Lost Archive: A LitRPG Adventure (Veilwalkers Book 1)

by Isaac Winter

  "Bulls-eye!" Tris cried and fist-pumped the air when Sprikes went flying.

  I didn't have time to celebrate. I loaded the next bomb and released, bringing fiery death upon them. I swiveled to the left and checked on Fel, he was mowing down quite a few Sprikes, but I could tell even from this distance he was getting fatigued.

  Mabel rushed forward, planting her foot firmly on the ground and reaching a hand toward Fel's position. With a word of power, little saplings sprouted from the ground and tripped the remaining Sprikes around Fel's feet. He swung too hard and missed, the momentum throwing him off balance. A Sprike was coming up right behind him...

  "Fel!" I screamed, readying my first spell and hoping it worked. "Duck!"

  How he heard me over the ruckus I'll never know, but he ducked at just the right time as I extended my hand aside Mabel's and formed the incantation. The mana flowed through my fingers and out into the world, producing a weak gust of wind right in the Sprike's backside. It was enough, though. The Sprike squealed and toppled over before he had a chance to attack Fel. This gave him enough time to recover and impale the beast once and for all.

  "Thanks man!" He called, wiping the slick Sprike guts from his blade. The battle wasn't over yet. Far from it.

  Sweat ran down my forehead and matted my long hair to my face. That was a new experience, for sure. Except for maybe in my teenage years, I'd always had a pretty close cut, but apparently whoever designed this Drow prototype thought shoulder-length hair was a good idea. I swiped it out of my eyes and checked the catapult. Tris was loading a mixture of her own into the catapult, eyes shining with that pyromaniacal gleam I knew all too well.

  The last wave was approaching, and everyone in the party was looking pretty wiped. Mabel did her best to go around and distribute heals and buffs, but she was running low. As were we all.

  "Last wave, guys!" I yelled, raising my fist. "Let's finish this!"

  The end was near. The quest timer was nearly up. We were battered, bruised, and tired. What more could go wrong?

  Shouldn't have asked.

  The ground shook like an earthquake as a new creature thundered over the hill. Shit.

  > BOSS BATTLE: Sprike Mother.

  You may not leave this area until the fight has ended. One of you must fall. Will it be you, or them?

  Reward: Sprike Venom, Sprike Core.

  "Gah, I should have known!" Tris cursed. "Fuckin' boss battles!"

  "What's the plan?" Fel said, wiping his forehead. He was bleeding in two places, dirty, and sweaty, but didn't appear to be seriously injured.

  "Okay, here's what we'll do," I said, thinking as I spoke. For the first time, I realized: these people were looking up to me. I'd become the leader, somehow. Me, the stupid noob from Earth. My mind raced through a million possibilities as I eyed the charging Sprike Mother. She had a glowing orange rune right on her back right where the head and torso met. I had an idea. It was crazy. Nuts, actually. But if I could pull it off...

  "I'm going in there," I said, pointing toward the boss.

  "You've got to be kidding me!" Fel said. "You'll die!"

  "That's a chance I've got to take. Mabel, buff me!"

  "No can do. Out of mana." She shook her head sadly.

  "Take this," Tris said, tossing a potion to Mabel.

  "You're serious." Mabel said, blinking. "You're just gonna let him suicide like that?"

  "Don't underestimate him. He has an Affinity, and he's surprised us before. You have any better ideas?" Tris asked. Wow, she was actually standing up for me. Guess I wasn't such a noob after all.

  Mabel opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She scowled, but downed the mana potion and looked to me. "Don't screw this up, Winston," She said, and waved her hand.

  I winced at the mention of my old name, but it drove home the fact that yes, this was the missing Mabel from the Academy. Before, I was all alone. I didn't know anyone. But Mabel was real. She was from my world. And I had to come back. I couldn't leave her here.

  > New Status: Barkskin.

  Your natural armor has increased, making you more defensible to attack for 5 minutes.

  > New Status: Steel Grip.

  Strength +1 for 5 minutes.

  > New Status: Fighting Spirit.

