Cipher's Quest: (A Scifi Fantasy LitRPG) (Ciphercraft Book 1)

by Tim Kaiver

  Sara caught him before he fell.

  "Wh...?" he started, but couldn't find the breath to finish.

  "You look like your dad when he first saw this," Sara said.

  No big deal, Emmit thought, on the verge of hysterical laughter. "Who made that?"

  "Cusaugh, the prophet."

  The statue even had a replica of Dy poking his head out of the boy's pocket. Emmit unzipped his pocket and pulled Dy out to see. "Look at that, Dy. You're famous." To whom, he didn't know. Dy licked an eye and scanned the jungle as if he'd seen a statue of himself before. No big deal.

  Branches swished gently behind them. Emmit turned to see a slightly older version of his father, more real than the man he'd seen in the net. His brown hair was dusted gray over the ears, and his eyes were puffy with dark bags under them. His tanned face and sharp cheek bones looked skinnier—worn. He watched Emmit with an exhaustion that spoke of using all his strength to get to this moment.

  His dad frowned, and lifted his hands. "Son," he coughed out as tears glistened from his red-veined eyes.

  Emmit collapsed, and would have fallen had Sara not held him up.

  His dad closed the distance to wrap his arms around his long-lost son, and lifted him into his embrace—the grasp of a man who wanted nothing more.

  A distant memory surfaced. Emmit, giggling and rocking, saying, "This is sooo funnnnn." He watched himself as a two- or three-year-old, turning the wheel on his old green car as his dad pushed him down a slight hill in their woods, over ridges built by tree roots, toward their secret hideout. "It's sooo bumpyyy."

  The dream continued as he remembered wanting to see if his frogs were there, and to eat a mango while sitting on the tree stump that sat as high as his dad's shoulders.

  Why are we remembering this?

  "I've held onto it for many years," his dad thought back.

  In the memory, his dad hefted Emmit out of his car to set him on the trunk. Emmit saw first his dad, smiling as he retrieved the mango from his pocket, then himself as his father handed the fruit to his tiny, but impossibly precious, hands. He noticed his dirty cheeks and kid teeth as he bit into the mango. Emmit felt the love his father had for him in that moment, and he remembered his love for his father. That bond was unbreakable, and rooted in his core.

  If anyone tried to break it, he would break them.

  +10 XP – relationship restoration.

  80/155 to Level 3.

  The restored bond with his dad made him think of his mom.

  "Boys!" his mom cried out, her voice echoing across the distance between the house and their hideout. Her voice had been so much happier back then.

  Boys... Emmit followed that voice back to the present. He strained through the darkness of distance to feel for his mom's thoughts. Mom! he called out, thinking of the same voice he had at that age, when his plea requested the comfort of everything a mother could be.

  "Emmit."

  Link to Ehli established.

  Skill: Telescope reached Level 1. 10% boost to broadcast distance.

  +10 XP.

  It worked.

  "Where are you?" she asked.

  I'll show you. Follow the bird I'm sending for you.

  He closed his eyes and sent the bird to show her.

  *Mission to follow the bird to Fel Or'an – Complete.*

  +15 XP.

  He really wanted to tell his dad about the Cipher, but couldn't. Instead, he enjoyed being with his father once again. In his presence, he felt relief from the fear that it would all go horribly wrong.

  31

  A reject's boot squished in the mud not far from Cullen's face. Ehli's telepathic shield appeared to be keeping them off their scent, but this was close. Ehli sucked in a tight breath.

  The reject snapped his attention downward, and lunged as Cullen lifted his rifle. Cullen fired a stun beam into the reject's chest, but the gnashing warrior pushed on, cutting his hands as he swiped into the pricker bush. The man's weight pressed a branch onto the top of Cullen's rifle, diverting his aim. More branches were pressed onto Cullen's face and arms, pinning him.

  Ehli, help.

  "I'm trying."

