by Aleron Kong
The Land: SWARM
By
Dr. Aleron Kong
FORWARD
It has been amazing year! We have laughed, we have cried, we have finally worked up the courage to say that we are “in love” with LitRPG! I just wanted to take a second and thank all of you continuing on this journey with me, Richter and Sion. There are many adventures to come. Now, without further adieu!
This book is dedicated to the people whom have supported me on this year long odyssey. This is only the beginning. Thank you Carrie Ford for always being in my corner. Thank you to my beta readers, Peter Morena, Steve “the sieve” Fleischaker, Ryan Nowell and Brett Davis. Thank you to my gamma readers, Jay Taylor, Dreen Rea, Daniel Le Bailly and Brian Mann. Thank you again to Jay Taylor for helping to grow the LitRPG community as the moderator for the LitRPG group! Exciting things are on the horizon!
The Land: Swarm (A LitRPG Saga)
A self-published book by Aleron Kong
Copyright ©2016
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contents
CHAPTER 1 -- Day 110 -- Kerult 29, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 2 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 3 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 4 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 5 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 6 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG _
CHAPTER 7 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 8 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 9 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 10 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 11 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 12 -- Day 111 -- Kuborn 1, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 13 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 14 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 15 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 16 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 17 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 18 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 19 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 20 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 21 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 22 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 23 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 24 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 25 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 26 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 27 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 28 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 29 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 30 -- Day 112 -- Kuborn 2, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 31 – Day 113 -- Kuborn 3, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 32 -- Day 117 -- Kuborn 7, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 33 -- Day 119 -- Kuborn 9, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 34 -- Day 119 -- Kuborn 9, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 35 -- Day 119 -- Kuborn 9, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 36 -- Day 119 - Kuborn 9, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 37 -- Day 119 -- Kuborn 9, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 38 -- Day 119 -- Kuborn 9, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 39 -- Day 120 -- Kuborn 10, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 40 -- Day 121 -- Kuborn 11, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 41 -- Day 127 -- Kuborn 17, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 42 -- Day 127 -- Kuborn 17, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 43 -- Day 133 -- Kuborn 23, 15368 EBG
CHAPTER 44 -- Day 139 – Kuborn 29, 15,386 EBG
CHAPTER 45 -- Day 139 – Kuborn 29, 15,386 EBG
CHAPTER 46 -- Day 140 – Kuborn 30, 15,386 EBG
CHAPTER 47 -- Day 140 – Kuborn 30, 15,386 EBG
CHAPTER 48 -- Day 140 – Kuborn 30, 15,386 EBG
CHAPTER 49 -- Day 140 – Kuborn 30, 15,386 EBG
INDEX
Richter’s Spells
Earth
Water
Air
Fire
Life
Death
Dark
Light
Spirit
Blood
Richter’s Skill Rank Bonuses
Richter’s Qualities
Richter’s Abilities
Alma’s Abilities
Quality Ranks
Enchantments known by Richter
Richter’s Talents
Profession - Enchanter.
Specialization - Essence.
Status Pages
Law, the capital of Yves
A solitary figure stood in the burnt husk of a building. Night was falling. A trio of sailors passed by, unaware of the shadowed figure that stood not more than twenty feet away. The three seafaring men were gamblers who had already lost their coin, having paid more attention to the intentionally distracting prostitutes than their cards. Now, the friends were finding consolation in a bottle. They bemoaned their poor fortune, unaware that the points each of them had invested in Luck kept them alive that night. If they had seen the man in the black cloak, standing silently in the ruin of the warehouse, their next and last sight would have been a visage that had never known pity.
The last rays of sunlight faded away, and the man moved for the first time in an hour. It was time. Guttural words of power spilled from his lips, and unseen black energy surrounded his hands. Five seconds passed while he finished his spell. After the incantation was done, the darkest part of the ruined building began to stir, and a creature of Dark magic became self-aware for the first time, a darkling. This was no summoned creature but was instead a monster born and bred from the terror of murdered men. This fledgling creature may never have fully awoken if left to its own destiny, but the will of the magician could not be denied. It rose from the darkness.
The mage let it feed on the ambient anger and fear that still permeated the charred timbers, but only for a moment. Then he beckoned it with a will stronger than steel. Hating its master and itself, the creature obeyed the command and slinked across the room. Once in front of the man, it bent its head in angry subservience. The darkling began to speak.
For an hour the figure listened to the creature’s story. He learned of the slaves that had been kept in the warehouse, and about their rough treatment at the hands of the thieves who held them captive. He listened to the monster’s account of a fierce battle that had claimed many lives. The man heard the fear in its voice as it described how the building had caught fire and how it had narrowly escaped destruction by hiding in the dark under a loose flagstone. He heard many things, but only one thing really interested the mage, and that was the person who started the fire.
