Eloria's Beginning: A LitRPG/GameLit Epic (Enter The louVRe Book 1)

by Tom Hansen

  He remembered a common trait he’d seen on all the incidents. “I forgot to mention, their eyes seemed to be white, just like the boar I fought earlier. Kardkaw and Sonvey had white power on their faces as well.”

  He thought about his friends, one unconscious, the other lying with a sheet over his lifeless body. The pit in his soul threatened to open again, begged him to fall into the abyss of anguish and despair. But no, he was the last remaining guard, and he needed to stay strong for the sake of his people.

  He also needed to find this Nagos and kill it.

  She nodded as she combed through her mane with her fingers, drawing out strands and letting them fall back into place. She seemed deep in thought, so he waited, trying to be patient until she spoke again. The scar on his leg itched, and he remembered he hadn’t given her the flowers yet. The timer had long since run out, but he didn’t care. None of that mattered anyway.

  He pulled them out of his satchel and placed them on the table.

  Quest Failed! Bonfire Preparations:

  You returned with the needed items too late.

  The failed quest bong reverberated in his mind and he felt irritated at his performance. He shouldn’t have dallied so long. He’d had enough time, but his performance would need to be better for the next—

  He pushed the thought out of his head. His friend was dead. Why should he care about some stupid quest? People were dying.

  “Are you okay, Matuk?” Eldermother looked concerned.

  He indicated halfheartedly at the flowers on the table. “I’m sorry they are late.”

  She made a shooing movement with her hands. “Nonsense, I had another adventurer provide me with some while you were away. Besides, what you did out there, fighting those Kobolds and trying to help those poor guards, that was the real bravery. Don’t think for a moment that you’re a failure. We all stumble, we all make mistakes, but the choices we make are the ones that define us.”

  She grabbed him by the shoulders. Despite her slight stature, she had a powerful grip. “Buck up, young one. You have a bright future ahead of you, and I have the next step. I need you to go collect some more samples from the Kobolds. I’m especially curious about why they would attack you, and I think it requires more investigation.”

  Beads of sweat formed on his temples. “But what about the Nagos? Shouldn’t I be looking for him?”

  Her face mimicked his concern. “That is troubling, but none of these strange events happened until the Nagos showed up, right? We don’t know where he is hiding, and quite frankly there are too many crags and cracks in the land above us for the Nagos to hide. We could try sending out parties to hunt him down, but who is going to do that? We’re mostly old cows and young Tau’ri. No, I think it best to wait and see. Let the Nagos make the first move. If the entire village starts acting strange, he will know that we know something. I think prudence is the better strategy here, Matuk. Do you agree?”

  Her plan sounded so well-put together and succinct. He nodded with vigor. “But you want me to help track them down?”

  She wagged a finger at him. “I knew you would be interested. You have spunk and you always want to help. We should start with what we know, and what is easiest to understand. I think further investigation of the Kobolds is in order—yes—but I also want you to go back to the barn and hunt around for more clues.” She picked up the Nagos scale. “See if you notice anything else that we may have missed. Oh, and I have something else for you to do.”

  Quest Update! Mysterious Blue Scale:

  You informed Eldermother about the Nagos inside the cove and the attack on the guards. She wants you to look for any clues of the Nagos around the burned-out barn (Gained 100 XP!)

  Quest Update! Killer Kobolds:

  You reported the Kobold’s strange activity to Eldermother. (Gained 25 XP!)

  She turned back to the closet on the back wall and rummaged inside lidded baskets, first one then another. “Ah hah!”

  She spun around and dropped a small cloth pouch with a twine drawstring on the table. She then turned back around and kept rummaging through the same basket until she came up with a tiny folded piece of paper. She grabbed a small vial from the shelf and filled it nearly to the brim with water from a basin in the back room.

  She unfolded the paper to expose a bright reddish powder that she dumped into the vial. She found a small cork to cap off the now red liquid and handed it to him. “Shake this until it becomes purple, but no longer.”

  He did just that as she opened the pouch and counted out ten thin objects with what looked like needles on the ends.

  She turned to face him, and her eyes went wide. She grabbed his shaking hand. “I said purple, but no further!”

  He cringed as she squinted at the vial through the side. Seemingly satisfied, she handed it back. “You’re lucky, couple more shakes and it would have been blue.”

  The small vial in his hand seemed scary. He’d almost created a catastrophe. “What happens when it turns blue?”

  She gave him a wicked grin. “Where would the fun be if I just told you. Someday you’ll drink one that is blue, and you’ll know. Now, these are needled pipettes. I want you to stab ten different Kobolds with them.”

  Scarhoof nearly choked. “I need to do what?”

  She picked one up with the needle pointing toward him and stabbed the air in front of him with a swift, determined expression. “Just stab them and bring the pipette’s back. It’ll collect some of their blood. I have an inkling of what might be happening, but I don’t want to go down that path until I learn more. Now, make sure they are ten different Kobolds, I can’t have two samples of the same one.”

  He grabbed up the pipettes and turned to walk out the door.

  Eldermother called after him. “Oh, that potion you have, is an invisibility potion you can use to help you with the quest. You might want to use it. Their den is just west of where you found that passionflower plant.”