  +50% Resistance to Fear status for 5 minutes.

  "Thank you," I said to Mabel, bowing my head. "I promise, I'll return."

  "I count on it," She said simply. "We have work to do."

  "We'll be here making it rain on that bastard. Go get 'er." Tris said.

  "And don't hit me with one of your stupid bombs!" I winked at her.

  "I'll try." She smirked.

  With that, I bounded off toward the lumbering beast. I hoped the boost to Agility was enough, because this was gonna be tough.

  In my old life, this never would have happened. Running headlong into a monster? No thank you. But in this new world, I could be whoever I wanted. It was strange, really, but I felt more myself here than I had in all my years at the Academy. It was like this world had unlocked something within me. A hidden potential I didn't know I had. And now that I saw what was possible, I wasn't sure I could ever turn back.

  The beast reared her ugly head, letting out a roar that sent even the grass shuddering in its wake. I gritted my teeth and planned my attack. Almost there...

  I cast Weak Gust at my feet and prayed.

  The wind caught me under my feet and I flailed upward. "Weak", my ass. I windmilled my arms and legs as I flew toward the Sprike Mother. In retrospect, I probably should have picked a spell with a little more control. Funny the things you think about when you're flying through the air toward a raging monster set on killing you.

  I tumbled into the beast hard, my bones jarring at the impact. I grabbed on to the matted fur at his side and held on for dear life. The Sprike Mother screeched and skidded, clearly upset by the foreign creature on top of her. She swayed and tried to throw me off, but I held on with all my strength. Thank god for that Fighting Spirit, right? I would be a quivering mess of jelly by now if not for that.

  With a heave, I dug my boots into the beast's side and climbed up past her flank onto her back. Never thought I'd be riding an overgrown rat! The rune glowed bright as ever and my vision narrowed to the work in front of me. I was dimly aware of explosions going on around me, of screeching Sprikes, of Fel's battle cry, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. With a cry and a thrust, I drove my dagger down into the rune on her back as deep as I could.

  Instead of blood, light spilled out from the wound, wrapping like tendrils around my arms, my legs, my face. What was happening? I had a moment of terror when I remembered this was just like the time I got sucked into the Veil, and I remember Tris calling out my name and one single-minded thought before I lost consciousness:

  I don't want to go.

  16

  I woke in a tent. I heard the wind howling through the trees and saw the last inklings of sunlight wafting through the canvas. I was cold. And I was prone on a musty cot for which 'bed' would be a generous description. Everything hurt. Where was I? Last I remembered, I stabbed the Sprike Mother as the final wave fell. Did that mean we had succeeded?

  I tried to sit up but pain lanced through me. I eased myself back down. Okay, looked like I needed to stay put for the time being. Where the tent came from, I wasn't sure. Maybe Mabel or Fel had brought it along?

  Mabel.

  The realization still stung in my throat like acid. After all this time, all this danger, she was here too. And handling things quite well, if I did say so myself. She was even a few levels above me. It made sense, since she had come here earlier, but I still felt a sense of competition. Of course, it was stupid. If I let myself get too involved in this game, then I'd never make it back out alive. I'd never figure out what was going on.

  But was going back to my boring old post at the Academy really what I wanted?

  Fabric rustled as the tent opened and jostled me from my thoughts. Mabel stepped in
side, her eyes wide when she saw I was awake.

  "How are you feeling?" She asked, stepping over to me. "I did the best healing job I could, but your injuries were pretty severe."

  I winced again at the pain in my torso.

  "You're a sight for sore eyes," I mumbled, the words like daggers in my throat.

  "Shh." She soothed. With a wave of her hands, golden light spilled for and I could see my HP rising, bit by bit. The pain lessened, but it was a deeper pain now. A hollow pain. At least I felt my energy returning.

  "Unfortunately that's as much as I can do,," She said. "The rest is up to you."

  "Thanks," I said. I clenched and unclenched my fists, wiggled my toes, shrugged my shoulders. Yup, all the necessary parts were still there.

  "What happened, by the way?" I felt like an idiot for having to ask, but things were such a blur. "Where's Tris? Where's Fel?"

