The Ghost Tower: A LitRPG Adventure

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  Zara took three long strides and swung her double-bladed axe in a wide arc, catching the rot fiend on its leg before the noxious gas returned to surround the creature. "At least fire your bow or something," she called angrily at Flynn as she raced back towards Newt.

  Flynn frowned, but nocked an arrow in the bow he retrieved from his back. Terran watched as the arrow shaft and feather dissolved as it penetrated the black death gas, dropping the stone tip harmlessly to the ground before it reached the monster. Flynn shrugged his shoulders. "Useless as a meal for Skully," he muttered.

  "We have to get rid of that gas. Newt, can you do that repelling thing again?" Terran called to his friend.

  "It's on cooldown. I get two charges every ninety seconds," Newt said, frowning.

  The only thing saving the group from certain death was that the creature and the gas surrounding it moved slowly. Luna growled as she slowly backed away, front half low to the ground, ready to pounce whenever the fiend was exposed.

  Completely taken over by rage, Zara was swinging wildly at anything in front of her. Several times she had to pry her axe out of the nearest trunk before continuing her assault. The rest of the group was forced to watch for attacks from both the rot fiend and the raging berserker as the battle wore on. It was turning out to be the slowest kiting job ever.

  Terran sent another Vocal Slam towards the lumbering rot fiend out of frustration as he stepped over an exposed root behind him, trying to avoid Zara's freshly honed axe blade. He watched as the sound waves created a small window of space as they traveled through the noxious gas and smashed into the rotten tree. An archer with decent aim would be able to shoot into the window if they timed it right.

  "Did you see that, Flynn?" Terran called out.

  "See what?"

  "If you fire right after I cast Vocal Slam, you could get an arrow through. The sound waves penetrate the gas, making a small opening."

  Flynn watched this time as Terran sang his F sharp and the sound waves dispersed the gas, then hit the tree. He nocked an arrow waiting for Terran to sing again, but had to duck as Zara's axe blade slashed the air above his head. When Terran sang again, Flynn fired his arrow directly into the gap created by the sound waves. The projectile slammed into the rot fiend and stuck in its decomposing bark, dealing a small amount of damage. The shaft and feather disintegrated when the gas flowed back, refilling the space, but at least they'd dealt some damage.

  As soon as it recharged, Newt used his magnetic-like ability to pull the fiend into a large rock outcrop nearby and push Zara into its legs. Zara chopped at the tree like a wild lumberjack competing in a competition just as Luna pounced, grinding her sharp teeth into the rotten bark of the other leg, sending insects skittering for safety. Luna shook her head frantically as she backed away, trying to fling off the bugs that were clinging to her muzzle.

  As the gas re-enveloped the fiend, Terran cast Rock Wall again, this time in front of Zara, allowing Newt to again slam the fiend into it with his remaining ability charge.

  After what felt like an eternity, the group had managed to reduce the rot fiend's hit points to the final ten percent. Terran was so focused on his Vocal Slams and avoiding Zara's crazed axe swings that he would not have noticed the decline in health had the creature not become enraged and moved towards them twice as fast. He wondered what other abilities had been unlocked as he watched the enrage icon, a large black bull skull, flash above the creature's head. He didn't have to ponder for long, as the rot fiend extended its arm and a vine of inky, black death grew out of its fingers, reaching towards Flynn, who scrambled to get out of the way.

  The vine shot out tendrils on each side, winding around nearby tree branches like a snake coiling around its victim, choking out the life force of the tree. As it continued to grow outward, reaching for Flynn, it created a black web of death in the space between. The archer narrowly managed to escape the reach of the vine as he continued to backpedal towards safety, stumbling over the uneven ground.

  Terran drew a deep breath to create another Vocal Slam while he anxiously waited for his rock wall spell to recharge. Newt readied his gravomancer ability just as Flynn reached into his quiver, removed the final arrow, and nocked it.

