Nova Terra: Guardian - A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Titan Series Book 4)

by Seth Ring

  Akira, who had been riding on Mina’s shoulder, jumped down as the two women squared off, running toward a spot nearer to Thorn. Up in the box, Gereon, Marius, and Baxby watched as Velin continued cutting down the arena guards with burning laser blasts from her staff.

  “Is that your handler?” Marius Hub had pulled himself up as he stared down at the beautiful golden figure.

  “Velin? Yeah, that is her. I think she is mad.” Chuckling, Baxby pulled a small coil of rope from his inventory and gave an arcane command as he tossed it into the air.

  The rope uncoiled and stretched all the way down to the arena, both of its ends fixed in place with arcane energy. Reaching up, Baxby slipped a piece of leather over the rope and gave the two merchants a nod.

  “Well, it has been fun, but I think this is my cue. I’m sure we’ll chat again.” Leaving the merchants there, Baxby stepped onto the edge of the box and jumped off.

  With significantly more ease than they expected from someone his age, Baxby slid down the rope, riding it all the way to the bottom where he dropped to the sand. Another arcane command caused the rope to coil up and drop into his hand. Stepping to the side immediately before a whirling helmet flew past by his head, Baxby lifted the cylinder that he had been playing with earlier and swung it around the arena.

  *pop* *pop* *pop*

  Three round balls shot from the cylinder, spewing thick black smoke as they flew through the air. Almost immediately the arena was covered in black smoke as the balls burst open.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Maandell was a bustling city, even on the quietest of days, but today the air seemed to have a particular tension. Both citizens and guards alike appeared to be walking on eggshells as they each hurried about their business. It was as if they were rushing to beat a storm that hung over them. Merchants spoke quietly to each other, looking around extra carefully before cutting their deals.

  Under the new rule of Lady Wellen, the half-Elven ruler of the island, many of the hidden black market enterprises like the arena and the slave trade had begun to emerge from the shadows. Still, there was a sense of restraint that cast a cloud over the actions of the corrupt merchants. The arena was a prime example of this. Officially illegal, the city not only permitted it, but the city guards even helped to patrol it and enforce the rules, keeping the arena running in a well-ordered fashion.

  Currently, however, the arena was anything but well-ordered. Right in the center of the city, it was a scene of utter chaos. Screaming and yelling, the crowds rushed for the exits, trying to shove their way out into the city to avoid the massive brawl happening in the pit. Velin’s spells had devastated the sixth door into the arena floor, and the damage was quickly spreading to the stands. Pushing at each other in their haste to get to safety, what started as self-preservation for a few people quickly spread into mass panic throughout the crowd.

  Once the first few people started to run, the situation devolved into complete chaos, turning into a stampede toward the exit. Rushing out of the stands, the citizens packed into the tunnels leading to the arena’s entrance. As they spilled into the courtyard, they were appalled to see that the guards were in the process of closing the large iron gates at the arena entrance.

  “Get the gates closed! We can’t let them escape!” The guard who had been in charge of signing the fighters in barked orders to his men who began to push the thick metal gates closed.

  Orders had come down to make sure that Thorn and his friends did not escape from the arena, so they were blocking off of the exits. Unfortunately for the guards, the crowd, already scared, heard the orders and erupted in full-blown panic.

  “They’re trying to trap us!”

  Shouts rose from the crowd, further confusing the situation as they surged toward the closing gate. One of the guards saw the crowd and made possibly the worst decision of his entire life. Grasping his sword he began to pull it from its sheath. The glint of the silvery steel reflected across the crowd and a burly man who carried a thick blade on his back simply lost it.

  “They’re gonna kill us!”

  Unsheathing his blade he darted forward, bringing it down over his head in a two-handed chop. The poor guard froze in utter shock as he saw the blade coming toward him, unable to move as the weapon grew bigger and bigger.

  *CLANG*

  The sound of steel on steel rang over the heads of the crowd, silencing the shouts for a brief second. The captain of the guard, seeing the attack, had managed to get his sword out and block the blow, but before he could explain what was going on the moment passed and the crowd exploded with even greater fervor.

  “Rush the gate! Don’t let them lock it!”

  “Take down the guards! They can’t kill all of us!”

  “Don’t let them drop the bolt!”

  Weapons were brandished and the rioting crowd rushed forward, swallowing the guards like a raging wave. The gates were quickly broken open and the crowd spilled out into the streets like a pot of boiling water tipped over. The shouts grew louder and louder as the people from the arena spread out through the city, attracting the attention of guards and merchants alike.

  Guards rushed from all over Maandell toward the arena to try and contain the situation, but when they encountered the rioting crowd the conflict simply escalated. A scuffle broke out between a few of the spectators who were running, blades in hand, and a handful of guards near one of the markets. One of the spectators, a thin, scarred man with a sour face, brandished his flail and smashed it into one of the guards, sending him reeling.

