Trial by Fire: A LitRPG Dragonrider Adventure (Archemi Online Chronicles Book 2)

by James Osiris Baldwin

  Then, a few pages on: “The damn agents failed! Once again, I wonder at the High Priestess’s loyalty and competence. Twenty men lost to a hatchling draak, a barbarian, and a Dakhari jailhouse whore! How could this be? At least I now know who the assassin is. Kanzo, that silverskin bastard... I should have had him killed after building those recording devices for me.”

  “What is it?” Suri peered over my shoulder.

  “Here.” I took the book back out of my Inventory and handed it to her, then ordered my narrator to search back through the entries to the ones written about a month ago.

  “The Master told us that he would return, and he has!” Andrik enthused. “Blessed be the Architect in all his might! I am truly overwhelmed by his munificence. He contacted me after his Awakening and has told me to continue in the work of the church and bring it to heel. Of course the Architect should wish that the Church of the Maker be the law of the land... I cannot wait to see the future we shall build!”

  “Fuck,” I said. “Ororgael is Baldr Hyland, and Baldr is now the Warden of Ilia.”

  “Who?” Ignas said.

  “Ororgael is an Architect,” Rin said from behind us. “He’s bad news.”

  “You mean to tell me that one of the mythical progenitors of the gods now rules Ilia?” Ignas turned back to stare at her in surprise, and I realized - he must not have been able to see her gold Admin ring.

  “Yeah. He... umm... he hasn’t reached full power yet.” Rin glanced nervously at me. “But he’s very dangerous. I’m certain he was the one who inspired Andrik to smear you in the first place. Ororgael always said that Vlachia was too idyllic, that it needed more conflict, so... umm...”

  “Could there be a more terrible foe?” Ebisa said, aghast.

  Ignas’ face drew into hard lines. “No. I don’t think so. But we shall think of something.”

  “Foe?” I frowned.

  “Yes. And this ties into my having granted you peerage.” The Volod sighed, looking down at the blank altar. “This morning, we received a missive from Ilia. The Warden, this Ororgael, is demanding that we extradite you and Karalti to Ilia immediately. If we do not, he will treat it as a declaration of war. We may soon have the armies of the Warden and the dragons of the Eyrie of St. Grigori on our shores.”

  A twinge of nausea made my gut tighten. “Then why did you make me a Count?”

  “I promised you sanctuary, and I intend to keep my word. Vlachia does not bow to the whims of bullies.” Ignas lifted his chin. “I have sent a return message stating that unless this ‘Lord Hyland’ can prove a serious crime was committed, I will consider it nothing but nonsense.”

  “Thank you. I’m honored. You didn’t have to do that.” In truth, I was actually kind of gutshot to know this was happening... that Karalti and I might be responsible for causing a war.

  Ignas snorted. “Andrik spent half his adult life sucking this Architect’s cock for power he didn’t deserve. I will do no such thing. Vulkan Keep was built by dragons, to withstand siege by demons, and if he wants to break himself upon our walls, he is welcome to try. I shall be recultivating our good relationship with the Jeun Empire to the north, and I have already dispatched skilled ambassadors to North Zaunt and Meewhome. In addition to being Volod, I am also the head of the Nightstalkers - though Ebisa shall be the effective leader from now on. As for you, Hector and Suri, I would like to make you an offer.”

  I glanced at Suri. This smelled like a quest.

  “As I’m sure you have heard, the Duchy of Myszno has fallen under the sway of a Vampire Deathlord,” Ignas said, pacing back and forth with his hands linked behind him. “This vampire slew the Count and Countess and all of their vassals, took over Egbolt Castle, and has ravaged the populace. Andrik permitted this to happen - I assume because this vampire is connected to his cult in some way and it gave him a good excuse to execute his plans for a theocracy. To add insult to injury, Myszno is a place of pilgrimage for worshippers of Matir - one of the holiest sites in the nation is there, the mountain temple fortress of Hava Sahasi.”

  The name gave me a strange twinge. “Right.”

  “I am going to send a real force down there, not the ineffective peasant militia that Andrik deployed,” Ignas continued, with a nod. “You two are now both ranked as military commanders. If you go to Myszno, unite the forces arrayed against the undead, and help lead them to victory, then the Duchy is yours. You may share it or divide it - that is up to you. But you shall become lords of Vlachia and will be entitled to form your own Houses, second only to the hereditary Voivodes and my own House, with all the benefits and riches that entails.”

  New Quest: Unto Death

  Myzsno, in the south-east of Vlachia, was formerly one of the most beautiful places in the entire country. Now it is a ruin, blighted by undeath and ruled by a powerful vampire lord.

  You have been offered a grant to travel to this troubled land and reclaim it from the vampire’s claws - a terrible proposition, given how powerful he has become. But with great risk comes great reward - you could become a true Count of Vlachia, with land, property, and income. Truly a base fit for a King - and a Queen.

