Fragment of Divinity

by Jamey Sultan

  James stared at the book, emotions roiling in his stomach.

  My first spell! Yes, I’d love to learn it!

  The book dissolved to ashes in his hand, producing a cool breeze and a whiff of burnt paper.

  Nana’s mouth twitched with annoyance as she watched the ashes blow around her shack and get everywhere. She smacked James in the back of the head. “Do that outside next time. I just swept.”

  You have gained the spell: Shadow Step

  Shadow Step (Level 1):

  Teleports the caster to a nearby shadow.

  Range: 5 Meters

  Cast time: Instant

  Cooldown: None

  Cost: 55 Mana

  “This is amazing! Thank you!” Before she could react, James gave Nana a hug and turned to run outside and practice.

  “Wait!” Nana called after him just as he reached the door.

  James stopped, slowly turning. “What’s up?”

  “We have more to discuss. What did you find out at Ferko’s farm?”

  “Oh, right!” James had forgotten about that. He pulled the shriveled Rabban corpse and crystal out of the bag and handed them to Nana. Luckily it seemed like things didn’t rot inside of his pouch, and the Rabban corpse was just as fresh as it had been when he killed it. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if the rabbit had rotted inside his pouch.

  Can you even clean an extra-dimensional pocket?

  “I found this strange crystal next to the Rabban after I killed it. I’m not sure what it is, but it feels awful.”

  You have completed the quest: Rabid Rabban I

  + 9 experience

  Level up! You are now level 7.

  While Nana looked over the dead Rabban and the crystal, James debated where to put his points. He definitely needed to put points into Intelligence and Wisdom now that he could cast spells, so he put two points in each. His free point in Endurance was nice, but not a huge deal. His final decision was where to put his Ability point. James decided to put the point into the Increased Damage Ability. He wanted to unlock the Tier II: Sharper Swords Ability as soon as possible.

  While he was assigning points, James realized that he hadn’t given his character sheet a look since level 3, so he pulled it up to review it.

  James

  Human (Warrior)

  Level: 7

  Health: 163/163Regenerates 2.8/hour

  Mana: 149/149Regenerates 2.4/hour

  Stamina: 190/190Regenerates 2.8/hour

  Stats

  Strength: 15Dexterity: 17Constitution: 15

  Intelligence: 16Wisdom: 16Endurance: 14Charisma: -2 Luck: 2 Resilience: 1

  Spells

  Shadow Step (Level 1)

  Abilities

  Death’s Stare (1/7)

  Increased Damage (2/10)

  Brands

  Mark of Sytar

  Divine Quest (Minor)

  Achievements

  Dumb Luck

  While James was fiddling with his character sheet Nana was busy inspecting the crystal, her face growing grim. “Madness,” she muttered softly. She snapped her fingers towards James, “Once you’re done in the dungeon, can you go into the Witchwood and investigate where this came from?”

  You have been given a quest: Rabid Rabban II

  Rabid Rabban II: Investigate the Witchwood for the source of the cursed soul gem

  Suggested level: 30

  Reward: Unknown

  Penalty for failure or refusal: Unknown

  “Dungeon?” James asked.

  “Right.” Nana rubbed at her temples. “Sorry, it’s been a long day. While exploring, I found a dungeon that seemed appropriate for your level. Can you take care of it?”

  You have been given a quest: Too Many Ants

  Too Many Ants: Clear the Dungeon of the Lion-Ant

  Suggested level: 10

  Reward: Unknown

  Penalty for failure or refusal: Unknown

  James was a little annoyed at the lack of information, but she’d given him a lot today, so he didn’t complain. “What type of dungeon and where?”

  “Actually,” Nana grinned, “it’s somewhere you’re quite familiar with.”

  James sighed and accepted both quests. It wasn’t like he could say no to Nana, not after she’d saved his life and given him a magic book. He hadn’t asked, but he was sure the book was expensive. “Fine… I’ll head out in the morning.”

  Chapter 15

  James had been walking for the better part of the day when he recognized a bend in the path. It was around where the bandits had accosted them on their journey towards Riverside. A journey that felt like years ago, not a little over a month. James had laughed when he’d realized that Nana was sending him to the dungeon that he’d seen in the back of the cave he’d started in. He was excited to return to the cave to see how much he’d grown. With his upgraded stats, James was making much better time than he had on the way to Riverside. Judging by the position of the sun, he’d probably have a few hours of daylight left by the time he arrived at the cave.

  James smiled, enjoying the sun on his face and the breeze against his skin as he kept up his light jog. Days like this were rare back on Earth. Temperatures had risen with global warming until the average day was closer to ninety degrees.

  But this? This is perfect.

  A rustling in the branches next to him set off James’ warning bells and he stopped, peering into the foliage. After a minute of fruitless searching, he shrugged to himself.

  Probably just a bird, or whatever this world’s version of a deer was.

  Still, James couldn’t keep the hairs on the back of his neck from standing up as he continued his jog.

