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

by Grayson Sinclair

  I unsheathed my hunting knife, passing it to my off-hand and positioned myself behind him. I took the man's forehead in my right hand and yanked him back while kicking the back of his knee and bringing him to the ground.

  He didn’t even have time to shout as I clamped my hand over his mouth and shoved my knife into his carotid artery. It stuck out the other side of his neck, and blood drenched his chest. He gurgled, trying to speak, but too much of his life had been lost for him to form any cohesive sentence. He slipped into unconsciousness a moment later, and death would follow in minutes.

  As long as the large crimson pool the guard was lying in didn’t spill over the side of the building, no one would know he’d died up here. With one guard taken care of, I crept to the doorway that housed the staircase to the second level of the warehouse.

  I jiggled the knob, making sure it was unlocked before I carefully opened it a hair and peered inside, looking in at the exact wrong time as soon as I cracked open the door. The second guard walked through without a care in the world.

  The door smashed into my face, knocking me back on my ass.

  “What the fuck?” he asked as he walked through the doorway, gazing down at me with as much shock on his face as there was on mine. Neither of us ready for the other. He cast his eyes towards his partner only to find him dead in a pool of blood. His eyes widened in alarm, and he went to shout a warning, but the door to the building had shut on its own behind him, and he wasted precious seconds fumbling with the knob.

  I took advantage of the situation to sweep his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground with a grunt of pain, and I scrambled to pin him before he could go for his weapon. I managed to get on top of him just as his hand grasped the handle of his sword. With a twist, I broke his hand and quickly covered his mouth to stifle the scream of pain that escaped. At some point, he had the wherewithal to chomp down on the side of my hand with his teeth, tearing through the soft flesh until he hit bone.

  I pushed the pain down enough to reach for my knife a second time, bringing it out and plunging it into his eye. He died with his teeth still entrenched in my flesh.

  I had to break the man’s jaw to unclench his teeth. As soon as I was free, I tore a long strip of cloth from the dead man and tightly bandaged my hand. It was the same hand that I’d torn the flesh of my knuckles from in the jail, so at least I had one undamaged hand. I could heal it later with a potion, no problem. The pain was uncomfortable, but the last thing I needed was the health potion side effects right before I rescued Eris.

  With my hand bandaged, the two men dead, and no alarm sounded, I opened the door to the entrance of the warehouse and slipped inside.

  It was stifling hot as I shut the door to the roof behind me, and it reeked. Mold and rot along with the stench of unwashed bodies packed too tightly together. Only one thing that smell could be. Least I’m in the right warehouse.

  I made my way down the steps, finding myself on a brace of catwalks that lined the entirety of the warehouse. A quick peek told me there weren’t any more guards patrolling this level.

  I hadn’t taken so much as a single step onto the metal catwalk when I received a notification.

  Warning! Proximity to Hive Queen less than 100 meters!

  Penalty Removed.

  With a rush, my strength returned to me. I haven’t checked my notifications since before I killed Darren. I’ve probably leveled up. I weighed the pros and cons of leveling up at that moment. I want to get to Eris, but the extra strength can only help me. Well, my wits are telling me to level up. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.

  I opened my notifications tab to read the bombardment of notifications.

  Combat results

  5 Killed: (Human) 7,500 Exp

  4 Downed: 6000 Exp

  Mercy Penalty: -2000 Exp

  Total Exp Gain: 11,500 Exp

  4900/4900

  Level Up! (x2)

  Level 51!

  2600/5100

  20 Stat Points Available!

  New Ability Available!

  New Class Abilities Unlocked!

  The previous abilities caught my eye again. Hive Guard, in particular, tempted me as it had saved my life more than once. But it was nothing more than a health potion and recovery potion combined. Incredibly powerful, but I have access to both potions, so I’ll save that one for later. What also surprised me was the appearance of locked abilities. The new ones I unlocked appeared from a drop-down menu.