  Item Received! Invisibility Potion

  Quest Update! Killer Kobolds:

  The Eldermother has asked you to take blood samples from ten different Kobolds in The Misty Cave. Optional: Use the Invisibility Potion to make it easier. (Gained 25 XP!)

  He nodded. “I won’t fail you.”

  With that, he swept out of her hut and into the early afternoon sun, his tail swishing behind him.

  Chapter 06

  “Scarhoof! Hey, Scarhoof!” He had just left Eldermother’s hut when Nitene called from across the road.

  He turned around, happy to hear her sweet voice.

  She trotted up to him, her mane matted in a sweaty mop along her back. “Matuk, I’ve been looking for you!” She bent over and rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

  He frowned at her exasperated look. “I was with Eldermother. What’s wrong?”

  She glanced briefly at Eldermother’s hut then back at him, a tired but satisfied smile on her face. “I need your help with the shard.”

  He’d nearly forgotten about the bizarre object found in the back of the boar’s head. Concern wormed through his chest as he remembered how gingerly she had carried the item back to her lab. “What’s wrong? Did it hurt you again?”

  She held up her singe-marked hands. It looked like she’d been in a battle with something fiery. “I have, but I need your help. I think I can get it, but I can’t do it alone. If you heal me, I can get the shard into a protective Yantra. How about it?”

  Quest Update! A Spreading Sickness:

  Keep Nitene alive while she handles the Spirit shard. (Gained 25 XP!)

  His brow furrowed. He wanted to get on with the investigation of the Nagos. The fate of the entire clan could be at stake if he didn’t act soon, but the tired look in her eyes finally won him over. Nitene had been nothing but kind to him since she’d come to Sunset Cove.

  He nodded. “Let’s do it, if it won’t take too long. I have some things I must attend for Eldermother.”

  “Great! Follow me. Should
n’t take long.”

  She led him into her hut, which was a similar to Eldermother’s from the outside. The inside was not what he expected.

  The left wall was covered floor to ceiling with shelves, holding an array of various equipment. Things he’d never seen before. He could only guess at the uses for some of them. Boxes with knobs and levers, small glass windows, and other assorted items were shelved next to each other. Some of the boxes were labeled with intricate numbers. One had a small arm that bounced up and down, pointing to different foreign words scribed in neat writing.

  The back wall, which should have contained a basin for cooking, had vastly different appliances. The stove in her hut was a shiny metal, so polished that his reflection shone back at him in the well-lit room. Curious, he touched it and felt a small hum through his fingertips. He still wasn’t able to make out what type of metal it was.

  The other wall was floor-to-ceiling books and scrolls crammed together in a hodgepodge mess. A latticework of wooden shelves in cross patterns held everything in diamond or triangle-shaped cubbies.

  In the center of the room stood a sturdy wooden table. Atop the table was the shard he had pulled from the skull of the feral boar.

  Pulling her mane back and tying it off with a ribbon, Nitene washed her hands, removing the grime and soot. He couldn’t help cringing when he looked at the red burn marks on her hands. For someone who didn’t work in the fields or in the army, she had rather rough, calloused palms. A number of ancient scars marred the back of her hands and forearms, leaving furless patches.

  He hadn’t noticed that detail about her until now and he wondered what sort of work would scar someone so.

  “You remember the spell I taught you earlier today?” Nitene had a glimmer in her eye that he rarely saw in adults these days; excitement, anticipation.

  “Mending Force? Yes, I had to use it today to keep myself alive after falling into a passionflower plant.”

  Nitene was about to say something but stopped, mouth slightly agape. She stared at him with roguish eyes for a moment before closing her mouth into a wide grin. “You fell into a passionflower plant?”

  Suddenly self-conscious, Scarhoof grasped for something else to divert the conversation, but after a quick battle with himself, he decided to own it. “Yes, I did, while I was defending myself from feral Kobolds.”

  Her grin faded. “Feral? Hmm, well that makes this research even more important. But yes, Mending Force. So, what I will need you to do is heal me full-time. Once you start, do not stop. Do you understand? You begin healing me when I first touch the shard, and don’t stop until I’m done with the protection Yantra.”

  He took a step closer to her, the need to protect reach up inside him. He’d seen too much loss already today. He’d already failed his tribe enough.

  Maybe this was too risky. He glanced at her, remembering the magic she had yielded earlier during the barn incident. She didn’t seem likely to take no for an answer. He worried that if he turned her down, she might attempt it alone.

  Dozens of questions swam inside his mind, but one surfaced and blurted out with a harried, almost frantic voice. “What if I run out of mana?”

  “Good question. While this would be easier if you were higher level, I think you will be fine. This may take a while, so I should get you a couple mana potions.” She turned around and opened one of the cupboard doors next to the metal stove. She pulled out two vials and placed them beside him on the table. The viscous blue liquid inside sloshed around before coming to rest. “When you are out of combat, your Mana will regenerate at a much faster rate than when you are in combat. Regeneration in and out of combat is based on your Spirit, but it’s a fraction of what you get when you’re out of combat.