  Cullen forced his hand farther onto a thorn to reach the discharge switch on his rifle, and clicked it from stun to burn. He tried to avoid killing his people, but this one was giving him little recourse. He fired the red beam through the branches, cutting free some weight. The reject dropped. A machete blade sliced into the space before Cullen's eyes. Cullen tucked his elbow and aimed the beam upward. The reject gargled as hot blood spilled onto Cullen's head and neck. He continued raising his shot. Bones snapped and entrails sprayed his face.

  He released his beam.

  Victory! – Defeated reject.

  +10 XP to group.

  Cullen spat and wiped his eyes. The weight of the reject's body had split, allowing him to adjust his rifle to lever the bush away and provide room for Ehli to escape. Cullen looked around, but didn't hear or see another reject.

  Ehli slipped out as he checked the Cipher for their XP stats:

  Group XP summary: Cullen Level 2 Bounty Hunter 125/130; Ehli Level 2 Ultra 85/155.

  She hefted the reject off the bush so Cullen could get out.

  "I'm close to next level up," Cullen said. "You have seventy left."

  The snake she'd named Phipps hissed and showed its fangs, curling farther up her arm.

  "Easy now," Cullen told the snake. "I'm sure she'll catch up."

  She rolled her eyes in exhaustion. "He was the strongest I've faced so far." She took deep breaths as she pawed at the blood on her neck. "They were preserving their strength before, but that's gone. Willo has given them permission to use their full powers. That one was convinced he'd read your memories and could pilot them to Vijil without you."

  He checked his vesparan cans. The blue stun can was almost out. He'd only packed one, as usual, just in case friendly fire was necessary. He hadn't planned on using this much, and the risk of not using burn ray was now outweighing his preference to use non-lethal fire. They left him no choice. They were out for blood, and Ehli was struggling to coerce them. He took her hand. "Can you sense any more nearby?"

  He didn't sense the power like he had before, and her weak grip made him suspect someone else had her attention.

  A loud shriek ripped out of the jungle behind them. Cullen pulled her away. A log blocking their path forced him to go left into a tight space between trees. He broke through branches, rifle up to deflect them. He tapped his collar to extend his helmet. Wood scraped over the visor as it fitted into place. He'd left it down, thinking it might interfere with Ehli or Schaefer reaching him, but after the close call with the machete, he couldn't afford to sacrifice his armor.

  Three more shrieks responded to the first. "Come on."

  "This way." Ehli pulled Cullen hard left up an incline.

  His legs ached, and his body needed fuel, but he had no time for rest. Shephka, watch over us to see your mission through.

  ***

  Ehli followed the blue bird as it took flight from another branch and darted into a narrow space between trees. She jerked Cullen's hand. Her son was on the other side of this jungle maze. Maras and rejects could chase them, but they would fail. Nothing would stop her from reaching and saving her son. Whatever Schaefer had planned, it wouldn't end well for him if he threatened her or her son.

  Cullen released her hand and spun.

  She glanced back to see two rejects converging on their flanks.

  Cullen fired at the man on the left, blasting a chunk of bark wide of target. As he adjusted his aim, the rifle got stuck in a tangle of branches and didn't give way even as he yanked it.

  The other reject, a woman with thick knots of hair like bumps on her head, and a dozen bleeding scratches on her face, screamed as she charged Ehli.

  Ehli had to release her connection to the bird to enter the woman's mind, but ran out of time. The woman's hands punched Ehli in the shoulders, then g
rabbed her. She growled. Phipps loosened its grip as it uncoiled and sprang at the woman's face. The woman turned. Phipps's open-mouthed attack hit the side of her head, glancing off as she let go with one hand and swatted Phipps into the brush behind her. A bloody gash the length of a finger marked the woman's dark flesh.

  Ehli swung a boot to kick the woman in the gut, but her foot caught Ehli's before she could extend. Her fist hit Ehli in the mouth. The blow made her head spin as blood splattered onto the tree leaves.

  To her right, Cullen grunted and fell under the weight of the other reject, who shrieked as he attacked.