  Time seemed to slow as Flynn backed into Newt, causing him to misfire his ability. Instead of hitting Zara and propelling her towards the rot fiend, Newt's repulsion hit Flynn squarely in the back, jettisoning him towards the tree, while at the same time attracting the tree towards them. The sudden change in direction had Flynn losing the arrow he had nocked.

  Panic ensued as the rot fiend careened closer to the group, the arrow arced through the air, and Flynn was repelled towards the fiend all at once. The arrow slammed into a dead branch above the battle, sending a massive dead limb crashing to the ground. Terran was completely shocked when the limb fell right in front of the fiend. Shards of trees, dead and decomposing, flew through the air in every direction as the black gas was shoved backward by the concussive force of air sent out from the limb slamming to the ground.

  Finally able to allow the rage to take over, Zara charged the now exposed fiend, wildly swinging her axe and chopping it to pieces while she screamed with each impact. Luna leapt at its gaping maw, clawing frantically, trying to shred the monster to bits. The black gas dissipated like steam rising from a boiling pot as the creature lost its final hit points, but Zara continued to chop at the rotten tree until Newt called out to her.

  "Zara, we're good. It's dead. Snap out of it," the skinny mage called to the berserker, trying to calm her rage. Tentatively Newt put a calming hand on her shoulder.

  Zara shook her head then took a deep breath and looked at Newt's hand on her shoulder. He quickly snapped it away and turned to hide his reddening face. Her eyes opened wide as she surveyed the shards of decomposed wood at her feet. "Is it dead?" she asked, barely audible, resting her head on the axe handle.

  "Yeah, and it's a miracle none of us are, with you and that crazy axe around," Flynn said, wiping dirt off his pants. "You really need to get that demon arm under control."

  Zara winced and her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry. I promise I'm trying. This stupid thing just takes over," she said, scowling.

  Unsure of how to handle the situation, Terran remained silent, choosing instead to scroll back through his combat log to analyze the fight. He had been so engrossed that he had managed to miss a skill improvement.

  You have improved your Battle Song ability.

  Battle Song (CHA) - 10 skill

  You may be a 10, but I wouldn't go rushing off to enter any singing competitions yet.

  "Only loot on the body is this rot shard," Zara said, holding up a blackened piece of wood that looked like a lump of charcoal with her disfigured hand.

  "Maybe Petram can use it as an ingredient in some concoction," Terran said, closing out his combat log and opening his pack for Zara to drop in the shard. "Let's take a quick break to regain hit points and mana then head back to the settlement. I think there will be a seed ready to plant by the time we get back," he added.

  "Sorry for putting that wall up in front of you, Zara," Terran said as he walked next to the tall redhead. "You move a lot faster than I had anticipated."

  Zara grinned and playfully jabbed Terran in the ribs. It was the first time she had smiled since the fight. "I'm pretty quick for a lumbering berserker is what I hear you saying. There has to be some benefit to having this annoying arm," she added seriously, looking at her left arm. "I suppose it's better than not having a class though, right, Flynn?"

  "Listen, Skully, the lady is addressing us," Flynn said, holding the skull he cradled in his hand up to his face.

  "What do you mean? We all know Flynn has no class," Terran teased.

  "You are correct, sir. But Zara means I'm basically still a worthless newb because I haven't been given a class in the game yet. I've tried all kinds of things, but still haven't been offered anything. What exactly are you, Terran? Some kind of stone singer or someth
ing?"

  "I'm a crystal bard and an earthen mage."

  "What the hell? You have two classes and I can't even get one? This game is rigged," Flynn complained.

  "The earthen mage is my original class. I think the crystal bard may be tied to being the Champion of the Mother Tree somehow. I'm not really sure. What are you, Newt?" Terran asked, tapping the oblivious mage on the arm to get his attention.

  "I'm a gravomancer," he answered simply.

  "How does that work?"

  "The simplest explanation is to think about Newton's Third Law of Motion," the bookish mage began in his professorial tone. When Terran stared at him wide-eyed, he continued. "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I can push and pull things around me, basically, but I have to do both at the same time."

