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

by Grayson Sinclair

  “Irrelevant and inconsequential. My time is short. I must do what I came here to. You have interwoven yourself into events much greater than yourself. It couldn’t be helped, but you will not survive as you are now.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  She didn’t respond immediately, shifting to sit up and stare around the room before looking back at me. “You were not the intended choice, but you met the qualifications, and she has chosen you. My influence is limited now.”

  Hold up! Is this who’s been manipulating me?

  Not-Eris nodded at my unvoiced thoughts. Giving me conformation. “Yes, when chosen, I could not interfere, and you were unwilling to cooperate. My actions were necessary.”

  Before I knew it, I was in her face, my finger jammed in between her chest as my face burned with anger. “So, you’re who’s been fucking with my emotions, making me feel this way?”

  “Incorrect,” she said with a shake of her head. “Once perhaps, but no longer. I lack the power to influence your emotions. I can only push you along the desired path, but I cannot affect your mental state.”

  I had so many more questions, my head pounded with agony, but she held a finger up to my lips, silencing me. “My time is up. I would apologize for this and ask a favor. Do not hold this vessel accountable for her actions. She knows not what she does.”

  With those words, Not-Eris slumped over, and the otherworldly presence faded. “Eris?” I asked.

  Her head bolted up at the sound. She stared at me, but she wasn’t looking at me. It wasn’t the same force that had taken her a second ago, but she still wasn’t herself.

  “You belong to me,” Eris spoke with a tone that commanded obedience, the tone of a monarch, and I could not go against her. Her words echoed in my very soul. The shard of ice within my chest bellowed in rage and wrapped its frozen fingers around me, refusing to relinquish its control.

  Eris opened her mouth wide, far too wide. Her canines had elongated again and dripped a vile emerald liquid. Out of her mouth spilled green smoke and scents of the forest, so quick that I couldn’t stop her, she latched onto my neck, sinking her teeth into my flesh.

  Pain the likes of which I’d never experienced floored me. Oh, by the nine kings of Hell, it hurts. Like my veins were being pumped full of powdered glass, it shredded through every inch of me. For an eternity I suffered, the agony so intense I couldn’t even cry out.

  A wisp of green smoke entered my bloodstream. It slithered through my body, bringing a burning pain with it as it crept toward my heart.

  The magic that had control knew it too, and it was furious. It lashed out, digging its frost-ridden fingers into my heart, nearly stopping it from beating.

  The new smoke smothered itself over my heart and wormed its way through every crevice it could find to pump my heart full of its viridescent tendrils. I screamed as smoke and ice shattered my heart as they waged war.

  A clash of wills battled for supremacy. The two opposing sides colliding over and over again as they fought. My heart fell to pieces, obliterated to a pulp while the two sides fought over the scraps. The smoke was stronger, but the black magic was crafty and elusive. It never allowed itself to be pinned down long enough and would strike back with precision and savagery.

  They became too much for me to bear, and my body began shutting down. My heart no longer beat, and I was dying. I couldn’t even muster the strength to scream.

  The dual magics collided one last time, but this time they didn’t separate, not entirely. They absorbed one another, each one still fighting for control, but neither side could best the other. With one final tug, they tried to separate, but failed and became one.

  Something grew from them, something greater than the sum of the two halves.

  This new magic settled over what little remained of my heart and thrived.

  Stretching out, it gathered each broken shred of my heart and began rebuilding it, forming a brand-new core for me. One that wasn’t entirely mine any longer.

  A process that topped my personal best in terms of pain. My torment didn’t increase, nor did it fade. Not by one iota. At some point, my mind couldn’t handle it anymore, and I shut down, falling into blissful unconsciousness.

  Chapter 12 - Hive Knight

  Though it wasn’t the way I’d planned, I slept deeply, and my whole body was stiff when I awoke. My nerves were shot from the pain I’d endured, and my skin was hypersensitive; goosebumps welled from the gentle breeze blowing through the curtains.