  The guard fell backward, bleeding profusely from where the sharp spikes on the end of the flail had punctured his skin. The other guards were enraged by this attack and rushed forward, their spears stabbing out. In the resulting confusion one of the merchant’s stalls was smashed to pieces and the unfortunate merchant’s strong box fell to the ground, scattering glittering gold coins across the cobblestone street. Seeing an opportunity, a few people who had not been involved grabbed as much gold as they could and dashed away.

  Shouting, the merchant pursued them, and word about what they had done spread quickly as people saw an opportunity to get their hands on a bit of extra gold. What had started as a desire to flee the arena soon boiled over into a full blown riot as people took advantage of the chaos to begin looting while the guards were distracted.

  *Dong* *Dong* *Dong*

  Ringing out across the city, a bell sounded, mobilizing all of the guards to the arena and the markets that were affected by looting. The largest market of Maandell, the slave market, held countless slaves in large pens as they waited to be sold. Long lines of slaves stood chained together on raised blocks as the merchants called out bids. A thickset Dwarf who was waiting to climb the block noticed the sudden lack of guards and nudged one of the other slaves he was shackled with.

  “Oi, what’s goin’ on?”

  “Sounds like a riot.” Tilting his head to the side, the human listened carefully. “Not sure, but all the guards are heading out.”

  “Sounds like that is our signal. Pass the word, now’s the time.” Spitting on the ground, the Dwarf grinned, his teeth gleaming menacingly through his thick, matted beard.

  “Are you sure? There are still plenty of guards here,” the dirty human looked around furtively.

  “Of course I am. If we don’t go now, when will we get another chance? Pass the word!”

  “Alright.” Squaring his shoulders, the dirty human stood up as a wild light bloomed in his eyes.

  Within a few minutes the entire line of slaves had heard the whispered message and spread it to the slaves trapped in the large cages. The fiery air spreading throughout the slave market went unnoticed as both the guards and the merchants were distracted by the raging sounds of the riot growing ever closer.

  Closing his eyes, the thick Dwarf began to mutter under his breath, his hands gripping the thick chains that bound him to the rest of the line. After a few seconds the chain suddenly flashed with a heavy
yellow light and then simply fell apart as if each link had been individually opened. Taking a deep breath to stabilize himself, the Dwarf bellowed a warcry and launched himself at the closest guard.

  “For Valor!”

  Instantly, the slaves stood and the cry echoed back!

  “For Freedom!”

  Dirty hands reached out for the nearest guard or merchant, drowning them in bodies as their weapons were wrestled away. Slaves smashed the locks on the cages and broke open the chains that held them, rushing to find weapons of any kind. Caught by surprise, the guards tried to fight back but were almost instantly overwhelmed by the slaves who seemed to have no care for themselves. They threw themselves into their enemy’s weapons to buy enough time for their companions to swarm around the guards and pull them down.

  Back in the arena, the thick black cloud from the smoke bombs that Baxby launched had spread to cover the entire arena. Once it had expanded fully, it simply stayed in place, preventing anyone from seeing more than a few feet in front of them. As it spread, Mina took advantage of Lady Ruby’s distracted state and raised her wand.

  [Sub Zero]

  Instantly, the air around Lady Ruby froze solid, the freezing temperature shocking her into a stunned state, allowing Mina to freely cast her spells.

  [Blizzard]

  [Avalanche]

  The torrent of ice spells locking down her stunned opponent, Mina cast another spell and her icy orbs began to give off pulses of frost as they spun into position around Lady Ruby. Ice spikes began to shoot forth, pelting Lady Ruby from every direction.

  [Burning Freedom]

  Knowing that there was no other way to escape from the deluge of icy attacks, Lady Ruby activated her anti-stun ability, freeing herself from the slowing condition that the ice spells carried. Temporarily free, she spun her whip around her head, the heat from the fire that still coated the whip melting the ice spikes as they approached. The icy attacks forced her into a defensive stance, and it was all she could do to block the shards of ice raining down on her.

  With a smirk, Mina spun her wand in a circle and began chanting under her breath. A long thin icicle appeared from the air, growing more and more solid as Mina’s wand revolved around it. As soon as her spell had been completed she pointed her wand at Lady Ruby, aiming for the center of her opponent's chest.

  [Ice spear]

  Though not on Mina’s level when it came to dueling, Lady Ruby was an experienced PvP’er and her danger sense kicked into full gear as soon as Mina's wand pointed her way.

  [Explosive step]

  With a flash of orange flame Lady Ruby’s body seemed to turn to ash as she vanished from where she stood, disappearing into the black smoke that had grown to surround them as Mina’s [Ice Spear] shot through her fading form, sending the ash flying.

  “Tch.” Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Mina peered at the thick smoke around her. The black smoke had a magical suppressing effect that blocked both noise and sight, leaving those inside its cloud feeling lost. Separating them from their surroundings, it felt as if they were in another world.