  Second Tier List

  Chitin Armor

  Chitin Sword

  Arachne’s Blessing (Locked)

  Scorpius’s Blessing (Locked)

  Mantearia’s Blessing (Locked)

  Apocrita’s Blessing (Locked)

  Hive Mind (Corrupted—Error!)

  What the hell does that mean? Why is that ability corrupted? Does it have to do with the deal I made? I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on picking. I’d leave the newer ones alone for now. While Chitin Armor and Chitin Sword were tempting, I already had armor and a weapon and could hold off.

  Chitin Shield

  Aura of the Arachnid

  They were the two that would benefit me the most right now. The aura seemed powerful, but I didn’t know precisely what it did or how it worked, so it made my choice clear. I selected Chitin Shield, and the ability unlocked in my interface.

  I read over the description quickly. I could deploy and retract it at will, but the longer I had it out, and the more I used it, the higher my battle fatigue would rise.

  With my Durability so low right now, I’ll have to use this sparingly and not rely on it too much. Both my main stats were maxed now, so I could focus on my sub-stats. It seemed Durability would be critical going forward, so I added ten to it, and ten to my Attack Damage. It ensured I could continue to take a beating and hit hard.

  My stats were settled. I moved along, careful of my steps against the metal so that I wouldn’t alert anyone below. There were more men inside, working with boxes moving them around, but also large cages in which even more chained slaves resided. More dwarves and elves, even several rabbitmen as well.

  So, these are the ones I saw in the memory. I wonder what clan they belong to? Their ears were the only way to differentiate them. I’ve never met enough of them to be able to tell the difference between the clans. Their ears twitched as I slunk along, and I knew they were aware of my presence, but they kept quiet and didn’t give me away.

  It hurt to see so much misery in one place, but I couldn’t let it drag me down. I had a job to do, and I couldn’t afford to be distracted. Eris is here, and she comes before anyone else. So, I left the rabbits in their cages and moved on, passing by even more pens until I found a secluded section.

  It was locked away tight as a vault from the ground, but I had easy access from the catwalk.

  I peered down and scanned the cages for her. My heart swelled when I spotted her dark blonde hair. My relief boiled to rage as I took in the rest of the cage.

  She was bound by heavy shackles, and even then, she still struggled to free herself. She railed against the chains, her face twisted in fury.

  She wasn’t alone in the room. Darren’s goons from the alley were here, and so was Magnus.

  I still couldn’t see his face; his wide-brimmed hat obscured it, but I did get a better look at his attire. His suit was of the latest fashion, and there wasn’t a spot on it—a slew of large jewel-encrusted rings brandished across his slender hands. And he had his gaudy ivory cane with him as well. He leaned on it while talking with the goons.

  Their voices rose, enough that I could make out snippets of conversation. Money seemed to be the topic, and the thugs appeared to be upset about the lack of it.

  I dropped to all fours and crawled forward as lightly as I could, trying to pick up more of what was said. As I crept closer, I got the gist of it. Magnus had a deal with Darren and wasn't paying up. Darren and his men had been promised a hefty sum for bringing him Eris, bu
t with the death of Darren, Magnus didn’t want pay.

  “My deal was with your superior, not with his underlings. Your boss was sloppy enough to let himself be killed. As such, a new deal must be negotiated.”

  The flunkies were understandably upset at the turn of events. They wanted what he'd promised, and with the looks on their faces, they were going to get the gold by any means necessary.

  One of the men, the large, brutish one with the dead eyes, pulled out his sword and waved it around. “We had a deal, little man, now pay up or get hurt!”

  The brute kept thrusting his sword randomly in the air like a raving lunatic, but he made the mistake of waving his sword too close to Magnus.

  So fast, I could barely see it. Magnus withdrew a short blade from his cane. With a single fluid motion, he severed Brute’s hand clean from his arm. His dripping hand dropped to the ground, still holding onto his weapon.