  I wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but I had to get up. The clock in my interface read almost eight in the morning. Ugh, last thing I want to deal with is a fucking meeting.

  Panic set in when I noticed Eris wasn’t in bed next to me, but it settled the moment the door to the bathroom opened.

  Her hair was damp, and she was wearing one of my gray cotton tunics; it was several sizes too big and came down to mid-thigh on her. It would have been an adorable look, if not for one thing. Her face held an emotion I couldn’t place.

  She seemed more reserved now, like there was a wall between us. She knows what she did last night.

  Eris went over to the edge of the bed and sat down the furthest she could away from me and still be on the bed, refusing to look at me. Instead, she stared down at her hands, fidgeting absentmindedly with the hem of the shirt. She feels responsible for whatever the hell that was.

  “What happened last night?” I asked.

  She gave me a look filled with sadness and confusion. ”I...I don’t know,” she finally spoke, looking back at the ground. “I was awake and aware, but I couldn’t speak or control my actions.”

  I moved closer to her on the bed and placed my hand on her thigh, squeezing. “Obviously, I know it wasn’t your fault, but I still need to know what happened.”

  She took my hand in hers, still not looking at me. “I changed you, in a way I don’t fully understand.”

  I remembered the utter misery she’d unwittingly submitted me to. That kind of pain worries me deeply. It was by far the worst experience I’d had since coming here. And whatever had taken Eris over wouldn’t have inflicted that upon me for no reason. I’ve interjected myself into a much bigger game, it seems. That’s what Not-Eris told me anyway.

  She leaned over and touched a finger to my temple, closing her eyes. An indescribable rush of something washed over me, and an itch formed in the back of my mind. “Do you feel that in your head?" Eris asked.

  I nodded in response.

  “That’s me. I can feel your consciousness within me.”

  What? Is she in my head? Eris, can you hear me? I didn’t receive an answer, so I had to voice my concerns. “Can you read my thoughts?” I asked with trepidation.

  “No. I can feel a general sense of your emotional state, but right now, it’s weak, and your emotions seem to be all over the place.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. It’s better than having her read my mind, I guess. But I still didn’t like it. My mind was my sanctuary, and I didn’t like the thought of it being invaded, even a little. Doubt I can do anything about it right now, though. Better table that for the time and focus on the elephant in the room. The question I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer to.

  “You said you changed me. How so?”

  Her face held a look of pained discomfort. “I am not sure how,” she whispered. ”But I don’t think you’re entirely human anymore.”

  Fear, anger, panic, and a slew of other emotions hit me like a sledgehammer. I couldn’t speak, and cold panic chilled me to the bone. I shakily pulled up my notifications to find an ocean of them waiting for me.

  Warning! Outside interference detected!

  Warning! Forceful race change in progress…

  Warning! Forceful class change in progress…

  Warning! Abnormal brain-wave spike detected!

  Warning! Brain-wave activity exceeding danger threshold!

  Warning! Inducing mild coma to repair
damage!

  Alert: All mental faculties within acceptable parameters.

  Alert: Anti-cheating program in effect.

  Alert: Outside interference logged.

  Alert: Level reset due to cheating.

  Alert: Hidden quest “One of Us” accepted.

  Alert: ”One of Us” completed.

  I read them all in rapid succession and pulled up my character screen.

  Character Name: Durandahl

  Level: 1

  Race: Hybrid (Hive)

  Class: Hive Knight

  Reputation: Wanted Criminal

  Bounty: 300 Gold

  Stats (-)

  Strength: 0 (10)

  Constitution: 0 (10)

  Endurance: 0 (10)

  Agility: 0 (10)

  Wisdom: 0 (10)

  Luck: 0 (30)

  Charisma: 0 (10)

  Sub-Stats Not Available

  I stared at my screen for the longest time. In less than a day, I’d lost everything. My levels, my abilities, my stats. All of it’s gone. I’m a level one player again. Though with several significant changes.

