I shook my head in disbelief. Nothing in this world seemed free and I was a bit skeptical. This sounded way too good to be true. Well, I guess it wasn’t free. We did have to kill a demi-boss to get it.
I felt a twang of greed enter my mind and I quickly disbanded the feeling. I would not be stealing from my friends. They had just as much claim to this as I did.
“What’s that?” asked Bataar from behind me.
“It’s the deed to this dirty cavern. Apparently, we can actually claim it as our own.”
Grimy dropped one the ores he was hugging very tightly and looked up at both of us. I couldn’t read the little, green face but if I had to choose what I thought he was feeling, I’d say it was curiosity. He wanted to see what we were going to do.
“All of us are going to put our names on this deed,” I said. “This can be our home. We have nowhere else to go and it can sort of be like a safe haven for us.”
Grimy put a hand to his heart and backed up a few steps. This goblin was greedy… or was he? Was that another tear I saw in his eye?
“Yeah! Hell yeah! Let’s do it! A place just for the three of us. I mean, just look at this place!” Bataar gestured his hands towards the exit of Hondren’s lair to the cavernous area we had just come from. “So much room for activities!”
I smiled and revisited the prompt in my vision. I added all three of our names and confirmed.
Another prompt replaced the last and I guessed it toggled in the other’s UI as well.
Congratulations! You and two others: Bataar and Grimy, have obtained the deed to the Dreaded Grog Bog Cavern! Please note that any other player can infiltrate your home and steal the deed. All they have to do is reach out and touch the paper while you are incapacitated, dead, or away. Please be sure to hide it well. If you have any questions on what you can and cannot do with your new home, please revisit the manual which is posted behind the deed. Welcome home.
“Huh, I guess that’s why the dirty Orc hid it here,” Bataar said. “Pretty smart for an eight hundred pound buffoon.”
“True that,” I said, rereading the text before exiting out of it. “So now what?”
“Guys! Look!” Grimy was pointing at a semi-shiny vein that blended in very well with the stone. If the goblin hadn’t pointed it out, I never would have seen it.
“So that’s where Hondren was getting the Katchin Ore,” I said, “But how was he-”
“There,” Grimy said, now pointing at a pick axe at the other side of the room. It was small in size and must have been like a toothpick for Hondren.
Of course, I had to pick it up and try it at the wall. It was super light and it only took one of my arms to swing it. The pick axe clinked loudly against the vein.
You do not have the necessary skills to mine this ore. Please see a miner for proper training.
“Oh, guess I should have known.”
“What?” asked Bataar.
“Gotta have the mining skill,” I replied.
“Ahh, that makes sense.”
I offered the pick axe to Grimy. “What about you? Do you have the mining skill?”
Grimy took the pick axe but shook his head. “Sure don’t, but I do knows a guy who can help sell this ore for a better price than auction house markets.”
“How do you ‘knows a guy’,” asked Bataar, crossing his arms over his chest. “You were an NPC before we got to you.”
“Yeah, I know that… I think,” Grimy said, scratching his hairless head. He thought a moment, both eyes shut. “A-ha! You see… if you two would have interrogated me as a prisoner, I believe it would have been an option for me to say. At least, I think so. I dunno. I don’t really care about all that. All I knows is that I want some gold! It’s in my blood!”
We left the room, the Katchin Ore split between us. The door to the storage room shut behind us. We used the pick axe to dig a small hole where we buried the deed.
The light at the end of the cavern was welcoming. However, the humid air I felt run through my hair was not. I was tired and I could feel my hunger building up steadily. It would be time to eat soon.
Bataar nudged my ribs. “Hey, did you ever notice all the strange things that happened when you became Enlightened? Did you teleport to places? See things that shouldn’t have been there?”
“Yeah,” I said. “It was a really weird experience. In fact, it’s the reason why I’m still breathing, actually.”