  You could have heard the drop of a pin; it was so quiet. Brute didn’t even register the loss of his hand for a solid second. Magnus wiped the steel and sheathed his blade with a distinct click. With that singular sound, Brute dropped to his knees and screamed, trying to stop the stump of his arm from spurting blood everywhere. He fumbled for a health potion on the nearby wooden table and clumsily uncapped it, pouring the entirety of its contents down his gullet.

  After a moment, his hand regrew, and he stopped his bellyaching. Magnus was standing in the same position as before. If I hadn’t seen him move with my own eyes, I couldn’t have told the difference. The set of his shoulders seemed to convey a sense of superiority to them. With good reason. He moved faster than nearly anyone I had ever seen before—less than a second to sever Brute's hand and return.

  A truly marvelous display of skill. Could I have done it? Maybe…with a lot of practice, so could Wilson and Evelyn. But beyond the three of us, I doubt many could replicate such a feat. Magnus had just become my priority target. The others were children compared to him. That level of speed and precision was genuinely terrifying.

  The other men were looking at Magnus with a new light, not as stupid as they appeared. They mumbled a few words of apology and gratefully accepted the still decent-sized bag of gold on the table and bowed to him respectfully, departing.

  I didn’t want them to leave; they’d all participated in the abduction of Eris, and I wanted them to suffer, but I’d let my anger and bloodlust cloud me before, and it was the reason I was here. I can’t be so careless again, not when it comes to Eris. If I disregarded my position to try and take them out, it would be a foolish mistake. Those chumps were merely hired thugs, small fish compared to Magnus.

  He’s who I came here to find. Once Eris is free, and he’s dead, I can find the rest, but not before.

  Magnus was the threat, and he would die first.

  The men unbolted the heavy door and shut it as they left. Magnus looked at the door, and with a flick of his wrist, the bolt slammed home, locking the door.

  Which was impossible.

  What the fuck? What was that? Did he use magic? That’s not possible. My thoughts ran rapid-fire through me, my mind not understanding what just happened. You can’t use magic like that; he didn’t even use Script!

  It wasn’t possible to use magic without Script. I believed that to be fact, up until I met Eris, whose own spells didn’t use the language. But she still has the strange smoke that pours out when she uses magic; there’s still an aspect of tangibility to her magic. Casting required a tangible element to cast. You couldn’t just wave your hand and affect change like that.

  What Magnus had done was simply impossible.

  It looked like telekinesis magic, but every telekinesis spell used Script. I knew several mages who used telekinesis magic, but they had to use Script circles to cast. It didn’t make sense that he could do that. It went against the rules of magic. What is he?

  Guess it doesn’t matter, he’ll be dead before he knows it.

  Magnus strutted over to the cage that housed Eris, tilting his head to peer down at her, speaking in his unnerving voice. “Look at you, such a beautiful specimen you are. A shame, the fate that awaits you, dear. A waste, in my opinion.”

  He chuckled darkly and walked over to the table with an assortment of goods and items arrayed on the wood. He set down a large black key on the table and picked up a large syringe filled with a noxious green liquid. The needle was the length of the blade of a dagger and dripped with whatever poison resided within it.

  Magnus started walking back to the cage, preparing to inject Eris with whatever was in the syringe. I wasn’t about to let that happen. I drew my sword, activated Dance of the Immortal, and leapt over the railing.

  I landed just shy of him and was finally able to see all of his face.

  It was long and thin with sharp edges and a wicked, malicious set to it. Even in the gray-washed landscape, his teeth glinted within his cruel grin. He sported a dark goatee, and his purple eyes flashed with devilish light.

  I moved to cut his head off when a thought struck me. Purple eyes? What the—?

  Before I could finish the thought, Magnus moved. His blade came up and blocked mine, stopping me cold.

  Impossible!

  He smiled nauseatingly at me. “Well, well, well. What do we have here? An intruder? How rude of you to interrupt my fun."

  Chapter 25 – An Offer Made

  The color was still drained from the world; every hue of gray surrounded me. "How are you able to move?" I asked.

  Dance is still active, and this shouldn't be possible.