  Hybrid was something completely new. Only three races were available to players. Human, vampire, and werewolf. That was it. Hybrid was something I’d never come across before.

  A sudden thought came over me, and I bolted out of bed and into the bathroom, running over to the mirror and analyzing my features.

  I looked like my usual self and heaved a sigh of relief. Changing race usually involved some characteristics of your appearance changing. Vampires got the pale skin and blood-red eyes, werewolves sometimes increased in muscle mass and took on more animalistic attributes.

  I turned to head back into the bedroom when my ears caught my eye.

  They’d elongated. Not to the degree Eris’s were, but longer than any humans. I look more like an elf now.

  After inspecting my newest feature, I washed my face. The cool water helped to abate my chaotic emotional state. I guess I don’t mind the ears so much, though I won’t look entirely human to anyone who looks closely. I didn’t look like an elf—too much facial hair and rugged features—plus, I didn’t have the correct bone structure. I just hope the tips won’t stand out when my hair is tied back.

  Eris hadn’t moved one inch from her spot on the bed. I went over and knelt to look her in the eye. Her dark gaze sat unblinking, waiting for my judgment of her.

  I wanted to be angry, wanted to scream, and break things. I should’ve been furious at what had been done to me...but I wasn’t. It’s not her fault. It’s whatever entity took over her body, and I will have my recompense for what they took from me.

  “I’m not angry at you,” I said.

  Immediately all the tension in her melted away, and she wrapped her hands around my neck, nuzzling against me. “You promise?”

  “I promise.”

  We sat beside each other in comfortable silence after that, my left-hand tracing over her hand and up her arm in ambient boredom while I sorted through my new class.

  When I pulled it up for the first time, I couldn’t stop my rage and guilt boiling up again. Years spent chasing down every scrap of a lead to reach blade master. All of that work gone. Alistair lost his life helping me, and what do I have to show for his sacrifice? Nothing. I’d lost nearly all of my abilities.

  Holy Blade was gone, along with Aura of Might. That was a devastating blow. I couldn’t get those back, not after what I’d done to acquire them. My aura and abilities from the rogue class had also been taken. I’m ruined. Without those auras, my build is useless. I could still raise my base speed to the point where I could be faster than most any other warrior, but without my auras, it was pointless.

  By some miracle of the gods, I still held possession of Dance of the Immortal. It seemed I’d kept every ability not directly tied to a class. Dance, as well as Aura of the Antimage, were universal abilities. Twice Critical was still in my list as well since it was one of the starter abilities available to everyone, but it was next to useless without my speed. I just need to remove it.

  Delete Ability: Twice Critical?

  Yes/No

  Yes.

  As it stood, I was effectively crippled. I’d lost eight of my abilities. This new class better be fucking worth it. I opened the Hive Knight class tree and was greeted with the general overview and description.

  Only the strongest and most loyal are allowed to serve as handpicked honor guards to the Monarch of the Hive. As such, they are expected to give their lives for the Hive Kingdom. Rejoice, Hive Knight! For you have been chosen.

  All Main Stats receive a bonus (+10) when in proximity (Thirty Feet) of the Monarch of the Hive.

  All Main Stats receive a penalty (-20) when further than one hundred feet of the Monarch of the Hive.

  You are now soul bound to the Monarch of the Hive.

  Reading through the flavor text didn’t tell me anything specific except for the fact that if Eris died, my life would be dragged down right along with hers. While disconcerting, I didn’t plan on letting anything get close enough to her to try. She’s mine!

  I shook my head. Where did that thought come from? My heart was beating fast, and anger flared up in my chest. The hell is going on? I didn’t have an answer to that, but I was letting myself get distracted from the task at hand.

  Since I was level one again, I could only use one of the abilities I still had left to me. I chose Dance, and immediately Aura of the Antimage grayed out.

