knocking the breath out of me.

  The light started to fade, and the noise slowly subsided. It wasn’t until the world was completely dark that I realized my eyes were tightly shut and I was curled into a ball. I slowly opened my eyes. I was laying on a patch of dirt. I gathered myself and sat up. The patch of dirt was surrounded by seven rocks, each containing a different colored gem. Outside the circle of rocks, I saw meadows covering rolling hills. And I saw the wolf.

  She lay just outside the circle, eyes barely open and breathing relaxed. Her fur rustled slightly in the breeze while the sun played off the colors of her coat. When I stood and turned to her, she lifted her head and let out a huge yawn. I took a few steps towards her and stopped. I was in bad shape and didn’t know what was around here, though judging by the wolfs posture there wasn’t much to worry about.

  I ate and used the wand, bringing myself back to full health. Looking around the clearing again I found a faint path away from the circle, right next to the wolf. Apparently, she knew where I wanted to go even before I did. We set off through the field.

  It didn’t take long before I saw where the path led. A small collection of buildings appeared in the hills. It wasn’t much but may have been called a village at one time. As I came closer, I realized the buildings were in rough shape. It was as if they’d been abandoned a long time ago. The path ended at a dirt road into the village.

  You discovered a new location! +2 Exp

  An eerie silence descended when I crossed into the location. Broken buildings and empty foundations scattered the area. A dry well stood in front of one of the few standing buildings across the empty village square. To my left, another intact building stood. I went and tried to open the iron doors, discovering they had rusted together and wouldn’t budge. I went towards the fountain, passing the husk of a grain silo with the wolf plodding silently along beside me. On the other side, another building stood in one piece. It was a long building, and the door was slightly open.

  I peeked in and saw a long table spanning the entire length of the building. The benches that used to sit alongside it were lost in grass and wild plants. I forced the door the rest of the way open, ultimately taking it off the hinges. Some small animals scattered as I went in, the wolf chasing after them playfully. The building consisted of a single room with windows all around, though most were broken long ago.

  The table had debris from its final meal scattered all over. Plants sprouting up from the wood, piles of rust in rough silverware shapes, pieces of hardened clay. Nothing was recoverable, or useful. I headed for the door, about to leave empty-handed when I recognized some of the plants next to the table as vegetables from the farm. I gathered some up while the wolf watched quizzically from the doorway. With my personal food stores replenished I left the decaying structure behind, heading for the last standing building in the village.

  In stark contrast to the rest of the village, the building looked almost immacu
late. The tall stone structure was framed by a tower in each corner. Windows, alternating between clear and intricate stained-glass patterns, ringed the building. A set of wide stone steps gently rose to the double doors in the front.

  I made my way up the steps, each one ringing out almost musically. The door opened smoothly, closing softly behind the wolf. If this room wasn’t the entire structure, it was very close. A balcony lined the room, framing the huge skylight letting sunlight stream in. The room was filled with rows and rows of shelves. On every shelf was a row of books. Scattered among the rows of shelves were large chairs that looked comfortable enough to sleep in. The library held more books than I’d ever seen in one place outside of pictures during history class. I wandered the stacks of shelves, running my fingers over the books as I went. The leather bindings, some soft and some hard, suggested untold knowledge.

  In the back of the room, there was a staircase leading up to the balcony. More chairs were up here, and tables for more focused studying. In between the windows were more shelves filled with books. I looked around for a catalog or sign pointing me to the right ones. Finding none, I looked around for the wolf. She had found a fireplace along one wall and was curled up there now, next to a chair and a table holding two books.

  I picked up the top book and turned to a random page.

  In the event a participant’s exit keyword fails, the participant must find the locally injected pocket area to end the simulation. This hardware-generated area exists in all simulations. After the software creates the world, the local hardware injects this pocket area. Inside the participant will find instructions for activating the local hardware fail-safe, removing them from the simulation and returning sensory input and output to their physical body.

  “Why the hell isn’t this in the help file menu?!?!” I knew nobody could hear me, but this was ridiculous. I’d been fighting my way through all kinds of nastiness to read a help file that should be in the damn HUD! With a sigh, I continued.

  To activate the pocket area, the participant must create a portal (any type) along an AREA BORDER. They must then travel to the new area normally, and enter the portal from the new area.

  CAUTION - A portal will only last for 20 turns on an area border.

  I put the book down and pulled the help menu up in my HUD, perhaps it would have information on the portal now that I’d read this.

  It was still blank, useless as ever.

  I picked the other book up and opened it. I couldn’t identify the words at first, but I also couldn’t look away. The symbols started to glow and move on the page. They started to rearrange themselves, describing a “Lesser Transition Portal” and giving diagrams for how they worked. As I continued to read, I found myself unable to pull away, drawn deeper into the book with each moment. As I neared the end of the section, I felt something well up inside of me, some new power I had never felt before in my life.

  You have learned Lesser Transition Portal.

  Bending time and space, you vanish from here and show up there - usually. +5 Exp

  You have learned your first spell! +5 Exp, +1 Int

  You have gained 6 SP!

  I felt exhausted from the effort. Glancing at my HUD I saw the new SP, and that it took me five turns to learn the spell! Good thing I didn’t try learning it while in combat or something.

  I went to the shelves and pick up a random book, looking inside. None of the symbols were recognizable, and there was no feeling of being unable to look away. I tried another, finding it blank. Shaking my head, I went out the door and back to the village square.