  Magnus just laughed, raising his hand and with a snap, shattered Dance of the Immortal. His purple eyes faded to blue as color bled back to the world. Time returned to normal, and I sagged to my knees as my battle fatigue raised. Not good, not good. How is he doing this?

  "How did you disrupt my ability?"

  "Easily." He grinned.

  Eris struggled against her chains and cried out. "Sam!"

  She kept on, railing against her chains to no avail. She’s as helpless as I am here. I fought down my rising exhaustion and rose to my feet. All the while, Magnus stood there, calm and collected, waiting for me to stand. With a nod of his hat, he spoke. "A pleasure. Sam, was it?”

  “Go to hell, Magnus,” I shouted.

  He laughed, a sick, twisted sound that grated in my ears. “Now, where did you learn that name?”

  “From your cronies, they couldn’t hide you from me!”

  Magnus laughed and sauntered forward, twirling his cane while the warped floorboards creaked under him. “Darren, I imagine. He could never keep his mouth shut, but he had his uses.”

  “Had being the operative word. I killed him,” I said, glancing around the warehouse room.

  The vault door was locked tight, and I wasn’t reaching it without dealing with Magnus. But I had to get Eris out of her bondage first.

  There was a table pushed along the wall with a few items scattered across it. Potions and poisons in equal measure, a scattering of small knives and weapons along with a large black key.

  Magnus just smiled at my words. “No matter. He can be easily replaced. And from what I hear, you took out his entire crew. My, my. You’ve been a busy little bee, haven’t you?”

  I didn’t bother responding, I lunged forward with a quick thrust. I’d aimed at his heart, but my sword bit through empty air by Magnus’s left arm. He hadn’t moved, I’d watched his hips and feet, but I still missed.

  He flicked a finger on the flat of my blade, sending a metallic twang reverberating up the sword. “Missed me,” he taunted.

  Before he even finished his sentence, he struck. A twitch of his fingers a split second before was my only warning. I just managed to bring my blade up in time to deflect his attack.

  His smile only twisted further. "Color me impressed. Not many can block me. You have talent, young man."

  I growled in frustration and swung at him; he sidestepped my sword with a flourish of his hat, still smiling at m
e. "Quite agile as well, my, my. You're a rare find."

  "Fucking stand still!" I yelled, attacking him with everything I had, but he was too fast. With the barest second to spare, he dodged every single one of my attacks. I could do nothing to hit him.

  With my barrage of attacks having done nothing, I backed up, giving me some space to try and come up with a new plan of attack. He’s too fast, so the direct route is out. I'll have to catch him by surprise. But how? I've got Chitin Shield now, but that's my last ability unless I want to rely on the Aspect again, but I still don't know what the first time cost me.

  Poison Blade was active and dripped its vile substance down my blade but was useless if I couldn't even land a hit. Magnus was circling me, keeping his distance but watching me like a hawk. I moved, my footwork light, but I was so focused on Magnus that I stepped to the side and bumped into the wooden table, knocking over the many vials of potions and poisons.

  Poison! I turned, keeping my blade in front of me and hiding my left hand from Magnus’s view while I grabbed one of the vials of poison along with the large black key.

  He didn't notice my theft but chuckled at my clumsiness. "Watch your step, Sam, wouldn’t want to hurt yourself."

  He's fucking toying with me! The fact he wasn't taking this fight seriously sent fury rolling through me. I wanted to rush him, but that would only hasten my death. I played it cautiously, getting in close and probing his defense with a few quick thrusts. As before, he nimbly dodged every one of them, but I surprised him with a low kick to his leg. It connected just below the side of his knee and put Magnus off-balance, which I followed up with a vial of poison to his face.

  He shook off the kick quickly, and out of reflex, brought his cane-sword up to deflect the glass bottle. He sliced it in half, the glass shattering and raining harmlessly on his suit, but a splash of whatever poison resided in the bottle sprayed across his face. He cursed as it stung his eyes and entered his mouth.