It took many questions for the simple creature to understand what was needed, but then it formed its ephemeral body into the shape of the arsonist’s face. The figure leaned forward and saw the visage of his quarry for the first time. With a wave of his hand, the powerful Dark Paladin destroyed the darkling. The pitiful creature cried out as its young existence was extinguished, but the man barely noticed. All that mattered was that he was one step closer to his prey. The captain of the plague squad left the charred shell of the warehouse and slowly spoke the name of his quarry aloud, as if tasting it.
“Ric-ter.”
CHAPTER 1 -- Day 110 -- Kerult 29, 15368 EBG
Richter kept running through the forest, rage building in his breast as he followed the distinctive trail. Some of the slower members of his party began to fall behind, sweat pouring from their faces. He
forced himself up a hill and pushed through a stand of trees, seeing the meadow that extended below on the other side. There, only a hundred yards away, he caught sight of a distinctive, three-pointed crown. The rock giant looked up, its mouth smeared with blood, the body of a slain bear at its feet. When it saw him, it roared both in rage and recognition. Alma, hovering above, screamed back, and the adder raised its body ten feet in the air and hissed. Richter drew his elementum short sword and roared back, “Missed you too, motherfucker! You and I have UNFINISHED BUSINESS!”
Richter used Analyze and in an instant knew much more about the monster.
Name: Rock Giant Disposition: Hatred
There are many different types of giants. Rock giants are solitary monsters, unlike other giants which can have just as complex a social structure as average sized humanoids. What rock giants lack in social graces, they more than make up for in ferocity, malevolence, and durability. Their skin acts as a formidable exoskeleton, blocking most damage.
Level: 15
Health: 1610 Mana: 80 Stamina: 2190
Strength: 93
Agility: 24
Dexterity: 31
Constitution: 161
Endurance: 219
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 4
Luck: 9
The fucking thing had gotten stronger! Richter ground his teeth in consternation. The giant’s heavy tread shook the earth as it ate the distance between them. Richter took the time to send out two thoughts,
*Alma, Psi Blast!* *Adder, circle around it!*
Then it was in front of him. The giant roared and swung a barrel-sized fist at Richter. The chaos seed spun to the right. One hand swung out to the side, gripping the hilt of his short sword and the other began to contort into a particular configuration. As he finished the spin, his hand shot out, and he shouted, “Tardi!”
Even as a blue glow enveloped the giant, slowing its attack and movement speed by 10%, Richter’s green short sword raked across the monster’s fist. The elementum blade scored cleanly in a line just below the knuckles, and a small spray of black blood covered the ground. In the past, Richter had barely been able to draw a single drop of blood from the twenty-foot tall beast. That had only been because of the magic of his shadow dagger, which had allowed him to ignore a portion of the giant’s armor. Not so this time!
The elementum blade gained +10% vs Earth creatures, increasing the maximum damage of each strike to 36-41! Richter didn’t know exactly what the armor rating of the giant was, but seeing that he could damage it, he didn’t fucking care. A bloodthirsty smile broke across his face. The monster reared back with a roar. Just like last time, it seemed shocked that Richter had actually managed to injure it. While Richter watched it hold its injured fist, he realized that his ability to hurt it was most likely why its disposition towards him had worsened from ‘enmity’ to ‘hatred’.
Despite the fact that Richter’s blade was enough to harm the giant, the wound was still minor. It paused for barely a second before attacking again. The monster reached its other hand forward, ready to grasp Richter and crush the life out of him. He wasn’t alone, though. Alma struck from above.
Swooping down from the sky, she let loose her focused Psi Blast. The last time she had attacked the giant with concentrated psychic energy, the monster had barely been fazed. This time, however, her Psi Blast was level two. The attack could theoretically stun an opponent for seven seconds, and perhaps for as long as ten seconds when the beam was focused. The giant still had high mental resistance, but it couldn’t just ignore the powerful emanations from the diminutive dragonling.
Richter looked on in pleased awe as his cat-sized familiar caused the twenty-foot tall behemoth to collapse. The monster’s body struck the ground with an earthshaking thud. Richter had already started running towards the beast’s head when he heard Sion call out, “What is that thing? Get away from it!”
Ignoring the sprite’s most likely sound advice, Richter shouted back, “It’s something that you should be shooting!”
Richter jumped onto the giant’s chest and raised his sword high. His armed tensed to drive the elementum blade into the monster’s face when its expression cleared, and it affixed him with a baleful gaze. Before Richter could complete his attack, a massive grey fist, three feet across, impacted against his left side. The chaos seed went flying. Almost completely dazed, he thought, this happens way too often.
A sprite arrow imbued with blue force struck the giant in the face, knocking its head back down into the ground. Alma added to the assault with a lightning bolt shot from her small body. The electricity broke across the giant’s body, though, and it was unclear if it had a noticeable effect. The rock giant put its arms down to its sides and started to push itself up. A well-placed blue arrow struck the inside of its elbow and knocked it down again. Multiple shouts heralded the arrival of the rest of the war party.
