Lost Archive: A LitRPG Adventure (Veilwalkers Book 1)
Page 7
"Maybe warn me next time!" I growled.
"That's part of the fun, though!"
I ground my teeth and took in the landscape around me. A large, grassy field stretched out about the length of a football field, holding targets at one end. At the other, there were training dummies and a cart of what looked like old vegetables. My stomach growled at the sight, but I was pretty sure they weren't for eating. The field gave me flashbacks of getting my ass handed to me in high school gym class. I was never what you'd call athletic.
But that's not you anymore, I reminded myself. Now you're Cael the dark elf. You can be anything!
"All right, Cael, welcome." Fel strode across the field holding a sword in one hand. "First things first, you're not going to last long in a fight if you don't know some combat. A lot of the players around here might spend their time grinding rats, but that takes forever and rats are smelly. I have a better way."
"And what's that?" I asked, drawing my own sword. It was heavy in my hand, but I gave it a few practice swings.
"Let's see what you've got!" He yelled and charged toward me.
I had an instinct to turn and run, but I kept my feet rooted to the spot. Was he crazy? I'd never fought anyone before! Besides those skeletons in the cave, I guess...but this guy was clearly way more powerful than me!
Fel flew toward me blindingly fast and I raised my sword to parry. Our blades clashed and I hung on to the sword for dear life, the shining metal only inches from my face.
"Oh I get it, you're trying to kill me!" I groaned, pushing forward. Fel stumbled back and I looked for an opening.
He wore heavier armor than I, but there were still weak spots. I lunged forward and dodged out of the way when his sword flashed toward me again. I managed a hit, but I misaimed and it clanged against the metal of his suit. My arms vibrated all the way down to my bones but I held fast.
"Good, good," Fel said, drawing back. "Daggers now!" He sheathed his sword and drew a smaller blade, one-handed and meant for quick jabs. "Dagger-play is all about speed and grace. Something your kind is naturally good at, Cael. Come on, have at you!"
I drew my dagger and crouched into a protective stance. My enhanced vision picked up the most subtle of movements, and the increased Agility from the armor Set Bonus meant I could bob and weave with the best of them. I had a lot better luck with this technique. While Fel's heavy armor slowed him down, I was able to twist out of the way just in time.
I danced around him and swiveled till my knife rested against his throat. We both panted, smiling. "How about that," Fel said. "I yield, of course."
Withdrawing my blade, I took a moment to wipe the sweat from my brow. Even in my light armor, I was burning up! I could only imagine how Fel must feel in his heavy plate.
"Now remember," Fel said, slinking behind me so fast I barely had time to blink, "Know your enemies strengths, but also, their weaknesses." In a flash, the tables had turned. He twisted my arm and held me helpless, his knife now giving me a very close shave.
"What the hell?" I breathed, my heart hammering. "You were going easy on me!"
Fel relented and shrugged. "Maybe. Wouldn't be fair to use all my outleveled abilities now would it? But just think of what you can accomplish, once you level up."
"Since when did you care about being fair?"
"I'm not here to kill you. Just power level you a bit." Fel winked. "One more round! Archery!" He drew his bow and nocked an arrow. My breath caught in my throat as the arrow pointed at me, but he quickly turned and loosed it. The arrow sailed through the air silently, striking the target dead-on.
"Think you can do better?" Fel asked. "Let's see what you got."
This time, Tris joined the action. She took Fel's bow and nocked an arrow herself, staring down the shaft before letting a breath out. Another arrow sailed through the sky and found its mark in the center of the target. She smiled and gave a small bow, then walked to the cart full of vegetables. She pulled out a plump yellow squash.
"Think you can hit this?" She said, holding it aloft.
"If you quit moving it," I replied, drawing my bow. My equipment wasn't nearly as nice as theirs, nor was I as experienced. I wasn't going to give up that easily, though.
"Come on, elf-boy. Shoot!" Tris teased.
