Isekai Magus: A LitRPG Progression Saga

by Han Yang

  Zeedodan cleared his throat and said, “Yabbi slaves. We have a half dozen in the dwelling. They help us build.”

  I furled my brow. “Seems they’re indispensable.” Zeedodan turned his head and this time Perqueta smirked. “The builders are not worth giving up for more breeders. They are too valuable with their improvements.”

  “We can always capture more. They started the war,” Zeedodan said with clenched teeth.

  “My lands were far from yabbi lands. Will you drag one out for a sample,” I said.

  “Yes, they are new to us too. So human-like,” Perqueta waved at one of the centaurs not in the circle and said, “Bring me the troublemaker. A gift.”

  I smiled and waited. A young colt served tea to the adults. I was offered a cup but refused politely.

  “What’s happening?” Bell asked.

  “A gift apparently,” I said. “They want more female horses to grow the herd. Jark will be able to bypass defenses to free mares. If we do that, they have builder slaves they want to trade. I think this is all a setup to get mares and then they’ll likely cross us. Sorta not great for us for walking into an ambush.”

  “What’s the plan?” Tarla asked.

  I shrugged. “We have a few options, most of them involve fighting. We can’t run from these horsemen. Especially since they all have magic. Speaking of which, how is Litroo not a giant mess of mages just flinging endless spells at each other?”

  “You mean how do you defend against offensive magic?” Tarla asked.

  Bell replied for me, knowing that is what I meant. “It requires a deflection mage, a blue bubble type shield that deflects magic. You can buy gear endued with minor shields built into them, but they get expensive. The big thing about magic is that it's super costly to expel. You saw Tarla. She only cast two spells and ran out of mana.”

  “Yea, when I think about it, so did Desra. Okay, let me negotiate and try to get a good deal,” I said. “I’m not sure how it will go, but I’ll try my best to keep you both alive.”

  Bell scoffed and Tarla surprised us both when she said, “I trust you.”

  Our hosts didn’t seem to mind our side chatter and simply relaxed.

  A minute later, the door to the house burst open. A fit centaur dragged out a humanoid bound in ropes. His bright green eyes shimmered with hatred.

  The second he saw us, he closed his eyes and sighed in relief. The how or the why I was unable to ascertain.

  A second centaur brought over a planter with a small tomato plant growing from the pot.

  “An elva,” Tarla whispered.

  “What did she say?” Perqueta demanded.

  “She called him an elf. Which he is not, but close,” I said with a grunt. “I have to wonder if the magic warped a few of the species.”

  “Interesting insight. This one is different from the others. He doesn’t speak our language,” Perqueta said. “That has made him a problem and a prime gift.”

  I shrugged and said, “The ways of Nordan are foreign to me. He could be an elf, or he could be a stubborn yabbi.”

  “Yes. Either way, you’ll need him. Zeedodan, do the honors and feed the plants his life,” Perqueta ordered.

  The horned elf struggled, fighting the centaur the best he could with the vines tight around his body. Bell gasped and Tarla whimpered, both understanding before I could.

  Zeedodan grabbed the elf once he was in position and retrieved a knife from his belt. The elf died with panic in his eyes, his throat slit to drain into the potter.

  I wanted to look away, I really did, but I couldn’t. His muffled cries of sadness died with him in quick order. Zeedodan let the body flop down where it twitched a few times.

  “Our gift to you. The two skeletons should get through the defenses, and if not, just show me your minion score when you return to prove they died trying. In exchange, you’ll leave your supplies behind,” Perqueta said.

  I wanted to frown, sigh, or scowl. I smiled the best I could.

  “A great honor, and I will accept when we reach terms. What if the process takes a few nights? I need a place to sleep, food to eat, and time to plan,” I said in a stern way.

  “You’re right, of course. You can have a single pack with a tent but no horses. You’ll never outpace my herd even if you ran day and night,” he said.

  I pretended to be upset about this. Then I flicked my orb and sent him my minion count.