  A hard knee connected with Ehli's side, then two strong hands grabbed her and yanked her off her feet.

  How did I do this before?

  As her world spun with greens and a haze of twilight, Ehli wondered how a human could have such a burst of strength. This fight would be over in one or two breaths if she didn't figure out how to break into the woman's mind.

  A branch poked Ehli hard in the back, thick and hard enough that if it didn't crack under her weight, it might spear her. Ehli dropped a shoulder, twisted, and used the woman's weight to pull her down. Her short fall ended with a wet pop as a twig impaled an eye.

  The woman coughed and gasped as her body tensed.

  Ehli rolled away and watched as the woman’s remaining eye widened, her head stuck at an obscene angle against the log, and dark blood spilling out on the white bark. The woman convulsed and spat, then finally held still.

  Ssssst!

  Phipps shot off the ground and bit the rear of the reject holding Cullen down. The reject shot up with a wail, and the hand that he sent back to fight the snake caught another nasty bite. He twisted and fell off Cullen, shaking his hand. Phipps sprang from his hand to his neck, and bit down. The howl he made then almost made Ehli feel sorry for him.

  Cullen kicked the reject off his legs.

  Phipps's tail danced as the reject rolled from side to side, hands twitching and fingers convulsing in what looked like an attempt to grab the snake. He failed, thanks to the poison coursing through his nervous system.

  Ehli didn't know if Phipps had done enough damage, but within a few seconds the reject's hands dropped to his sides and, though spasms still shook his body, his fight had ended.

  Phipps released his hold and left the two holes in the reject's neck to bleed freely.

  Victory! – Reject ambush defended.

  +15 XP to group.

  +5 XP bonus to Ehli.

  105/155 to Level 3.

  Cullen gained a level! Now Level 3 Bounty Hunter. XP 10/150.

  Level-up bonus: 10-second boost to vision or strength.

  Item found: waver plant.

  Ehli knelt, and Phipps slithered up her hand to coil around his preferred resting place above her elbow. She took a large bite out of the waver plant, chewing hard and sucking on the bitter juice in hopes of restoring the strength she'd used in charming her pet.

  Cullen looked up from the snake with a coy smile. "Good snake," he said. He stretched his mouth open and moved his jaw as though working out an injury.

  "He is."

  Cullen smirked. He stood and checked his rifle.

  Ehli smiled and petted the snake between its eyes. She fingered a spray of blood off him, and wiped it off on the grass. Having the snake helped her feel less vulnerable. She searched the trees around them. "I lost the bird."

  "The bird?" Cullen strained as he pressed a thumb into the collar of his suit.

  "What're you doing?"

  She read from his mind that he was trying to retract his helmet, fearing it broken.

  "Piece of crap, Sharps," he thought. An image came to her of the dealer who'd sold him the suit. He growled, and finally the button released. The helmet split at his crown, whirring as the face shield lowered and the top portion separated and retracted. A third of the way down, the whir whined louder, and the retraction slowed. The smell of burnt plastic wafted over as the helmet stopped not even halfway to its destination.

  Cullen cursed and pounded the collar of his suit, and cursed again when that did nothing. He took out his knife and angled it at his neck, at the point where he'd pressed the release button. He looked ridiculous with his face reddening, and the top of the face shield pressing his nose up as he tried to see the knife tip.

  Cullen sheathed his knife and gripped his rifle. "You mentioned a bird," he whispered.

  Ehli sent memories of hearing her son, and the bird he'd sent for her.

  "Gotcha. Of course." He pointed to her right. "The next transmitter is that way. If we need to split, let's try to keep in touch so I know where you're going."

  A branch snapped somewhere not far behind him. Ehli searched, but the trees were too thick to see beyond. Each inhale felt like breathing in fear. Whatever was there was intelligent, and strong. Her pathing into it felt like wading through a dark cove, hoping she'd find the end of the maze before her air expired.

  "Let's go." She spun, pushed branch tips away from her face, and ran after Cullen.