I narrowed my eyes, took a breath, looked down the shaft, and loosed. At the last second, she threw the squash into the air and my arrow sailed past it, embedding itself in the grass.
"What was that for?" I yelled.
"It's a lesson," She said. "Never assume your enemy will stay still."
I grit my teeth and sighed. She was right, dammit. Shooting targets was one thing. Shooting a living, breathing enemy was quite another. "Let's go again," I said, and nocked another arrow.
Tris returned with a small watermelon. My stomach took the opportunity to remind me I hadn't had breakfast and growled loudly. "Watch this time." She said before tossing it into the air.
This time, I was ready. I loosed the arrow just as the melon reached its zenith and was rewarded. With a splattering of flesh and seeds, the watermelon exploded as the arrow struck.
She stood on the sidelines and gave me a little golf clap. "Good job, but you're gonna need to fight more than just melons out there in the Veil."
"Gotta start somewhere, right?" I said.
"Right," Tris and Fel said together.
The day carried on like that, with both Fel and Tris running me through drills and sparring. My muscles screamed with exertion and sweat poured down my face and into my eyes. I'd never worked out so hard in my life! When we finally sat down to take a break and a snack, I sorted through all the notifications I'd received during the morning's training.
> Skill Dodge is now level 2.
Avoid your enemies, avoid your friends!
> New Skill Learned: Light Armor.
Light Armor is now level 1.
> Skill Light Armor is now level 2.
Silent but deadly.
> New Skill Learned: Swordsmanship.
Swordsmanship is now level 1.
> Skill Swordsmanship is now level 2.
The pen might be mightier than the sword...but the sword can chop off your head.
> New Skill Learned: Short Blades.
Swordsmanship is now level 1.
> Skill Short Blades is now level 2.
Stick 'em with the pointy end.
> Skill Short Blades is now level 3.
Stick 'em with the pointy end.
> New Skill Learned: Archery. You are now level 1.
> Skill Archery is now level 2.
"You can hit this apple off my head, right?"
> Quest Complete! It's a Training Montage II
+ 250 XP.
> New Quest: Seeking the Seekers
---------------------------------------------
Learn more about the organization that Tris and Fel work for, the Seekers.
Note: Don't think this gets you out of practicing your sparring.
Accept? [Yes/No]
> LEVEL UP!
You are now level 3!
You have 3 skill points to allocate.
Get stronger, get faster, get better!
> Reminder: You have 3 unspent skill points. They will decay in 24 hours if you do not allocate them.
My head spun as I finally swiped them all away. Wow, that session had been surprisingly productive! I told myself it was just because it was easy to level at first. As always, the higher a level got, the more XP it needed to level up. At least I'd gotten the first few levels out of the way. There was also the matter of my now 6 unspent skill points. I opened my character sheet again, trying to decide where to allocate them.
The sparring gave me a chance to practice a couple different fighting styles, and I saw what Fel meant about the agility-focused roles of short blades and archery. After getting used to Tris throwing the targets around, I hit them more and more often. When I stared down the shaft of the arrow, the world narrowed away unt
il I could feel every breath and see every blade of grass tremble. It was as if someone had pressed a slo-mo button in real life. I wondered if that was one of my racial abilities.
With that in mind, I put 2 points into Agility. I also put 1 into Intelligence and 1 into Charisma, because if I was going to choose that Archivist class, I'd definitely need the INT. That, and maybe higher Charisma would stave off some of the bickering Tris and I always had. That left 2 more points to spend. I scoured the skill list and chewed my lip as I tried to decide. I put 1 into Wisdom and 1 into Luck for good measure.
That solved that.
When I checked my character sheet again, I could see the changes.