  “Three of five. Go ahead, make it four. That dung heap will free us many mares. How many you bring back with you will determine how many yabbi I trade you. Zeedodan will accompany you to ensure you’re keeping to your end of the bargain. Finally, he becomes a full member of the herd,” Perqueta said proudly.

  Yeah, right after he slits my throat and imprisons the ladies. Still, I might need these people. A fair deal would mean someone I could use later, or a place to retreat to.

  “Let me tell my slaves what is happening,” I said.

  I turned to see Tarla putting Bell’s brown hair into a tight bun.

  “The deal is good,” I said in Nordan to Bell and Tarla. “Almost too good. He should be wanting to keep one of you here. Instead, he wants the undead horses to stay, and we get one pack. Oh, and an escort. The hothead who slit the elva’s throat.”

  “All for female horses?” Bell asked, and I nodded. “Yeah, having allies won’t hurt. They seem trustworthy.”

  I caught her glancing at one of the younger centaurs. His eyes showed a slight understanding, and a few other centaurs gave him flickering gazes.

  Maybe the elva was teaching Nordan. Or a different prisoner. Hmm…

  A mare came over, nickering for something. I caught onto something else at that moment. The young mare was making noises. They all gave grunts, snorts, and smacking of lips. I just hadn’t realized until that moment that they communicated in a second language.

  They conversed in horse. The kid centaur was likely telling the council we were trusting them.

  I had to exploit this. But how?

  “I just think we’ll fail. Two minions to take into an enemy city means we’ll likely die. I need a distraction, and we’ll be weighed down by the packs, meaning…” I paused as if contemplating. “I guess we could use the female horses as regular horses. Even if we’re going for only the main lady.”

  “Why wouldn’t we use the mares as horses to ride?” Tarla asked.

  Bell patted her leg and said, “Trust in Damien, please.”

  I turned to Perqueta and said, “Please describe the ideal mare for you.”

  The next ten minutes consisted of him talking about a white female horse. I got to hear about her curves, perfect fur, and how she would nuzzle a male the perfect way. He went into detail about everything, and I mean everything. Even the sex, and I pretended to listen aptly.

  At the very end, he said, “Pheliniphia is not a common mare for carrying your gear or self. She is only allowed to be ridden by me. Is that understood? I’ll include Serriavian to help with the escort mission. That way you won’t tire or be caught easily.”

  I was hoping he’d give me one of my undead horses. I held in my grimace, continuing to keep a wide smile on my face.

  “You pay in advance, the minion for Pheliniphia,” I said.

  “Her or another mare. I need to keep the blood lines fresh. You have my word that any others you free will be freely traded for. Upon your return with our mares, you’ll be free to exit our lands without assault from my herd and be considered a friend within these. And so it shall be known,” he said.

  The other centaurs repeated, “So shall it be known.”

  “May I stand and claim my new minion?” I asked, and he smiled.

  “Go right ahead, add the filthy slave’s corpse to your growing army. What a waste he was in life, and may he serve you in death,” Perqueta asked with a grin.

  I rose with determination, heading to claim my latest victim. I could only hope his eventual revival wouldn’t erase him forever.

  Inst
ead of letting his death weigh on my shoulders, I did the only thing I could.

  If I revive him, they kill us. This is sad, this is wrong, and death is life in Nordan. Beach on an island, beach on an island.

  I closed my eyes, focusing on his orb. My mediation deepened as I concentrated. A battle of wills ensued, and I was as determined as he was. Eventually his orb’s resistance broke, and I was given a prompt.

  Claim or Consume Zorta?

  Claiming the Asha Stormbringer as a minion will result in you earning Ostriva points. Do you wish to proceed? (YES) - (NO)

  You selected to claim: Asha Stormbringer. Consume 17.227 Zorta to summon this human as a minion of the undead. This will incur 1500 Ostriva points. Do you wish to proceed? (YES) - (NO)

  After recent upgrades that would leave me at only one zorta left. Whomever this Asha Stormbringer was, he carried a high cultivation value.