  Difficulty: Level 20+ (Extraordinary Difficulty)

  Rewards: EXP, 60 Build Points, Charter to Resettle the Duchy of Myszno.

  The new quest was also accompanied by an update to the very first quest I’d ever received:

  Quest Update: The Shrine of the Elder Gods

  When the Dark Star passes in front of the Moon, journey to the Thunderstones at Myszno, a village in the east of Vlachia - that is what I said to you, not long ago.

  You have the Spear. Now, you know what you must do.

  Reward: ???

  Special: When you arrive at Myszno, seek your Brothers. Be prepared to accept the consequences of your decision to break the Moon Pact.

  The last line caused me a twinge of unease, but it was what it was. Matir wasn’t judging me for breaking Andrik’s oath. If my fellow Tuun were going to attack me on principle, so be it. I looked to Suri and Rin. “What are you guys planning to do?”

  “I’m going with you.” Suri gave me a terse nod. “If you’re a landed noble and Starborn, you’re bound to the land you own, right? Like... you’ll always spawn there by default?”

  “Most assuredly,” Ignas replied.

  Suri’s eyes were suddenly fierce and hard. “Then count me in. Countess Ba’hadir, at Your Majesty’s service.”

  Rin looked between us and Ebisa, her lip in her teeth.

  “Well... you guys... you’re going to need someone to help with magic and crafting,” she said. “But I’d really like to stay with Ebisa.”

  Ebisa made a tutting sound. “Then I guess I’m going to Myzsno.”

  “What?” Ignas and Rin said at the same time.

  “Kitten’s right,” she said, pointing at me and Suri. “These two meatheads need some subtler company. Do I have your permission to serve the realm, sire?”

  Rin blushed so hard that her face turned blue. “Ebisa…”

  I looked between them, and suddenly it dawned on me. In a few short days, these two were rapidly becoming more than friends. Ignas, however, could not disguise his shock. “Ebisa? Really?”

  “Yes, really.” She drew herself up straight. “Your Majesty, I nominate Prathorna Ghan to lead the Nightstalkers so that I might accompany these Starborn on their mission. You need something dead. This assassin will be indispensable to them.”

  Finally, Ignas seemed to notice the energy between the two Mercurions. “I see. Well, I cannot disagree... and I think it is good for you to spend time with another of your kind, but be ready to be recalled any day of the mission. If your king needs you, Ebisa, you will come. Until then, you have my leave. And my thanks.”

  Ebisa bowed from the waist. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  There was a lot to gain from having my - our - own castle. If the worst happened, and Baldr massed Ilia’s forces, crossed the channel, and invaded... the further away
we were, the more time we had to prepare, the better. I closed my eyes, feeling out for Karalti’s presence, and sensed her in flight. She was chasing birds in the air above Mount Racosul, radiating delight as she swam through the air like a swallow.

  I looked down at the back of my left hand, where the Mark of Matir waited. Then I swiped my HUD in, and nodded.

  “Quest accepted,” I said. “Let’s go and kick some skinny vampire ass.”

  Author's Note

  Thank you for joining me on the Archemi Online journey so far. I am honestly overwhelmed by the support and encouragement of the Gamelit and LitRPG community. Dragon Seed has done really well, and this book launched with over a thousand pre-orders - I am bewildered, but grateful to you all.

  If you enjoyed this book and the one before it, please consider leaving a review by clicking here. Your reviews help increase the sales of the books, which supports me (and my family!) so that I can keep on writing this series full-time.

  You may have noticed that there is no pre-order for Book #3 yet - however, do not be alarmed.

  The third book - Kingdom Come - involves significant kingdom building. Hector, Karalti, Suri, Rin and Ebisa must conquer and settle the corrupted territory of Myszno while Ororgael and Baldr up their game.

  This will be a LOT of work on my end. I have to make sure all of the game system elements function properly. ArchOn is not a MMORPG - it's more like Dark Souls, with single-player and small group/PvP functionality vs a mega-free-for-all. I want that warfare system polished to a fine grain before I release Kingdom Come, and Amazon only lets me make pre-orders 90 days in advance. I'm aiming for an October/November release of this book.

  After Trial by Fire and before Kingdom Come, I will be releasing a short, free novella-length book, Ghosts of the Past, which will reveal how Baldr/Ororgael managed to take over Ilia in just under a month. Ghosts of the Past will reveal what is happening at the Eyrie, and give insight into him and the other major villains of the series - Lucien, Violetta, and... Rutha?

  When I was drafting Trial by Fire, the chapters of Ghosts of the Past were originally woven through the narrative as a counterpoint to Hector's activities in Vlachia. I decided that these chapters were distracting from the pace of the main narrative, and so I recombined them into their own crunchy 30,000 word-ish novella. This story will be FREE for Mailing List subscribers, Facebook Group subscribers, Patreon supporters, and people who follow me on Royal Road. It will NOT be made available for sale - there are too many spoilers for people not already invested in the series.