  “When you are close to running out of mana, ten percent or so, you should grab the first potion and pop off the cork but keep casting. There is an art to healing, knowing how much damage is being done to your target, so you can anticipate an appropriate response. Sometimes you want to wait and save your mana for when massive damage is incurred, other times you can’t heal fast enough. This will be one of those times.”

  If he was feeling wary before, he was really starting to worry now.

  She squinted and studied him for a moment, like she was trying to make a decision. Grimacing, she grabbed another vial from her cabinet, this one a white viscous potion double the size of the other two mana potions. She held it out. “Drink this now, it will make up for the difference in healing between your level and mine.”

  He glanced at her level, something he hadn’t really thought about doing much before. Wow, 48? That was indeed impressive, and scary.

  He took the vial and popped off the cork. The smell was difficult to describe, like the air after a lightning strike, but he downed the potion. An effect not-unlike touching the shard earlier today hit his body, only instead of spreading from his fingers and up into his shoulder, this one started from his stomach and surged outward.

  Effect Status: Greater Spellpower Draught:

  +100% to all Magical Spells. Duration: 1 Hour.

  The feeling he had was immense, jittery, and alert. He felt the miasma of magic swimming all around him. That much of a spell boost to his spells meant he would be healing for about 500 health with each cast!

  She interrupted his thoughts to remind him of the task he was here to do. “Find a time between spells to drink the potion and get right back to healing. Any other questions?”

  Of course, he had a bunch of questions, but right then, he couldn’t remember them. Despite his nervousness, he nodded. “Do it.”

  She gave him a warm half-smile and planted a hand on his shoulder. “I’m counting on you to keep me alive, Matuk. Serve well.”

  With that, she grabbed the stone and began to chant.

  Her health plummeted, and Scarhoof fumbled the first spell until he remembered the correct finger positions. He cast Mending Force when her health hit 50%, taking her back up to 60%.

  Whew, that was close. He wished he had done a couple practice spells to refresh his memory on the proper hand movements, but it was too late now.

  He followed up with another spell, increasing her heath 10% for every 5% it dropped.

  For her part, Nitene focused on the shard, an intense look on her face. Her fingers worked furiously as she spoke. The language seemed familiar yet not of this world.

  Sharp lines of light formed, glowing with a blueish white intensity. The air took on an acrid, smoky scent that singed his nostrils. The lines spread at right angles, building a lattice of light around the shard. It was one of the most fascinating things he’d ever seen.

  An alarm sounded, Nitene’s health was at 25%! He had been so entranced by the lines he’d forgotten to heal her!

  Her health hit 10% just as he finished his Mending Force. He focused on healing her back up to 100%. Just as she reached full health, another alarm sounded. His mana was now at 25%!

  He eyed the mana potion but kept his focus on her health bar.

  He let her drop to 50% as he watched his mana begin to regenerate. If he could stop casting for ten-seconds, his mana regenerated much faster.

  He topped off her health, then allowed it to fall until just before the 25% alarm sounded, healing her back up to full and plummeting his mana bar to nothing.

  He grabbed the first mana potion and downed the sickly-sweet concoction, restoring most of his mana bar. He allowed her health to tick down as he waited for the regeneration effect to kick in. Soon he was full and healed her again.

  Over the next few tiring minutes, his body weakened. Despite the fact that he was only using words and intricate hand movements, the constant healing sapped his stamina. He’d never healed this much before and hadn’t realized how draining it was. He fought the urge to close his lids and rest his weary eyes.

  Her health dropped by half, and he glanced at the shard while throwing more heals on her. The mysterious object glowed a bright white now and suspended a hand off
the table. It began spinning faster and faster. Hundreds of intricate lines from her Yantra crisscrossed the crystalline surface, forming fractals that continued to shift in place, like a kaleidoscopic web.

  Despite the white shard and white lines, the spinning object appeared to be releasing a whole rainbow of colors.

  She cried out. Her health now dropped by 15% for every 10% he was able to heal her!

  50%. Heal to 60%. Drop to 45%.

  He didn’t stop; he refused to. His muscles screamed, his eyes burned, and his hooves ached, but he kept on healing, his mana plummeting, unable to regenerate.

  He grabbed the next potion and chugged it down.

  Her health faded fast. The shard spun faster.

  25%

  20%

  15%

  He healed over and over. Her cries rose to a fever pitch as the light in the room intensified.

  10%

  5%

  He was out of mana. He tried to heal her one last time, just once, but his mana was gone.

  Light exploded all around them. The entire hut lit with the brilliance of the glowing shard. The air snapped around him, like a rubber ball had just been split, and then, it was silent.

  The illumination dimmed, back to its original milky-white translucency. The lines of the Yantra, now dark except for the occasional gleam that danced across its surface. It stood out in stark contrast to the milky white shard.

  Nitene huffed. “That was close.”

  Her health had stopped at 2%.

  His heart pounded in his chest, dried tears clung to the fur on his face, and he finally managed to cast the spell he’d been trying to cast for the last few seconds, taking her from 2% to 12%.

  Scarhoof slumped to the floor, followed by a grinning Nitene.

  He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but he was still damp with sweat when he came to.