  Ehli tried maintaining her hold on the pursuing mind. She was certain it was a reject, and female, but beyond that, nothing. She took a step left and a bush branch stabbed her thigh. She gasped, yanked it back, and bent to rub the sore muscle. As she glanced up to chart the path ahead, she realized the reject had escaped her grip.

  Cullen emerged from a tree and looked down at her thigh, concerned.

  "It's fine." She started to turn, but he caught her hand and stopped her.

  "Use me."

  She wanted to let go to prove she didn't need help, but she couldn't deny the expansion of her awareness to the surge of life around her. She took another bite of her waver plant as the previous one started to take effect. From insect to bird, to the vibration of frogs' gullets as they thrummed and sang louder and louder and emerged from the jungle around them. Like an army at her disposal, they gathered on the leaves spread on the floor, and on the branches above her. As they assembled, she collected the various uses and defensive abilities, from poison skin to sharp beaks. The blue bird soared across her face and back around behind her.

  As she left her creatures behind, she told them to spread and hunt any who followed her and Cullen.

  Skill: Charm reached Level 1. 10% boost to broadcast power, with bonus affect to non-human allies (excluding Osuna).

  +5 XP.

  She read Cullen's transmitter location map from his mind, and identified the two between them and where they would rejoin Emmit's route. "Get your transmitters. I'll distract the rejects."

  "Sure?"

  The blue bird cut up under an orange and red branch, and disappeared.

  "Yeah." Ehli ran with the strength of knowing that those behind her were flushing out her enemies.

  As she followed the bird's darting course, she sensed more rejects gathering on her tail. She charmed more wildlife, but had to balance between recruiting and keeping a mental eye on the platoon that chased her.

  One benefit was that the birds flew ahead of her to part branches like a curtain, showing her a clear path to the blue bird coasting ahead.

  And then the stretch needed to jump over a log awoke a stinging pain of her hamstring. She lost the strength needed to scale the branch jutting out from the trunk. It caught her foot, tripping her midflight, and dropped her head over feet. She twisted to avoid crushing Phipps. The impact in her shoulder summoned tears, and a pain that reverberated down her spine bled into the tingling numbness in her left hand. She didn't want to cry, but the pain....

  The connection to her army, and the one that no doubt smiled now, was gone. She looked down at her arm to see Phipps spin off, then slither into the brush under the trunk, where he disappeared in a hole, as much a stranger as any snake should be.

  No. She tried straightening her arm, just to test, and the sting sliced raw nerves up and down the length of the limb. The shriek that escaped her was like a siren calling anyone hungry to come and eat while she was fresh.
>
  Shephka, don't leave us now. She shoved the rest of her waver plant in her mouth and ran in the direction where she’d last seen the bird.

  "Mom? Are you okay?"

  She spotted Cullen through a gap in the trees, kneeling by a transmitter box. Putting out her good hand to quell his concern, she said, Keep going. I'll meet you.

  He nodded, rose, and bolted toward his final transmitter.

  I hurt my shoulder, she 'pathed Emmit. Are we close?

  "You are, but hurry. I'm holding back the rejects, and almost as many mara."

  Ehli did her best to run, her left arm burning with every swing. After fifteen long minutes, she exited the jungle at the edge of a cliff. The path forward was blocked by a seven-meter-wide chasm, and there was no bridge or ladder in sight. She ran to the edge, looked into the mountain deep gorge and whistled. "I am not a fan of that."

  "Ehli," Cullen called out, exiting the jungle. "I got them."

  Ehli checked their Cipher stats.

  *Mission update: transmitter 4 of 5 re-activated. Backup texts downloaded. Scan in process….*

  *Mission update: transmitter 5 of 5 re-activated. Backup texts downloaded. Scan in process….*

  *Mission to activate transmitters and download texts – Complete.*

  +45 XP to group.

  Ehli gained a level! Now Level 3 Ultra. XP 0/180.

  Level-up bonus: boost to animal charm 10 seconds or boost to telescope distance.

  Cullen XP 55/150 to Level 4.