Name: Cael
Race: Drow
Racial Bonuses: +25% base mana, +10% base Agility/Intelligence
Class: Unknown (choose at lvl 5)
Level: 3, 23% to next level
Health: 121
Mana: 152
Stamina: 121
Strength: 10
Agility: 14
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 11
Charisma: 11
Luck: 11
Skills: Level
Dodge: 2
Light Armor: 2
Swordsmanship: 2
Short Blades: 3
Archery: 2
I finished chowing down on the fruit and nuts Fel provided and tried to decide what to do next. I glanced around warily for Tris and Fel. They were busy sparring among themselves, not paying any attention.
Tris had a fighting style unlike anyone else I'd ever seen. Then again, it wasn't like I'd seen many fighters in my old life at the Academy. I watched martial arts movies as a guilty pleasure when I had the time, but they hardly compared to the reality of fighting to survive in the Veil. Instead of using blades or bows, Tris utilized a combination of magic and gadgetry to achieve her ends. She was beautiful as she was deadly, and her grace in combat was rivaled only by the weird and wonderful contraptions she created. Some even tottered around on two creaky brass legs, helping her fight. It was really quite incredible.
I paged through the book of class information again, fascinated. Just what class was she that let her do all that stuff? Finally, I found it.
Artificer: Masters of both mechanical and magical, artificers delight in taking things apart and putting them back together in new and fantastic ways. They value innovation, adventure, and most have a high tolerance for risk. Sub-classes: Tinker, Gunsmith. Travelers may choose a sub-class at level 10.
-- Tinker: The Tinker sub-class allows for more specialization in gadgetry and invention. No machine is too complex or too sacred to be dismantled. Tinkers make all manner of widgetry from friendly automatons to stealthy smoke bombs. Their expertise allows them to better repair and improve existing items as well.
-- Gunsmith: The Gunsmith sub-class focuses on building new and better weapons. At higher levels, they can build and enchant weaponry with elemental powers.
I got so sucked into my reading that I jumped when Tris tapped me on the shoulder. "Ready to get back at it?" She said brightly.
I snapped the book closed and hoped she hadn't seen what I'd been reading about her.
"Sure," I said and put the book back in the bag. I hoped I didn't sound as exhausted as I felt. Barely containing a wince, I stood and joined her. "Let's do this."
I guess checking out my loot drops would just have to wait.
11
I should have fallen asleep immediately that night. My muscles screamed with exhaustion and I could barely keep my eyes open. Despite the healing herbs they gave me, I still felt totally wiped out. Guess they only repaired the physical damage, not the psychological.
I stared up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling a bit homesick. I missed my books. I missed my star charts. I missed home. I tossed and turned on the lumpy mattress. No matter what I did, I couldn't make myself go back home. I was here now, whatever that meant. And I just had to deal with it. For the time being, at least, this was my home now.
Ugh. Ever been so tired you couldn't fall asleep? That was me. I got up, rubbed my eyes, and decided to look through my bags at last. Fel's basement was quiet, and even the roar of merriment from upstairs had died down. I didn't have a clock, but it must have been very late. The customers of the pleasure-house were known to burn the midnight oil. But now, in this moment? No one could interrupt me.
I padded over to the small table and took the bag back to my bed. It was heavier than I remembered, but I reminded myself I put all Fel's new equipment in it. The bags mitigated the weight, but couldn't eliminate it completely. As a scientist, I was fascinated. It seemed to violate all known laws of physics. Where did the matter go? I shrugged the idea away and opened the bag, laying the contents out on the bed as I pulled each item out. This was a different dimension, with different rules. As much as it pained me, maybe things didn't have to make sense all the time.
> Bag Contents:
62 x Gold Pieces
154 x Silver Pieces
1 x Rose Opal
1 x Treeskin Armor: +15% Earth resistance
1 x Treeskin Helm: Provides +10% Earth resistance
1 x Medallion of Souls: No item information available
1 x Ring of Wisdom: Wisdom +1
> New Quest Unlocked: Medallion of Souls
------------------------------------------------------
You've found a quest item. Cool to the touch, the medallion gives off a ghostly glow. It almost feels as if it's speaking to you...
Unfortunately, you do not have the skill to identify the item further. But there is one who can.