“Phew! Thought I was going crazy but, hey… nothing happened when Grimy became Enlightened. Not one spectacular thing. Do you find that strange?”
I looked at the top of the cavern. A couple pairs of red eyes from the bats looked back down at me. “You’re right,” I said. “Nothing strange did happen. I wonder why that is.”
It was right when the light of the sky hit my head that so did a thick net. It covered my entire body and the weight of it brought me crashing down. Mud splashed as my face slammed into the ground but I quickly shook my head to snap out of it. Quickly, I wiped the wet terrain from my face and went to grab my sword but a heavy pair of boots fell onto my back and a hand clasped down on my wrist keeping it pinned to the ground.
I wiggled and squirmed as hard as I could, anything to release the grip of the person on top of me. If I could just get to my sword-
“Good work, apprentice,” said a voice a few feet in front of me. It was young sounding and even a bit sing-songy.
I struggled to get my head up and saw that both Grimy and Bataar had been taken down. Bataar, too, had someone on top of him. My eyes were just about to register on his face when something hard hit the back of my head. Darkness followed instantly.
39
When I awoke, I was greeted by a starry sky. My hands were cold and ached from lack of blood. I looked down at them. They were bound tightly by rope which was connected to a thick tree behind me. I checked my health and saw that it was below 35%. The hunger I was experiencing was close to a dangerous level.
With a pounding head, I took in my surroundings. All three of us had been tied to the same tree. Grimy was on his side, still unconscious, while Bataar was wide awake. He didn’t need to turn his head to know that I was also awake. Neither of us spoke but listened. My heart was beating so fast that I was afraid that our captors could hear it.
I saw the orange light of a fire with two players sitting at opposite sides of it. I could hear their soft talk but even with my half-elvish ears I couldn’t make out the words.
And so I lay there, concentrating on my breathing and trying to keep my fear level down. I needed to find a way out of this mess or it would surely mean my death. What could these two possibly want from us? We had nothing. Did they want the cavern? They could have the smelly place!
Or was it that damned Golden Alliance? Couldn’t those guys just leave us be? No, it couldn’t have been them. They would probably just have killed us on sight. That’s why they had sent Chirosh to kill us. They had no more interrogations for us.
Then who were these two?
I tried my very best to relax, listening to the crackling of the fire. I figured maybe I could talk my way out of this. Or maybe the other two had a better idea. If words weren’t going to work, then maybe we could all three rush them with our bodies or find something sharp to take down the durabilities of our bindings.
Just then, the two players stood from their seats by the fire and I targeted them. What I saw gave me an ember of hope.
Tahshine Level 22 Shadow (Trickster)
What was she doing here? Didn’t she recognize me? Of course she did. I saved her ass from Toxhin back in those tunnels. Then why was she doing this to me?
The other player I did not know but his name made my blood run cold.
Inotep Level 28 Bearheart (Trickster)
The title Bearheart stood out in my mind and I instantly knew that this was not a coincidence. Whatever reason this Trickster had captured me was for the sole purpose of my title being similar. As for the reason why? It looked like I was
about to find out.
The Bearheart left Tahshine and walked over to where we sat. Even though I’d heard the prettiness of his voice before, it shocked me to hear it up close. He spoke in a normal tone but it was loud given how quiet it had been moments ago.
“So, you’re the Lionheart everyone’s talking about?” he asked, crouching down beside me, just outside my reach.
I had closed my eyes when he had started walking over this way. Did he know I was awake? Or did he just not care.
I chose to speak. “Yes, I guess I am. Didn’t know I was that popular.”
Grimy stirred awake next to me. “Hey, what gives!” He squirmed a bit but stopped once he targeted the Bearheart.
“Why does a righteous Lionheart make friends with trash?” asked Inotep, looking over at the goblin.
I expected Grimy to take offense and shout out something at the Bearheart, but he remained quiet. As for Bataar, he kept still and remained looking at the sky.
“He’s not trash. He’s a good person.”
