Evolving Weapon:
Dormant Glass-Steel Greatsword
Total Experience Gained: 3425/50000
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading Hell to Pay! I hope you enjoyed it!
Please consider leaving a review of this book! Reviews are critical to both help me improve as a writer and to help gain exposure! If there are things that you like or didn’t like in this story, please let me know! For a quick link to get back to the book page, please click here!
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Thank You Patrons!
I would like to give a special shout out to my Patreon subscribers! All of your feedback and encouragement has helped shape this book into what it is today and allowing me to get one step closer to my dream of being a full-time author. However there are a number of people I’d like to call out by name due to their exceptional support!
Benjamin Johannsen
Christopher Gamble
Jonathan Decker
Lucas Graham
Paul Rueger
Stephen Wenger
Tim Mumford
Thank you all for your incredible support and for subscribing to my Patreon page! You all keep me motivated to write every day and I am ecstatic beyond words to count you among my fans!
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Recommendations
If you’re looking for other books to read, take a look at these other series or check out Ramon Mejia’s LitRPG Podcast for a comprehensive list of LitRPG books!
Fantasy Online: Hyperborea by Harmon Cooper
Nineteen-year-old Ryuk Matsuzaki and his best friend Tamana decide to start over with new avatars. When Tamana is suddenly killed right in front of him in a Tokyo subway, Ryuk knows there is only one place he can search for answers –Tritania, the world’s most popular online fantasy world. Standing in his way are a mysterious guild known as the Shinigami, and his older brother, a Yakuza crime lord hell-bent on squashing his dreams.
As a lowly Ballistics Mage, Ryuk must quickly recruit guild members, level up, loot and shoot his way across Tritania to discover the dark and sinister secret behind Tamana’s untimely death. Joining him in his quest are a famous Swedish gamer, a powerful half-dragon half-human female assassin, and a devious ax-wielding goblin.
Get started on this action-packed, coming of age LitRPG saga from the author of The Feedback Loop series now!
Continue Online by Stephan Morse
The future is filled with self-driving cars, virtual realities, chore completing machines, and super fast internet connections. Yet all these technological innovations cannot prevent tragedy. Three years ago, Grant Legate lost that which he loved most. His carefully built life fell apart in the wake of depression.
Now, Grant spends most days working endless hours as a companion to an AI. Their job is simple, to repair broken machines that humanity uses to visit virtual realities. Unintended hard work pays off after his boss forces Grant to take a vacation and try the latest game craze called Continue Online; a fantasy world with the freedom to play any role one might choose.
Inside this new game, he meets a series of AIs that are nothing like what he expected from a video game. Grant starts his journey from a very different perspective, and he is only one part of an AI agenda that will end up impacting all of humanity.
Secret of the Old Ones by Blaise Corvin
Secret of the Old Ones is a deep dive VR game the likes of which the world had never seen.
Trent Noguero, a hardcore gamer, has been playing for a year and is about to get his big break. He is about to catapult himself into the ranks of the most powerful players in the world.
However, power comes with a price, and celebrity creates enemies. Trent has the keys to massive success, but he also accidentally painted a target on his back…both in, and out of the game.
Lion’s Quest by Michael Scott-Earle
Leo “The Lion” Lennox is the 10 year world champion of Astafar Unlimited, the best virtual reality game of all time. However, Leo has become bored with his success, and wonders where his next challenge will lie.
Then he meets the mysterious Zarra, and she tempts the champ to try her cutting edge game. Leo soon discovers a virtual world that is beyond fantastic. Can he resist the lure of this amazing game and the beautiful woman that has asked him to quest on her behalf?
Awaken Online by Travis Bagwell
Jason logs into Awaken Online fed-up with reality. He’s in desperate need of an escape, and this game is his ticket to finally feeling the type of power and freedom that are so sorely lacking in his real life.
Awaken Online is a brand new virtual reality game that just hit the market, promising an unprecedented level of immersion. Yet Jason quickly finds himself pushed down a path he didn’t expect. In this game, he isn’t the hero. There are no damsels to save. There are no bad guys to vanquish.
In fact, he might just be the villain.
Legacy of the Fallen - Chapter 1
Friday, March 8th, 2047 - 5:23 a.m.
Far Southeast of Aldford
A pair of moons hung high in the western sky, locked in an eternal chase with one another as they sped through the void. The first moon was large and ponderous as it crossed the firmament, casting a bright crimson light everywhere it glanced, making it appear as if the night itself were on fire.
Far ahead of its crimson mate, a much smaller and nimble orb sped through the starry night, its pale azure hue much too weak to challenge the glow of its larger sibling. Perched on the far edge of the northwestern horizon, the azure moon began its descent, as the dawn of a new day broke to the east.
“Charge!” my hoarse voice barked out as I sprinted through the morning twilight, kicking up a spray of dew behind me.