  I was at a loss. I needed to find a new area, but there didn’t seem to be a way out of this one. There had been only one path out of the clearing. The village seemed to be at the end of the road. I walked around the library, looking for a path into the meadows as I went. After circling back to the front of the library, I started to get frustrated when I remembered, in most areas I didn’t need to stick to paths.

  I didn’t see anything interesting on the horizon, just rolling meadows in all directions, so I closed my eyes and spun around until I fell over from being dizzy. When I’d recovered, I stood up and started walking straight, leaving the village behind.

  Frank: Average Human

  Str:6

  Dex:7

  Con:5

  Int:6

  Wis:6

  Luck:6

  HP:20 (20)

  SP:6 (6)

  Food:100% (17/50)

  Turn:571

  Exp:189

  Lvl:2

  Weapon:

  Tarnished Steel Short Sword

  Normal, 3-6

  Armor:

  Tree Folk Basic Outfit

  0

  Leather Vest

  2

  Equipment:

  lock picks, 1 dried peaches, 5 carrots, 2 cucumbers, Small Light Brown Vial

  Silver: 27

  Skills: (1)

  Dodge (2)

  Short Blades (2) +1 Dam

  Magic:

  Cracked Wooden Wand of Light Healing (??)

  Lesser Transition Portal (2 SP)

  Eighteen

  The rolling hills soon met up with a large, slow-moving river. I immediately turned right and started down the river, expecting it would eventually reach a lake where I would be sure to find a new area. The river soon curved right, depositing me unexpectedly at the edge of a circle of huts.

  You discovered a new location! +2 Exp

  The sudden appearance of the huts caused me to stop. The sudden appearance of the 6-foot-tall humanoid frog caused me to stare. It looked almost as surprised to see me as I was to see it. Its skinny arms sported a shield and spear while leather armor covered its small round body. The creature had no neck to speak of, but unprotected legs that came up to my chest.

  I was working to take it all in, in danger of passing a turn, when a low growl from the wolf brought me to my senses. I quickly chopped my sword down on one of those legs, like I was trying to sever it from the body.

  You chopped a rriggat! 6 Damage (Wounded)

  While I didn’t quite get clean through, the rriggat’s balance appeared off after the hit. The wolf likewise attacked the legs, chomping down hard on the other one. The rriggat responded by bashing its shield at the wolf. It stunned her just enough that her bite loosened, allowing the rriggat to break free. Its divided attention gave me a great opening to stab without worrying about the shield.

  You stabbed a rriggat! 7 Damage

  The wolf jumped up on the rriggat, scraping her claws down as she tried to bowl it over. The rriggat staggered back under the wolf’s weight before bringing the spear around and stabbing her in the haunches. The wolf yelped slightly, pulling back to the ground. While I was glad to skip out on damage, I was a little worried about the wolf, I hadn’t figured out how to know her health yet and didn’t want her killed. I lunged at the rriggat, putting myself between it and the wolf while slashing down.

  You slashed a rriggat! 5 Damage

  The wolf recovered from the rriggat’s spear and circled around, prepping for the next turn. I had earned the rriggat’s full attention, and a spear to the thigh.

  A rriggat stabbed you! -4 HP

  Not letting it phase me I swiped down at the rriggat’s good leg, hoping to hobble it for the wolf’s take-down attack.

  You slashed a rriggat! 6 Damage

  The wolf jumped onto the rriggat’s back, clamping her jaws on the back of its head. The rriggat staggered forward, dropping its spear and grasping at the wolf on its back. I carefully stabbed down the rriggat’s throat, ripping my sword out the front of the creature with a yell.

  You sliced a rriggat! 7 Damage

  You defeated a rriggat! +23 Exp

  I patted the thing down looking for anything worthwhile. The spear didn’t seem like my kind of weapon, but the shield intrigued me.

  Stone Studded Shield

  Someone once put their faith in this shield. They’re dead now.
Chance to block. +2 Exp

  I put it on and moved my arm around, trying to get a feel for it. I’d seen the rriggat hit with it, but when I tried thrusting it forward, I almost overbalanced myself with the awkward motion. It didn’t seem to make wielding my sword any harder, so I decided to keep it for now.

  The wolf was looking a little worse for wear. I pulled out the healing wand and tried pointing it at her and waving. To my relief it worked, a light purple glow appearing on the wolf and fading into her body. She looked better, even coming over and licking my hand after.

  I turned back to the small collection of huts. One rriggat didn’t likely live here alone. I passed into the circle. The huts were constructed of mud, stone, and thatch. Each hut was a relatively small circle set up a few feet from the ground on stilts. I was confused for a moment by the lack of steps or ladders to get into the huts. Then a rriggat hopped down from one on the other side of the circle and looked at me.

  I scanned the circle for other foes. Not seeing any I hefted the shield in front of me and started across the circle, the wolf at my side. On the rriggat’s turn, it jumped impossibly far, landing right in front of me and knocking me sideways with a club.

  A rriggat clubbed you! -4 HP

  I stumbled into the wolf, pushing myself up and lunging back at the rriggat. I missed, ending up next to it instead of stabbing it. The wolf didn’t even try attacking this turn, taking a defensive posture after I almost bowled her over. The rriggat took another swing at me, glancing off my newly acquired shield with a jolt. I stabbed upward at its unprotected belly, scoring a solid hit.