  "They're here, don't worry. Never split the party, remember?"

  I smiled and slumped back on the pillow. "Did we win?" It was a silly question. We wouldn't be here talking if we hadn't.

  "Yeah," She nodded. "I've never seen anything like it. That was some quick thinking on your part."

  I was no stranger to being called a 'quick thinker', but I appreciated the praise all the same. "Thanks. I could learn a thing or two from you too, you know. Healing magic? That's definitely up my alley."

  "Stick with me and I'll teach you everything I know." She promised.

  "So the party grows." I mused. "But how did you find me here? What were you doing there in the first place? Tell me this world is as weird to you as it is to me."

  "I’ve been looking for you, you know." Mabel crossed her arms and stared at me as if it was obvious. How was I supposed to know that? I didn't even know she was here in the first place! I mean, I had an inkling, but where would I even start in a world this big?

  "Did you really expect me to find you out of everyone in the Veil? How did you know I’d end up at the ruins?"

  "Unlike some of us," She sneered, "I've been paying attention. I arrived there for the same reason that drew you to it. You can see them, can’t you?"

  "See what?" My mind still swum from sleep and pain.

  "Don’t play dumb. The runes. That’s what got us into this mess, remember?"

  Finally it dawned on me. They'd gotten her too. She was mixed up in this! I restrained myself from fist pumping the air. That meant I was right. Take that, Overture! It seemed like so long ago now. Those lecture halls, musty books, and boring board meetings were distant memories, even though I hadn't been here very long. Crazy how fast you forget when you're thrown into a whole new situation. "You too, I wager?" I chanced a glance at her.

  Her shoulders slumped. "Yeah. Apparently it's something of a gift around here. How’d you get in?" She looked at me with wide, interested eyes.

  "As far as I can tell, there’s only one way. That blasted book." I scowled and remembered the fluttering pages, the glowing runes, and the glittering black opal on the cover of the book. Crane's book.

  "Crane," we said in unison, our eyes meeting. My heart raced as my palms started to sweat. Finally, someone that knew what I was talking about. Maybe I wasn't crazy after all. Or maybe we both were.

  "You really think he has something to do with all this?" I said excitedly. "What the hell was he researching?" I remembered him acting a bit odd during his time at Overture, but not downright crazy or anything. At least, not till the end, anyway. A discovery of this magnitude would have taken time to uncover. How had he slipped it under our noses?

  Mabel moved across the room and sat on the cot next to me. "Oof, these things are like laying on bricks, aren't they?" She smiled up at me.

  "Yeah," I agreed with a grin. "Where are we, anyway?"

  "We made camp after the Sprike Mother fell. Fel dragged you out of there himself, though he'd never admit it to anyone, least of all you."

  I chuckled. As much as he acted all stuffy at times, the man had a good heart. "He's a good man." I nodded. "And Tris? She's here too?"

  "Won't quit asking about you. But I told them both, you need your rest. They can visit once you've healed up. Thought you might need the alone time."

  "Thanks," I said. Having them barge in on me while I was trying to put myself back together didn't sound very fun at all. And this way, I could have private conversations with Mabel about our past, our present, and our future.

  Mabel leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "You know this this Author they talk about? I think they’re one and the same. The Author and Crane, I mean."

  Now that...was a very interesting idea. I couldn't say I'd never thought of it before, but if it was true...

  My head spun just thinking of it. What if he really was the man behind the curtain in all of this? What was his motive? What did he want? And why did he bring us here, of all people?

  "Come with me." Mabel said suddenly, sitting upright. "We can find him. We can get some answers."

  "You really think he's here, then?"

  "Where else would he be?" She held out her hand. I still felt unsteady, unsure, uneasy. Somehow, this didn’t feel like the path I was meant to be on.

  "I need your help, Winston." Her hand still lingered there, waiting for me. But she wanted Winston's help...not Cael's. I wasn't even sure the Winston she knew could exist in this world.