  Over the next hour the feeling continued to grow stronger, and James constantly glanced over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Every once in a while, he’d catch a glimpse of fur flashing through the foliage, but never enough to trigger a status screen.

  James tried to focus on his peripherals as he ran, trying to not alert whatever was stalking him. It made for awkward running, but after a couple minutes he caught a good look at the predator moving through the shadows.

  Greymane Wolf (Level 7)

  James didn’t know much about wolves, but he knew that if there was one stalking him, then there had to be at least a few more. He knew enough to know that wolves were vicious pack hunters. James also knew that he wouldn’t be able to take out an entire pack of wolves by himself. If he didn’t think of a way to take out these wolves, he’d be dead.

  James’ breathing quickened. The sunlight, which had felt so good earlier, now did nothing to combat the chill running down his spine. He was going to die.

  No. Focus. You’re not going to die.

  James spun, but the wolf had vanished into the tree line. He was alone again, the only sound the beating of his heart. He thought he saw a flash of yellow eyes staring back at him, but that could have been his imagination.

  He resumed his jog and thought about what he had on hand that he could use to protect himself. He wished he could sit down and go through his pouch. Trying to remember what he had while running wasn’t working.

  To his surprise, when James wished to see the contents of his pack, a small screen appeared that listed everything inside. James smiled as he scrolled down the list, a plan forming in his mind. He’d forgotten about some stuff in there. His mood lifted as he realized he might not die after all, and he pulled ingredients from his pack as he ran.

  First, James pulled out three sizeable chunks of Star Mole Meat. Working quickly, he pulled out some Deadnettle Seeds from his bag. He pressed the Deadnettle seeds into the meat, dispersing them evenly among the three pieces. He’d remembered that they let off an anesthetic gas that had knocked him out with only a small whiff, and he was hoping the effect would be even stronger if he fed the seeds to the wolves. After that, he pulled the Cave Spider Matriarch Poison Gland from his bag and pricked a small hole in it with his dagger. He dripped the po
ison over the meat, thoroughly coating it.

  James wasn’t sure how smart the wolves were, but he really hoped they fell for this, because he was out of options. If they didn’t take the bait, then he was in for a very painful death unless he could outrun them, which was doubtful.

  A short while later, James stopped running. An enormous wolf had stepped on to the path in front of him. The wolf let out a low growl as it advanced towards him, hackles raised, a predatory gleam in its eyes.

  Greymane Alpha (Level 11)

  If it had been just the one wolf, maybe James could have fought it, even though it was a higher level, but low growls from behind him caused him to turn. Four other wolves stepped out of the trees.

  James was surrounded.

  The alpha was larger than the others and had patches of white around its eyes and muzzle. There was a long scar running across its snout, and more covering its body.

  Unable to focus in two directions at once, James tossed two of the pieces of meat behind him and one in front of him. He heard the sound of flesh tearing behind him and gave a relieved sigh as he turned to see the wolves behind him ravenously devouring the meat. Hopefully, he’d added enough poison to affect them.

  He turned forward just in time to see the older wolf lunge at him, just barely missing him as it snapped down with its teeth. James stumbled backwards and tumbled to the ground, his heart pounding in his chest. He’d been lucky. He needed to pay attention, or he’d get killed.

  Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, James stood and drew his sword. His trick clearly hadn’t worked on the Greymane Alpha, who’d ignored the meat completely.

  A quick glance over his shoulder informed him that the rest of the wolves were feeling the effects of the poison. One of the wolves stumbled drunkenly before collapsing and another tried to join its alpha by advancing on James, but couldn’t make it more than a few steps. Soon they were all on the ground, twitching as the poison ravaged their bodies.

  You have gained 2 Skill Ranks in Poison.

  You are now Skill Rank 3.

  James felt bad for the wolves. He loved dogs, but he knew that they would have torn him to shreds without a second thought. Steeling himself, he faced the Greymane Alpha, who was staring back at him in fury, it’s gaze darting between James and its pack. A low whine escaped its lips as it circled around James, purposefully putting itself between him and the rest of the wolves, who lay unconscious on the ground.

  The wolf didn’t attack, but stayed low to the ground, growling. It was obvious that the wolf wanted to go check on his pack, but was worried that James would attack him if he dropped his guard.

  James considered his options. He could attack the wolves and earn experience. He was pretty sure he could take the leader by itself, especially since it was busy worrying about its pack, but something about that didn’t feel right. The wolf wasn’t a threat to him anymore; it didn’t want to fight, and James didn’t want to kill an animal that wasn’t trying to kill him.

  “It’s all right,” James said in a soft voice, sheathing his sword. “Go to your family. The poison wasn’t enough to kill them. They should be fine once they’ve healed up.” He knew that the wolf couldn’t understand him, but hoped his tone would convey his feelings.

  It might have been his imagination, but James could have sworn that the wolf dipped its head towards him in thanks before turning to check on its pack.

  You have gained the skill: Beast Bonding

  Beast Bonding (Skill Rank 1):

  You’ve learned that not all animals are mindless beasts. This skill allows you to attempt communication with beast class monsters.