Seek out the Gaia. There you will find the answers you seek.
Accept?
[Yes/No]
I selected 'Yes' and felt a chill run through me all the way to my bones. What had I gotten myself into this time? Medallion of Souls wasn't exactly a warm and fuzzy name. And what was this Gaia, anyway?
I shoved the rest of the items back into the bag and continued looking at the Medallion. Rough around the edges, it was about as big around as a soda can and had a burnished bronze luster. Scratches that looked almost like foreign characters marred the surface. Wait a second, I'd seen these before...
I pulled up my HUD and selected Enable Runic Vision.
There they were again. This time, I was prepared and didn't drop the Medallion in alarm. Glowing runes etched their way across the bronze surface, seeping into the cracks and forming letters, words, phrases...
I narrowed my eyes and tried to focus again. If I'd done it once, I could do it again, right?
The runes consumed my vision and I still couldn't make sense of them. Why wasn't it working? Why couldn't I read them anymore? They expanded and grew larger, spilling over into my Bag. I snapped it closed, but it was too late. A rumbling shook my tiny room and I remembered back in my living room, what seemed like so long ago...
My lips formed the words of their own volition: "Gaia."
Light surrounded me and it all went silent.
I blinked open my eyes and found I was standing in a wide patch of grass. Man, whoever made this world...game...whatever needed to lay off the spontaneous teleportation. At least my knees didn't buckle this time. I tried checking the map on my HUD, but it wouldn't show. Great. I had no idea where I was. And as far as Fel and Tris were concerned, I'd just vanished. I checked my party screen again. Nope. Whatever had happened, they weren't in my party anymore either.
Guess I was going it alone. I was suddenly grateful that I'd been holding my Bag when I teleported. Whatever brought me here seemed to take into account whatever I was wearing and holding. Good thing, too. I didn't much like the idea of appearing naked in a field somewhere.
The last word I spoke before I vanished came back to me. Gaia. I pulled up my quest log:
Medallion of Souls
-------------------------
You've found a quest item. Cool to the touch, the medallion give
s off a ghostly glow. It almost feels as if it's speaking to you...
Unfortunately, you do not have the skill to identify the item further. But there is one who can.
Seek out the Gaia. There you will find the answers you seek.
I shook my head in disbelief. If I'd known that creepy amulet was going to teleport me to the middle of nowhere, I never would have accepted that quest! Whatever it was, it must be very powerful. Better be prepared. I opened the Bag again and donned my Treeskin Armor, Treeskin Helm, and Ring of Wisdom. Any buff I could get would help now that I was on my own. And thank the heavens I finally had some money.
The Treeskin Armor was rough like bark but remarkably light. Heavier than my leather, sure, but the protection was better. Now that I was out in the open, who knew what I could run into? Better safe than sorry.
I closed the inventory and the quest screen. Now that I was here, now what? I swiveled around, trying to find something of interest in the landscape. Why was I here, of all places? What did it mean? What was I supposed to do?
At the risk of being teleported again, I took out the Medallion again and enabled Runic Vision. Almost like a compass, a glowing arrow appeared on the Medallion, pointing to the east. I tested it by turning in place. The arrow moved with me. Fascinating.
I had a million questions I could ask, but I decided to just go with it. The runes had gotten me this far, after all.
I took off in the direction of the arrow and hoped I wasn't making a horrible mistake.
I walked for about half an hour before a towering tree came into view. Its staggering size dwarfed everything around it, standing alone like a monolith of power in the midst of the grassy plains. Strong limbs reached toward the heavens and vines hung low to the ground. The trunk was easily two car-lengths thick, and had an opening carved near the bottom where light shone forth. I could see small creatures flying nearby, flitting between the branches and picking at the brightly colored fruit there. Fairies?
I glanced down at the medallion and it glowed ever brighter, the arrow pointing dead on toward the tree. I gulped and squared my shoulders. Here goes nothing.