  "Call me Cael." I said, running a hand through my hair. "I'm not Winston here, anyway. It will just confuse Tris and Fel. Do you have a different name here, by the way?"

  Mabel narrowed her eyes at me and paused for a few moments. I'd seen that look before at the board meetings. She did that when she was deep in thought. "I don’t know why you’re acting like you’re going to stay here. Don’t you want to leave?"

  And there it was. I was shocked at just how difficult a question that had become. Did I want to leave? Well, yeah, but it was more complicated than that. "…I don’t know." I said finally. "It's a chance to start over, you know?"

  Mabel's eyes were wistful but she pressed on. "Well, whether you come with me or not, I’m going. I have kids at home. I have a family. And I’m not leaving them. I’m getting out. And you can come with me, or you can sit and play your games here."

  The thought hit me hard. She was right. In the real world, I had nothing. I had the Academy. That was about it. I grimaced as I remembered Laurie and her translations. Guess she wouldn’t be getting them in time, after all.

  A hint of jealousy rose up in my throat like bile. She had something to go back to. I didn't. "Must be nice, being that comfortable with yourself. Having something to go back to. You didn’t even change when you had a chance."

  "What was that?" She hissed.

  "Nothing." I spat and looked off into the distance. "Are you done here?"

  "Are you coming with me or not?"

  "Let me think." She sure wasn't making it easy. I mused on all I’d been through. From stumbling into Tris to falling in with Fel, the Seekers, and the Meliae, it seemed I couldn’t turn a corner without uncovering a new secret. But leaving Fel and Tris behind? They were just characters in this vast world, but we'd built a rapport together. Both of them had saved me on more occasions than I could count. We'd saved each other. And to be honest, I thought we made a pretty good team. I didn't want to just go running off again. In a place like this, allies were your most valuable resources.

  "Fel and Tris." I counted off on my fingers. "They’ve got to come with us. That's my condition."

  She scoffed. "They can’t even see the Runes. What good will they be?"

  "There are people in this world that have the same goals as you, you know. People who want to find the Author. People that want answers. They've been doing a lot of research on this stuff, and they have knowledge that you don't."

  "And there are more of them out there? People like that?"

  "I think so, yeah. Listen, they can help us. And neither of us are very high level, let’s face it. We need their strength to get
through this. Your healing is great, but if we can't hold our own to begin with..." I trailed off.

  Her face fell. "Fine," She said after a pause. "We’ll take them. But when the time comes…"

  "Time comes for what?" A sick feeling rose in my gut.

  "They’re just NPCs." She hissed. "We’re real. And so is Crane. We need to find him. Why do you care so much about them anyway?"

  For some reason, that offended me more than I thought it would. "NPCs, seriously?" I stood, the sudden movement making my head swim. My blood rushed through my ears as my heart pounded fiercely. "How can you be so sure? And how does that make it any less real? We’re in a digital simulation, Mabel. None of this is real, if you look at it that way! You're not real! I'm not real! We're just pixels on a screen somewhere!" I let out a long breath, my hands shaking. I'd played games before. NPCs were just that. NPCs. I was that guy that ended up killing a whole town for the fun of it. Not in real life, of course. But here...what was real life? What was the game? These people felt real. I'd had real interactions with them. And that had caused some kind of emotional reaction, I guess.

  But what was real, anymore?

  She huffed silently for a few moments. "I just know what I know," She said simply. "Whether they're 'real' or not isn't important. We need to gather our kind and get the heck out of here. Those two out there? They are not from our world."

  "That doesn’t make them disposable." I scowled.

  "Doesn’t it?"

  The air hung heavy with silence as the seconds ticked past. One...two...three.... I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My mouth opened and closed as I tried to form words.

  "Do you want to find him, or not?" She said, holding out her hand one more time. "I've got to go, if not."

  We really did need a healer along...

  I gave a long suffering sigh, then took her hand and nodded. "All right, Mabel. Have it your way. But you're not going to treat my friends like that, understand?"

  Mabel didn't answer. She tossed me some fruit and turned for the door. "Get some rest. I’m on watch." The tent flap fluttered down behind her.