  "Oh, that makes sense. A force mage. Sounds cool."

  "And I'm the worthless tagalong," Flynn added with a frown.

  "You're not worthless, Flynn," Zara admonished. "We just haven't figured out your strongest skill set yet."

  Flynn looked like a kid who had just dropped their ice cream cone on the ground, so Terran didn't say any more. He had no idea if it was unusual to go this long without a class, but it was obviously a point of contention for Flynn, who returned to his private conversation with Skully. Zara shrugged her shoulders and frowned as the group continued their return to Gneiss Glen in silence. His friends had clearly been through a lot together, but they seemed reluctant to talk about it with him. He knew they'd come around eventually, so he decided to give them the time.

  Chapter Four

  Terran was filled with a sense of pride when he glimpsed the tall, ever autumnal colored boughs of the Mother Tree as they returned to the buzzing settlement. Friendly elves greeted him and Luna with smiles and waves. The familiar smell of pine and the cooking fire felt like a warm hug after a long journey.

  "There should be a seed ready to plant," Terran said excitedly to his friends. "You've got to see these trees grow. It's amazing."

  For the first time since killing the rot fiend, he saw genuine smiles on his friends' faces. "That would be great," Newt said, always eager to learn something new. "Do you get to pick what the tree will be?"

  Terran realized his friends couldn't see the settlement tab he had. "I think if I make you council members you'll be able to see the settlement information." Terran blinked his approval for each of his friends to be given council status and access to the settlement tab.

  Their eyes glazed over as the string of information scrolled across their vision. Terran noticed there were a few more buildings that could be made now that the settlement was level three and the Wunderlust Keep was no longer identified as unoccupied.

  Settlement: Gneiss Glen (Tap to rename)

  +20% defense

  +25% attack

  +20% damage

  +20% food production

  +10% morale

  -5 days seed production

  +5% HP

  +5% AC

  Level: 3

  Vassal State: Wunderlust Keep

  Essence: 0/5

  Crystals:

  Azure (Sonic Attacks)

  Fortifications:

  Bramble wall 1/1

  Watchtower 0/5

  Gate 0/2

  Population: 83/225

  Housing: 10/30

  Seeds grown: 10/30

  Days until next seed harvesting: 0

  Total Buildings: 10/30

  Barracks (Level 2) 1/1

  Fungi Garden 1/3

  Shaman Hut 1/1

  Chieftain Hut 1/1

  Orchard 1/3

  Leaf Armory (Level 1) 1/1

  Weaponmaker (Level 1) 1/1

  Crystalline Conservatory 1/1

  Aviary 1/1

  Archery Range 1/1

  Inn 0/1

  Trading Post 0/1

  Healers Hall 0/1

  Arborist Lab 0/1

  Occupations:

  Unassigned: 0

  Orchard Tender: 3

  Mother Tender: 1

  Armorer: 1

  Captain: 1

  Shaman: 1

  Tenders: 2

  Warriors: 12

  Loamers: 10

  Weaponmaster: 1

  Gatherers: 8

  Builders: 6

  Vassals: 29

  Falconer: 3

  Resources:

  Food Stores: 1,509

  Loam: 692

  Healing herbs: 198

  Leaves: 311

  Sap: 18

  Hibernating Shrooms: 18

  He wasn't sure what he should use the seed to grow, because each of the newly offered buildings had great benefits. They were going to need a trading post once Vievel returned with the steel trade set up, and getting a healer's hall would improve healing by ten percent as well as free up the space Petram was using for any injured settlers in his own hut. Terran finally decided he would build the inn first. A ten percent boost to morale was great, and his friends could have their own rooms instead of sleeping on the floor in the chieftain's hut.

  He picked a central location near the main cooking fire to dig a hole for the seed. His friends gathered around with a small group of elves that sang the song to grow the large gray seed into an inn. As soon as Terran covered the seed with dirt the ground vibrated and a small, weak sapling emerged.

  "This is incredible. All these trees have grown from a seed in this short amount of time?" Newt asked.