“He’s a goblin!” shouted Inotep, making me jump at the suddenness of it. “Players don’t party with creatures. We complete their quests or we kill them.”
This time, Grimy did speak. “I’m no creature! I probably became an NPC once these two captured-”
“Shut it! Or I’ll kill you first!”
I hadn’t seen Inotep’s arm move to equip a dagger but there it was, its blade shining in the moonlight. I could tell the weapon must have been powerful because there was a small amount of red aura dancing around the hilt.
“So, that’s your plan? You’re going to kill us?” I asked him.
The light from the fire flashed just right and I was able to get a look at his face. It could have been considered handsome with a squared jaw, proportional eyes that radiated a bit of blue, and ears that were the same size as mine. He was a Half-Elf.
Inotep looked back at me and rubbed his fingers down his dagger. “There can only be one of us, Tharis. You see, I don’t want any other player sharing a legendary heart of the beast title with me. It has to be just me.”
“Heart of the beast?” I asked.
Inotep laughed. He laughed so hard that he fell onto his ass and rolled a bit. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks from embarrassment and all I could think about was killing this guy. PKing just one player wouldn’t make me a monster, would it?
“How does the famous Lionheart not know a thing about his own prestigious title?” He wiped a tear from his eye. “Here, I’ll let you in on a secret that isn’t so secret. We’re brothers, Tharis.”
He must have seen my eyes widen because he was back on his back laughing his ass off at my expense. I gritted my teeth until the fool was done cackling.
“We aren’t truly brothers! Idiot! We are brothers by the series of our title only! There are others out there, mind you. Others who have done extraordinary feats like you and me!”
I was afraid to ask this Bearheart what it took for him to get his title.
“I’ll tell you why I got this title. It was actually pretty easy. Don’t tell anyone.” The sicko winked at me. He bent down closer and whispered, “I killed over thirty players before I reached Level 20.” He got closer to my ear and added, “Players of our own faction.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bataar shudder. Had he heard of this guy before?
“Now!” exclaimed the Bearheart loudly, making me jump again. “I must log out. It’s dinnertime, see? And the cooldown on the ability you will experience tomorrow takes twelve hours. Seeing as though I already used it early this afternoon on some poor sap, you three must wait to see it! GN!”
Before I could ask him what he meant, the player disappeared right before my eyes. The last thing I saw wasn’t his waving hand at me, but it was the crazed smile he had on his face.
40
I wormed myself across Bataar and had been yelling at Tahshine for a good part of the night. Not only was she ignoring me but she was asleep on her side, her back pointed towards us. At least, I guessed she was asleep.
“Tahshine! Come on, you know me! Why are you letting that creep do this to us?”
“Just give it a rest, will you?” said Bataar. “She ain’t coming over here.”
“No, she knows me. I know she does! We were in Ashvell together.”
I tried calling out to her one more time before putting my back to the tree’s bark and sliding downward.
“Tell me you guys saw that Inotep guy disappear,” I said.
“Yeah, what about it?” asked Bataar, looking genuinely uninterested. He was playing with his claws, his face deadpan. Had he given up?
“What do you mean ‘what about it’? The guy said something about logging out and then he was just… gone.”
“Yeah, players do that. Not us,” Bataar said, “but the ones who aren’t Enlightened. I don’t know why it happens but it’s just like their creator needs to recover his own stamina. At least, that’s my theory.”
Grimy wasn’t listening. He was busy gnawing at his iron chains like a trapped rat.
“So you’re saying whatever controls these players, purposely makes their host disappear?”
“Look, I don’t pretend to know what logging off means. I haven’t been alive long enough to ask and it doesn’t seem like any of us will have the chance anyways.” Bataar then looked over at Tahshine. “I’m guessing she’s Enlightened, too, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I said. “She didn’t log off like Inotep did. I must have accidentally Enlightened her back in the tunnel.” I was just about to ask more questions about the whole logging off thing but Bataar interrupted me before I could ask it.