  I selected yes, watching the ground exude souls. The centaurs gasped, likely never seeing a body become claimed. The skin, tendons, and muscle were quickly stripped off, and I let the numbness from the visual nightmare wash over me.

  A second later, Asha rose despondently. He sulked where Jark beamed.

  Ah, they’re really reflections of their former selves.

  “Cheer up, Asha,” I ordered. “Your woes of life are over, and you can help me make a difference in this form.”

  I raised a hand, connecting to his aura.

  Minion: Asha.

  Health 27/27. Level 1.

  Sapient Elva.

  Fighting Abilities: Highly proficient.

  Memories intact (Suppressed).

  Upgrade Available. Consume 12 mana and 1 Zorta (YES) or (NO)

  Damien Moonguard

  Mana 19/25

  Zorta 1.91

  I sighed and figured it was best to have him at his peak. I selected yes for the upgrade, and a swirl of black magic descended in a tornado. This sucked in the flames from the fire and startled the herd to stand.

  Asha collapsed, and a second later he reformed with thicker bones and standing slightly taller.

  I quickly checked, and he went to thirty health and level two. No upgrade awaited him. Maybe the one to two was automatic. So much to learn.

  Perqueta scoffed before yelling at his son, “Zeedodan, take these guests out of the walls before they frighten the herd further. Serriavian, carry the supplies.”

  The brash young centaur huffed, leading us for the exit. I saw the young one who spoke Noradan scoop up two of the four packs.

  I held in my smirk and tried my best to act naturally. If they wanted to allow a mistake, I’d not let them know.

  The skeleton horses wanted to follow, but I ordered them to stay while I brought Jark and Asha.

  We walked out of the village walls, and I asked Zeedodan, “Where to and how far?”

  “With your legs, two days northwest,” he said with a grunt.

  “Yes, we do not have the great stamina of the centaurs, but we do have two skeletons to fetch you mares,” I said with a fake smile.

  “Good, I need a mating partner. Fail, and the punishment is death,” he said.

  “I was waiting for the threat. Thank you for clarifying,” I said.

  He continued into the unknown, walking a worn trail between the growing pines. Feeling a mix of luck and of being a fool, I followed him on the quest to grow his herd.

  CHAPTER 16

  Yabbi Farmlands

  A boney hand grabbed my boot, stirring me awake. The gap in our makeshift tent flap revealed it was in the dead of night with minimal moonlight breaching the cloud cover.

  I had managed to tell Jark to wake me if the two centaurs fell asleep. On the first night, while we slept like babes, they rotated guards. On the second night, same thing, but Jark stirred me, then quickly vanished.

  Finally, I could get a private conversation in, especially after our discoveries earlier in the evening.

  We currently camped outside the Yabbi Farmlands, not far from their villages. We had spent the evening scouting a few targets, none of them having the horse Perqueta had described in detail.

  The yabbi were a form of elves, just darker in nature with their forest green hair and use of slaves. They built buildings, the same as a human society. My expectations for a tree city were disappointed.

  From what I could tell, the yabbi found themselves as a superior race to others. I didn’t think if I asked for sanctuary they’d grant safety because I had literally seen them whipping humans in a farm field just a few hours earlier.

  The males appeared as warriors with large horns and stern gazes. The females were mostly mothers tending to slaves, and I saw some on patrols. They used a lot of horses in lieu of slave labor. While I felt bad for the humans and other species under the whip, the yabbi had a decent militia even on these small outposts.

  As morally wrong as seeing the slaves was, humans had the miscee, and that was the only race I knew humans had subjugated on Nordan. That probably explained why the centaurs were so uncaring about us too.

  Getting to this point had been grueling, and we were kept under constant surveillance. There was no doubt in my mind that I was a prisoner with privileges, evident by our escort.

  To make the trip more arduous, our pace was tediously slow for the centaurs, and they refused breaks or second breakfasts. The duo grumbled nonstop and would banter constantly about how weak we were.

  This helped us get a few private words in, but not much else. The more painful the trip became, the greater I swore to free ourselves of the centaurs.