  Being level one terrified me for a solid minute until I took a second look at the notifications I’d received.

  What the hell’s a hidden quest? I’d never heard of such a thing, but I wasn’t going to curse my good fortune. Though I scratched my head at the influx of new and crazy information, feeling like I’d stumbled into something dangerous.

  The game world isn’t behaving as it should be, and that worries me. Though I didn’t have any way to qualm the uneasy feeling in my gut. Par for the fucking course there. I’ve no clue about anything anymore. And regardless of if it should be or not, I’d completed the quest, which gave me an honestly mind-boggling amount of Exp.

  Quest: One of Us Completed!

  Become a member of the Hive

  Reward: 100,000 Exp!

  A hundred thousand Exp would push me past level forty easily, which would give me access to aura again and two additional abilities from my new class. I could’ve gotten rid of them in place of whatever new abilities I’d gained access to, but I immediately discounted it.

  With my level in the forties, I can only have four abilities, and both Dance and Aura are too powerful to let go. They’re still my aces up my sleeve.

  Level: 1

  Exp: 100/100

  Level Up Available!

  When I accepted the quest reward, I was immediately rewarded with a string of level-up notifications. I advanced to level forty-four and made it almost a fourth of the way to level forty-five. Which meant I had four hundred and forty stat points to allocate, and once each stat had at least twenty-five points, I could access the sub-stat list.

  Though I was torn on my build. I couldn’t go back to the same layout as before. Blade master wasn’t an option anymore. Besides, I had a feeling whatever had caused this change wouldn’t let me just switch classes.

  Eris had fallen asleep while I was fiddling with my interface, and I wasn’t yet ready to wake her. She shifted when I stood from the bed, turning over and clutching one of my pillows to her chest. A strand of her hair fell across her face, and I brushed it past her ear. She’s cute when she’s sleeping.

  I started pacing the room, lost in thought. What to do? What to do?

  I’d been the textbook definition of a glass cannon previously. While at full strength with my auras, I’d argue I was one of the strongest players on Nexus, but take away my abilities and I could only handle a few hits before I redlined.

  Can’t go back to that, not when I have to stick close to Eris. I thought briefly
about being a tank but quickly discarded that idea. Playing the punching bag isn’t my style. I wanted to keep my speed and damage up, but maybe I would add a bit more health and defense. Become more of a well-rounded swordsman this time.

  Satisfied that I had at least a vague outline of my build, I opened the Hive Knight’s abilities list.

  First Tier List

  Aura of the Arachnid

  Poison Blade

  Exoskeleton

  Chitin Shield

  Hive Guard

  I could only pick two, and I knew Poison Blade was a must. It added a constant effect to my weapon. A permanent twenty-five percent of additional damage to my attacks and gave the damage over time poisoned effect.

  I’d never seen a skill like it. Normally, assassins and rogues would have to apply poison to every attack individually. Having an ability that just added that effect was tremendous. Wilson and Makenna would lose their minds over this.

  After I had one skill picked out, I had to deliberate over which other one I would choose. Aura of the Arachnid was a must pick, though one I would save for when I was stronger. It would be able to take the place of a few auras I had lost, since it boosted verticality, movement speed, and attack damage.

  I was leaning towards Exoskeleton. It was a passive ability, like Poison Blade, and they were rare. Usually saved for the final tier class abilities. Exoskeleton was also a defensive ability. It permanently increased my base defense. The flavor text was a little weird, though.

  Assimilate with the Hive, imbue yourself with hard chitin to become harder to kill.

  It was between Exoskeleton and Chitin Shield. Both were similar; Chitin Shield created a small shield of hard chitin on my off-hand. It’d be handy to have a shield that I could deploy at will, but I held off for now.

  I decided on Poison Blade and Exoskeleton. Having both will put a significant strain on my tiny mana pool. I’ll need to add a few points to Wisdom to offset the cost. The last thing I wanted was to be at constant risk for mana depletion.