Hive Knight: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (Trinity of the Hive Book 1)

by Grayson Sinclair

  Hive Knight

  Trinity of the Hive (Book One)

  by

  Grayson Sinclair

  License Notes

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Hive Knight (Trinity of the Hive: Book One)

  Copyright © 2020 Grayson Sinclair. All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2020 Luciano Fleitas Cover Artist

  A Starlit Publishing Book

  Published by Starlit Publishing

  69 Teslin Rd

  Whitehorse, YT

  Y1A 3M5

  Canada

  www.starlitpublishing.com

  Ebook ISBN: 9781989458969

  Paperback ISBN: 9781989458976

  Hardcover ISBN: 9781989458983

  Contents

  Chapter 1 - Draconian Measures

  Chapter 2 - All That Glitters

  Chapter 3 - Memento Mori

  Chapter 4 - The Gloam

  Chapter 5 - Under Siege

  Chapter 6 - Dance of Death

  Chapter 7 - War Is The Answer

  Chapter 8 - Nova Wave

  Chapter 9 - Unexpected Guest

  Chapter 10 - Stranger Things

  Chapter 11 - Until Eternity

  Chapter 12 - Hive Knight

  Chapter 13 - On The Road

  Chapter 14 - Inn of Ill Repute

  Chapter 15 - The Hand That Holds Time In Its Palm

  Chapter 16 - Can’t Run From Your Problems

  Chapter 17 - Outlier Farmstead

  Chapter 18 - What Are You Willing To Lose?

  Chapter 19 - The Serpent’s Tail

  Chapter 20 - Mnemosyne

  Chapter 21 - The Compass Kingdom

  Chapter 22 - Central Kingdom

  Chapter 23 - Chains of the Past

  Chapter 24 - The Auction House

  Chapter 25 – An Offer Made

  Chapter 26 - Escape

  Chapter 27 - The Obsidian Throne

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  About the Publisher

  My Recommended Reading

  Dedicated to Robert Leyendecker

  For supporting a complete stranger with everything you had. I couldn’t have done it without you, bud.

  "The only difference between the virtual and the real world is the amount of data. We can feel a lot more if we see, hear, or touch something in the real world than in a virtual world."

  ─Asuna Yuuki

  Chapter 1 - Draconian Measures

  A blast of lighting slammed into the ground an inch away, and I slipped on the wet, mossy rocks, sending me tumbling to the ground. Iron filled my mouth as my ears rang. By the nine kings of Hell, that was close!

  My racing heart filled with fear as the dragon roared, shaking the earth and conjuring a mass of storm clouds overhead. Thunder cracked, and hailstones the size of my fists hounded us mercilessly.

  Damn, of course, this wouldn’t be easy. I gripped my sword tight in my hands and charged the beast.

  “Duran, wait!” Alistair screamed over the thunder.

  Like hell! Each passing second inched us closer to death, and if we didn’t act, we were doomed.

  Gil and Levi ran forward, circling the mighty dragon and holding its attention.

  The elder storm dragon was deadly; every facet of it screamed at me to flee for my very life. The beast towered over all of us, moving with lithe precision, snapping its jaws at Levi’s greatshield.

  As dangerous as the creature was, its beauty could not be denied. Its scales glistened like sapphires in the rain as it moved its hulking body to face us. Its massive limbs capped with ivory talons were the length of my longsword; one swipe would rend us in two.

  While they bought time, I circled around it, searching for an opening.

  Alistair cursed and held his hands towards me, reciting a short chant in Script. He finished and a bright red circle appeared in his palm, a swirling geometric pattern that danced over a pentagram. As it spun, a warmth spread over me.

  A tiny notification in the corner of my vision flicked to life as Alistair’s spell took hold.

  Damage Boost: 30 seconds

  Such a quick and dirty incantation, but it was enough to give me a chance. I ran in between Gil and Levi while they kept it busy and slashed my longsword across the dragon’s chest. The metal bit deep, hewing a chunk of flesh out before I backed away. Blood sprouted from the gash to splash across my face, mixing with the sweat that dripped down to sting my eyes.

  Damn, not as deep as I needed! It was barely more than a scratch on the massive beast, but it was deep enough to cause the Bleeding status effect, which would only help us as the fight wore on.

  The dragon unfurled its wings and rose on its hind legs to claw at Gil. The vicious talons missed him by a fraction of an inch.

  The ebony giant bellowed with laughter, taunting it. Gil was a human mountain, easily seven feet tall and stacked with muscle. His chainmail shone from beneath his leather armor in the rain. Gil hefted his enormous battleaxe and brought it down across the right leg of the dragon before backpedaling with far more speed than I’d have credited him for.

  The dragon lowered to the ground and stared at us with a hatred that hinted at far more intelligence than any mere beast. It swiped out with its tail, which was half the length of its body and riddled with jade spikes each the size of a dagger. Death whistled past us as we rolled out of the way.

  I landed in a puddle formed from a depression atop the mountain. A flash of my features appeared before the rippling water distorted the image. Long, copper hair soaked to a muddy brown, which framed a rugged, menacing face. My hair nearly covered my amber eyes, which were alight with adrenaline. Even though my heart raced a mile a minute, I had the biggest smile plastered across my face.