  I reached into my bag, quickly handing Jark the charcoal pencil and ledger. He fumbled with the tool but managed. I read his text to myself.

  Five follow. One is always awake. Yabbi ripe for stealing.

  I nodded, shooing him back out to go hunt for common animals. Jark and Asha had been providing me with minimal Zorta to build my reserves back up. For now, Asha was happy to carry out my tasks, never being a grouch. I probably would suppress his angst until we escaped this situation.

  With five of the centaurs hot on our heels, I figured I had minimal options.

  We could kill the sleeping two, then fight the five and maybe even kill them. Sneaking up on a sleeping centaur wasn’t the easiest of tasks either because they had a great sense of smell and hearing.

  We could also steal the mares, piss off the yabbi, and then force a confrontation.

  After mulling the options over, I came to a decision.

  I stirred Beth and Tarla. They both groggily opened their eyes and nodded when I put a finger to my lips.

  “Follow my lead,” I whispered.

  When I exited the tent, the rustling perked Zeedodan’s ears. I relieved myself against a tree, and he walked over to join me.

  “Did you get enough sleep for your weak body?” he asked with a grunt.

  “Yeah, the night is full. I’m going for the horses in the village we scouted. After we bring you the new horses, we’re leaving. Your father will have to understand,” I said defiantly.

  I had let Bell walk over me a bit due to my naive nature of Nordan. I certainly let this situation reach a point where my only chance to regain control was now. Ah, yes, his hand goes to his dagger.

  “I was worried you weren’t a necromancer and instead a spineless dog. Father agrees to pay you little for a lot and will even release your skeleton horses when we return with our new mares,” the Zeedodan sneered.

  “Excellent. I just need to upgrade one of my minions again, and this time I need someone strong to hold him down,” I said.

  “He breaks apart when you leveled him in our village,” Serriavian said, questioning my need for help.

  “Yes, well, it's a new level, new spell,” I said. “I don’t think my females are stronger than you.”

  This caused him to chuckle at the absurdity of a smaller woman being stronger than a big centaur.

  “Asha, come,” I said in a normal conversational tone. The magic carried my w
ords to his being, and a few minutes later he arrived carrying a small forest owl type creature. “Ah, thanks. Tarla, ingest the Z please.”

  I waited until the orb disappeared, and she smiled happily. I could tell she enjoyed the sudden access to power that had been out of her reach for so long.

  “Asha, stand in this clearing. You’re going to struggle, and these two centaurs are going to hold your arms,” I said, and he nodded. “Great. It’s time to level up.”

  His head only tilted in confusion for a moment before he obeyed my commands. When he entered the middle of the clearing, the two centaurs grabbed an arm each, waiting for him to fight their grip.

  I concentrated with an inner mantra, using the Nordan language instead of Ostriva. Serriavian might understand why I swapped the words in the spell, but I doubled it.

  “Life is Zorta, Zorta is life. Life is Zorta, Zorta is life. Life is Zorta, Zorta is life.” I chanted while I focused on Asha’s body.

  The skeleton craned its neck back fighting my efforts. When I finally locked onto his spirit the body slumped.

  You cannot revive the undead. You can remake them. This will count as your daily revival per your level. Performing this act will earn you Nordan points. Remake Asha the Minion into Asha the Elva Minion - (YES) - (NO)

  I selected yes hesitantly.

  My fear of something extraordinary happening was warranted.

  The heavens burst open, unleashing their golden might with a single torrential smite. The power surged down and burst upon the body in a blossoming of power. An orange hue grew out of the golden light, enveloping Asha and the two centaurs holding him.

  BOOM!

  An explosive force washed over the area and created a clap so loud my ears rang. The force pushed me back, and I fought to stay upright.

  The three inside the blast flew outward, crashing hard in a tumble. All of them groaned in the short grass.

  “Kill Serriavian,” I whispered to Jark.

  I sprinted for Zeedodan. His body boiled with magical burns from my spell. I reached down, finding the hilt of the long dagger in his belt and yanked it free.