The sound of thundering feet echoed in my ears, drowning out the crash of the battle before me. A surge of magic sliced through the air, brutally ravaging the bandits’ rear ranks, causing them to turn at the unexpected assault. I saw a wave of terror ripple through their line as they spotted us charging out of the night, desperately scrambling to meet our attack.
They were far too slow.
Our vanguard slammed into the panicking horde, overrunning and trampling all in their path as they forced their way towards the front of the battle. In their wake, they left chaos and confusion as shell-shocked bandits picked themselves off the ground, wondering what force of nature had just run them over.
Then our second line arrived.
I slammed into a grey-armored bandit, knocking the rising half-elf back to the ground, plunging Raz
or deep into the fallen Adventurer’s back. Barely breaking my stride, I leaped over the body with a single thought dominating my mind as I forced myself deeper into the chaos.
I hope we’re not too late.
A heartbeat later, my sprint carried me through the bandits’ shattered line of battle, the few survivors of our surprise attack, fighting fiercely in rapidly shrinking pockets. I carefully picked my way through the bodies littering the ground under my feet as I ran deeper into the chaos. I saw the bodies of uniformed guards lying beside others that could have only been Settlers, both caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, but neither hesitating to give up their lives as they stood up to bandits’ sudden raid.
Running hard, I worked to regain my lost speed, tearing my attention from the fallen and fixating on an overturned wagon ahead of me. With a quick gesture of my hand, I triggered a spell, immediately feeling lighter on my feet. A gentle hop easily took me to the top of the capsized wagon, and then a powerful leap sent me high into the sky.
Acrid smoke and a wash of heat greeted me as I surveyed the battlefield from above, my augmented vision cutting through the twilight, allowing my eyes to drink in every detail as I momentarily hung free from gravity’s grasp. Chaos reigned everywhere I looked, with more than half of the bandits still unaware of our arrival. I saw dozens of wagons, carts, and carriages spread out below me, some having circled next to one another for protection against the bandit attack. Draft animals wailed with terror as flashes of magic illuminated the morning’s dawn, the constant thunderclaps of concussive spells doing little to drown out their sounds.
Damn! I spotted a pair of bloody defenders collapse as a band of six bandits overwhelmed them, opening a clear path to a cowering mass of travelers huddled next to a heavily laden cart. As the other bandits bent down to loot the fallen defenders, I saw one marauder dart forward, moving directly towards the now panicking travelers. My cloak billowed out around me as gravity finally began to pull me back down.
Here we go! I tightened my grip on Razor, focusing on the overeager bandit, and triggered Blink Step.
The world blurred for the briefest of instants before I landed on the bandit’s back, chopping Razor deep into his shoulder as I rode him to the ground. Chancing a quick glance upward, I saw the eyes of the cringing travelers widen in surprise at my arrival.
Gritting my teeth, I tore my blade out of the stunned marauder and thrust it viciously into the back of his neck, feeling the body go limp under me. Standing up slowly, I turned to face the other bandits that had lagged behind their late friend.
Two Humans, possibly Scouts or Rogues, plus an Elf that looks like a Mage, I dispassionately analyzed the attackers as they gaped at my sudden appearance. The half-orc might be a Shaman, and that dwarf is almost definitely a Warrior.
“Ah! What the hell?!” one of the human bandits shouted, his eyes flicking to his comrade’s fallen form, “Where the fuck did he just come from?!”
“Well look at that, boys! Someone else wants to play ‘Hero’!” The dwarven warrior laughed derisively as he motioned his companions forward. “Let’s show him what the Grey Devils do to Heroes.”
“Careful, Phil, he doesn’t look right,” the second human bandit called out cautiously. “There’s something going o—”
That’s all anyone sees now, I thought as I offered the bandits a bitter smile, having seen the same reaction countless times over the last few weeks. A gaunt, scarred man with skin far too tight for his bones.
With a burst of cold anger, I leaped forward, covering the short distance between me and the dwarven bandit in the blink of an eye. Caught completely flatfooted, the overconfident dwarf had let his shield arm droop and was still bringing up his axe when I stabbed a crackling Razor into the meat of his arm, discharging a Shocking Touch into his body.
“Aaah!” the dwarf yelped in pain, his axe falling from his spasming hand.
Twisting my blade, blood sprayed all over the dwarf’s powder-grey leather armor as I pirouetted to the side, evading a reflexive swipe from his shield. Completing my spin, I shifted ever so slightly to let a gleaming shortsword pass by my hip harmlessly, finding myself staring into the eyes of one of the human bandits. The eyes flared with horror when my free hand grabbed his outstretched wrist and yanked him forward.
Right into Razor’s path.
The battle-worn sword viciously chopped into the base of the bandit’s unarmored neck. Fueled by adrenaline and the need for speed, I ruthlessly sawed the blade into the bandit’s flesh before tearing it free, causing a gout of blood to erupt from the massive wound. Pulling even harder on the now screaming bandit’s arm for a second time, I hauled him completely off balance and sent him staggering into the dwarven bandit behind me.