  Moss and bits of rock clung to my hands as I pushed myself off the ground and retrieved my bastard sword. The rocky, uneven terrain of the mountain made maintaining my footwork nearly an impossible challenge. I stepped over the slick rocks to rejoin my party.

  Sparks of lightning curled from the dragon’s jade horns, arcing off to strike at random. An errant bolt struck next to Alistair while he was distracted. He shouted over to us, but his words were lost in the storm.

  I ran over to him; his fine hair resembled a dirty mop as it stuck to his face and obscured his brown eyes. Alistair ignored me as he built another spell. Arms splayed wide open, his palms glowed as he worked his magic. I couldn’t understand the words of Script he used, but as the sandstone Script circle flared to life in between his hands, I recognized the spell he was about to cast: Ground.

  Which meant we were about to be in trouble.

  Amid the torrential downpour of rain, a ball of electricity amassed between the dragon’s horns and shot out in all directions before arcing back to converge on us. The bolts of lightning hit us and obliterated my senses as a blinding white light seared my vision and ozone burned in my nose.

&nb
sp; It took a moment for the world to right itself again, but when it did, I was elated to see that we’d weathered the attack unscathed.

  “Alistair, how far is the radius for Ground?”

  “Fifteen feet, long as you stay close, I can keep the lightning attacks at bay.”

  Oh, hell. That’s not going to cut it; we’re sitting ducks here. We may have had a counter for the dragon’s magic, but it still had half a dozen other nasty ways to end our lives. Realizing its electrical attacks had no effect on us, the storm dragon raged and lowered its head like it was about to charge us. “Shit! Not good! Gil, Levi, cover Alistair!”

  Not waiting for their replies, I surged forward to meet its charge. Putting every ounce of speed into my legs, I activated Holy Blade. My sword took on an ethereal sunlit glow, and the scents of summertime overrode the stench of ozone. The light from my blade grew as the dragon opened its maw. The jagged, yellowed teeth snapped shut next to my ear as I brought my longsword up in an arc, slicing a deep furrow from the beast’s lower jaw to the base of its neck. A few teeth rattled to the ground and drew my gaze for a split second.

  Which was a foolish mistake that should have killed me.

  It cried out in agony and lashed out with its tail. The tip slammed into my side; one of its spikes speared through my shoulder. Pain radiated through me, and the tail whipped me into the air by the force of its attack. My health bar flashed in my interface, dropping deep into the yellow and then into the red when I crashed into the ground a moment later. My head slammed hard against a rock, and everything went dark.

  I found myself dreaming of the past, which was never a good thing.

  The tiny hovel I’d called home for the last few months was empty when I pushed aside the thin canvas flap. FEMA only used the highest quality particleboard and plywood in its construction; I’d accented it with duct tape and egg cartons to try and keep in as much warmth as I could, but it wasn’t enough.

  A small pile of worn, filthy clothing sat on my bed, which was essentially a burlap sack filled with cheap stuffing. It, my clothes, and a thin, itchy blanket were all I had left in the world. After kicking the soiled clothing to the floor, I sat down, disgusted and ashamed with myself. So close. I was so fucking close this time.

  I looked once more at the fence in the distance and watched as two workers under armed guard patched the two-and-a-half-foot hole I’d spent two weeks working on. I’d been so close, timed the guards’ patrol routes, and snuck enough canned food to last a week in a camouflaged spot right next to the fence. All that prep work only to be caught by two refugees who’d gone looking for a place to hook up.

  Maybe tomorrow…tomorrow will be the night, I thought, scratching at my wiry beard as I curled up against the wall and wrapped my blanket around me. I’ll make a new plan tomorrow. A comforting lie. I was so consumed by my despondency that I didn’t hear it when she approached. A light knock on the doorframe interrupted my thoughts.

  “Sampson Acre?”

  Her voice was rich and strong, yet she spoke softly as if she were afraid of being overheard. Her words mixed with the constant hum of sounds that came with living in close quarters with thousands of other people, but my name cut through the background noise. She leaned in, only showing me half her face, staring down at me with a waiting gaze.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Are you Mr. Sampson Acre?”

  I nodded, and she entered my cramped home, giving me a proper look at her.

  She was pretty, bordering on beautiful. Long black hair flowed past her sharp cheekbones and pointed chin to rest just under her bust. She had full, strawberry lips upturned in a fake smile and light green eyes with flecks of gray dotted around the iris. They held a stark intelligence behind the allure of them.

  Her clothes marked her as an outsider as much as her looks. An avocado green sweater and gray denim pants hugged her slim frame beneath a spotless white lab coat. Expensive black trail boots with only a hint of dirt completed her look.

  I hadn’t seen anyone so well dressed in years; she didn’t belong here amid this destitution. A stiff breeze rolled through camp and rattled my canvas door flap, bringing a faint whiff of lavender and vanilla to my nose. It came from her onyx hair, which fluttered gently in the wind. The woman clamped down on the clipboard in her hands, stopping the ruffling papers with her well-manicured fingers.