Richter hit the ground and rolled to lessen the force of the impact. The blow and subsequent impact took off seventy-eight health, but his anger at the giant was so great that he surged back to his feet. He had landed more than twenty feet away and from what he could see, he was missing all the fun! Caulder was shouting up at the giant, his steel war door held before him. Terrod stood next to him, sword at the ready. The captain had his wooden shield on one arm, for all the good it would do him against such a monstrosity. Sedrin stood just behind them, thrusting his spear at the giant to keep it off balance. Judging from the telltale purple-black flash Richter saw coming from the monster’s chest, Beyan had just finished casting his laughing skull spell, and Jean was firing bolts of dark magic from his wand. Krom was approaching the giant from the right, hammer held ready. Sion was powering up an arrow, the blue of his Imbue Arrow skill getting brighter, and Ulinde had just released an arrow that spun of its own accord, showing the archer had used the subskill Drill Arrow. Richter smiled grimly. It was time to rejoin the party!
Richter reanalyzed the giant and saw that despite the multiple attacks, it still had only lost sixty-three health. He realized that the risk of it grabbing and mauling one of his party was too great for him to allow the fight to continue as a melee..
“This isn’t working,” he shouted to Sion. “Aim for more vulnerable spots!”
His Companion didn’t let up on his rate of fire, but he did shout back, “It is a rock monster! It doesn’t have any vulnerable spots!”
Richter realized that his friend was right. The giant’s natural armor was just too tough. He had to do something about that! It was time to cast a new spell!
With more than just a touch of trepidation he once again prepared to use Deep Magic. Slamming his sword into the ground, he began moving both arms to start the complicated casting of Weak Aura Lance. It was a bold choice to dual cast it, but he put his faith in the increased mental fortitude from his Psi Bond with Alma. The spell began with both arms slowly windmilling in opposition to one another.
While Richter cast his spell, Caulder stepped forward with his shield held up, drawing the enemy’s attention away from his fellow party member. The giant accepted his challenge. The huge monster kicked the guard as hard as he could. The sergeant caught the blow on his shield. It deflected a large amount of the damage, but couldn’t stop the pure kinetic force that had been created by the giant’s blow. The heavy metal slab dented and Caulder’s shoulder dislocated. The man might have flown back, but the heavy weight of the war door kept him grounded. Instead, Caulder collapsed backward, the shield falling over him like a blanket.
The giant raised its other foot to stomp down on the guard, but Terrod saved his fellow guardsman. He ran forward and placed his body between the giant and Caulder, his longsword thrust upward. The cobalt blade sank between the toes of the giant’s foot. The dusky grey sword lacked the power of Richter’s elementum short sword but was still able to penetrate the giant’s rocky skin. The blade buried into the sensitive webbing of the monster’s foot. Still unaccusto
med to pain, it reared back, bellowing. The dazed sergeant was spared, and Terrod breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t been squashed into jelly.
While the monster was off balance, Krom ran up and swung his ebony hammer into the giant’s ankle. The large, black sledge impacted the rock monster’s grey skin with a heavy crunch. The tough exoskeleton fractured and, once more, the giant toppled to the ground with a resounding thud. The dwarven smith shouted in victory. The power of his Ebony Warhammer of Crippling wasn’t just its high damage potential. Until the effect wore off, the giant’s movement speed would be reduced by 37%. Krom ran back, out of its reach. It was time for the ranged attackers to have some fun.
Sedrin and Terrod were able to pull the still discombobulated Caulder away from the giant. Beyan cast another laughing skull spell which impacted against the monster’s side. The effect of the spell was questionable, but the next attack clearly did some damage! Sion finally released the arrow that he had been imbuing for long seconds. The arrow streaked down from the hill he was standing on and struck the giant in the chest. Already lying down, there was no room for it to be rocked back. The force of Sion’s strike acted like a hammer pounding the giant into the anvil of the earth. Its natural armor cracked, and it grabbed its chest in pain. It screamed at the injustice of its own newly discovered mortality. The giant’s view of the world, and its own place in it, was being rocked by its having finally come up against opponents it couldn’t easily dominate.
The ranged fighters and magi kept up their withering fire, incrementally chipping away at the giant’s health points. Air mage Jean supported the group in the background, continually recasting Weak Haste when he could. At Sion’s shouted order, everyone had spread out to encircle the giant, not giving it a concentrated knot of enemies to attack. Despite its natural armor, the fighters served to distract it until Richter’s spell was completed.
As Richter had been casting, waves of black energy tinged with gold had been emanating from his body like heat from the desert. The effect had started on his hands and then spread to his arms. A second ripple of energy began to emanate from the center of his chest. The waves from both locations seemed to feed off of one another, creating a turbulence of Spirit Power directly in front of Richter. Several seconds into the casting, a small kernel of black power appeared in the center of the turbulence. It swiftly grew to the size of an orange, then a softball, and finally a basketball. Gold lightning danced across the surface of the sphere. Richter had continued the ten-second casting, each word becoming more difficult to say until it felt like his mouth was full of sand. He had begun to worry that his choice to dual cast the spell had been a mistake. To make matters worse, his mind had begun to play out scenarios of just how horrific the backlash from a failed Deep Magic spell would be.