“Damn it, Welton! Get it together!” I heard the dwarf yell in anger, before realizing the extent of his friend’s injury. “Oh, shit! Orsond! Welton needs heals before he bleeds out!”
As if I’m going to let that happen, I thought with a shake of my head, my anger feeling slightly stated. What do they take me for, an amateur?
Not waiting to lose the initiative, I dug in my heels and sprinted towards the Elf, managing to cover three long strides before the still standing human bandit moved to intercept me. I could see a hesitant expression on his face as he braced himself to receive my charge, having already seen me brutally wound one of his companions. As I ran, the Elf confirmed my suspicions, identifying himself as a Mage, beginning to conjure a ball of fire in his hands.
“Rylan, box him in!” I heard the dwarf call out from behind me. “Let Penn wear him down at range!”
Quickly glancing over my shoulder, I saw that the dwarf had begun charging after me, intent on bowling me over from behind, leaving the half-orc all by himself as he urgently tended to the fallen bandit.
I mentally sighed, almost feeling sorry for what I was about to do; it wasn’t my fault that this group didn’t know the single and most important rule for player-versus-player combat.
Never abandon your healer.
A stride before I crashed into Rylan, I planted my foot, bringing myself to a stop. Caught off guard by my unexpected move, Rylan watched me with a stunned expression on his face as I whirled away, focusing my attention on the distant healer, and triggered Blink Step.
Once again, my world blurred as I teleported a short distance, appearing directly behind the half-orc Shaman, who had knelt down to heal his fallen comrade. With no regard to the fairness of the act, I lunged forward and drove Razor straight through the half-orc’s back, piercing through the worn leather armor with ease.
I felt the Shaman gasp as he looked down to see my blade protruding from his chest, his magic chant dying on his lips. Pulling myself close to him, I didn’t wait to see if my opening blow would be enough to put him down for good. I spoke a word of power, causing a dagger made of fire to appear in my hand.
Leaving Razor buried inside the Shaman, I let go of the hilt and grabbed a fistful of the Shaman’s hair, pulling his head backwards sharply. I allowed myself a moment of showmanship, spinning the dagger in my hand before I caught it by the hilt and brutally thrust it into the Shaman’s exposed throat, feeling it vanish the moment my attack was complete. The half-orc went limp in my grip.
And that’s why you don’t leave your healer alone.
I shoved the dead shaman forward, the body falling heavily on top of the still bleeding Welton. Reaching forward, I grabbed the hilt of Razor and pulled it free, the smell of burning flesh wafting into my lungs as I stood over the body. Flicking the blood off of the blade, I turned to face the remaining three bandits.
“Damn it!” I heard the Elf swear as he began conjuring another ball of fire in his hands.
“You’re making the biggest fucking mistake, you hear me, you little freak?!” the dwarf spat venomously. “Even if you manage to beat us, you’re still trapped in the middle of our raid, all by yourself! Your best bet is to surrender now and pray we kill you quickly!”
&
nbsp; I cocked my head, letting the dwarf’s words wash over me. “What makes you think I’m alone?”
The words hung in the air, taking a few seconds for the bandits to fully absorb. I could see their faces shift as they realized the echoes of combat raging around us had changed. Screaming voices and shouting had been replaced by the sound of running feet. Sharp thunderclaps of magical explosions could be heard in the distance.
“Phillion!” a loud shout echoed from behind the bandits as a second band of grey armored marauders ran towards the dwarf, a bloodied half-elf in the lead. “We’re under attack by another group!”
“What’s happening?!” the dwarf shouted, not daring to take his eyes off me.
“I don’t know! They just hit us out of nowhere!” The half-elf motioned for the group to follow him. “We need to regroup and counterattack! I don’t know what happened to our camp, but everyone who dies is respawning in Eberia or Coldscar!”
“That would have been us,” I called out, savoring the instant look of surprise on the bandit’s faces. “We were hoping to come by, maybe borrow a cup of sugar while introducing ourselves as friendly neighbors. Imagine how upset we were when we found the remains of half a dozen caravans in your tiny little grotto.”
“You…destroyed our camp?” the dwarf replied in disbelief, shock visibly running through his body as he took a step backwards.
“And spent nearly half the night running and trying to catch up to you all.” I let my gaze slide off the dwarf, looking at the half-elf and the other bandits expectantly. “In case you were wondering, this is the part where you all surrender.”
“Surrender?” the half-elf said with disbelief. “You’re outnumbered ten to one, and you expect us to surrender?”
“Yeah, and quickly, please, if you don’t mind.” I motioned to the battle raging distantly around us. “I have places to be, people to save. My schedule is pretty packed this morning.”
“Phil, who the fuck is this clown?” the half-elf grunted. “And what the hell is going on with his face and eyes?”
Hell to Pay (Ascend Online Book 2) Page 36