  “What do you want?”

  Her smile deepened in its falseness, showing off her perfect teeth. She had a good smile, but it was all for show, and it didn’t touch her eyes; they were calm and unreadable. “My name is Dr. Bell, but you can call me Jessica."

  She paused, taking stock of me, her eyes flicking up and down. Suddenly I was very self-conscious about my appearance. Usually, it wouldn’t bother me what anyone else thought, but she was different—gorgeous, intelligent, and, more importantly, clean. Something I wasn’t.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a chance to take an actual shower, and sitting here in my stained and threadbare clothing put me off balance. My appearance obviously didn’t bother her; she was satisfied with her assessment as a flicker of a grin crossed her lips and her eyes thawed by a degree.

  “Would you like to help save the world?”

  What? I blinked, stunned. Surely, I misheard what she said? “Come again?”

  She chuckled. It shattered the persona she wore for just a second, giving me a glimpse at the real Jessica. She was laughing at me, but there wasn’t any meanness in it.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve laughed; that was rude of me. I can’t say much, but the organization I work for needs test-volunteers. I can’t give away any more details about the project as it’s highly classified, need to know, and well…”

  “I don’t need to know.”

  “Bingo.”

  She was too clean and well dressed for this to be a joke. There had to be some truth to what she was offering, even if what she was saying was impossible. Earth can’t be saved; it’s been beyond saving for five years now. One look outside this camp will tell you that…besides, even if it could, there’s no world for me to go back to.

  I shied away from that thought before it dragged me deeper into despair and shifted to meet her gaze. “Last I checked, this world’s fucked, and unless you’ve figured out a way to get rid of the ghouls, this is a pointless conversation.”

  The corners of her mouth lifted by a notch, but her cold demeanor returned in spades. “So cynical for such a young man,” she said, smirking before flipping through a few pages on her clipboard. She stopped and whistled under her breath. “But you do have a good excuse, don’t you, Sammy?”

  Cold ice gripped my heart as she said that name. Stop it, what would Micah say? He’d be devastated at seeing me like this. “Don’t call me that,” I snapped.

  “Right…Sam?” she hedged.

  I stifled my sigh. “That’s fine."

  She nodded and went back to her notes. “According to FEMA’s records, they picked you up six months ago?”

  I craned my neck over at the scratch marks on the far corner of the wall. “Five months, twenty-one days,” I clarified.

  “And in that time, you’ve attempted escape seven times, is that correct?”

  I scowled. “Eight, actually. Tonight makes eight.”

  Jessica spoke, not looking up from the clipboard. “Why don’t you want to stay? You know what lies outside those walls.”

  My throat burned, and I spat onto the floor. “This is supposed to be a refugee camp, not a goddamn prison. I want to go home.”

  Her smile fell from her face, pinching her lips together. “You have no home to return to,” she said, flipping through her notes once more. “Family: mother, father, and younger brother. All deceased.”

  Deceased. A single word, the lives of my family reduced to a single word on a clipboard.

  “There is nothing waiting for you out there but death. Do you want to die?” Jessica asked.

  I let the questi
on hang in the air; I didn’t have an answer for it, anyway. Jessica just stared at me while I looked anywhere else. I coughed to break the tension in the room. “So, what’s your offer?”

  “A jailbreak, so to speak. I can get you out of here.”

  I looked sideways at her. “And in return?” I asked with trepidation.

  “Your cooperation in our experiment.”

  I was getting anxious just sitting on the bed, but with her blocking the doorway, I couldn’t leave, so I settled for drumming my fingers in my lap. The dulled sound helped to focus my thoughts. Well, this is shady as hell, but she’s offering the thing I want most. Son of a bitch, I’ve been had.

  “I’m guessing you won’t be explaining anything about any of this, either?”

  “Can’t,” she said with laughter in her eyes. “Classified.”

  Jessica had me beat; she knew it, too. Before she ever stepped foot in here, she knew exactly what to dangle in front of my face to get me to dance to her tune. I couldn’t refuse her. Anything beats rotting in here. Guess I’ll be her little guinea pig. I climbed to my feet and looked her in the eye. “Okay, I’m in.”

  “Excellent,” she said, extending her hand. “We leave in the morning.”

  I shook her hand. A thick scar on the center of her palm rubbed rough against my own as we shook. I don’t want to stay, but guess we can’t leave tonight, not unless we feel like getting torn to shreds. I didn’t want to stick around this camp for a minute longer, but I wanted to be eaten alive by a ghoul even less.

  Familiar clumsy footsteps stomped up to my home and made me go quiet. The canvas sheet was thrust aside as Soph walked in carrying two steaming bowls.

  “Hey, Sam, I brought you dinner…” Sophia’s eyes lit up when she saw me.

  Wearing a thin, holey yellow t-shirt depicting a band I’d never heard of and torn jeans, she barged in without a care in the world. Her face was thin from the years of rationing, but she had a hyper energy about her, that even the apocalypse couldn’t get rid of. Her deep sun-kissed skin only accented her sparkling hazel eyes.