“We can talk to Muzuhlan about all that. If we make it out of this alive. Which I doubt.”
“Why are you being like that? It’s like you don’t care at all anymore.”
Bataar’s face was already red but it looked to have gotten even more red. “Look, I’m afraid all right! All three of us are.”
He looked up at me and I could see true terror in those Archean eyes which wasn’t helping with my own anxiety. “You’ve heard of the Bearheart before, haven’t you?”
“Everyone’s heard of the Bearheart!” Grimy chimed in, his mouth a bit bloody from chewing at his bindings to no success. “He’s a legend! Well, more like a nightmare but you get the point.”
“So he isn’t lying when he says he killed all those players?”
Bataar and Grimy both shook their heads.
“Great,” I said, putting my back to the tree and resting my head backwards. “Then he won’t lose a bit of sleep over killing us.”
The three of us were quiet. I turned back around and tried yelling again at Tahshine but still she did not answer my calls.
“If we do come up with a plan,” whispered Bataar, “then I sure as hell wouldn’t say it too loud. Seems like your girlfriend over there doesn’t give two damns about you.”
I put my hands to my face. Bataar was right. Sure, we’d had a close call together. But that didn’t make us friends. Even when I saved her life by dragging her ass out of the water, she didn’t bother to give me a thank you. She was one strange player.
“You’re right,” I whispered back. “She can’t be trusted.”
Bataar lifted up his iron cuffs and whispered, “I think I may be able to get out of these.”
I didn’t take my face out of my hands. “What are you saying?”
“Like I said, I think I can get out of these.”
I peered at him through my fingers now. He didn’t look like he was joking. “And you’re just telling us this now?”
“Yeah. I’m not a hundred percent sure but I could give it a try.”
“And what if it does work?” I asked. “Then what?”
“That’s why I didn’t say anything,” he said. “I wasn’t sure.”
I nodded my head and looked back at Tahshine. I tried to think of all the possible options we had but there was truly only one
thing we could do. Run.
Bataar and I exchanged glances. He knew exactly what I was thinking. Running would be our only option. To run as fast and as far as possible.
The Archean pierced his lips, took in a deep breath, and let out a tiny flame from his mouth. Slowly, he lifted his wrists to his mouth. The metal chains holding the two cuffs together turned a bright orange before melting and falling to the grass between his legs. The cuffs lost their durability and disappeared.
We looked over at Tahshine. Thankfully, she was still on her side, facing away from us. Was she truly asleep?
Bataar took my wrists next and I gave Grimy an apologetic look. The fire took hold to the metal, stronger this time, burning my skin and taking one percentage of my health.
“Sorry, about that,” Bataar said. “This is only my third time using this ability.”
I pulled my hands apart and stretched. “No worries, my hands were numb anyway.”
This whole time, Grimy had been holding his hands out waiting semi-patiently for his turn. Bataar equipped his greataxe and not so carefully sliced through the chain links.
“Ahh, I wanted to see the fire,” Grimy whined, rubbing his wrists.
“Next time,” Bataar said. “Now what? Where do we go?” He was looking at me as if I knew the answer.
“Anywhere but here!” I said. I turned, picked a random direction, and started walking towards it, trying my best not to step on any dry leaves or twigs. Grimy and Bataar followed suit. Once we were a safe distance away, far enough away that Tahshine wouldn’t hear our footsteps, we started to run.
We ran until our stamina hit zero which meant we ran until Grimy would have to stop and catch his breath. This was fine because Bataar and my stamina stats weren’t that far away from his.
We’d made it to the end of the forest. Before us was a cliff that, yet again, brought sweat to my palms. I walked over to its edge cautiously and looked over it. The unlucky player to fall to those depths would surely find instant death. There was nothing down there but hard ground. No bushes or anything to catch your fall.
The Lionheart: a LitRPG Novel (No Respawn Book 1) Page 19