  Terran nodded. "The song the elves sing helps shape each tree differently. I grew the Mother Tree on my own, so it doesn't have any special shaping."

  "What's wrong with that branch?" Flynn asked, pointing towards a shriveled limb covered in dead leaves.

  "I'm not sure. I've never seen that happen before," Terran said, examining the branch.

  As Terran reached out to touch the limb, a brown leaf fell to the ground. He gripped the branch and it easily snapped off the tree, indicating it was dead. The tree also seemed to be growing a little slower than usual, but Terran thought that was because there were fewer elves singing than the last times. As the elves continued shaping the tree with their song a few more branches grew in already dead, but it didn't seem to have any effect on the building, and in less than an hour the inn was complete.

  Much like the crystalline conservatory, this tree did not have the ramp outside to access the upper rooms. Instead there was a large, central main floor with space for plenty of tables and chairs and an opening in the back leading to the main cooking fire. A spiral ramp wound its way up on the inside of the tree with various doorways opening to the central chamber below. The inn looked like it could house at least twenty visitors at once. There was even a massive double door room near the bottom that looked large enough for a centaur.

  His friends were quickly scouting out which rooms they would occupy while Terran used his ability to analyze the building.

  Gneiss Glen Inn (diseased)

  Sleeps: 28

  Vacancies: 25

  Staff: 0

  You'll need to assign an innkeeper and some housekeeping if you expect this thing to run smoothly.

  Terran worried about the disease. Though only a few branches had shriveled brown leaves, he had never seen a seed produce a diseased tree before, and he didn't have the skill to analyze what was going on. He turned to go find Petram when Zara slapped him on the back, jarring him out of his thoughts.

  "This is great." Zara smiled at Terran. "Now you can bring ladies back to your room without a bunch of gawkers and we can have our own space," she added with a wink.

  Terran's heart stabbed with pain at the comment. He missed Chanterelle so much it hurt, but he realized his friends knew nothing about the elf and his relationship since she was gone before they even arrived. He hadn't thought about how he was now going to be alone in his room again. His smile went no further than his lips, but he tried to at least look happy for them.

  "Yeah, it will be nice to have you all out of my hair," he
said flatly.

  "Let's celebrate. I hear Ara has a new brew ready," Flynn chimed in.

  "I've got something to take care of first. You all get your rooms sorted out, and I'll be back in a bit to join you," Terran said, turning on his heel.

  Terran's thoughts flooded with images of Chanterelle as he searched for Petram. Her smile as she rested her chin on her arms looking at him. Her masterful dance with her blades as she sparred with other warriors. The feel of her warm embrace when he returned from a mission. The soft sound of her breathing as she slept next to him in the hammock.

  He stood under the boughs of the Mother Tree for a few minutes trying to gather his senses before the hole that Chanterelle left in his heart overtook him. He had been so busy reuniting with his friends, then battling the rot fiend, that he had not had time to feel the emptiness. He hoped that wherever her path had taken her, she was safe and would someday return.

  After a few deep breaths Terran shoved the sadness back down and continued his search for Petram. He found the shaman in his hut dispensing healing herbs to an elf that he had seen working as a builder. He inclined his head at the elf as he was leaving.

  "Ah, Terran the Tenacious, did you find the creature that was destroying the forest?" the shaman asked while screwing the lid back on a jar labeled fever root.

  "We did. It was a rot fiend," he answered, sitting down across from Petram.

  The slender elf furrowed his brow. "I have only read about those in books. I thought they had been eradicated long ago. Dark forces are at work if that thing was roaming the forest."

  "What do you mean?" Terran asked, tilting his head to the side.

  "A rot fiend no longer exists in our world, so something very powerful would have had to create it and send it at us. If it had gotten all the way to the settlement our trees would have been in grave danger. Being so near the Mother Tree would give us some time to prepare a cure, but eventually everything succumbs to the rot blight."

  Terran sat in silence, digesting the information. He was roused from his thoughts by Petram's question. "Anything else I can help you with?"