  On the other side of the arena, it didn't take long for Thorn and Heuron to lose sight of each other after the bearded warrior dodged away from one of Thorn’s attacks. Separated by only a few feet, the two fighters couldn’t sense each other anymore and instinctively slowed down, watching the fog around them carefully for surprise attacks.

  Hearing a slight noise, Thorn spun around, one fist raised, only to see Baxby’s wrinkled face peering at him from nearby. He wore a pair of green tinted goggles and seemed to have no trouble seeing through the magically charged smoke. Mina was behind the old treasure hunter, holding on to his shirt to make sure that she did not get lost. As Thorn lifted his hand to greet them, Akira jumped down from his shoulder and scampered off into the smoke.

  [Master! I’m going to get your weapon!]

  Sensing the way that she was going, Thorn signed for Baxby to follow and walked after her. A few seconds later he arrived at the depression where his weapon had cut into the sandy floor of the arena, finding Akira tugging with all her might on the handle of his tetsubo. Grinning, he grabbed the heavy end and lifted, laughing silently at Akira’s squeaks of complaint.

  [Master, I could have brought it to you! I am strong, you know. I am the strongest Ailuridae in the valley, you know.]

  [I’m sure you are. You’ll have to show me some time.] Thorn scratched his pet behind her ears and picked her up, depositing her on his shoulder.

  Leading the way through the fog, Baxby brought them to circle around Heuron who was standing in a defensive stance, looking around in case anyone were to appear nearby. For a moment, Thorn was tempted to give him a surprise attack, but ultimately he decided to follow Baxby who was gesturing for him to hurry. Seeing Thorn sign for him to continue leading, Baxby gave Thorn a thumbs up and took the whole group to meet Velin.

  “We need to get out of here. No doubt the guards are on their way.” Velin’s gold-colored armor had faded away and she was back to her normal, cold expression. “I don’t know why they are targeting us, but it probably has something to do with me so the sooner we are out of here the better.”

  *You?* Thorn signed, curious.

  Giving a slight smile, Velin tucked her hair behind her ear and pointed toward the angled tip.

  “I’d guess that they have some way of telling that I am an Elf.”

  “This is so wrong,” Mina complained, stomping her curved boot. “How come they can get away with things like this? Why hasn’t the game stopped them?”

  “I’m not sure, but I do know that staying here will not serve us well.” Baxby interrupted the conversation. “We can talk about this later. Right now we need to get out of the city before we get swamped by the guards. Hopefully we can use the confusion to slip out of the gate before they shut it. Otherwise we may need to create a bigger distraction while they are looking for us.”

  “No problem. Haha, big distraction is Thorn’s middle name.” Mina grinned as she slapped his side.

  *Let's go.* Thorn signed.

  Looking around for the best exit, Baxby eventually led them back toward the ruined remains of door number six where they had come from. Mina and Velin’s entrance to the arena had leveled the doorway and the surrounding wall, and collapsed some of the seats in the arena stands above.

  Picking each of his teammates up, Thorn hoisted them onto the partially collapsed arena seats and then pulled himself up. Rushing out of the arena through the tunnels that led to the seating, they saw very few people and were able to continue until they came to the entrance. Coming out of the tunnel after the stragglers, they found the arena’s main gate in utter disarray.

  Many of the guards had been badly wounded by the panicked crowd and lay groaning on the ground. The giant metal gates had also been damaged and were barely hanging on their hinges. Completely contrary to their expectations, the streets around the arena were strangely silent, though yelling and the clash of weapons could be heard from all around the city.

  “Huh, maybe we will not need that distraction after all. Let’s go.” Muttering to himself, Baxby waved for the others to follow and they began to head out of the city, trying to keep to the back alleys as much as possible.

  A few times they came across the guards struggling against small groups of people, but they were able to skirt by them. Once they neared the main gate, they were forced to head toward the main road where they saw large crowds of people rushing about.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “What is going on?” Muttering under his breath, Baxby walked back to the group from where he had been peeking around the corner. “Something is happening. It looks like full on riots. Which would explain all the noise.”

  “And the smoke. Ugh.” Mina waved her hand in front of her face.

  Shouts and screams echoed across the city, mixing with the crash of steel and the pungent scent of the rising smoke. After arriving at the city gate, Thorn and the others
wanted to slip out of Maandell unnoticed, but they quickly found their hopes dashed. Large crowds pressed together at the city’s entrance. The gates themselves had been shut and city guards had formed a ragged line to defend them.

  “There is no way that this is the result of the fight in the arena.” Velin frowned as she looked down the alley. “Something must have happened to cause the city to explode like this. Regardless, it is not good for us since the gate is closed. We need to find another way to get out of the city.”

  Considering for a moment, Thorn took a big step forward. Arriving at the entrance to the alley he reached out a long arm and plucked a heroic young man carrying a torch from the rushing crowd. Thorn turned around and disappeared around the corner, leaving the man’s companions stunned. Depositing him in front of Velin, Thorn held up his index finger and made a hook as he pointed toward the quivering man.