  James smiled and turned, continuing his journey to the cave, hoping he may have made a friend.

  When he reached the cliff above the cave, he steeled himself for the climb down. Trying and failing to ignore the drop, he crawled backwards, awkwardly bracing one of his legs against the rock face. He was glad it was a nicely angled slab and not a vertical face, but still, it sucked. Carefully he descended, moving slowly hand-hand, foot-foot and trying to keep the weight in his feet instead of his arms. The levels he had gotten while climbing trees for Bartram were really paying off, and he felt much steadier climbing down the cliff-face than he had climbing up. Soon, he was on the ground in front of the cave entrance.

  Dropping into Stealth, James entered the cave cautiously and scouted around, looking for anything that may have made the cave its home, since he had killed its previous inhabitants. Luckily, nothing seemed to have moved in.

  After losing some time with the wolves, it was no longer the early arrival he’d hoped for. It was getting dark, so James decided to camp out, then tackle the dungeon the next morning.

  Chapter 16

  In the morning James went through a series of stretches before heading to the dungeon entrance. He was already feeling a lot more limber than he had back on Earth, though that could be due to his increased Dexterity.

  James was excited for his first real dungeon dive. He didn’t count the half-attempt at Nana’s garden, because he’d only killed four monsters on the first level. This would be his first attempt at clearing a full dungeon, the first real test of his powers since coming to Novis.

  People who didn’t play video games could never understand the excitement of delving deep into a dungeon in search of rare and exotic treasures, of reading through prompt after prompt of item stats. Or maybe that was just James. Either way, he’d been disappointed that he hadn’t gotten any loot from the garden dungeon. Although he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up. Lion-Ants didn’t seem like the type of creatures who collected mythical swords.

  James walked over to the back of the cave and considered the dungeon. At level six, he was in the middle of the level range, so he was hoping that it wouldn’t be too hard. On the other hand, maybe the suggestions was for the average level of a party. In that case, he was screwed.

  Entering the Dungeon of the Lion-Ant.

  Recommended level: 5-9.

  A low rumbling echoed through the cave as a section of wall slowly slid down, revealing a grey tunnel leading into darkness. A cool, damp breeze wafted out, carrying the stale smell of trapped air as the depths of the dungeon opened to the world for the first time in what smelled like ages.

  The walls and ceiling of the tunnel were smooth, dark-grey stone. James ran his hand along the surface. It was almost unnaturally smooth, as if he were touching a granite countertop.

  Behind him, the rumbling started up again as the door rose, closing with a sense of finality and trapping James in pitch-blackness. Normally he would have freaked out, but he was prepared for the darkness. Nana had handed him five potions as he left, explaining that he would probably need them for the underground dungeon.

  Potion of Darkvision (x5):

  Rank: Unusual

  This potion gives dark vision up to 100 meters for five hours

  Each potion would last him five hours, which meant that, as long as he could clear the entire dungeon in less than a day, he would be okay.

  Pulling out the stopper, James drank the first potion in one swig, almost choking as the foul liquid touched his tongue. It tasted like the pink Tylenol his mom made him drink when he was sick as a kid.

  There was a tingling sensation behind his eyes as the potion took effect. Slowly, shapes in the darkness took form, outlined in a greenish tint that gave the whole dungeon an otherworldly appearance.

  He dropped into Stealth and crept deeper into the dungeon. He advanced cautiously for the first five minutes, but then his ADHD took control and his mind drifted to the Lion-Ants.

  What would they look like? Would they be lions with ant heads? Or ants with lion heads? Or just big ants? What if they’re furry!?

  He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  James was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the scuffling sound approaching from the other end of the tunnel. Something was out there. He couldn’t see it yet, but there was no mistaking the rhyth
mic tapping of too many legs on stone. He pressed himself tight against the wall of the cave and drew his sword. Hopefully, the creature wouldn’t be able to see well in the pitch-blackness, but if it did, he would be prepared.

  A dull, violet light bobbed up the tunnel towards him. When it was close enough, James could see it for what it really was.

  A Lion-Ant.

  It was as large as James and scuttled on six legs that stuck out from an ant-like thorax. Its head was that of a lion, with a mane made from the same purple crystals that lit up the cave James had spawned in. But oddly, a crystal the dungeon lacked. The dim violet glow wasn’t bright, but this close and to James’ enhanced eyesight, it was uncomfortable to look at directly.

  When it got closer, he could read the text floating above its head.

  Lion-Ant Scout (Level 5)

  The Lion-Ant stopped and sniffed at the air. James held his breath, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He wished he could make it quieter.

  You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Stealth.

  You are now Skill Rank 6.

  With a snort, the Lion-Ant Scout continued its march, satisfied there wasn’t anyone in the vicinity. Just as the beast passed him, James swung his sword in an arc down directly into the creature’s abdomen His sword hit its jet-black exoskeleton with a loud clang, scoring deep but not enough to cause heavy damage.