  Between now and the publication of Kingdom Come, I will also be commissioning more art for this series: Cutthroat, Karalti, the girls... maybe even Hector. These artworks will be featured on my website, and you will be able to get them printed onto the knick-knacks of your choice. I'm sure Cutthroat body-pillows will be a popular option.

  If you want to get your free story and be the first to know when the next ArchOn novel comes out, here are your best options:

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  Sneak Peek: Ghosts of the Past

  Two hundred dragons were gathered in the hatching chamber of the Eyrie, and their moans and the rustle of agitated wings stirred the hot air as the three candidates marched toward the Matriarch’s nest of sand and stone. Her eggs rocked and chirped as the wyrmlings inside struggled against their shells. They were sheltered by the comatose body of their mother, who stared at the approaching knights-to-be with dull, stupefied eyes.

  You big ol’ dumb bitch, Baldr thought. He couldn’t help but be impressed by the size of her - and amused that she’d thrown everything away to pin her hopes on Hector, of all people. That was Archemi’s bleeding heart AI for you.

  The last couple of days had taught Baldr a couple of things. Firstly, you never trusted the life of your enemies to Archemi’s AI. He knew he should have known that, but he’d let himself slip into thinking this was reality. The Commander, the Matriarch, the monsters... they were here to support players. Dumb players, smart players, casuals and hardcore gamers were catered for in their own ways, by a network of realistic construct who would generate their stories... and give them opportunities for agency. That meant slipups. It meant sticking a guy in a jail cell instead of killing him, giving him opportunities, and Hector was really good at taking opportunities to run away. Baldr had briefly forgotten that the only thing capable of taking a player out of the game was another player. It wasn’t a mistake he’d make again.

  He’d already taken the time to brood on the error and process it. Now, all he cared about were the eggs, and the promise of the future he was destined for.

  “Ready, pussy?” Baldr whispered the message to Lucien in PM. “You remember which egg you’re gonna take?”

  “The small one,” he shot back meekly. “But I’m telling you, Baldr, the dragons pick the player, not the-”

  “I damn well know how it works.” Baldr’s hands fisted by his thighs as they drew up at the edge of the great big sandpit the Matriarch used for her nest. “I KNOW.”

  And he did. Things had been different since he woke up in Cham Garai. The most obvious change was the stone in his forehead. It didn’t hurt, but he hadn’t been able to dig it out, either. Baldr figured that if it didn’t hurt or cause any problems, well, it weren’t any of his concern. And it hadn’t been causing any problems - to the contrary.

  While they waited for the priests and the Knight-Commander to half-heartedly bless the eggs, Lucien drew up to Baldr’s right like a whipped dog, while Violetta hung back to his left. He could see her with his enhanced vision. The blond girl stared ahead with dull, bruised eyes. Hatred radiated from her in waves, but like Lucien, she’d become passive after a week of conditioning. Baldr didn’t question his sudden knowledge of operant conditioning any more than he questioned his knowledge of the game, or his new-found ability to access a view-only version of the Developer Console.

  “Please, Lord Hyland. Lucien, Violetta... advance.” Knight-Commander Arnaud called to them, and he and the priest of Benefar stepped back from the eggs.

  Satisfied he’d heard the right tone of respect, Baldr grunted and strode confidently toward his chosen egg -
the big silver one. He knew it contained a Tier 7 platinum male dragon, a buck one tier higher than the Knight-Commander’s ‘model’ white, Talenth. Short of a queen dragon, it was one of the best in the game. Baldr ground his teeth until they felt like they’d crack as he approached it and lay a hand on the hot shell. The brain-dead Matriarch been hiding one of those queens... the Tier 8 mount that should have been his. But with the bitch down for the count, there weren’t going to be any more queens out of the Eyrie. Queens were the only Tier 8 in Archemi, and only queens could breed more queens, and only then with a Tier 6 or 7 male. So the plan had changed. Baldr would get the best dragon on offer for now, then go and find Hector and his princess and fuck him up. They’d bring the queen back her and get her to lay. The odds of breeding this platinum dragon to her were pretty good - around 15%. Then he’d get the Tier 8 he’d been waiting years to acquire.

  ... Years?

  Baldr grimaced as his head throbbed.

  Whatever thought had been about to come next was interrupted by the wyrmling. He felt it tapping under his palm, then the crunch as its beak split through the shell. Baldr took a step back, zoning in on the egg as it rocked and split. The adult dragons would normally cheer a hatching, buzzing their wings and roaring encouragement, but the hatching grounds were eeriely silent as the three hatchlings struggled from their shells. Out of the corner of his eye, Baldr saw Violetta’s blue egg shatter, while Lucien began pulling pieces of shell off his struggling white.

  “That’s it, lil’ buddy.” Baldr crooned, eyes fixed on his struggling hatchling. “You can do it.”